Line #113 VideoGame/StarStealingPrince


1	[[quoteright:347:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssptv_1868.png]]
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3	''Star Stealing Prince'' is a freeware fantasy RPG created with [=RPGMakerVX=] by Ronove (or known as Black Birds of Rye on the [[http://starstealingprince.wordpress.com/ official site]]). The prince of the title is Snowe, who has inherited the snowy kingdom of Sabine after the deaths of his mysterious parents, King Edgar and Queen Lina.
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5	One night, Snowe has a bizarre dream in which a shadowy figure boasts of its intent to murder Astra, a young woman in a nearby tower. His innocent quest to rescue her sets in motion a series of events that will reveal the truth about the powerful, complex magic that sustains his kingdom. However, he won't be alone in his quest for the truth. His allies are Astra, her loyal undead guardian Hiante, her loyal demon Erio, and later, a bitter (though good-natured) sentry named Relenia.
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7	Released in early 2012, ''Star Stealing Prince'' has already earned considerable acclaim from the RPG Maker community for its combination of endearing characters, twisty plot, challenging gameplay, and a ton of original artwork. In 2013, it won eight Misaos (the RPG Maker community's version of the Oscars), including Game of the Year. It can be downloaded at [[http://starstealingprince.wordpress.com/download/ the official site.]]
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9	In June 2021, Ronove announced an RPG Maker MV commercial [[VideoGameRemake remake]] known as ''Star Stealing Prince - Definitive'', with a demo hosted on [[https://earlronove.itch.io/star-stealing-prince-definitive itch]].
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11	A web novel sequel, ''Literature/EphemeralPrince'', was also serialized. It contains two parts: ''Fleeting'', which follows the game's bad ending, and ''Permanence'', which follows the good ending. It can be read [[https://ephemeralprince.wordpress.com/ here.]] There are also four short stories written some time back, which expand on some past events in the game's story. They can be found [[http://www.starcadets.org/sc/games/star-stealing-prince/ here]].
12	----
13	!!This game provides examples of:
14	* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina.]]
15	* AerithAndBob: King Edgar and Queen Lina, Kathryn, Jacob, Theodore, Mariland, Anastasia, Richard, Vera... Snowe and Astra (both real words, but not commonly names and Snowe's name has an added "e")... Hiante? Relenia? Erio? Lorel?
16	* AllThereInTheManual: There are a few prequel short stories and a few different blog posts that explain things about the story that are only mentioned briefly or not brought up at all in the game.
17	* AlwaysCheckBehindTheChair: Players who are thorough in their exploration will be rewarded many times over.
18	* AndIMustScream:
19	** [[spoiler:The demon. First the Original King ate him, and then he got sealed inside Snowe. And to beat the demon and get the good ending you have to trap him in a GroundhogDayLoop of him getting defeated by Snowe in his dreams.]]
20	** [[spoiler:A side effect of the sealing spell caused Edgar and Lina to start decaying. And part of what they'd stolen from the Original King was immortality. Meaning that if they hadn't faked their own deaths, eventually they would have decayed to piles of dust. [[AFateWorseThanDeath And still been alive.]]]]
21	* AristocratsAreEvil:
22	** Appears to be averted with Snowe and his parents. [[spoiler:Actually, Snowe's parents play it straight]].
23	** [[spoiler:The Original King is no saint either, despite his FreudianExcuse.]]
24	* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:In the bad ending. While there are multiple villains in the game and by the time you get to the end you have defeated Edgar, Lina, and the Original King, if you get the bad ending, the demon inside Snowe gets the last laugh.]]
25	* BadassCape: [[spoiler:The Original King.]] As creepy as it looks, it's hard to deny that wearing an EldritchAbomination as a cape is pretty badass. [[spoiler:According to WordOfGod, the EldritchAbomination isn't actually there; it's a visualization of all the hatred and anger the Original King feels.]]
26	* BattleAmongstTheFlames: The boss fight with the dream.
27	* BarrierMaiden: [[spoiler:Astra, as the "witness" to the spell that sealed the original king's demon inside Snowe. If she dies, he gets released.]]
28	* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler:The Original King and the demon inside Snowe are the main antagonists in the game, with the former trying to take revenge on Snowe and Sabine and the latter trying to kill Astra to free himself.]]
29	* BigDamnHeroes: Occasionally, during the final boss fight, characters will run in and throw healing, MP regeneration, and buff spells at the party (as well as the occasional debuff spell and attack at the boss) while cheering them on.
