Line #58 VideoGame/NoituLove


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/noitu_love_2_devolution.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Clockwise from bottom middle:[[PlayerCharacter Xoda Rap]], Dr. Tango, [[MissionControl Mr. Almond]], and [[EvilKnockoff Rilo Doppelori]].]]
3	''Noitu Love'' is an indie game series consisting of two side scrollers developed by Creator/{{Konjak}}.
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5	The first game is a mix of an {{action game}} and a {{platform\|Game}}er, whereas the second one eschews the platform element to make a significantly faster paced action game. The plot of the games is relatively [[ExcusePlot simple]]. The first game, set in TheFuture, pits the protagonist, Noitu Love, and his MissionControl, Lori, against a MadScientist, [[BigBad Professor Darnacus Damnation]] and his army of MechaMooks, the Grinning Darns. The second game (subtitled ''Devolution'') takes place further into the future and pits Noitu Love's DistaffCounterpart and ActionGirl, Xoda Rap, and her allies Mr. Almond and Dr. Tango, against the Grinning Darns who've mysteriously risen again. And this time, [[EvilKnockoff Rilo Doppelori]] is [[DragonAscendant leading them]].
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7	The first game can be downloaded on [[http://www.konjak.org/ Konjak's website]], while ''Devolution'' can be bought on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} (with the soundtrack freely downloadable from the aforementioned website). The sequel was also ported to the UsefulNotes/WiiU and UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS [=eShops=] in September of 2016.
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10	!!This series contains examples of:
11	* ActionizedSequel: While both games have a strong emphasis on combat, the first one has a fair amount of puzzle/platforming elements to go with the action, while the sequel is more of a straight BeatEmUp.
12	* AllOfTimeAtOnce: In ''Devolution'' the time period changes in each level because of this.
13	* AfterTheEnd: [[spoiler:The sequel takes place about half a millennium after the rejuvenated Darns wiped out the unprepared humans and laid waste to Earth. The only reason places from 2288 are there is because Tango recreated them in her bid to gain limitless power.]]
14	* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: [[spoiler:The [[TheVeryDefinitivelyFinalDungeon final level]] in both games is the Peacekeeper headquarters, being invaded by the Darns.]]
15	* AllYourPowersCombined: How Xoda plays in ''Devolution''. She has innate, but limited, PsychicPowers, and is nimble enough to squeeze her way into some tight gaps. Things that Noitu himself couldn't do without an Evomatic nearby, and even so not at the same time as Xoda can.
16	* AnachronismStew: Used as a plot point in the sequel; in addition to the Darns being back, the areas visited have been "devolved" from the modern day to other time periods. [[spoiler:This is Tango's distraction while she prepares the Evomatic; her hidden towers are recreating the past (and have already recreated 2288) to throw the heroes off her trail.]]
17	* AnchorsAway: Sailorman in ''Devolution'' wields a chained anchor as a weapon.
18	* AnimalMecha: Among the Darn Army's new creations in ''Devolution'' are a wolf-themed robot named Cyberus and a mechanical sea snake/dragon named Sea Serpent. Neither of them have the signature grinning that other Darn machines have.
19	* {{Animesque}}: The games' art-style features some influences from Japanese video games and anime.
20	* {{Animorphism}}: Used in the first game to help Noitu Love get places and defeat bosses.
21	* AnotherSideAnotherStory:
22	** After beating ''Devolution'' as Xoda, you can play the story again while playing as [[spoiler:Rilo Doppelori]]. The plot shows her beating all the bosses Xoda faced, including the Sea Serpent that clearly blasted her away in Xoda's story. It ends up tying into the main story by the end, though, where [[spoiler:the two characters meet at the Darn Base, and both go different ways, with Rilo going to activate the base's self-destruct and fight a new boss]].
23	** After beating the game as [[spoiler:Rilo]], Almond becomes playable. His story doesn't tie into the others, and since [[spoiler:part of the plot revolves around Almond's capture]], it's clearly non-canon.
