Line #22 VideoGame/LoneSurvivor


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7
8	->''Dear diary,''
9	--> ''Since the outbreak started, I've tried to look after myself. A little better each day. The trouble is... [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness I don't know what's real anymore]].''
10
11	''[[http://www.lonesurvivor.co.uk/ Lone Survivor]]'' is a 2012 SurvivalHorror / AdventureGame, created and designed by Jasper Byrne of [[http://www.superflatgames.com/ Superflat Games]].
12
13	You control an unnamed protagonist referred to [[NoNameGiven simply as "You"]]; as its title implies, the aim of the game is to survive a [[ZombieApocalypse zombie(?) apocalypse]] set AfterTheEnd by scavenging food and items, while attempting to find a way out of the city in which you are trapped.
14
15	Not to be confused with the [[Literature/LoneSurvivor 2007 nonfiction book]] and its [[Film/LoneSurvivor film adaptation]].
16	----
17	!!Tropes featured in this game include:
18	* AdvancingBossOfDoom: [[spoiler:After "You" calls the lift from the basement to trap "Daddy" in there, he relentlessly pursues you through the basement until you escape.]]
19	* AfterActionReport: After the credits, you will see your [[spoiler:"psych report"]] and see statistics throughout the playthrough.
20	* AllJustADream: In the original cut of the game, dying causes "You" to wake up as if he had just had a nightmare. This has been removed in The Director's Cut. [[spoiler:Also, "You" is insane and spends several days in psychiatric care, regressed into his own mind throughout the game until the end.]]
21	* AllThereInTheScript: The Man in Blue has NoNameGiven, but the game refers to him internally as [[spoiler:Draco. The name "Draco" is mentioned in the game as the author of a diary. In it, he describes his aggressive approach to survival (which serves as a tutorial for killing monsters). Two of the pages of this diary can be found in Apartment 206, where "You" lives. There is also an old note to be found in Apartment 205 that warns the reader not to listen to him.]]
22	* BadSamaritan: The main character has to take a Blue Pill and go to sleep in order to visit The Man in Blue. He will supply "You" with a clip of ammo after each visit and can be seen as [[DealWithTheDevil a last resort to get more ammunition]].
23	* BadassFingerSnap: The Man in Blue warps around and triggers music with a snap of his finger, like ''Star Trek'''s Q.
24	* BadassPreacher: The Man Who Wears a Box is decked out in black clothing, advocates pacifism, and has a Christian cross scribbled on his headgear.
25	* BigBad: The closest thing to one is [[spoiler:The Man in Blue, who tempts and taunts "You" into staying trapped in his delusions. He supplies "You" with extra ammo, encouraging aggression and destructive behavior. "Mother" could also be considered this, seeing as it is implied she is the source of the disease.]]
26	* BigEater: Your character is ''always'' complaining he's hungry.
27	* BigGood: The closest thing to one is [[spoiler:The Man Who Wears a Box. He supplies "You" with food and batteries, encouraging pacifism and healthy behavior.]]
28	* BlandNameProduct: The [=GameJoy=]. The red-and-white soda can labeled 'soda'. The ground meat which is apparently called "SPUM". The [=GameJoy=] is changed to the ESP in the [=PS3=]/Vita versions and looks like a PSP.
29	* BodyHorror: The two types of monsters seem to be former humans, faceless and mutated.
30	* BoomHeadshot: Thinman-type mutants are most easily killed using this method. Due to the way aiming mechanics work, though, you need to be almost point-blank before you can shoot directly at the head, so be cautious.
31	* BoringButPractical: The protagonist comes to a gun shop filled with automatic weaponry and even (somewhat inexplicably) a chainsaw. His statement that his pistol is more "his style" prohibits the player from picking up any of it. Which makes sense, as using guns you aren't trained in (especially high-recoil ones like shotguns) is an easy way to injure yourself, and swinging a chainsaw around in combat is a great way to accidentally cut your own leg open.
32	* BossBattle:
33	** [[spoiler:The only boss battle is at the end when scaring off Mother.]]
34	** [[spoiler:Some might also consider Daddy a boss, even though you can only run from him.]]
35	* BrokenBridge: The city and apartments would be a lot easier to navigate if these weren't all over the place.
36	* CoatHatMask: The Director is easily identified by his shabby brown trench coat and fedora.
