Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context VideoGame / Overgrowth

Go To

1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/overgrowth.jpg]]
2 [[caption-width-right:350:[[ArcWords You always have a choice.]]]]
3
4''Overgrowth'' is the [[ExtremelyLengthyCreation long awaited]] sequel to ''VideoGame/{{Lugaru}}'' by [[http://www.wolfire.com Wolfire Games]]. ''Overgrowth's'' story, like its predecessor, takes place on [[ThePlace Lugaru island]]: a place entirely populated by [[MatureAnimalStory violent anthropomorphic animals]]. It follows the further adventures of Turner, the [[CrusadingWidow vengeful widower]] turned [[WalkingTheEarth wandering warrior]], a few years after the events of ''Lugaru''.
5
6An ActionGame with a heavy emphasis on close quarters combat, ''Overgrowth'' also adopts the [[ContextSensitiveButton unique combat system of it's predecessor]] - unlike most other fighting games, it relies far less on button mashing and much more on timing your moves right: the position and range of the enemy and the direction you're moving all influences what Turner will do with each attack. The result is a remarkably fluid and responsive combat system, as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNuuicfbM44 this video demonstrates]]. It's also fairly realistic in nature: for example, if you hit your opponent hard enough in the neck or they take a bad fall, it's [[UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay possible for their neck to break, killing them instantly.]]
7
8Compared to it's predecessor, the game features vastly improved graphics and physics, a wider range of weapons, and new races (the original's rabbits and wolves plus cats, dogs, and rats.
9
10While the game was in beta testing, it was given a new update ([[https://www.youtube.com/user/WolfireGames and a new demonstration video)]] released roughly every month. It is also now on {{UsefulNotes/Steam}} Early Access, and for awhile was on the top 10 selling list. The game was finally given a 1.0 release in October of 2017.
11
12A webcomic was also released during development which fleshed out certain events and characters who are briefly mentioned in the main story. The comic can be read [[http://www.wolfire.com/comic here]].
13
14----
15!!Tropes:
16
17* AdaptationalContextChange: ''Overgrowth'' contains a "port" of ''Lugaru's'' main campaign... it's actually a [[{{Rewrite}} complete rewrite]] that alters or outright removes a plethora of details and plot points of the original game, while leaving only the central conflict intact. See the headings for AdaptationExplanationExtrication, AdaptationPersonalityChange, AfterTheEnd, GenderFlip, TheKingslayer, LackOfEmpathy, and {{Rewrite}} below for details.
18* AdaptationExplanationExtrication: In ''Videogame/{{Lugaru}}'', Turner takes the armor worn by [[TheDon Aspen]] after killing him, despite having ignored the similar suit of armor worn by a [[{{Mook}} mook]] he killed earlier. This is because the armor the boss had was [[IconicItem stolen from Turner in the first place]]. In the updated ''Lugaru'' campaign included with ''Overgrowth'', Aspen's armor [[UniquenessDecay is not stated, implied, nor shown to be important at all]]. It doesn't even [[BlingOfWar look different]] [[AvertedTrope than any other armor]]. Turner takes it anyway without any explanation given beyond the fact that armor is... well, useful. As a result, persons new to the ''Lugaru'' universe [[ContinuityLockOut can be totally unaware that this moment had any meaning beyond]] a [[NextTierPowerUp simple boost in power]].
19* AdaptationPersonalityChange:[[PlayerCharacter Turner]] got hit with this hard. In ''Lugaru'', Turner goes on a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge vengeful quest to kill]] the [[DesertBandits raiders]] after they murder his entire family. When he discovers that their deaths were a [[TheMasquerade small part]] of a much larger problem started by [[GovernmentConspiracy the corrupt king]], and that [[EtTuBrute one of his close friends was directly involved]], he [[HeWhoFightsMonsters gradually becomes colder and angrier]] as he seeks to uproot the conspiracy, and starts to show some [[MaddenIntoMisanthropy antisocial tendencies]]... but he briefly stops to [[ItGetsEasier question his own morality]] when he decides to kill the Alpha Wolf's family, [[spoiler: [[WouldHurtAChild including the pups]]]]. In the end, he succeeds in defeating the conspiracy, and is offered the crown by the king's guards as a [[ExposeTheVillainGetHisJob reward]]... but he refuses it and decides to [[WalkingTheEarth roam the island]] to [[WhatNowEnding search for a new purpose]], partially due to his state of mind. By contrast, in ''Overgrowth's'' rewritten Lugaru campaign, Turner never has any such moment of introspection or gradual descent into cynicism. Instead, his self directed monologue openly claims that his only regret is not being able to [[spoiler:[[ForcedToWatch kill the pups while the Alpha watches]]]], [[{{Jerkass}} as a way of gloating]], and he refuses the crown due to a simple lack of interest.
