Line #48 VideoGame/JetLancer


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jet_lancer_header.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Surpass Your Limits]]
3
4	''Jet Lancer'' is a side-scrolling ShootEmUp developed by Code Wakers and published by Armor Games Studios, with music by [[https://fatbard.bandcamp.com/ Fat Bard]]. It places you in the boots of Ashlyn "Ash" Leguinn and the cockpit of the hyper-advanced [=L4-NC-3R=] fighter jet.
5
6	The story opens with Ashlyn and the Captain having purchased the Lancer for a suspiciously low sum; the seller was in an awful hurry to get rid of it, and, well, Ash really needs to pay off that 350 million she owes the government after blowing up one of their ships by accident and losing her own plane in the process. However, the Lancer quickly turns out to be more than it seems, especially when the two are joined by Lem, a feline engineer of the four-legged variety.
7
8	It was released onto GOG, Nintendo Switch, and Steam on May 12th, 2020.
9
10	----
11	!!Tropes present in Jet Lancer:
12
13	* AcePilot: Ashlyn ''isn't'' an ace, at least officially. She washed out of piloting school, because she diverted from a training exercise to rescue some civilians. She clearly has the skills to be one though.
14	* ActionBomb: One enemy type looks pretty much exactly like a Tomahawk Cruise Missile. They have no ranged attack, but will constantly try to fly into you and release a spread of projectiles when destroyed.
15	* AIIsACrapshoot: [=AEGIS=], good lord. Its first act is to [[spoiler:convince Pierce to remove the 'Autonomy Governor', and you can probably imagine exactly how things go from there. It turns out [=AEGIS=] is basically responsible for... well, everything being the way it is.]]
16	* ArrangeMode: Well, ''Arcade'' Mode. Every other wave you get to pick from three bonuses (such as increased special weapon recharge speed, a new charge weapon, or replacing your dodge-roll with a deadly dash), and every fifth you fight one or more of the main story bosses. Scoring points allows you to unlock alternate pilots to play as, each with their own plane and unique primary weapon.
17	* ChekhovsGun: The [=L4-NC-3R=]'s PowerLimiter, naturally. [[spoiler:Both in that the Black Knight's is disabled, and that Ash ends up disabling the [=L4-NC-3R=]'s in order to save the world. In the regular end, this kills her, as she uses the void manipulator it unlocks to destroy the Final Retort, somehow also sending the jet back in time [[StableTimeLoop as the Black Knight]] and (mostly) destroying her body in the process. In NG+'s GoldenEnding, the void manipulator is instead used by the Black Knight again to destroy the orbital railgun in place of Ash herself, sacrificing itself in order for Ash to take on the Steel Riposte's Omega form. The [=L4-NC-3R=] is badly damaged upon a crash-landing (one of its wings visibly broken in half at the very least), but Ash herself survives alongside Pierce.]]
18	* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Two themes; [[spoiler:the anti-AEGIS weapons]] are all in hot pink/red, and all of [[spoiler:AEGIS' weapons]] are in dull slate/dark grey with orange trim.
19	* CoolPlane: The [=L4-NC-3R=].
20	* DashAttack: One possible upgrade turns your dodge-roll move into a damaging forward dash. This actually makes it possible for you to destroy incoming missiles by ''ramming them'', and you won't take damage because you're invincible whilst using the dash maneuver.
21	* DeadpanSnarker: Ash and Lem take turns at snarking.
22	* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler:The Black Knight (and by extension, the Lancer itself)]] implies Ash is one of these, and tells her that she needs to protect herself if she wishes to protect others.
23	* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Certain attacks and events will cause the entire display to change to pure black and white for emphasis. Most also completely mute sound and either dampen or mute the BGM.
24	* DestructibleProjectiles: Homing missiles and certain other large projectiles can be shot down, though this is rather difficult.
25	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Captain, [[spoiler:aka Orson Ratskeller]], is known only as such until you meet [[spoiler:Gin, one of the leading Sky Pirates. She turns out to be his older sister.]]