37	* CompanionCube: The Cat Plush and Chuck the Plant. [[spoiler:Talking to them seems to improve your mental health.]]
38	* CrypticConversation: Expect a lot of this. The Director and Hank are the only ones who really bother to speak plainly.
39	* DancePartyEnding: The Yellow Ending.
40	* DeadWeight: Fatmen. In keeping with gaming tradition, they take a lot more punishment than Thinmen.
41	* DramaticUnmask: If the player obtains the Green Ending, it is assumed that [[spoiler:"You" is actually The Man Who Wears a Box]], but now without the box.
42	* DrivenToMadness: Occurs gradually to the protagonist ([[MindScrew maybe]]), as well as Hank if he is given enough blue pills.
43	* EvilOldFolks: An old man wearing a blue shirt is the biggest threat in this game.
44	* {{Expy}}:
45	** The monsters all look like smaller versions of [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]] and are even called "Thinmen". They even cause your screen to [[InterfaceScrew blur and skip]] and make a sort of [[HellIsThatNoise electronic static sound]] as they get closer.
46	** The Man Who Wears a Box is the cuddly, pacifistic cousin of Pyramid Head. Additionally, the pocket flashlight and static could be a homage to ''Franchise/SilentHill''.
47	* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:The White-Faced Man is the main representative of the Green Ending (as well as The Man Who Wears a Box), which shows the Lone Survivor the truth he's been trying to avoid. For that reason, the Survivor feels deeply uncomfortable whenever he draws near the pale-faced man.]]
48	* GainaxEnding: In three basic variations: Red, Blue, and Green, with Yellow and White added to The Director's Cut. [[spoiler:It's no coincidence that the Red, Green and Blue paths are named for the colors of pills you find lying around]].
49	* GirlNextDoor: Hinted at to a degree. Several apartments on "You" 's floor suggest the enigmatic [[spoiler:and possibly metaphorical depiction of "You" 's deceased lover,]] "The Girl in the Blue Dress" resided nearby.
50	* GoldenEnding:
51	** The Green Ending is a more difficult ending to get than Blue or Red, as it requires you to keep your sanity relatively high by the end of the game, which means avoiding shortcuts that would make the game shorter/easier and doing more of the sidequests. [[spoiler:The Green Ending is the only one that suggests you've recovered from insanity.]]
52	** That description also applies to the White Ending, but more so. It requires you to max out your sanity and missing out on certain sanity boosting items found only on NewGamePlus can screw you out of getting it.
53	* GuideDangIt: You're more than likely to never find the cooking pot, receive the bonus item from The Director, or tame Sunny the Cat on your first playthrough without some outside assistance.
54	* HomeSweetHome: "You" says "Home again" whenever you enter your apartment.
55	* HopeSpot: A few. Most notably when [[spoiler:after you survive great dangers in complete darkness and come into a serene, quiet, and well-lit area, you find the girl hunched over under a ray of light. When you approach and try to speak to her, she says "I don't want you to see me like this" and, if your sanity isn't high enough, turns into a monster.]]
56	* {{Horror Hunger}}: If you have very low mental health, attempting to eat rotten meat has "You" remark that it looks tasty. Also, giving blue pills to the infected Hank can result in him having hunger for meat.
57	* TheHyena: The Man in Blue.
58	* ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: Several items are provided by other characters, such as the flashlight, the gun, and cooking supplies.
59	* KleptomaniacHero: Weirdly inverted. "You" is often, almost irrationally, concerned about not pilfering supplies from apartment 206 -- almost to the point where it appears that he's angry with himself for even considering it. However, he has no problem taking objects found in the other rooms (scissors, keys, etc.) or searching their closets. It might be ascertained that he [[WithMyHandsTied only takes things that are required for his survival]].
60	* MoneyToThrowAway: When given the option to rifle through a cash register for cash, "You" remarks to himself how useless currency is.
61	%%(ZCE)* LastLousyPoint: Attempts to obtain a more preferable ending are bound to be dogged by this.
62	* LimitedWardrobe: "You" refuses to take/wear the clothing that is found in his apartment (the shoes and jacket are particularly noteworthy), instead opting to go several days (or weeks) wearing the same outfit.
