Line #98 VideoGame/SkyGunner


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Skygunner_678.JPG]]
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3	->''In some parts of the world, there are those with a job unlike any other. They are owners of special aircraft and guns and are commonly known as "Gunners." The setting is the town of Rive, where an exhibition is to take place in two months time. What adventures await these Gunners?''
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5	''[=SkyGunner=]'' is a Platform/PlayStation2 shooter with Flight Simulation elements, released by Creator/{{Atlus}}, taking place in a SteamPunk-like world where everyone, oddly enough, has ponytail... er, tails.
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7	The game stars three "Gunners" ([[AcePilot pilot]] [[HiredGuns mercenaries for hire]]): Ciel (a happy-go-lucky Gunner), Copain (Ciel's best friend, a very "Let's get 'em!" kind of guy), and Femme (a hired pilot from out of town, come to guard the Expo). They are stationed in the island town of Rive, where an exhibition is about to take place. The exhibition is for the "Eternal Engine," [[PerpetualMotionMachine an engine of infinite power]]. Of course, someone just has to screw up the whole thing and that someone is the criminal genius, Ventre. He's plotting to steal the Eternal Engine for himself, and Hardi, the chief of police, dispatches the Gunners to stop him.
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9	Each character is armed with a pair of machine guns [[AbnormalAmmo (that shoot... money??)]] and also have his or her own aircraft, special ability, attributes, and even ''difficulty'' (Ciel is Normal Mode, Copain is Difficult/Hard Mode, and Femme is Easy Mode). Selecting a Gunner takes you through his/her side of the story, often teaming up with all three characters is some stages in races to see who gets the most cash from taking down everything from small ships to big hulking mecha and battleships. Cue many, many explosions. And it's entirely done in anime-style.
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11	Something not many people know: Creator/{{EasyGameStation}} made a game called ''Gunner's Heart'' that acts as a slightly downgraded PC port of the game, with more rudimentary cutscenes, but with the plot and characters completely unaltered from the [=PS2=] original.
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13	----------
14	!Tropes:
15	* AcePilot: Ciel and the other Gunners.
16	* AirborneAircraftCarrier: Ventre's airship which act as his mobile headquarters.
17	* AllThereInTheManual: There exists a [[NoExportForYou Japanese-only]] guidebook that provides detailed background information for both the characters and setting. It doesn't do much to affect the player's understanding of the story, but it does help flesh out the game's universe quite substantially.
18	* AnimeHair: Why hello there, Ciel. (Seriously, even his ''tail'' is spikey.)
19	* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Overlapping with ArtMajorPhysics.
20	** The Eternal Engine is [[PerpetualMotionMachine a perpetual motion device]] capable of generating energy infinitely. This is very much disproven by the laws of physics.
21	** Femme should've been launched from her plane every time she used Active Maneuver. Also, Copain's plane shouldn't be able to even get off the ground. [[RuleOfCool Not that it matters too much.]]
22	* BadassAdorable: Most of the main cast.
23	* {{BFG}}:
24	** The raison d'être of the ''Baleine'' battleship. It's so huge, it has to use ''a smaller cannon'' as its firing mechanism.
25	** [[spoiler:Ciel brings one home a more reasonably sized one in the epilogue, which Femme remarks is so huge, no one has any idea where he's going to keep it.]]
26	* BloodKnight:
27	** Rival, most definitely.
28	** Copain is a bit more downplayed, but his morose grumbling about how unbearably peaceful their convoy escort has been in Scene 2, and instant enthusiasm at the prospect of an attack, speak volumes about his passion for a good battle.
29	* BraidsOfAction: Not Femme herself, but her ''[[LittleBitBeastly tail]]''.
30	* ChargedAttack: The Lock-On feature for all of the optional weapons works this way, allowing the player to send off more of their ammo at once for more spectacular results at the cost of filling up the heat meter at a brisker pace. Special mention goes to the Cross, which goes from 1-3 smaller cross missiles fired simultaneously to a huge honking singular missile with ''a lot'' more boom for the buck at Max Lock.
