Line #40 VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheEmperorsTomb


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Emperors_Tomb_Coverart_4885.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:Cover art by Creator/DrewStruzan.]]
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4	''Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb'' is a third-person ActionAdventure game developed by The Collective (using the same engine they developed for ''VideoGame/{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer\|2002}}'') and published by Creator/LucasArts. It was released on February 24th, 2003 for Platform/{{Xbox}} [[labelnote:Note]](and it was later made compatible with the Xbox 360 and Xbox One)[[/labelnote]], then ported for [[Platform/AppleMacintosh Macintosh]] and [[Platform/IBMPersonalComputer Windows]] on March 25th, 2003, and for Platform/PlayStation2 on June 26th, 2003.
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6	The story is set in 1935, just before the events of ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'', and involves a quest to explore the tomb of the first Emperor of China, UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi, and retrieve the mystical Heart Of The Dragon.
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8	After a ForcedTutorial level in the jungles of Ceylon, the quest proper takes Indy to Prague, Istanbul, Hong Kong and on into China. On the way, he must run, puzzle-solve, platform-jump and fight his way past ivory hunters, Nazis, Turkish mercenaries, Nazis, Chinese gangsters, Nazis and Chinese cultists, before finally entering the titular tomb for the climax.
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10	!! Has examples of:
11	* EleventhHourSuperpower: Pa Cheng, the "Dragon's Claw", a precision guided FuumaShuriken which is used to defeat the last two bosses and navigate the last levels.
12	* AchillesHeel: The Kraken can be forced away from his nest by shooting it enough times in the eyes, while the demonic Kong Tien can be defeated by destroying the three Dragon Orbs around him with Pa Cheng after he's stunned and has to lift the barrier.
13	* ActionGirl: Mei Ying has serious martial-arts skills, but see DamselInDistress below.
14	* ActionPrologue: A deliberate ShoutOut to the opening sequence of ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' - the opening set in Ceylon has barely anything to do with the main plot.
15	* AdvancingBossOfDoom: The final confrontation with Von Beck has him pilot a drill tank in order to crush you.
16	* AllGermansAreNazis: All Germans in the game are members of the SS or the Gestapo, or employed by them.
17	* AnimalisticAbomination: The crocodile inside the inner sanctum of Koru Watu is a gargantuan, albino beast which constitutes the last but efficient line of defense of the temple. The Kraken is an incredibly grotesque octopoid monster with a ring of orange eyes and barbed appendages around his mouth cable of spitting out jellyfish to drag victims to its maws.
18	* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
19	** If Indy is carrying a weapon, and gets knocked down, he might drop it, allowing his enemies to pick it up and use it against him. This, however, does not apply to unique items such as Indy's revolver, his whip, the canteen, or puzzle items, as there would be no way of recovering these if they fell into a BottomlessPit.
20	** During the boss fight against the Kraken, the beast will automatically push Indy back to the middle of the arena as it returns to its position behind the pillars, so that Indy can't get devoured by mistake if he's still too close to the area while trying to apply the demo charges.
21	** If Mei Ying falls down a bottomless pit, she will jump right back up after a couple of seconds.
22	* ArmorIsUseless: Downplayed. The Black Dragon Guards wear classical Chinese armor. Indy can still punch the living daylights out of them, though they can take more punishment than any other standard enemy.
23	* ArtisticLicenseHistory:
24	** Chinese men of both the 1930s ''and'' circa 210BC are depicted with shaved foreheads and ponytails. This custom dates only from the Manchu conquest of China in the 17th century, so it did not exist in Qin Shi Huang's time at all, and it had been mostly abandoned by the period in which the game is set.
25	** Nazi German troops are equipped with MP-40 sub-machine guns. That 40 refers to 1940, five years after the game is set. Even its ancestors, the MP-38 and MP-36, would be anachronistic. Oh, and the Mauser 1896 carried by the German soldiers in the Istanbul levels was never standard army issue (though these soldiers may in fact be members of the SS, who did sometimes use these pistols).
26	** In one section, Indy is attacked by German [=Bf109=] fighters. In 1935 this aircraft was still in prototype so this is JustPlaneWrong.
