Line #138 VideoGame/SpartanTotalWarrior


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spartan_total_warrior_image.jpg]]
2	''Spartan: Total Warrior'' is a SpinOff action game of the ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' series, developed by Creator/CreativeAssembly and published by Creator/{{Sega}} in 2005. [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial No, you will not be controlling entire Spartan armies while battling Athenians in the Peloponnesian War]]. Whereas the ''Total War'' games traditionally focus upon historical and legendary scenarios with each installment, this game takes on a much more liberal approach to history, by having the Romans invade Sparta several hundred years before they did in RealLife, with Tiberius as Emperor and Crassus as a well-known military commander. Drawing elements from the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek and Roman mythology]], ''Spartan: Total Warrior'' shares a lot in common with ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', while giving a fairly fresh take on the gameplay.
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4	You take control of a lone, nameless Spartan warrior, fighting alongside his Greek allies against UsefulNotes/{{the Roman Empire}}, while being guided by Ares. The story is told using a five-act, three-scene structure made popular by Ancient Greek plays. The gameplay itself features fast-paced hack-and-slash combat, and you're able to switch between attacking one enemy, to damaging several ''groups'' of enemies over a large area around. The former is fast and causes the most amount of damage, whereas the latter attack is slower, but damages multiple enemies at a time with a moderate power. Combat is focused on large battles with over a hundred combatants, with the player taking on volumes of opponents at once, with you often completely surrounded and outnumbered. In the midst of battle, a small flash is placed on an attacking enemy's weapon to indicate the danger of an impending strike. Care must be taken to block incoming attacks in between offensive blows, balancing offense and defense to avoid taking damage. The player's shield can also be used to shove enemies back and maintain control of the flow of combat in crowded scenarios.
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6	As the player progresses through the game, the Spartan will unlock new weapons, including a basic sword and shield, a basic bow, an upgraded sword and shield (medusa shield), dual swords (blades of Athena), an upgraded bow, a hammer (Death-Biter) and a spear (Spear of Achilles).
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8	* Act 1
9	** Chapter 1: The Storm Breaks
10	** Chapter 2: A Spartan Welcome
11	** Chapter 3: The Last Stand
12	* Act 2
13	** Chapter 1: The Badlands
14	** Chapter 2: The Wild Bunch
15	** Chapter 3: The Ruin of Heroes
16	** Chapter 4: The Ghosts of Troy
17	** Chapter 5: The Sentinel
18	** Chapter 6: Resistance
19	* Act 3
20	** Chapter 1: Revolution
21	** Chapter 2: The Eye of Apollo
22	** Chapter 3: The Gates of Saturn
23	** Chapter 4: Death and Circuses
24	** Chapter 5: The Gods of Battle
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26	----
27	!!Tropes present within the game:
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29	* ActionGirl: Electra, the Amazon princess.
30	* AdaptationalJerkass:
31	** [[spoiler: Ares can certainly be a jerk in Greek myth but he's really taking it up a notch here. Further, the Spartans were his favorites so he was unlikely to destroy them.]]
32	** Beowulf was boastful and sometimes rude in his own epic but still basically heroic and a ''long'' way from the RapePillageAndBurn practicing barbarian seen here.
33	** For the real life Romans portrayed here Marcus Licinius Crassus and Lucius Aelius Sejanus were both pretty ruthless political operators in their day but no more so than other Roman politicians and they certainly weren't a GeneralRipper and a {{Necromancer}} respectively. As for Tiberius while he's not seen as a good emperor his main failings were laziness and apathy rather than being the bloodthirsty maniac he's portrayed as in this game.
34	* AnachronismStew: Where do we start?
35	** Well, firstly, there's the whole premise of the Spartan army led by King Leonidas fighting the armies of the Roman Empire led by Marcus Crassus and Lucius Sejanus at the instruction of the emperor Tiberius in 300 BC.
36	** Spartan sappers are seen deploying explosive bombs. The first confirmed reference to what can be considered gunpowder is from 9th century AD China.
37	** The presence of the 6th-century Scandinavian warrior Beowulf in the Greek badlands is a particular stand-out.
38	* AreWeThereYet: Pollux pulls this one out in the opening cutscene of Act 2: The Badlands, much to Electra's annoyance.
39	* ArrowsOnFire: The Spartan is never too far from a chest containing flammable arrows. They are required to destroy the Hydra.
40	* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Battles are shown to be chaotic melees of one-on-one fighting when both the Spartans and the Romans fought in formations.
41	* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: The first boss of the game is Talos, an animated bronze giant that the player has to hold off with catapults.
