History VideoGame / MARDEK

--->'''Solaar''': [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Even I don't know what I meaned by that one]].

** [[PeterPan Pixie Dust doesn't let you fly]]

* UnusableEnemyEquipment: Rather {{egregious}}, since you can click on an enemy's lifebar at any time to see a detailed description of their stats, equipment, etc., and only a few enemies will actually drop said equipment as a [[RandomlyDrops random drop]]. It's also subverted, however, as a lot of the enemy equipment is actual equipment that you can buy or find in treasure chests.

* MadeOfEvil: All monsters are made up of a dark, insubstantial material known as "miasma".

* [[spoiler:TomatoInTheMirror]]: [[spoiler:[[OhCrap Rohoph was not immune to the Violet Crystal's effects.]]]]

-->'''Elwyen''': Maaardeeeek! I'm all covered in sweat, all wet and glistening and it's making me squirm around! Why aren't you watching?
-->'''Mardek''': Well, we're sort of on an adventure here...
-->'''Elwyen''': I still wish you'd ogle me lustfully all the time, just like you used to!
-->'''Mardek''': I don't remember ever doing that...
-->'''Elwyen''': IN MY DREAMS YOU DID!!!
* BackFromTheDead [[ExaggeratedTrope For The Third Time]]: The Skeletal Dracelon.

-->'''Melchior:''' I liked Qualna. He had one eye. I liked that about him because I have one eye too. So does everyone in this chamber. We're like one big happy family! He also solved his problems with words. Words which weren't things like "DIE!!" or "[[BreadEggsMilkSquick I have a small peanut and I'm not afraid to use it]]!"
-->'''Balthazar:''' You have a small ''what''?
-->'''Melchior:''' I'm a hermaphrodite.

* ElementalEmbodiment: All four of the Elemental Temples you explore have both [[EnergyBeing energy-based]] elementals and [[SiliconBasedLife gemstone monsters]] of the appropriate element.

-->Emela, [[DiscussedTrope discussing]] WhatMeasureIsAMook

** At one point, a character asks if the rest of the party can hear something. Mardek mentions that, yes, the music changed... [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything Unless you have the sound off, in which case Mardek comments that he can't hear anything because the sound is off.]]

* AuthorCatchPhrase: "Tsk."
** Any time a cliche or otherwise expected situation is predicted (which happens very often), the sentence tends to end with "perhaps?" or a similar qualifier. This shows up less in Chapter 3, but is still present in Pseudo's blog posts.

* ConvectionSchmonvection

* CrossOver: In Chapter 3, the author crosses over several of the elements from his [[DevelopmentHell canceled project]], Deliverance.
** Actually, most, if not all, of Pseudolonewolf's older games happen in a shared universe. So we might just be able to meet [[LizardFolk Arkus]] [[SpacePirate Zei]] one day.
* CrystalDragonJesus: YALORT.
** Though he may be more like Crystal Dragon Zeus.

** [[spoiler: By the end of chapter 3, Rohoph actively sabotages Mardek's friendship with Elwyen to prevent him from growing attached to anybody which could distract him from "their" goal]].

* FightWoosh

* GenreSavvy: Rohoph, who advises Mardek not to form emotional attachments to people, because then his enemies can use them against him in a SadisticChoice, or ''they'' could simply [[EtTuBrute betray him themselves]].
** [[spoiler:Granted, this is probably influenced by Rohoph's extreme paranoia caused by his own corruption from the violet crystal.]]

* GrimReaper: GALARIS.
** Moric was mistaken for Galaris. Admittedly, he's pretty much a look-alike.
* HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: "Mardek, I'm going to remind you of the controls!" To be fair, much of the dialogue in the game is in the same vein.

** HumanoidAliens: Both averted and played straight. Some of the species described in the encyclopedia are [[StarfishAliens truly bizarre]]. The ones we've seen so far are all humanoids, however.

* LizardFolk: A whole tribe of 'em.

* MagikarpPower: Elwyen and Meraeador look useless at first, but if you take the time to get sheet music and build inventions, they become invaluable.
** Solaar, too. Xe has abysmal Vitality, turning xim into a GlassCannon with too much emphasis on the "glass" part to be very useful. However, if you give xim equipment that boosts Vitality (the Green Stole + 6, in particular), xyr HP is raised enough to make xim and xyr amazing skills usable.

** [[CompletelyMissingThePoint But he's totally rad, man.]]

* OurSoulsAreDifferent: And how!

** And [[spoiler: Moric's possession of Social Fox's body]].

* [[spoiler:SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: Hope you don't leave Deugan and Emela with plenty of gear by the end of Chapter 2 without banking them first!]]