27	** Indy can find a Panzerschreck (German equivalent of a Bazooka), but this weapon was only invented in 1943. It also looks wrong -- the warhead should fit entirely inside the tube rather than sticking out from the front (that's a feature of the Panzerfaust, a single-use anti-tank weapon).
28	** The German flamethrower does not look like any period appropriate German model, instead resembling a hybrid between the American M2 and the Italian Lanciafiamme Modello 35.
29	* AutomaticCrossbow: The ones used by the Black Dragon members, which Indy can use. Oddly enough, they still make gun-like sounds when loaded and the arrows are referred to as "Ammo" like all the other gun's bullets.
30	* BagOfSpilling: Indy's inventory normally resets whenever he travels from one country to another ([[JustifiedTrope presumably because customs wouldn't let him transport 50 pounds of weaponry out of the country]]), but it also happens inexplicably during the transition between the German Base and the Black Dragon Fortress on Peng Lai Island; the effect being that Indy abandons all of his heavy weaponry just as he's about to enter a heavily guarded enemy base, [[JustifiedTrope possibly to keep a lower profile, since that level has both silent long-ranged weapons and tougher mooks, the better for stealth]].
31	* BatOutOfHell: The temple of Koru Watu contains the "Silent Guardians", traps in the form of huge suspended bat statues which reacts to sound and will shoot spikes at Indy if he make noise (by walking on stone). They can be tricked by tossing skulls to make them waste their shot.
32	* BigBadDuumvirate: Marshall Kai and Von Beck.
33	* BilingualBackfire: Mei Ying wonders aloud in Chinese if the squirely-looking Dr. Jones is fit for the job or if they've even got the right man. Indy responds in ([[FauxFluency what is supposed to be]]) fluent Chinese, which more than convinces her not to underestimate him from then on.
34	* BilingualBonus: The enemy mooks shout various threats at you in German and Chinese, which will only be translated if you turn the game subtitles on. Oddly, the game starts without subtitles by default, which can make several cut-scenes where characters speak Chinese -- notably, the opening where Indy is recruited, and [[spoiler: Qin Shihuangdi's speech when he briefly returns to life]] completely incomprehensible if you don't speak the language (and probably still partly incomprehensible even if you do -- see FauxFluency below).
35	* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: A variant: Indy can use his whip to yank enemies' weapons away from them.
36	* BloodlessCarnage: To preserve a "Teen" rating, nobody bleeds at all even when stabbed with a spear, shot at [[ShortRangeShotgun point-blank range with a shotgun]], [[MoreDakka riddled with bullets from a submachine gun]], hacked up with a {{machete\|mayhem}}, [[ThreateningShark bitten by a shark]], [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile mauled by an alligator]], [[SpikesOfDoom impaled on spikes]], or [[ThisIsADrill drilled]] through the back by the AdvancingBossOfDoom.
37	* BodyHorror: Halfway through the boss fight against the Homunculus, the acid will start to melt off part of his skin, leaving exposed bones.
38	* BodyguardBabes: The Feng twins, Marshall Kai's personal DarkActionGirl bodyguards.
39	* CableCarActionSequence: Indy must ascend the Penglai Mountains in a cable car while under fire from fighter planes. Luckily the cable car comes equipped with a mounted machine gun.
40	* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: As per standard franchise naming convention, '''Indiana Jones''' and the '''Emperor's Tomb''' (and it almost forms a perfect rhyme with "Temple of Doom", to which it serves as an immediate prequel).
41	* CheckPointStarvation: The main source of difficulty in the game comes from this trope. You can only save after finishing a level. Any death will send you right back to the beginning. There are no medkits, and all Indy has at his disposal is a lousy canteen with fresh water that can be sporadically refilled. This particularly stands against the previous game in the franchise, ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheInfernalMachine'', where saves were unlimited.
42	* CombatHandFan: The Feng twins use a pair of these each as their primary weapon.
43	* ContinuityDrift:
44	** The game includes Indy meeting Wu Han for the first time, and the end segues into ''Temple of Doom'' when Wu Han reminds Indy that Lao Che has commissioned them to deliver the Nurhachi urn. Yet at the beginning of ''Temple of Doom'' Indy refers to Wu as an "old friend", and Wu says that he has accompanied Indy on many adventures. Indy and Wu Han's first meeting had already been portrayed canonically in [=McCoy=]'s novel ''Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs'', set in 1933.