20-->[[spoiler:'''Turner:''' "[[ThinkingOutLoud The pups are here, good. If only Ash was here to see this]]."]][[note]]Ash is the Alpha Wolf[[/note]]
21* AfterTheEnd: Concept art for ''Overgrowth'' (and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the name]]) hint at this. It shows lots of out-of-place ancient ruins overrun by nature, all clearly [[http://cdn.wolfire.com/blog/ruins/nanoarch.jpg remnants of]] [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfire-games/2983247026/sizes/o/in/set-72157608461285868/ heavily]] [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfire-games/2983247120/sizes/o/in/set-72157608461285868/ decayed]] [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfire-games/2982391259/sizes/o/in/set-72157608461285868/ modern]] [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfire-games/2982392069/sizes/o/in/set-72157608461285868/ architecture]]. [[ShrugOfGod Wolfire Games have so far decided]] to leave the possible backstory of Lugaru [[WildMassGuessing open to interpretation by players]]. Coincidentally, the "Old Raider Camp" mission is absent from ''Lugaru'' remake -- it was very short and mostly pointless,[[note]]After killing the raider chief in the new camp Turner enters the old camp, the raiders refuse to fight and let him in, about 20 paces later Turner meets Skipper, who tells what really happened in their village -- but in the rewrite chief raider tells everything before attacking Turner.[[/note]] but if a player deviated from the obvious path, there were some interesting ruins of a modern concrete slab building.
22* AllThereInTheManual: The comic provides a ''lot'' of context to the final level. It also explains who Janner is; despite not appearing in-game, he has a character model that can be used in the level editor and is labeled by name.
23* AlmostLethalWeapons: Averted. Any weapon can and will kill, very quickly. Even a single punch can be lethal depending on how the victim lands.
24* AntiHero: Turner will often default to violence to solve his problems, and has little problem leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. That said, he's rarely the aggressor, and it's hard to sympathize with his opponents when they're murderers and slavers.
25* AprilFools: The Wolfire team indulges in this day:
26** For 2013, they [[http://blog.wolfire.com/2013/04/Overgrowth-voice-control released a video]] in the same format as their other development videos, saying they met with the developers of [=SoundSelf=] at [=GDC=] and were collaborating with them to add voice control to Overgrowth. They decide to completely drop keyboard and mouse support from Overgrowth because it's obvious that traditional input is obsolete, and voice control is the future of gaming.
27** For 2014, they opened a store with physical items you could buy for your pet rats, cats, dogs, and rabbits. Some of them were ridiculously overpriced.
28* ArtShiftedSequel: Lugaru and Overgrowth have distinctly different art styles, to a point that goes beyond a simple graphical upgrade. (see YouDontLookLikeYou below) This is also true of weapons, armor and tools: In ''Lugaru'', the sword that Turner takes from the King is clearly [[https://electriccartilage.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/dead-by-sword.png?w=830 an arming sword]], having a double edge and a curved crossguard, and his armor is [[http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/544144200759793736/9101ADDF6E5B1489C80F438DAA30B22D55F29DBA/?interpolation=lanczos-none&output-format=jpeg&output-quality=95&fit=inside based on European brigandine armor]] and comes with [[http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/p-1299-leather-vambraces.aspx vambraces]] and a [[http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/c-126-leather-baldrics.aspx baldric]]. In Overgrowth, the sword was changed to [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vATyp-Zs4NA/maxresdefault.jpg a heavy-looking single-edged saber]] while his armor is clearly [[http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/25000/ss_6bbdaf4342fb188f284d03257fb04c6ccbbbbe52.600x338.jpg?t=1484693371 inspired by late Japanese armor design]].
