Line #40 VideoGame/Sudeki


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sudeki.jpg]]
2	''Sudeki'' is a RolePlayingGame by the Creator/ClimaxGroup, made for the Platform/{{Xbox}} in 2004 and ported to the [[Platform/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] in 2005. Oddly, despite being made by Western game designers, is basically an {{Animesque}} EasternRPG experience.
3
4	The plot is fairly simple. There are two worlds, one of Light, and one of Shadow. During the game, the worlds suffer a calamity and everything goes pear shaped as a result, and you and your party have to fix it.
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6	The game itself was notable for being one of the few Eastern RPG-like games on the Xbox, and even though the Xbox version was released in the United States, the PC port never saw a US release, but due to PC games not being region locked and the fact it has an English dub, it is perfectly importable.
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8	[[http://store.steampowered.com/app/233350/ The game was released on Steam]] in 2014, and also on GOG (but has been removed from sale it seems).
9
10	!!This game provides examples of:
11	* AbusiveParents: Arlo is very emotionally abusive to Tal, outside of his duties as his son's commanding officer (and is apparently an alcoholic as well).
12	* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: Everyone in the game caps at Level 30. However, due to the way the game is set, the characters will be somewhere in the low 20s before you fight the final boss, [[spoiler:[[DuelBoss not that most of these matter]]]]. It doesn't help that each level after 17th requires 5000XP to level up, for a total of 65k (22 is the midway point to 30). For comparision, the best yielding regular monster gives out 350XP per kill and the final boss gives 9999XP.
13	* ActionGirl: Buki and Ailish.
14	* AdoptedIntoRoyalty: [[spoiler: Although not revealed in the game, journals imply that Ailish isn't really Queen Lusica's daughter and was snatched from her biological family by Talos because of the emergence of her magic and Lusica wanted that kind of power under close watch.]]
15	* AIIsACrapshoot: The Krenn system in Transentia. Elco pointed out he warned that something like this would happen.
16	* {{Animesque}}: Very. It's basically a Western game drawn in Japanese RPG style.
17	* ArbitrarySkepticism: Elco really couldn't believe that supernatural powers were at play, even as he received Tetsu's blessing. This is the reason why he receives his blessing so late (after he and Tal rescued Ailish and Buki at Cyantine, which completes 3/4 of the main plot). Compare him to the more spiritual Buki who receives her blessing at Transentia and arguably Ailish, who received her second blessing before any of the other characters.
18	* ArtificialLimbs:
19	** Elco has had his entire left arm replaced with an artificial one after he lost it at some point prior to the game.
20	** Lord Talos has had his right hand replaced with an artificial replacement, while his left hand was replaced with a SinisterScythe [[BladeBelowTheShoulder blade]].
21	* BadassFingerSnap: Ailish can open chests and smash breakable stuff this way.
22	* BeastMan: All anthropomorphs resemble humanoid animals to varying degrees. While some are basically just creatures like bulls or rabbits walking on two legs, others, like Buki, look mostly human apart from a few skin markings, claws instead of fingernails/toenails, and slit pupils.
23	* BladeBelowTheShoulder: [[spoiler:Lord Talos]] has a SinisterScythe in place of [[spoiler:his]] left hand.
24	* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler: Talos is the Cain to Kazel's Abel. This is a stark contrast of their lights counterparts, Tal's brother and Tal respectively, which implied in the dialogue that both have a good relationship.]]
25	* CatGirl: Buki and [[spoiler: her dark counterpart Nico.]] Compared to other anthropomorphs in the game they are really quite a mild case, with only their eyes, fangs around their hands and feet and tiger markings on their skin to indicate that they aren't human.
26	* ChasteHero: Tal, especially in response to Ailish; he gets very nervous when she gets flirty. He also seems to be nervous when women get inside his personal space in general, as best demonstrated at the beginning of the game when Buki gets a little close for comfort. Later however, when he has to go to Transentia with Elco (and not knowing Ailish and Buki have preceded them there), he expresses appreciation for some female company, which may be a sign of him mellowing.
27	* CollectionSidequest: Many throughout the game. Most simply reward you with money or rare items, but the totem quests will ultimately net you the four strongest weapons in the game. In a couple of cases, you have to complete one of these sidequests in order to get a totem, making it a quest within a quest.
28	* CosmicDeadline: The game appears to have run short of time and money for development at some point, [[spoiler: because after meeting the Shadow Party, it rushes to the final chapters without fleshing each of the Shadow Party out as opposed to their counterparts, to the point Elco gets his second upgrade just before the final battles. Even the ending itself is very rushed.]]