* {{Whatevermancy}}

* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Undead?]]: Sslen'ck can't stand zombies. [[spoiler:Justified, as they killed his parents when he was young.]]
** [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Pixies?]]: Bostolm, Legion's Sanguine soul, starts screaming incoherently whenever he's near a pixie. To quote his P-dialogue in the Lifewood:

* WrongGenreSavvy: The World's Saviours, who believe that they are the main heroes of the story. Well, except for Bernard, who's [[ItAmusedMe just along because he gets his kicks from their bumbling antics.]]
** It's hinted that Mardek and his friends are WrongGenreSavvy as many of their actions are making things worse.

* YouNoTakeCandle: Solaar is somewhere between this and StrangeSyntaxSpeaker.
-->Forgivify me, for I have failn!
** This is lampshaded if you talk to him/her in Goznor.

*** Xe's not the only one. [[spoiler: All Aruan and even their masters, who sent Solaar to watch over the Dark Crystal, speak this way too.]]

* ClicheStorm: The beginning. [[invoked]]
** [[TropesAreNotBad In the]] [[SoBadItsGood best]] [[StylisticSuck possible way.]]
* FakeActionPrologue

* {{Kid Hero}}es

* MagicMeteor

* StylisticSuck: The beginning.

* FakeUltimateHero: The World's Saviours.
* FlunkyBoss: Moric.
* ForeShadowing: Rohoph, a light-elemental, loses [[spoiler:Moric, an earth-elemental,]] whom [[AlasPoorVillain he had once considered a friend.]] Guess which character close to Mardek [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices himself so that the rest of the party can escape the ship a mere few minutes later?]]]]

* MercyRewarded: Gope, [[GuideDangIt infam]][[VideoGameCrueltyPunishment ously]].

* ArtifactOfDoom: That purple plot item you handed to the Yalortian monk in Aeropolis? It quite fits the description of [[spoiler:The Violet Crystal, which kicked off the plot by making Rohoph's companions evil.]]
** Speaking to Rohoph within the Lost Monastery [[spoiler:confirms that it is exactly that. He recognizes the corrupting energy as being the same as the one that the Violet Crystal gave off.]]

* BadassBoast: [[BonusBoss The Annihilator]] scoffs at you when you try to fight it, saying that it has wiped out an entire civilization, and that you have no hope of defeating it in single combat. [[ViolationOfCommonSense Mardek does so]] [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu anyway]].
** Granted, it is by far the hardest battle in the entire series so far. (including the security demon, which is hard for completely different reasons)
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Where to begin? Well, first you have to fight your own king. Who afterwards promptly dies. [[AccidentalMurder Oops.]] And did we mention that he's actually the father of one of your party members? Then it turns out Qualna wasn't even trying to get you to kill the king, and this is exactly the example he was trying to create to show [[KnightTemplar Rohoph]] that he's gone off the deep end, and to get him to rejoin the Governance de Magi peacefully. (Although most of the Magi have gone off that end too.) Rohoph promptly kills Qualna too and seals his soul so he can no longer escape after telling her that he wouldn't. Mardek and Elwyen go to a play afterwards to lighten the mood, until Rohoph forces her away, to Mardek's disdain and anger. So now King Gonoroth and probably the most friendly of the Governance de Magi are dead, and Rohoph wants Mardek to have no more friends to become attached to. Yeah. At least Lone Wolf (Deugan) finally talks to Mardek's face, although he doesn't reveal who he is.]]
** Approaches DownerEnding when you realize that [[spoiler:Qualna was lying about wanting to use the Violet Crystal for good, but only because the other Governors were watching - he was trying to sneak Rohoph back to their planet in order to help him ''destroy'' the Crystal. And it turns out that Rohoph had been corrupted by the Crystal from the start into becoming a paranoid KnightTemplar, and he no longer has qualms about ''forcibly'' taking over Mardek's body at times. Oh, and the world is slowly dying thanks to the crystals being removed from their temples, and Rohoph's presence might be slowly killing Mardek. Absolutely nothing you did in this chapter has accomplished anything good.]]
*** Downer status further solidified by a lot of things that seem minor in Chapter 3 but will surely come back to bite the good guys in the ass in subsequent chapters: [[spoiler: Steele/"The Mysterious Man" still has the dark crystal; Blatantly Evil Chancellor had control of Xantusia while Ss'lenck was away; you gave a fragment or relative of the Violet Crystal to Vudu, the probably already evil high priest of YALORT; and oh yeah, there's this [[ChekhovsGun volcano which could wipe out most of the life on Belfan]] if it erupted, and the next Magus coming after you is the ''pyromancer'' of the group. Add in the fact that WordOfGod has said that there will be an important event separating chapters 1-4 and 5-8, and [[OhCrap let the dread sink in]]. Really, the only good things that you did in this game were making your party members feel good about themselves by listening to them talk about their problems, and driving away Saul and Muriance (probably temporarily). Well, and destroying the [[BonusBoss Annihilator]], if you did that.]]
* BonusBoss: Lots of them, but three come to mind as end game ones.
* BossInMookClothing: Mythril Golems.
** Made easier if Legion has Spirit Nova. It removes more than half of their HP, and so lowers them to mere DemonicSpider level. Still is guaranteed to KO at least one person, though.
** Same with Solaar, in a way; one of his skills instantly turns him into a sort of IntangibleMan, immunizing him from all Physical damage, and since the Mythril Golem is, at its base, a SmashMook....

