History VideoGame / SkyGunner

* AirborneAircraftCarrier

* HaveANiceDeath[=/=]ItsAWonderfulFailure: Being shot down in combat, being unable to prevent your teammates (in specific scenarios) from being shot down, or failing to neutralize Ventre's heists in the first two Scenes will result in a display of photos taken by Ventre in commemoration of his victory. There are ''ten'' variations in all, although one of them (Rival's) has nothing to actually do with Ventre's involvement and seems to have just been taken for the sake of good relations.

* LittleBitBeastly: A hyper-minor case in that everyone has a horse-like tail. Given everyone is sitting down, the only one seen with any regularity is Femme's, who braids it.

* ShonenHair

* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld

* DarkSkinnedBlond: Rival.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Copain (blue) and Femme (green), keeping in line with their {{Color Motif}}s.

* ASpotOfTea: Nearly ''everyone''. Ventre, however, sometimes prefers {{wine|IsClassy}}.

* BadassMustache: Hardi and, debatably, Ventre.

** ChromaticArrangement: Ciel ({{red|IsHeroic}}dish-orange), Copain ({{blue|IsHeroic}}), and Femme (green).

* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Femme, very much an ActionGirl and LadyOfWar, takes to skies donning elegant dresses in Scenes 1 and 3. This is not by choice, however; [[RealityEnsues she just happens to be in formal wear when Ventre attacks and has no time to change outfits before launching]].

* ChekhovsGunman: In Femme's campaign, Hardi mentions that a machine soldier was recently stolen. Copain has to take care of that very same machine soldier (the Vainqueur "Fidele") in Scene 1. After being knocked off of the deck of the Merveilleux, it is repaired off-screen, refitted as the Vainqueur "Sage", and used in Scene 3 of Femme's campaign in an attempt to steal a telescope from Rive. Hardi gives some additional exposition [[note]]the Vainqueur was manufactured by Associé, the makers of Copain's Chevalier, and was intended to be shown off at the Expo, but was stolen while being transported to Rive[[/note]] and he, his men, and Femme team up to take out the machine soldier, causing Ventre to order for its retreat. [[spoiler:It is later upgraded behind the scenes and returns in Scene 5 as the Vainqueur "Garde." In turn, it is shot out of the skies yet again (this time by Ciel), but is apparently re-repaired soon after to serve as the FinalBoss. Even then, it reappears--seemingly no worse for wear--as the final enemy faced by Rival in his campaign, putting up one more fight before ''finally'' being destroyed for good.]]

* CombinationAttack: In a sense. The first phase of the final boss involves Copain stunning it with Max Lock Pumpkin Bombs, Ciel and Femme riddling its body with six Max Lock Cross Missiles, and then detonating them.

* EvilLaugh: Rival's specialty, although it's more of a crazed snicker. Ventre belts out a glorious one on occasion (during a few cutscenes and should the player fail at stopping his plans, such as allowing Ventre to tow away the Merveilleux or failing to protect the cargo planes in Scene 2). He gets the [[CryLaughing "laughter turns into crying"]] subversion if [[spoiler:the player manages to capture him in Scene 5]].

** Copain also qualifies, albeit arguably. His plane has average firepower (ranked B), but his Vortex and Pumpkin Bombs more than make up for it; unfortunately, his durability rating is a slightly subpar C.
* GratuitousFrench: The game's chock full of it, not in the dialog but in the setting, as nearly every aspect of the game has a French name, including the pilots themselves. BilingualBonus boosts this to rather funny moments when you realize what Grand Magasin (the AirborneAircraftCarrier the last main-story stage is set over) means, for example. [[note]]Department Store, for those curious.[[/note]]

* HelpingWouldBeKillStealing: Inverted. While the other Gunners are usually off doing their own thing (which means that the brunt of the work--at least when it comes to dealing with enemy fighters--[[ItsUpToYou falls to the player]]), they can and will jump in to help out if the player is lagging behind in their duties. However, this can impede upon any potential monetary gains (i.e. a fellow Gunner breaking up a group of enemies you locked onto with your Firework Missiles for a chain).