42	* AutomaticCrossbows: The Ballista. Even if repeating ballistas existed at that time, they probably did not function like machine guns as in this game.
43	* BackFromTheDead: As a necromancer, Sejanus brings back the countless dead warriors in Troy, [[spoiler:Pollux]] after killing him then [[spoiler:ultimately himself after being killed for the first time by the Spartan]].
44	** [[spoiler:In the final battle, one of Ares' powers is to return the souls of those killed in the Colosseum, from Romans, Gladiators to the Spartan sappers who attempted to assassinate Tiberius, and sic them on the Spartan.]]
45	* BigBad: [[spoiler:Ares]] is ultimately the one behind everything.
46	* BigGood: Initially Leonidas, King of Sparta. Later on, after [[spoiler:his home country is sacked]], The Spartan takes up the role.
47	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Sparta has been sacked by the Romans and King Leonidas and Pollux are dead. But the Roman Empire has been utterly demolished in return, The Spartan has avenged his mother and home city, and Castor is set up as the ruler of Sparta]].
48	* BossBattle
49	** Crassus in "The Last Stand".
50	** Beowulf in "The Wild Bunch".
51	** The Nemesis in "The Ruin of Heroes".
52	** The Hydra in "The Sentinel".
53	** Sejanus in "The Eye of Apollo".
54	** [[spoiler:Undead Sejanus]] in "The Gates of Saturn".
55	** The Minotaur in "Death and Circuses".
56	** [[spoiler:Ares]] in "The Gods of Battle".
57	* BossInMookClothing: The Assassins. They're literally the most dangerous and powerful mook shown in the game besides the Gigantes considering they possess twin swords which they use as shields and can evade even direct rage attacks with startling speed and agility compared to other mooks.
58	* BossOnlyLevel: "The Sentinel" consists solely of the Spartan's battle with the Hydra.
59	* BreakingSpeech / AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: Sejanus explains to the heroes that while they were attempting to procure the Spear of Achilles, [[spoiler:the Roman Empire military wiped out Sparta since their best warriors were not there to defend it. He then explains how the city is in ruins and their families and friends are either dead or imprisoned, which temporarily crushes the morale of the heroes]].
60	* TheCaligula: Tiberius. Being related to [[TropeNamer the man himself]] probably didn't help.
61	* CameBackWrong: After Sejanus is resurrected, he doesn't look particularly healthy.
62	%%* CoDragons: Implied to be the case with Crassus and Sejanus, to Tiberius.
63	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Spartans are blue, normal Roman soldiers are red and the Praetorian Guard are purple.
64	* DamselOutOfDistress: Electra, captured by the Romans at some point prior, uses the confusion of The Spartan and Castor's raid on the Roman camp to free herself. When the three finally have a moment to talk, Castor demands a thank you from her only for her to argue it was ''she'' who saved ''them''.
65	* DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler:Ares' whole bargain with the Spartan at the very beginning counts as this.]]
66	* DefeatEqualsExplosion: When their health is expended, Gigantes collapse and explode into blood and guts which knocks back the Spartan and anyone else in close proximity.
67	** Roman Infernuses run around in a panic for a few seconds before exploding, inflicting damage on anyone in close proximity
68	* DemandingTheirHead: When Tiberius finds out Sejanus did not bring back proof of the Spartan's death after trying to feed him to the Hydra, he demands his severed head as proof, especially after he yells that the Spartan is indeed not dead.
69	-->'''Tiberius:''' The Spartan is alive and seeking vengeance! I expected you to deal with him personally, not just feed him to your giant worm! You disappoint me, Sejanus. I wanted his head. Bring me his head! His head!
70	* DemBones: One of the many mook types are undead skeleton warriors found in Troy, coming in both sword-and-shield and archer variants.
71	* DoppelgangerAttack: In the final boss battle, [[spoiler:Ares]], can split himself in three. The difference between the original and the two copies is that the copies get killed with one hit.
72	* DragonInChief: Aelius Sejanus, the ringleader of the Praetorian Guard, is far more competent than his emperor, Tiberius.
73	* DualWielding: The Blades of Athena are two swords used simultaneously. Praetorian Assassins also wield twin blades.
74	* EscortMission: A large number of them in Athens, revolving around protecting Archimedes from Roman assassins. Fortunately, they're all lumped together in one section to be finished over with quickly.
75	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Spartan. Then again, he doesn't actually ''have'' any other name for people to call him.
76	%%* EliteMook: The PraetorianGuard, but especially the Carnifexes.
77	* EvilCounterpart: Wielding the Spear of Achilles, the Doppelganger is a dark version of the Spartan presented by Sejanus as the boss in "The Ruins of Heroes".