29* AwesomeButImpractical: The [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Leg Cannon]] makes a return. Used properly, it can end nearly any one-on-one fight (against a rabbit) in a single hit. However, it's hard to line up and can backfire spectacularly; a miss will leave the user prone and helpless, and even if it hits it can easily send the user careening off into a wall to their deaths. That said, it's been retooled, and is [[NintendoHard much]] easier to use than it was in ''VideoGame/{{Lugaru}}''.
30* BadassBoast:
31-->'''Turner:''' Please continue predicting my death. Nobody's been right yet.
32* {{BFS}}: A broadsword is available in the arena mode. It was made for dogs, making it roughly as long as Turner is tall. There's also a dog warhammer which is similarly huge.
33* TheBlacksmith: [[PlanetOfHats Dogs]] are known for their weaponsmithing skills.
34** In the webcomic, there's a single rabbit smith who is trying to craft the perfect sword.
35* BloodierAndGorier: A result of [[SequelEscalation improved technology]] rather than a new stylistic direction. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lp3HD3RQOY Some videos]] even focus on the technology they're using to bring the gore to life.
36** Another video also shows the extent to which the improved tech is used to make wounds look realistic and [[AvertedTrope avert]] LudicrousGibs; blood only appears where you landed a hit and scales appropriately with the size of the wound (so a small puncture wound from a spear doesn't bleed as much as a slash from a sword, etc.)
37** AdjustableCensorship: You can [[BlackBlood change the blood color]] to green, cyan, black or even disable it entirely in the options.
38* CallBack: One early level has you climbing a tree in a thunderstorm to steal poison stored at the top. Much later, in the arena, you face off against a group of Catchers punished for letting their poison supplies get raided. One of them even comments on it, bewildered that someone could climb such a tall tree in that weather.
39* CatFolk: The cats.
40* CatsAreMean: Amethyst's family, unlike the other cats, are intensely racist towards the other races, seeing them as playthings for their own amusement at best.
41* CivilizedAnimal: For a given definition of "civilized." All mammals in the land of Lugaru are somewhat anthropomorphic bipeds with language skills, and most are clothed, but they're still part of an ecology that involves eating each other.
42* ComboBreaker: Done by blocking while recovering from being hit.
43* CompressedAdaptation: the [[{{rewrite}} updated]] ''VideoGame/{{Lugaru}}'' campaign is this. Many [[{{Subtext}} fine details]] and even entire subplots from the original game were left out.
44* CounterAttack: Following it's [[VideoGame/{{Lugaru}} predecessor]], the game's combat revolves around tricking opponents into committing to an attack or block, and then punishing mistakes.
45* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler: Willow]], in the [[{{Rewrite}} updated]] ''Lugaru'' campaign.
46* DoubleMeaningTitle: ''"Overgrowth"'' references two things: the state of the [[RuinsOfTheModernAge ruins of human society]], being overgrown with the encroachment of nature, and the state of the rabbits' population after the events of ''Lugaru''. [[spoiler: There's a CallBack here: in the original ''Lugaru'' the Alpha Wolf warned Turner that if he was defeated, the rabbits would overpopulate, causing famine and civil war. The version of the ''Lugaru'' campaign included in this game [[AdaptationInducedPlotHole omits that line.]]]]
47* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:Jairo is the avatar of the Therium itself, and doesn't want the Cinderbreath Empire in his domain, so he manipulates Ghost so he does as much damage as possible to it so they leave and never come back. In the ending where Ghost turns on him and beats him in a fight, Jairo single-handedly destroys the Empire offscreen, leaving only Bijou unharmed]].
48* FantasticRacism: Most cats and dogs think rabbits are just food and slaves.
49* {{Flynning}}: '''Averted.''' Sword fights tend to be nearly [[SingleStrokeBattle single-stroke battles]] if both participants are unarmored. You can [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this trope by doing nothing but blocking, but this will very quickly bite you in the ass.
