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* RareRandomDrop: Some valuable weapons. For example, you can get an expensive polearm from the orcs in Braunwald Forest, but the chance is very low.
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Spelling.
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* FlyingSeefoodSpecial: [[GoddamnedBats Flying Fish]]. They appaear ''in a forest''.
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* FlyingSeefoodSpecial: FlyingSeafoodSpecial: [[GoddamnedBats Flying Fish]]. They appaear ''in ''In a forest''.
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* FlyingSeefoodSpecial: [[GoddamnedBats Flying Fish]]. They appaear ''in a forest''.
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Random thing I wanted to add on one of my recent editing binges but forgot about.
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* PreemptiveApology: Hilbert, to a {{Mook}} at [[spoiler:the Third Entalar Seal]].
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* TakingYouWithMe: Subverted. [[spoiler:Tiamat]] tries to do this, but [[spoiler:gets hauled out of the ship by Alison in a HeroicSacrifice]] before anyone else is killed.
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* AirVentEscape: How [[spoiler:Phantom and Ethan]] left the biorite facility.
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* AirVentEscape: AirVentPassageway: How [[spoiler:Phantom and Ethan]] left the biorite facility.
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* BlatantLies: "[[spoiler:Grandmaster Ortas]] was killed by the enemy." As Keltena's LetsPlay put it, "And by 'the enemy,' I mean me, personally."
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* OneTimeDungeon: The [[spoiler:Biorite Facility]]. Unusual for a game in which hardly anything is LostForever.
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** And how. The random enemies [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Yin and Yang]], [[StandardStatusEffects Belgugon]], [[NighInvulnerable Ectoplasm]], [[ChargedAttack Starshine]]/Sirius Lux, [[GlassCannon Ripper]], Belgugon, Tiahaunaca, Gerethog, and many others will make you say "What the heck was ''that''?". Not to forget the '''[[BeyondTheImpossible Land Sharks]]''', though DungeonsAndDragons had this kind of creature first.
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** And how. The random enemies [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Yin and Yang]], [[StandardStatusEffects Belgugon]], [[NighInvulnerable Ectoplasm]], [[ChargedAttack Starshine]]/Sirius Lux, [[GlassCannon Ripper]], Belgugon, Tiahaunaca, Tiahaunacu, Gerethog, and many others will make you say "What the heck was ''that''?". Not to forget the '''[[BeyondTheImpossible Land Sharks]]''', though DungeonsAndDragons had this kind of creature first.
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* FridgeBrilliance:
** When you break into [[spoiler:the Biorite facility]], you come across a room containing about twenty save crystals. Nothing special about them, there's just a lot. [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Nobody mentions anything about it.]] But if you [[BonusDungeon return to]] [[spoiler:the Third Entalar seal]], you'll encounter "Killer Crystals" that try to eat you. That room was housing the experiments that created them!
** The Gate To Elysium and the Four Towers (see WMG) have no explanation about how they exist, appeared, were created... But when you discover what [[spoiler: [[TheLifestream Biorite]]]] truly is (and the ultimate secret boss), then you realize it's been made by [[spoiler:''the planet itself'']], in a form of purgatory.
** [[IdiotHero Hilbert]] literally has a low intelligence stat.
*** And Ethan, whose life has basically been one long string of bad things happening to him, literally has a low ''luck'' stat.
** In TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, you encounter a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere MiniBoss named "Pollux". At first, it just seems weird and random, but then you realize that [[spoiler:the BigBad is named "Castor". Castor and Pollux were the twins that were turned into the constellation Gemini in GreekMythology.]]
** When you break into [[spoiler:the Biorite facility]], you come across a room containing about twenty save crystals. Nothing special about them, there's just a lot. [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Nobody mentions anything about it.]] But if you [[BonusDungeon return to]] [[spoiler:the Third Entalar seal]], you'll encounter "Killer Crystals" that try to eat you. That room was housing the experiments that created them!
** The Gate To Elysium and the Four Towers (see WMG) have no explanation about how they exist, appeared, were created... But when you discover what [[spoiler: [[TheLifestream Biorite]]]] truly is (and the ultimate secret boss), then you realize it's been made by [[spoiler:''the planet itself'']], in a form of purgatory.
** [[IdiotHero Hilbert]] literally has a low intelligence stat.
*** And Ethan, whose life has basically been one long string of bad things happening to him, literally has a low ''luck'' stat.
** In TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, you encounter a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere MiniBoss named "Pollux". At first, it just seems weird and random, but then you realize that [[spoiler:the BigBad is named "Castor". Castor and Pollux were the twins that were turned into the constellation Gemini in GreekMythology.]]
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* DiscOneNuke: A relatively minor one: if you play a ton of Hex, it's possible to get 10 Brigand tiles and trade them in for a Steal spellcard before you even leave for Farin Island. As a reward for being ''way'' too dedicated, you can steal a unique weapon for Matilda from the boss that's stronger than anything you can get until about fifteen levels later.
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Just stumbled across the trope. It fits.
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* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: Hilbert is the Optimist, Matilda is the Cynic, Thorve is the Realist, Lorenza is the Conflicted, and the other three are all, each for a different reason, Apathetic.
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Since it\'s a direct quote and it\'s actually written in caps in the game, I\'m changing it back.
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* SadBattleMusic: In the boss fight against [[spoiler:Ortas]].
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* SadBattleMusic: In the boss fight against [[spoiler:Ortas]].[[spoiler:Ortas]] and all of the Gate to Elysium bosses.
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-->'''[[spoiler:Ortas]]''': "Never! I, I'll never give up!!"
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-->'''[[spoiler:Ortas]]''': "Never! "NEVER! I, I'll never give up!!"
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* SadBattleMusic: In the boss fight against [[spoiler:Ortas]].
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* ChessMotifs: Most enemies and all bosses in the [[BonusDungeon Black Mausoleum]] are themed after chess pieces.
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Nakama was renamed True Companions. But we don\'t have enough details at this stage to differentiate it from simply \"companions\". Images go on the right. Drop Chekhovs Gunman sub-example without details. Avoid all capitals for emphasis.
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LS.jpg
[[caption-width:350:From left to right: [[StaffChick Lorenza]], [[HurtingHero Thorve]], [[StoicWoobie Ethan]], [[IdiotHero Hilbert]], [[CoolOldGuy Randolph]], and [[SergeantRock Matilda]].]]
-->''"This... is a hero's work?"''
Hilbert is an [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]] [[FarmBoy village boy]], the self-declared (and much ridiculed) protector of his hometown, and an aspiring hero. One day, he is approached by a [[MysteriousInformant mysterious robed woman]] named Zawu, who tells him that he is a [[HeroicLineage descendant of the hero Alexander]] and destined to become a hero himself. [[ClicheStorm So begins a legendary quest to defeat an ancient, evil power and bring peace to the world...]]
...[[SubvertedTrope well, not really]].
[[caption-width:350:From left to right: [[StaffChick Lorenza]], [[HurtingHero Thorve]], [[StoicWoobie Ethan]], [[IdiotHero Hilbert]], [[CoolOldGuy Randolph]], and [[SergeantRock Matilda]].]]
-->''"This... is a hero's work?"''
Hilbert is an [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]] [[FarmBoy village boy]], the self-declared (and much ridiculed) protector of his hometown, and an aspiring hero. One day, he is approached by a [[MysteriousInformant mysterious robed woman]] named Zawu, who tells him that he is a [[HeroicLineage descendant of the hero Alexander]] and destined to become a hero himself. [[ClicheStorm So begins a legendary quest to defeat an ancient, evil power and bring peace to the world...]]
...[[SubvertedTrope well, not really]].
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[[caption-width:350:From
[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: [[StaffChick Lorenza]], [[HurtingHero Thorve]], [[StoicWoobie Ethan]], [[IdiotHero Hilbert]], [[CoolOldGuy Randolph]], and [[SergeantRock Matilda]].
-->''"This...
->''"This -- is a hero's work?"''
Hilbert is an [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]] [[FarmBoy village boy]], the self-declared (and much ridiculed) protector of his hometown, and an aspiring hero. One day, he is approached by a [[MysteriousInformant mysterious robed woman]] named Zawu, who tells him that he is a [[HeroicLineage descendant of the hero Alexander]] and destined to become a hero himself. [[ClicheStorm So begins a legendary quest to defeat an ancient, evil power and bring peace to the
...