45	** No mention is made of Short Round in the game, and yet ''Temple of Doom'' states that Indy was practically his guardian for a time before the events of the movie.
46	* ContinuityNod: In a nod to ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'', Wu Han appears, and Indy wears his white dinner-jacket.
47	* DamselInDistress: For someone with her combat skills, Mei Ying sure does need rescuing a lot.
48	* DeadlyGas: Two rooms in Prague will release poisonous gas in an attempt to kill Indy. You have to leave the first one quickly and break out of the second one.
49	* DemonicPossession: One of the boss fights is against Mei Ying, who has been possessed by the demon Kong Tien.
50	* DevelopersForesight: During the 'Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor' mission, going up to Mei Ying and attempting to 'interact' with her prompts her to tell Indy to focus on the mission.
51	* DeviousDaggers: Turkish knives are versatile and unbreakable weapons, fitting for the [[CombatPragmatist pragmatic]] mercenaries who often carry them.
52	* DisneyVillainDeath:
53	** While fighting it is possible to send mooks to their doom if there's a cliff nearby, especially during the Prague levels on the towers.
54	** This is how Von Beck finally dies. After a grueling tank chase in a narrow corridor, Indy manages to jump across a deep chasm and can sit back and watch as Von Beck goes hurtling off the edge to his doom.
55	* DoNotDropYourWeapon: Subverted. Most enemies lose their weapons when you hit them hard enough, but they can do the same to you. It's even possible for Indy's hat to fall off, requiring you to go pick it up. Indy's whip, revolver and canteen, as well as any unique plot-critical items he finds, cannot be dropped, however.
56	* DragonLady: Mei Ying, and far more prominently, the Feng twins. In case of Mei Ying, that's part of her job as an infiltrator and spy to do the whole FemmeFatale stuff. The twins meanwhile are a really colourful TheHeavy, checking just about every possible box there is in terms of a walking cliche.
57	* DressingAsTheEnemy: When Indy infiltrates a German base, he has to steal documents and a uniform to get past the security and reach the gondola.
58	* DrillTank: Von Beck tries to kill Indy late in the game with one in "Von Beck's Revenge".
59	* DualBoss: The Feng Twins, who're fought like standard human enemies but are faster and can use combined attacks.
60	* EatenAlive: Happens to Indy if he gets too close to the Kraken during the boss battle, which can happen if he gets too many jellyfish on him.
61	* ElementalPowers: Downplayed but present: if you take a close look during the final boss battle you'll notice that the four power ups you need are themed with the four elements. Too bad though that Chinese lore has ''five'' elements (earth, wood, metal, fire, water).
62	* EliteMooks: Several examples:
63	** The Nazi flamethrower mooks are very tough and annoying to fight because they cannot be grappled or disarmed, and keep knocking Indy down or setting him on fire, in both cases preventing him from fighting.
64	** The Nazi officers are much faster than the ordinary soldiers.
65	** The Black Dragon palace guards can soak a huge amount of damage and are very deadly with their spears, and quite strong even when disarmed.
66	* EmergencyWeapon: Machetes can be used as weapons, but are fairly weak and awkward to use. It's usually better to simply rely on GoodOldFisticuffs.
67	* EscapeSequence: The DrillTank segment involves Indy frantically running down a narrow corridor to avoid Von Beck goring him with a big fat drill.
68	* EvilSorcerer: What Kai really is, and able to summon a demon named Kong Tien.
69	* FallingChandelierOfDoom: In the Prague level. There's even a practical ''lever'' to pull it on a quartet of unsuspecting Nazis.
70	* FauxFluency:
71	** Indy's attempt at speaking Chinese is pretty miserable.
72	** A Gestapo mook pronounces "strudel" wrong -- a German would pronounce it more like "schtrudl".
73	* FedoraOfAsskicking: It's Indiana Jones. Of course he's got his fedora. Which can be knocked off in a fight and must be retrieved afterward.
