Line #79 VideoGame/GargoylesQuest


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6	If there's [[NintendoHard a game that can put the fear of God]] into a 1980s gamer, it's ''VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins''; and if there's a specific aspect of ''Ghosts 'n Goblins'' which can increase their heart rate further, it's [[DemonicSpiders the Red Arremer]].
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8	So Creator/{{Capcom}} put this lethal foe into the player's hands with a trio of [[SpinOff spin-offs]], released in 1990, 1992 and 1994. Naturally, [[PromotedToPlayable he's not quite as deadly while being controlled]], but he's still a force to be reckoned with.
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10	''Gargoyle's Quest'' and ''Gargoyle's Quest II'' star a Red Arremer ([[CallARabbitASmeerp the eponymous gargoyle/demon]]) named Firebrand, a ProudWarriorRaceGuy who wants to be the most powerful being in the Ghoul Realm. It just so happens that a prophecy has foretold that a "Red Blaze" will save the land from an [[EvilVsEvil unimaginable evil]].
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12	''[[OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo Demon's Crest]]'' picks up a while later. A mysterious [[GreenRocks sextet of magic stones]] has appeared in the Ghoul Realm, and the inhabitants fought over them, until Firebrand emerged victorious with five, and then defeated a large dragon to claim the sixth but was critically injured in the process. A rival demon, Phalanx, took the opportunity to attack Firebrand unhindered and claim the whole Crest for himself (except for a fragment still in Firebrand's possession), which he then spread out to his subordinates to assure their safety. Firebrand sets out to get them back.
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14	Firebrand appears as a playable character in ''[[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]] VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' and ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'', as the developers wanted a flying character and thought Firebrand would be fun and interesting to play. He also appears as a boss character in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'', which makes him a CompositeCharacter with the Red Arremer Joker from the Game Boy Advance port of ''Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts'' and refers to his appearance in ''Demon's Crest'' as pre-game backstory. The trilogy is also available on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole, though only the latter two games are available on the Wii U's. ''Demon's Crest'' became one of the first games available for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch's Super NES Online service along with its cousin ''Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts''.
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16	----
17	!!These games provide examples of:
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19
20	[[folder: Series-wide tropes]]
21
22	* OneUp: Talismans of the Cyclone in ''Gargoyle's Quest'' and Essences of the Maelstrom in ''Gargoyle's Quest II''.
23	* AllThereInTheScript: The bosses aren't named in-game, and even the manual doesn't name most of them. Their names are listed in the closing credits, like in most ''Ghosts 'n Goblins'' titles.
24	* BagOfSpilling: Firebrand loses all of his accrued powers between games. Only ''Demon's Crest'' bothers to HandWave this by having him be depowered by losing the Crests (though he keeps his infinite flying power from the first ''Gargoyle's Quest'').
25	* BigBad: King Breager in the first two, Phalanx in ''Demon's Crest''.
26	* BlindIdiotTranslation: The first two games, as par for the course with early Capcom titles. Boss names in particular were badly adapted from the katakana originals- "Rushifell" was a complete misunderstanding of "Lucifer" ([[JapaneseRanguage Rushifueru]]), and we still have no idea what some of the other bosses like Zundo Druer and Zakku Druzer were supposed to be (although Bellzemos was presumably a portmanteau of "Beelzebub" and "moth").
27	* {{Bowdlerise}}:
28	** The title ''Gargoyle's Quest'' was given to the earlier games to downplay the fact that Firebrand and his friends are actually demons from the underworld.
29	** Lucifer's name was translated as "Rushifell" in English. Of course, knowing the problem with [[JapaneseRanguage Japanese L/R switches]] makes it easy to spot the original intention.
30	* BreathWeapon: Firebrand's base attack is spitting balls of fire, and he acquires various other breath attacks in each game. Arma also uses them in his fights in ''Demon's Crest''.
31	* ConvectionSchmonvection: Firebrand can get pretty darn close to fire without being injured, possibly because he is a fire-affinity demon.
32	* DubNameChange: In the Japanese versions, the playable character is just a normal, unremarkable Red Arremer. Only the international releases give him a name.
33	* FetchQuest: Several times in the first two games.