29	* DarkIsNotEvil: The [[spoiler: Aklorian inhabitants, especially the Shadow Party (Kazel, Alexine, Nico and Cafu). The Aklorian soldiers you fight are revealed to be renegades in their own realm, driven desperate if not outright mad by the loss of the light. One character, however, plays this straight: Talos, the counterpart of Tal's brother. And the latter was killed by him, as Talos (now host of Heigou) reveals to Tal before the FinalBattle.]]
30	* DeadpanSnarker: Elco starts off as a bit of a nervous, AbsentMindedProfessor, but the more insane the plot becomes, the snarkier he gets.
31	-->'''Elco''': This is my care face.
32	* DegradedBoss: The first boss in the game appears in Aklorian Stronghold as regular enemy.
33	* DistressedDude: Zig-Zagged. Tal and Elco fall prey to the chanting of a siren, and it's up to Ailish and Buki to save them. Just after the girls have killed the siren, however, [[DamselInDistress they are captured]] by [[spoiler:the Shadow Party]] and the guys go to their rescue.
34	* TheDragon: [[spoiler:Lord Talos for Queen Lusica, but [[DragonAscendant he kills her after becoming Heigou's host]]]].
35	* DubNameChange: When the game was released in Japan, some characters' names are changed. In particular: Tal becomes Nash, Ailish becomes Shalish and Buki becomes Lini. The angelic figure Tetsu is renamed Odin, while the demonic figure Heigou is renamed Heimdall.
36	* DuelBoss: All four Main Characters encounter at least one boss that they must defeat without help from any of the other three. [[spoiler:The FinalBoss is one of them, being fought by Tal alone.]] In fact, the only boss battle that is fought by all four characters is Farex Lore in the Realm of Shadows.
37	* DrillSergeantNasty: General Arlo, who also happens to be Tal's father.
38	* EscortMission:
39	** [[spoiler:During the penultimate part of the story, Elco must go solo and escort Tilly, his wife, back to her home in Brightwater before going back to Akloria to reunite with the group. While she is not immortal, she has much more HP than Elco and can actually take quite the beating, despite not being able to fight back. But like any escort missions, failing to protect Tilly will result in NonStandardGameOver.]]
40	** [[spoiler:Inverted just before Elco's own escort mission when Lord Talos comes to the Cyantine Citadel to escort Elco back to Illumina Castle.]]
41	* EvilCostumeSwitch: Inverted. [[spoiler: Comparing Alexine to Ailish's (initial) costume, the "evil" one is more conservative.]]
42	* EvilCounterpart: Subverted. [[spoiler: The Shadow Party members are not evil, they simply seek to restore the light that has gone missing in Akloria and will happily make a show of diplomacy with Haskilia by talking with their counterparts.]] It is played straight [[spoiler: by Talos, the dark counterpart of Tal's brother. He even killed his counterpart in order to avoid fulfilling the prophecy by raising another descendant of Kariston and is heavily implied that he will kill his own brother, Kazel, or his younger brother's light counterpart, Tal. Or better yet, ''everyone''.]]
43	* EyepatchOfPower: Worn by General Arlo.
44	* FantasticRacism: Many of the citizens of Illumina are insulting and distrustful of the anthropomorphs of Shadani-Mo, forcing refugees of their war to camp outside Brightwater rather than give them shelter in the town itself. Even Queen Lusica can barely hide her disdain, acidly referring to Buki as "that animal".
45	* {{Fartillery}}: An early boss uses his farts as a weapon, which not only do damage but also poison you.
46	* FireForgedFriends: All four of them, but particular attention is given to the developing OddFriendship between Ailish and Buki, polar opposites who come to respect one another after serving in battle together.
47	* FirstPersonShooter: When playing as Ailish or Elco in combat mode.
48	* {{Foil}}: [[spoiler: Three out of four pairs between the Haskilian and Aklorian counterparts have blatant differences despite their similarities:]]
49	** Tal and [[spoiler: Kazel: Both are descendants of Kariston, the unofficial leaders of their respective groups, have swords as their weapon and being fancied by the resident magic user of their respective groups. However, Tal is a calm redhead while Kazel is hot-tempered white-haired man. Tal holds a low position at Haskilian army, while Kazel is the head captain of Cyantine forces. Their relationships with their older brothers are vastly different as well, with Tal and his brother implied to have a good relationship while Kazel and Talos are implied to have strained relationship due to Talos' treachery and treason to Akloria. On the flipside, Tal has bad relations with his father Arlo, while Kazel and his father Carlos are shown to be good.]]