24	* TheArtifact: Rilo isn't much of a doppelganger in ''Devolution'' (Lori is long gone by that point), so the game overhauls her role but keeps her appearance.
25	* ArtifactTitle: Noitu Love is nowhere to be found in the second game, though he's still mentioned. As for its SdrawkcabName, evolution is no longer a game mechanic in the sequel, [[spoiler:though it becomes relevant as part of the villain's plot]].
26	* AttackItsWeakpoint: Just about every boss in both games. The only ones who don't have one are either attacked indirectly or are small enough for their entire body to count as a hitbox. Sergeant Killburne from the first game even [[LampshadeHanging has a panel saying "Weak Point" as his weak point]].
27	* AutoScrollingLevel: Two segments of ''Devolution'' are like this, both involving a continuous stream of Darns walking in on a balcony and attacking from above, while ground obstacles (Darns Scraps in Level 2 and swinging axes in Level 3) are also present.
28	* BadFuture: [[spoiler:Year 2888 (the actual year the game takes place) in the sequel, where the Darns have destroyed everything, and Tango's taken over with her towers. Partially fixed after Tango is destroyed.]]
29	* BigBad:
30	** In the first game, [[MadScientist Professor Darnacus Damnation]] leads an army of robot called the Grinning Darns to TakeOverTheWorld (and turn everyone into monkeys).
31	** In ''Devolution'', [[EvilKnockoff Rilo Doppelori]], TheDragon to Darnacus, has returned and [[DragonAscendant is in control of the returning Darns]]. [[spoiler:Except [[DiscOneFinalBoss she was framed]] by [[TheMole Dr. Tango]], who is actually the Darn MasterComputer bent on [[GodhoodSeeker ascending to godhood]] and conquering the world herself]].
32	%%* BiggerOnTheInside: The sequel is only about 12MB in size yet packs in a lot of fast-paced action. (I'm pretty sure this only applies to InUniverse buildings and objects.)
33	* BittersweetEnding:
34	** In ''Devolution''. [[spoiler:Tango's gone, her towers are gone, and with the Darn Base discovered and destroyed in the past, the Darn uprising is averted. However, Rilo is free to rebuild the Darn army, and very much willing to do so.]]
35	** The sequel [[HappyEndingOverride retroactively turns the ending of the first game into one]]. Sure, Professor Darnacus Damnation was stopped, but, unbeknownst to everyone, [[spoiler:he set up his base's AI, Tango herself, to spring up another Darn Army attack. Which she did, by taking TheSlowPath, waiting Noitu to be outlived, then destroying the world [[TheBadGuyWins unimpeded]]. Would very much count as a DownerEnding... If it wasn't for the fact that doing this [[DidntThinkThisThrough resulted in no working Evomatics around]], [[DeusEstMachina necessary for her godhood ascension]]. So, long story short, [[OurTimeTravelIsDifferent area-localized time-travel towers]], bring the last Evomatic under the hero's faction's custody back after said hero is long gone, infiltrate their ranks while springing up more towers into randomized times to keep 'em distracted, etc.]], leading into ''Devolution''.
36	* BossRush: The first game has an extra mode to fight the bosses consecutively. Despite having more focus on bosses, it's absent from ''Devolution''.
37	* BoundAndGagged: A variant without the gag. At the start of the fourth level in ''Devolution'', two of the Grinning Darn grunts are watching over a female captive who is tied up this way. Xoda jumps in and takes out the two grunts but doesn't bother with saving the damsel.
38	* BrickJoke:
39	** In the first level of ''Devolution'', you have to duck behind trees as they get gunned down and fall in the water. After that segment, a Darn Dimwit attacks in a boat from the background. One of those waterborne trees takes him out so that you can progress.
40	** The second part of Stage 3's boss involves the player character running atop a water wheel that's spinning down a river, and the stage ends this way. If you're playing as Xoda, the intro to her fourth stage shows [[OffscreenInertia the wheel suddenly crashing into the desert as she jumps off it]].