34	* {{Flight}}: Firebrand can glide or hover for a short period that increases with powerups, but cannot ascend under his own power. ''Demon's Crest'' lets him fly indefinitely from the get-go, and the Aerial Gargoyle form ''can'' ascend.
35	* GaidenGame: To the ''VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins'' series, starring an infamous recurring enemy from the games and featuring similar aesthetics and characters.
36	* GlobalCurrency: Vials. Changed to G.P. in ''Demon's Crest''.
37	* HeartContainer: Collectible life extentions only show up in ''Demon's Crest''. In the first two games, your life meter is extended at predetermined points through obtaining magic artifacts or receiving power from {{Non Player Character}}s.
38	* HeroicMime: Firebrand doesn't utter a word across all three games.
39	* {{Metroidvania}}: The first two games are light metroidvanias, since they are mostly linear but emphasize traveling to new locations, defeating bosses to earn access to ability upgrades, and using the upgrades to reach new locations. Demon's Crest fits the trope much more, as the world and levels are very open-ended and there is some optional backtracking that can be done to obtain previously unreachable items.
40	* MultiArmedAndDangerous: King Breager.
41	* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: Firebrand can only equip one type of breath at a time, and in ''Demon's Crest'', the same applies to the Talismans.
42	* NintendoHard: Capcom didn't skimp on the difficulty in these titles, even if they're not as insane as their progenitor.
43	* NobleDemon: Firebrand is a BloodKnight. But he's saving his realm.
44	* OneBulletAtATime: Firebrand has a limit of how many projectiles he can have onscreen at once, generally around one or two. In the first game, the main advantage each new weapon gave you (apart from certain unique functionalities) was the number of projectiles- your base fireball only allowed one, Blockbuster could fire two, while Claw allowed you to shoot three at a time. In ''Demon's Crest'', the Hand Talisman lets him have an extra projectile out.
45	* OverworldNotToScale: There is a TraversibleWorldMap used for traveling between areas. Walked around in the first two, flown over in ''Demon's Crest''.
46	* PasswordSave: Used by all three games.
47	* PerspectiveFlip: Firebrand himself and many of the allied [=NPCs=] were originally enemy characters from the ''Ghosts 'n Goblins'' series.
48	* PlayingWithFire: Firebrand's base attack in all of the games in fireballs. In ''Demon's Crest'', he gets related powers by collecting pieces of the Crest of Fire, which doesn't change his appearance.
49	* RandomEncounters: ''Gargoyle's Quest'' has them on the world map. ''Gargoyle's Quest 2'' shifted to PreexistingEncounters, and ''Demon's Crest'' eliminated them entirely.
50	* RPGElements: The elements here being a world map to explore, shops to buy items from, and permanent powerups to collect.
51	* TakeOverTheWorld: In two of the games' endings, Firebrand is offered the human world for his own personal domination.
52	* UpgradeArtifact: How Firebrand boosts his flying, breath and defense abilities in the first two games. He can acquire some in the third game, but can only utilize one at a time, save for the life-point increasers.
53	* VideoGameFlight: Firebrand can fly in all his incarnations. In the first two installments he starts with a wing meter that rapidly depletes, but eventually gains the ability to fly infinitely; unfortunately you can't fly upwards so you still have to climb up walls. In ''Demon's Crest'' Firebrand starts out with unlimited flight, and obtaining the Crest of Air allows you to fly against strong winds and gain altitude.
54	* WallCrawl: Firebrand can cling to non-spiky walls in each of his appearances, and even spiky ones can be scaled using the Claw power.
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56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder: Tropes applying to ''Gargoyle's Quest'']]
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60	* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: [[OneUp Talismans of the Cyclone]] at first cost 8 vials apiece. The price doubles twice over the course of the game, ending up at 32 vials.
61	* AlmostDeadGuy: ''Three in a row'' at the game's beginning, each warning you that an unknown army has attacked and something has happened to the king, that they are very strong, and that you need to hurry and get through the dimensional portal that leads back to the Ghoul Realm so you can get to work stopping them.
62	* WeCanRuleTogether: {{B\|igBad}}reager offers to make you a king if you join him at the end of the game. [[TooDumbToLive If you accept]], he drains all of your collected powers and leaves you with just your default fire breath. Then the battle starts...[[note]]While the battle becomes impossible to win, since you can no longer jump high enough to {{AttackItsWeakPoint}}, a Game Over merely starts you right in front of the boss, with your powers back.[[/note]]
63	* WrapAround: A rare scrolling example-- Breager's Castle appears to be cylindrical, as the level repeats horizontally as you go left or right continuously.