** Same goes for Femme, although all of her stats are ranked A. To balance out her superior stats, she possesses the only special maneuver in the game that can't be directly used for combat (although it's still pretty darned effective).

* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Femme, very much an ActionGirl and LadyOfWar, takes to skies donning elegant dresses in Scenes 1 and 3.

* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:The final boss]] turns out completely functional and unharmed at the end of the game, floating on top of a piece of [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Grand Magasin]]. It's only revealed in [[spoiler:Rival's]] playthrough, whereupon he destroys it a second time and steals a vital piece of the [[spoiler:Eternal Engine]] from it.

* PrincelyYoungMan: Rival. He lives in a [[BigFancyHouse mansion]], complete with his own butler and at least three maids. He also presents himself a very dignified manner at (almost) all times, even when facing Ciel in battle.

* SamusIsAGirl: When Femme calls Ciel and Copain asking for their help in dealing with the aircraft holding the Merveilleux hostage so she can launch, Ciel doesn't seem to notice that the new Gunner is a woman until they meet in the air. (Copain, on the other hand, does and refers to Femme as "miss.")

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Femme is the only playable female Gunner, and in fact, the only ([[NominalImportance named]]) female character in the ''entire game''. Her name is, of course, French for "woman." [[note]]If the Expo ball on the Mervellieux is any indication, there ''are'' other females in Rive (Femme hails from a neighboring town, Neju). [[NominalImportance They're just not important.]][[/note]]

** SpinToDeflectStuff: With few exceptions, Copain and his Chevalier are [[InvulnerableAttack invincible]] for the duration of Vortex.

* TimedMission: Happens in almost every Scene. Of note are Ciel's duels with Rival, where Rival's portraits depict [[ExcuseMeWhileIMultitask him pulling out a pocket watch to keep the time]].

* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The Grand Magasin.

The game stars three "Gunners" ([[AcePilot pilot]] [[HiredGuns mercenaries for hire]]): Ciel (a happy-go-lucky Gunner), Copain (Ciel's best friend, a very "Let's get 'em!" kind of guy), and Femme (a hired pilot from out of town, come to guard the Expo). They are stationed in the island town of Rive, where an exhibition is about to take place. The exhibition is for the "Eternal Engine," an engine of infinite power. Of course, someone just has to screw up the whole thing and that someone is the criminal genius, Ventre. He's plotting to steal the Eternal Engine for himself, and Hardi, the chief of police, dispatches the Gunners to stop him.

** The Eternal Engine is a perpetual motion device capable of generating energy infinitely. This is very much disproven by the laws of physics.

* {{BFG}}: The raison d'être of the ''Baleine'' battleship. It's so huge, it has to use ''a smaller cannon'' as its firing mechanism.
** [[spoiler: Ciel brings one home a more reasonably sized one in the epilogue, which Femme remarks is so huge, no one has any idea where he's going to keep it.]]
* BloodKnight: Rival, most definitely.

* ChekhovsGunman: In Femme's campaign, Hardi mentions that a machine soldier was recently stolen. Copain has to take care of that very same machine soldier (the Vainqueur "Fidele") in Scene 1. After being knocked off of the deck of the Merveilleux, it is repaired off-screen, refitted as the Vainqueur "Sage", and used in Scene 3 of Femme's campaign in an attempt to steal a telescope from Rive. Hardi gives some additional exposition [[note]]the Vainqueur was manufactured by Associé, the makers of Copain's Chevalier, and was intended to be shown off at the Expo, but was stolen while being transported to Rive[[/note]] and he, his men, and Femme team up to take out the machine soldier, causing Ventre to order for its retreat. [[spoiler:It is later upgraded behind the scenes and returns in Scene 5 as the Vainqueur "Garde." In turn, it is shot out of the skies yet again (this time by Ciel), but is apparently re-repaired soon after to serve as the final boss.]]

