Line #81 VideoGame/CrimsonSkies


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crimson_skies.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250: [[MoreDakka Big guns.]] [[CoolPlane Fast planes.]] [[FemmeFatale Gorgeous dames.]] ]]
3	There have been two arcade flight-based VideoGames released by FASA Corporation and published by [[Creator/MicrosoftStudios Microsoft Game Studios]]: ''Crimson Skies'' for the PC, an arcade version and ''Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge'' for the Platform/{{Xbox}}. Rather than trying to take a realistic approach to flight, ''Crimson Skies'' instead goes for something akin to ''VideoGame/AceCombat'', where more emphasis is placed on action and almost-fantastical scenarios over a realistic interpretation of flight. This, along with an emphasis on barnstorming, has lead [[https://www.gamespot.com/ GameSpot]]to comment "Crimson Skies is very much based on a 'movie reality' where if it's fun and looks good, it works."
4
5	As in the Tabletop Games, the series takes place in a DividedStatesOfAmerica universe, which begins after World War I, when a "Regionalist movement" gains popularity in the Union following the outbreak of [[ThePlague Spanish influenza pandemic,]] rallying behind an isolationist platform. Meanwhile, President Woodrow Wilson's authority is undercut when [[TheRoaringTwenties Prohibition]] failed as a constitutional amendment, leaving the matter to be decided on a state level. The union soon became polarized between "wet" and "dry" states and, checkpoints became a common sight on state borders to stop the flow of alcohol into "dry" states.
6
7	The optimism of the TheRoaringTwenties was upset in 1927 when an outbreak of a deadly strain of influenza in America prompted states to quarantine the outbreak, further dividing the Union. Though not as deadly as the 1918 pandemic, the mass disease had immense political fallout, bolstering regionalist "strong state" views and decreasing voter turnout in the 1928 election. Shortly after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, [[BalkanizeMe the nation begins to split.]] And the rest, is history.
8
9	The games' storylines are framed around a RadioDrama esque plot that chronicles the adventures of [[AcePilot Nathan Zachary]] and the [[BandOfBrothers Fortune Hunters pirate gang]] during their rise to fame and fortune. During their escapades, the gang goes head-to-head (or in this case, propeller-to-propeller) with rival pirates and mercenaries, including [[FemmeFatale The Black Swan]], [[MagnificentBastard Jonathan "Genghis" Kahn]], and [[BadBoss Ulysses Boothe]]. Also challenging our heroes are private security firms such as [[HiredGuns Blake Aviation Security]] and militia squadrons such as the [[HollywoodCalifornia Hollywood Knights.]]
10
11	''High Road to Revenge'' can be played on all generations of Microsoft consoles up to and including the Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS, either natively or through backwards compatibility.
12
13	----
14	!!Tropes:
15	* TheAce: Nathan Zachary always pulls through, is an expert pilot and strategist, and just blows away everything in his path through sheer tactics and skill.
16	* ActionHero: Nathan Zachary is all about violence when it comes to accomplishing his goals.
17	* AdaptationInspiration: While the original board game and the first video game had a relatively consistent [[TechnologyLevels technology level]], the Xbox game, ''High Road to Revenge'', takes the DieselPunk vibe up to eleven with [[SpiderTank Spider Mechs]], [[CoolAirship giant flying fortresses]] capable of [[MegaMawManeuver eating entire zeppelins]] and [[ShockAndAwe Tesla weapons]]. By comparison, in the board game, UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla is said to be working on a new type of engine, but he doesn't have a working prototype yet.
18	* AirborneAircraftCarrier: Not exactly an aircraft carrier in the traditional sense, but many Zeppelins do hold complements of airplanes.
19	** Said airplanes are deployed and retrieved on a [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/F9C-2_Sparrowhawk_fighter.jpg trapeze hook]], a very real technique used by the US Navy for operating fighter aircraft from zeppelins in the 1930s.
20	* AllThereInTheManual: There is a series of books and an [[http://firedrake.org/roger/csarchive/ official website]] that can give you much more in-depth background information about the setting.
21	** Not much is told about Lucas Miles, the PC game's BigBad, in the game itself. The story of his feud with the Fortune Hunters and [[FakingTheDead apparent demise]] is told in the novels and in a RadioDrama that plays during the game's installation, although said installation is usually completed before the story is over. The full clip can be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_GtGjExSJc found on YouTube]].
22	* AlternateHistory: The whole premise, with the games being set in alternate DieselPunk 1930s in a DividedStatesOfAmerica.
23	* AntiAir: Anti-aircraft guns on the ground and on zeppelins.