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65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder: Tropes applying to ''Gargoyle's Quest II'']]
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69	* {{Prequel}}: Serves as such to the first game. [[WordOfGod Word of God says this is more of a reimagining, though functionally, the story still fits.]]
70	* TemporaryPlatform: The game introduces the "Tornado" breath ability, which produces a short-range cyclone that can be stood on.
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72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder: Tropes applying to ''Demon's Crest'']]
75
76	* OneHundredPercentCompletion: Collecting every optional item unlocks the third form of the final boss and rewards you with a password after the good ending plays out. Inputting the password starts a save file where the levels are reset, Firebrand has access to all of his items and [[spoiler:the Ultimate Gargoyle form]], and a new area is present on the map that leads to [[spoiler:[[TrueFinalBoss the Dark Demon]]]]. (Note: in the Nintendo Switch port, the aerial headbutting skill that's necessary for 100% completion requires the player to hold down the jump button ''while'' headbutting.)
77	* OneWingedAngel: Phalanx during the good ending, where he turns into a giant monster powered by the [[spoiler:Crest of Infinity]].
78	* AerithAndBob: The names of the game's bosses range from Ovnunu, Holothurion, Belth, and Somulo to Flame Lord, Flier and Crawler.
79	* AllYourPowersCombined: [[spoiler:The Crest of Infinity (formed from having all six Crests)]] gives Firebrand access to the [[spoiler:Ultimate Gargoyle form]], which has more stamina and can ascend, swim, dash on the ground, and breathe very powerful fire, effectively combining the five other forms into one.
80	* AntiHero: The protagonist is no longer out to save his world or stop invaders but purely self-interest. Gathering power, [[{{Revenge}} revenge]], and [[{{ChallengeSeeker}} seeking challenges]] to the point of endangering his world.
81	* ApocalypseHow: In the Japanese manual, Phalanx destroyed the demon world with fire and led all the inhabitants to a new one where he would be king. That was human world, which they then overran.
82	* TheArtifact: The Tornado and Claw powers from the earlier games are present in ''Demon's Crest'' for Firebrand's base form. However, as soon as you find the Crest of Air (which can be gotten ''before'' either of those powers if you go for it first), they're rendered redundant because the Aerial Gargoyle can fly freely without needing to create platforms or cover up spiked walls.
83	* AutoRevive: The Elixir potions revive Firebrand automatically when he dies, but give him less health than the other healing potions.
84	* AwesomeButImpractical: The Imp spell is amazing at clearing out annoying enemies fast, but it only lasts for one screen and uses up money every time it attacks (and that money is very useful for buying healing potions).
85	* BattleAmongstTheFlames: In the forest level, the Flame Lord appears and sets the trees on fire in the last area. You battle him under a flaming canopy. Amusingly, if you leave the level and come back, the fire's burned itself out. This not only makes the Flame Lord ''much'' easier (he loses one of his most dangerous attacks), but lets you access a hidden HeartContainer.
86	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: A non-lethal variant. [[spoiler:In the normal ending, after the final battle, Phalanx denies Firebrand the chance to kill him by sealing himself inside the Crest of Heaven. The last shot of the ending is Phalanx sneering at the player from inside the Crest.]]
87	* BloodKnight: Firebrand after he beats Phalanx [[spoiler:or the Dark Demon]].
88	* BloodierAndGorier: The ''Gargoyle's Quest'' games weren't any more violent than most other games of the time, but that's not the case here. The first boss's death animation has its head fall off with its flesh scorched away, the enemy roster includes skinless corpse monsters that, in one area, come crawling out of iron maidens, and Firebrand's death animation has his flesh melt off rather than him simply exploding ''Franchise/MegaMan''-style as he previously did.
89	* BlowYouAway: The Crest of Air, which gives Firebrand the Aerial Gargoyle form. The Aerial Gargoyle is immune to air currents and can move upwards while flying, but can't grip to walls, and the spinning air blade he spits out doesn't hurt many bosses.
