Line #81 DarthWiki/MaxsRecollection


1	A game created by @/{{Wax}} using UsefulNotes/RPGMaker VX Ace.\
2	The game is no longer available.\
3	It's actually a 2-game "package" called ''Max's Recollection - The Compilation'', but ''The Original'' is really just a mini-game and includes only one fight, which pretty much makes it a prelude Chapter to "The Sequel".\
4	The plot is quite meta as it stars Max, an Author who has been deprived of the Author's Rights to his fiction and was trapped in his own fictional world and his memories stripped away and sealed. As he is trapped, "the Invincible" defeated the entire world of this fiction. However, Max's AuthorAvatar characters are aware of his being trapped, and they indeed save him from "Marieville".\
5	The plot from ''The Sequel'' starts right afterwards when 4 villainous elementals each kidnap and trap one of Max and his {{author avatar}}s. However, as Max wakes up from the CurbStompBattle, he finds out another person appeared by his side by some sort of miracle. His name is Kelaud. Max goes to find the exit to this labyrinth and find the truth that he yearned for, and that seems to be Kelaud's objective too...\
6	The game has an RPG Maker MV-made SpinOff called ''The W-Team in Patina Castle''. This game is a possible future of the plot prior to the Invincible's intervention. Wax, Loup, Athor and Michiru, as a group, are on the run from the Paladins' Order. They wander into Rusty City, where they are set to help free the citizens from the abusive Queen (yes, it's really her name). The game is just that short and ends with a ShoutOut to the OpeningNarration to Series/TheATeam.\
7	A redone version of the game is in the works again.
8	----
9	!Max's Recollection provides examples of:
10	* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:Kevin. His BossBanter in his second-to-last fight is "I am unbeatable! I am the God of this universe!".]]
11	* ActionGirl: Every playable girl but Ella, who isn't meant to be a fighter. [[spoiler:The ending proves she's one too as she grabs a gun.]]
12	* AdaptationExpansion: The English translation features a written tutorial and special thanks, along with specific cheat codes.
13	* AllInARow: Or at least the four that get to fight.
14	* AndTheRest: [[spoiler:If you don't bring Max to the first battle with the Invincible, she will call the party: "''[name of party member n°1]'' and the others..."]]
15	* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler:Fae gleefully announces that the Invincible will destroy the entire universe in their next battle.]]
16	* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: While you can have all 22 playable characters in the same party, no more than four can fight at a time.
17	* ArmorAndMagicDontMix: Some characters play it straight, others don't.
18	* ArmorPiercingAttack: There are a bunch of attacks that deal fixed damage, meaning they don't have any further damage calculation than its base damage. Since this ignores enemy defense, these are the more useful ones behind %-health attacks (sometimes even better if said %-health attacks aren't fixed damage) if your attack is inferior to the enemy's defense. Otherwise they're {{Useless Useful Spell}}s since they scale way less with high attack stats.
19	* ArsonMurderAndLifesaving: {{Backstory}}-only. [[spoiler:To the Paladins' Order, Maw is guilty of high treason, attempted corruption, and saving the world. For this fact alone and his change of heart, the Order welcomes him back during the ending.]]
20	* ArtificialStupidity:
21	** The Invincible's attack pattern is fixed. Also, nothing stops any enemy from attempting to inflict status effects on a party affected with ''Star Barrier'', which blocks all statuses.
22	** Xav, while critically wounded, will still protect the rest of the party and is likely to get himself killed during the Fae fight in Chapter 1.
23	* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: [[spoiler:The Invincible's "I will never truly be dead as long as [Kevin] exists." counts, as Kevin is acting the part of a GodOfEvil (despite his claims to the contrary).]]
24	* AssholeVictim: The elementals. When you beat Fira, Wata and Zephira, they're dismissed and attacked by a fairy. Terra is defeated by Maw. [[spoiler:None of them do die though.]]
25	* AuthorAvatar: Wax, Xav and Maw. They're even referred to as "TheHero", "TheRival", and "[[BigBad The Villain]]" respectively. It's also the reason they share a similar character class (Author-class). They each cover different aspects of Max's personality. But Max is the straightest example, being an AuthorAvatar to [[@/{{Wax}} the creator of the game]].
26	** AuthorPowers: Max is looking to reclaim his "Author's Rights" back, which would give him this.
27	** This is also why moves like ''Super Nova'' and ''Apocalypse'' are exclusive to some Author-class characters, not to mention them knowing moves they shouldn't by their canon in the VX Ace version. [[spoiler:At the end, he uses this for his characters to remember the plot of the game.]]
28	* BackgroundMusicOverride: For a section of dialogue before battling the elementals, their theme gets to play before the battle starts, and smoothly transitions into the battle without interruption. Likewise, their theme continues to play after they're defeated, though it is often interrupted in short order by the "Betrayal" theme song.
29	* BadassBoast:
30	** Ralph, please...
31	---> "I hear someone's calling herself Invincible. Let me just say she isn't gonna be bragging much longer."
32	** Maw has a somewhat-meta one while during his entrance.
33	---> "I should commend you for managing to injure me, however temporarily. But I didn't get called Wannabe-Sephiroth by dying this easily."
34	* BagOfHolding: You could hold an infinity of items, up to 99 of each.
35	* BagOfSharing: Characters who are on nigh-opposite ends of the continent where "The Sequel" takes place share items.
36	* BashBrothers: Ralph with Leeroy. Surprisingly, since they don't even come from the same universe due to a {{retcon}} in Leeroy's origins..
37	* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:In Chapter 5, Kelaud leads the 7-man party founded in Chapter 4. They join the party you have in Chapter 5, thus getting a 16-man strong party to fight the Elementals. Later on, Kelaud's brother Ferenan stalls Vanessa and fights her with the face-turned elementals.]]
38	* {{BFS}}: The Mastok Sword [[spoiler:(unique to M)]], has this as its unique weapon class.
39	* BlasphemousBoast: [[spoiler:Kevin's "I am the God of this universe!", which, while wrong, heals every damage done to him.]]