--> ''Because it was you, I believed it could be done...''

* CutLexLuthorACheck: Ventre has several airships, an air fortress, and a massive ship that's bigger than a city. It's heavily implied he himself built that ship with his minions. [[OffscreenVillainDarkMatter He obviously has several millions, if not billions, of whatever currency the world of the heroes use]], and a lot of spare time. He doesn't ''have'' to steal [[spoiler:the entire museum the Expo is being held in]], [[ForTheEvulz he just wants to.]]

* DeadpanSnarker: Ciel.
--> '''Ventre''': "I'm [[BadassBoast the greatest criminal genius who ever lived]]!"
--> '''Ciel''': "Umm, yeah, [[AndImTheQueenOfSheba and I'm the Queen of England]]." [[note]]Considering that Rive appears to be modeled after Venice and shares its name with a ''comune'' in the Italian region of Piedmont (despite the prevalence of French names), maybe England [[SubvertedTrope does]] [[OrphanedEtymology exist]] in the ''[=SkyGunner=]'' world.[[/note]]

* DegradedBoss: The arrival of Ventre's twin battleships, ''Gauche'' and ''Droite'', above the ''Merveilleux'' is treated as a moment of great drama and signals the climax of Scene 1. Battleships of a similar design will continue to appear during the huge brawls in most subsequent Scenes with no fanfare, but thankfully come with pre-exposed [[AttackItsWeakPoint engine rooms]].

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Copain's Vortex special maneuver.
** SpinAttack: And if Copain is flying at high enough velocities, [[DoNotTouchTheFunnelCloud the vacuum generated by Vortex will suck in enemy fighters not in the direct path of his attack]].
** SpinToDeflectStuff: With few exceptions, Copain and his Chevalier are [[InvulnerableAttack invincible]] for the duration of Vortex.

** Also, Copain, albeit arguably. His plane has average firepower (ranked B), but his Vortex and Pumpkin Bombs more than make up for it; unfortunately, his durability rating is a slightly subpar C.

--> '''Ventre:''' "You bumbling idiots! There's just a few of them!"

* NintendoHard: '''Atlus Hard!'''

** Copain is a bit more downplayed, but his morose grumbling about how unbearably ''peaceful'' their convoy escort has been in Scene 2, and instant enthusiasm at the prospect of an attack, speak volumes about his passion for a good battle.

* DowngradedBoss: The arrival of Ventre's twin battleships, ''Gauche'' and ''Droite'', above the ''Merveilleux'' is treated as a moment of great drama and signals the climax of Scene 1. Battleships of a similar design will continue to appear during the huge brawls in most subsequent Scenes with no real fanfare, but thankfully come with pre-exposed [[AttackItsWeakPoint engine rooms]].

* GratuitousFrench: The game's chock full of it, not in the dialog but in the setting, as nearly every aspect of the game has a French name, including the pilots themselves. BilingualBonus boosts this to rather funny moments when you realize what Grand Magasin (the AirborneAircraftCarrier the last main-story stage is set over) means, for example.

* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: The game {{lampshade|Hanging}}s your recovery from a free fall as an act only achievable from your faith. In reality, it's because [[ButtonMashing you mashed all of the buttons fast enough.]]

* DiabolicalMastermind: Ventre, who has committed numerous thefts of priceless items for ''years'' before the events of the game. [[spoiler:And it's entirely possible for him to [[KarmaHoudini get away]] at the end of the story without a final ass-kicking at the hands of the heroes should the player fail to beat the final boss of the game in a matter of three minutes.]] ([[OhCrap Good luck with that.]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck The final level is the level]] [[ThatOneLevel that everyone loves to hate]].)

* DualityMotif: The color scheme of Rival's attire (half white, half black) really plays up some dualistic symbolism, intentional or not.