[[SubvertedTrope
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* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:Ethan and Castor]]
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* CainAndAbel: CainAndAbel:
** [[spoiler:Ethan and Castor]]
** [[spoiler:Ethan and Castor]]
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** Also [[spoiler:Drakovic]].
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* InterfaceSpoiler: Two {{Nakama}} members who never are in your playable party? [[SacrificialLamb Conspicuous]].
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* InterfaceSpoiler: Two {{Nakama}} members companions who never are in your playable party? [[SacrificialLamb Conspicuous]].
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-->'''[[spoiler:Ortas]]''': '''NEVER!!''' I... I'll never give up!!"
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-->'''[[spoiler:Ortas]]''': '''NEVER!!''' I... "Never! I, I'll never give up!!"
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*** And Ethan, whose life has basically been one long string of bad things happening to him, literally has a low ''luck'' stat.
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Same.
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* AnticlimaxBoss: Although [[spoiler:Hyperion]] possesses some strong attacks ("[[BossBanter Die! Die! Die!]]"), except for the unlikely case that he spams them, he can be soundly defeated by [[AttackAttackAttack just repeatedly whacking him]], which makes him look very weak in a game full of NintendoHard bosses.
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* AnticlimaxBoss: Although [[spoiler:Hyperion]] possesses some strong attacks ("[[BossBanter Die! Die! Die!]]"), except for isn't easy, but if you have protection against instant death, he's not particularly hard, either. Since he comes right after [[ThatOneBoss the unlikely case that he spams them, he can be soundly defeated by [[AttackAttackAttack just repeatedly whacking him]], which hardest boss in the game]], this makes him look very weak like a bit of a wuss in a game full of NintendoHard bosses.comparison.
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Simplifying the wording.
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* OlderThanTheyLook: Ethan is supposed to be 28, but he looks not much older than Hilbert (who is 19) and Lorenza (17). He was [[spoiler:sealed in Biorite]] for three years, though, but even if you think that this stops the aging process and reduce these 3 years, it is still not possible to see him as 25. He looks more like 17 or maximally 21...
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* OlderThanTheyLook: Ethan is supposed to be 28, but he 28 ([[spoiler:physically 25]]) and looks not much older than Hilbert (who closer to 20. On the more extreme end, Castor is 19) and Lorenza (17). He was [[spoiler:sealed in Biorite]] for three years, though, 30 but even if you think that this stops the aging process and reduce these 3 years, it is still not possible to see him as 25. He looks more like 17 or maximally 21...younger than 19-year-old Hilbert.
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* PlayingThePlayer: In addition to the whole premise of the game ("Set up the biggest ClicheStorm in RPG history, then turn it upside down"), it plays around a lot with [[spoiler:the trustworthiness of the information you're given. Not only are [[AllMythsAreTrue all myths]] ''[[SubvertedTrope not]]'' [[AllMythsAreTrue true]], but generally speaking, you do NOT expect the opening text scroll to flat-out lie to you. The MysteriousInformant is a ManipulativeBastard playing on the hero's [[IdiotHero gullibility]], and the guy who claims [[LaserGuidedAmnesia he can't remember any of his past]] actually remembers a lot more than he lets on, and is keeping quiet for his own reasons.]]
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* PosthumousCharacter: Meodar.
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* PosthumousCharacter: Meodar.Meodar and Wolfram.
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* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: An [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]] IdiotHero, a bad-tempered female SergeantRock, a [[DarkAndTroubledPast traumatized]] [[TheMedic healer]], an 18-year-old [[OurElvesAreBetter Havali]] girl, an [[LaserGuidedAmnesia amnesiac]] who's been locked up for the last three years, an elderly geologist, and [[spoiler:an [[TheSpock unflappable]] LadyOfWar who wants to help the BigBad]]. Lampshaded:
-->"You are... not a very inconspicuous group."
-->"You are... not a very inconspicuous group."
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** Ethan is extremely close to and protective of Lorenza, as well, to the point where [[spoiler:when she's captured by Ortas, he heads off on his own and starts cutting a bloody swath through the castle trying to find her]].
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** On the good guy side, at one point Ethan shows up out of nowhere to stop [[spoiler:Castor killing Lorenza]].
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* BrokenAce: Augustus.
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* BrokenAce: Augustus.Augustus, Castor, and, to a degree, Felgorn.
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* BrickJoke: One of the books lying around at the Biorite Facility [[spoiler:is a report specifically on Ethan]], and it mentions that, "Physical change in subject is largely superficial." A dungeon or two later, you learn what they meant: [[spoiler:he used to be blond]].
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* MotiveRant: [[spoiler:After he poisons Helga, Augustus gives one of these, calmly explaining to her as she's dying that he hates her and everything about her because while he had to work his way up from the gutter to reach his position, she had everything given to her and takes it for granted.]]
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** Also, a small thing near the beginning: it is mentioned that dying people turning into spectres is an extremely rare case requires the person to be died under extreme regret. But a bit later, "spectres" are [[RandomEncounters randomly-encountered enemies]] in [[spoiler:Alexander's tomb]].
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** Also, a small thing near the beginning: it is mentioned that dying people turning into spectres is an extremely rare case requires the person to be died under extreme regret. But a bit later, "spectres" spectres are [[RandomEncounters randomly-encountered enemies]] in [[spoiler:Alexander's tomb]].tomb]].
*** Considering that a bit of dialogue later implies that [[spoiler:Herzog is built on the site of the Havali capital Luminas, which was razed and the inhabitants massacred by Valkiris's army]], this [[FridgeBrilliance may actually]] [[FridgeHorror make perfect sense]].
*** Considering that a bit of dialogue later implies that [[spoiler:Herzog is built on the site of the Havali capital Luminas, which was razed and the inhabitants massacred by Valkiris's army]], this [[FridgeBrilliance may actually]] [[FridgeHorror make perfect sense]].
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* GuideDangIt: There's a larger version of the world map, with locations marked. It's possible to play the game through multiple times and not realize this. (Press the A key on the overworld, if you're wondering.)
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I know, I know, Medieval European Fantasy and all, but this thought just struck me and I found it amusing.
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* ThereAreNoTherapists: [[WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis Most of the plot could have been prevented]] had [[spoiler:Ortas]] [[DeadLittleSister seen a grief counselor]] and [[spoiler:Castor gotten some help with his dependency issues]].
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* YouAllLookFamiliar: Particularly obvious in Entalar; there are only three generic Havali sprites, so the town seems to be populated by an army of clones.
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Relevant quote.
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-->[[spoiler:'''Alexander''']]: It is easy to rewrite history when the few who know the truth are unable to make themselves heard.
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[[redirect:LastScenario]]
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[[caption-width:350:From left to right: [[StaffChick Lorenza]], [[HurtingHero Thorve]], [[StoicWoobie Ethan]], [[IdiotHero Hilbert]], [[CoolOldGuy Randolph]], and [[SergeantRock Matilda]].]]
-->''"This... is a hero's work?"''
Hilbert is an [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]] [[FarmBoy village boy]], the self-declared (and much ridiculed) protector of his hometown, and an aspiring hero. One day, he is approached by a [[MysteriousInformant mysterious robed woman]] named Zawu, who tells him that he is a [[HeroicLineage descendant of the hero Alexander]] and destined to become a hero himself. [[ClicheStorm So begins a legendary quest to defeat an ancient, evil power and bring peace to the world...]]
...[[SubvertedTrope well, not really]].
The basic premise of ''Last Scenario'' is to start out with the most cliched CRPG plot imaginable, and then twist it into something interesting. Before long, the cliches start to fall apart at an alarming rate, and what emerges is a long, compelling plot involving (among other things) international politics, betrayal, and the occasional bit of geology.
A freeware RPG by SCF, ''Last Scenario'' is a great example of how RPGMaker games can be done right. It can be downloaded at [[http://scfworks.com SCF's website]]. While you're at it, check out ''VideoGame/ExitFate'' by the same guy.
----
This game provides examples of:
* AbandonedLaboratory: The Third Seal when you re-enter it.
* TheAce: Melchior.
* ActionBomb: Vorpal Cubes (enemies in the Biorite Cluster).
* AirVentEscape: How [[spoiler:Phantom and Ethan]] left the biorite facility.
* AllMythsAreTrue: [[spoiler:[[PlayingThePlayer Brutally]] subverted.]]
* AnEconomyIsYou
* AngstComa: [[spoiler:Ethan, who passes out after Castor calls him "brother."]]