24	* AntiFrustrationFeatures: In the PC game, if you fail a mission four times in a row, the game will ask if you would like to skip the level. Quite handy considering the game can be very NintendoHard.
25	* ANaziByAnyOtherName: ''Die Spinne'' are German Fascists in the 1930s.
26	* ArbitraryMissionRestriction: Sometimes, you're forced to fly a particular craft for a mission.
27	** The PC version forces you to fly a stock Fury for an air race, and to fly a stock Hoplite to look for an enemy ace.
28	** The Xbox game has one mission where you have to bait an enemy zeppelin in an unarmed fighter, and sometimes throws you cargo collection missions, which only the Gyro can do.
29	* AttackItsWeakPoint: Some zeppelins have broadside cannon ports. When these ports are open and shot at, they will cause entire sections of the zeppelin to explode. Which makes sense, considering that [[MadeOfExplodium the ammo racks]] are probably very close by to facilitate rapid loading.
30	* AwesomeButImpractical:
31	** Aerial torpedoes. A single missile able to take out an entire section of a zeppelin is on the fast track to cool, but they have several problems including being so slow they can be shot apart by enemies, a minimum deployment range and lack of a guidance system that makes them hard to aim, most missions not requiring a zeppelin to be destroyed, the method of firing at open broadside cannon ports being arguably easier, and the fact that you can't have many of them with you.
32	** The Beeper-seeker missiles in single player. It's basically a guided missile system in which you first have to fire the tracking "beeper" at your target then fire the guided "seeker" missile, guided by a signal from the beeper. Despite how awesome the idea of a guided missile is, ditching the non-damaging beeper in favor of a high-explosive rocket is often the better choice.
33	* BadassCrew: The Fortune Hunters.
34	* {{BFG}}: In a general sense, any gun above .50 caliber. However, ''High Road to Revenge'' features the Fw-206 Doppelganger, a single-engine aircraft equipped with a ''75mm cannon adapted from a tank gun'', touted as the largest gun ever fitted to a production aircraft. In RealLife, a number of aircraft on both sides of the war were fitted with tank guns, primarily for use in the ground-attack role. However, these were not terribly popular and all of them were large twin-engine aircraft, not a fighter-sized single-engine plane like the Doppelganger.
35	* BedmateReveal: Played straight in the very beginning of ''High Road To Revenge'' with protagonist Nathan Zachary.
36	* BettyAndVeronica: In ''High Road to Revenge'', Zachary is attracted both to [[PirateGirl Betty Charles]] and [[FemmeFatale Maria Sanchez]].
37	* BigApplesauce: The final showdown between Nathan Zachary and BigBad Lucas Miles in the PC game takes place over New York City.
38	* BiggerStick: In the PC game, completing missions gave you money which you could use to upgrade your existing plane or buy a new one custom-built to your specifications, choosing what engines and armament to bolt onto each airframe. Bigger engines offer greater top speed at the cost of increased weight, reducing maneuverability and rate of climb, while smaller ones keep you nimble but won't win any races. .30-cal machine guns have [[MoreDakka lots of ammo and a high rate of fire]], which makes it easier to land a hit on a rolling, jinking target--but it takes a lot of hits to make a dent. [[{{BFG}} .60- and .70-cals]] will handily deconstruct whatever they connect with, but are heavy as concrete and aren't exactly user-friendly. [[JackOfAllStats Regular old Browning .50s]] split the difference pretty well, but you can easily find yourself wishing for a more specialized arsenal. The end result is that you can build a plane that is capable of killing anything in the skies, provided you know how to fly it effectively.
39	* BlandNameProduct: Generally averted. Boeing, Ford, and other real-life companies involved in aeronautics in the 1930s are mentioned by name in the game itself and reference material.
40	* BreakTheHaughty: Act III in the PC game begins with Nathan Zachary overhearing a radio broadcast by Johnny Johnson claiming that the Nation of Hollywood is safe from pirate scum like Zachery. Johnson goes on to verbally pat himself on the back for a minute or so prompting Zachary, who has a history with Johnson, to turn off the radio and mutter that someone needs to take the arrogant SOB down a peg or two. The next few missions consist of you doing just that.
41	* ButtMonkey: Ace Dixon from the Computer game. You will shoot him down no less than four times, and he will scream and holler hilariously over the radio at you.
42	-->'''Ace Dixon:''' [[BigNo NOOO!]] Not again! [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments NOT BLOODY AGAAAAAAIN!!!]]"
43	* CanonForeigner: The BigBad of ''High Road to Revenge'', Dr. [[HerrDoktor Nicolas Van Essen]], as well as his organization, [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Die Spinne]], are never mentioned in the board game or the novels.