40	* BlockingStopsAllDamage: Well, 50%. But even that is ignored by ''Super Nova'' and ''Fissure''.
41	* BondVillainStupidity: "The Invincible" walks away in Chapter 2 after reducing the entire party's HPToOne out of battle.
42	* BossBanter: Bosses have scripted talk at certain portions of the fight, though it's often [[CallingYourAttacks hinting at something they're about to do]] (Maw's "Accept defeat!" before defeating Terra, for example). [[spoiler:Vanessa and Kevin get unimaginative and forceful with it, repeating the same thing each turn.]]
43	* BossBonanza: In contrast to all Chapters before, Chapter 5 has this. [[spoiler:First are the optional bosses Fae and M, then you fight the four elementals, then Kevin and Vanessa together, then the Invincible, then Vanessa, then Kevin and the Invincible, and finally Kevin alone.]]
44	* BossGame: All fights are boss fights, with a lot of plot going on in-between.
45	* BossOnlyLevel: No RandomEncounters means that every single level is this and exposition.
46	* BossRush: Averted. [[spoiler:You do fight the four elementals in Chapter 5, but they're all dealt with in a single fight.]]
47	* BrokenBridge: Quite literally, two of them. They are repaired progressively during the game.
48	* CharmPerson: [[spoiler:Vanessa, representing the power to be loved. It fails as by the time she appears, Kevin already lost too many of his Author's rights for him to write everyone as having fallen in love with her. If you lose, he acquires them and it works.]]
49	* ClusterFBomb: Saylia is a walking one. [[spoiler:Kevin, if he wins the final battle. "I don't give a shit about you asshats! I'mma find a real cool fic and start my awesome fanfic in a world that's WorthIt. Bunch of little assholes, I fucked you all up! EvilLaugh"]]
50	* CombatDiplomacyStealth: Completely averted. You can't sneak past enemies and they don't answer to diplomacy[[spoiler:, except the elementals with Ferenan (which is done offscreen by the way)]].
51	* ComebackMechanic: The damage formula for ''Fire Energy'' makes it drain more health for each 1% health Fira is missing. A rare example of a ComebackMechanic used by an enemy.
52	* CoolAndUnusualPunishment / LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:The Elementals were meant to trap their victims in labyrinths and wait for them to die inside. Their punishment is being locked inside a dungeon and be lectured every single day by Xav.]]
53	* CripplingOverspecialization: [[GlassCannon Maw has insane attack, but dies extremely easily.]] Bennett [[StoneWall has great defense]] and [[HealingHands can heal the entire team with the greatest of ease]], but he barely can deal any damage.
54	* CriticalHit: Only physical attacks can do this. [[spoiler:The exception being ''Screen Cut'', that deals magic damage but still can deal a critical hit.]]
55	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: In the beginning of "The Sequel", Max and the AuthorAvatar characters are trapped within caves and left there to die of hunger or thirst.
56	* CutscenePowerToTheMax: At the end of Chapter 2, a single [[LightEmUp Judgement]] from the Invincible puts everybody at 1 HP. Note that she doesn't use it when fought as a boss and it's nowhere this powerful when used by Athor [[spoiler:or enemies like Fae and Kevin]].
57	* DamageSpongeBoss: [[spoiler:Vanessa. In her last battle, you have nothing that is able to deal consistent damage to her but her own instakill spell on the elementals that drains 5000 HP out of her. If she fails and attacks Ferenan, it takes out only around 500 HP.]]
58	* DamageOverTime: Only poison deals damage over time.
59	* DarkIsNotEvil: Maw. [[FountainOfExpies Sephiroth]] [[{{Expy}} wannabe]]. Aligned with good and even becomes a Paladin.
60	* DeadpanSnarker: Max. Maw also embodies his dry sense of humor.
61	* DefeatMeansFriendship: Averted. [[spoiler:Despite the Elementals' collective HeelFaceTurn, they still didn't do it out of friendship for Max. In the English version, just before the FinalBoss, you can talk with Fira and she'll mention that she still hates Max's guts.]]
62	* DePower: The only stat you can actually reduce is defense. [[spoiler:Fae loves reducing the party's stats, which would help a lot if she attacked less rarely.]]
63	* DefendCommand: It's present in the game, but be warned that certain moves ignore it.
64	* DesperationAttack: Fira's ''Fire Energy'' drains more health the closer she is to death.
65	* DeusExMachina: Max seeks to invoke one to get rid of "the Invincible". [[spoiler:When he realizes the bad comes from Kevin "writing" bad fanfic into his universe, he goes with "get him banned". The Deus Ex Machina is done on the way.]]
66	* DiscOneFinalBoss: The fairy is fought just at the end of Chapter 1. [[spoiler:Counting "The Original" as Disc One instead, it's the Invincible.]]
67	* DiscOneFinalDungeon: Chapter 2: the Unknown Castle. [[spoiler:Chapter 5 reveals this is actually the final dungeon, the Invincible's Castle.]]
68	* DubNameChange: Ylva is still referred to by her French name Ilya.
69	* EasterEgg: A secret room accessed from the final stage allows you to get secret items.
70	* EasyLevelsHardBosses: Provided you know the controls, finding the bosses will be easy barring a few things.
71	* EmbeddedPrecursor: The original game can be played, with a choice at the start.
72	* EquipmentBasedProgression: Defied. Some equipment items are really powerful, but they tend to be locked on the character using them. There is little to no equipment to buy.
73	* EvilWearsBlack: Inverted. Evil wears white. Black-wearing Maw is good.
74	* ExponentialPotential: Averted: Most characters start with all their skills.
75	* FauxAffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Vanessa, at the start.]]
76	* FauxSymbolism: [[spoiler:"The Invincible"'s true name is Marie, evoking both Jesus's mother and [[Fanfic/ATrekkiesTale Mary Sue]].
77	* FightWoosh
78	* FirstTown: Le Creux. Much bigger in-game than the Paladin Order's capital city Altiga, and you spend quite a while there.