78	* FightingYourGod:[[spoiler: The Spartan must face Ares, the God of War and the Spartans who had been guiding the Spartan all this time, at the end of the game after finding out Ares killed the Spartan's mother and had been planning to kill the Spartan all this time as revenge for a past humiliation.]]
79	* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:Ares]] is fought by the Spartan in The Gods of Battle".
80	* FireBreathingWeapon: Infernuses wield flamethrowers.
81	* FlamethrowerBackfire: Infernuses explode with their flamethrowers when they are defeated.
82	* ForegoneConclusion: [[spoiler:Castor's voice overs before the beginning of each mission clue you in that the Spartans eventually do win the war and that Castor himself has been set up as king of Sparta.]]
83	* GameplayAllyImmortality: Played straight mostly, the Spartan's unique allies are generally invulnerable to the point that even the Spartan's arrows (which can kill allied {{Mooks}}) cannot harm them. However, this is subverted during certain missions when the objective is to prevent an ally from being killed.
84	* GladiatorGames: In "Death and Circuses", the Spartan fights Gladiators who have broken out of captivity beneath Rome. He also finds Barbarians and Gigantes as well as friendly Spartans amongst those in captivity. The Minotaur is mentioned by a Roman soldier as being set to fight a Gigantes in the Colosseum, only to be slain by the Spartan. Yet more Gladiators are encountered in "The Gods of Battle", within the now ruined Colosseum.
85	* GottaCatchThemAll: An optional task during Story Mode is the pursuit of chests containing Concept Art (from "Archimedes' diary") and bonuses for Arena Mode.
86	* GroundPunch: You can do this with the hammer Death-Biter.
87	* HistoricalDowngrade: Tiberius. From a competent administrator who expanded the Roman Empire during his reign to a weak incompetent coward[[spoiler: that is only being manipulated by the God Of War, Ares.]]
88	* HotBlooded: Electra is this.
89	* InvoluntaryGroupSplit: In ''The Gods of Battle'', Electra stays behind to hold off Roman forces as the Spartan reluctantly proceeds into the Colosseum, then a piece of broken Colosseum separates the Spartan from Castor. Ultimately, [[spoiler:Castor and Electra arrive in the arena in the final cutscene, just as the Spartan has slain Ares]].
90	* ItsUpToYou: Don't count on your allies to do more than just slow down and distract the Roman Legionaries without your help.
91	* JustFollowingOrders: Emperor Tiberius pulls this card near the end of the final level.
92	* KillTheGod: The final boss of the game is [[spoiler: Ares, the God of War, who is the real mastermind behind the events of the game.]]
93	* KillSat: Crassus' Medusa weapon functions in much the same way, forcing the player to avoid petrifying laser beams throughout the whole stage and ultimately the boss fight with Crassus.
94	* LaResistance: The Spartan eventually ends up helping Archimedes and the Athenian Resistance try to retake a Roman-occupied Athens.
95	* LargeAndInCharge: The taller the Roman, the stronger he is, usually with better weapons and armor to back it up.
96	* MidSeasonUpgrade: The Spartan advances from [[WalkingShirtlessScene Warrior]] to Hero, the golden armored form scene on the cover, after "The Wild Bunch". Finally, he advances to Legend with additional armor after "The Eye of Apollo".
97	* MiniBoss: Sejanus' Priestesses are fought one by one in "The Gates of Saturn" and come with a Boss's health bar.
98	** To a lesser extent, the Gigantes have a Mook health bar but are bigger and have greater strength and health than any other.
99	* MirrorBoss: The Nemesis is a dark copy of the Spartan.
100	* {{Mooks}}
101	** Spartans: Soldier, Hoplite, Archer, Sapper
102	** Romans: Recruit, Soldier, Archer, Heavy Legionary, Centurion
103	** Barbarians: Warrior, Raider, Hunter, Berserker, Gigantes
104	** Praetorians: Guard, Archer, Legionary, Carnifex, Infernus, Assassin
105	** Undead: Undead Warrior, Skeleton Warrior, Skeleton Archer
106	** Gladiators: Hoplomachus Heavy Axe Gladiator, Thracian Light Arms Gladiator, Retarius Trident Gladiator
107	* TheNameless: The eponymous Spartan.
108	* {{Necromancer}}: Sejanus, curiously enough. He resurrects the endless slain warriors of Troy then [[spoiler:Pollux and ultimately himself]].
109	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:Ares manipulates the Spartan and his comrades into leaving Sparta in pursuit of the Spear of Achilles. The Spartan complies in the hopes of using the spear to save Sparta from the Roman invasion, but during his absence, the Romans steamroll Sparta and render all his efforts for nothing.]]