30	* BonusDungeon: [[spoiler:Snowe's nightmare]]. Completing it is necessary to obtain the good ending. It can also double as [[spoiler:TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, since it directly precedes the final boss, and WhereItAllBegan, since the nightmare is what kicks off the whole plot in the first place]].
31	* BreakTheCutie: Arguably, everyone; Snowe's innocent quest to save Astra sets off a chain of events that quickly tear down the fairy tale lives of everyone living on that icy little island. Though by the end, pretty much everyone says it was for the better.
32	* CatapultNightmare: Snowe's nightmares cause this for him frequently. At one point late in the game, Astra has a nightmare too, and she is just as startled.
33	* CassandraTruth: Referenced by the maiden statue Cassandra when you give her back her name. She says something along the lines of:
34	-->"I kept thinking that was my name, but no one believes a Cassandra!"
35	* ClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina.]]
36	* ContractualBossImmunity: Subverted to great effect. It's nigh-impossible to beat most bosses without either slamming them with chained status effects, or a huge amount of grinding. The low, hard cap on levels makes the latter truly impossible for beating the final boss.
37	* CuteMonsterGirl: Numismatist is a ghost and she appears next to Snowe's bed at one point, though it can be FridgeHorror if you remember the conditions for her to manifest.
38	* CuttingOffTheBranches: Averted. A web novel sequel has started being released. Both the good ending and the bad ending are canon.
39	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Where do we start?
40	** Snowe [[spoiler:was routinely neglected and emotionally abused by his parents. His only friend for the longest time was the demon, but his memories of their time together was stripped from him by his parents, and by the time Snowe "reunites" with Xiri, the latter's become an AxCrazy StalkerWithACrush]].
41	** Hiante [[spoiler:was forced to watch his beloved king become an OmnicidalManiac, and was cut down like a dog when he tried to stop his mad schemes.]]
42	** Relenia. [[spoiler:She loses her husband and her daughter becomes inconsolable. Then Edgar and Lina ask her to guard their Sepulcher. She refuses, so they take away her daughter. Then she's stuck guarding the Sepulcher for ten years, only to learn that she's been duped and made to waste ten years of her life.]]
43	** Hell, even [[spoiler:the demon within Snowe]] has one. [[spoiler:First, he was really bitter after the Original King ''ate'' him, but after Edgar and Lina bound him with Snowe, the demon's relationship and friendship with him slowly began to soften him. However, Edgar and Lina then wiped Snowe's memory of the demon, effectively cutting the two off from each other for ten years, which just made him even more bitter. By the time the game proper starts, he's become so insane from his isolation and obsession with Snowe that he's willing to brutally murder Astra so that he and Snowe can be free from each other. And in the bad ending, that is ''exactly'' what he does.]]
44	* DemBones: Hiante is a friendly version. The various other skeletal phantoms you see in the game? Less friendly.
45	* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler:Snowe]] is an interesting take on this. [[spoiler:The demon is just as much a victim as Snowe is and doesn't want to be there.]]
46	* DevelopersForesight:
47	** The short story "A Demon" describes a certain room that has a magic circle drawn in it. You can actually find this room in the game. As of 3.1, entering it with Erio in your party triggers a cutscene.
48	** The Odd Gentleman will keep you from reading a diary in the Western Tower. [[spoiler:After he's temporarily trapped in a shaft, you can read it to learn that he, the Original King, had a son.]]
49	** If you cheat to get an inaccessible chest in the Forgotten Path, you'll find that it's empty and a scarecrow will mock you for it.
50	* DiscOneFinalDungeon: [[spoiler:The Sepulcher.]]
51	* DistressedDamsel:
52	** [[spoiler:Snowe thinks Astra is one of these, but finds out that's not the case at all.]]
53	** [[spoiler:Dream Astra really does need rescuing, and if you don't save her before finishing the game, Bad Things Happen.]]
54	* DualBoss: [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina.]]
55	* DualWielding: Hiante can wield two swords, though the equipment system treats each pair as a singular object. This makes it so that his normal attack hits twice, which makes up for his somewhat low attack stat.
56	* EarlyGameHell: In the beginning of the game, the [[MightyGlacier tankiest party member]] doesn't join until after the second boss, making it harder to keep wounded characters alive. The only source of group healing comes from a TP skill, which makes it harder to use because TP is harder to regenerate than MP.
57	* EasyLevelsHardBosses: The bosses are merciless compared to the dungeons that precede them. Averted in the Western Tower, where the regular encounters are about as bad as the boss.
58	* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:The Original King's hatred and anger is visually represented as one very Lovecraftian cape.]]