31	* TheCharmer: Copain, being a bit of a hotheaded and debonair thrill seeker, has shades of this.
32	* ChekhovsGunman: In Femme's campaign, Hardi mentions that a machine soldier was recently stolen. Copain has to take care of that very same machine soldier (the Vainqueur "Fidele") in Scene 1. After being knocked off of the deck of the ''Merveilleux'', it is repaired off-screen, refitted as the Vainqueur "Sage", and used in Scene 3 of Femme's campaign in an attempt to steal a telescope from Rive. Hardi gives some additional exposition [[note]]the Vainqueur was manufactured by Associé, the makers of Copain's Chevalier, and was intended to be shown off at the Expo, but was stolen while being transported to Rive[[/note]] and he, his men, and Femme team up to take out the machine soldier, causing Ventre to order for its retreat. [[spoiler:It is later upgraded behind the scenes and returns in Scene 5 as the Vainqueur "Garde." In turn, it is shot out of the skies yet again (this time by Ciel), but is apparently re-repaired soon after to serve as the FinalBoss. Even then, it reappears--seemingly no worse for wear--as the final enemy faced by Rival in his campaign, putting up one more fight before ''finally'' being destroyed for good.]]
33	* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: The game {{lampshade\|Hanging}}s your recovery from a free fall as an act only achievable from your faith. In reality, it's because [[ButtonMashing you mashed all of the buttons fast enough]].
34	** Actually it's a subversion. The sentence in question is spoken as if someone else is stating their faith in you, not your faith in yourself.
35	---> ''Because it was you, I believed it could be done...''
36	* CombinationAttack: In a sense. The first phase of the final boss involves Copain stunning it with Max Lock Pumpkin Bombs, Ciel and Femme riddling its body with six Max Lock Cross Missiles, and then the player's Gunner of choice detonating them.
37	* {{Combos}}: Hits and Chains generally earn your pilot more money/score.
38	* CoolAirship: Most of which you shoot down.
39	* CoolPlane: Practically all of them.
40	* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Ciel (orange), Femme (green), and Copain (blue).
41	* CutLexLuthorACheck: Ventre has several airships, an air fortress, and a massive ship that's bigger than a city. It's heavily implied he himself built that ship with his minions. [[OffscreenVillainDarkMatter He obviously has several millions, if not billions, of whatever currency the world of the heroes use]], and a lot of spare time. He doesn't ''have'' to steal [[spoiler:the entire museum the Expo is being held in]], [[ForTheEvulz he just wants to]].
42	* DaChief: Hardi, chief of police.
43	* DeadpanSnarker: Ciel, at times.
44	--> '''Ventre:''' "I'm [[BadassBoast the greatest criminal genius who ever lived]]!"
45	--> '''Ciel:''' "Umm, yeah, [[AndImTheQueenOfSheba and I'm the Queen of England]]." [[note]]Considering that Rive appears to be modeled after Venice and shares its name with a ''comune'' in the Italian region of Piedmont (despite the prevalence of French names), maybe England [[SubvertedTrope does]] [[OrphanedEtymology exist]] in the ''[=SkyGunner=]'' world.[[/note]]
46	* DeathFromAbove: Pumpkin Bombs, yeah!
47	* DegradedBoss:
48	** The arrival of Ventre's twin battleships, ''Gauche'' and ''Droite'', above the ''Merveilleux'' is treated as a moment of great drama and signals the climax of Scene 1. Battleships of a similar design will continue to appear during the huge brawls in most subsequent Scenes with no fanfare, but thankfully come with pre-exposed [[AttackItsWeakPoint engine rooms]].
49	** The ''Baleine'' and ''Dorado'' battleships also receive this treatment, each being the focus of Ciel's personal objectives in Scenes 2 and 4. Their subsequent appearances likewise go totally unremarked.
50	* DiabolicalMastermind: Ventre, who has committed numerous thefts of priceless items for ''years'' before the events of the game. And it's entirely possible for him to [[spoiler:[[KarmaHoudini get away]] at the end of the story without a final ass-kicking at the hands of the heroes]] should the player fail to [[spoiler:beat the final boss of the game in a matter of three minutes]]. ([[OhCrap Good luck with that.]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck The final level is the level]] [[ThatOneLevel that everyone loves to hate]].)