26	* FailureHero: Peter, the son of Colonel Hardaway. An early mission sees you babysitting him in a jet. [[spoiler:It becomes this when he's assigned first to the [=STERN REBUKE=] and later the Space Elevator Fleet, failing to stop Ashlyn both times.]]
27	* FireBreathingWeapon: Lem's plane in Arcade Mode uses a flamethrower. Whilst it lacks the range of the Lancer's standard armament, it deals a lot of damage within that shorter range and sets enemies on fire for damage over time. The wide spread and way it works makes it, theoretically, better at shooting down incoming missiles.
28	* ForWantOfANail: Odds are, none of this would have happened [[spoiler:if Lem hadn't accidentally powered up two of the anti-[=AEGIS=] weapon systems, and then powered up [=AEGIS=] itself. To be fair to Lem, though, [=AEGIS=] also wouldn't have been a problem if Pierce didn't blindly trust [=AEGIS=] and allowed it to melt the Royal Air Force down into the Steel Riposte.]]
29	* GoldenEnding: Via NewGamePlus. [[spoiler:Instead of destroying the Black Knight, you need to use the NG+-exclusive Advanced Decryption Mod equipment to hack it, which gives you an alternative sequence of final missions in which you break the StableTimeLoop. The Knight uses its Limiter and Void Manipulator to [[HeroicSacrifice destroy the orbital weapons platform]], leaving Ash to destroy the reincarnated/reassembled OMEGA RETORT.]]
30	* HollywoodHacking: One mission objective type involves staying close to fixed towers (or in one mission, ''moving planes'') to acquire or transmit data. There's also enemies which can hack the guidance systems of your missiles and redirect them back at you! A module allows you to turn that against them, and an upgrade in Arcade mode also allows you to automatically hack nearby missiles whenever you dodge-roll.
31	* HumongousMecha: Most of the bosses are giant robots of one kind or another.
32	* LightningGun: The primary weapon of Gin's plane in Arcade Mode. Its range is fairly average and it has the lowest immediate damage of the lot, but it has the benefit of chaining between enemies that are close enough together, and can inflict ruinous damage on the multi-section bosses.
33	* TheSlowPath: And boy must it have been a slow one.
34	-->[[spoiler:Black Knight]]: "[[spoiler:We have had thousands of years to analyze the decisions you made. At last, we understood.]]"
35	-->[[spoiler:Black Knight]]: "[[spoiler:And so here we wait, to stop you from making the same mistake again.]]"
36	* MacrossMissileMassacre: Your starting secondary and charge weapons are guided missiles, and in the case of the charge, a outright swarm of them, allowing you to unleash a veritable maelstrom of rocket-propelled, heat-seeking death upon your foes. Or maybe yourself, if an enemy Electronic Warfare plane is around. There's even an achievement for having a certain number of your own missiles redirected back at you during a single mission.
37	* MagneticWeapons: You can use two; Pierce's plane in Arcade Mode uses a rapid-fire railgun as its primary weapon, and you can get a slower-firing near-infinite-range railgun as a special weapon in both Campaign and Arcade Modes, though only in NewGamePlus for campaign.
38	* MeaningfulName: The Lancer, being the [[spoiler:copy of the Black Knight. Or is it?]]
39	* MilitaryMashupMachine: The [=SWIFT REPLY=], a submersible aircraft carrier with cruise missiles.
40	* MirrorMatch: The penultimate boss, [[spoiler:Black Knight; an AI-controlled 'copy' of the L4-NC-3R that turns out to be the [=L4-NC-3R=] itself from another timeline; that being from the regular run. It isn't quite a mirror match though; the Knight's PowerLimiter is disabled, and it can redirect your missiles back at you if you launch them from too far away. Said redirection is unlocked after beating the Knight as a module.]]
41	* MirroredConfrontationShot: Every boss fight opens with a shot of the Lancer on the left flying towards the opponent, who is on the right. This is usually accompanied by the Lancer's onboard computer attempting to communicate with (or just identifying) the boss in question.