59	* ElectricTorture: [[spoiler:Edgar]] seems fond of using lightning to try to get information out of people, and uses it on Snowe when he captures him. When Erio comes and rescues Snowe, the ensuing conversation reveals that [[spoiler:Edgar once tortured Erio in exactly the same way.]]
60	* ElementalPowers:
61	** Snowe: PlayingWithFire
62	** Astra: ShockAndAwe / BlowYouAway
63	** Hiante: DishingOutDirt
64	** Relenia: MakingASplash / AnIcePerson
65	** Erio: CastingAShadow
66	* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Fire burns earth, earth grounds lightning, lightning shocks water, water douses fire.
67	* EleventhHourSuperpower: The final skills for each party member, as well as Astra's InfinityPlusOneSword. All of them can only be gotten in the very final chapter.
68	* TheEndOrIsIt: The good ending reminds the player, with Snowe's unnatural stutter and the sounds of ominous heart-beating, that [[spoiler:while Snowe has suppressed the demon's ability to control him, [[TheStinger the demon still lives within him...]]]]
69	* EverybodysDeadDave: [[spoiler: If you get the bad ending, the demon takes control of Snowe and forces him to kill everyone he ever cared about, and then lets Snowe live.]]
70	* ExhaustedEyeBags: Snowe has them after a couple restless nights. [[spoiler:And they get progressively worse as the game progresses; towards the end he looks downright awful. It gets fixed if you have Erio enter Snowe's dreams to fix his nightmares, but if you don't, it doesn't get fixed and he has to even fight the final boss that way.]]
71	* FalseUtopia: [[spoiler:The city of Sabine is this. Everyone is perfectly happy... because they are being controlled by various spells which keep them from realizing their king and queen abandoned them. Once the spells unravel, everyone is terrified, confused, and in danger of dying from the cold.]]
72	* FantasticAngst: Erio becomes very annoyed when [[spoiler:anyone prods him about his feelings for Astra, because he thinks that pursuing her would be 'creepy'. When Snowe points out that creepy seems to just be what demons do, Erio responds that it's not the way he wants to be.]]
73	* FinalBossPreview: The party ends up fighting a less-powerful version of [[spoiler:The Original King]] in the Western Tower.
74	* FloatingContinent: The Sepulcher.
75	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
76	** A very subtle example. Snowe's starter weapon is a staff that used to belong to his dad. One attack you can do with it is a lightning-based IP attack. [[spoiler:And when we actually run into the previous owner of that staff, we find that Edgar's main power, which he uses a bit too gleefully, is calling down lightning to fry people.]]
77	** [[spoiler:The glowing light after Lorel attacks Snowe, Erio's comment to Snowe about how first Lorel's attack and later Edgar shooting him with lightning ought to have killed him, Snowe's inability to keep himself warm after Lorel's attack, and even Edgar's comment about Snowe being "walking death" all foreshadow that Snowe's been DeadAllAlong.]]
78	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Roughly, Snowe is phlegmatic, Astra is sanguine, Hiante is melancholic, and Relenia is choleric.
79	* GenderEqualEnsemble: The main charcters are this together, not counting Erio.
80	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Subverted. [[spoiler:Lorel and the Chimera seem like this at first, but they are later revealed to have been purposefully placed there by Edgar and Lina to prevent anyone from accessing the Sepulcher.]]
81	* GondorCallsForAid: When the Sepulcher starts collapsing, the party has no way of getting out safely. Erio's the only one who could conceivably get at least one or two people out safely and he's simply in no condition to do so at the moment. So Erio ends up instructing Snowe and Relenia to make a magic circle to call upon a stronger demon. He's not sure if it'll even work, but [[spoiler:apparently his older sister was feeling sweet that day.]]
82	* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: In the stealth mission with Snowe and Erio. The enemies will fly toward you if you're spotted...but you can quickly dart the other way and they'll forget you're even there.
83	* GuestStarPartyMember:
84	** Erio. He's never a permanent member of the party (since the default battle system for RPG Maker is limited to four party members), and only joins in a few rare instances.
85	** There is an odd gentleman in the Western Tower who briefly joins you, although he doesn't help out with any of the fighting. [[spoiler:He is the Original King, and when Astra catches on, he attacks.]]
86	** [[spoiler:Dream Astra]] in the BonusDungeon.
87	* HiveMind: According to Astra, Lorel is a cluster of phantoms that were formed into a bird.
88	* HopelessBossFight: The very first boss fight of the game. It becomes a lot less hopeless when Astra weakens it later.