79	* ForegoneConclusion: The fact that "The Sequel"'s plot occurs outside Marieville spoils that Max escapes in "The Original".
80	* FourIsDeath: The number is recurring.
81	** There are four chapters before the finale. The Elementals are four and you defeat one per chapter.
82	** Chapters 1 to 3 end with 4-man parties formed.
83	** There are four "real" villains. [[spoiler:Fae, Vanessa, Marie and Kevin.]] There are also the four elementals.
84	** There are four Author-class characters. Which means four ''M.S.P.''. And four other unique accessories. (In the MV Version, Max, Wax, Xav and Maw would have had different classes.)
85	** The 22 playable characters (Max and Ella are not counted as characters due to the fact that they are supposed to come from RealLife) can be rounded out as coming from 4 different origin worlds. This one, the original RPG Maker VX, ''Kelaud and the Sky Tower'', and Kevin.
86	* FourTemperamentEnsemble:
87	** The party formed in Chapter 1 has Kelaud as the Sanguine, Max as the Choleric [[spoiler:(Fun fact: Fire is not his own element but that of his enemy Fira)]], Wilhelmina as the Melancholic, and Xav as the Phlegmatic. It doesn't quite work in Chapter 2 as Ralf and Leeroy are both Choleric.
88	** Played with by the elementals, who represent elements associated with the temperaments. Fira plays it straight, being the Choleric. Wata plays her Phlegmatic role straight too. Terra even plays her Melancholic role straight... but Zephira is not sanguine at all, being flat-out inexpressive (though she '''is''' scatter-brained and egotistical, but then again, all the elementals are egotistical).
89	* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Xav is mortally wounded when you pick him up in Chapter 1. [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration Even though in battle he is affected by a "Plot Injury" that divides his healing by 100 and blocks his healing magic]], he still is able to walk just fine.
90	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: [[spoiler:M the Mastok. He's inside the Invincible's Castle. For no reason. This is acknowledged in his character description.]]
91	* GlassCannon: Maw exemplifies the trope. His ''Maw Blade EX'' maximizes attack power according to its own description. His armor is the ''Important Character's Cape'', and it gives '''no defense''', instead increasing his magic power. In numbers, his attack stat is 861, his defense is 113. He is one of the few who can deal significant non-%-health damage.
92	* GoddamnedBoss: [[spoiler:Fae.]] She acts 4 times per turn and does nothing but guard and spam debuffs on your team and buffs on herself. Debuffs that you reflect to her are likely to not even work because her defenses can't be debuffed and attack debuffs have 25% accuracy even when reflected. Despite her comparatively low 11400 HP, she is extremely annoying to defeat.
93	** On the same note, [[spoiler:Vanessa; like mother like daughter]]. She uses weak attacks most of the time, but the bulk of her arsenal is healing spells. All three of them, and she will liberally heal 4000 health in one go when she feels like it.
94	* GunFu: [[spoiler:Before the final battle, Ella {{AssPull}}s out a gun to attack Kevin.]]
95	* HealerSignsOnEarly: Subverted. While Kelaud is a sub-healer, said healing abilities don't really show up until midway through Chapter 1, after the fight against Fira.
96	* HealthDamageAsymmetry: Played straight. All bosses have above 10000 HP, often much more, but they tend to deal mediocre damage.
97	* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:The Elementals rebel against Vanessa and fight alongside Ferenan. He carries equipment that lets him use their elemental energy arcanes on top of his own attacks.]]
98	* HybridPower: [[spoiler:Fira and M have equally high attack and magic power stats. Fira's at 320, and M at 499.]]
99	* InexplicableTreasureChests: On the Fourth Wall, there are a few chests with a few important items. Not picking them is a SelfImposedChallenge that makes the game a bunch harder.
100	* InfinityPlusOneSword: Played with. Max has the ''Fusion Sword'' (which is by far the best weapon in the game) right at the start, but plot-wise, he had to fuse the four [[InfinityMinusOneSword Master Swords]] after "The Original".
101	* InformedEquipment
102	* InjuredVulnerability: When taken to low-enough HP, Fira will cripple herself some more. Also, ''Apocalypse'' enforces the trope and deals more damage the less life the opponent has.
103	* InstantWinCondition: Only present in the Terra BossBattle. Survive 5 turns and you win. [[spoiler:Also, in the Invincible's second-to-last fight, if you bring Kelaud, he verbally owns her about ''Super Nova'' never killing anyone so hard she spontaneously dies. And in her last battle, beating the Invincible alone is enough to win, as Kevin is immune to death and constantly heals himself to max at every turn.]]
104	* InsultBackfire: Terra calling Saylia a peasant.
105	--> '''Saylia:''' "Peasant? Did you look at yourself?"
106	* InTheirOwnImage: [[spoiler:Kevin's endgame.]]
107	* ItsAllAboutMe: Loup, mildly. He only follows Saylia in hopes Maw is dead and he can loot from him (though he accepts the possibility of saving Maw for no payment). [[spoiler:At the end of the game, if you go talk to him before beating Kevin, he'll even say he had no interest in the journey, wondering why you even cared to go talk to him. This is only in the English version.]]
108	* JerkassDissonance: [[spoiler:Fae is the local patron saint. Vanessa takes it after you kill her, saying you deserve death for that. Note that she's speaking to Ferenan who just entered the party, and the Four Elementals, who '''Fae tried to kill''', not the other way around.]]
109	* JoinedYourParty: Averted: There is no message to indicate people joining the party, much less fanfare. Michiru is perhaps the most disgraceful example, joining the party mid-battle after a quarrel with Saylia.
110	* JokeCharacter: Kelaud, Saylia and Ferenan. Kelaud and Saylia start at level 1, and only their inability to die saves them in their boss battles. Ferenan is saved by his equipment that gives him great stats, NoSell abilities assorted to the elementals, and the elementals' arcanes, sure-hit LifeDrain attacks, and MP regeneration so he can spam them. [[spoiler:A secret code instead makes Kelaud a GameBreaker.]]
