Line #4 VideoGame/RiseOfTheKasai


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rise_of_the_kasai.jpg]]
2	->''"Gather round, all of you who would listen. I have a tale to tell."''
3	-->--'''Kuzo'''
4
5	''Rise of the Kasai'' is a 2005 action game developed by [=BottleRocket=] Entertainment and published by [[Creator/SonyInteractiveEntertainment SCE America]], and the sequel to ''The Mark of Kri''.
6
7	The game takes place [[{{Prequel}} ten years prior to]] and [[TimeSkip ten years after]] the events of ''Kri'', and follow the Rakus as they fight the Kasai, a group of dark magicians. The Rakus are led by returning protagonist Rau, along with his younger sister Tati and a new pair of playable characters, Griz and his student Baumusu. Much like the previous game, players could use target various enemies in battles and assign them to a specific attack button, with different weapons targeting more enemies and having greater reach.
8
9	On September 24, 2013, ''The Mark of Kri'' was released on the PSN as a [=PS2=] Classic.
10
11	----
12	!!Tropes
13
14	* AnnoyingArrows: Played straight for the most part; heroes and mooks alike can take several arrows(or spears or throwing knives, in the case of Baumusu and Grizz, respectively) to the torso before dying, only being slightly jarred from the impact. However, a projectile to the head will be instantly fatal. [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy The mooks are all terrible shots, however.]]
15	* ArmorIsUseless: Averted; armored enemies are immune to most ranged attacks (except from Tati's mushrooms), making armored enemy archers(who usually can't be reached) a major threat. In melee, armored enemies are significantly tougher than their unarmored counterparts. The heroes don't wear armor because so much of their style is focused on stealth.
16	* ArtStyleDissonance: Despite [[{{Disneyesque}} it looking like a Disney movie]], it's anything but for kids.
17	* AttackItsWeakPoint: The only way to beat the dragons and the final boss.
18	* BarbarianHero: Rau, of course. He's even addressed as "Barbarian" sometimes.
19	* CainAndAbel:
20	** Rau fights like an honorable warrior, but Tati [[DarkActionGirl makes her enemies suffer]].
21	** Tati [[spoiler: kills Rau in the bad ending]].
22	* CombatTentacles: A reoccuring boss type.
23	* CursedWithAwesome: Tati and Grizz are both marked with lines from ancient, evil spells that let them scout ahead by seeing through the eyes of corpses and turn invisible. Pretty handy for stealthy kills.
24	* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget: On the downside, the power of the marks does corrupt the mind. It was responsible for Maibisi's FaceHeelTurn, [[spoiler: and has a chance of leading Tati down the same path.]]
25	* DarkActionGirl: Given her protagonistic position, Tati's suppossed to be the straight-up ActionGirl, but the straight-up ActionGirl fights with bravery and honor, embracing the proper form of combat. Tati, on the other hand, fights with rage and bloodlust, trying to make sure her enemies never get to attack her, and brutally killing them in excruciatingly violent manners.
26	* TheDragon: The Dark One offers to make Rau his Dragon at the end of ''The Mark of Kri''. [[spoiler:Doesn't work, see Not So Different below]]. Maibisi is served by [[CoDragons the twins]], who really don't feature in the story much, but serve the function due to the vital role they play in his organization, [[spoiler: which is keeping the Horde under control with their power to mind control men.]]
27	* TheDreaded: The Tribe of the Bear God are the enemies that Rau most fears and respects; while he isn't outright terrified of them, he becomes noticably withdrawn when entering their territory. If it is possible for a ''place'' to be The Dreaded, Hassa would count for Kuzo.
28	* DualWielding: Both Tati and Grizz use dual knives as their favorite, swift weapons.
29	* EldritchAbomination: The creatures in the world of darkness, Kri being the most notable in the story.
30	* ExposedToTheElements: Averted in Mark of Kri, as Rau puts on a heavy coat in the snowy level.
31	* {{Expy}}: Rau is basically a Polynesian Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian. And fittingly, Kuzo's voice actor is clearly doing his best Mako impression.
32	* FaceHeelTurn: Mei Bisi was a former member of the Rakus, an organization made for protecting those cursed with the marks. But he betrayed his fellow Rakus and became the leader of the Kasai. He also [[spoiler: gives Tati the option to make the switch as well.]]
33	* {{Fanservice}}: Tati's outfits, especially her evil costume (which is technically topless, but covers her chest with body paint).
34	* GodhoodSeeker: Meibisi tries to pull this by [[spoiler: becoming the vessel for Kri, transforming himself into a PhysicalGod.]] The result is something of a mix of a OneWingedAngel and a ClippedWingAngel.
35	%%* GodOfEvil: Kri.
36	* HeroicMime: Rau in Mark of Kri counts; besides battle cries, he doesn't have a line of dialogue in the game. He's not much better in Kasai, calling on Tati for help when fighting certain bosses and saying Tati's name towards the end.