89	* HypocriticalHumor: One of the puzzles in the shrine involves you helping a bunch of maiden statues remember their names. One of them says, "Oh, I'm miserable! More miserable than that stupid Evangeline who keeps complaining!"
90	* INeverSaidItWasPoison: [[spoiler:Astra realizes that the odd gentleman who's accompanied them throughout the Western Tower is up to something when he reveals that he knows Snowe is Sabine's ruler, which is something they never mentioned and he shouldn't know given other things he's said about himself.]]
91	* InfinityPlusOneSword: Maiden's Hope for Snowe, Mistilteinn for Astra, Heroes and Villains for Hiante, Gungnir for Relenia.
92	** Infinity+1 Accessory: The Green Ribbon, obtainable in the final chapter. It boosts all stats, grants immunity to virtually every status ailment, and ''halves MP cost''.
93	* InterrogatedForNothing: Happens to Snowe in the Sepulcher; [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina]] think he's lying about [[spoiler:being their son]] and are convinced he's plotting something, so take him away to question him. Problem is, he really ''is'' [[spoiler:their son, he wouldn't lie about that,]] and the only thing he was "plotting" was preventing his kingdom from [[spoiler:freezing to death.]]
94	* InvoluntaryGroupSplit: When the group gets taken prisoner in the Sepulcher and Snowe is separated from the others. While Erio saves them, getting everyone back together still proves a hassle since Erio and Snowe are outmatched and have to sneak around, Astra and company have to face really tough enemies, and then on top of that Snowe and Erio run into a door they can't open themselves.
95	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler:Erio.]]
96	* KillItWithFire: Snowe's standard response to obstacles, although it never quite works out. When without a lantern, he goes with the scarecrow's suggestion to set its head on fire to provide light. (The scarecrow laughs at him the rest of the game because scarecrow heads are for some reason not very flammable.) When locked up in a cell, he tries to set the room on fire. (All this earns him is getting locked down further.) His penchant for setting things on fire finally gets lampshaded when he and Erio encounter a door they can't get past. Snowe suggests setting it on fire, which leads to Erio wondering what Snowe's deal is with burning the place down.
97	* KleptomaniacHero: Played straight for the most part, but also [[SubvertedTrope subverted on occasion]], such as when Astra yells at you for trying to [[KleptomaniacHeroFoundUnderwear rifle through her clothes drawers.]] Also, when [[spoiler:the spell on Sabine is lifted and everyone forgets who Snowe is]], trying to just waltz into people's houses or trying to go into the back rooms of shops will more than likely just get you tossed right back out.
98	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler:When the spell over Sabine is broken, nearly everyone there has all their memories of Snowe completely wiped.]]
99	* LastSecondEndingChoice: Whether you decide to just [[spoiler:go ahead and rest up]] or decide to [[spoiler:bring Erio into your dreams to defeat the demon]] determines which ending you get.
100	* LimitBreak: Sort of. Suffering damage increases a special meter for the characters, and they can execute special attacks (tied to their equipment) in exchange for a certain percentage of the gauge. It's virtually identical to the IP system from the ''VideoGame/{{Lufia}}'' series.
101	* LoopholeAbuse: Richard pulls this. [[spoiler:There are spells on him and Vera that prevent them from telling Snowe what's really going on, so he sends Snowe to the Sepulcher in order to "restore the link"; what he's actually doing is sending Snowe to accidentally uncover a memory that will tell him a bit more about what his parents did. Unfortunately, Richard hadn't expected that Snowe would run into his parents and they would try to kill him. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone He's very apologetic when he learns that happened.]]]]
102	* LoveTriangle: It's heavily implied that [[spoiler:Erio]] has feelings for Astra, and that Snowe is attracted to her as well. However, whether or not Snowe has feelings for her is left up to the player's interpretation. [[spoiler: Subverted. Towards the end of the game, Snowe tell Erio that he's not interested in Astra that way.]]
103	* MarathonBoss: The FinalBoss has ''thirty thousand'' hit points. Fortunately, supporting characters will occasionally heal you from the sidelines.
104	* MeaningfulEcho: [[spoiler:Snowe declares that "I inherited this kindgdom, therefore I inherited everything my parents did!" Towards the end, the Original King justifies his rampage by saying "You all inherited everything that they did! You all allowed them to act and allowed them to steal from me!"]]
105	* MeaningfulName: Snowe, the ruler of a snow-covered kingdom, and Astra, the star princess.
106	* TheMedic: Snowe during gameplay, Erio during cut-scenes.