63	* LonersAreFreaks: Averted by The Man Who Wears a Box. He's a bit of a weirdo and tries to convince the Survivor that isolation prevents you from being hurt, but is ultimately one of the more benevolent characters.
64	* LukeIAmYourFather: A radio snippet right at the game's end suggests that this may be the case for [[spoiler:"You" and The Director.]]
65	* MagicMirror: Mirrors can inexplicably serve as a gateway between Apartment 206 and distant locations. You can only have your apartment mirror attuned to the most recent mirror you looked at, but it's easily the fastest and least dangerous way to get from point A to point B. It surprises "You" the first time it happens, but afterwards he takes it in stride.
66	* MoralityPet: Available in the form of an actual pet, a stray white cat that you can adopt if you feed it enough cans of cat food. Feeding it and petting it improves your sanity, taking away some of the black marks you may have earned through killing things.
67	* TheMovieBuff: The Director's {{catchphrase}} "We're all in this together" is a quote from the film ''Film/{{Brazil}}''. "Here's looking at you, kid" is from ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'', while "the world is yours" is the slogan from ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}''. This implies he may be an actual film/TV director.
68	* MultipleEndings: The ending that occurs is based on numerous acts performed in the game. These statistics are listed [[spoiler:as a "psych report"]] after the ending is shown.
69	** The Red Ending: This ending can only be obtained by having the lowest possible Mental Health, which is the X★ rank.
70	** The Blue Ending: This ending can only be obtained by having average to poor mental health, which would be the D+ to X-ranks.
71	** The Green Ending: This ending can only be obtained by having good to perfect mental health, which would be the C- to S★ ranks.
72	** The White Ending: This ending can only be obtained by having the highest possible mental health, which is the S★ rank, and going down an alternate hallway at the end of the game. Significantly easier to obtain in NewGamePlus.
73	** The Yellow Ending: Joke ending only available after getting the White Ending at least once.
74	* MurderMakesYouCrazy: Literally. Killing monsters is a fine way to lower your sanity. If you want to avoid that happening, get used to sneaking around and learn how to use flares.
75	* NightmareDreams: The game opens with one of "You" 's night terrors--although to be honest, it's actually not much scarier or dreamlike than the waking parts of the game.
76	* NoNameGiven: Most characters have either vague names ("You" and She), descriptive ones (White-Faced Man, The Director), or actual ones (Hank, Chie), but The Man in Blue's title is only shown in the postgame; otherwise, his name shows up as "???" or "Seated Figure" even though he constantly insists that "You" knows him. [[spoiler:This might be because he's actually a hostile figment of "You's" imagination. If "You" acknowledges that he's real, it earns a ton of points towards the Blue Ending.]]
77	* NoPeripheralVision: Some rooms have alcoves that "You" can press against to hide from and sneak past monsters.
78	* NowWhereWasIGoingAgain: Managed by means of the radio in Apartment 206. Scanning across all channels will give you a hint about what your current objective is.
79	* ObiWanMoment: [[spoiler:The Director]] is killed by [[spoiler:Mother at the end of the game]], directing the player to locate the hospital and lamenting the loss of someone dear before finally succumbing to his wounds and expiring.
80	* PostProcessingVideoEffects: The pixels flicker like an old cathode ray tube.
81	* ThePlague: The monsters are created this way. Hank has been infected, and is slowly turning into one himself. [[spoiler:He can be cured if the player gives up all the rare [[HealingPotion health potions]] found in the last act of the game.]]
82	* {{Retraux}}: Everything is done in a highly pixelated style.
83	* SanityMeter:
84	** Albeit an unseen one that affects which ending you get. Several factors raise or lower your sanity, including monsters killed, types of foods/pills consumed, sleep schedule, and the completion of optional sidequests.
85	** Attempting to eat rotten meat acts as a visible indicator of "You's" sanity. If "You's" mental health is fine, he will just say "No." If it's deteriorating, "Maybe." If you've been neglecting it a lot, "Actually, that looks pretty tasty."
86	** Mirrors are another indicator. "I'm doing well, considering" is good. "I'm starting to look like one of them" is awful.
87	* SeekingSanctuary: "You" has to take a Green Pill and go to sleep in order to visit The Man Who Wears a Box, who is dressed like a priest of sorts. He provides you with some snacks/batteries should you run low on either.
