Line #40 VideoGame/MagicianLord


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magician_lord.png]]
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3	''Magician Lord'' was one of Platform/NeoGeo's launch titles in 1990 and a KillerApp for its time. A PlatformGame made by Creator/{{ADK}}, it tells the story of Elta, a young wizard entrusted with the task of collecting eight magic books to keep Az Atorse, the god of destruction, sealed. The evil necromancer Gal Agiese however wants the power of Az Atorse for himself and challenges the young wizard to retrieve them. The game is divided into eight stages, each one of them culminating with the battle against a "guardian" (basically, a sub-boss) and then against Gal Agiese himself, every time turned into some grotesque creature that represents Az Atorse's power (or maybe he's just dicking around with Elta, who knows).
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5	The defining feature of the game was the ability to collect colored orbs to turn Elta into six possible forms with different abilities, increasing for example his agility, jump or firepower. The title is also remembered for its presentation (thanks to the power of the hardware), with great graphics and an amazing soundtrack, but also for its difficulty (it was produced by {{Creator/SNK}} after all) and for many amusing {{Engrish}} quotes. ''Magician Lord'' remained an arcade and Platform/NeoGeo-only release until the 2000s, when it was ported to Platform/{{Wii}}'s Platform/VirtualConsole, ''SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1'' for the Platform/NintendoWii and the Platform/PlayStation2, and later to the Platform/PlayStation3 store, Platform/PlayStation4 and Platform/XBoxOne.
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8	!Elta's alternate forms:
9	* [[LizardFolk Dragon]] [[PlayingWithFire Warrior]] (red orb + red orb)
10	* [[MakingASplash Waterman]] (red + blue orb)
11	* [[AnIcePerson Poseidon]] (blue + blue)
12	* [[{{Ninja}} Shinobi]] (red + green)
13	* {{Samurai}} (blue + green)
14	* [[ShockAndAwe Raijin]] (green + green)
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16	!!Tropes found in the game:
17	* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Stage five appears to be one.
18	* AttackOfTheMonsterAppendage: Literally - the sixth boss appears to be a severed green arm hanging from the ceiling, holding a laser-shooting orb and shooting stuff from its stump and bicep!
19	* BlindIdiotTranslation:
20	** Level five is called "'''A'''nderground passage of terror". There are several other examples, this is just the most blatant.
21	** A lot of Gal Agiese's threats before the main boss fight of the level, too.
22	-->''Your are very dangerous. Be dead down here.''
23	* BossBanter: Oh, Gal Agiese, you and your [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOKRBCQTZDk poor grasp of the English language]]!
24	* BossRush: The final stage consists in nothing more than the seven guardians one after another, and then the final fight against the reincarnated Az Atorse
25	* CatGirl: Many are found in stage six, "Corridor leading to Hell", and a few in the seventh, "Gal Agiese".
26	* EnemySummoner: The fourth guardian is a floating mage that summons eyeless humanoid monsters in groups of three.
27	* EvilLaugh: The second and fourth guardian have one (the same one, in fact). "Heh-heh-heh".
28	* EyelessFace: The fourth boss is a hellhound with giant spikes where its eyes should be. Also, the summoned enemies above.
29	* FinalBossNewDimension
30	* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: In stage four, "Castle of Devils", there are these floating creatures that look like coelacanths.
31	* GameOverMan: Upon losing all of our lives we are greeted with the sight of Gal Agiese's ugly mug.
32	-->''"[[BlindIdiotTranslation Again changes to Hell."]]''
33	* IncreasinglyLethalEnemy: Frogs. These hop around and don't even hurt Elta, but let them live for more than a few seconds and the grow into frog warriors, which ''can'' hurt Elta and are harder to kill and avoid.
34	* MagicKnight: That's what Elta is.
35	* {{Malaproper}}: Before the first boss battle, Gal Agiese says, "What imp'''r'''udence, you human being!" He probably means "impudence".
36	* OldMaster: Appears right before the final battle to let Elta choose one of the six forms to fight Az Atorse.
37	* OrbitingParticleShield: The final form of Az Atorse uses this to attack you, combined with ReverseShrapnel. Interestingly enough, you ''need'' to attack and destroy said orbiting objects in order to win.
38	* OurMonstersAreWeird: For starters, fleshy, veiny "birds" that come out of the ground, attack with electricity and shield themselves with their "wings". And this is just the beginning of the first level!
39	* PaletteSwap
40	* RobeAndWizardHat: Elta wears these, it goes without saying.
41	* ShapeDiesShifterSurvives: Elta gains a second HP meter when he takes on one of his alternate forms; emptying this one will revert him to his base shape.
42	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The sixth guardian is a seemingly human woman, the only unambiguously female one, and also the only enemy that does not explode upon defeat.
43	* ThrowTheDogABone: For little apparent reason, the player's allowed to pick any of their super forms to start the FinalBoss stage as.
44	* SpikeBallsOfDoom: Found especially in the second stage.
45	* StalkedByTheBell: If you take too long to complete a level (not so improbable, some of them have many side areas) a floating, indestructible brain-like creature with claws appears and starts stalking Elta.
46	* ThemeNaming: While it doesn't name ''all'' of the bosses, the Japanese manual implies that besides Gal Agiese, the bosses were all named for Franchise/CthulhuMythos horrors. Besides Az Atorse (meant to be Az Athoth), there's Ithaqua (stage 1 boss), Dagon (stage 3 boss), and Shudde M'Ell (stage 6 boss).
47	* UniqueEnemy: A weird, one-eyed, spider-legged worm that creates tiny copies of itself. It can be found only in one of level three's side areas. Also, the flying winged knight in level four, and the knight on wheels with a lance in level six.
48	* WombLevel: Level three, "Highway leading to [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace a foreign space]]".
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Context VideoGame / MagicianLord