111	* KarlMarxHatesYourGuts: It's nigh impossible to sell '''anything''', except in Altiga's weapon store, which will have no problems [[WeBuyAnything buying your max potions]].
112	* KillSteal: [[spoiler:Kevin is the one who ultimately takes out the Invincible, stealing the kill with ''Otherworld Energy'' when you've chipped away 99% of her health. It's easily done with two ''Super Novas'' or, if you bothered getting to 100 Fury, ''Fissure''.]]
113	* LawOfCartographicalElegance
114	* LeakedExperience: The inactive party gets full experience from battles.
115	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Quite literally. External characters (and Xav) have the ability to warp to the Fourth Wall (though Xav didn't exactly do it by will and he has problems surviving here due to his injuries at the time).
116	* LetsSplitUpGang: The party is formed from several 4-man groups, but never splits.
117	* LevelGrinding: It's just as averted as RandomEncounters.
118	* LightIsNotGood: Hand-in-hand with DarkIsNotEvil. The angelic looking "Invincible"[[spoiler:, as well as Fae, Vanessa and Kevin,]] is evil.
119	* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Averted. The only character with noticeable stat growth is Max, who is a hybrid fighter (though with more physical attack). And skillsets barely change ever.
120	* LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair: The Invincible's Castle is times bigger than the royal castle of Le Creux.
121	* ManaPotion: These are in the game, and they can be very useful for characters who don't have MP regeneration and still want to spam spells (Max with ''Super Nova'', for example).
122	* MomentKiller: [[spoiler:Just before endgame, go see Michiru and she'll point out how she went to a remote place to confess to Maw in peace. Where she is? In '''Terra's Dungeon''', underneath the Aalet Ruins.]]
123	* MoneySpider: Averted: nobody carries money. [[spoiler:Except Kevin, who carries 2$, which is obscenely low.]]
124	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast:
125	** "The Invincible". Kelaud is explicitly afraid of her at the beginning.
126	** Maw also counts though his name is less fearsome.
127	* {{Narm}}: A lot. While it was aimed towards NarmCharm, it doesn't always make the cut.
128	* NewsTravelsFast: Only as fast as you do, and only one little girl actually changes dialogues at every chapter.
129	** [[spoiler:... and then you realize that it's her in the EasterEgg Room '''and''' in ''The Original'', so she already knew a lot of stuff and was only feigning ignorance.]]
130	* NoCureForEvil: Averted by Wata [[spoiler:and Vanessa]], who will constantly heal if low enough on health.
131	* NoHeroDiscount: Played with. The old man in Le Creux sells at skewed prices, selling '''weapons''' at reduced prices, but potions at 5 times the usual price.
132	* NoStatAtrophy
133	* NoobCave: Fira's cave, which has no enemies (even though the rest of the game has no non-boss enemies). It does however have a unique gimmick.
134	* NotTheIntendedUse: Bennett, despite being intended as a level 99 CrutchCharacter, works best as a super-healing machine between two battles.
135	* NowWhereWasIGoingAgain: It's gonna be hard to have this, since there's only one plot line. Though nobody is going to remind you of where you're going to go.
136	* OmnicidalManiac: [[spoiler:When the chips are down, "the Invincible".]]
137	* OneWingedAngel: Subverted: When Fira claims she's gonna go full power, she gets betrayed and attacked by Fae, and the fight is over.
138	* OnlyMostlyDead: [[spoiler:Wax's HPToOne'd party is found in this state in Chapter 5, but Ella eventually heals everything off.]]
139	* OnlyShopInTown: There's only two shops in the game, one in Le Creux, one in Altiga. Both play this trope straight.
140	* OpeningTheSandbox: Before the very end of the game, when you drop all your party members and only Max and Ella are left. This also only occurs in the English version.
141	* OptionalPartyMember: [[spoiler:EasterEgg-only Kitty, the most broken playable character (she has 100% dodge chance, [[CriticalHit crits everytime]], and knows several of the aforementioned OneHitKill attacks). Actually, Kelaud also counts, considering there's an EasterEgg-only version of him acquired via ''Kelaud's Pass''. It's also called [[ShoutOut Kelaud Streif]] in the files.]]
142	* OurGiantsAreBigger: [[spoiler:M The Mastok. He is no bigger than the other characters on the map, but he's around 9 feet tall.]]
143	* OutsideTheBoxTactic: Fira can be beaten by using ''Super Nova'' and attacking her (or using ''Blue Thunder Cut'' if possible) before she uses ''Fire Energy''... but ''Bisection'' will one-shot her anyway due to her weak (200) defense and Max's comparatively insane (465) attack stat.
144	* OutsideContextProblem: [[spoiler:Every single villain. They come from Kevin's mind (which from the characters' eyes means "nowhere"), conquer the world, and cause the entire plot.]]
145	* OverlyLongFightingAnimation: ''Super Nova'', at least downplayed from the original, but it takes nearly 8 seconds to complete. ''Otherworld Energy'' also takes 8 second to complete. Both have a tendency to have their animation get laggy.
146	* PartyInMyPocket: Just before the last Vanessa boss fight, the characters walking behind your first party member will simply walk into him. The fact that there's above 15 party members at this part of the game is playing the trope uber-straight.
147	* PercentDamageAttack: So strong they got their own element so they could be resisted. ''Bisection'', ''Blue Thunder Cut'' and ''Super Nova'' are core abilities to use on everyone that has them. Because even the bosses' resistance to it [[GameBreaker is not enough]].
148	* PlotTunnel: The end to Chapter 2 used to be this (until you get the [[PlotCoupon Fairy Hand]], that is). In fact, there used to be a glitch where you could enter said PlotTunnel in Chapter 5, making it UnintentionallyUnwinnable, since the only way out was finishing Chapter 2.
149	* PowerCrystal: Ralph shatters a pair during Chapter 2. They level up Wax and neutralize a flaming pillar that blocked the way.