110	* NoodleIncident: The Spartan's Legend costume includes a leopard's pelt, presumably taken between Athens and the Alps.
111	* ObviouslyEvil: The Romans are almost cartoonish in how they revile the Spartan armies. [[spoiler:And we're not even getting into Ares.]]
112	* OffWithHisHead: The Radial Attack for the Blades of Athena involves the Spartan rushing around and lopping off the heads of a set number of enemies.
113	* PraetorianGuard: Led by Sejanus, they first appear in Troy.
114	* ProtagonistWithoutAPast: The Spartan has no past, no family, not even a name. Ares proclaims at the beginning of the game that he will aid the Spartan in recovering his past, but notes that in turn the Spartan must "deliver the vengeance [Ares] desires."
115	* PurpleIsPowerful: Distinguishes the Praetorian Guard from the regular red Roman forces. Fittingly, purple was also used for the SPQR in ''VideoGame/RomeTotalWar''.
116	* TheQueensLatin: From main characters to mooks, Romans consistently speak with English accents while most Greeks (incl. Spartans, Athenians, and Badland villagers) speak with American accents. A notable exception is the Athenian Archimedes, who has an English accent, and Electra who has a distinctly Italian/Spanish accent.
117	* RecycledSoundtrack: The Spartan's upgrades, from Warrior to Hero then from Hero to Legend, are commemorated by playing the Roman Campaign Victory theme from ''VideoGame/RomeTotalWar''.
118	* RedEyesTakeWarning: One of the Nemesis' distinguishing features from the Spartan.
119	* RedShirt: The generic Spartan warriors. They're not PlayerMooks but they are there to serve as fodder for the Spartan's enemies.
120	* RingOfFire: When fighting Beowulf, he summons one to prevent your escape from combat.
121	* SchizoTech: The Romans were advanced but they most certainly did not have giant robots, petrification lasers, or automatic crossbows.
122	* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler: The Spartan is manipulated into thinking that retrieving the Spear of Achilles will ultimately save Sparta from Roman hands. But immediately after claiming the spear as his own, he discovers that in his absence the Romans have already conquered Sparta and slain Leonidas.]]
123	* ShockAndAwe: The Blades of Athena's special attack is a large shockwave of lightning.
124	* ShoutOut: To ''Film/JasonAndTheArgonauts'' when [[DemBones skeleton warriors]] are encountered in the ruins of Troy.
125	* SinsOfOurFathers: [[spoiler: Just killing the handmaiden who snitched on Ares' affair with Aphrodite to her husband isn't enough for Ares. He also plots to get revenge on her son by destroying his life and his country before killing him.]]
126	* SmugSnake: The Romans, really. Special mention goes to Crassus and Sejanus.
127	* SmugSuper: Sejanus. It's not enough that he's a necromancer with enough knowledge of sorcery to even give the Spartan a challenge. He has to be so in-your-face about it.
128	* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The Spartan.
129	* TakenForGranite: The Medusa shield's area attack turns everyone around The Spartan to stone. The boss fight with Crassus (and the stage leading up to it) has Medusa herself hooked up to a giant machine to weaponize her gaze, causing the player to have to avoid it or suffer a OneHitKill.
130	* TeleportSpam: Sejanus is very fond of these.
131	* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Ares]].
132	* TheUnfought: Tiberus is never fought in the game [[NonActionBigBad (makes sense, since he's a politician, not a soldier.)]] Instead [[spoiler: he falls to his death in the Coliseum, and the real final boss is revealed to be Ares.]]
133	* TheVoiceless: The Spartan's EvilCounterpart does not speak.
134	* TimeLimitBoss: Crassus must be beaten within five minutes.
135	* TrojanHorse: The actual Trojan Horse is found deep inside Troy's ruins. [[spoiler: And filled with the living skeletons of deceased Greek warriors.]]
136	* VulnerableCivilians: While the Spartan's close-quarter weapons cannot be used against any of his allies, his arrows can kill both civilians and allied soldiers.
137	* WalkingShirtlessScene: The Spartan in his initial Warrior form. He wears a shirt after the third mission before advancing to the armored Hero.
138	* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: The future of Sparta and mainland Greece is so dependent on the nameless hero that all becomes lost as soon as he leaves Sparta.
139	* YourMom: In Act 3 Chapter 2, Pollux says this upon seeing Sejanus riding the undead dragon, Ladon.
140	-->'''Pollux''': "Hey, Sejanus! Your mother's even uglier than you!" ''(cue DopeSlap from Castor)''

Context VideoGame / SpartanTotalWarrior