History VideoGame / TheBlackwellSeries

* AnAesop: Several of the ghosts' stories are about how things that may seem earth-shatteringly vital and important often don't matter as much as you believe they do, and that the consequences of giving into or not facing it are far greater than whatever you might fear. The lesson of Mavis' story for example is "don't shut yourself off from the world, otherwise you'll have nothing to show for your life."
** SpaceWhaleAesop: ''Epiphany'' has the lesson "The journey is just as important as the destination, so don't skip the former to get to the latter more quickly, otherwise [[spoiler:your soul will get ripped apart and eaten.]]

* DaylightHorror: Discussed in Legacy's commentary. Because the ghosts don't look quite as impressive during the day, Dave Gilbert decided to have every future game take place at night (or in overcast conditions).

* CharacterDevelopment: In the first game, Rosa suffers from intense social anxiety to the point where she hasn't spoken to any of her neighbors in five years at the same building, something Joey [[AcceptableTargets teases her about]] constantly. She also finds it difficult to make small talk or be in front of crowds, and she has a tendency to be defensive or snappish in conversation. It's likely a combination of childhood trauma and her foster home upbringing, plus whatever hereditary components might be involved. Over the course of the series she begins to push past this, not letting it stop her from interrogating dozens of complete strangers on the most bizarre topics, doing a thankless job that no living person is even aware she's doing.

* AcceptableTargets: [[invoked]] Being New Yorkers, Joey and Rosa are not huge fans of [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey]].
-->'''Rosa:''' I'm wet, I'm filthy... and I'm in ''New Jersey''.
** In ''Epiphany,'' if you look at the right item in Lia's house Joey also takes a shot at Queens, New York.
--->"A picture of New York's skyline, huh? Well, I guess if you live in Queens you need some reminder of civilization..."

* SociallyAwkwardHero: Rosa. Helping ghosts move on to the afterlife? Easy. Interacting with the living? Not so much. Especially in the first game. She refuses to approach Nashanti while she's playing her flute in public, and her dialogue choices throughout often end up as a choice between "mean", "passive-aggressive", or "awkward/tell an awkward joke."

* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay: As with many adventure games, Rosa must [[KleptomaniacHero pick up many objects owned by other people]] and she must often sneak her way into private establishments and residences. This results in her getting a ''lot'' of restraining orders.

* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Madeline. Turns out freeing her from the void in ''Deception'''s climax was a bad idea, as she's abusing her powers to tear spirits apart and absorb their essence to become more powerful. She plans to tear a hole to the void and [[KillEmAll destroy all spirits (including the living) in New York]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist in order to teach humanity to accept death]] [[DeathSeeker with the added bonus of finally ending her own "life"]].]]

[[caption-width-right:350: Rosa (left) and Joey (right). [[TheyFightCrime They lay the dead to rest]]]]

* FilmNoir: The series has definite strokes of this: the investigation-based gameplay, jazzy score, Lauren's smoking, and Joey's entire shtick as a wisecracking 1930s rogue in a NiceHat.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: In ''Epiphany'', [[spoiler:Rosangela briefly gains full control over the Doorway to Infinity that forced its way into her mind. She uses it to stop Madeline's plan and resurrect Joey, before succumbing to PowerDegeneration.]]

* BigBad: One for each game, with the last one having the bonus of being the BiggerBad for the whole series. Lampshaded by Joey in ''Epiphany''. "It always comes down to one guy, doesn't it?"

* DummiedOut: [[spoiler: The scene in ''Epiphany'' where Rosa would've met the police commissioner, which can still be accessed through the developer's commentary.]]