History VideoGame / NuclearThrone

''[[http://nuclearthrone.com/ Nuclear Throne]]'' is a BulletHell ShootEmUp {{Roguelike}} by Vlambeer, creator of ''VideoGame/SuperCrateBox'', ''{{VideoGame/Luftrausers}}'' and ''VideoGame/SeriousSamTheRandomEncounter''. The game is currently available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, [[UsefulNotes/Playstation4 PS4]], UsefulNotes/PSVita, and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. The game is focused on high-adrenaline shootouts in randomly generated environments with a large number of weapons available at the player's disposal. Every character has different passive and active abilities, ranging from blowing up corpses to spending their own health to spawn allies. In addition, as you defeat enemies you gain radiation, which allows your character to mutate, gaining new perks as you travel across the wasteland. But no matter how strong you or your weapons are, you must still be careful, because death comes quickly, and death means you're going on a [[{{Permadeath}} one-way trip]] back to the campfire.

* DropTheHammer: There's a sledgehammer that can be picked up in the middle of the game, and an energy hammer you can pick up later. There's also the blood and lightning hammers that you can pick up far later than both.

* TheBlank: Guardians seem to have a tiny, active portal where you'd expect their faces to be.
* BlingBlingBang: Y.V. starts off with a golden revolver, in keeping with his "money to burn" characterization. Other characters can also find rare golden weapons, which have minor improvements over the originals such as increased rate of fire. Entering a portal with a golden weapon sets it as that character's starting weapon.

** The Second Stomach, Rabbit Paw, and Bloodlust mutations. They do nothing flashy, but will keep you alive and going much longer than you would have under your own power.

** The hidden underwater "Oasis" zone has every playable character and bandit in it encased in a bubble except for Robot and Fish, who obviously don't need it to breathe. (Y.V. only has one to keep his money dry.)

** Getting YV to Level Ultra will change the "Generating..." text on the loading screen to "Verifying..."
** In [[spoiler:YV's Crib, if you have YV use his airhorn, Yung Cuz will cheer]]. In addition, [[spoiler:if you destroy the television, Yung Cuz will cry]].
** Pausing the game as Chicken while in a decapitated state [[spoiler:will also display [[BodyHorror her headless avatar]] on the Pause screen]].

** The Oasis actually keeps the elemental weapons in mind, with fire weapons fizzling out and lightning weapons hurting everything on screen — including you.

* DualWielding: The unique ability of the Steroids character; all other characters can only have one weapon in use at a time.

* EasterEgg: Going into a Crown Vault while an area's B-theme is playing, tiles hinting at the ambiguous story can be found scattered throughout.

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: For most of its Early Access duration, the game had no "win state": reaching the throne and killing the final boss only loops you from level 1-1 except significantly harder, meaning that you'll die eventually. Update 92 ''finally'' lets you win the game.

** YV, being the Gun God, is immortal, so his death animation simply has him [[RageQuit teleporting away out of frustration]]. [[spoiler:The bodies of both him and Horror will also not be found in the IDPD attack at the campfire, having presumably teleported away and disintegrated into rads respectively.]]

* {{Macrogame}}: As a {{Roguelike}}, there are little bits of progression that carry on between runs. The most major are the unlocking of characters, crowns and golden weapons. You unlock characters by performing a specific action or visiting a specific area. When unlocked, you'll see them back at the campfire after you complete your run. Crowns are much harder; you must acquire them on your run and defeat the FinalBoss. Since you can replace your crown in the Frozen City, you only get to keep the one you end the game with. Golden weapons are easier to acquire than crowns but the way to get them is less obvious and requires more luck. You need to be lucky enough to receive the [[spoiler: screwdriver, which you need to use on a broken-down car in 5-1. This will take you to Y.V.'s mansion, where you can find a random golden weapon.]] Leave the area with the golden weapon equipped and it's yours for keeps. However, you can only have one golden weapon unlocked per character; getting another one replaces the first.

* ObviousRulePatch: The Crown Vault's are automatically destroyed in the Weekly challenges, to prevent the player from switching out the crown forced on them.

** You can also do this to most enemies as well provided you have a strong enough weapon. You can even pull this off on the FinalBoss by using YV's special ability (when upgraded with Throne Butt) while holding a Super Plasma Cannon, as long as you have Back Muscle with at least 96 energy and Scarier Face. DifficultButAwesome, to say the least. Watch it in action [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P2K0ALBslI here]].

* PissTakeRap: The lyrics to the YV Mansion Rap are wonderfully silly and over-the-top.

** One of the loading screen tips [[spoiler:when playing as Horror]] simply says "In [[Film/Stalker1979 The]] [[VideoGame/{{STALKER}} Zone]]".