41	** In Xoda's western-themed level, she fights Grinsley Gumsburrow and his "nuclear arm", which breaks apart and flies offscreen once he's destroyed. At the end of the level, the arm's hand shows up again in a FreezeFrameBonus, and Sleeper Brakeman's train trips over it.
42	* ChargedAttack: Xoda Rap has two: a grab-and-throw and a charged projectile. [[spoiler:Rilo]] can charge up a laser blast that can target up to four enemies.
43	* CoolBoat: Mordecai Fluke in ''Devolution'' pilots one on land. It has giant wheels, a cannonball shooter, and a chargeable laser beam.
44	* CoolTrain: Sleeper Brakeman in ''Devolution'' pilots one that looks normal... until you beat the mini-boss before him, which causes the train to [[TransformingMecha turn into a walking robot]] and give chase while shooting a cannon.
45	* CreativeClosingCredits: ''Devolution'' ends with an old-fashioned credits reel accompanied by pictures of Xoda giving thumbs-up to various people, followed by all the characters, enemies, and bosses in the game in a yearbook.
46	* CrosshairAware: In ''Devolution'', attacks and movement are controlled by positioning a crosshair with the mouse/stylus/Wii Remote. Also happens with enemy attacks, such as Rilo's missiles (where the crosshairs are numbered in order of impact).
47	* DegradedBoss: Two of the second game's minibosses are Grinsley Gumsburrow, the boss of stage 4 in the first game, and the Omega Darn, the first game’s ''FinalBoss''.
48	* DemotedToExtra: Due to the TimeSkip, every character in the first game except for a few major Grinning Darns (Rilo Doppelori, The Grin Reaper, O2-Joy, Darn Fab, Grinsley Gumsburrow, and the Omega Darn) is only mentioned or briefly seen in pictures. Of the returning Darns, only Rilo gets any dialogue and plot importance, with the others just being bosses.
49	* DevolutionDevice: The Evomatics can do this, and they work forwards as well. Darnacus' plan is to use them to turn all the world's humans into monkeys.
50	* EasyModeMockery: The first game ends prematurely on the easiest difficulty level. The sequel doesn't do this, but it does lock you out of the OptionalBoss fight on the lowest difficulty.
51	* EnemyRollCall: Done at the end of the credits in ''Devolution'', via a yearbook. This is the only place where [[spoiler:Tango Source]]'s identity is revealed. Additionally, if you haven't fought [[spoiler:Shady Hans, Waltz, or Shadowaltz]], their images will be silhouetted out.
52	* ExactWords: Yes, Grinsley Gumsburrow ''does'' have a nuclear arm aboard his blimp. [[RedRightHand It's his right arm]].
53	* ExcusePlot: The first game's plot is that the evil Professor Darnacus Damnation has built an army of robots, the Grinning Darns, and wants to TakeOverTheWorld and turn everyone into monkeys. Noitu must stop him. It basically boils down to "there are bad guys, go kill them". The sequel has a more complex plot underneath that, but most of it is restricted to the final levels, and there's a lot of unanswered questions by the end.
54	* GoForTheEye: The [[FinalBoss Omega Darn]]'s weak point in the second game is his still-attached eye (his left eye has popped out on a spring).
55	* GoshDangItToHeck: PlayedForLaughs. The BigBad of the first game is Darnacus Damnation, "Grinning Darns" is the name of Darnacus's army, and the zombie enemy is called Darn Piece of Crap. Ironically, most major Darns in the first game swear at least once.
56	* HelpfulMook: In Xoda's UnexpectedShmupLevel in the sequel, Darn Nitwits can be used to chain Xoda's Combolt Battery beam so it can get behind shields. They're required to beat Sleeper Brakeman.
57	* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: A few bosses in the series are beat like this.
58	** A giant flying Darn head in the first game is defeated by [[spoiler:having it chomp down on the homing missiles that it shoots at you]].