150	* PreexistingEncounters: Every single one.
151	* {{Pride}}: [[spoiler:Kevin's main flaw, as well as everyone aligned with him, is their pride and self-benefiting morality. They're just unable to realize that they're wrong.]]
152	* PyrrhicVictory: Very much possible [[spoiler:against M]]. He heals you when you lose to him, but when you win, no such luck.
153	* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The elementals. Their quirkiness is also reflected given how they boost your characters.
154	** Fira gives your characters Fire enchantment, giving them more attack and a Fire element that she will completely NoSell. This can be circumvented by using other skills and spells scaling on attack. She also chunks her own health down with ''Rage'', but this is to drain more with ''Fire Energy'', and ''Rage'' also massively increases her attack.
155	** Wata increases your characters' attack, by 50% rather than 10%, but this also confuses your character. Confused characters can still hit her, so you can easily benefit from it even though you don't control your character. Also, ''Water Energy'' scales on the target's attack stats. Worse yet, she now has a move called ''Ripper Tide'', which deals massive %-health damage and boosts your characters' attack stats.
156	** Terra replenishes your character's MP and Fury. This is to hit you harder with ''Pangaea''.
157	** Zephira speeds up everybody. Because ''the Breather'' scales on her speed, but also the opponent's.
158	* [[RageAgainstTheAuthor Rage Against The Original Author]]: "The Invincible" rages on Max. [[spoiler:She is just another reflection of Kevin's self-aggrandizing delusions.]]
159	* RandomlyDrops: Completely averted. No enemy ever drops anything.
160	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Fira, Wax and Maw. Averted with Malirak who has red eyes, but is just an NPC.
161	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Wilhelmina decides to move out and save her city when you come to her.
162	* RPGsEqualCombat: Most of the gameplay is fighting. There are a pair of labyrinths but they aren't difficult once you figure out the gist of it. Though the equipment and skills come naturally.
163	* SaveTheWorldClimax: In Chapter 5, the heroes attack the Invincible's Castle to save the world. [[spoiler:Later on, it's not only to save the world, but catch Kevin and prevent him from harming other worlds.]]
164	* ScratchDamage: Due to the damage formula, there will always be some, except in the case of elemental immunities.
165	* SecretLevel: By end-game only can you go back to all the dungeons you've ever visited (the exception being the early-Chapter 5 distorted Fourth Wall). This is the only way to enter Terra's Dungeon, which makes it this. A programming oversight made entering the dungeon possible during Chapter 3, and Maw wasn't there despite being supposed to be.
166	* ShoutOut:
167	** Many, to Franchise/FinalFantasy. ''VII'' and ''IX'' mainly.
168	*** [[FountainOfExpies Sephiroth]] {{Expy}} [[GlassCannon Maw]]. Driving the expying further, he dual-wields, and guess what, he wields his sword [[ASinisterClue left-handed]].
169	*** Max's ''Fusion Sword'' is also named after Cloud's, despite being nothing like it.
170	*** The ability ''Super Nova'' is ripped straight, minus the status effects.
171	*** Wilhelmina is an {{Expy}} of Beatrix, complete with the exact same techniques, not in name, but in effect. She has ''Blue Thunder Cut'' (really ''Thunder Slash''), ''Stock Break'', ''Screen Cut'' (really ''Climhazzard'') and ''Seiken Clash'' (really ''Shock'', it's even renamed to go with Beatrix's Seiken skillset which contains the four aforementioned techniques). She also has a functional copy-paste of her WhiteMagic skillset.
172	*** "The Invincible"'s nickname is taken from Kuja and Garland's CoolShip.
173	** ''M.S.P.'' also means ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Master Sword]] Phantom''.
174	** Xav wields a [[Franchise/KingdomHearts key that doubles as a sword]]. He is also based on Crusade-era [[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Ky Kiske]].
175	* ShutUpHannibal: [[spoiler:A very short one starts the final battle.]]
176	* SituationalDamageAttack: A few of them. Loup has ''Reactive Attack'', that deals extra max-HP-based damage to poisoned enemies, and Modulus, which is a random damage attack that can deal up to 9999 damage if your HP can be divided by 7. ''Apocalypse'''s execute factor counts, giving it more damage on low-health foes.
177	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The playable cast has it somewhat. All parties formed during the three first chapters have only one girl, and it's also the case in Chapter 4 before they group with the Chapter 1 party. Chapter 5 also only brings one new female... but she's the only character new to this chapter.
178	* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Averted if you count ''The Original'', given that you meet the Invincible there. Otherwise played straight excluding {{Optional Boss}}es. [[spoiler:Averted in terms of in-game menace, as the Invincible is stronger in gameplay than Kevin, mostly due to her spamming ''Super Nova'' in her last boss fight.]]
179	* StatusEffects: More often used by enemies [[spoiler:Kevin and Vanessa]], but also Loup.
180	* StoryToGameplayRatio: "The Original" only has one battle. "The Sequel" has one battle per chapter barring Chapter 1 (which has two) and [[StormingTheCastle Chapter 5]], and even then it's 90% story.
181	** InsultBackfire: Maw ends up turning his part into a BadassBoast.
182	* TerrifyingRescuer: Maw. His arrival changes the tone of the screen to night for a second, changes the music to a 50%-slowed ''One-Winged Angel'', and he ''Octaslash''es Terra to oblivion. And if that doesn't work, he {{backstab}}s her for a OneHitKill.
183	* ThatOneAttack:
184	** ''Super Nova''. You may spam it, but when an enemy (like M or the Invincible) pops it up once, better have Xav in your team - and even that won't save you from taking at least one loss.
185	** The Invincible's SecretArt ''Power Energy''. Despite the redundant name, it's a dreaded move for the reason that it debuffs all the target's stats, for 1000 turns. '''Including Max HP and Max MP.'''