-->'''Red Dragon''': Despite its enormous size, this proud, vicious variety of fire-elemental dragon can actually fit inside a small treasure chest. Which is an interesting fact.

-->'''Warding Stone Pedestal''': You shouldn't have grown so attached to little 'Wardy [=McStone=]', you know. You KNEW from the moment that he came into your tender care that you'd have to one day say goodbye, so please, overcome your emotional difficulties now, say a good, long, teary farewell to the stone you wish was your lover and your son, and come back when you're good and ready.

* DefeatEqualsFriendship: Averted, sadly. People who played Chaper 2 might hope that defeating the Water Guardian would make her part of your party [[spoiler: again]]. Well, they were wrong, because apparently there's some rule that the guardians have to guard the temple once the crystal is gone.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Subverted in that it isn't actually a god, but the most powerful BonusBoss is [[spoiler:a super-powerful alien monstrosity that wiped out an ''entire civilization''. And not only can you defeat its body, but its ''soul'' as well.]]
** Just to put this in perspective, a book you can read within the Lizard Tribe village [[spoiler:states that said alien monstrosity had its body and soul seperated by an ancient race to stop its path of destruction. [[UpToEleven Sadly, both the body and soul merely went on destruction sprees of their own, giving the race two deadly enemies to face.]] They managed to [[SealedEvilInACan seal both parts of the monster away,]] but didn't quite make it through afterwards.]]
* [[spoiler:TheDogWasTheMastermind]]: Subverted, as [[spoiler:the mastermind ''is'' a major villain, but disguised as a "dog". Remember Clavis, that enigmatic but inconspicuous guy who just seemed to like talking about balance? He's Qualna in disguise]].

** DualWorldGameplay

* FourTemperamentEnsemble: All in one character, the multi-souled Legion. The colours of the souls even correspond to their temperaments' colours.
** Also, the four Solakian monks that you need to rescue in a sidequest.

* HydePlaysJekyll

!!All chapters provide examples of the following tropes:

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!! [[http://www.fighunter.com/gamepages/M/play2.php?c=1&w=900&h=660 Chapter One: A Fallen Star]] provides examples of the following tropes:

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!! [[http://www.fighunter.com/gamepages/M/play2.php?c=2&w=900&h=660 Chapter Two: A New Hero]] provides examples of the following tropes:

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!! [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-3 Chapter Three: Keystones]] provides examples of the following tropes:

* LostForever: The Trilobite Key IV, although it's very hard to miss, and if you do, [[VideogameCrueltyPunishment you deserve it]]. Luckily, in Chapter 3, there's an obscure shop in Acropolis that sells all the Trilobite keys if you missed any of them.

* VideogameCrueltyPunishment: If you don't kill a bandit named Gope at the beginning, he'll later give you the Trilobite Key IV, which is essential for completing a sidequest. But if you killed him, too bad, it's LostForever...Until Chapter 3. See LostForever above.
* ZombieApocalypse: Happens twice, though it's mostly PlayedForLaughs.
** ''Nobody even got hurt.''

** There's also the Water Temple, but not because its puzzle is all that difficult (it just requires a lot of walking), [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-walkthrough the official guide made by Psuedolonewolf]], is wrong. There are a few steps that he completely left out of the guide.
*** The fact that there IS an official guide to begin with shows how much GuideDangIt this game has.

* IntrepidMerchant: Gope if you didn't kill him back in Chapter 2.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: [[spoiler:Rohoph]], [[KnightTemplar and how]].
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Rohoph]]

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: At one point, a character asks if the rest of the party can hear something. Mardek mentions that, yes, the music changed... [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything Unless you have the sound off, in which case Mardek comments that he can't hear anything because the sound is off.]]