42	* NewGamePlus: After beating the campaign, you can start over in [=NG+=] mode with all of the stuff you unlocked before. You also immediately receive the [=ACE=] module, which turns you into a OneHitPointWonder in exchange for improved speed and maneuverability. Several modules can ''only'' be unlocked in New Game Plus, such as the (new) Railgun and Alt Fire Switch. Enemy wave/group composition in missions is mixed up, and enemies (especially bosses) gain new attack patterns and moves as well, to keep things interesting.
43	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Each boss releases an ominous black orb when defeated, save the twins and [[spoiler:the Knight]]. [[spoiler:This power was stolen from AEGIS in the past and used to create the weapons that brought it down; and now AEGIS has reclaimed the stolen cores, bringing it back up to full power.]]
44	* OhCrap: Peter's reaction when he realizes who he's about to face at the Naval Blockade is priceless.
45	** And later in NG+, when [[spoiler:Ash realizes she only has five minutes to stop the nuke before it hits the city and causes unnecessary (and for that matter pointless) civilian casualties.]]
46	* PsychoticSmirk: Ash gets a bit of one before [[spoiler:kicking Peter's ass at the naval blockade.]]
47	* RoyalWe: Curiously, [[spoiler:the Black Knight]] speaks like this;
48	-->Ash: "You're... [[spoiler:me?]]"
49	-->[[spoiler:Black Knight]]: "[[spoiler:We are, for a given value of ''you''. [[WhamLine Our designation is LANCER_01]].]]"
50	* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Ashlyn's whole motivation, pretty much. In her case it leads to her getting busted out of flight school before passing because she broke away from a training exercise to rescue civilians, [[spoiler:which perhaps foreshadows that the 'Royal Air Force' isn't all as nice and benevolent as you might expect. It's also Pierce's motivation, but he's lead astray by AEGIS.]]
51	* ShockinglyExpensiveBill: At the start of the game, you're on the hook for somewhere on the order of 350 ''million'' credits after sinking a Royal Navy ship by accident.
52	* ShoutOut: A couple of achievement names. 'Blue Plate Special' in particular is a VideoGame/{{Tribes}} reference; a nod to the Spinfusor in both name and the challenge itself; hitting fast-moving aerial targets with unguided projectiles.
53	* SoundtrackDissonance: The fight with [[spoiler:the Black Knight]] is set to a fairly somber piano-heavy piece, in contrast with the fairly intense music used in most other missions.
54	* SuperPrototype: The [=L4-NC-3R=], of course. [[spoiler:Turns out it's not quite one-of-a-kind though; there's actually another one. Sort of.]]
55	* TalkingAnimal: Your engineer, Lem, is a cat who uses an artificial vocoder in order to communicate.
56	* TankGoodness: The [=STERN REBUKE=], a ''gigantic'' WaveMotionGun sporting siege tank. [[spoiler:Shame they gave it to ''Peter''.]]
57	* ThemeNaming: The two 'themes' of bosses each have their own theme names; the [[spoiler:anti-AEGIS]] platforms seem to be chess or tarot themed ([[spoiler:FOOL, TOWER, EMPRESS, LANCER/BLACK KNIGHT]]) whilst [[spoiler:AEGIS' own]] are more abstract ([[spoiler:SWIFT REPLY, STERN REBUKE, STEEL RIPOSTE, FINAL RETORT]].)
58	* VariableMix: Each track consists of 3-4 'layers', which are faded in and out as needed for intensity. This is played with in bossfights.
59	* WaveMotionGun: Expect to see these used several times. You can get your own, but it's more of a snapshot rather than the sustained beams that bosses get.
60	* WeaponizedExhaust: You're not told about it, but if you perform a quick reversal (a sudden 180 assisted by the dodge roll) then begin thrusting/boosting again, your plane will fire out a vicious backblast from its thrusters, dealing massive damage in a small cone behind you. It's hard to intentionally pull off though.
61	* WronskiFeint: A perfectly viable way of getting rid of missiles that are coming at you, and a little easier to do if you remove the autostall system as it'll let you skim lower. Just make sure you don't crash.
62	----
63	[[AC:Attempting Secure Handshake with Asset 40: "TROPER"...]]

Context VideoGame / JetLancer