** [[spoiler:And Castor, after he's defeated by the heroes. He may have simply been knocked out, but the realization that he was weak kept him from getting up for a long time.]]
* AnticlimaxBoss: Although [[spoiler:Hyperion]] possesses some strong attacks ("[[BossBanter Die! Die! Die!]]"), except for the unlikely case that he spams them, he can be soundly defeated by [[AttackAttackAttack just repeatedly whacking him]], which makes him look very weak in a game full of NintendoHard bosses.
* AntiVillain: Felgorn, Flynn, and Earp in particular, though most of the villains are at least somewhat sympathetic.
* AppliedPhlebotinum: Any of a number of things that run on biorite.
* ArtEvolution: SCF's drawing blog occasionally contains ''LastScenario'' character art. It advanced quite a bit from the {{Character Portrait}}s found in the game.
* [[spoiler:AssimilationPlot]]: The BigBad's goal.
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Alexander]].
** [[spoiler:All of the Elysium bosses.]]
** [[spoiler:Zawu after realizing Ethan is alive, but particularly after the Entalar arc.]]
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Castor and Ortas, in particular. Subverted with Drakovic, who, smart, talented leader though he is, is a bit of a pushover in a fight.
* AwesomeButImpractical: The Gamma spellcard deals huge damage, but is rather unreliable and has a huge MP cost and an unpleasant stat malus.
** Also, the Fury spellcard, which heals your entire party, and pretty well, too. The problem? It makes them berserk. The crisis spell heals even more but causes ''confusion''. Again, though, it can become AwesomeYetPractical if you equip the right status protection...
** The Ruin equipment that you can steal from smilie type enemies are all phenomenally powerful, but are all cursed in some way or another. (the Ruin Mask is poisoned, for example.)
** The Unholy Mitre greatly boosts your stats but makes you [[ReviveKillsZombie take damage from healing]].
* AwesomeYetPractical: The Enlight spell, which gives one character a buff that is similar to Regen, only it regenerates ''MP''. On a similar note, the Chi spell, which regenerates a percentage of the user's MP ''for free''. Can't be used outside of battle, though. On top of that, there's the X-Shield spell, which doubles both magical and physical defense for one character. The crisis cast makes ''the whole party'' take half damage from everything.
** Also Steal once you get the Thief Glove accessory, which makes the attempt almost 100% successful with some monsters - you really cannot refuse free Gold Dusts and Serpent Fangs.
* BackTracking: Returning to the [[spoiler:Biorite Facility]] ruins nets you a Hex tile.
* BadassCape: Zawu, [[http://blog.scfworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sk_111009.jpg and how]].
* BadassMustache: Drakovic.
* BagOfSharing
* BaitAndSwitchBoss: Subverted when [[spoiler:Castor backstabs Ortas. Instead of him fighting the main characters, Ortas [[{{Determinator}} fights them despite being near death.]]]]
* BeefGate: While you can technically ''enter'' the four Towers early on, don't even ''think'' about going in there until much later, as the enemies are usually at least ten levels higher than you. A good rule of thumb is to leave each tower alone until you can access the ''next'' one.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Although in this case, it's the younger brother who was determined to protect the older one. [[spoiler:Does not end well; Ethan's constant attempts to keep Castor safe gave him a bit of a complex that led him to seek power at all costs.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: Antagonist example: [[spoiler: Matilda is about to kill Tazar]], [[spoiler:Felgorn]] arrives in a flash of light and strikes her down.
* BishonenLine: The penultimate form of the final boss is a deformed slug-like block thing, and the ultimate one, while still a OneWingedAngel, is much more humanoid again.
* BlockPuzzle: On Grey Peak, complete with FrictionlessIce. [[BonusDungeon The four Towers]] are fond of these as well, only with pillars.
* BlondGuysAreEvil: Augustus and Castor. On the other hand, Hilbert, Thorve, and Wilhelm are all blond. And ''something'' like this is at play in the fact that [[spoiler:Ethan was blond when he was working for the Kingdom, but has black hair now.]]
* BloodFromTheMouth: The sign that [[spoiler:Selene and Ortas]] are screwed.
* BonusBoss: Quite a few, usually in a BonusDungeon. The most difficult one, [[spoiler:Planetary Consciousness]], is for a CosmeticAward.
* BonusDungeon: Oh so many. There's almost one for every SideQuest.
* BonusLevelOfHeaven: The Gate to Elysium is themed like this.
* BossBanter: [[spoiler:Hyperion]]'s "DIE! DIE! DIE!" and "I'll stop you!"
* BossDissonance: Kirby type, so much. This says a lot considering most encounters require your full attention and careful maintenance of your resources.
* BossInMookClothing: Some of the smileys are significantly stronger than the other enemies you encounter in the area they're in. Also, the Black Dragon from the [[BonusDungeon Black Mausoleum]], and one enemy type for each tower.
* BrokenAce: Augustus.
* BrokenBridge: The "energy crystals" are used to prevent you from going to the second and third [[spoiler:Entalar seals]] (and the Tower of Punishment) before going to the first. They're not very hard to get rid of once you do, though.
* BuriedAlive: [[spoiler:Ethan and Phantom, in biorite.]]
* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:Ethan and Castor]]
** Helga and Wilhelm.
* {{Cap}}: Interestingly, while levels cap at 99, HP caps at 9999 and MP caps at 999, there does not seem to be a damage cap, though there are only few attacks in the game that can ever get into five-digit damage.
* CardboardObstacle: Crystallized energy, which requires the Bergheim Ray to be destroyed.
* ChallengeSeeker: Despite having ulterior goals, [[spoiler:Augustus]] treats his striving for power like a game.
--> I proved my superiority. I have already won. {{I regret nothing}}.
* CharacterPortrait: Many characters have alternate portraits as well.
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Phantom, first spotted right near the beginning as a crazy old guy wandering into a Pargon base. Turns out that he's ''Alexander'' and has been stuck in biorite for the last three hundred years.]]
** Also [[spoiler:Drakovic]].
* ChestMonster: [[spoiler:Those infamous killer crystals!]]
* TheChosenOne: Hilbert. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted, then reconstructed as TheUnchosenOne.]]
* ClicheStorm: Then proceeds to subvert everything. [[invoked]]
* ClimaxBoss: Almost everything that isn't a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere. [[spoiler:Felgorn]] and [[spoiler:Ortas]] in particular, however.
* CoDragons: The Omega Team (Helio in particular) and Tiamat to Castor.
* CognizantLimbs: The Wall Sentinel's faces, Thanatos' arms and the Fire Dragon's wings.
* ColonelBadass: Drakovic, after a couple well-deserved promotions.
* ConspiracyTheorist: A minor NPC, PlayedForLaughs.
-->'''Hans:''' Don't believe everything they tell you. There's a vast conspiracy manipulating all of this. That's right. Aliens from another planet are the real power behind this world.
* ContrivedCoincidence: [[spoiler:Ethan just happened to be the one that killed Thorve's friend.]]
* CosmeticAward: The Sign of Eternity, a useless item awarded for defeating the hardest boss in the game.
* CoolOldGuy: Randolph makes a decent case for this.
* CoolShip: The Brunhild, [[spoiler:which is then succeeded by the even more ridiculously cool Brunhild II.]]
* CreepyChild: The Hex-playing and ''grey-haired'' little girl in Herzog.
* CryForTheDevil: You ''will'' feel sorry for [[spoiler:Ortas after he dies]].
* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: On more than one occasion, Matilda threatens to [[OffWithHisHead rip someone's head off]]. Of course, given that this is ''Matilda'', it's quite likely she means it.
* CutscenePowerToTheMax: Lorenza instantly vaporizes a soldier [[StandardFemaleGrabArea trying to grab her arm]] with a single lightning spell in [[EstablishingCharacterMoment the scene she's introduced in]], but in the following fight, you need quite a few of them to defeat one.
* DamageSpongeBoss: A lot of the [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Giant Space Fleas From Nowhere]].
* DamageIncreasingDebuff: The crisis cast of Aquabeam lowers the victim's magic defense. It's the only debuff the player characters can inflict, actually.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Ethan, Thorve and Hilbert.
* DarkMessiah: [[spoiler:Ortas and to a lesser extent Augustus. Castor later gets shades of this as well.]]
* DeadLittleSister: [[spoiler:Ortas's ''entire family''.]] No wonder he went [[KnightTemplar a little nuts]].
* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler:Augustus, the scheming, traitorous [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]], is killed by Felgorn, the one person who he trusted completely.]]