50	** Ailish and [[spoiler: Alexine: Both are descendants of Olivetess, are certified RebelliousPrincess (while Alexine is only a daughter of a wealthy and influential family, Ailish is literally a princess) and utilize magic to help their allies and inflict damage to their enemies. But while Ailish is MsFanservice, Alexine is more conservative. Their appearance extends as well, with Ailish possesses blue hair and slightly tanned skin, Alexine possesses black hair and pale skin. Their relationship with the queen regnants of Haskilia and Cyantine are different: Ailish and Lusica have distant relationship and her mother forbids her to go outside the kingdom, and while Alexine and Caprine aren't family, Caprine shows respect towards Alexine as a person and allows her to take part of the kingdom's operations.]]
51	** Elco and [[spoiler: Cafu: Both are descendants of Lebius, GadgeeterGenius, but their ideologies are vastly different with Elco being realistic and grounded by facts, while Cafu is more idealistic and is more willing to entertain abstract ideas. Elco is more in science, while Cafu is more inclined in art. While Elco struggles to show his emotions, Cafu has no problems wearing his heart on his sleeve.]]
52	* FusionDance: Done prior to the final battle, with every one of the heroes merging with their [[spoiler: Aklorian counterparts]].
53	* GameBreakingBug: Two in the pulling puzzle in Aklorian Stronghold. Nico's pathing may get buggy and get you stuck as the script never ends. The second one causes Tal to freeze in a cutscene upon finishing the puzzle if there's a block in the first gap.
54	* GameplayAndStorySegregation: In cutscenes, Elco is able to use his jetpack at will, scale great heights and even carry passengers. In actual gameplay, he can only fly when he has charged his jetpack with golden crystals, and he can only fly horizontally, not vertically.
55	* GibberingGenius: Elco, lampshaded by Ailish.
56	* GuestStarPartyMember:
57	** ''Three'' of them, in fact. [[spoiler: Kazel, Alexine and Nico, who are Tal, Ailish and Buki's respective Aklorian counterparts join your party into eradicating the renegade Aklorian faction who was responsible for the attacks at Haskilia during the early stages of the game.]]
58	** A straighter example is [[spoiler:Lord Talos, aka the eventual Final Boss]], accompanying Elco back from Akloria to Haskilia. He has maxed out stats, but cannot be controlled directly.
59	* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: [[spoiler:Queen Lusica wanted to summon the demon Heigou to make her immortal, allowing her to rule forever. This stems from the fact that she lost her parents in such young age that left her embittered and [[MortalityPhobia developed her fear towards death.]]]]
60	* GoodMorningCrono: This crossed with {{Sleepyhead}} is how the game starts.
61	* GratuitousJapanese:
62	** The mistranslated title was going to be "Suteki", which means "excellent", according [[WordOfGod to the official developers.]]
63	** Buki, in Japanese, simply means "weapon".
64	* HappilyMarried: Elco and Tilly.
65	* HeroicLineage: The four playable characters are descended from Tetsu's champions, with Tal being descended from Kariston the Wolf, Ailish being descended from Olivitess the Eagle, Buki descended from Mo the Great Cat and Elco being descended from Lebius the Dragon.
66	* HPToOne: [[spoiler: When the FinalBoss is nearly dead, he will inflict this on Tal with an UnblockableAttack.]]
67	* HypocriticalHumor: Before launching their mission to rescue Ailish and Buki from Cyantine Citadel, Tal warns Elco against doing anything "clever", while Elco pleads with Tal not to do anything "stupid". Tal immediately frees the girls by striking his sword against their chains, echoing so loudly that it calls every guard in the area over to them. Elco is extremely annoyed, as he had just robbed another guard of the key for those same chains.
68	* InfinityPlusOneSword: Each of the four heroes can access a powerful weapon by completing a CollectionSidequest to offer totems to the various gods they are descended from. In Ailish and Elco's case, they can find other weapons that are stronger in terms of damage output, but much slower to reload, making these weapons more versatile and effective.
69	* JerkAss: Arlo, in spades. He finally realizes his mistakes though and slowly makes an effort to reconcile with Tal after he thought that his son might not go back after his journey at Shadani-Mo.
70	* JetPack: Elco wears his wherever he goes, powered by crystal clusters that are always conveniently located in areas where he needs to fly.