107	* MissingMom: [[spoiler:Relenia]] turns out to be one for a little girl in Sabine. [[spoiler:It was not her decision. Also, Lina, and it was her choice.]]
108	* MoodWhiplash: Frequent. The story uses the juxtaposition between carefree fantasy and serious drama quite well.
109	* MookMedic: Little Ones are enemy angels that can pray for aid and heal up their allies. This is not good news for you.
110	* MultipleEndings: A "good" and "bad" one. The difference will be very clear.
111	* NiceGuy: Snowe.
112	* NonstandardGameOver: In the BonusDungeon, when you're fighting the boss, if Snowe is KO'd and stays KO'd on the following turn, the boss will comment on it and then wipe out [[spoiler:Dream Astra]] and Erio with one move.
113	* NothingIsScarier:
114	** [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina's old bedroom.]] It's entirely empty. Snowe enters it during a very unsettling cutscene, and ever after that, if you enter it, the music suddenly shuts itself off, and doesn't come back on for a while.
115	** There is one room in the catacombs that has a demon circle drawn on the ground, a magic tome, and candles, but nothing else. This room also shuts off the music. (You do learn what this room is for if you enter it with Erio in your party.)
116	* OminousSavePrompt: Happens right before a few of the important boss fights.
117	* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: Prince Snowe is very nearly killed at the start of the game, [[OnlyMostlyDead coming close enough to death]] to break an enchantment on his kingdom that's tied to his life and put it in jeopardy. From that point on, none will ever miss an opportunity to remind him that he's an idiot who couldn't even go on a small journey without getting himself (almost) killed [[spoiler:even when it's decided that breaking the enchantment was for the best.]]
118	* OurDemonsAreDifferent: They have black sclerae, live a very long time, get summoned with magic circles, [[spoiler:and it's possible to devour them and keep them imprisoned inside yourself.]]
119	* OurGhostsAreDifferent: They aren't really all that mobile, and have to jump to empty skeletons to get about. And if they died in a horrific way or stew over their problems too long while they're a ghost, they are at great risk of becoming phantoms. While phantoms are a lot more mobile, they're also [[AxCrazy violently insane.]]
120	* ParentalAbandonment: [[spoiler: Edgar and Lina to Snowe. And that's not even the worst of what they are responsible for.]]
121	* ParentalSubstitute: Richard and Vera for Snowe. Also, Hiante for Astra and Erio.
122	* PermanentlyMissableContent: Everything in the Sepulcher, as it cannot be accessed after chapter 5. Most notably are Astra's ultimate weapon and the red ribbon, a potent accessory. Fortunately, the game is rather forward about this, and the skill books found there can be obtained elsewhere if they're missed. Averted with everything else: even in the final chapter, you can go back and get everyone's ultimate weapons (except Astra's) and memories.
123	* PerpetualFrowner: Erio. [[spoiler:Except in Astra's memory.]]
124	* PleaseWakeUp: One of the Magic Helpers late in the game can be found [[spoiler:patting a lump of clay that is what's left of another Magic Helper, telling it to get up, it's not time to sleep yet, they still have work to do.]]
125	* PointOfNoReturn: You are warned of this right before the boss fight in the Sepulcher, and right before you go for either the BonusDungeon or the final boss.
126	* RedEyesTakeWarning: [[spoiler:Snowe's eyes turn red when the demon is controlling him. This is the opposite of his normal green eyes on the color spectrum.]]
127	* ReducedManaCost: The Green Ribbon has this effect.
128	* TheReveal: Happens several times, and most of the important cutscenes are conveyed through a series of striking pictures created by Ronove.
129	* RevivalLoophole: [[spoiler:The spells Edgar and Lina had in place to keep the town in a permanent peaceful state break if Snowe dies. Lorel's attack killed him and broke the link, but the demon was able to prevent him from dying completely.]]
130	* RuleOfSymbolism: According to WordOfGod, [[spoiler:the Original King's EldritchAbomination cape is really a representation of all his hatred and anger, Edgar and Lina sport angel wings and halos in their boss battle both because they think so highly of themselves and because Snowe is even at this point trying to see some good in them, and the demon has chains on his clothes to symbolize how he's been imprisoned, and has wings and surrounded by fire because he's trying to be "reborn", and wings and flames call to mind a Phoenix.]]
131	* ScaryScarecrows: [[spoiler:The demon]] first makes an appearance in Snowe's dreams in the form of a scarecrow, the scarecrows in the caverns mostly speak of doom and gloom and people dying and burning and other charming things, and some of the enemies you face before getting to the Western Tower are scarecrow enemies who can stare you down to paralyze you and sometimes ring the death bell on you.