90	* BossArenaUrgency: The [[spoiler:Dark Demon]] will gradually turn the walls and floors into spikes, giving you less space to stand on or cling to.
91	* BraggingRightsReward: Area 6 contains a ''very'' hard boss named Grewon, who you will likely be needing the Crest of Time to defeat. His relinquished powerup? Demon Fire, which is completely inferior to the Legendary Gargoyle's attack and also loses the defense bonus. The only thing it's really good for is a more powerful alternative to the basic fire breath when you need to light candles, which isn't often.
92	* CallASmeerpARabbit: One of the game's bosses is a giant blue snail named Holothurion. A holothurian is a sea cucumber.
93	* TheCameo: The "Imp" spell summons one of the Petite Demons from the original ''VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins''. Also, the Aerial Gargoyle's projectile slightly resembles a [[Franchise/StreetFighter Sonic Boom]] [[spoiler:and the Ultimate Gargoyle's resembles a Hadouken]].
94	* ChargedAttack: Firebrand can charge up his fire breath [[spoiler:as the Ultimate Gargoyle.]]
95	* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Demon's Crest'' is ''considerably'' darker than the previous two games in the series in terms of atmosphere and presentation, similar to the ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series. It's actually one of the darkest games on the Super NES, and one of the few examples of DarkFantasy on the console.
96	* DieChairDie: Headbutting pottery, statuary, or windows is a quick, reliable source of money.
97	* DishingOutDirt: The Crest of Earth, which gives Firebrand the Ground Gargoyle form. The Ground Gargoyle can't fly but has a barricade-bashing charge dash and spits a strong ground-running fireball when standing on land (it's much weaker if used while jumping).
98	* DismantledMacGuffin: Firebrand starts with part of the Crest of Fire, but four other parts of it (which provide alternate breath attacks) are held by minor bosses. Firebrand needs three of these parts to unlock the second set of levels that contain other Crests, but he doesn't need the final piece to fight Phalanx for the normal ending. Later in the game, it is revealed that [[spoiler:gathering the six main Crests together summons the even stronger Crest of Infinity, which grants Firebrand the Ultimate Gargoyle form that holds the power of every Crest at once]].
99	* TheDragon: General Arma is Phalanx's top enforcer and the one who carries most of the Crests around.
100	* DynamicDifficulty: Depending on how fast you rush through the game, the final dungeon can be either ''very'' short ([[LampshadeHanging which Phalanx comments on]]) or ''very'' elaborate.
101	* EarnYourBadEnding: It's possible to fight Phalanx as soon as his palace appears on the map, before gaining all the Crests needed to overturn his power. If you do this, he lacks his extra forms, and you're rewarded with a strange, haunting ending in which the Demon Realm [[spoiler: falls into anarchy. "Many now ask if living under the rule of Phalanx would have been worse than the hell they are now confined to..."]]
102	* ElementalPowers: The effects of four of the Crests on Firebrand.
103	* EvilPowerVacuum: After defeating Phalanx in the bad ending, Firebrand hasn't gathered the Crests and thus lacks the power to rule in his place, so he takes off, leaving the Ghoul Realm in anarchy.
104	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Very little is established about the [[spoiler:Dark Demon]], outside of it being an extremely powerful monster hiding in the human world. Judging by the ending text, it's just the last thing Firebrand wants to defeat before heading off to lands unknown.
105	* GiganticMoon: Appears in the background during the second battle between Firebrand and Arma.
106	* GrimyWater: Firebrand takes damage from immersion if he's not in his Tidal Gargoyle form.
107	* GuideDangIt: The game doesn't describe what the Talismans do. The Armor and maybe the Crown are easy enough to guess, but you'd likely be stumped by the Skull (increases health drops), Fang (increases attack) and Hand (increases fire rate). The Talisman researcher in Area 2 will spell it out for you if you approach him while you have one equipped, something also not mentioned by the game. Similarly, the green villager next to the fountain will comment on Firebrand's current Crest form if approached.
108	* HereWeGoAgain: [[spoiler:The bad ending can be interpreted this way. It's mentioned that Firebrand was wounded in his duel with Phalanx, and the final scene of the ending is Arma ominously reflecting on the KlingonPromotion-based nature of demon society and vowing that "the next time it will be [his] turn," suggesting that he might ambush the vulnerable Arremer before he can recover just as Phalanx did before.]]