50* FunnyAnimals: Yes.
51* FunnyBruceLeeNoises: Well, that's what it sounds like if [[https://youtu.be/woRoM-9oH0o?list=UL&t=99 the rabbits fight with animal sounds]]. It's worth noting that the animals all made such sounds in ''Lugaru''.
52* FurriesAreEasierToDraw: WordOfGod states that this is half of the reason they designed the game around animals instead of humans.
53* GameMod: The level editor is part of the package. Naturally, mods, custom levels and custom characters have sprung up. One mod in specific is [[http://www.moddb.com/mods/therium-2/ Therium-2]], a custom campaign including around 46 levels.
54** Therium was eventually added to the game by default, and even got a spin-off (also in the game by default) with Drika's Story.
55* GenderFlip: Several of the male characters were changed to females in the remake of the ''Lugaru'' story. [[DreamingOfThingsToCome Clover]] was originally a woman, Ash, the Alpha Wolf, is now female, being directly referred to as "she". In addition, Willow takes the role of Jack from the original game. [[spoiler: In Willow's case, [[MotiveDecay the change goes beyond gender]]: Jack was a [[TheStrategist calculating and deliberate]] enemy, who was [[MyMasterRightOrWrong fiercely loyal]] to King Hickory despite the latter's cowardice. His plan to manipulate Turner into killing the raiders [[NiceJobBreakingItHero (thus making room for the wolves to conquer Lugaru)]] was largely successful. His ''related'' plan to avoid Turner's wrath by [[PlayingPossum feigning his own death]] during the raider's attack [[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated came undone]] when [[SpannerInTheWorks Skipper]] wasn't killed by the raiders to [[HeKnowsTooMuch keep his mouth shut]] like he wanted. By contrast, Willow demonstrates none of that tact, instead suffering a [[VillainousBSOD mental breakdown]] over the fact that she's helping the wolves make food out of her people.]]
56* GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: A loading screen quote calls Cloud the Prime Minister, which would suggest that after the corrupt King Hickory was overthrown the kingdom became a good republic.
57** [[spoiler:Less so with the cats. They don't seem to be a monarchy (being led by multiple powerful families) but they're pretty clearly the bad guys.]]
58* GoombaSpringboard: The revamped Leg Cannon pretty much allows you to do exactly that. If you attack while in the air, you jump up from the enemy's chest, flinging him and you quite far, and allowing you to repeat the move on a second enemy.
59* HitPoints: Taking influence from ''Lugaru'', there's a complicated [[LifeMeter health meter]], which is completely invisible. You regenerate kinetic damage (like punches and kicks) over time. Damage you take from edged weapons, on the other hand, leaves visible wounds (if you've got blood enabled) and decreases your maximum health, which isn't restored until the next level.
60* InASingleBound: It makes more sense for you to do this when you're an anthropomorphic animal, especially one known for jumping.
61* InTheHood: The revamped raiders in the ''Lugaru'' campaign all wear hoods.
62** The protagonist of Therium uses the same model as the raiders.
63* InUniverseNickname: Some of the slaves are nicknamed by the cats. [[spoiler:Turner is nicknamed Lucky]].
64* TheKingslayer: [[spoiler:Before he started to wander, Turner killed Hickory, the king of the rabbits, for selling out his people to be eaten by the wolves, and thus indirectly causing the [[RapePillageAndBurn destruction of his home]]. This is a complete change from the events in ''Lugaru''. In the original game, Turner exposed the fact that Hickory was [[PuppetKing working with the wolves]] to his own guards. After hearing the truth, the guards forced Hickory [[AbdicateTheThrone to step down]], and [[AProtagonistShallLeadThem effectively gave Turner the throne]]. Some time later, Hickory and a couple of his loyalists attacked Turner in an attempt to regain the throne... ''then'' Turner killed him.]]
65* LackOfEmpathy: [[spoiler: In the ''Lugaru'' remake, Turner doesn't have any problem at all with killing the Alpha Wolf's entire family.]]