132	* SceneryPorn: Easily one of the prettiest RPG Maker games out there.
133	* SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan: [[spoiler:The demon in Snowe is of the SealedEvilInACan variety. In the bad ending it gets unsealed, and in the good one it remains sealed and is now more pissed off than ever.]]
134	* SequelHook: [[spoiler:The bad ending leaves Snowe alive while the good ending ends with his demon-induced irregular heartbeat, which ties into the sequel web novel.]]
135	* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler:The BadEnding, though subverted on one account -- everyone ''except'' Snowe dies, which just makes it worse.]]
136	* ShoutOut: There are many hidden references to other RPG Maker games:
137	** Ronove said that the character of Hiante was inspired in part by Stoic from ''Videogame/MasterOfTheWind''.
138	** Two of the FinalBoss' attacks are [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger "Dreamless" and "Crying Heavens"]].
139	** The title is named after a piece from the ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' soundtrack.
140	** One that borders on {{Homage}}: The IP system is practically identical to that of the ''VideoGame/{{Lufia}}'' series.
141	** The "Scary Mask" item is from ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}''.
142	** In the non-gaming category, one of the snowmen seems to be fond of singing [[Music/PatBenatar "Love is a Battlefield"]]. Curiously, it doubles as a shout-out to [[Videogame/MasterOfTheWind Master of the Wind]], where a bank teller sings a parody of the song.
143	** The maiden statue named Delilah makes a reference to a rather popular song when you give her back her name.
144	** The music in the game is highly reminiscent of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', which is a work also about people who control elements.
145	* SlasherSmile: [[spoiler:A [[DemonicPossession demon-possessed Snowe]]]] in the bad ending.
146	* SourSupporter: Erio for most of the game.
147	* StealthBasedMission: At one point the party is captured and Snowe is separated from the others. Erio has to rescue everyone, and when he finds Snowe, they have to rejoin the rest of the group. Erio and Snowe aren't strong enough to fight the difficult enemies on the way themselves, so they have to avoid detection. [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy Thankfully]], these particular enemies [[FailedASpotCheck have no peripheral vision whatsoever.]]
148	* SwordAndSorcerer: [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina]] to an extent, though this is also subverted, as both of them have aspects from each archetype.
149	* TakingTheBullet:
150	** Relenia acts like a Franchise/FinalFantasy-style paladin in combat, automatically shielding characters from taking fatal blows as long as she's able to act, and as long as the attack doesn't hit everyone at once (though she's still able to shield party members if the attack is a multi-hit one that hits random party members.)
151	** When your party is found by their enemies again after escaping captivity the first time, [[spoiler:Edgar]] tries to kill Snowe right then and there. [[spoiler:Erio]] pushes Snowe out of the way and takes the hit instead. [[spoiler:Erio]] isn't killed. but is unable to help out in the ensuing boss battle.
152	* TeleportInterdiction: [[spoiler:King Edgar]] blocks Erio's ability to teleport in the Sepulcher.
153	* TeleporterAccident: Apparently Erio had one or almost had one once; when the Sepulcher starts collapsing and he tells Astra he'll try to teleport himself and her out if asking another demon for help fails, Astra objects because "last time you tried that, you almost lost your arms!"
154	* ThirdOptionAdaptation: Both of the stories of ''Ephemeral Prince'' are canon, despite ''Fleeting'' taking place after the bad ending and ''Permanence'' taking place after the good ending.
155	* TitleDrop: Almost. The eponymous act is accomplished through the use of a "star stealing scroll".
156	* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:Edgar, Lina, Soan (the Original King), and Xiri (the Demon) cross all sorts of moral boundaries and are insane, but they're also victims of the Lords' manipulations.]]
157	* TrapDoor: [[spoiler:The Western Tower boss fight ends with the Original King getting dropped down one of these by Snowe.]]
158	* TryNotToDie: Richard, before the final battle.
159	-->"Don't you dare die. We've worked too hard for this to all be for nothing."
160	* TurnsRed:
161	** Many bosses. Most notably, [[spoiler:[[DualBoss Lina and Edgar]]]] will start spamming their most powerful spell after the other dies.
162	** A humorous, non-boss example: The Dancing Hands of Bob will become angry and boogie for the rest of the turn once he's taken enough damage.
163	* UniqueEnemy: "The Dancing Hands of Bob".
164	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: At one point, you play as Astra and get to wander around the town. The other people in your party are Hiante and Erio. While the townspeople do comment that Astra's companions look odd, none of them seem all that perturbed that a young woman is wandering around with a demon and a skeleton for company.