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: [[spoiler:Felgorn's death is implied to be one of these - he died from his wounds after [[OneManArmy defeating dozens of enemy soldiers.]]]]
* DefeatMeansFriendship: People will play Hex with you in areas you just conquered; most notably, [[spoiler:Flynn and Earp]] are really quite friendly after their country is invaded.
** Also [[spoiler:Zawu]], who joins you immediately after you fight her.
* DefendCommand
* DegradedBoss: The Prototypes (presumably subjects of the Artificial Key project).
* DesperationAttack: [[LimitBreak Limit]] [[ShoutOut Break]].
* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler: Tazar.]]
* DiscOneFinalDungeon: [[spoiler:The Temple of Gaia.]]
* DiseaseBleach: Inverted. [[spoiler:Ethan was blond until he got buried in biorite for three years.]]
* DoomedHometown: Lorenza is forced to leave the village she lives in by its (egoistic but GenreSavvy) mayor to avoid this.
* DoorToBefore: The Black Mausoleum, Temple of Gaia, and [[spoiler:Entalar Prison]], though the latter's doesn't bring you back to the entrance.
* DownTheDrain: The Underground Waterway.
* {{Dronejam}}: An accidental example is found in the Condor Library, and a few places contain entrances blocked off by guards.
* DualBoss: [[spoiler:Helio and Earp together]]. Also Prototypes 4 and 5 and [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere the necromancer with the Swamp Beast]]. The entire [[spoiler:Omega Team]] is a ''Triple'' Boss.
* DualWielding: Flynn.
* DuelBoss: At one point, you have four of these in a row, with different characters. The only one that's really a boss is [[spoiler:Drakovic]], though; the rest are EliteMooks.
* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: Shown by Hilbert during his HeroicBSOD and by Lorenza at another point on their sprites.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: See HeroicSacrifice.
* EarlyBirdCameo: About one hour into the game, you can see and talk to Drakovic, but he won't have much relevance until halfway through the game.
* EmergencyEnergyTank: Orbs. And ''[[BossDissonance you will need them]]''.
* EncounterBait: The Siren and Lure accessories.
* EncounterRepellant: The Camo Cape and Invisibility Ring accessories.
* EnigmaticMinion: Castor and the Omega Team, at first.
* EquipmentSpoiler: You will sometimes find weapons of a type that isn't used by any of your characters yet at a hex trading post. {{Lampshaded}} in Keltena's LetsPlay:
-->[[http://screencappery.livejournal.com/193382.html I am happy beyond belief to finally have access to a Hex trading post. Although I'm not sure why they think we'd be interested in throwing knives.]]
* ExperienceBooster: The Mental Booster.
* ExplosiveOverclocking: [[spoiler:Tiamat's death.]]
* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: [[spoiler:Inverted.]]
* [[EvilChancellor Evil Prime Minister]]: [[spoiler:Augustus.]]
* EvilRedhead: Tiamat. [[spoiler:But she wasn't always evil...]]
* EverythingTryingToKillYou:
** There are many strange random enemies, including mushrooms, dolls, wood walls[[hottip:* :which actually ''[[SubvertedTrope don't]]'' try to kill you, being the random encounter equivalent of a JokeCharacter. They have [[StoneWall no attack and HP on par with a boss]], so they just stand there while the heroes smash them]], moles, two very different types of idols, ''emoticons'', and in a BonusDungeon [[spoiler:biting "[[ChestMonster Killer Crystals]]" [[WallMaster disguised]] as save crystals with slightly different color.]]
** The bosses are even stranger: you will i. e. come to fight a wall with an engraved face, not to mention the [[GratuitousGerman Zeitgeist]], which is basically a big clock. Don't forget the Tomes and Keys (which are ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin) either.
* ExpositionBreak: A considerable amount, considering this is a very story-heavy game. There is even one that lasts around 45 minutes... which is followed by a save point, and then another cutscene.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Helio. When they open, it's... a [[VillainousBreakdown bad sign]].
* FacePalm: Matilda does this in a couple of cutscenes.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Tiamat considers [[spoiler:being sealed for centuries]] this and hates [[spoiler:Barasur]] for doing so instead of killing her. Also [[spoiler:Tazar's punishment]].
* FauxSymbolism: There are a ''lot'' of random mythological names.
* FantasticRacism: [[spoiler:Turned around from its usual form; while humans tend to distrust the Havali, it's the Havali who really ''hate'' humanity. And with rather good reason.]]
* FieryRedhead: Matilda and Tiamat.
* FightWoosh
* FireIceLightning: The main - and first - three elements of attack spells.
* FinalBossPreview: Sort of a boss preview (leave out the "final"), when [[spoiler:Felgorn]] is [[SuicidalOverconfidence attacked by Hilbert the first time]].
* FixedDamageAttack: A mushroom PaletteSwap in the Entalar Caves has an attack called "[[ShoutOut One-Hundred]] [[FinalFantasy Spores]]".
* FlunkyBoss: The final boss and the hardest optional boss, though the latter revives its helpers only once.
* FoeYay: Castor is rather... interested in Hilbert.
* FragileSpeedster: [[spoiler:Zawu]] has the highest speed stat of any player character, but their defense is barely better than [[SquishyWizard Thorve]]'s. Also something of a GlassCannon, though, as their offense is pretty high.
* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler:Castor, whose feelings of helplessness and inadequacy from having his hometown destroyed and having to rely on his little brother for protection led him to go to any lengths for power.]] When he [[spoiler:''still'' can't beat Hilbert and company]], this causes him to ''[[VillainousBreakdown really]]'' snap.
* FridgeBrilliance:
** When you break into [[spoiler:the Biorite facility]], you come across a room containing about twenty save crystals. Nothing special about them, there's just a lot. [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Nobody mentions anything about it.]] But if you [[BonusDungeon return to]] [[spoiler:the Third Entalar seal]], you'll encounter "Killer Crystals" that try to eat you. That room was housing the experiments that created them!
** The Gate To Elysium and the Four Towers (see WMG) have no explanation about how they exist, appeared, were created... But when you discover what [[spoiler: [[TheLifestream Biorite]]]] truly is (and the ultimate secret boss), then you realize it's been made by [[spoiler:''the planet itself'']], in a form of purgatory.
** [[IdiotHero Hilbert]] literally has a low intelligence stat.
** In TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, you encounter a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere MiniBoss named "Pollux". At first, it just seems weird and random, but then you realize that [[spoiler:the BigBad is named "Castor". Castor and Pollux were the twins that were turned into the constellation Gemini in GreekMythology.]]
* GameBreakingBug: If you just try to play the game on Vista or Windows 7, no text is displayed (some issue with the font). There are two workarounds though, one of which seems to be always successful.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
** The boss battle against [[spoiler:Ortas]]. By the time you fight him, he has a gigantic stab wound, BloodFromTheMouth, is very mentally unstable, and is quite clearly on the verge of death. And yet he has over 10,000 hit points and can toss out devastating attacks every few rounds. Hate to think what he'd have been like at full power... Though you can probably thank CriticalExistenceFailure for that. What's most odd about this is if you scan [[spoiler:Helio]] during your first fight with him, his max HP is 3000, but his HP is only 1000 at the start of the battle, since before the fight [[spoiler:he got smacked by a rockslide]]. It was odd that SCF didn't do the same thing with [[spoiler:Ortas]].
** Also, a small thing near the beginning: it is mentioned that dying people turning into spectres is an extremely rare case requires the person to be died under extreme regret. But a bit later, "spectres" are [[RandomEncounters randomly-encountered enemies]] in [[spoiler:Alexander's tomb]].
* GeniusLoci: [[spoiler:The Cluster and by extension Biorite itself. And let's not forget the "Planetary Consciousness"...]]
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The Marid King, the Viviones, the Earth Golem, Pestilence... the list goes on. There are many, many [[{{Mardek}} plot-unrelated boss monsters]] in this game.
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Empress Helga singlehandedly threw her country into complete chaos.
* GoingDownWithTheShip: Mentioned by Matilda.
-->What happened with the captain always going down with his ship?
* GoMadFromTheIsolation: [[spoiler:Tiamat]], though she wasn't entirely sane when she was locked.
* GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: It starts out looking this way, but it's quickly subverted. [[spoiler:Turns out it's GrayAndGreyMorality of the more [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism idealistic kind]] (ie, being manipulated by a third party).]]