** [[spoiler: The throne becomes one when you reach it.]]

** The Super Plasma Cannon can pretty much kill anything it hits in 1 shot, and can even down the final boss in only 4 shots. It also has a 10-second reload time and chews through ammo like nobody's business. [[note]]Despite this, it actually leans towards DifficultButAwesome, as ammo is less of an issue in later loops with enough enemies to give constant supply of drops, and cooldown is migitated by some mutation, most notably Trigger Fingers (which work the better the more you kill with your shots)[[/note]]

** Alternative version of crystal spiders, found in [[spoiler:Cursed Crystal Cave]], are even more fitting for "Creepy" part

* BrutalBonusLevel: Starting from the loops, [[spoiler:the IDPD Headquarters can be accessed through one of the vans. This area is full of IDPD units — regular and elite — and the final boss provides a BulletHell that would give The Throne a run for its money]].
* CarFu: If a Snowbot (yeti-like enemy) collides with a car while doing its sliding tackle attack, it will stop and pick up the car. There is then a small chance every so often that said Snowbot will throw the car at the player, at very high speed, and it will explode on impact. A rare but potentially devastating attack. Getting killed by this will also show a special spiralling car animation to let you know that, yes, you died by having a car thrown at you.

* ConLang: The characters actually speak in a language called Trashtalk, most characters say "FLÄSHYN!" at the beginning of each level, which translates into "Let's do this!"

* DamageSpongeBoss: The FinalBoss and the TrueFinalBoss both have over 1500 hit points, far more than any other enemy in the game. Better hope you brought enough ammo.
* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Robot's special ability is to devour his current gun for ammo and/or health. This is incredibly useful, but if you had just played someone like Fish or Crystal who use their abilities much more liberally, you may end up chowing down on your gun in the middle of a fire fight.

* GatlingGood: This game features the Minigun, which consumes ammo like crazy and require the wielder to stand still or get pushed back the gun's intense recoil. The Double Minigun, which fires twice the bullets, [[AwesomeButImpractical consumes ''even more'' ammo and pushes the user back no matter what]]. The Laser Minigun is the EnergyWeapon counterpart and doesn't suffer the same drawbacks, at the cost of energy ammo being scarce. In a similar respect to the Double Minigun, the Plasma Minigun offers more firepower at higher ammo consumption and recoil. Then there's the Gatling ''Bazooka'', which rapid-fires explosives and comes with the natural drawback that explosions harm everything, including you.

** Dying to the final boss gives you [[NonstandardGameOver a special message]]: [[spoiler:[[DeathByIrony "You almost reached the Nuclear Throne"]]]].
*** Dying to the final boss via collision damage gives you this mocking message: [[spoiler:[[DeathByIrony "You reached the Nuclear Throne"]]; subverted in that doesn't unlock character who is described to be unlocked by "reaching the Nuclear Throne" - have to actually sit on the Throne for that]]

** One of the loading screen tips [[spoiler:when playing as Horror]] simply says "In [[Film/{{Stalker}} The]] [[VideoGame/{{STALKER}} Zone]]".

* RadiationInducedSuperpower: Radiation is the name of the game: all enemies drop it except for the IDPD [[spoiler:before the third loop]], and it functions as the game's exp system, with you being able to select a new mutation with each level. In addition, the Ultra weapons all drain radiation on use but are insanely powerful as a result. Horror takes it even further by being literally living radiation and having the [[AtomicSuperpower ability to blast enemies with it.]]

* ILoveNuclearPower: Radiation is the name of the game: all enemies drop it except for the IDPD [[spoiler:before the third loop]], and it functions as the game's exp system, with you being able to select a new mutation with each level. In addition, the Ultra weapons all drain radiation on use but are insanely powerful as a result. Horror takes it even further by being literally living radiation and having the ability to blast enemies with it.

* SkillScoresAndPerks: Mutations are the game's equivalent of perks, earned by leveling up by gaining [[ILoveNuclearPower rads]] (the game's version of XP). Most characters get a pool of four[[note]]Horror gets five[[/note]] randomly-selected mutations. These mutations include abilities like doing damage every time you're hit, gaining more health from medkits and upgrading the effects of certain weapons. At [[AbsurdlyLowLevelCap max level]], or Level Ultra, each character gets a choice of two[[note]]Horror gets an additional choice here as well[[/note]] character-specific "Ultra Mutations", each one designed to benefit a different playstyle.

At some point in the past, humanity [[AfterTheEnd messed up]]. They tried their best, but they went extinct, either dying in the wake of the apocalypse or mutating to a point where they could no longer be called humans or anything even remotely close to natural life. Though the human race was destroyed, Earth was not; it merely changed. Life became a struggle for survival, but it continued ever onward. A long time has passed since the apocalypse, and stories about the legendary [[MacGuffinTitle Nuclear Throne]] has led a small group of mutants together to a secluded campfire. They have very little in common, but they all have the same goal; seeking the Nuclear Throne. This will by no means be easy, however, as the path to the Nuclear Throne is guarded by murderous bandits, ravenous monsters, and the mysterious Interdimensional Police Department (IDPD), a heavily armed militia determined to prevent anyone from reaching the Nuclear Throne for unknown reasons. Using their uniquely abnormal superpowers, these very same mutants will do whatever it takes to claim their prize and rise above, no matter the consequences.

* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Chicken's ability lets her throw her weapons - even if she only has one of them. This, of course, includes her [[KatanasAreJustBetter starting weapon]].