109	* InfinityPlusOneSword: The [[spoiler:Ultimate Gargoyle form]], accessed only through a special password. Its charge shot can OneHitKO several of the bosses when used in conjunction with the Fang talisman.
110	* LastEpisodeThemeReprise: The music that plays while fighting the TrueFinalBoss is a variation of the music that plays during the game's intro. The song that plays during the game's credits, meanwhile, is a funereal reprise of the first level's theme.
111	* LostInTranslation: [[AllThereInTheManual The Japanese manual]] makes it more clear that the great fire that havoced over the Demon Realm was not done by Firebrand at all, like an NPC suggests. Instead, [[BigBad Phalanx]] lied to the Demon Realm.
112	** Also in the Japanese manual, Firebrand was sealed below the coliseum for 1000 years until Arma revives him with a piece of the Crest of Fire as ordered by Phalanx. Phalanx also made nods to the [[TimeSkip time-skip]] in in-game dialogue.
113	** In the Japanese intro, Phalanx claims he will use the combined might of the crests to shatter the sky of the Demon Realm and take over the human world as well. This is followed by the visual of him shooting the combined crests into the sky causing an explosion of light. The town NPC exposits that during Firebrand's [[{{Misblamed}} mis-blamed]] burning of the Demon Realm, Phalanx saved them all by leading them "above ground." The manual clarifies he did in fact lead all the demons into the human world, replacing its inhabitants to become its new ruler.
114	** All Crest of Fire abilities are explained as being fire-themed. Claw is a glob of lava that hardens into brittle rock. Tornado is heated air creating rising air currents.
115	** In the secret ending, [[spoiler:rather than realizing his true power came from within, Firebrand's own power originally [[PowerCreepPowerSeep grew far beyond]] that of the crests turning them all into TheArtifact.]] Considering in the ending before that, [[spoiler:he discards the crests because he's not interested in their power making him invincible]], the [[PowerLevel power scaling]] gets [[BeyondTheImpossible very]] [[SoLastSeason wacky]].
116	** The thematic wordplay of the original Japanese title, ''Demon's Blazon''. Blazon, as in "emblazon," means a coat of arms or ostentatious display. The new form changes were called the Blazon System, appropriately caused by equipping crests which dramatically transform the user's appearance. Ironically, Firebrand is only called the Red Blaze in English.
117	** The bonus boss's proper name in Japanese is [[spoiler:the Dark Demon Who Hides in the Human World]]. Though in this timeline basically all demons have resided in the human world for a thousand years, so the significance of that is left unclear.
118	** Somulo, formerly the Demon Dragon, was instead known as the Heavenly Demon with the power to cross into the human realm, suggesting that was one of the crest's original powers. In the human realm he was sighted and [[OurDragonsAreDifferent feared as a dragon]].
119	* MacguffinDeliveryService: [[spoiler:Phalanx pulls this when Firebrand fights him with all of the Crests and other items in his possession. He uses those Crests alongside the Crest of Heaven to summon the Crest of Infinity, which powers him up into his final form. Fortunately, Firebrand can take the Crest of Infinity for himself after defeating Phalanx]].
120	* MakingASplash: The Crest of Water, which gives Firebrand the Tidal Gargoyle form. The Tidal Gargoyle can stay in water without taking damage (and is able to swim straight by holding a button) and shoots an exploding pellet when underwater, but is weak on land since he can't fly or climb walls.
121	* {{Minigame}}: The three Trio the Pago minigames (two of which are hidden on the map). Headbutt enough skulls before time runs out to earn some extra cash, or even a HeartContainer in the most difficult one.
122	* MultipleChoicePast: It's the third installment of a GaidenGame series by Creator/{{Capcom}}, so the timeline gets inevitably [[{{Retcon}} wonky]] with no attempt to clarify.
123	** Firebrand reprises abilities from the previous ''Gargoyle's Quest'' games but [[DudeWheresMyRespect nobody remembers]] him saving the world and the kings he served have conveniently disappeared. In fact the original intro makes it sound like this could be his first appearance. There's just as much reason to interpret the game as a continuation or as a ContinuityReboot.
124	** The Legendary Gargoyle form is described as what Firebrand used to look like before being sealed away, since the Crest of Time is meant to revert him to a past form with the town NPC reacting as such. The intro depicts Firebrand as having always looked like a regular Red Arremer all the way up to the moment of his defeat.