51	* DisappearedDad: While none of the characters mention their family save Hardi (who has a daughter, as evidenced by the epilogue), a photo in the opening movie shows a young Ciel and his father ([[TheFaceless whose features are hidden beneath his helmet]]) outside of the Avenir.
52	* DoABarrelRoll: As an evasive maneuver. An [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aileron_roll aileron roll,]] actually, but close enough.
53	* DualityMotif: The color scheme of Rival's attire (half-white, half-black) really plays up some dualistic symbolism, intentional or not.
54	* EvilLaugh:
55	** Rival's specialty, particularly when he's firing his Bat Missiles upon Ciel, [[DownplayedTrope although it's more of a dark, sinister chuckle]].
56	** Ventre belts out a glorious one on occasion (during a few cutscenes and should the player fail at stopping his plans, such as allowing Ventre to tow away the ''Merveilleux'' or failing to protect the cargo planes in Scene 2). He gets the [[CryLaughing "laughter turns into crying"]] subversion if [[spoiler:the player manages to capture him in Scene 5]].
57	* FamedInStory[=/=]LivingLegend: Ciel and Copain are famous Gunners in Rive and the surrounding areas. In fact, Rival almost exclusively refers to Ciel as "Gunner of Rive."
58	* FatBastard: Ventre.
59	* FeatherMotif:
60	** Despite its use of standard airplane wings, using Femme's Active Turn will cause Branché to [[PerpetualMolt molt feathers]].
61	** The final shot of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZerrPE-N-MU the OP]] shows the three hero Gunners flying up into the sky/space, a hail of white feathers descending from the air as they do so.
62	* [[ShootEmUp Flight Shooter]]
63	* {{Foil}}: Rival to Ciel, right down to having planes designed by Artisan that share special abilities and the same overall frame.
64	* GameplayGrading: Done at the very end of the game. The ranks normally go from E to S, although you need to essentially have a (near-)flawless run to attain [[RankInflation SS]]. Ranking is determined by various factors: number of enemies shot down, fulfilling certain criteria in each chapter, the amount of times you crashed, and total prize money.
65	* GentlemanThief: Ventre and Rival give off an air of this, fitting in with the setting.
66	* GlassCannon:
67	** Rival's weapon power (ranked S) and speed are very high, but his aircraft's defense is the lowest of all the characters (ranked '''D''').
68	** Copain also qualifies, albeit with more room for debate. His plane has average firepower (ranked B), but his Vortex and Pumpkin Bombs more than make up for it; unfortunately, his durability rating is a slightly subpar C.
69	* GratuitousFrench: The game's chock full of it, not in the dialog but in the setting, as nearly every aspect of the game has a French name, including the pilots themselves. BilingualBonus boosts this to rather funny moments when you realize what ''Grand Magasin'' (the AirborneAircraftCarrier the last main-story stage is set over) means, for example. [[note]]Department Store, for those curious.[[/note]]
70	* GreaterScopeVillain: Rival's not hanging around for nothing. [[spoiler:Someone hired Rival to steal a vital piece of the Eternal Engine.]] He was just using Ventre's conflict with the heroes to do the heavy work. [[BloodKnight And to fight Ciel for kicks.]] That being said, [[spoiler:Rival's employer and their intentions for the Eternal Engine are never revealed, so this remains an ambiguous situation.]]
71	* HelpingWouldBeKillStealing: Inverted. While the other Gunners are usually off doing their own thing (which means that the brunt of the work--at least when it comes to dealing with enemy fighters--[[ItsUpToYou falls to the player]]), they can and will jump in to help out if the player is lagging behind in their duties. However, this can impede upon any potential monetary gains (ex. a fellow Gunner breaking up a group of enemies you locked onto with your Firework Missiles for a chain).