* FeatherMotif: Despite its use of standard airplane wings, using Femme's Active Turn will cause Branché to [[PerpetualMolt molt feathers]].
** The final shot of the OP shows the three hero Gunners flying up into the sky/space, a hail of white feathers descending from the air as they do so.

* GreaterScopeVillain: Rival's not hanging around for nothing. [[spoiler:Someone hired Rival to steal a vital piece of the Eternal Engine]]. He was just using Ventre's conflict with the heroes to do the heavy work. [[BloodKnight And to fight Ciel for kicks.]] That being said, [[spoiler:Rival's employer and their intentions for the Eternal Engine are never revealed, so this remains an ambiguous situation.]]

* {{Leitmotif}}: During certain segments of each scene (particularly when things are going your way), the heroes get a bit of a ThemeMusicPowerUp, although the piece used varies depending on which character's campaign it is. Rival also has his own boss theme, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnzdvLZhFYQ "Jet Black Gunner."]]

* MeaningfulName: Pretty much everyone, courtesy of some GratuitousFrench. Ciel's name mean's "sky," appropriate for a fighter-pilot hero. His loyal best pal Copain's name means "companion." Sole female cast member Femme's name means "woman." Did you expect a guy named "Rival" to be on your side?

* PrincelyYoungMan: Rival. He lives in a [[BigFancyHouse mansion]], complete with his own butler and at least three maids. He also presents himself a very dignified manner, even when facing Ciel in battle.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Femme is the only playable female Gunner, and in fact, the only ([[NominalImportance named]]) female character in the ''entire game''. Her name is, of course, French for "woman." [[note]]If the Expo ball on the Mervellieux is any indication, there are other females in Rive (Femme hails from a neighboring town, Neju). [[NominalImportance They're just not important.]][[/note]]

The game stars three "Gunners" (pilot mercenaries for hire), Ciel (a happy-go-lucky Gunner), Copain (Ciel's best friend, a very "Let's get 'em!" kind of guy), and Femme (a hired pilot from out of town, come to guard the Expo). They are stationed in the island town of Rive, where an exhibition is about to take place. The exhibition is for the "Eternal Engine," an engine of infinite power. Of course, someone just has to screw up the whole thing and that someone is the criminal genius, Ventre. He's plotting to steal the Eternal Engine for himself, and Hardi, the chief of police, dispatches the Gunners to stop him.

* AnimeHair: Why hello there, Ciel(seriously, even his ''tail'' is spikey).
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: The Eternal Engine is a perpetual motion device capable of generating energy infinitely. This is very much disproven by the laws of physics.

*** ArtMajorPhysics

* BraidsOfAction: Not Femme herself, but her ''tail''.

* ChekhovsGunman: In Femme's campaign, Hardi mentions that a machine soldier was recently stolen. Copain has to take care of that very same machine soldier (the Vainqueur "Fidele") in Scene 1. After being knocked off of the deck of the Merveilleux, it is repaired off-screen and refitted as the Vainqueur "Sage" and used in Scene 3 of Femme's campaign in an attempt to steal a telescope from Rive. Hardi gives some additional exposition [[note]]the Vainqueur was manufactured by Associé, the makers of Copain's Chevalier, and was intended to be shown off at the Expo, but was stolen while being transported to Rive[[/note]] and he, his men, and Femme team up to take out the machine soldier, causing Ventre to order for its retreat. [[spoiler:It is later upgraded behind the scenes and returns in Scene 5 as the Vainqueur "Garde." In turn, it is shot out of the skies yet again (this time by Ciel), but is apparently repaired soon after to serve as the final boss.]]