59	** Both the second and third phases of the first game's final battle are defeated this way. [[spoiler:The nameless turret is defeated by getting it to shoot parts of the wall that reflect its shots back at it, and Darnacus himself is finally beaten when you climb onto the arena's upper levels to activate his deadly laser while he's too distracted laughing at you to get out of the way.]]
60	** The Janitor robot in ''Devolution'' has no weak point. Instead, it must be hurt by [[spoiler:manipulating gravity so that its electricity bombs fly back at it]].
61	* InCaseOfBossFightBreakGlass: A common weak spot for some Darn vehicles, such as the Sky Crawler in ''Devolution''.
62	* IntentionalEngrishForFunny: Said by the Darn Dimwits serving as the [[WarmupBoss first boss]] of the first game: "Is Noitu we see! Is going to die!"
63	* ItsUpToYou: That Peacekeeper group both Noitu and Xoda are a part of? Yeah, don't expect them to help you stop the Grinning Darns. Even when [[spoiler:the Darns [[AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs invade the Peacekeeper headquarters]] in both games]], no one's doing anything but cowering in fear.
64	* LampshadeHanging: Sergeant Killburne's weak spot is a banner that says "weak point".
65	* MeaningfulName: Lori's EvilKnockoff, [[SignificantAnagram Rilo]] [[{{Doppelganger}} Doppelori.]]
66	* MechaMooks: The Grinning Darns are Darnacus' robot army, with many different types within.
67	* {{Metaphorgotten}}: At the end of Xoda's Story Mode, when the BigBad reveals her EvilPlan, [[spoiler:Almond says it is playing God, but Tango retorts that [[GodhoodSeeker she will become a god]], and then goes back to the heroes' statement, pronouncing proudly that "I'd just be playing with myself".]]
68	* MusicalAssassin: There's a lot of music-themed bosses-- the first game has O2-Joy and the disco dancer enemies, while the latter has O2-Joy again, Darn Fab, and The Grinning Four. The only one for whom music plays a role in defeating the boss is O2-Joy, however.
69	* NoEnding: While Xoda's and [[spoiler:Rilo]]'s stories have ending scenes, Almond's doesn't. After beating his FinalBoss, he congratulates himself for doing his part in taking out the Darns, and the credits roll.
70	* NoFinalBossForYou: Xoda and [[spoiler:Rilo]] both get unique final bosses, but playing as Almond ends the game after beating [[spoiler:Tango Source]], who's already fought in Xoda's game.
71	* NoNameGiven: The second phase of the first game's final battle, a turret found inside the Omega Darn, is listed in the credits simply as "I didn't name this."
72	* PuzzleBoss:
73	** O2-Joy in both games. In the first, you must [[spoiler:trigger his BerserkButton (jumping on his piano) so he'll move down to hitting distance]]. In the second, he's on a [[BackgroundBoss background stage]], and to hit him, [[spoiler:piano keys must be stepped on when he moves to the left or right, causing a piano hammer to hit him. He becomes a more conventional boss after hitting half health, though]].
74	** Janitor in ''Devolution''. It lacks a weak-point, but will drop bombs that create electric fields. The trick is to [[spoiler:wait for them to activate, then flip gravity so they fly back at the Janitor]].
75	** Every boss except Darn Reckless in ''Devolution'''s [[UnexpectedShmupLevel Level 4]] (as Xoda). They all involve using the Combolt Battery's chaining to get past shields.
76	* RankInflation: The sequel gives letter grades based on your performance (time spent, damage taken, highest combo gotten) at the end of each stage.
77	* RapidFireFisticuffs: Noitu's and Xoda's primary attack, though in Xoda's case it's much more rapid.
78	* RashomonStyle: If you play as Xoda in ''Devolution'', then in Level 3 you're ambushed by Rilo Doppelori, and then when the Sea Serpent strikes, she helps you but quickly falls off. [[spoiler:If you play as Rilo, the roles are reversed]]. On the other hand, in Xoda's Level 6/[[spoiler:Rilo]]'s Level 5, the ending cutscene for Xoda and [[spoiler:Rilo]] mesh perfectly [[spoiler:(Xoda goes off with Almond, whereas Rilo goes in the other direction to set the self-destruct)]].