72	* HeroesGoneFishing: Femme's third mission has her and Hardi attempting to enjoy a fine candlelight dinner (Ciel and Copain couldn't make it because this Scene respectively occurs after and before their own third chapters). Then Ventre shows up, planning to pilfer the Astronomical Telescope out of Rive's harbor.
73	* HiddenEyes: Hardi's men have theirs [[EyeObscuringHat obscured by their hats]].
74	* {{Hired Gun\|s}}: Rival, although his employer is an unknown, unaffiliated third party.
75	* HomingProjectile: The Dog and Bat Missiles. Several enemies possess similar armaments, particularly the Dog Missiles.
76	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Fireworks missiles and ''pumpkin bombs'', anyone? And Rival (yes, he can be unlocked) can use ''bat missiles''. Cross Missiles ''[[StickyBomb drill into the hull]]'' of the enemy ship and must be set off by shooting it point-blank.
77	* ItsAWonderfulFailure: Being shot down in combat, being unable to prevent your teammates (in specific scenarios) from being shot down, or failing to neutralize Ventre's heists in the first two Scenes will result in a display of photos taken by Ventre in commemoration of his victory. There are ''ten'' variations in all, although one of them (Rival's) has nothing to actually do with Ventre's involvement and seems to have just been taken for the sake of good relations.
78	* JackOfAllStats:
79	** Ciel's craft is ranked B in all stats. Even his difficulty is Normal Mode.
80	** Same goes for Femme, although all of her stats are ranked A. To balance out her superior stats, she possesses the only special maneuver in the game that can't be directly used for combat (although it's still pretty darned effective, allowing her to make a quick U-turn and thereby make a second pass at enemies almost immediately).
81	* JustAKid: How Ventre refers to the Gunners on many an occasion. [[UnderestimatingBadassery The same trio that ends up derailing every single one of his plans.]]
82	* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Femme, very much an ActionGirl and LadyOfWar, takes to skies donning elegant dresses in Scenes 1 and 3. This is not by choice, however; she just happens to be in formal wear when Ventre attacks and has no time to change outfits before launching.
83	* TheLancer: Copain is this for Ciel. Bonus points for his ship sorta looking like a lance on the front, and his name being French for partner/friend. Driving the "lancer" point home more is that his aircraft's name means "knight" in French: the original lancers.
84	* {{Leitmotif}}: During certain segments of each scene (particularly when things are going your way), the heroes get a bit of a ThemeMusicPowerUp, although the piece used varies depending on which character's campaign it is ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nmm20xxJqE "Together with the Wind" for Ciel, "Chevalier" for Copain, and "Light Fantastic Toe" for Femme]]). Rival also has his own boss theme, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnzdvLZhFYQ "Jet Black Gunner."]]
85	* LittleBitBeastly: A hyper-minor case in that everyone has a horse-like tail (and no ears). Given everyone is sitting down, the only one seen with any regularity is Femme's, who braids it.
86	* MacGuffin: The Eternal Engine.
87	* MakingASpectacleOfYourself: Rival's brass {{goggles\|DoNothing}}.
88	* MascotMook: Ventre's minions, the mischievous, [[AdorableEvilMinions yet insanely cute]], Poulets.
89	* MeaningfulName: Pretty much everyone, courtesy of some GratuitousFrench. Ciel's name mean's "sky," appropriate for a fighter-pilot hero. His loyal best pal Copain's name means "companion." Sole female cast member Femme's name means "woman." And did you expect a guy named "Rival" to be on your side?
90	* MoneyForNothing: Any money you acquire acts as your score. You don't buy anything with it, although one stage in the second Scene awards you a better engine for your plane if you end up with more money than your comrades.
91	* MoreDakka: Machine guns, most notably Ciel's (and Rival's) unique skill Heavy Fire. Rival's machine gun has only one turret but is the most powerful of all the Gunners.
92	* NintendoHard: '''Atlus Hard!''' While you can go through the game without ''too'' much issue, reckless play will knock you off your plane plenty of times and lead to a crash quickly. But where things really take a head is if you want to beat the other Gunners in the FriendlyRivalry competitions of prize money scoring, much less good scores in general, as you have to play much more delicately and patiently to rack up the combo chains. And naturally, this is a game where your machine guns dwindle your prize money and you even lose it on every hit you take.