--> '''Ventre''': "I'm [[BadassBoast the greatest criminal genius who ever lived!]]"
--> '''Ciel''': "Umm, yeah, [[AndImTheQueenOfSheba and I'm the Queen of England.]]" [[note]]Considering that Rive appears to be modeled after Venice and shares its name with a ''comune'' in the Italian region of Piedmont (despite the prevalence of French names), maybe England [[SubvertedTrope does]] [[OrphanedEtymology exist]] in the ''[=SkyGunner=]'' world.[[/note]]

* DiabolicalMastermind: Ventre, who has committed numerous thefts of priceless items for ''years'' before the events of the game. [[spoiler:And he gets away at the end of the story.]]
** The part about Ventre [[spoiler:escaping]] is totally wrong, as you do get to kick his ass at the end. [[spoiler:You just have to beat the final boss of the game in a matter of three minutes.]] [[OhCrap Good luck with that.]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck The final level is the level]] [[ThatOneLevel that everyone loves to hate.]]

* DoABarrelRoll: As an evasive maneuver. An [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aileron_roll aileron roll,]] actually, but close enough.

** SpinAttack
*** DoNotTouchTheFunnelCloud: If Copain is flying at high enough velocities, the vacuum generated by Vortex will suck in enemy fighters not in the direct path of his attack.

* GlassCannon: Rival's weapon power (ranked S) and speed are very high, but his aircraft's defense is the lowest of all the characters (ranked '''D''').
** Also, Copain, arguably. His plane has average firepower (ranked B), but his Vortex and Pumpkin Bombs more than make up for it; unfortunately, his durability rating is a slightly subpar C.
* GratuitousFrench: The game's chock full of it, not in the dialog but in the setting, as nearly every aspect of the game has a French name, including the pilots themselves.
** BilingualBonus boosts this to rather funny moments when you realize what Grand Magasin (the AirborneAircraftCarrier the last main-story stage is set over) means, for example.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Rival's not hanging around for nothing. [[spoiler:Someone hired Rival to steal a vital piece of the Eternal Engine]]. He was just using Ventre's conflict with the heroes to do the heavy work. [[BloodKnight And to fight Ciel for kicks.]]
** That being said, [[spoiler:Rival's employer and their intentions for the Eternal Engine are never revealed, so this remains an ambiguous situation.]]

* JackOfAllStats: Ciel's craft is ranked B in all stats. Even his difficulty is Normal mode.

* TheLancer: Copain is this for Ciel. Bonus points for his ship sorta looking like a lance on the front, and his name being French for partner/friend.
** Even driving the "lancer" point home more is that his aircraft's name means "knight" in French: the original lancers.
* {{Leitmotif}}: During certain segments of each scene (particularly when things are going your way), the heroes get a bit of a ThemeMusicPowerUp, although the piece used varies depending on which character's campaign it is. Rival also has his own boss theme, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnzdvLZhFYQ "Jet Black Gunner."]]

* MascotMook: Ventre's minions, the mischievous, yet insanely cute, Poulets.
** AdorableEvilMinions
* MeaningfulName: Pretty much everyone, courtesy of some GratuitousFrench.
** Ciel's name mean's "sky," appropriate for a fighter-pilot hero. His loyal best pal Copain's name means "companion." Sole female cast member Femme's name means "woman." Did you expect a guy named "Rival" to be on your side?
* MoneyForNothing: Any money you acquire acts as your score. You don't buy anything with it.
** Although one stage in the second Scene awards you a better engine for your plane if you end up with more money than your comrades.

* OminousPipeOrgan: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw5FOh_5_qU Accompanies Rival's campaign cutscene stills.]]

* SimpleYetAwesome: The Fireworks and Cross Missiles, though the latter's "simplicity" [[StickyBomb is]] [[ThisIsADrill fairly]] [[RuleOfCool debatable]].

* SmashingSurvival: Played straight with Dog Missiles or [[PersonalSpaceInvader Poulets]] that latch onto you.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Femme is the only playable female Gunner, and in fact, the only female character in the ''entire game''. Her name is, of course, French for "woman."
** If the Expo ball on the Mervellieux is any indication, there ''are'' other females in Rive (Femme hails from a neighboring town, Neju). [[NominalImportance They're just not important.]]