* GoryDiscretionShot: It's partially this (or at least a "massacre discretion shot", since ''LastScenario'''s sprite style isn't prone to being gory anyway) and partially a "spoiler discretion shot" when [[spoiler: the Northern Outpost is singlehandedly taken over by Felgorn]].
* GratuitousGerman: The imperial capital is called Herzog (duke), and a mining town is called Kohlen ("coals"; the word "Kohle" doesn't actually have a plural, though), among many others.
* GratuitousGreek
* GreenRocks: Biorite.
* HatOfPower: Helio wears a speed-increasing hair ribbon, and Flynn has a beret protecting against some detrimental effects. Also, there are items like the Arch-Angel's Halo, which immunizes against all negative status effects and gives huge defence boosts, the Spring Hat, massively increasing HP, and the Crystalline Crown (automatically P-Shielding).
* HealingShiv: Elemental weapons or strikes can be used to "attack" an ally absorbing this element.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[GrayAndGreyMorality Arguably]], [[spoiler:Zawu]].
* HeroesPreferSwords: Rather spectacularly averted. Hilbert uses a bow, and the rest of your party uses, in order, spears, magic crystals, staves, axes, and throwing knives. It's not until the very last PlayerCharacter joins you that the party gets a sword-user.
* HeroicBSOD: Hilbert briefly goes through this after learning that [[spoiler: he isn't actually related to Alexander]]. And then there's [[spoiler:Ethan]], who actually ''[[AngstComa passed out on the floor]]'' when [[spoiler:he remembered that Castor was his brother.]]
* HeroicLineage: The plot starts when Hilbert is told he is a descendant of Alexander. [[spoiler:Subverted; he's not, and Zawu was just playing on his gullibility as part of an unsuccessful BatmanGambit.]] But in an awesome usage of PlayingWithATrope, [[spoiler:Alexander later declares the entire party his descendants, not in blood but in spirit. Heroic Adoption?]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Felgorn, Alison, and Barasur]]. [[spoiler:Helio]]'s death can also be counted as one of these, although [[VillainousValor he does it for the other side]].
* HeroicWannabe: Hilbert, especially in the beginning when he has the manic wish to be the "protector of his village".
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler:Ortas]].
* HiddenElfVillage: Subverted ''hard''. At first it seems that the Havali are living in one of these somewhere, and Lorenza was taken out for unknown reasons. But eventually we learn that [[spoiler:the Havali are actually the "demons" from the legend, and the ones who've woken up are really, really pissed about being attacked three hundred years ago for no good reason. A few are some of the primary antagonists as a result.]]
* HopelessBossFight: The first encounter with [[spoiler:Felgorn]]. Arguably the solo fight with [[spoiler:Helio]], although that one can be beaten on a NewGamePlus ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation not that the game notices]]).
* HowDareYouDieOnMe: Matilda freaks out when [[spoiler:Selene]] dies.
* HPToOne: [[spoiler:Zawu]] has an attack that does this when you fight her, and Thanatos has one that hits your ''entire party''. So do the [[BonusBoss Black King]] and the third Elysium boss. The King's one even ignores all shielding spells.
** The Rage crisis cast Erosion and the Chi crisis cast Transfer do this to the user, as a prize for great damage or mana restoration.
* IdealHero: As you can see from the page quote, this is one of the most prominent tropes the game [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs]]. In a more general example, Hilbert arguably is one.
* IdiotHero: Hilbert borders on this, especially at the beginning. [[spoiler: Then CharacterDevelopment or possibly HiddenDepths step in and he shows off a certain cleverness in various scenes and a penchant for {{Batman Gambit}}s.]]
* ILied:
** [[spoiler:When Augustus kills Helga.]] "I- I trusted you!" "[[MagnificentBastard Well, that was a stupid move.]] But then, you never were very bright, were you?"
** [[spoiler:When Castor [[InTheBack (literally)]] backstabs Ortas in the Temple of Gaia.]]
* InAWorld: The introductory text is very much like this. [[spoiler: Though it contains hardly anything but BlatantLies.]]
* IncomingHam: Not that he actually ''is'' a LargeHam, mind you, but the principle is the same:
-->That's right! You're a liar, [[spoiler:Zawu]]!
* InfinityPlusOneSword: Interestingly, there's everything ''but'' an Infinity Plus One Weapon. The thing coming closest to them are the "ultimate" weapons of each kind, which just are unique and deal most damage.
** Infinity Plus One Accessory: The Hero's Soul, which increases all stats by 50 and grants immunity to all elements. Can only be equipped on Hilbert, though. Arguably, the Gold Sceptre for everyone else, which just grants elemental immunity.
*** Infinity Minus One Accessory: Warding Charms, which make the wearer immune to all status ailments. ''You will need them'' if you want to take on the {{Bonus Boss}}es.
** Infinity Plus One Helm: The Arch-Angel's Halo, only obtained by defeating the second-hardest optional boss. Grants huge physical and magical defense boosts, and grants immunity to all status ailments.
*** Infinity Minus One Helm: The Crystalline Crown, auto-P-Shielding, and the Spring Hat, increasing the wearer's max HP.
** Infinity Plus One Armour: The Lord-Sorcerer's Gown, which grants a significant intellect boost and ''halves MP cost''.
*** Infinity Minus One Armour: The Sacral Gown, which grants auto-regeneration of HP, and Mashimizu's Robe, which gives an extreme speed boost.
* InterfaceSpoiler: Two {{Nakama}} members who never are in your playable party? [[SacrificialLamb Conspicuous]].
* InTheBack: How the [[TheManBehindTheMan real]] BigBad finally reveals himself.
* InsurmountableWaistHeightFence
* IRegretNothing: [[spoiler:Augustus's last words.]]
* ItsAllUpstairsFromHere: The four Towers, although they're {{Bonus Dungeon}}s.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Helio, who used dozens of people as guinea pigs for Biorite experiments, uses it on himself in a YouShallNotPass moment and dies as a [[BodyHorror disfigured mutant]].]]
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Helio. [[spoiler:When [[DirtyCoward Tazar]] goes to him for help assuming he'll be protected even though he proved incompetent at every turn, Helio tells him he can have a job at a secret research facility. He does not mention that said job is as [[BodyHorror a test subject]].]] Quoth Earp: "That was cruel even for you."
* TheKingdom: ''[[InvertedTrope Definitely]]'' [[InvertedTrope not the case here.]] [[spoiler:It's the primary nationality of the main villains.]]
* KnightTemplar: [[spoiler:Ortas]]
* LadyOfWar: Zawu, and maybe Matilda.
* TheLancer: Usually Matilda, though Thorve is this at times as well.
* LaResistance: The [[spoiler:"Republic Freedom Army"]].
--> [[spoiler:Drakovic]]: If [[spoiler:the Kingdom]] thinks they can take control of our country, I'll make their lives as miserable as possible.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Biorite can do this to humans, though specifically Ethan and [[spoiler:Phantom. Ethan pretends to have lost many more memories than he actually did, though, and the ones that he did forget he remembers eventually.]]
* LastDiscMagic: Gamma and, to a lesser extent, Vortex.
* LawOfCartographicalElegance
* LazyBackup
* LeakedExperience: Characters not currently in the active party still gain experience from boss fights.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Thorve, Lorenza, Zawu, Ortas, and [[spoiler:Alexander]].
* LethalJokeItem: The Trick spellcard, pretending to be detrimental with its uses: The normal cast inflicts confusion on the user, and the [[LimitBreak Crisis]] cast ''kills'' them. Why use it then? Because wearing it boosts almost all of your stats by a huge amount.
* LetsSplitUpGang: Happens at many points, but especially prominent in the Entalar storyline, which starts out by splitting your seven people into four groups and slowly reunites them.
* LevelGrinding: Averted, thankfully. Though the bosses are usually [[NintendoHard really hard]], it's more a matter of "you didn't equip the right equipment/spellcards, use a different setup and try again" than "go back and grind levels for an hour".
* TheLifestream: [[spoiler:Biorite. Castor states that it's where all life originated.]]
* LifeDrain: A low-level spellcard. The crisis cast is a ManaDrain.
* LightningBruiser: Hilbert, though he's possibly more of a JackOfAllStats that sacrifices intellect for speed.
* LimitBreak: Interestingly, the spells, not the characters, have these. Whenever a character's "Crisis" bar fills up from being whacked around enough, they can use a spell's special "Crisis" ability, though it usually costs a lot of MP. [[hottip:*:Party members ''can'' attack each other, but to prevent abuse, this won't count into the crisis score.]]