44	* CouldHaveBeenMessy: Unless they crash or were shot down close to the ground, pilots will ''always'' bail out to safety and deploy their parachute once they're going down.
45	* CoolAirship: The Pandora, mobile home base of the Fortune Hunters.
46	* CoolPlane: The standard issue, default designs are pretty dull, but you can customize their appearance to invoke this.
47	* CriticalExistenceFailure: Your plane will [[ShowsDamage start smoking and sputtering]] as it takes hits, but you're only forced to bail out when all sections of your plane are destroyed.
48	* DieselPunk: [[OlderThanTheyThink Before the term was even conceived.]] ArtDeco prop fighters and zeppelins mix it up with guided missiles and Tesla weapons, while still having crystal radios and 30's roadsters.
49	* EarlyAdaptationWeirdness: While it does contain some elements from the original 1998 board game (such as the Black Swan pirate gang as well as the Hollywood Knights squadron and planes like the famous Hughes P21-J MKIII Devastator (used by the famous Fortune Hunters gang), the other hand, such as squadrons like Redmann's Gang and planes like Grumman E-1C Avenger, are nowhere to be existed. The Xbox sequel ''High Road to Revenge'' however had more elements from the board game, such as the Red Skull Legion gang (that serves as one of the Fortune Hunters' rival pirate gangs).
50	* EnemyChatter: Enemy pirates, militia planes, zeppelins, ground forces and naval forces will taunt you over the radio, talk to each other, etc..
51	* FemmeFatale: Justine of the Medusas and the Black Swan (who assists Zachary in later missions after having fought him early on) in the PC game. [[spoiler: Maria Sanchez in the Xbox game.]]
52	* FragileSpeedster: The Peacemaker and Bloodhawk fighters, along with the Hoplite autogyro, are on the lighter end of the spectrum, relying on their speed and agility in dogfights.
53	* FriendlyEnemy: When [[spoiler:Johnny Johnson puts a bounty on Nathan's head]] after the obstacle race, [[spoiler:the Black Swan and Loyle "Show Stopper" Crawford]] immediately reject the offer and come to Nathan's help. Both of them also help the Fortune Hunters at various points during the course of the story, both on and off screen. By the end of the game, Nathan and [[spoiler:Paladin Blake]] have developed this kind of relationship as well.
54	* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the PC game, after stealing the "Spruce Goose" plane, the Fortune Hunters arrange to sell it through a fence. While the transaction happens off screen, the player can read a message from the fence warning the plane was bought by some very shady men who paid with [[spoiler:[[ForeignMoneyIsProofOfGuilt German]]]] gold. Guess who's [[spoiler: doing business with the Reich]]? Yep, [[spoiler: the game's BigBad]].
55	* GameBreakingBug: The PC game has a pretty nasty one where your saves can randomly be corrupted. Mercifully, this was later remedied with the release of a patch.
56	* GentlemanThief: Nathan Zachary, the Gentleman Pirate.
57	* GrandTheftPrototype: One mission has the Fortune Hunters steal a prototype fighter (fitted with a NitroBoost engine) right from Boeing Field.
58	* [[GoodWeaponEvilWeapon Good Planes, Evil Planes]]: Downplayed. While there are some exceptions, you're likely to see Peacemakers in the hands of "good guys" and Brigands and Kestrels in the hands of pirates.
59	** [[spoiler: The German forces and the corrupt Sacred Trust forces fly Hellhounds]]
60	* HeKnowsTooMuch: The PC game has you protecting [[spoiler:a Sacred Trust accountant]] so he can testify against his corrupt employer.
61	* HeroKiller: Inverted. The Blake Aviation Security firm preps to go on a pirate hunting mission with their new zeppelin, but it gets destroyed by the player in one mission, and in yet another mission you have to rescue BAS zeppelins from another band of pirates. The rest of the anti-pirate forces in the game suffer equally embarrassing losses against the very people they were hired to take down; the Hollywood Knights are beaten on their own soil.
62	* HerrDoktor: Dr. Fassenbiender in the PC game. In ''High Road to Revenge'' both Fassenbiender and Dr. Von Essen.
63	* HighAltitudeBattle: What else? It is an aerial combat series.
64	* HighSpeedHijack: The second PC mission has you stealing a [[AlliterativeName British Balmoral Bomber]], in mid-air, by having Zachary jump out of his airplane, climb into the bomber, and punch out its pilot and crewmen.
65	* HiredGuns: Blake Aviation Security.