* TimedMission: Happens in almost every Scene. Of note are Ciel's duels with Rival, where Rival's portraits depict him pulling out a pocket watch to keep the time.
* TooManyBelts: For reasons unknown, Copain features a giant belt buckle on his ''shirt'', while Femme's Branché sports buckles on its chassis. Comparatively, [[{{Zipperiffic}} Ciel wears a giant zipper on his shirt, while his Avenir has giant zippers on its guns.]]

* XMeetsY: ''VideoGame/StarFox'' (or alternatively, ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon'') meets anime in general. The [[NeedsMoreLove/VideoGames Needs More Love]] page here alternatively describes it as "a game akin to something like a SteamPunk-styled ''VideoGame/AceCombat''." All are apt descriptors.

* AnimeHair: Why hello there, Ciel.

-->''In some parts of the world, there are those with a job unlike any other. They are owners of special aircraft and guns and are commonly known as "Gunners." The setting is the town of Rive, where an exhibition is to take place in two months time. What adventures await these Gunners?''

* WeirdMoon

* BlondGuysAreEvil: [[BigBad Ventre]].

''[=SkyGunner=]'' is a PlayStation2 shooter with Flight Simulation elements, released by Creator/{{Atlus}}, taking place in a SteamPunk-like world where everyone, oddly enough, has ponytail... er, tails.

* MightyGlacier[=/=]StoneWall: Hardi's Courage has average firepower (tied with Ciel's Avenir and Copain's Chevalier at B), the worst bank efficiency in the game (a C rating), and lacks traditional special weapons, but compensates by having the highest durability rating out of all the planes (S ranked) and can issue commands to his men to have them [[ZergRush flank the opponent]] at the cost of temporarily overheating the plane.

* AwesomeYetPractical: The Fireworks and Cross missiles.
** Arguably, all of the planes' special maneuvers count as well. The only drawback is that Heavy Fire and Vortex do quite a number on the temperature gauge, leading to the planes overheating if you're not careful.

* BiggerBad: Rival's not hanging around for nothing. [[spoiler:Someone hired Rival to steal a vital piece of the Eternal Engine]]. He was just using Ventre's conflict with the heroes to do the heavy work. [[BloodKnight And to fight Ciel for kicks.]]
** That being said, [[spoiler:Rival's employer and their intentions for the Eternal Engine are never revealed, so this remains an ambiguous situation.]]
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Ventre.

* EvilLaugh: Rival's specialty, although it's more of a crazed snicker. Ventre belts out a glorious one on occasion (during a few cutscenes and should the player fail at stopping his plans, such as allowing Ventre to tow away the Merveilleux or failing to protect the cargo planes in Scene 2). He gets the "laughter turns into crying" subversion if [[spoiler:the player manages to capture him in Scene 5]].

* GlassCannon: Rival's weapon power (ranked S) and speed are very high, but his aircraft's defense is the lowest of all the characters (ranked '''D''').
** Also, Copain, arguably. His plane has average firepower (ranked B), but his Vortex and Pumpkin Bombs more than make up for it; unfortunately, his durability rating is a slightly subpar C.

* HeroesGoneFishing: Femme's third mission has her and Hardi attempting to enjoy a fine candlelight dinner (Ciel and Copain couldn't make it because this Scene respectively occurs after and before their own third chapter). Then Ventre shows up, planning to pilfer the Astronomical Telescope out of Rive's harbor.

* JustAKid: How Ventre refers to the Gunners on many an occasion.

** Although one stage awards you a better engine for your plane if you end up with more money than your comrades.

** ChromaticArrangement: Ciel ({{red|IsHeroic}}dish-orange), Copain (blue), and Femme (green).

** If the Expo ball on the Mervellieux is any indication, there ''are'' other females in Rive (Femme hails from a neighboring town, Neju). They're just not important.

* ASpotOfTea: Nearly ''everyone''. Ventre, however, sometimes prefers wine.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Copain (blue) and Femme (green).

* RuleOfCool: Aircraft that use guns for ignition and have oversized guns for cannons that [[AbnormalAmmo shoot money as ammo]]. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

* HiddenEyes: Hardi's men have theirs obscured by their hats.

* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Subverted with Rival, who is largely a well-mannered neutral (if not antagonistic to Ciel) entry.

* MixAndMatch: The color scheme of Rival's attire (half white, half black) really plays up some dualistic symbolism, intentional or not.

Something not many people knows, [=EasyGameStation=] (Yes, [[{{Recettear}} THAT]] [=EasyGameStation=]) once made a game called "Gunner's Heart" that acts as a slightly downgraded PC port of the game, with more rudimentary cutscenes, but with the plot and characters completely unaltered from the [=PS2=] original.

* VillainExitStageLeft: Played straight [[spoiler:if you take too long defeating Vainqueur in Scene 5]]. If not, this is subverted, as [[spoiler:the heroes spot Ventre's overcrowded battleship attempting to escape and pursue it... which then leads to a double subversion where Ciel says that Ventre should have learned his lesson by now and lets Ventre off the hook. Ventre agrees that it's time for him to take a vacation after his final defeat.]]

Each character is armed with a pair of machine guns [[AbnormalAmmo (that shoot...money??)]] and also have his or her own aircraft, special ability, attributes, and even ''difficulty'' (Ciel is Normal Mode, Copain is Difficult/Hard Mode, and Femme is Easy Mode). Selecting a Gunner takes you through his/her side of the story, often teaming up with all three characters is some stages in races to see who gets the most cash from taking down everything from small ships to big hulking mecha and battleships. Cue many, many explosions. And it's entirely done in anime-style.

* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: Rival.

The game stars three "Gunners" (pilot mercenaries for hire), Ciel (a happy-go-lucky Gunner), Copain (Ciel's best friend, a very "Let's get 'em!" kind of guy), and Femme (a hired pilot from out of town, come to guard the Expo). They are stationed in the town of Rive, where an exhibition is about to take place. The exhibition is for the "Eternal Engine," an engine of infinite power. Of course, someone just has to screw up the whole thing and that someone is the criminal genius, Ventre. He's plotting to steal the Eternal Engine for himself, and Hardi, the chief of police, dispatches the Gunners to stop him.

Something not many people knows, [=EasyGameStation=] (Yes, [[{{Recettear}} THAT]] [=EasyGameStation=]) once made a game called "Gunner's Heart" that acts as a slightly downgraded PC port of the game, with more rudimentary cutscenes, but with the plot and characters completely unaltered from the PS2 original.

* ChekhovsGunman: In Femme's campaign, Hardi mentions that a machine soldier was recently stolen. Copain has to take care of that very same machine soldier (the Vainqueur "Fidele") in Scene 1. [[spoiler:It is later upgraded behind the scenes and returns in Scene 5 as the Vainqueur "Garde." In turn, it is shot out of the skies yet again (this time by Ciel), but is apparently repaired soon after to serve as the final boss.]]

--> '''Ciel''': "Umm, yeah, [[AndImTheQueenOfSheba and I'm the Queen of England.]]"

* FamedInStory: Ciel and Copain are famous Gunners in Rive and the surrounding areas. In fact, Rival almost exclusively refers to Ciel as "Gunner of Rive."

* MightyGlacier[=/=]StoneWall: Hardi's Courage has average firepower (tied with Ciel's Avenir and Copain's Chevalier at B), the worst bank efficiency in the game (a C rating), and lacks traditional special weapons, but makes up for it by having the highest durability rating out of all the planes (S ranked) and can issue commands to his men to have them [[ZergRush flank the opponent]] at the cost of temporarily overheating the plane.

* SlasherSmile: Rival's default expression.

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: In which, after Rive settles down a bit in the aftermath of Ventre's attempted heists, Femme decides to stay at Rive a little bit longer instead of departing back to Neju.

* XMeetsY: ''VideoGame/StarFox'' (or alternatively, ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon'') meets anime in general.

----

* ShowTheForehead: Rival.