93	* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:The final boss]] turns out completely functional and unharmed at the end of the game, floating on top of a piece of ''[[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Grand Magasin]]''. It's only revealed in [[spoiler:Rival's]] playthrough, whereupon he destroys it a second time and steals a vital piece of the [[spoiler:Eternal Engine]] from it.
94	* OminousPipeOrgan: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw5FOh_5_qU Accompanies Rival's campaign cutscene stills.]]
95	* {{Overheating}}: Using optional weapons and special maneuvers causes the heat meter (your plane's temperature gauge) to rise. Use too many at once without spacing between your actions and your aircraft will overheat, preventing you from firing any weapons besides your main guns, using special maneuvers, or boosting as you wait to cool down.
96	* PerpetualMotionMachine: The Eternal Engine. As indicated by the name, it's capable of producing infinite energy... which might in part explain why [[spoiler:the Vainqueur is so hard to put down when its Eternal Engine-enhanced incarnation serves as the FinalBoss]].
97	* PhlebotinumOverdose: [[spoiler:The machine soldier in the final mission goes on a rampage, even turning on Ventre's forces, due to being unable to properly control the power of the Eternal Engine and turning berserk.]]
98	* PlotDrivenBreakdown: Happens to Ciel during his first duel with Rival. If you lose this duel, Ciel actually modifies his plane in response to this.
99	%% If anyone knows the exact stats for the upgrades to the Avenir, please add them in.
100	* PowerTrio: Our heroes, natch.
101	** ChromaticArrangement: Ciel ({{red\|IsHeroic}}dish-orange), Copain (blue), and Femme (green).
102	** FreudianTrio: Copain (Id), Ciel (Ego), Femme (Superego).
103	* PrincelyYoungMan: Rival. He lives in [[BigFancyHouse a mansion]], complete with his own butler and at least three maids. He also presents himself a very dignified manner at (almost) all times, even when facing Ciel in battle.
104	* PurpleIsTheNewBlack: Rival's theme color is black, which would look odd as tracer rounds, so the Fantome's [[GatlingGood gatling cannon]] rounds burn violet. Overlaps with PurpleIsPowerful, since that cannon can quickly grind through targets the other gunners would need special weapons to seriously damage.
105	* RankInflation: E to SS rank.
106	* TheRival: The snooty and mysterious Gunner, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Rival]].
107	* RuleOfCool: Aircraft that use guns for ignition [[note]]somewhat based in reality, such as with the Coffman Engine Starter[[/note]] and have oversized guns for cannons that [[AbnormalAmmo shoot money as ammo]]. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
108	* RuleOfThree: In Rival's campaign, his duels with Ciel require that Rival shoot down Ciel thrice in order to win. Like in Ciel's side of the story, Ciel only needs to make Rival lose balance once to triumph.
109	* SamusIsAGirl: When Femme calls Ciel and Copain asking for their help in dealing with the aircraft holding the ''Merveilleux'' hostage so she can launch, Ciel doesn't seem to notice that the new Gunner is a woman until they meet in the air. (Copain, on the other hand, does and refers to Femme as "miss.")
110	* ScarfOfAsskicking: Copain.
111	* SerialEscalation: The enemy airships. Two tugships? Believable. A mobile air fortress? Still believable, but pushing it. ''A final airship that's bigger than the entire town of Rive?'' Not so much.
112	* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Rival dabbles in it.
113	-->(''during his duel with Ciel'') "I seem to have accrued an excess of thermal energy. I'd best let my engine cool."
114	%%* ShonenHair
115	* SilkHidingSteel: Femme is easily the most soft-spoken of the trio, but by no means is she a pushover.
116	* SimpleYetAwesome:
117	** The Fireworks and Cross Missiles, though the latter's "simplicity" [[StickyBomb is]] [[ThisIsADrill fairly]] [[RuleOfCool debatable]].