186	** The FinalBoss [[spoiler:Kevin]] is not really that threatening, most often, and usually spams ''Judgement''. However, in his last two fights, he may use ''Super Nova'' followed by ''Screen Cut'' (which often leads to a TotalPartyKill), or even worse, ''Otherworld Energy''. It removes immortal state and then deals a 100%-accurate instant kill. Saylia's immortal state may be permanent, but if he hits her with this move, she's afflicted by a plethora of statuses including Toxic, which renders her unable to take moves and lose 20% of her HP and MP every turn. And he can bust this move up as his first move, even in his first appearance which is just after the Elementals.
187	* ThemeMusicPowerUp: [[spoiler:Used for Ferenan's BigDamnHeroes moment. The fact that his theme is shared with the elementals means he also brings them with him, heel-face-turned and everything.]]
188	* TimeLimitBoss: Inverted. You have to survive Terra for 5 turns, and then you win.
189	* TokenEvilTeammate: Maw thoroughly averts this. In ''The Original'' however, he is still [[EvilVersusOblivion playing it straight]].
190	* TurnsRed: Fira's case is literally called as such. She halves her remaining health, but also gains massive attack power.
191	** ArtificialStupidity: Fira would use it even when raged. This was patched with it simply being an attack buff when she was already in the Rage state.
192	* UndergroundLevel: The two dungeons and the Aalet ruins.
193	* UnintentionallyUnwinnable:
194	** There was one in old releases of the game: jumping in the hole at the second floor in the Invincible's Castle during Chapter 5. There was no way to get out of there, resulting in you being locked, and you had access to a switch that would only lock you further.
195	** [[spoiler:Ella actually subverts it if you bought a gun in Altiga during Chapter 4, as using it gives her a chance to deal instant death on enemies.]]
196	* UniversalPoison: Justified by the rarity of the spell.
197	* UnstoppableRage: Saylia cannot die. [[spoiler:Methods of defeat in battles including her have her flat-out removed from the party, but the fact that only Terra and the Invincible can do it means that simply using her makes most boss fights unlosable.]]
198	* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The Unknown Castle[[spoiler:, really the Invincible's Castle, counts as this especially when you get to the higher floors, whereupon you just start exiting reality.]]
199	* VideoGameGeography: Played straight, not that you ever can verify it.
200	* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Kevin progressively gets there, with all his characters losing sanity before dying, and he is left ranting and raving more and more. Before his ultimate battle, he is spinning around at the speed of sound, further emphasizing his craziness.]]
201	* WakeUpCallBoss: From the very start, Fira, if you're unaccustomed to [[RushBoss this type of bosses]]. If it's not her, it's Zephira (she used to be ThatOneBoss, and ''the Breather'' alone required four nerfs [first one removed the 800 extra base damage, second one indirectly nerfed it by gutting her speed boosts, third one removed its LifeDrain status, and the fourth one halved its damage]).
202	* WalletOfHolding: You can find 9300$ in a chest, but it never goes out of your wallet.
203	* WalkingTheEarth: [[spoiler:Wax, after the ending. Having never been a main part of the heroics, he wanders looking for the true meaning of being a hero.]]
204	* WouldHitAGirl: Mandatory, given there are 7 girl enemies and 2 male ones[[spoiler:, one of which isn't even mandatory and the other one being the FinalBoss]].
205	* YouHaveFailedMe: The elementals get this, one per chapter. Until Chapter 5. [[spoiler:Fae gets carelessly abandoned so Vanessa could have her death as tragic backstory into the next world, Vanessa herself isn't spared a thought by Kevin, and he himself completely destroys the Invincible when she's out of health.]]
206	* ZipMode: Hold C to run. It only works in certain maps. The MV version "zip button" can be configured.
207
208	!!Tropes exclusive to the VX Ace version:
209	* AllSwordsAreTheSame: While a few of them get different visuals, they play the exact same. Heck, even some things that shouldn't count as swords (the ''Key of Hearts'') are treated as swords by the game!
210	* AntiMagic: The Silence state is extremely rare, with only Loup's ''Fog'' doing just that. Kelaud or Wilhelmina's ''Aura'' has a chance of achieving this effect. Also, the Invincible has a chance to block magic attacks.
211	* AttackReflector: The ''Golden Star'' allows its holder to passively reflect all magic attacks. [[GameBreaker Including]] ''[[ThatOneAttack Super Nova]]''.
212	* CantCatchUp: A lot of characters. Max starts with stats close to some characters like Wilhelmina (even though he's level 60 by the time you get her at level 80), but as he levels up to level 99, he leaves almost everyone else behind. Even Wax, Xav and Maw [[spoiler:and M]] who themselves leave everyone else behind.
213	* CantDropTheHero: Aversion. Whether Max or Wax is treated as TheHero, they're never in the same party [[spoiler:until Chapter 5]]. Even then, you can do the game and skip on them altogether, however bad a move this could be.
214	* CharacterLevel: Often fixed at a certain point, and there's no such thing as LevelGrinding. Also, Max starts at level '''50''', and that's one of the lowest starting levels in the game (aside from Loup and Michiru's 40, and Kelaud's 1).
215	* CompetitiveBalance: Absent. While each character is somewhat unique, some are far better than others. The most blatant example is Athor being strictly worse than Xav at everything.
216	* ContractualBossImmunity: Averted. Bosses only resist %-health attacks (taking 50% damage from them) instead of being immune to them, and they're not all immune to status effects. [[spoiler:Kevin proves even the Invincible isn't so invincible with his ''Otherworld Energy'', which removes her "invincible" status and then inflicts Instant Death on her.]]
217	* DiagonalCut: ''Bisection'' and ''Screen Cut''. ''Stock Break'' is portrayed as one too.
218	* DiscOneNuke: Max naturally knows ''Blue Thunder Cut'' from the very start, which can possibly carry you through '''the entire game'''. See GameBreaker.