66* LensFlare: Done differently than most examples; The glare is simulated as a human eye would see it, not a camera.
67* LesCollaborateurs: When slavers consisted of dogs and cats invaded an island to make local rabbits their slaves, many rabbits on the island joined the slavers and actively hunt other rabbits. They thought they couldn't win against cats or dogs, so they chose an easy way.
68* LightningBruiser: Wolves are tough and fast. If you take their attack, you usually die instantly. Fortunately, they can't use weapons unlike other animals in the game.
69* LoadingScreen: They come in the form of a screenshot of the level. Additionally, every campaign except the ''Lugaru'' remake uses them for some bonus exposition; ''Overgrowth'' has quotes from side characters, while ''Therium'' and ''Drika's Story'' have information about the setting.
70* LowFantasy: There's no magic or anything (unless Priya and Khyo ''do'' exist). Instead, the fantastical elements come from the animal people populating the world; their technology and culture are actually quite grounded.
71** ''Therium'' is more fantastical, but only ''within'' the titular Therium.
72* NoEnding: The Overgrowth campaign ends with [[spoiler: Turner's allies taking over the City in the Clouds, and Turner leaves at the last moment. The game just stops, although it's implied that Turner returns to [[WhereItAllBegan White Flags]].]]
73* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: The story kicks off with Turner actively seeking to avert this. Knowing that fighting off the bandits in White Flags would draw the rest to take revenge, he decides to take them out first... only to find that they take orders from higher ups who would ''also'' take revenge, leading him to systemically take out the entire chain of villains from the bottom up.
74** That said, ''numerous'' characters fall victim to this trope in other ways. The cats seem to like punishing people who help slaves by enslaving them and having them fight in the arena.
75** The Nissaya Massacre Thorn Twinleaf mentions at the end of the game (and what made the City in the Clouds hostile to outsiders) was two of these at once. [[spoiler:Nissaya wanted to keep the Twinleafs from causing more problems, so he killed a group of them, leading them to presumably take the City in revenge. The Twinleafs he killed were trying to apologize and got eviscerated for their trouble.]]
76* NominalHero: '''Turner.'''
77* NoNameGiven: The protagonist of Therium-2 doesn't have his real name revealed until near an ending, so he is known throughout most of the campaign as Ghost. [[spoiler:His real name is Amos.]]
78* OneWordTitle
79* {{Portmantitle}}: Over + Growth.
80* PredatorPreyFriendship: In the pits, Turner befriends a cat named Midnight in an unsteady truce to escape together. By the end, unfortunately, [[spoiler: they're forced to deathmatch each other.]]
81* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Dogs, wolves, and (to an extent) rabbits. Possibly cats, too, although they seem to put more emphasis on the "proud" than on the "warrior."
82* PunnyName: The character who appears in Wolfire's demo videos is named "Robbert." In earlier videos the character was a primitive model made of spheres and cylinders named "Rabbot."
83* RagdollPhysics: ''Overgrowth'' takes ragdoll physics to the next level, featuring "active ragdolls" (so characters can stumble when hit, act as though they're trying to protect themselves while they're falling, and thrash around in pain as they die).
84* {{Rewrite}}: ''Overgrowth'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1KCUeVcAhg contains a "port"]] of ''VideoGame/{{Lugaru}}'' that essentially changes every major plot point in the original game. The already short story was [[CompressedAdaptation made even shorter]], a lot of [[{{Subtext}} subtext]] was cut, and entire subplots were either removed or heavily edited, resulting in some levels that needed some [[HandWave new explanations for existing]]. A definite example of this is the "[[http://blog.wolfire.com/2009/09/character-stats-vs-player-skill/ level with the three wolves]]": in the original game, [[spoiler: King Hickory [[BountyHunter sent the wolves to assassinate Turner]] to keep him away from the Alpha Wolf.]] In the rewrite, [[spoiler: Hickory never does this. As a result, they were rewritten as being "protection against rabbits"... which makes little sense in light of the fact that Hickory is essentially in their pocket due to the fact that he is [[DirtyCoward terrified of them]] to the point of selling his own people ''[[SapientEatSapient to be their food]]''. The wolves also know absolutely nothing about Turner, so it can't be to guard against him, either.]]