88	* ShoutOut:
89	** When speaking to the Cat Plush, "You" will sometimes say "[[Franchise/HelloKitty Hello, kitty]]".
90	** Chuck the Plant is a common EasterEgg in Creator/LucasArts adventure games.
91	** The room where TMWWAB & The Man in Blue reside has a ''Series/TwinPeaks'' theme going on. At one point The Man in Blue launches into a bizarre dance, similar to the series' Dwarf character.
92	** [[http://lonesurvivor.wikia.com/wiki/Silent_Hill_references Many shout-outs to Silent Hill]], fitting since the creator of the game previously made a VideogameDemake of ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' named ''[[http://superflatgames.com/wordpress/?page_id=139 Soundless Mountain II]]''
93	* SpellMyNameWithAThe:
94	-->'''You''': Thanks, Mr. Director.\
95	'''Director''': The. ''The'' Director.
96	* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''[[http://superflatgames.com/wordpress/?page_id=139 Soundless Mountain II]]'', which was a more direct remake of ''VideoGame/SilentHill2''.
97	* [[SpoiledByTheManual Spoiled By The Soundtrack]]: The titles of some of the songs tell you a bit about the game that might not otherwise be clear. [[spoiler:The ending music for the Red and Blue endings is titled "Sleep Forever". The title of the Green ending theme is "Survival". The credits music for any ending is "Moving On". See where this is going?]]
98	* SurrealHorror: What isn't symbolic is likelier just nonsensical, but often used to disturbing effect.
99	* SurvivalHorror: Through and through. The game emphasizes resource management and difficult pick-your-battles scenarios.
100	* SurvivorsGuilt: Arguably the driving theme of the game's plot. [[spoiler:The Lone Survivor was in all likelihood the only one who lived through the bus bombing, and the events of the game itself are just an extended delusion to help him cope. The ending you get determines if he sinks further into psychosis, kills himself, or heals and moves on.]]
101	* TalkativeLoon: If given multiple blue pills, Hank will become increasingly unstable, sometimes just muttering to himself if prompted.
102	* TenSecondFlashlight: "You" 's flashlight is a real battery hog, and to make it worse, it dims as the battery dies. Thankfully it's not necessary that often, as batteries are more healthily spent on a [=GameJoy=] session.
103	* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: Deciding what's real and what isn't is largely up to the player. The game itself keeps its cards close to the chest.
104	* TomatoInTheMirror: In the Green Ending, "You" [[spoiler:turns into The Man Who Wears a Box, sans box. In the Blue and Red Endings, he turns into The Man in Blue]].
105	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: "You" has generally positive opinions on most of the things he eats, but cooked ham practically sends him into spasms of joy. [[spoiler:Even the "psych report" listing for how many times you've eaten the dish just says "BAKED HAM!"]]
106	* TwoRoadsBeforeYou: TMWWAB is a pacifist entity. He stands in polarity with The Man in Blue, who is intractably hostile to anything and everything. TMWWAB provides batteries and food, which promotes a peaceful and pacifist playstyle; The Man in Blue provides ammo for your handgun, which in turn promotes a violent and destructive playstyle.
107	* UrbanRuins: The last portion of ''Lone Survivor'' takes place in this after the protagonist finally finds his way out of his apartment. What exactly happened to this CityWithNoName to start the ZombieApocalypse is a RiddleForTheAges.
108	* ViolationOfCommonSense: [[spoiler:Even "You" says that sticking his hand in the maw is crazy. But that's where the generator key is, so...]]
109	* WaxingLyrical: "So you got yourself a gun... [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_3 got yourself a gun]]..."
110	* WeakenedByTheLight:
111	** While your dim flashlight will only attract their attention, the bright light of a burning flare will stun mutants, allowing you to dash past them unharmed. [[spoiler:Enough flares can even drive off Mother, meaning you don't need to shoot her.]]
112	** Hank has a strong aversion towards light (likely due to his infection) and will ask "You" to shut off the flashlight in his presence.
113	* WombLevel: A few areas in the game, like the basement, look like they are this, but they actually aren't. This is intentional.
114	* YouHaveToBelieveMe: "You" can have a conversation like this with the guys at Chie's party. [[spoiler:In their defense, "You" may actually be delusional on top of being hysterical.]]

Context VideoGame / LoneSurvivor