** As a FinalFantasy ShoutOut, one of these spells (Crisis cast of Bolster, a DesperationAttack) is ''called'' Limit Break.
* LookBehindYou: During the first arc, where Thorve and Lorenza are trying to infiltrate the [[spoiler:Herzog art gallery]]. The guards say "No one is allowed to pass!", and Thorve says "Can't pass? Then who's that person over there?"
* LooksLikeCesare: Ethan.
* LostForever: Several items that you can only get by stealing from bosses, as well as anything in [[spoiler:the Biorite Facility]], since you blow it up on your way out.
* LuckStat: Type 6.
* TheManBehindTheMan: This happens a quite a few times... [[spoiler:Castor behind Ortas behind Augustus behind Helga]].
* ManaBurn: Mindblow.
* ManaDrain: The crisis casts of Life Drain and Mindblow, and the signature ability of the Brain Leech enemy line.
* MarathonBoss: Almost all of the bosses have incredibly high health that can take quite a while to whittle down. The fact that they're constantly tossing attacks that can put one or more characters in critical health doesn't help things. Two bosses take the cake, though: the most difficult BonusBoss in the main game, who has a whopping 200,000 hit points, and the NewGamePlus boss, which has ''one million''.
* MeaningfulName: Lots -- quite a few pages ago, there is a gigantic comment about name etymology [[http://site.scfworks.com/?page_id=9 here]]. Of note is "Entalar", which means [[spoiler:"adapted", "appropriate", or "adequate"]], and "Castor", which comes from a Greek word that means "shine" or "excel".
* MetalSlime: The "smiley" enemies. They give hefty amounts of experience, and can drop very powerful, albeit cursed, equipment.
* MightyGlacier: Matilda.
* MiniGame: Hex, a collectible board game that has taken the game world by storm. Hex tiles, once won from [=NPCs=] or random encounters, can be traded in for items.
* MinorMajorCharacter: The king of Roseheart and the Chancellor of the Republic.
* MoneyGrinding: Money is sucked by the costs of new equipment ''very fast'', so it's almost certain that you'll need to do this at one point or another. The experience gotten along with it [[NintendoHard doesn't hurt either]].
* MookFaceTurn: Borderline case: [[spoiler:After Castor starts to ''really'' [[VillainousBreakdown lose it]], Flynn tips the party off to what he's doing because she thinks they're the only ones who have a chance of getting him to see sense.]]
* MookMaker: The guard devices Watch Disc and Defensive Drone are a justified version of this, ''alerting'' pillars or guards.
* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: The last two pages of Hex tiles are unique "face" tiles of which only one copy exists anywhere (barring NewGamePlus). They're the game's most powerful tiles, but can also be traded in for powerful items, ranging from huge heaps of [[RareCandy stat increasers]] or high-end expendables to accessories that grant immunity to status effects or all elements, to armor that grants 500 hit points or auto-regeneration, to the most powerful weapon in the game for one of your characters. Many can be gotten nowhere else, but once you make the trade it's permanent, probably to prevent you from "borrowing" equipment.
* MysteriousInformant: Zawu.
* MysteriousWaif: Lorenza.
* NewGamePlus: However, in order to access it [[spoiler:you need to beat the game after finding at least 90 different Hex tiles.]]
* NewsTravelsFast: At some points, the protagonists receive news while on a boat without encountering any other ship or messenger.
* NiceHat: The only time Ethan is ever hatless is in flashbacks. Flynn has a Nice Beret, too.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: No one among the heroes ever mentions directly that they [[spoiler:caused [[AxCrazy Tia]][[SealedEvilInACan mat]] to be freed. Granted, it was involuntary, but since Lorenza already felt something wrong and decided to stay outside the chamber for this reason at first, maybe bringing her closer [[IdiotBall wasn't that great of an idea]]...]]
* NintendoHard: Many of the boss battles, although some dungeons are pretty dang hard even without that.
* NominalImportance: Averted - ''all'' the characters have names, but everyone of any importance has a CharacterPortrait.
* NonActionGuy: Matilda's husband Valentin.
* NonElemental: The Grenade line of items, and the spells Laser, Rage and Gamma.
* NonLethalBottomlessPits: As a puzzle element in the Kohlen Mine, the First Seal and the Hall of Judgement, they in some cases transport you to other areas.
* NoobCave: The Abandoned Copper Mine. Your objective is to ''find a lost cat'', and your enemies are various kinds of weak animals. This is quite a contrast to the opening scroll, which prepared you for world-shaking happenings...
* NotSoDifferent: Hilbert and [[spoiler:Castor]] have a lot of this going on.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Ethan is supposed to be 28, but he looks not much older than Hilbert (who is 19) and Lorenza (17). He was [[spoiler:sealed in Biorite]] for three years, though, but even if you think that this stops the aging process and reduce these 3 years, it is still not possible to see him as 25. He looks more like 17 or maximally 21...
* OmnicidalManiac: [[spoiler:Tiamat]].
* OneDegreeOfSeparation: [[spoiler:Thorve, Felgorn, and Randolph's son Wolfram grew up and joined the army together. Wolfram was killed by a little boy, who turns out to have been Ethan trying to protect his older brother Castor. The random soldier who chased Thorve and Felgorn away from the boy was Zawu.]]
* OneHitKill: Various enemy attacks, most notably [[spoiler:Hyperion]]'s "[[BossBanter Die! Die! Die!]]", will inflict instant death like a status effect unless their equipment prevents it, no questions asked.
* OneManArmy: Felgorn has literally taken down entire armies by himself.
* OneWingedAngel: The FinalBoss does this ''twice'', and his final form actually does look slightly angelic. It even has two [[FlunkyBoss helpers]] called [[GeniusBonus "Throne" and "Dominion"]].)
** Also [[spoiler:Helio's VillainousBreakdown[=/=]PsychoSerum freakout.]]
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Castor and Hilbert.
* OpeningScroll: Provides an {{infodump}} about the backstory and mythology. [[spoiler:The whole thing is [[WrittenByTheWinners wrong]].]]
* OpeningTheSandbox: The majority of the game's sidequests are only accessible right before the final dungeon, due to the fact that that's also when you get the GlobalAirship.
* OurElvesAreBetter: Partially averted with the Havali since they're missing a lot of the standard elf traits, but the ears make the comparison inevitable.
* OurMonstersAreWeird:
** And how. The random enemies [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic Yin and Yang]], [[StandardStatusEffects Belgugon]], [[NighInvulnerable Ectoplasm]], [[ChargedAttack Starshine]]/Sirius Lux, [[GlassCannon Ripper]], Belgugon, Tiahaunaca, Gerethog, and many others will make you say "What the heck was ''that''?". Not to forget the '''[[BeyondTheImpossible Land Sharks]]''', though DungeonsAndDragons had this kind of creature first.
** Many bosses are even weirder, like the Riftgate, Erdgeist, the Viviones, Yad-al-Jauza and the Strangelets.
* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:Ortas]], very, ''very'' badly.
* PaperTalisman: Spellcards probably are this.
* ParentalAbandonment: Hilbert, Lorenza, [[spoiler:Ethan]], and [[spoiler:Castor]] all lost their parents at a young age.
* ParentalSubstitute: [[spoiler:Zawu to Ethan and Castor.]]
* PartyInMyPocket: Especially awkward in various cutscenes when Matilda is seemingly talking from Hilbert's pocket, including one in which he ''has his'' ''[[UnitsNotToScale worldmap size]]'' on top of it!
* PerpetualFrowner: Thorve. It's shocking when he actually smiles for the first time.
* PhlebotinumRebel: [[spoiler:Ethan]] borders on this.
* PiercingAttack: The spells Laser, Rage and Gamma.
* PietaPlagiarism: [[spoiler:Ortas with his murdered wife in a backstory scene. [[http://socran.webs.com/Cacame%20Ortas.PNG]]]]
* PlatonicLifePartners: Thorve is absolutely inseparable from Matilda, since she basically dragged him back into doing something with his life after [[spoiler:Wolfram died]]. But she's married and he's quite happy as nothing more than her second-in-command and good friend.
* PlayingBothSides: [[spoiler:The conflict between the Republic and the Empire was entirely the Kingdom's fault.]]