125	** In the Japanese version, Phalanx sealed away and then planned Firebrand's revival as part of a ritual that awakens the Crest of Heaven into the Crest of Infinity by battling him. In the bad ending, [[spoiler:he is somehow still caught off guard and unprepared over Firebrand's arrival despite scheduling it with 1000 years of prep time.]] That ending really only makes sense in the English version that understandably leaves out most of the premise making Firebrand's escape a fluke.
126	** In this timeline, Phalanx wiped out the human world as the new king of demons. This conflicts with some other timelines and crossovers, namely everything in its parent series, ''VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins''. ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'' reveals its Red Arremer Joker is the aged version of this Firebrand with his characterization as a NobleDemon from the first two games, protecting his world and weary of anything resembling the Crest War. Except this game ends with [[spoiler:Firebrand [[{{Unfettered}} intentionally trying to start a new Crest War]] and possibly abandoning his realm for any chance to [[BloodKnight find new opponents]].]] A lot has to be revised or ignored to fit with the other games.
127	* MultipleEndings: The game has four. Three are related to how many of the game's items you've collected before you defeat the final boss, and the fourth [[spoiler:requires you to beat the Dark Demon during the PlayableEpilogue]].
128	* NewGamePlus: The PlayableEpilogue password functions like this, as it starts Firebrand after the first level with all items obtained [[spoiler:plus the Ultimate Gargoyle form]] and with all bosses reset to being alive. However, all the respawned bosses can be ignored in favor of flying straight to [[spoiler:the Dark Demon]].
129	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The game's worst ending has Firebrand leave the Demon Realm in an even worse state than it was under Phalanx's rule after killing him before collecting all of the Crests.
130	* NoodleImplements: The Crest of Heaven. You never get a chance to find out what it does or to equip it [[spoiler:by itself]].
131	** You also have no way of knowing what the Crest of Time originally did when Firebrand didn't have a [[MultipleChoicePast supposed]] previous form to be restored to, or what further power [[spoiler:Arma added to it]].
132	* OminousPipeOrgan: The game features a very moody, downbeat soundtrack that makes liberal use of pipe organs.
133	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: There's the Demon Dragon from the intro, Somulo the zombie remains of said Demon Dragon, the big dragon statue in the background of Area 1, and the dragon-shaped flame when Firebrand uses Demon Fire.
134	* PlayableEpilogue: Putting in a password gotten from the OneHundredPercentCompletion ending loads a scenario that takes place after the main story, with Firebrand having every Crest [[spoiler:and the Ultimate Gargoyle form]] and being able to go challenge [[spoiler:the Dark Demon]] for the final ending. However, the levels all exist in a reset state.
135	* PrepareToDie: Done by Phalanx in the good ending at the beginning of his boss fight:
136	-->''"I've waited a lifetime for this moment, Firebrand. You and I were destined to clash. And you, it seems, are destined to die."''
137	* PurpleIsPowerful: The [[spoiler:Ultimate Gargoyle form]], the most powerful of Firebrand's forms, is purple.
138	* RecurringBoss: General Arma is fought three times, dropping one of the Crests after each defeat. Hippogriff, Flier, and Grewon are also fought multiple times, but each time after the first is just a mid-stage boss that drops a health refill instead of an item.
139	* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Arma helps Firebrand out by powering up the Crest of Time with his life force after losing their last fight to the death.]]
140	* {{Revenge}}: The main motivational crux for our protagonist. [[spoiler: If Firebrand goes straight to kill Phalanx without tying up the matters of the Crests and Arma, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the civil war regains traction, as does an era of anarchy.]]]]
141	* TheRival: General Arma, a RecurringBoss and counterpart to Firebrand.
142	* SavageWolves: Grewon is a big, shaggy white wolf that has [[BreathWeapon ice breath]] on top of being [[LightningBruiser an agile heavy hitter]] who can take a lot of hits before going down.
143	* SceneryPorn: ''Demon's Crest'' has some truly stunning vistas among its levels, and the varied locales give them lots to show off.