74	* {{Foreshadowing}}: One of the keys to the inner sanctum of Poseidon's Temple is the "Kraken Coin", pictured on a pillar outside of the hall as an octopus-like being with red "eyes" in his mouth. You get to fight the very same beast in the final area (aptly named, The Lair of the Kraken).
75	* GasMaskMooks: The German flamethrower units are clad in gas masks and [[BadassLongcoat long black coats]].
76	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Many of the bosses in the game have little-to-no foreshadowing prior to their appearance.
77	* GiantMook: Ivory hunters and Nazi soldiers both come in two versions -- normal and "brawny" -- with the latter being much tougher and capable of unique grapple attacks.
78	* GiantSquid: There's a boss fight against one, the Kraken, under Istanbul. This one, however, doesn't attack with CombatTentacles, but by sending poisonous jellyfish at you.
79	* GlassCannon: The Chinese martial artists are fast and can pull off some fancy moves, but have little staying power.
80	* GoodScarsEvilScars: After Von Beck's encounter with the crocodile, he is left with jagged scars across his face and a [[EyeScream missing eye]].
81	* GoodOldFisticuffs: The primary method of fighting when running out of ammo.
82	* GrievousBottleyHarm: Thrown wine bottles are surprisingly effective against mooks.
83	* GroinAttack: Possible to use against enemies, resulting in a scream of pain and few secs of stun. Indy can be on the receiving end against the Feng Twins.
84	* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier: Mei Ying starts to badmouth Indy in Chinese when she and Marshal Kai visit Indy's office. Indy cuts through it, and while ''his'' Chinese is terrible, it's more than enough to make them both stop, as he clearly ''understands'' what's being said behind his back.
85	* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: The Emperor Huang Di, if his first words during his short resurrection near the end are of any indication.
86	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Upon losing control of the Heart of the Dragon, Kai is devoured by the very dragon he summoned.
87	* HollywoodAcid: You have to use vials of this (later a broken pipe oozing it) to defeat the Homunculus.
88	* HumanSacrifice: Of Mei Ying, of course. To a demon.
89	* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Marshal Kai's scenes with a caged Mei Ying. Subverted in that he intends to offer her to his master Kong Tien rather than take her as a spouse as he originally intended to.
90	* ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder: When Kai broaches the subject of the Heart of the Dragon and its supposed "power to [[MindControl control the will of men]]", Indy says "I'm an archaeologist, not a mystic".
91	* ImpossiblyLowNeckline: The Feng Twins, again.
92	* ImprovisedWeapon: One of the features of the game is to allow you to use random objects like bottles as throwing weapons, and furniture as clubs.
93	* ImmuneToBullets: Most supernatural enemies and bosses are completely immune to bullets, while the others are nearly so. For example, the Feng twins will almost always deflect bullets with their fans, while ghouls will stagger when hit, but take little to no actual damage.
94	* IndyHatRoll: Some closing doors force you to do this.
95	* InformingTheFourthWall: When Indy tries to open a locked door: "That's not gonna work."
96	* JawsFirstPersonPerspective: The EscapeSequence is seen from the point of view of the DrillTank chasing Indy.
97	* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Indy, ever the CombatPragmatist, can do this to enemy mooks.
98	* KillItWithFire: In Kong Tien's temple, you can use the blue torch to bludgeon the ghouls to death, setting them ablaze.
99	* MacheteMayhem: One of the first additional weapons. You mostly use it to cut through foliage and overgrown vines.
100	* MacGuffinGuardian: The Heart of Koru Watu can only be reached by crossing a pool where a humongous albino crocodile swims. The way to the third fragment of the mirror under Istanbul is guarded by a large Kraken.
101	* McNinja: Mei Ying's fighting costume is heavily based on the ninja stereotype of an agile stealthy assassin in a black suit and mask.
102	* MeleeDisarming: Indy can disarm his foes with either his whip or by knocking them down and notably enemies can also disarm Indy via the knock down method. However, some enemies (such as Nazi flamethrower mooks) cannot be disarmed, and Indy will never drop his starting items (revolver, whip, canteen) and unique plot-critical items.