165	* UselessUsefulSpell: Averted. ''Nothing'' is immune to status effects, even the FinalBoss, and they are often crucial to victory. The Child's Cornet and the Scary Mask (which inflict stat debuffs) are two of the most useful items in the game. Nearly every enemy in the game can inflict multiple ailments on a regular basis. Burying your opponent in debuffs and status ailments is pretty much the go-to strategy on both sides.
166	* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:The Dream goes absolutely berserk after Dream Astra figures out how to weaken it, even letting loose a PrecisionFStrike.]]
167	* VillainTeleportation: [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina]] show up for the boss fight this way.
168	* WakeUpCallBoss: Lorel will force players to adapt to the more intricate elements of the battle system or perish...and is a wimp compared to some of the bosses who follow.
169	%%* Weapon Of Choice:
170	%%** Snowe: CarryABigStick
171	%%** Astra, Hiante: CoolSword
172	%%** Relenia: Spear
173	%%** Erio: Knife
174	* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Averted for the most part, but in the BonusDungeon, if Snowe is [=KO=]'d in the boss fight and remains KO'd the following turn, the boss wipes out the rest of your party with one move. Game over.
175	* WeUsedToBeFriends: While he never does get to confront [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina]] about it, [[spoiler:Richard recalls a time when they were actually decent people and dear friends of his.]]
176	* WhamEpisode:
177	* ''The end of the very first chapter''. [[spoiler:Snowe is very suddenly brought to the brink of death and just barely manages to survive.]]
178	** Also, [[spoiler:the end of the fourth chapter, which reveals that the perfect Fairy Tale scenario of Snowe's kingdom was a carefully constructed lie]].
179	* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: [[spoiler:Snowe's upset about how horrible he's just found out his parents really are, and says that they didn't use to be like that. Erio then lays out for him how Edgar at least has ''always'' been that horrible, and then says "I don't even know what your mother's problem is."]]
180	* WhoNamesTheirKidDude:
181	** In the final chapter, Astra mentions that she thinks Snowe's parents were awful for naming him Snowe. He agrees, as anytime anyone complains about the snow he has to remind himself they're referring to the weather and not to him. The odd gentleman they meet at the Western Tower also tells Snowe his name is "odd".
182	** Inverted with Astra herself; the odd gentleman they meet at the Western Tower tells her that her name is a beautiful name and she should consider herself lucky for being named that.
183	* WideEyedIdealist: Snowe, in the beginning. The story beats it out of him pretty quick.
184	* TheWisePrince: Snowe falls short of the mark at the beginning due to his WideEyedIdealist tendencies, but is definitely on the path to becoming this by the end.
185	* YouAllLookFamiliar: Averted by most of the [=NPCs=], but played straight with the Library Helpers, Magic Helpers, and guards. [[spoiler:Justified; all of them are copies made of clay. When the magic keeping them going runs out, they turn back to the clay they were.]]
186	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: [[spoiler:Erio]] of all people ends up giving such a speech to Snowe when Snowe gets disturbed at how much of the [[spoiler:imagery in his dream involves blood everywhere and himself getting burned. Erio senses that Snowe's worried he might have suicidal thoughts and Erio points out that Snowe invited someone who has a very low opinion of him into his head in order to protect someone they mutually care about, and if he really were suicidal he would have burned himself long ago.]]
187	* YouShallNotPass: Lorel and the phantom blocking the [[spoiler:ship]] do this.
188	----
189
190	!!The prequel short stories provide examples of:
191	* AnachronicOrder: The order they're put in: "A Demon" -> "A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow" -> "Transience" -> "Stars in the Distance". The order they actually happened in: "A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow" -> "A Demon" -> "Stars in the Distance" -> "Transience".
192	* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:While the game mentions that Snowe's parents are decaying, the short stories "A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow" and "Transience" go into rather grim detail with it.]]
193	* BreatherEpisode: Between the game, the previous three short stories, and ''Fleeting'' all going rather dark places, "Stars in the Distance" is just a calmly-paced, sweet little story about two guys giving their all to make a little girl happy.
194	* ComfortingComforter: At the end of "A Demon", Erio is so worn out from having to take care of Astra's nightmare that he can hardly move, so he crashes on the floor next to Astra's bed and falls asleep right there. Hiante brings a blanket and pillow for him.
195	* DeathGlare: Despite being a skeleton, Hiante manages one after he sees what [[spoiler:Edgar did to Erio.]]