71	* LeotardOfPower:
72	** Ailish's original outfit is called a "silk dress", but as the page image shows it's really one of these with a metal brassiere. It's later replaced by a purple bodysuit.
73	** Buki is also a fan of wading into bloody battle in a swimsuit. Unlike Ailish, her power up outfits show progressively more skin, with her final costume "Coelacanth Scale" going into full ThongOfShielding territory.
74	* LightIsNotGood: [[spoiler:Queen Lusica rules over the candy-coloured kingdom of Illumina and dresses herself in bright clothes, but she is definitely ''not'' on the side of good.]]
75	* LimitBreak: After charging up a special bar, the playable characters can unleash an attack that either kills all normal enemies in the current battle (100% of the bar) or one that buffs the playable characters and debuffs the enemies (50% of the bar). The ability to unleash the first attack is unlocked when each character receives their second armor, while the buff/debuff ability is unlocked when they are given their third armor.
76	* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Ranged characters like Ailish and Elco can be nigh on GameBreaker useful since they can use FirstPersonShooter tactics to circle strafe enemies to death, thus allowing them to OneManArmy everything on the battlefield while avoiding damage as long as they keep moving. Melee fighters like Tal and Buki, while they get to deal far more damage, they have very few means of consistently avoiding getting dogpiled by enemies.
77	* LudicrousGibs: Tal and Buki killing an enemy often means that enemy explodes into gore. ''Any'' kill by special attack.
78	* MadScientist: Milly Lupa, stargazer, believer in aliens, and a MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter has a 'family' of cloned children. And a book about making a Child Clone army to take over the world.
79	* MagicEnhancement: Weapons and armors can be enhanced with runes.
80	** Armor upgrades are far more costly and transfer once your armor upgrades; you start with three runes which grant you immunity to Weaken and Curse, Poison and Slow, and one reflects back some damage onto enemies. Later in the game you will find 3 runes that will autocast either a defense, damage or regeneration buff on entering battle.
81	** Weapons can have either round or square slots; round runes are stronger but are only awarded at certain points of the plot. Runes give a flat +5/10 damage increase (for Tal and Buki) or a percentage damage increase for Elco and Ailish (as such, slow but powerful weapons like Batholith receive the most from them while fast firing weapons like Proton Phaser are better suited for non-damage buffs[[labelnote:Note]]This goes to the point that if you stuff Ailish's or Elco's InfinityPlusOneSword with ManaDrain buffs, they'll be able to recover SP at a fast rate, allowing you spam their Skills.[[/labelnote]]) +5%/10% critical rate increase, 10%/20% HP steal, 1/2% SP steal and 25%/50% buff dispelling on hit.
82	* {{Magitek}}: Though magic and science in the game's world generally operate independently from one another, Elco's research specifically looks into combining the power of various magic crystals with his technology to create powerful defensive shields. It also applies to his jetpack, which is fairly standard apart from being charged by standing near crystal clusters.
83	* MenuTimeLockout: Averted. Opening the menu in combat to use a healing item slows the action down, but does not stop it completely. If the character you're trying to heal is hit before you can do so, they become unable to use said healing item until you close the menu and open it once more.
84	* MineralMacGuffin: Much of the game is dedicated to hunting down various energy-channeling crystals for Elco's tower, to be used to create a giant energy barrier that will protect all of Illumina. [[spoiler: Its actual use, however, is much more sinister]].
85	* MommasBoy: Tal was much closer to his mother than his absent father, General Arlo. Her death affected him deeply and drove him and Arlo even further apart.
86	* MusclesAreMeaningless: Tal is very much a slim {{Bishonen}} type, but he is somehow able to wield giant swords, often in one hand. His special ability showcases his strength, as he is the only one able to drag heavy objects out of the way.
87	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Elco when discovering that his invention, [[spoiler:the Crystal Tower, is the one responsible for draining the light from the Akloria, confirming what the Shadow Party and Caprine claimed. To be fair, he doesn't know since Lusica hides the truth about the research.]]
88	* ObviouslyEvil: Lord Talos, adviser to Queen Lusica, is sickly pale and deformed, with one of his arms replaced by a blade. He lives in a dark and dreary tower through which he spies on the royal courtroom and stalks around muttering about killing everybody in two worlds. Unsurprisingly, he is the game's true BigBad.
89	* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler: Happens to the professor in Transentia soon after the heroes have gone through the newly-activated portal, and to Queen Lusica at the end. Both are killed by Talos.]]