* MostDefinitelyNotAVillain: The [[spoiler: Qualna-possessed King]] makes several remarks to this effect. [[spoiler:This is actually invoked, however; Qualna purposefully put up a terrible act in a ReversePsychology gambit.]]
** Also, Muriance.

* [[NiceHat Nice Helmet]]: Mardek's helmet, complete with "M!" emblazoned on the front, is almost humorously cheesy. Then you realize, as mentioned above, that [[FridgeBrilliance he uses it to hide]] [[MindControlEyes the glow in his eyes that appears whenever Rohoph takes over.]]
** Elwyen's Dreamstone suggests there may be another, not entirely unrelated reason. She thinks he became self-conscious after she pointed out [[spoiler:the weird sores on his face and bags under his eyes.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Two examples. The first one, which makes up the two optional boss battles, involves a [[StarfishAliens starfish alien]] EldritchAbomination that lands on Belfan and starts annihilating [[MeaningfulName (thus its name)]] and begins wiping out the first civilization before humans came to power. In a desperate attempt to save themselves, [[spoiler:they use their magic to seperate its spirit from its body, hoping it would just stop moving or something to that effect; all that did was made the monster even ''more'' destructive and prone to rampaging than before. Not only that, but you find out by reading the encyclopedia by defeating its soul next that had its trapped soul been left alone long enough, it could have eventually formed a new body anyways, repeating the process. Nice job breaking it, guys!]]

* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Steele comes back as a major antagonist.]]
** This is amazingly ''subverted'' with [[spoiler:Deugan]], who [[spoiler:decides not to return to the group for various reasons shown throughout his dreamstones. In his final one, he says that [[ThatManIsDead he is dead, but is reborn anew]]...as "Lone Wolf", the next Grand Adventurer.]]
*** Which, seeing how he all but abandons [[spoiler:Emela]], makes him sort of a JerkAss.
** And it's parodied as well. After the boss fight against Sslen'ck, speaking to his fallen lizard guards reveals that they're still [[NonLethalKO very much alive]] and somewhat irked to left lying there.

* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Sslen'ck and almost all LizardFolk in the game qualify.
** [[spoiler:And, as it turns out, Zach, pre-mercenary career, was once one of these. Actually, they were Mardek's exact words. Capitalised and everything.]]

* RedemptionDemotion: Averted with Sslen'ck, who is just as powerful when you fight him as when he joins you.
** Of course, since he's a FlunkyBoss, he's actually of a reasonable power level for that point of the game.

* [[RobotBuddy Possessed Mechanical Construct Buddy]]: Legion.

* [[InvertedTrope Reverse]] WifeHusbandry: Elwyen tries to do this with Mardek.
* SealedEvilInACan:
** [[spoiler: Both halves of the most powerful BonusBoss.]]
** And [[spoiler: another bonus boss, the Bone Demon]].
* [[spoiler: SecretTestOfCharacter: Qualna, via the King attempts to do this to Mardek & Co. by obtaining the Elemental Crystals. Despite how poorly he portrays the King and that his disguise, Clavis explains about the balance of the world and lectures them when they obtain the Water Crystal, it fails.]]

* [[SoLastSeason So Last Chapter]]: An NPC in Aeropolis says ''this phrase exactly'' in response to an amateur necromancer who's trying to raise an undead army.

* TemptingFate: While the consequences haven't occurred yet, it nonetheless seems ''extremely'' likely that giving an extremely powerful crystal (which drove a monastery insane, and is specifically noted to seem disconcertingly similar to the Violet Crystal that kicked off the plot) to the Dark-aligned High Priest of YALORT will have negative consequences. Vehrn's take on it?

--> '''Saul''': That would be I, answered Saul affirmatively. What of this?, he went on further to ask, the ivory protuberances of his gaunt visage lit eerily by the dim torchlight; the furry dark caterpillars of his brow dancing in antipode to suggest particular suspicion; wanting for an answer that does not test his patience and his undead...

* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"YOU UTTER MONSTER!"]]
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Subverted with [[spoiler:Rohoph]], who reveals himself to be [[spoiler:a KnightTemplar JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope.]]

* ImprobablePowerDiscrepancy: An amateur human necromancer can create undead more powerful and high-levelled than an super-powerful alien that has devoted most of his life to perfecting his magic. Said super-powerful alien necromancer is also weaker than some ''regular enemies'' in {{Bonus Dungeon}}s. GameplayAndStorySegregation at its finest, considering how the {{Bonus Boss}}es of Chapter 3 have [[spoiler:destoryed entire civilizations.]]