* PoisonMushroom: Subverted by the Trick and Gamma spellcards, which are, in a way, two sides of the same coin. Trick's abilities are purely detrimental, with the base confusing the character and the Crisis cast ''killing'' them. However, it grants a huge boost to almost all of your stats. Gamma's abilities, on the other hand, are the strongest offensive spells in the game (see AwesomeButImpractical, above), but decrease most of a character's stats.
** Played completely straight with the Ruin equipment, which inflicts a status ailment on whoever wears it -- this cannot be prevented or cured in any way. Some of the status ailments make a character completely unusable, negating any potential advantage they might give.
* PosthumousCharacter: Meodar.
* PowerTrio: The first three party members ([[TheMcCoy Hilbert]], [[TheSpock Thorve]], [[TheKirk Matilda]]) could qualify as this, as well as the Omega Team.
* PrepareToDie: Said by [[spoiler:Felgorn]] after you are creamed by him in a HopelessBossFight. [[spoiler:You are saved by [[TheCavalry Thorve and Lorenza]] entering, and Thorve turns out to be an old acquaintance of Felgorn.]]
* PsychoSerum: [[spoiler:Biorite, when used improperly, has this effect.]].
* PuzzleBoss: [[spoiler:Alexander]]. You need to stack various means of damage protection on your sturdiest character and redirect all his attacks to them, or he will absolutely wreck you with ThatOneAttack. ''Many'' of them qualify, actually; see the ThatOneBoss section at the [[YMMV/LastScenario YMMV subpage]], particularly [[NighInvulnerable the Riftgate]] and [[GoddamnedBoss the Viviones]].
* TheQuietOne: Ethan, especially in the first half of the game.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Omega Team. [[spoiler:Ethan used to be the leader]].
* RagnarokProofing
* RainbowPimpGear: Lots of probably silly-looking equipment: rubber boots, a party hat, unisex dresses... Though you [[InformedEquipment sadly can't see it]].
* RandomEncounters: In dungeons. However, it's possible to get [[EncounterRepellant items that prevent them]].
* RareCandy: The Capsules, one for each stat. All except speed capsules can be stolen from late-game enemies.
* [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Really Three Hundred Years Old]]: [[spoiler:Lorenza and the rest of the Havali, though they normally live as long as humans]].
* RecurringBoss: [[spoiler:Tiamat, the Omega Team, and Castor.]]
* RedemptionDemotion: [[spoiler:Zawu joins your party ''immediately after you fight her'' on Lux Island. She loses all her awesome skills and about nine-tenths of her uber-high stats in the process. Weakly justified, as she says that she was "using the last of the shield's power".]]
* ReducedMPCost: The Lord-Sorcerer's Gown. Also inverted with the Spellcard Mod, which doubles MP cost but multiplies damage by 1.5.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Tiamat, along with [[EvilRedhead red hair]].
* ReviveKillsZombie: Although it won't cause a OneHitKill, there's often a specific spellcard that makes taking down a boss enormously easier. Perhaps most {{egregious}}ly, [[spoiler:the Riftgate]] is [[ThatOneBoss about three steps away from unbeatable]] unless you [[spoiler:move Ethan's Laser spellcard to one of the mages and BeamSpam away]]. More literally, there are also several undead monsters that are weak to recovery magic.
** [[spoiler: The Riftgate]] is made much easier by doing an another tactic suggested in ThatOneBoss entry. (See the YourMileageMayVary page for details.)
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: Subverted; despite being a DirtyCoward and [[spoiler:selling out all his men so he alone would survive]], [[spoiler:Tazar]] is given a high rank in the Herzog army despite misgivings. [[spoiler:However, this is double subverted after Helga dies; Augustus demotes Tazar. Taken even further when, after the civil war, Helio sends Tazar to be a guinea pig for PsychoSerum at the Biorite Facility.]]
* RocksFallPartySplits: In [[spoiler:Entalar]], an earthquake hits that splits the party into 4 disparate groups, and you wind up going through most of the arc without [[spoiler:Ethan or Lorenza]].
* RushBoss: [[spoiler:Hyperion]]. If you're lucky, you'll kill him without being attacked with anything remotely menacing. If you're less lucky, though, he gets off ThatOneAttack often enough to kill you despite his low HP and defense.
* SacrificialLamb: [[spoiler:Selene and Jord. The big tip-off there is that they never fight along with you.]]
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:''Alexander himself''.]]
* SaveScumming: This is the way many players treat Hex: If they lose a tile, they just [[SoftReset press F12 and return to the main menu]].
* SaveTheVillain: [[spoiler:Hilbert refuses to leave the biorite cluster without Castor.]] Justified; [[spoiler:two members of the party are his brother and his mentor/surrogate mother, and they state outright that they'll start killing people if they just let Castor die.]]
* SequentialBoss: The final one.
* SergeantRock: Matilda.
* SeriousBusiness: Hex. No, really - it's all part of a crazy XanatosRoulette by [[spoiler:an ancient sorcerer to obtain immortality]].
* ShallowLoveInterest: Valentin, Matilda's husband. Although sometimes adorable, he doesn't get much dialogue or personality and seems to exist just to avoid any thoughts of possible romantic involvements between her and Thorve or Drakovic. Even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in a dialogue where Matilda warns Drakovic that she's a married woman.
* ShipTease:
** [[BroodingBoyGentleGirl Lorenza/Ethan]]; they seem to be close, but the age difference makes a relationship unlikely.
** Alison/Ethan.
** Drakovic/Matilda. She's already married.
** Lorenza/Hilbert; {{Lampshaded}}.
---> '''Matilda''': Are we interrupting something?
* ShoutOut:
** The rare Smiley enemies are from SomethingAwful.
** [[LegendOfGalacticHeroes Mittermeyer and Reuental]] stand around discussing fallen heroes, ambition and seizing power in the castle of Germany-inspired Herzog.
** Drakovic's lecture on the importance of protecting democracy in the face of a benevolent autocracy is straight from the notes of [[LegendOfGalacticHeroes Yang Wen-Li]], as are his strategies and tactics.
** In a town, there is [[{{Touhou}} a witch named Marisa and a maid named Sakuya.]]
** The title of the game is a play on "FinalFantasy".
* ShroudedInMyth: [[spoiler:Turns out most of the world's history is either incredibly slanted or flat-out lies.]] Especially regarding Alexander.
* SideQuest: Oh so many, though most of them are only accessible or doable right at the end.
* SmashMook: Most of the stock RPG Maker enemies and their PaletteSwap versions, [[CannonFodder low-rank]] {{Mooks}} and also some more memorable enemies like [[spoiler: Killer Crystals]] or Black Pawns.
* SlippySlideyIceWorld: Grey Peak.
* SolemnEndingTheme: ''"[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6iu5xGttrU Moji no dengon]]"'' by SoundHorizon.
* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: There are points in the game where one or more party members are unavailable. Usually they're not long, the exception being an entire arc without [[spoiler:Lorenza]] and most of it without [[spoiler:Ethan]] either once you reach [[spoiler:Entalar]], but it pays to unequip people who aren't in the active party, and to be careful who holds spellcards you can't do without, also, when beginning a NewGamePlus.
* SpamAttack: The Dual Strike spellcard (the Quad Strike crisis spell even more). Magical versions are Rage and Vortex, as well as some attacks possessed by boss enemies.
* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Ethan was ''not'' supposed to be woken up early, and certainly not supposed to run into Hilbert.]]
* SquishyWizard: Lorenza and Thorve.
** Randolph is an subversion. When you meet him, he totally seems to be a "squishy scientist", but in fact, he is a StoneWall character without a really special degree of skill in magic.
* StaffChick: Lorenza. To a T.
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: In Lorenza's introductory cutscene, one of the soldiers trying to capture her grabs her arm. [[SubvertedTrope So she vaporizes him with a lightning bolt]].
* StatusBuffDispel: Disenchant.
* StockVideoGamePuzzle: A Water Level Puzzle in the Waterway, an Invisible Floor Puzzle in the [[BonusDungeon Hall of Judgement]], and a Timed Switch Puzzle two other {{Bonus Dungeon}}s, lots and lots of {{Block Puzzle}}s of various types in the Towers, and a FrictionlessIce puzzle on Grey Peak.
* StoneWall: Randolph.
* TheStrategist: Drakovic may not be much good in a hand-to-hand fight, but he sure as hell knows what he's doing.
* SwampsAreEvil: The Dark Marshes.
* TakeYourTime: The BigBad is quite content to sit in the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon while you run around clearing out {{Bonus Dungeon}}s and playing Hex. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], though; he's literally waiting for the heroes.