144	* SealedEvilInACan: The normal ending (obtained by collecting all Crests before fighting the final boss, but not all other items) ends with Phalanx voluntarily sealing himself inside the Crest of Heaven to deny Firebrand the satisfaction of killing him. In the other endings, Phalanx dies outright.
145	* SecretLevel: Areas 5 and 6 need to be unlocked by beating enough bosses in the first set of levels.
146	* SequentialBoss: Phalanx has three forms. Only the first form is fought if the player hasn't collected every Crest; the second is available when he's challenged with all of them in hand, and his final OneWingedAngel form is available when all five Talismans are obtained.
147	* ShockAndAwe: Phalanx has electricity powers, which are further enhanced when he uses Crests.
148	* TakenForGranite: Hippogriff is a demon that can turn from stone to flesh and back. When it loses all of its health, it gets stuck as a statue, and Firebrand dispatches it via LiterallyShatteredLives.
149	* TechnicolorDeath:
150	** When [[spoiler:Ultimate Phalanx]] is defeated, the music comes to a half as his upper arms fall off, followed by his lower arms, followed by his head. Then the background turns to solid black and the screen starts shaking as his body disintegrates from the bottom up.
151	** Averted with [[spoiler:the Dark Demon]], who just... quietly fades into the background.
152	* TimeTravel: The Crest of Time enables the user to turn back time. When Firebrand equips it, he uses it to turn into the Legendary Gargoyle, implied to be his form before Phalanx defeated him, granting him a BodyArmorAsHitPoints bonus and a stronger fireball.
153	* TrueFinalBoss: [[spoiler:The Dark Demon]], only accessible in a special save file via a code given after attaining the 100% completion ending. Beating it provides an alternate "true" ending separate from defeating Phalanx.
154	* UnderwaterBossBattle: Holothurion is a giant snail fought in an underwater current with the Tidal Gargoyle form. Phalanx also submerges the arena for his second phase.
155	* UseYourHead: Firebrand's default special ability is to headbutt background objects. He even opens doors this way.
156	* UselessUsefulSpell:
157	** Most of the spells and potions. You can only use each one once before having to buy another to refill the Vellum/Urn they were on, and most of them are either very weak or not worth using up in most cases. The one big exception is Ginseng, the full-health potion; once you have a way to reach the store that sells them, they're vital for the later boss fights.
158	** The fire powers, which change the breath attack that Firebrand's normal form shoots. While the base shot (which lights candles), Buster (which breaks blocks), and Demon Fire (which is a stronger fireball) all have their uses, the Tornado and Claw powers are available at the same time as the Aerial Gargoyle form, making them pointless for a player who can get the Crest of Air early.
159	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: The various Crests alter Firebrand's physical form; Arma is unaffected visually (aside from his color palette changing and growing purely decorative [[ShouldersOfDoom shoulder]] [[SpikesOfVillainy claws]] for his final form), but his powers are demonstrably enhanced. According to a villager, Firebrand holding the Crest of Time depicts his fully-powered "Red Blaze" appearance.
160	* JustForFun/XMeetsY: ''Gargoyle's Quest'' meets the ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet''. Capcom would release ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' a year later, followed by ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroesWarOfTheGems''. In the time the studio would have been familiarizing itself with the source material, [[WritingAroundTrademarks 6 legally distinct gems]] would [[HandWave spontaneously fall out of the sky]] and into one of their own franchises to make this game happen, complete with a villain intending to [[spoiler:unite them into the [[CaptainErsatz Crest of Infinity]]]].
161	* WakeUpCallBoss: General Arma's first fight at the end of the first stage, as he's more agile than Somulo and Hippogriff and can use fast attacks while you only have six hitpoints. Afterwards, there's Belth the skeleton; it'll be one of the first bosses you fight if you go straight through the second level, but its large hitbox and high damage will destroy you if you haven't learned how to use the forms or collected some extra health increases.
162	* WarmUpBoss: The game starts Firebrand off in a coliseum fighting a large zombie dragon named Somulo (all but said to be the undead form of the Demon Dragon who Firebrand killed in the intro). It's the easiest of the game's bosses, but comes early enough to be a surprise for newcomers without knowledge of the controls.
163	* WorthyOpponent: General Arma enjoys his battles with Firebrand, looks forward to battling him again, and even [[spoiler:puts his own power into the Crest of Time as he dies]].
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Context VideoGame / GargoylesQuest