* ShoutOut: There's a weapon that has a chance of being [[RandomlyDrops randomly dropped]] by a boss. It's called the "[[KingdomHearts Keyblade]]". [[CaptainObvious It's a key.]] Originally wielded by a zombie locksmith.

** Magmazard, [[{{Pokemon}} fire-elemental lizards with a flame lit tail.]]

Chapter 1 is [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-1 here]], Chapter 2 is [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-2 here]], and Chapter 3 is [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-3 here]]. After years in DevelopmentHell, Pseudolonewolf decided on a major ContinuityReboot, a trailer of which can be seen [[http://www.alorafane.com/blog/132 here]].

* MediumAwareness

* MightyGlacier: Deugan, Sslen'ck, and Legion.

* CryForTheDevil: You ''will'' feel sorry for the Governance de Magi members after you kill them.

* {{Vaporware}}: Partly due to SerialEscalation and TechnologyMarchesOn the wait time between games has been growing. Mardek 2 was released half a year after Mardek 1. Mardek 3 weas released 3 years after that. Mardek 4 is still stuck in DevelopmentHell.

** Known to have been nerfed since the Chapter 3 update; previously, Phoenix Downs inflicted MassiveDamage (it was possible to ''easily'' defeat the [[BonusBoss Zombie Dragon]] in Chapter 2 by solely lobbing Phoenix Downs, which inflicted at least 5000 damage), but now Phoenix Downs inflict relatively meagre damage.

* MacGuffinGuardian: MARDEK 3 has these in each of the elemental temples you visit. Fire had a wise, flaming dragonlike guardian named Girru who tests you by combat and finds you worthy, Water had a giant lobster-seahorse thing with a human rider, and Earth had the Rock Mole. Darkness was guarded by a wolflike alien mage called Solaar, but she had already been taken out by a villain when you get there and in fact joins your party in hopes of catching the thief.

* NoEndorHolocaust: Parodied. The zombie attack on Goznor and Canonia in Ch. 2 din't have any casualty or any property damage. One NPC in Canonia in Ch. 3 explain that after [[BigBad Moric's]] battleship fall to the Lake Qur, the zombie just ''shuffle off return to their grave'' and life just return to normal in few days.

* FlipPersonality: Mardek shares his body with the Rohoph's soul. You can tell instantly when Rohoph is talking because Mardek's eyes glow white and his voice pattern changes completely.

Chapter 1 is [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-1 here]], Chapter 2 is [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-2 here]], and Chapter 3 is [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-3 here]]. After years in DevelopmentHell, Pseudolonewolf decided on a major ContinuityReboot, currently characterized as "[[http://www.alorafane.com/blog/131 Still Almost There]]".

Chapter 1 is [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-1 here]], Chapter 2 is [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-2 here]], and Chapter 3 is [[http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-3 here]].

The [[http://www.fighunter.com/?page=games MARDEK]] series is a series of online Flash {{RPG}}s designed and created by Pseudolonewolf of FigHunter [[http://www.fighunter.com/ Games]]. They revolve around a lad named [[TheHero Mardek]], his childhood friend [[TheLancer Deugan]], their female colleague [[TheChick Emela]], and the magical space ghost [[SharingABody living inside Mardek's body]] called [[TheSmartGuy Rohoph]]. The games take place on the planet Belfan, where magic and all that nonsense are pretty commonplace. Part of what makes up MARDEK's charm is the game's sense of humour, as almost everyone on the planet seems totally aware that it's an RPG world, [[LampshadeHanging and are quick to point out that most of what happens make little to no sense whatsoever]]. Make no mistake, though; at the center of it all is a well-written story and well-constructed world that, as the quote above demonstrates, can be rather dark at times.

* EasterEgg : [[spoiler: If you cast auralung on someone before fighting Moric the first time in chapter 2,defeat him and go to Lake Qur (without saving after the fight)and attempt to jump in,you will get a message from Pesudolonewolf telling you how clever you are to have reserved auralung for that particular time,[[RunningGag "but there is nothing down there....really"]]]]

** [[FinalFantasy There are also monster cacti called Happy Johnnies that use an attack called 1000 Needles.]]
** Also the [[FinalFantasy Phoenix Down]] item.

** Don't forget [[FinalFantasy Smalls and Chunk]], the two guards that pick you up from the Air Temple.

** Vern has an ability that subverts this. His Sinstrike does damage based on how many people he's killed. Use it enough and he can one shot bosses.

** [[spoiler:Both halves of the most powerful BonusBoss.]]

* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Due to the elemental weaknesses, healing and buff abilities and ability for magic to target multiple people, your spellcasters will become the most useful party members despite many starting out as SquishyWizard|s.