219	* GameBreaker:
220	** ''Blue Thunder Cut'': It's a simple skill that costs 24 Fury to deal 19% of the enemy's maximum health (unlike other HP-based attack that use current HP as basis) as physical damage. Where this gets broken (aside from counting max HP rather than current HP) is that it isn't mitigated like other %-health damage (being thunder-elemental), and Max's high attack stat is (usually) vastly superior to his enemies' defense, guaranteeing that it will actually do more than the aforementioned 19%. It's even worse when it can make a CriticalHit. [[spoiler:A ''Blue Thunder Cut'' critical hit is a OneHitKill on Vanessa.]] It's also available on Wilhelmina [[spoiler:as well as M]], meaning that it's possible to bring multiple of these to a single turn.
221	** Maw's ''Octaslash'' also counts. It's easily accessible every other turn if you use ''Action Charge'', and strikes with doubled attack power 8 times. Compare with Michiru's similar-cost skill that hits all enemies four times with normal attack power. Needless to say, picking a team that can buff Maw's attack and decrease enemy defense so he can one-shot bosses with ''Octaslash'' is a viable strategy to win easily. What actually makes it so strong is Maw's insane attack.
222	** Xav can protect anybody from taking damage until he dies. While this is usually helpful in [[NoSell no-selling]] early bosses' entire offense, this is extremely powerful in his last possible battle as he will eat six ''Super Novas'' from the Invincible in one turn, and not only will he not die (''Super Nova'' cannot kill), he will nullify the influence of the spell on the rest of the team. He tends to die to the moves that come immediately after it.
223	* HeroesPreferSwords: Main characters Max, Wax, Xav and Maw have an ''M.S.P.'' sword in their locked equipment. Ralph, HeroOfAnotherStory, also uses a sword.
224	** DualWielding: Max and Xav dual-wield swords, with Max's ''Fusion Sword'' and Xav's ''Key of Hearts'' (yes, it's counted as a sword). Maw subverts it in that while he dual-wields weapons, his ''Maw Blade EX'' isn't a sword, but a [[PowerFist claw weapon]].
225	* KatanasAreJustBetter: Averted completely. There are two katanas in the game. Michiru has the Muramasa, but she's one of the weakest characters in the game. Max, in ''The Original'' had it too, but he changes his weapon lineup for ''The Sequel'', and is far stronger without it, considering he replaced it with the [[GameBreaker far more powerful]] ''Fusion Sword''.
226	* LargeHam: Leeroy. He's the only one ever to get text written bigger, [[spoiler:except the Invincible's death cry after her penultimate defeat]].
227	* LastDiscMagic: EasterEgg-only magic features the most overpowered attacks in the game. [[spoiler:The ''Author's Bomb'' item that one-shots everybody, the extremely powerful but random ''Meteor'' spell, ''Denial of Creation'' (which works on all enemies despite not working on most your party members), ''Otherworld Energy'' ([[FinalBoss Kevin]]'s SignatureMove), and also such a thing as ''Back Stab'', the otherwise script-only OneHitKill used by Maw]].
228	* LeeroyJenkins: Leeroy. [[SubvertedTrope Except he is]] CrazyEnoughToWork. Ramming a castle, jumping through a hole in the ground, nothing stops the man. In battle, his attitude is reflected by him having 130% attack and 80% defense.
229	* LightningBruiser: Max has overpowered offense, okay defense (which becomes good when his HP goes from 2600 to over 9000 as the game progresses), and is fast enough to outspeed anyone he's pitted against. His only weakness is his (comparatively) lackluster magic power, but realize that the two attacks he's known for (''Super Nova'' and ''Blue Thunder Cut'') don't use it.
230	* LimitBreak: 100-Fury attacks could be considered this, but for the Author-class characters it's so easy to get 100 Fury (thanks to their ''Action Charge'' skill that gives 80) it can barely count.
231	* MageKiller: The Author class was originally intended as such, given that their base stat lineup favors Attack and Magic Defense. [[NotTheIntendedUse It didn't go like this at all.]] [[MemeticMutation All you have to do with them is spam]] ''[[GameBreaker Super Nova]]''.
232	* MegaManning: The Invincible. [[spoiler:Once she learns ''Super Nova'' from having watched the heroes do it on her, she outright spams it.]]
233	* NonstandardSkillLearning: There are a few items that teach skills, but only to limited party members.
234	* OneHitKill: Only done by scripts, on two occasions: Maw's BackStab on Terra, and [[spoiler:Vanessa's end-turn ''Creation Denial'' (only on the elementals, Ferenan [[NoSell no-sells]] it)]].
235	** EasterEgg cheat codes include several[[spoiler:, such as using ''Denial of Creation'', which works on everybody, the ''Author's Bomb'' item that is a global one-shot, Kelaud learning ''Back Stab'', etc.]]
236	** [[AIRoulette If you're unlucky enough]], [[spoiler:as early as Vanessa and Kevin's first fight, he can use ''Otherworld Energy'', which removes invincible status and has 1000% chance (as to avoid the luck stat influencing its sure-hit accuracy) to inflict numerous statuses, including instant death, toxic (poison that negates your healing, also drains MP and makes the afflicted character unable to move, and it never wears off), paralysis, etc... but you'll barely notice all of that because you'll be too busy being dead in the first place.]]
237	* OneSizeFitsAll: ''Dragon Plate'' armor can be worn by Kelaud and Max (though they're both late-teenage guys), but also Wilhelmina, a woman in her 20-somethings, and Athor, a significantly bigger man than all of them.
238	* SecretAIMoves: M can use ''Apocalypse'' and ''Super Nova'' as a boss, but not when playable.
239	* ShieldsAreUseless: Wax has the ''Reforged Aegis'', but he has less defense than Max who doesn't have a shield and uses the same base stats (because the ''Fusion Sword'' inherently gives defense). [[DownplayedTrope He still has higher defense than Xav]] (who has more sustain due to a HealingFactor anyway) and Maw [[GlassCannon (though this certainly doesn't mean much)]].
240	* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: Equipping the ''Dragon Plate'' to Kelaud during the first fight will cause him to be gone forever with it when he gets replaced by the stronger version of him that you get after the battle.
