Line #89 GenreSavvy/VideoGames


1	* Both Ben and Dan in ''VideoGame/BenThereDanThat'' and its sequel are aware at all times that they're in a [[AdventureGame point-and-click]], and specifically that it's one of the Creator/LucasArts school which doesn't punish the player with deaths or {{Unwinnable}} situations. This is frequently used to justify their more dangerous antics and their [[TooDumbToLive lack of any fear of death]], as well as Ben's [[KleptomaniacHero kleptomania]] and [[MoonLogicPuzzle deliberately trying to come up with convoluted ways of doing simple things]]. The aliens, however, reveal at the end of ''Ben There Dan That'' that their abduction of Ben and Dan and forcing them to go through a point-and-click adventure game was just there to [[YouAreTooLate keep them clicking about long enough for the aliens to enact their real evil plan.]]
2	* In ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'', Eddie shows a degree of genre savvy right off the bat when he sees a Twisted Coil Battle Nun from behind. "All right. I'm supposed to think you're a nun, but I know you're really some big ugly demon, so let's have it! (she turns and roars in his face) HAH! I knew it! Big, ugly demon."
3	** Eddie is definitely among the best examples of this trope in any video game story, quite fittingly as he is sort of TrappedInTVLand, except it's Heavy Metal Land and he likes it there far better than his original world.
4	** Eddie's whole personality through most of the game is built around this trope, since he interacts with all the other characters acting as if his supposed inside knowledge of the world is enough of an advantage for him to overcome anything. He turns out to be correct... most of the time.
5	* Almost ''all'' the characters in the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series, particularly [[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Etna]]. Mao from the [[VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice third game]] is dangerously so, concluding that the quickest method of kicking his dad off the throne and rule with his own iron fist is to actually ''become the hero'' of the game.
6	** One example from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2\|CursedMemories}}'' that particularly stands out: Etna figured out that the Overlord Zenon she just defeated was a fake. How? The title of Overlord is transferred by KlingonPromotion, and she points out that her title on her status screen doesn't read "Overlord".
7	** Also from ''[[VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice Disgaea 3]]'', after you have defeated [[spoiler: Super-Hero Aurum]] he says "Wait! In these games the final boss always has to take his final form before you can truly defeat him!", to which Mao replies "Ah! Curse you, using that convenient Game Mechanic!"
8	** Melodia from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 6\|DefianceOfDestiny}}'' is a textbook example of the PrincessClassic, and since fairy tales tend to end with the princess finding her PrinceCharming and living a HappilyEverAfter, she uses that as an excuse [[ItsAllAboutMe to be selfish]].
9	* In ''[[VideoGame/DotsHome Dot's Home]]'', Dot unknowingly time travels to the past, when her grandmother Mavis and her husband Karl were buying what would become her home. Upon encountering them, Dot calls out to her grandma, but she doesn't recognize her. This makes Dot realize the time period she's in, so she tries keeping her time traveling a secret and maintaining a StableTimeLoop to prevent a time paradox.
10	--> '''Dot''': Okay, I've seen this happen in the movies. Just gotta play it cool.
11	* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', Varric repeatedly demonstrates in dialogue that he has a keen understanding of how stories work and lampshades a number of different parts of the game through this.
12	** If you side with the mages and confront Alexius, at one point Alexius' son asks Alexius if he knows what he sounds like. Cue Dorian: "he sounds exactly like the sort of villainous cliche everyone expects us to be."
13	* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', Balthier lives and breathes this trope to the point he's practically the TropeCodifier for the series. He instantly believes Basch's story that he has an EvilTwin, he's perfectly aware that the AncientTomb will contain DemonicSpiders and {{Booby Trap}}s, and that TheEmperor will be awaiting them on TheBridge. He also constantly claims he's [[TheHero "the leading man"]] and as such may be called upon to do a HeroicSacrifice eventually. When he eventually ''does'' invoke said trope, well...
14	-->"Princess! No need to worry. I hope you haven't forgotten my role in this little story. I'm the leading man. You know what they say about the leading man - [[PlotArmor he never dies]]."
15	* Zoey of ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' is a prime example -- as a college student, she's seen a lot of zombie movies, and often spouts out lines relating to [[ZombieApocalypse their current situation]].
16	-->"I can't get over how fast they all are! It's not even fair, I'm calling zombie bullshit on that, you know? They're not... allowed to be so fast!"
17	** Tragically deconstructed in the comic. [[spoiler: Zoey's mother turned into a zombie and managed to bite Zoey's father before she died. Zoey's father knew that he was next and had Zoey mercy kill him to prevent this from happening. As Zoey later learns from a military doctor, this was entirely pointless. The carrier virus that Zoey and the rest of the group have is inherited from the male line, meaning that Zoey had to have inherited it from her father, meaning that he never would have turned.]]
18	* ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'': Guybrush Threepwood occasionally points out a trope during his adventures and tries to take advantage (generally by refusing to do something stupid).
19	* The ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'' series has NoFourthWall, so everyone is this to some extent, but the most blatant example is Neptune, who {{Lampshades}} all the cliches they come across and knows that as the main character that most events are scripted to favor her.
20	* Henry of ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' is made of this trope. He correctly identifies himself as main character Travis' mysterious foil and just goes on from there.
21	** Travis picks up some of it once ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'' starts, but the king of the trope is the final boss. When Travis can't figure out his motives, the boss snaps, pointing out that [[spoiler:YouKilledMyFather]] is a staple of every genre known to man.
22	--> "''Shakespeare'', for God's sake!"
23	* ''VideoGame/WishboneAndTheAmazingOdyssey'': Wishbone, being as well-read as he is, knows there's ''always'' a catch when he's offered a way home.
24	* Geralt of ''VideoGame/TheWitcher''. He's well aware of traditional fantasy stories, and [[TheSnarkKnight of course being the kind of person he is]], sarcastically brings them up from time to time.
25	** And they occasionally invert and/or subvert it.
26	*** Like the time a guy mentions having a "terrible secret", and Geralt assumes he's talking about being a werewolf, and starts offering to try and break the curse... "What!? Werewolf!? No! I'm just ''gay!''" "Oh. Ok."
27	*** And in the Blood And Wine quest "Paperchase", Geralt is ''entirely'' unprepared for navigating the Cianfanelli Bank's bureaucracy. ("Sir must understand, I can't ''possibly'' issue Permit A38 until Sir submits Form 202." "Ok, where do I get Form 202?" "Window 1, of course." "I was just there, they sent me here!" etc.) Geralt clearly has not read Kafka.

Context GenreSavvy / VideoGames