66	* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Including, but not at all limited to, Howard Hughes and Nikola Tesla. Zachary [[AllThereInTheManual apparently]] was taught to fly by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker. Though he never appears, Hitler pops up in several cutscene conversations.
67	* HumongousMecha: Three instances occur as boss fights in ''High Road to Revenge'', two against a SpiderTank and the other against a gigantic worm/centipede robot, whose body is covered with impenetrable titanium armor and whose "mouth" is the only vulnerable spot.
68	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: The PC game names its missions in the vein of "Nathan Zachary and X", where "X" is whatever you're fighting or doing for that mission, e.g. "The Lost Treasure," "The Pirate's Duel," or "The Nefarious Trap." These give the game a sort of radio-drama feel.
69	* ImmuneToBullets: Of all things, zepplins. This is surprisingly realistic, since many of the airships of the time were either helium-filled or using a hydrogen/helium double-cell system, and even pure-hydrogen rigid-frame zeppelins are surprisingly hard to ignite without incendiary/explosive rounds. ''Rockets'', on the other hand . . .
70	* JackOfAllStats: The Devastator in both the PC and Xbox games remains a good all-rounder aircraft throughout the game.
71	* JustBetweenYouAndMe: When the Black Hats capture the Fortune Hunter and Black Swan pilots, they decide to brag about their latest secret plan to the prisoners. [[LampshadeHanging Zachary is incredulous that the Black Hats would even do something like that.]]
72	* KaizoTrap: In the PC game you ''can'' crash during the final mission after having achieved the victory conditions, and yes, you will have to replay the entire damn mission again.
73	* [[LethalJokeCharacter Lethal Joke Plane]]: The RAF Balmoral Bomber from the PC game is slow, clumsy and generally the absolute last choice for a multiplayer dogfight (see MightyGlacier below). However, there's a couple of ways to customize it into a shockingly lethal gun platform.
74	* LightningGun: the bad guys in ''High Road to Revenge'' have them.
75	* LovableRogue: Nathan Zachary and to an extent the rest of the Fortune Hunters.
76	* LuckBasedMission: One level forces you to search different locations to find [[spoiler: Ulysses Boothe]] and if you check the wrong spot you have to fight off some enemy planes before resuming the search. Which of the 4 possible hiding spots he's using is random but that's not the real problem. The real problem is that you're forced to fly a [[JokeCharacter Ford Hoplite Autogyro]] armed with [[ScrappyWeapon .30-cal machine guns]] and very few rockets and you don't get any backup until you find the right hiding spot. The game wants you to use your superior handling and small size to weave through tight areas and get behind enemy planes but everyone except for [[spoiler: Boothe]] has rear mounted guns that can tear you to shreds so if you don't guess right the first time you're screwed. Thankfully, you can [[AntiFrustrationFeatures skip the level if you lose enough times.]]
77	* MegaMawManeuver: One level of ''Highroad to Revenge'' has a giant zep designed to eat other zeps.
78	* MenOfSherwood: When you have wingmen (and in some missions, pilots from non-Fortune Hunter factions), they perform quite well. Obviously ItsUpToYou like most games, but they have excellent staying power and will almost always take out a few planes for you.
79	* MightyGlacier:
80	** The British Balmoral.
81	** The Doppelganger from ''High Road to Revenge'' is one of the slowest planes out there, but it can take a beating and has a tank cannon for its secondary weapon.
82	* NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters: The Fortune Hunters are criminals, but their criminals acts are not necessarily as terroristic or harmful as they could be, and they actually do a handful of good things in the story, culminating in them [[spoiler:saving New York City from the corrupt security firm Sacred Trust]].
83	* NitroBoost: The PC game has you stealing a [[FragileSpeedster Bloodhawk]] equipped with one of these. Eventually you can make airplanes with one of these fitted.
84	* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: Lucas Miles]] is last seen crashing in the river, while [[LaughingMad laughing maniacally]]. After the mission the player can read an excerpt from the police report stating that no body could be recovered.
85	* OldSoldier: The British Balmoral can qualify for this, as it's told in-universe that while it is no longer a cutting-edge aircraft, it's still as reliable as ever.
86	* PirateBooty: the first few missions of the PC game centered around Nathan Zachary retrieving the lost treasure ship of Sir Francis Drake[[spoiler:which is inexplicably in Hawaii]].
87	* PointDefenseless: Inverted. Zeppelin turrets can ''shred'' the player if they are careless.
88	** Some aircraft, like the [[MightyGlacier Balmoral]], Kestrel, Brigand, and Hellhound, have rear turrets that can scratch up your fighter if you're not careful.
89	* RedShirtArmy: Most enemy planes go down pretty quickly if you're a decent player. To the MookMobile!