* TrueFinalBoss: [[spoiler: The I.D.P.D. Captain.]]
* UndergroundMonkey: There's [[TheGoomba the common desert Bandit]], the Jungle Bandit and the Snow Bandit.

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: A minor example. In [[spoiler:Y.V.'s Crib, there's Y.V.'s cousin Yung Cuz who appears to be playing a game on his giant golden TV. Although you can't interact with him (save for Y.V. himself, whom Cuz cheers when he blares his airhorn), but you ''can'' damage the TV. Destroy it, and he'll cry nonstop until you leave the level. This doesn't affect the gameplay as a whole, though.]]

** In order to get Chicken's black sword , you need to [[spoiler:leave her sword behind at 1-1]], something most players wouldn't purposely do otherwise.

** WakeupCallBoss: Big Bandit again. When you make it to Loop 1 1-3, the enemy count is much higher than when you were there the first time, possibly being a gigantic horde if Crown of Blood is active... and after a few enemies die, two Big Bandits spawn, turning the fight into a WolfpackBoss. These Big Bandits have slightly more health than the pre-loop Big Bandit did due to loop health scaling, but what's notable is they are much more aggressive - they start performing actions very quickly after arriving, and have much lower delay after a charge or machinegun round. This only gets worse on later loops when even more Big Bandits spawn (4 on loop 2, 6 on loop 3, etc.) and they get even faster; at late loops they are pretty much always either charging or firing their machineguns. Way out at loops 5 and up, Big Bandit(s) become the hardest boss in the game.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The IDPD wants to protect their own timeline from the apocalypse or any outside influence. This includes assassinating potential threats, which includes you. They spawn whenever you're going for a crown and in the palace, and they start to chase you regularly in the loops. [[spoiler: They also succeed in murdering the other playable characters, or different instances of them.]]

--> It's not fair, it's not right, [[spoiler: there's no reason to fight]]
* WhamShot: The first thing you see after initiating a loop [[spoiler: is a campsite with the other playable characters dead, with the IDPD immediately spawning in. Assuming you survive Throne II, this sets you up for being chased by the IDPD for the rest of your run.]]

''[[http://nuclearthrone.com/ Nuclear Throne]]'' is a BulletHell ShootEmUp {{Roguelike}} by Vlambeer, creator of ''VideoGame/SuperCrateBox'', ''{{VideoGame/Luftrausers}}'' and ''VideoGame/SeriousSamTheRandomEncounter''. The game is currently available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, [[UsefulNotes/Playstation4 PS4]], UsefulNotes/PSVita, and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. The game is focused on high-adrenaline shootouts in randomly generated environments with a large amount of guns available at the player's disposal. Every character has different passive and active abilities, ranging from blowing up corpses to spending their own health to spawn allies. In addition as you defeat enemies you gain radiation, which allows your character to mutate, gaining new perks as you travel across the wasteland. But no matter how strong you or your weapons are, you must still be careful, because death comes quickly, and death means you're going on a [[{{Permadeath}} one-way trip]] back to the campfire.

At some point in the past, humanity [[AfterTheEnd messed up]]. They tried their best, but they went extinct, either dying in the wake of the apocalypse or mutating to a point where they could no longer be called humans or anything even remotely close to natural life. Though the human race was destroyed, Earth was not; it merely changed. Life became a struggle for survival, but it continued ever onward. A long time has passed since the apocalypse, and now rumours of the fabled [[MacGuffinTitle Nuclear Throne]] has led a small group of mutants together to a secluded campfire. They have very little in common, but they all have the same goal; seeking the Nuclear Throne. This will by no means be easy, however, as the path to the Nuclear Throne is guarded by murderous bandits, ravenous monsters, and the mysterious Interdimensional Police Department (IDPD), a heavily armed militia determined to prevent anyone from reaching the Nuclear Throne for unknown reasons. Using their uniquely abnormal superpowers, these very same mutants will do whatever it takes to claim their prize and rise on top of the apocalyptic food chain, no matter the consequences.

** The Super Plasma Cannon can pretty much kill anything it hits in 1 shot, and can even down the final boss in only 4 shots. It also has a 10-second reload time and chews through ammo like nobody's business.
[[note]]Despite this, it actually leans towards DifficultButAwesome, as ammo is less of an issue in later loops with enough enemies to give constant supply of drops, and cooldown is migitated by some mutation, most notably Trigger Fingers (which work the better the more you kill with your shots)[[/note]]

* TentacleRope: Plant's special ability ensnares enemies in vines. When upgraded, the vines grow thorns that instantly kill low health enemies and/or summon explosive minions when enemies trapped in it are killed.

* YouNukeEm: The Nuke Launcher, a powerful late-game weapon that fires devastating [[PlayerGuidedMissile cursor-guided nukes]]. Like with all explosive weapons, be careful not to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard blow yourself up]].

* YouNukeEm: The Nuke Launcher, a powerful late-game weapon that fires devastating [[PlayerGuidedMissile cursor-guided missiles]]. Like with all explosive weapons, be careful not to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard blow yourself up]].