241	* StarterEquipment: Inverted with Max: his starter equipment is: ''[[InfinityPlusOneSword Fusion Sword]]'' [[DualWielding and]] ''[[InfinityMinusOneSword M.S.P.]]'', and also the ''[[GameBreaker Golden Star]]''. He also has a ''Drake Helmet'' and ''Dragon Plate'', making this set the best he can ever equip. This gives him a total 383 attack, 180 defense, 128 power, 64 spirit, 128 luck, 135 max HP and 128 max MP, which by itself is beyond endgame stats for a bunch of characters. Of course, the most game-breaking equipment comes with EasterEgg-exclusive characters, who start out with ''Fusion Sword'' [[spoiler:(barring Kelaud Streif, who starts with ''Kelaud's Tyrfing'')]], ''Reforged Aegis'', ''Unknown Tiara'', ''Important Character's Cape'' and ''Golden Star''.
242	* UtilityPartyMember: [[spoiler:Ella.]] Bennett also works best as a healer between battles rather than a CombatMedic.
243	* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: Played straight, since they never win. [[spoiler:Even when Kevin gives you like 1 million EXP, he doesn't gain stats between his battles, only battle scripts that make him more of a pain.]]
244	!!Tropes exclusive to the MV version:
245	* AdaptationExpansion: In a way, since it will add skills and change the way M behaves.
246	** However, there are many moves that are actually taken out of some characters' arsenal.
247	* CastFromHitPoints: Maw's Killing Arts and Magic skills are this.
248	* CompetitiveBalance: This version will emphasize this comparatively to the VX Ace version.
249	* NonStandardSkillLearning: Characters will have to gain class experience to learn their skills.
250	* ShoutOut:
251	** The four main characters are modeled after the four main classes of VideoGame/FinalFantasyI. Most of the new skills for these four are almost copy-pasted from the base material. With:
252	*** Max as the Warrior with his new Magic Sword skills, War Arts self-buffs, and overall physical attack inclination.
253	*** Wax as the Black Mage with his new repertoire now full of offensive magic.
254	*** Xav as the White Mage with his healing skills.
255	*** Maw as the Thief with his GlassCannon stat lineup.
256	** Max's shield is called "[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Triforce]] Shield".
257	** Xav's armor is called "[[VideoGame/{{Terraria}} Hallowed Armor]]".
258	** Saylia's shield is the [[Memes/LeagueOfLegends RITO]] Shield.
259	** Ralph's King's Shield is named after [[VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} Aegislash's]] SignatureMove.
260	** Wilhelmina ripped nearly all her equipment from VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX. Specifically, pieces of equipment that can be stolen from Beatrix.
261	** Loup gets the Gladius dagger from the same game.
262	** Ella's hair equipment is named "[[Characters/FinalFantasyVII Flower Lady]]'s Headband".
263	* StatusEffects: While not all are standard in the way they work, Maw has a wide array of them.
264	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Ulrika returns since the issue with sharing Saylia's sprites is moot now.
265	* TragicKeepsake: Implied with Loup's headband, named "Louiah's Memento". This is also why he gained a pink headband: it's this one.
266	* YouDontLookLikeYou: Many characters would've had a redesign with MV's character editor.
267	** Max changed his hair to feature a ponytail rather than just long hair.
268	** Wax uses his ''The W-Team in Patina Castle'' design, with bangs just like Maw, except they cover his other eye.
269	** Maw's coat, instead of being pitch-black, would've changed to a dark shade of green.
270	** Saylia uses her ''Kelaud and the Sky Tower MV'' design, meaning she no longer has a headband.
271	** Wilhelmina's haircut changed to a short bob.
272	** Loup uses his ''The W-Team in Patina Castle'' design, meaning he has FacialMarkings instead of a scar, and he gained goggles and a pink headband.
273	** Michiru uses her ''The W-Team in Patina Castle'' design, with a primarily black and white outfit with some red.
274	** Alala gains a shoulder-baring new outfit, with a white BadassCape, which is a far cry from her red and pink outfit from the VX Ace version.
275	** Athor uses his ''The W-Team in Patina Castle'' design, so his hair is now white instead of a faded brown and he gets an old-looking armor.
276	** Ralph got brown hair and older looks as to signify [[OlderAndWiser the passing of time since RPG Maker VX came out]].
277	** Bennett is bald. Not that we knew whether he had hair before.
278	** Ylva's hair is even shorter.
279	** Ella traded her nun outfit for a black and white robe and has a flower headband.
280	** The Invincible traded angel robes for white armor.
281	** [[spoiler:Vanessa gained hair decs and cat ears.]]
282	** [[spoiler:Kevin changed to grey armor with golden lining.]]
283	** [[spoiler:Kitty looks late-teenage instead of childish.]]
284
285	!!Tropes associated with ''The W-Team in Patina Castle''\
286	'''SPOILERS unmarked! You have been warned.'''
287	* AndTheAdventureContinues: The ending has The W-Team simply "head to the next town to see if they need some problem-solving".
288	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled:
289	--> '''Queen:''' "You will never kill me! Not if I die first!" jumps off the top of her castle
290	* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: The NPC who called the W-Team is disappointed by what she sees.
291	* FriendToAllChildren: A side-event shows Loup helping out a girl who faints while working. Similarly, the man in charge of the factory at that time takes care of her and does not punish her for stopping to work.
292	* HPToOne: Actually, Queen's ''HEX'' puts your HP to 6.
293	* NeverFoundTheBody: Averted. Even though Queen falls off-screen, she hit a pillar on the way down, confirming that she's dead, and the W-Team walk past her, seeing that she's really dead before leaving.
294	* RedHerring: An NPC says "Queen may have defeated me, but I'll be back!". He doesn't help.
295	* [[SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome Spin-Off Heel Syndrome]]: Xav is mentioned as an off-screen heel, as the guy in charge of overseeing the chase on the W-Team.
296	%%* WalkingTheEarth
297	* WouldHitAGirl: Since the final boss is Queen...

Context DarthWiki / MaxsRecollection