90	* RevengeViaProxy: Subverted in the PC game. In the last mission, [[spoiler: Lucas Miles]] intends to kill [[spoiler: Hollywood star Lana Cooper]] as revenge against Zachary. It fails, because his victim proves to be [[DamselOutOfDistress more than able to defend herself]].
91	* RuleOfCool: This is practically the soul of the series and the only reason we have things like zeppelins ''designed to eat other zeppelins,'' HumongousMecha [[SpiderTank Spider Tanks]], planes armed with [[LightningGun lightning guns]] and last but not least a weather control device.
92	* RunForTheBorder: In the PC game, the Fortune Hunters manage to expose [[spoiler: Sacred Trust's corrupt dealings.]] Some of the members decide to load up zeppelins with whatever they can grab and run for international waters, while the Fortune Hunters try to foil their escape.
93	* SchizoTech: Especially in the Xbox game (see AdaptationInspiration above): you get remote-controlled rocket launchers, magnetic rockets and a Tesla coil-like weapons.
94	* SimpleYetAwesome: High Explosive rockets. They produce a pretty purple-colored explosion that can take out just about anything in 1 or 2 hits.
95	* ShockAndAwe: Die Spinne's ''Piranha'' fighter, armed with a pair of lightning cannons. It's always satisfying to watch your opponent's shorted-out plane spin helplessly into a cliff.
96	* ShoutOut: The last mission in ''High Road To Revenge'' involves Nathan Zachary [[spoiler:flying into a large superweapon commandeered by Von Essen, initially damaging it externally, before then [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi taking out its main power core inside and flying away from the resulting fireball]].]]
97	* SkyPirate: Might as well be the TropeCodifier. The Fortune Hunters and Black Hats are only two of the many air pirate gangs roaming The DividedStatesOfAmerica.
98	* SpiderTank: Die Spinne makes use of giant, six legged machines with massive flamethrowers.
99	* StormingTheCastle: Zachary and the Fortune Hunters blitz the Black Hat's mountain base to rescue the Black Swan. They end up leveling the place, pinching a stock of Aerial Torpedoes, and Zachary nicks a Black Hat Warhawk to boot.
100	* StoryBreadcrumbs: Your progress in the PC game is tracked by use of a scrapbook/ledger, which documents your kills and earned money. It also picks up newspaper clippings, telegrams, and other mementos of your feats of derring-do, giving context to your actions. If you scroll the scrapbook all the way to the beginning, you can even find a page [[AllThereInTheManual describing events that happened before the game.]] These include a newspaper clipping describing [[RichesToRags Nathan Zachary lighting a cigar with his last dollar during the Stock Market Crash]] and [[HonorAmongThieves the Code of the Fortune Hunters]].
101	* StupidJetpackHitler: The German antagonist, Dr. Von Essen, of ''High Road to Revenge'' invokes this trope with a metal flame-throwing worm-shaped vehicle and [[SpiderTank spider tanks]] that are powered by "[[UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla Tesla]] energy cells".
102	* SubsystemDamage: Zeppelins in the PC game can have their turrets shot out to reduce their defenses, or their engines destroyed to reduce their speed. Most zeppelin attack missions involve you crippling the target zep's engines.
103	* VillainProtagonist: Nathan Zachary may be the swashbuckling daredevil the everyday boy aspires to be, but that still doesn't change the fact that he leads a band of criminals in violent crimes. He [[HeelFaceTurn does lighten up a bit, though]].
104	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: BigBad air pirate Lucas Miles hides his operations behind a well-known private security firm: Sacred Trust Incorporated.
105	* WeatherControlMachine: One of Die Spinne's superweapons. It's mounted on one really, ''really'' big zeppelin battleship.
106	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the novels and PC game, the Fortune Hunters gang has the following members: Nathan Zachary, Jack Mulligan, Big John, Buck, Tex, Sparks, and Betty as the newest recruit, as well as Dr. Wilhelm Fassenbiender and his daughter Ilse who join the crew during the course of the video game. In the Xbox version, however, only Zachary, Big John, Betty and Dr. Fassenbiender appear, and [[CompressedAdaptation the others are never even mentioned]] although unidentified crew members can be spotted inside the Pandora.
107	* WretchedHive:
108	** Arixo, a desert nation-state formed from the remnants of Arizona and New Mexico. Its vast desolate and lawless expanses makes it a natural haven for bandit activity.
109	** The pirate kingdom of Free Colorado.
110	* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: Somewhat appropriate considering the time period of the setting, but they're used far more than they were in real life.

Context VideoGame / CrimsonSkies