History VideoGame / PartyHard

* DifficultySpike:
** The "Miami Party" level. Bouncers? Check. No escape routes? Check. No place to dispose of bodies? Check. Coupled with the open area and the player character's weaknesses (has to knock out an NPC before killing them), this level is a marked step up from those that came before it.
*** Inverted if the player [[spoiler:uses the phone at the bottom of the level. It will call in a zombie event, and the player can largely sit back and let the zombies eat everyone. Katie kills zombies in one hit, and zombies won't call the police on discovered corpses. One phone call and 5 minutes of patience will allow you to kill everyone at the party by hand. Doubles as an excellent way to earn the 20 kill combo, making this the easiest level in the game]].
** The remixed "Casino Party". Instead of the random partygoers, the level is filled with 21 people, a boatload of bodyguards (who will knock you down for good if they're stationary and catch you within eyesight), and a horde of SWAT officers surrounding a single target.
** The Sewer Level can be this. Almost 80% of all party goers look similar or even identical to the player and the FBI will appear guaranteed after the first murder. While they can be killed or chased off, players that never dealt with them will be in for a bad surprise.

--> '''Killer/Darius:''' White shirt/pink pants
--> '''[[spoiler:Katie]]:''' Pink dress
--> '''Ninja:''' [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]]
--> '''Maniac:''' Prison outfit

A sequel called ''PartyHard 2'' was released for [=PCs=] on October 25th, 2018. The game uses a new engine allowing for 3D environments while retaining the 16-bit art style and in-game physics. Taking influence from ''High Crimes'', levels can be completed either by massacring everyone, or by killing specific targets and accomplishing objectives instead.

!!This game provides examples of the following tropes:

** The "Party Bus" level before that also gives you a timer. If it runs out, the bus will stop and whichever victim is left alive will call the cops on you. While it is a small bus with only a few people, the difficulty is that the guests will regularily knock you out unless there are only very few of them left.

* BoringYetPractical: In levels with dumpsters, camping in the back alley waiting on unsuspecting lone victims to walk past is a good way to pick off individual partygoers. While this can be time consuming, it's also an ideal way to maintain stealth. Even without a dumpster, this can be a viable tactic, so long as the player is far away from an discovered corpses.

* BoringYetPractical: In levels with dumpsters, camping in the back alley waiting on unsuspecting lone victims to walk past is a good way to pick off individual partygoers. While this can be time consuming, it's also an ideal way to maintain stealth. Even without a dumpster, this can be a viable tactic, so long as the player is far away from an discovered corpses.

A sequel called ''VideoGame/PartyHard2'' was released in October, 2018. The game uses a new engine allowing for 3D environments while retaining the 16-bit art style and in-game physics. Taking influence from ''High Crimes'', levels can be completed either by massacring everyone, or by killing specific targets and accomplishing objectives instead.

''Party Hard'' is developer Pinokl Games' first stealth title, and features several playable characters and semi-randomized events to keep players on their toes. An "After Party Update" was introduced on October 15, 2015, which added seven [[RemixedLevel remixed levels]] from the main campaign.

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--> '''Maniac:''' Prison outfit

A sequel called ''VideoGame/PartyHard2'' was released in Ofctober, 2018. The game uses a new engine allowing for 3D environments while retaining the 16-bit art style and in-game physics.

On February 8, 2017, a sequel called ''VideoGame/PartyHardII'' was announced. The game uses a new engine allowing for 3D environments while retaining the 16-bit art style and in-game physics.

** The sequel has [[VideoGame/HitMan Instinct, which turns the world grayscale and highlights useful items]]. Might be a coincidence, but the similarities are there.

* DisproportionateRetribution[=/=]MurderIsTheBestSolution: The reason our protagonist kills dozens of innocent partyxgoers? Because their parties don't let him sleep at night.

Each level is filled with traps and environmental hazards the player can use to their advantage, including poisoned alcohol, samurai swords, smoke bombs and many other implements of destruction. However, it's not an easy task - kill someone in the line of sight of another partygoer, and they'll call the cops - or worse - on you.

* ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction: Played with. For the entirety of the game, the protagonist wears the same sweater/pants combo. However, the player can change him into an alternate outfit by obtaining the "Spare Clothes" powerup - even if they're in the midst of being chased by the cops.

* DisproportionateRetribution: The reason our protagonist kills dozens of innocent partyxgoers? Because their parties don't let him sleep at night.

** [[spoiler:Katie]], (unlocked by escaping a cop 5 times in one map) who's only present in one level. Despite having the ability to "kick" a person into unconsciousness before killing them, it's difficult to separate and/or put enough people to sleep before taking them out in secluded corners, especially without other [=NPCs=] witnessing the crime.
** The Ninja (unlocked by beating a level without anyone finding a corpse) has unlimited smoke bombs and a katana, and becomes invisible if near a wall or solid Object. He even stays invisible for a few seconds if you move, but if anyone spots him, the cops are immediately called, regardless if you didn't even kill anyone yet. Once a cop is chasing you, going invisible near a wall won't fool him, so you'd better hope he gives up.

** The "Miami Party" level. Bouncers? Check. No escape routes? Check. No place to dispose bodies? Check. Coupled with the open area and the player character's weaknesses (has to knock out an NPC before killing them), this level is a marked step up from those that came before it.
*** Inverted if the player [[spoiler:uses the phone at the bottom of the level. It will call in a zombie event, and the player can largely sit back and let the zombies eat everyone. Katie kills zombies in one hit, and zombies won't call the police on discovered corposes. One phone call and 5 minutes of patience will allow you to kill everyone at the party by hand. Doubles as an excellent way to earn the 20 kill combo, making this the easiest level in the game]]
** The remixed "Casino Party". Instead of the random partygoers, the level is filled with 21 people, a boatload of bodyguards (who will knock you down for good if they're stationary and catch you within eyesight) and a horde of SWAT officers surrounding a single target.
* DisproportionateRetribution: The reason our protagonist kills dozens of innocent party goers? Because their parties don't let him sleep at night.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:The protagonist has a split personality, and was in fact the cop that was interrogating him the whole time. As a result, the protagonist will continue his murders uninterrupted]]. Though the ''High Crimes'' DLC seems to show that the Killer does end up moderating his behavior at least a little over the course of 10 years.
* FinalBoss: The ''High Crimes'' DLC ends with an actual boss fight against [[spoiler: the Police Chief[=/=]drug kingpin]].
* HeelFaceTurn: In ''High Crimes'', the Party Hard Killer is a vigilante fighting against drugs, crime, and government corruption, rather than a random spree killer ([[spoiler: which seems to show the two halves of his personality have merged and stabilized to some degree]]). Your goals in the DLC maps are to eliminate specific targets and accomplish objectives rather than kill everyone around. In the opening cutscene he even spares a group of junkies having a rave in the woods, deciding to go after the people pushing the drugs instead (a pretty far cry from the man who once [[spoiler: killed his own daughter]] ForTheEvulz).

* IncreasinglyLethalEnemy: Played with. Managing to kill the cop on any level increases the chance that a more dangerous law enforcement unit will arrive - either a SWAT team (four units, don't move fast, can kill you in one hit) or the FBI (two units, move fast, can catch you unless you're far away from them).
* ItRunsInTheFamily: [[spoiler:Both the protagonist and his daughter, Katie, end up becoming mass murderers]].

* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler: Eventually, we find out that the cop was the killer all along.]]

--> '''Maniac:''' Prison outfit
* XMeetsY: ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'' meets ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}''.

* HeelFaceTurn: In ''High Crimes'', the Party Hard Killer is a vigilante fighting against drugs, crime, and government corruption, rather than a random spree killer ([[spoiler: which seems to show the two halves of his personality have merged and stabilized to some degree]]). In the opening cutscene he even spares a group of junkies having a rave in the woods, deciding to go after the people pushing the drugs instead (a pretty far cry from the man who once [[spoiler: killed his own daughter]] ForTheEvulz).

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:The protagonist has a split personality, and was in fact the cop that was interrogating him the whole time. As a result, the protagonist will continue his murders uninterrupted]].

* TooDumbToLive: The party-goers will continue to party even though you continue to kill each of them consecutively, with some dancing in vicinity of a body bag.