103	* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: The rivers of Ceylon and Penglai Island are infested with them, and the Temple of Koru Watu not only is heavily themed after crocodiles but is also guarded by a giant albino croc, to which Indy personally introduces Von Beck.
104	* NightOfTheLivingMooks: The last two levels features undead ghouls possessed by yellow wraith thingies that you must kill. In the tomb of the Emperor, some of these spirits will actually possess freshly killed mooks.
105	* NoNameGiven: The red-clothed Feng twin is identified as "Mei Mei",[[note]]It's not clear if this is meant to be her actual name, or just Chinese for "little sister"[[/note]] but her green-clad sister is never identified.
106	* NotQuiteDead: Von Beck was seen being pulled beneath the waters by the albino crocolisk in Ceylon, a beast that would OneHitKill Indy if it managed to catch up up to him. Though he was presumed to be deceased, [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Von Beck somehow either killed it or otherwise escaped it]], though not without suffering greatly and losing an eye in the process.
107	* NoSell:
108	** Some enemies, such as the Nazi flamethrower troopers and the Feng twins, are immune to grapple attacks. If Indy tries one on them, he will not only fail, but will usually also get knocked down for his trouble -- the Feng twins can retaliate with a GroinAttack instead.
109	** Most bosses are immune to normal attacks, and special weapons are needed to defeat them.
110	* OptionalStealth: There are some missions where you're told to be "stealthy" and sneak unnoticed into buildings. You can still punch and kick the ass of every single mook you come across without penalty. In certain areas however, if you're spotted by the Nazis they'll activate an alarm that will close some of the doors, forcing you to turn it off.
111	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: In the FinalBoss fight, Kai summons one with the power of the Heart of the Dragon. Unlike typical Chinese dragons, this one is mindless and breathes fire.
112	* OurSoulsAreDifferent: The last key required to proceed in Prague is the "Crystal Soul"... which is a glass ball with a fiery orange light inside, found on an odd contraption connected by tubes to a throne occupied by a red-robed skeleton, implying that it's actually a soul. [[FridgeHorror That you deliver to a demonic-looking statue which then plunges back into a pit of fire.]]
113	* PaintingTheMedium: Exaggerated in quite possibly the coolest manual ever. It's presented as Indy's journal, with notes jotted down every and various scraps of paper fixed in with paper-clips. Everything in the game is presented as something at least tangentially related to the topic. Basic controls? Doctor's orders. Combat? Some pages from a hand-to-hand training manual sent to Indy by his father. Items and inventory? A materials release form from Barnett College. The cast and crew? A list of Indy's colleagues to which he owes thanks. Even the warranty is presented as a certificate of ownership from the American Bullwhip Manufacture. These are interspersed with notes, newspaper clippings, and even advertisements that both create a feeling of being in the 1930's, provide some foreshadowing, and even throw out a ContinuityNod here and there, including a reference to the Dark Horse comic series. Check it out [[https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Microsoft_Xbox/Manual/formated/Indiana_Jones_and_the_Emperor-s_Tomb_-_Activision.pdf here]].
114	* PrecisionGuidedBoomerang: Pa Cheng will automatically lock on the target you're facing and try to home on it, returning to Indy's hand in no time.
115	* PuzzleBoss: The second and third bosses, the Homunculus and the Kraken, cannot be fought with conventional means: the former is immune to everything you can throw at him, forcing you to douse him with the acid vials scattered in the lab. The Kraken has to be driven away with the special speargun so that you can destroy the four pillars with the demo charges.
116	* RevolversAreJustBetter: Indy's revolver is the strongest handgun in the game, but ammo for it becomes increasingly scarce as the game goes on.
117	* RunOrDie: In "Von Beck's Revenge", Von Beck decides to run Indy down with a DrillTank. It's too tough for conventional weaponry, so all Indy can do is run his ass off.
118	* SheCleansUpNicely: Mei Ying makes quite an impression on Indy when he sees her dressed up in a pink ''UsefulNotes/{{qipao}}'', rather than the dowdy business suit or McNinja combat uniform she'd worn up to that point.
119	* ShovelStrike: A shovel is one of the obtainable weapons.