196	* DownerEnding:
197	** [[spoiler:"A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow". One more rapidly-decaying mom and a broken friendship, the end.]]
198	** [[spoiler:"Transience". Ending with the king and queen dying is pretty disturbing even though they're both unpleasant people, but considering that what they're actually doing is fleeing to the Sepulcher, the story ends not so much with Edgar and Lina dying as it does with Edgar and Lina abandoning the people they're supposed to be taking care of.]]
199	* ElectricTorture: [[spoiler:In the game, Erio mentions suffering this at the hands of Snowe's father. In the short story "A Demon", this is gone into in more detail.]]
200	* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Lina's reaction to Erio. [[spoiler:They'd been trying to get his sister, not him.]]
201	* FantasticRacism: In "A Demon", pretty much everyone besides Astra does a double take at Erio when they realize he's a demon, and [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina, particularly Edgar]] don't treat him well at all. [[spoiler:Edgar]] even laughs at Hiante for insisting on things like not treating Erio horribly and at least giving him shoes.
202	* FishOutOfWater: Due to answering a summons [[spoiler:that wasn't even meant for him,]] Erio ends up in a strange place he's unfamiliar with. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to get back home.
203	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: In "A Spell of Fire & A Scarecrow", [[spoiler:Lina immobilizes the demon in Snowe by skewering him in place.]]
204	* InnocentlyInsensitive: When describing her dream to Erio, Astra thinks that he wouldn't understand what fear is like, being a demon and all. Erio, who has just had a very bad day, quickly corrects her.
205	* LateArrivalSpoiler:
206	** If you played the game already, you know the companionship formed between Snowe and [[spoiler:the demon]] in "A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow" is not going to last.
207	** In the game, the fact that [[spoiler:Snowe's parents aren't very pleasant people]] is one of the many [[TheReveal Reveals,]] but the short stories take it for granted.
208	* LighterAndSofter: "Stars in the Distance" compared not only to the game but to the three short stories that preceded it. The game of course has all the various plot revelations, "A Demon" has traumatizing things happening to children, "A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow" plays around with natural fears quite a bit [[spoiler:and has a Downer Ending]], and "Transience" briefly shows the point of view of a particular character...and that view is disturbing, and [[spoiler:it also has a Downer Ending.]] "Stars in the Distance" mostly concerns itself with Erio and Hiante going out of their way to make Astra happy.
209	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:"Hero" being applied ''very'' loosely in this case. In "A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow", nice job making everything worse for everyone involved, Lina.]]
210	* NightmareSequence:
211	** In "A Demon", where Erio helps Astra with her nightmare.
212	** Also in "A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow" where Lina [[spoiler:enters Snowe's dreams in order to trap the demon.]]
213	* NotQuiteTheRightThing: In "A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow", [[spoiler:Lina tries to protect her son. It doesn't take.]]
214	* PoorCommunicationKills: In "A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow", Lina and [[spoiler:the demon]] both want basically the same thing -- for Snowe to not get hurt -- but are coming at it from such opposite directions that neither is in a position to try to reason with the other. [[spoiler:It ends ''badly'' for all parties involved.]]
215	* {{Prequel}}: All four of them deal with past events that the game either only mentioned briefly or didn't mention at all.
216	* ScaryScarecrows:
217	** In "A Demon", [[spoiler:one was running amok in Astra's dreams and causing them to catch on fire.]]
218	** In ''A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow", [[spoiler:Lina calls the demon a scarecrow after skewering him. It also explains why his first appearance in the game is as a scarecrow.]]
219	* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler:"A Spell of Fire & a Scarecrow". No one's happy in the end. Lina's made the BodyHorror she's already suffering much worse, the demon's trapped and hurt and angry, and Snowe's lost a friend ''and'' now has an angry demon inside him.]]
220	* SleepCute: At the end of "Stars in the Distance", Hiante discovers Astra and Erio this way. He makes a mental note to give Erio a talking-to later but leaves them be.
221	* SuppressedRage:
222	** Hiante throughout the first half of "A Demon" has a great deal of trouble keeping himself from beating [[spoiler:Edgar]] up.
223	** Richard gets a moment of this at one point in "Transience" as well. [[spoiler:Towards Edgar, again.]]
224	* TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler:Edgar and Lina at the end of "Transience." ...kind of.]]
225	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: [[spoiler:Edgar]] scoffs at Hiante for demanding that Erio be treated better, saying that Hiante's "humanizing the thing a bit too much."

Context VideoGame / StarStealingPrince