90	* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Tetsu is actually Sudeki's God, but looks and functions similarly to a messenger angel to proclaim that each hero is TheChosenOne [[spoiler: since they are the descendants of the ancient heroes mentioned in the backstory]], and also hands out each character's TakeALevelInBadass power.
91	* PortalNetwork: Once the characters find the Navigation Stone they are able to travel into the Shadow Realm and, from there, to many different locations both in Illumina and the parallel world of Akloria.
92	* PlotTailoredToTheParty: No matter how often the main characters are separated or which configurations they travel in, they always conveniently end up in an area perfectly suited to their unique abilities. Before the Transentia mission, Ailish and Buki make a point of arriving there before Tal and Elco, which is just as well since without their abilities to open the pathways, the boys would have been completely stuck.
93	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Ailish is not content to sit on her ass all day and stay out of trouble. ''At all.''
94	** A dark example would be [[spoiler: her mother, Queen Lusica]].
95	* SexyPackaging: Played straight with the [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Sudeki.jpg US and EU cover]], and interestingly ''averted'' with the [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/8/86/Sudeki.jpg Japanese cover]].
96	* SexSells: With advert slogans such as "Prepare for a full-frontal assault", it is really hard to speak in favor for this game without incurring weird stares.
97	* {{Stripperiffic}}: The playable female cast. Interestingly, Ailish's more advanced armors progressively covers her up even though she's the StaffChick of the party. Likewise, [[spoiler: Alexine, Ailish's Aklorian counterpart has a comparatively conservative costume. Buki and her Aklorian counterpart Nico, on the other hand, [[ThongOfShielding is the opposite.]]]]
98	** Lampshaded by a Robot in Transentia. Only Tal is supposed to fight the Robot in the area. If you try to do this as Ailish the Robot rejects her and advises her to "put some more clothes on". Buki is rejected for being a half-beast, and Elco isn't allowed because of his cybernetics.
99	* SinisterScythe: The weapon for [[spoiler:Lord Talos]], the [[spoiler:BigBad and FinalBoss]]. Unlike most examples, [[spoiler:he]] has had [[spoiler:his]] [[BladeBelowTheShoulder left hand replaced with the blade]].
100	* StrawFeminist: Buki has a few moments along these lines. She is unimpressed with humans in general, and with human men in particular. She gets over with it however.
101	-->'''Buki''': Men are like fish: easy to catch, briefly satisfying, then just a bag of bones that stink up the tent.
102	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Ailish's first outfit features a huge hole in the stomach, as well as cutouts on the thighs.
103	* {{Superboss}}: In Transentia, Tal can fight a killer robot. You can fight as soon as you get here, but he's no joke. His regular attacks will probably wipe of a good portion of your health bar unless you put up a shield, he has enough HP to tank several Spirit Strikes, and he [[InstantDeathRadius has a ranged attack that takes you down instantly and covers a good portion of the arena.]] Defeating him gives 2000XP, a Huge Gold Bar and a Wolf Totem. In the research center there are similar, but far more manageable enemies.
104	* TemptingFate: Buki claimed that the Transentium Processing Facility in Transentia is a "godless place", moments before she encountered Tetsu inside said facility. Unlike other examples, this isn't treated as a bad thing as Buki is a devout follower of Tetsu just like her ancestor Mo.
105	* TheHighQueen: Ailish's mother Lusica, the Queen of the realm of Haskilla, [[spoiler: is a subversion]]. [[spoiler: Caprine, the Queen of Cyantine, is a straight example]].
106	* TitleDrop: The world that once contained Haskilia and Akloria were once one and the same, called Sudeki.
107	* WalkingSpoiler: [[spoiler: The Aklorian counterparts of the main characters, which their appearance will reveal most of the plot's lore such as the divide of Sudeki.]]
108	* WellDoneSonGuy: Tal, at the very least, would greatly enjoy not having General Arlo (his father) treat him like a screwup every five minutes, especially towards the beginning of the game where the plot screws him over independently of his actions.
109	* WellExcuseMePrincess: How Ailish and Tal get along when they first meet.
110	* WolverineClaws: Buki's weapon of choice. She gains access to many different versions throughout the game with different bonuses and abilities.
111	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Queen Lusica's fate. Although she helps Talos into bringing Heigou back to life in exchange for immortality, it seems that neither of the two wanted to fulfill their part of the bargain and [[OffWithHisHead killed her right on the spot.]]]]

Context VideoGame / Sudeki