118	** Arguably, all of the planes' special maneuvers count as well. The only drawback is that Heavy Fire and Vortex do quite a number on the temperature gauge, leading to the planes overheating if you're not careful.
119	* SlasherSmile: Rival's default expression. [[BloodKnight During aerial dogfights, at least.]]
120	* SmashingSurvival:
121	** Played straight with Dog Missiles or [[PersonalSpaceInvader Poulets]] that latch onto you.
122	** Additionally, you're required to mash buttons if you want your ship to recover from stalling out. This costs more money the longer it goes on and the amount of mashing needed increases each time your ship goes critical.
123	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Femme is the only playable female Gunner, and in fact, the only ([[NominalImportance named]]) female character in the ''entire game''. Her name is, of course, French for "woman." [[note]]If the Expo ball on the ''Mervellieux'' is any indication, there ''are'' other females in Rive (Femme hails from a neighboring town, Neju). [[NominalImportance They're just not important.]][[/note]]
124	* SpectacularSpinning: Copain's Vortex special maneuver.
125	** SpinAttack: And if Copain is flying at high enough velocities, [[DoNotTouchTheFunnelCloud the vacuum generated by Vortex will suck in enemy fighters not in the direct path of his attack]].
126	** SpinToDeflectStuff: With but a few exceptions, Copain and his Chevalier are [[InvulnerableAttack invincible]] for the duration of Vortex.
127	* SpiderTank: In the assault on Ventre's fortress stage.
128	* StatuesqueStunner: Although modest in character design, Femme isn't just the tallest of the main trio by a noticeable margin; she appears to be the tallest member of the main cast, period.
129	* StuffBlowingUp: Oh yeah.
130	* SurroundedByIdiots: Ventre's opinion of the Poulets once his plans start unraveling, though most notably as the ''Grand Magasin'' is getting shot to pieces around him.
131	-->'''Ventre:''' "You bumbling idiots! There's just a few of them!"
132	* ThemeNaming: Everything, from the characters to the airships, are named after French terms.
133	* TimedMission: Happens in almost every Scene. Of note are Ciel's duels with Rival, where Rival's portraits depict [[ExcuseMeWhileIMultitask him pulling out a pocket watch]] [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall to keep the time]].
134	* TooManyBelts: For reasons unknown, Copain features a giant belt buckle on his ''shirt'', while Femme's Branché sports buckles on its chassis. Comparatively, [[{{Zipperiffic}} Ciel wears a giant zipper on his shirt, while his Avenir has giant zippers on its guns]].
135	* UrbanLegends: Copain's third mission has him investigating stories of a serpentine monster that haunts Rive's canals at night, stealing streetlights. Turns out it's the Exocet, one of Ventre's creations.
136	* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The ''Grand Magasin''.
137	* VillainExitStageLeft: Played straight [[spoiler:if you take too long defeating Vainqueur in Scene 5]]. If not, this is subverted, as [[spoiler:the heroes spot Ventre's overcrowded battleship attempting to escape and pursue it... which then leads to a double subversion where Ciel says that Ventre should have learned his lesson by now and lets Ventre off the hook. [[KnowWhenToFoldEm Ventre agrees that it's time for him to take a vacation after his final defeat.]]]]
138	%%* WeirdMoon
139	* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: In which, after Rive settles down a bit in the aftermath of Ventre's attempted heists, [[IChooseToStay Femme decides to stay at Rive]] [[DownplayedTrope a little bit longer]] instead of departing back to Neju, drawn in by the locale's allure and feeling she could use a vacation after the game's events.
140	* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Subverted with Rival, who is largely a well-mannered neutral entry, if not antagonistic to Ciel.
141	* WhyWontYouDie: Ciel's basically goes "YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe" when [[spoiler:Vainqueur reactivates after appearing to power down from damage incurred by the Gunners' joint attack]], marking the second phase of the final battle.
142	* WorthyOpponent: Rival takes a shine to Ciel's merits as a pilot... which leads to him challenging Ciel at ''the'' most inopportune moments.
143	%%* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld

Context VideoGame / SkyGunner