85* RunningGag: Turner dies messily at the end of nearly every alpha video released since playable characters were added.
86** [[spoiler:After being captured by the cats]], Turner spends a couple of levels trying to ally himself with every slave he comes across, reasoning that they could fight their way out together. Only Midnight doesn't refuse, and it gets to the point that he tries to talk a ''wolf'' into helping him out.
87* RustProofBlood: [[DownplayedTrope Somewhat averted.]] Bloodstains are shiny and red when they're made, but they become more dull after a few moments. The color stays the same, though.
88* SavageWolves: The wolves are the only race that doesn't use any armor or weapons whatsoever. They also have a very simple manner of speech.
89* SceneryPorn: The developers ''really'' wanted to show off the new graphics engine, so they did just that through lavish environments.
90* SequelEscalation: The game is a direct sequel to ''Lugaru'', made with and modern technology.
91* ShellShockedVeteran: Both Turner and Willow are this trope in the [[{{Rewrite}} rewritten]] Lugaru campaign.
92* ShowsDamage: Just as in ''Lugaru'', ''Overgrowth's'' damage effects are well detailed, with special attention given to [[https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/83722391132936729/ED6F079B35D5592AFFFBAB2AE560214D8B65FE43/ realistic blood effects]].
93* SincerestFormOfFlattery: David Rosen, head developer at Wolfire and creator of ''Lugaru,'' admitted openly that some of Lugaru 2's (Overgrowth's) new game mechanics [[http://forums.wolfire.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3697 are based on Assassin's Creed]].
94* SuperDrowningSkills: Entering deep water results in instant death.
95** On the other hand, by [[DevelopersForesight sneaking in shallow water that's high enough to put your head under]], you will [[OxygenMeter slowly drown]] instead.
96* VariableMix: Background music becomes more hectic while in combat.
97* VideogameCrueltyPotential: There's an awful lot of ways to punish your foes in this game: roundhouse kicking people's heads into walls, shoulder throwing people into lava, making your enemy fall and break their neck... sneaking up on an enemy and putting them in a choke hold, then kicking them face-first into their friend when he runs to rescue them... and then there's the fun of kicking enemies off cliffs and watching them plummet to their doom. Just be aware that all of the same things can easily happen to you.
98* ThoseTwoGuys: Rent and Cedar, a rat and rabbit respectively. They show up twice in game and seem to work as partners in construction.
99* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: You can throw your weapons to attack enemies. Bigger ones like spears or long swords often kill the enemy instantly.
100** That said, anything that isn't a knife or a spear is unlikely to actually hit blade-first. Larger weapons can fall short and enemies can easily deflect them if they have their own weapons.
101* WhereItAllBegan: [[spoiler:Turner hints that he plans to go back to White Flags, echoing River's statement at the very beginning that it's a place where nothing happens.]]
102** One ending of Therium has Ghost and Bijou move to Turner's village.
103* WreakingHavok: Having [[SequelEscalation vastly upgraded]] from ''Lugaru's'' physics engine, this game has some of the most detailed physics modeling ever seen -- a thrown weapon will spin around its center of mass and, if it hits a surface with its cutting edge, will penetrate into that surface with a depth corresponding to the material's density and the speed at which the weapon was traveling -- although it all adds to the world's verisimilitude and none of it seems gratuitous.
104* YouAllLookFamiliar: Averted despite the limited number of character models - it's amazing what color editing for characters, weapons and other objects can do for variety, and level designers can attach all sorts of accessories to any character (including the player character), from armor to pouches, which also can be modified with the color picker.
105* YouDontLookLikeYou: Thanks to both vastly updated graphics and [[EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference different art direction]], Turner's [[http://blog.wolfire.com/2011/12/Alpha-162-delayed-for-Ludum-Dare appearance]] in ''Overgrowth'' looks almost completely different compared to his [[http://wiki.wolfire.com/images/c/c2/Turner.jpg original appearance]] in ''Lugaru''. Just about the only similarities that remain are Turner's species and fur color.
106

Top