120	* SinisterScimitar: Seen in Istanbul with the turkish guards wielding yatagan and in China with goons armed with curved swords. While Indy can pick up and use them, he can only take the yatagan with him, but will exchange it for a machete asap.
121	* StandardFemaleGrabArea: Mei Ying suffers from this. Then again, she was at a disadvantage.
122	* StupidJetpackHitler: In Prague you face an experimental super-soldier in a typical mad scientist's laboratory. And then later there is Von Beck's notorious drill-tank.
123	* SuperDrowningSkills: Averted with Indy, who can hold his breath for a pretty decent amount of time underwater. Played straight with enemy Mooks, who die instantly if they fall in deep water.
124	* TakeOverTheWorld: Kai's real objective.
125	* TakeThatKiss: Possessed Mei Ying gives one to Jones before tossing him on a balcony for the boss battle.
126	* TeethClenchedTeamwork: In the cutscene in the middle of the Penglai Lagoon sequence, it's obvious that while Kai and the Nazis are allied, they do not get along: the former considers the Nazi incompetents, the latter thinks Kai is too suspicious and plans to get rid of him as soon as the Heart of the Dragon is recovered.
127	* ThisIsADrill: The infamous DrillTank chase sequence.
128	* ThoseMagnificentFlyingMachines: Indy finds a functioning one hidden in the clocktower of Prague's castle. He uses it in a cutscene to reach the isolated Vega Tower.
129	* ThoseWackyNazis: Albrecht Von Beck and his goons are the main antagonists on several levels. However, it's eventually revealed that Kai's the real mastermind.
130	* ThreateningShark: Featured on some aquatic levels, such as the Temple of Belisarius in Istanbul and the lagoon on Penglai island. Indy can even be SwallowedWhole by them! Fortunately, if you have a spear-gun handy, you can fight back. Even the machete will do. Also, luckily, Indy can spot them from dry land and can potentially drive them off with explosives or gunfire - and as they are also happy to attack {{Mook}}s, Indy can use them to his advantage in a fight.
131	* TreacherousQuestGiver: Marshall Kai is the one who hired Indy to locate the remaining pieces of the Mirror of Dreams and find the Emperor's Tomb. Though ostensibly working on behalf of the Republic of China, he had his own agenda as the cult leader of the Black Dragon Triad.
132	* TropicalIslandAdventure: The first chapter of the game takes place in Ceylon, AKA Sri Lanka, with the accompanying jungle and ruins.
133	* UnderwaterBossBattle: The Kraken. Namely, the room does have areas out of the water, but the battle itself must take place underwater. Fortunately, the [[StationaryBoss monster doesn't leave his nest]], but will try to drag you to him.
134	* UnexpectedShmupLevel: Several times, including a chase scene through Hong Kong and defending a cable car from fighter planes.
135	* VillainHasAPoint: Though it's a discussion between villains, when Von Beck angrily asks Kai why he betrayed them by hiring Jones, Kai points out that Jones made more progress in two weeks than they did in ''two years''.
136	* WaterIsDry: Almost every chapter requires you to swim at various stages in order to proceed, and Indy always seems to be bone-dry as soon as he gets out of the water.
137	* WeaponOfXSlaying: The Pa Cheng can be used to harm demons and permanently get rid of those floating yellow wraiths.
138	* WouldHitAGirl: Indiana vs the Feng twins. It's not possible to continue the game without beating them up. Indy lampshades this, saying that he doesn't normally hit women, but he'll make an exception for the Feng twins.
139	* YellowPeril: Marshall Kai and the Black Dragon triad are the main antagonists of the game, working with [[ThoseWackyNazis Von Beck and his Nazi henchmen]] to get their claws on the Heart of the Dragon.
140	* YouALLLookFamiliar: Somewhat {{justified\|Trope}} given that many of the foes are uniformed guards/soldiers or masked assassins etc. But the first chapter in Ceylon has you fight and kill the same two ivory hunters over and over and over again -- a Russian and a South African.
141	* ZeerustCanon: UsefulNotes/QinShiHuangdi's tomb was found in 1974 as a very real thing - that's from where the famous Terracota Army is from. However, in-universe, it's 1935, and it's still stuff from legends.

Context VideoGame / IndianaJonesAndTheEmperorsTomb