** Played straight on several other occasions, though. No matter how much time it takes you to get through the Serinal Woods, the [[spoiler:Omega Team]] will always be on the run at the exact same spot.
* TemptingFate:
-->''Gunther'': What are you worried about, with no enemies in sight? You think they're just going to drop down from the sky?\\
(ladder drops and Matilda's team climbs down)
* ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler:Esmerelda is dead. Tiamat killed her]]. Which makes the artwork image you can see after completing the game where [[spoiler:Esmerelda says goodbye to Barasur before departing with the ship]] a real TearJerker.
** A similar phrase is also used by [[spoiler:Alexander]] when Ortas takes him from his prison cell.
* TheyPlottedAPerfectlyGoodWaste: About the first quarter of the game is a ClicheStorm purposely... only to subvert everything afterwards.
* ThrivingGhostTown
* TimedMission: Sections of both [[spoiler:the Biorite Facility]] and [[spoiler:the Third Seal if you revisit it]], though for differing reasons.
* TitleThemeDrop: Used as the BGM for [[spoiler:[[DiscOneFinalDungeon the Temple of Gaia]]]] and the Geo Science Station's projector room.
* TooAwesomeToUse:
** Averted ''hard''. In most boss battles, you ''will'' find yourself using those hard-found Soul Elixirs, Healing Orbs, and Meteor Shells you found during your trek through the dungeon if you want to live.
** The "Throw" spellcard has a high damage potential, but most players won't actually exploit it since that requires permanently destroying valuable high-tier weapons.
* TragicMonster: Tiamat to Barasur.
* TrainingBoss: Melchior.
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Varying this trope, [[spoiler:during his biorite imprisonment, Ethan clinged to what he wanted to remember most and forgot his most traumatic memories.]]
* TraumaInn
* TrippyFinaleSyndrome: The entire final dungeon seems to be designed from the ground up to confuse you as much as possible, although it's really deceptively simple to figure out. Then there's the background during the final boss battle and [[spoiler:the interior of the biorite cluster]]...
* TryNotToDie
-->'''Matilda:''' You'd better come back alive. Otherwise I'll have no one to blame for this mess.
* TwentyFourHourArmor: Matilda.
* TwoScenesOneDialogue: Three scenes, actually, of the InfoDump variety. It occurs in [[spoiler:Entalar]], where [[spoiler:Alexander, Barasur, and Ortas]] tell your party members about [[spoiler:what really happened in the Havali war]].
* [[spoiler:TheUnchosenOne]]
* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler:The ''OpeningScroll'' lies to you!]]
* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: {{Invoked}}:
-->'''Drakovic:''' Ah, but a good strategist never reveals his most daring plans.\\
'''Matilda:''' ...Why?\\
'''Drakovic:''' That way... you don't look as bad if they fail.
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Felgorn]], we're looking at you. [[spoiler:And Hilbert, at first. The SpannerInTheWorks comes when he meets Ethan.]]
* UselessUsefulSpell: Gamma. It can deal epic amounts of damage, but the random factor is extreme, the MP cost is horrible, and it decreases HP and strength of the caster.
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: [[spoiler:The Biorite Cluster.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Tazar]], [[spoiler:Helio]], [[spoiler:Castor]].
** The party actually knows about [[spoiler:Castor]]'s potential breakdown long before it happens, and tries to prevent it. [[spoiler:Helio]], on the other hand, doesn't "break down" so much as take a few moments to get some things off his chest before his [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice "Heroic" Sacrifice]]]].
* VillainousValor: The Omega Team, when they're [[spoiler:defending the unconscious Castor from the heroes]]. Bonus points go to [[spoiler:Helio, who defies his alleged characterization in a YouShallNotPass moment]].
* WakeUpCallBoss: The Marid King is basically a little note to players. It reads, "You thought those were boss fights? ''[[BossDissonance This]]'' [[BossDissonance is a boss fight]]. PrepareToDie." And making it worse, there's no way to backtrack; if you didn't come in with enough supplies you've got no choice but to reset to an earlier save file.
* WeaponOfChoice: Subverted. Aside from StaffChick Lorenza and possibly CoolSword user [[spoiler:Zawu]], no one in the party has a personality that fits the weapon they use.
** TheArcher is a WideEyedIdealist IdiotHero who tends to charge straight into everything.
** The ImprobableWeaponUser is a laid-back and down-to-earth guy who is happy to support his superiors.
** The BladeOnAStick user is a HotBlooded SergeantRock. [[spoiler:The other one is the BigBad.]]
** The guy with AnAxeToGrind is a [[TheQuietOne quiet]] {{stoic}}.
** The KnifeNut is a CoolOldGuy scientist who occasionally gets distracted from the main objective by ruins and artifacts.
*** They do tend to have the corresponding battle role, however. The exceptions are Randolph, who's mainly defensive, and Ethan, whose focus stat is ''evasion'' of all things. And Thorve, though his gem-claw-thing isn't common enough to have an expected role.
* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:The Entalar arc.]]
** The second trip to the Ether Well and conversation on the ship afterward pretty much mark the point where the plot makes a sharp turn into "Subvert ALL the tropes!" territory.
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Call for Zawu." Wait, the MysteriousInformant is working for the creepy guy who Augustus is reporting to? OhCrap.]]
** Ethan [[TheQuietOne barely talks]] for the first quarter of the game. Then all of a sudden he drops ''this'' on us: [[spoiler:"[[UnwittingPawn You aren't even related to Alexander]]."]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Seemingly played straight with [[spoiler:Tazar]], but [[spoiler:take a good look at the mutant you fight at the end of the Biorite Facility.]]
* [[spoiler:WhiteAndGreyMorality]]: [[spoiler:Most villains have fairly sympathetic backstories/traits.]]
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: Castor, if you go by his CharacterPortrait. Otherwise, BlondGuysAreEvil.
* WhyDontYaJustShootHim: Subverted and justified; [[spoiler:the Lemuria]] has enough firepower to destroy [[spoiler:Heart Island]], which will bring the caverns down on top of the BigBad. Of course, the party wants to SaveTheVillain instead.
* WideEyedIdealist: Hilbert, particularly at the beginning. [[spoiler:Deconstructed, as it gets him in trouble from time to time. Then Reconstructed when Hilbert adds a little realism in without losing his overall idealism and turns into a damn fine example of TheMessiah.]]
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Tiamat.
* WolfpackBoss:
** The Viviones are a ''quintuple'' boss. They also [[GoddamnedBoss brought many players to the edge of madness]], even though they're only [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Giant Space Fleas From Nowhere]].
** Same thing with the [[BonusBoss Strangelets]], which are also five identical creatures.
** And the ''six'' Sentry Pillars in the Ether Well.
* WolverineClaws: Helio.
** Thorve's "clawgems" are something vaguely similar.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: [[spoiler:Wilhelm delivers one of these to his troops, which on its own is enough to convince the attackers to retreat.]]
* WrittenByTheWinners: [[spoiler:All of the commonly accepted history of Alexander's time is actually propaganda.]]
* TheWrongfulHeirToTheThrone: The capriciously cruel and terribly incompetent Empress Helga.
* XanatosGambit: Drakovic lives off of these, as he always has a backup plan. About the only time attempts to foil his machinations don't average out in his favor is when [[spoiler:Castor took over the Republic while he and his army were busy with the Empire.]] DidntSeeThatComing.
* XanatosSpeedChess: Drakovic is damn good at these too, like when [[spoiler: The empire holds 500 of his men as P.O.W.s and he waits to ask for them to be released. He does this in case they'll be needed to free his country, but when they aren't he has them released to capture a nearby port friendly to the Kingdom out of nowhere.]] Damn.
* YouCanBarelyStand: The party tries to point this out to [[spoiler:Ortas]] before their battle, but he has none of it.
-->'''Hilbert''': [[spoiler:Ortas]]...just give it up. You can barely move.
-->'''[[spoiler:Ortas]]''': '''NEVER!!''' I... I'll never give up!!"
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: While it's mostly averted with major characters, a lot of the minor characters have sprites with crazy-colored hair. But even if you assume that Matilda's apparently pink hair is just stylized strawberry blonde, Flynn definitely qualifies. So does Felgorn, who has ''purple'' hair.
* YouShallNotPass: A VillainousValor example, when [[spoiler:Helio takes his own PsychoSerum to delay the heroes while Flynn and Earp get Castor somewhere safe.]]
* ZenSurvivor: Phantom.
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