79	* RecurringBoss: The majority of bosses in the first game (O2-Joy, Darn Fab, Grinsley Gumsburrow, [[FinalBoss Omega Darn]], etc.) return in the sequel.
80	* RobotGirl: Rilo Doppelori. Also, any female-looking Darn.
81	* RuleOfCool: [[SkySurfing Flying skateboards]], dash kicks starting from mid air, [[SpinAttack spinning somersault kicks]], [[WallJump wall jumps]], etc. Utilize your combat abilities in the sequel well enough and you can fly through huge chunks of stages and even some bosses without ever touching the ground.
82	* RuleOfFunny: Almost all of the bosses.
83	* SdrawkcabName: Noitu Love and Xoda Rap; their names, when spelled backwards, are words relevant to the villain's plot in their respective games ("evolution" and "paradox").
84	* SecretAIMoves: [[spoiler:In the fights with Rilo and Xoda in ''Devolution'', they can perform moves that can't be done while playing as them.]]
85	* ShieldedCoreBoss:
86	** Sleeper Brakeman from ''Devolution'' requires two steps to damage him: Xoda first has to zap the bulb on the train's rear until it pops, and then she has to attack the conductor by chaining to him with one of the Darn Nitwits that spawns from the broken bulb. The bulb regenerates with each hit.
87	** [[spoiler:Tango's first two phases work like this. Antepenultimate Tango is covered in electricity that needs to be dispelled by breaking the two strands supplying it to her, leaving the egg open to attack until the strands regenerate. Penultimate Tango's weak point is covered by a metal diamond that can be disabled by breaking the orange spots on her wings and pulling the hooks underneath them.]]
88	* SlasherSmile: They don't call the Darns the '''Grinning''' Darns for nothing.
89	* {{Squick}}: In-universe, one of Darnacus's lines after Noitu Love defeats Rilo (where he outright admits he made Rilo [[DirtyOldMan to be a "sexy" robot and did "things" to her]]) has this effect on the others.
90	* SuperDeformed: The series is presented in this style.
91	* TacticalSuicideBoss: Nearly all of them in both games.
92	* TakeOverTheWorld: The goal of Darnacus and Doppelori, [[spoiler:and Tango later on]].
93	* ThemeNaming:
94	** Pretty much every Grinning Darn is some variation of "Darn Enemy".
95	** Tango and [[spoiler:Waltz]], who are both [[spoiler:[=AIs=] at Darnacus's secret base]].
96	* TimeSkip: The sequel takes place in 2288, a century after the original game. [[spoiler:Except not. It's actually 2888, and everything from 2288 is there because of Tango's time towers.]]
97	* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler:The sequel revolves around figuring out why areas are being regressed to time periods before the modern day. Except by the end of the game, you discover that the year 2288 is not the modern day either; it's ''600'' years old by this point.]]
98	* TransformingMecha: Sleeper Brakeman drives a transforming ''train''.
99	* UnexpectedShmupLevel: Level 4 of the second game is this for Xoda, as she flies on a hoverboard while using the Combolt Battery, a gun that can chain-hit enemies. It's skipped as [[spoiler:Rilo]] and Almond to avoid redundancy.
100	* UnexplainedRecovery: All the Darn bosses in the first game explode when defeated, yet several show up in the sequel in peak condition ([[FinalBoss Omega Darn]] is at least found in a junkyard and looks very worn down).
101	* UnusualUserInterface: The FinalBoss of the first game requires some bizarre plane operation. Noitu has to fire the plane's missiles by evolving into a psychic, pushing two buttons, evolving back into normal, shooting a wind-up gear about a dozen times to make a missile come down, devolving into a monkey and jumping on the button on top of the missile.
102	* VideoGameDashing: Xoda can perform a dash kick on ground and mid-air.

Context VideoGame / NoituLove