37	* LateArrivalSpoiler: The fact that Tati has a Mark of Kri was a major revelation in the first game. Now it serves as the AppliedPhlebotinum behind her supernatural abilities.
38	* LightningBruiser:
39	** Rau. He can make an axe the size of a truck tire move in a blur of speed.
40	** Baumusu taught him everything he knows.
41	* MaleMightFemaleFinesse: Male playable character Rau uses sheer might in battle while the female playable character Tati uses quick reflexes and flipping around.
42	* MarkOfTheBeast: The Mark of Kri and other marks of the ancient spells. Something of a subversion; the marks themselves are evil, but the marked people aren't necessarily, and are born marked, therefore not having a choice in the matter.
43	* MsFanservice: Tati. She wears a short, skimpy [[{{Loincloth}} loincloth]], has large breasts, bares her midriff, has [[HartmanHips sexy hips]], and goes around barefoot.
44	* MultiMeleeMaster: Everyone. Each character gets four weapons; three melee and one ranged.
45	* MurderousThighs: Tati and Grizz.
46	* NarratorAllAlong: Kuzo in Mark of Kri. He also narrates the second game, but is more up-front about it.
47	* NotSoDifferentRemark:
48	** The Dark One tries to pull this on Rau during a HannibalLecture at the end of ''The Mark of Kri''. He's not very convincing, and [[KilledMidSentence it doesn't work out too well for him]].
49	** In the second game, [[spoiler: Mei Bisi does this with Tati. Ultimately, it's up to the player to decide whether or not it works]].
50	* OffWithHisHead: ''Several'' combos can result in heads rolling. Sometimes just a lucky shot will do the trick.
51	* PoisonMushroom: An inversion; Tati uses literal poison mushrooms as weapons. Setting them as traps that kill enemies if they step on them, or planting them on enemies so that they explode in a cloud of poisonous gas when said enemy walks up to their friends.
52	* PowerTattoo: Tati and Grizz's marks.
53	* TheQuietOne: Rau. Out of the protagonist, he speaks the least; aside from battle cries he doesn't say anything in the first game, with only a handful of lines of dialog in the second. Kuzo's narration suggests he says more off camera, but still doesn't talk much.
54	* ReligionOfEvil: The Kasai and the Gangun Priests don't hide behind any false pretenses; they worship the forces of evil and will kill anyone who opposes them.
55	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge:
56	** The final level of ''The Mark of Kri'' is this for Rau; it doesn't even make the pretext of using stealth. For Tati, pretty much the whole of Rise of the Kasai [[spoiler: after Grizz's death]] boils down to this.
57	** Even before [[spoiler: Grizz died]], Tati was still on this rampage. According to the manual, her family and friends from childhood were murdered by Kasai warriors right before her eyes, and in the first game, she was used as a "battery" for the Kasai to awaken the dead.
58	* ShutUpHannibal:
59	** Rau does this to The Dark One at the end of ''The Mark of Kri''.
60	** Lampshaded in the strategy guide, where a picture of the Dark One with an axe in his skull has the caption of "I think Rau's answer is 'No.'"
61	* SoulJar: Meibisi [[BeatStillMyHeart keeps his heart in a floating crystal]].
62	* {{Stripperiffic}}:
63	** Tati. Rau may also fit this trope.
64	** Several of the alternate costumes are worse than the main ones; one includes Rau in nothing but a speedo, and one has Tati topless with bodypaint covering her chest.
65	* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Not quite; Rau and Baumusu don't throw their own swords, but they can disarm sword weilding enemies and throw them back at them; it will always stick them in the throat, resulting in an instant kill.
66	* TheUnfought: Meibisi, technically. [[spoiler: In the final fight, he goes straight into {{one winged angel}} mode, despite having been a Rakus, and therefore --one would assume-- as trained in combat as either Rau or Tati. That being said, he had been using magic instead of melee for twenty years and may have simply been out of practice. Still, he was immortal at the time, so he could have tried.]]
67	* UselessUsefulStealth: The game makes it clear this trope is supposed to be averted, but in most levels your AI partner will jump the gun, ruining your attempts at stealth. If you don't similarly forgo stealth ([[LuckBasedMission and often even if you do]]) [[LeeroyJenkins they'll quickly get themselves killed doing this]], making you fail the level entirely and also making most level challenges much harder than they should be, sometimes borderline impossible. This is in stiff contrast to the first game in which stealth was a valid and encouraged option. It can get frustrating at times.
68	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Decapitation, dismemberment, impalements, broken necks, crushed skulls, and slit throats were all common sights.
69	* WalkingShirtlessScene: Both Rau and Baumusu.
70	* YouCantFightFate: A recurring theme is that mortals are simply [[CosmicPlaything pawns to the gods]], and have no control over their destinies. However, [[spoiler: in the good ending, Tati decides to say ScrewDestiny.]] Whether or not she succeeds is left vague.

Context VideoGame / RiseOfTheKasai