Line #226 VideoGame/TheBlackwellSeries


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bnmy0ntdjywytm2rmny00yjfhlwe1ymitmgzhodg1owmxmtgxxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvymtgwote5ndk_v1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: Rosa (left) and Joey (right). They lay the dead to rest]]
3
4	A series of independent AdventureGame[=s=] created by one [[http://nygamedev.blogspot.com/ Dave Gilbert]] of Creator/WadjetEyeGames, which features supernatural mystery solving and a unconventional inventory system. The series is technically a ContinuityReboot of a planned series of freeware games called ''Bestowers of Eternity'', of which only part one was released.
5
6	The main characters are the introverted unwilling medium, Rosangela Blackwell, and her family's crotchety guide to the world beyond, Joey Mallone, a ghost with a MysteriousPast. Together they must help the restless and bodiless souls of New York City to move on to the next plane of existence, which is rarely an easy task, requiring interrogations, exploration, and not a small amount of breaking and entering. Meanwhile they uncover more about the Blackwell family's past, and the nature of mediums and spirit guides and other people like them who delve into the supernatural.
7
8	Games in the series:
9	* ''The Blackwell Legacy'' (2006)
10	* ''Blackwell Unbound'' (2007)
11	* ''The Blackwell Convergence'' (2009)
12	* ''The Blackwell Deception'' (2011)
13	* ''The Blackwell Epiphany'' (2014)
14
15	Check them out [[http://wadjeteyegames.com/ here]], on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} or on [[Website/GOGDotCom GOG.com]]. There's also a couple [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoSaJfgxwf4 promotional]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPn7gnzeG2k cartoons]].
16
17	See also ''VideoGame/TheShivah'' and ''VideoGame/{{Unavowed}}'' which takes place in the same universe as this series.
18	----
19	!!The games use the following tropes:
20
21	* EleventhHourSuperpower: In ''Epiphany'', [[spoiler:Rosangela briefly gains full control over the Doorway to Infinity that forced its way into her mind. She uses it to stop Madeline's plan and resurrect Joey, before succumbing to PowerDegeneration.]]
22	* AmbidextrousSprite:
23	** Averted with Lauren in ''Unbound'', who has a strand of hair over one part of her face that doesn't show up if she's turned the other way.
24	** Played straight with Maggie Fielding in ''Epiphany''; her shoulder tattoo is always visible and changes orientation based on which side of her is visible.
25	* AndIMustScream:
26	** Ghosts that have left the earthly plane but are [[BarredFromTheAfterlife unable to enter the next world somehow]], remain stuck in the space between planes for the rest of eternity. [[spoiler:This is the fate of Madeline, the Countess' former spirit guide, and happens to Joey as well before they both manage to return to Earth.]]
27	** Aunt Lauren's fate could also qualify as this. After her breakdown, she was hospitalized and had to be sedated for twenty five years to prevent her from injuring herself. Doctor Quentin admits he isn't sure if that stopped the pain or not.
28	** Joey, prior to meeting Rosangela, was stuck in the same hospital room as Aunt Lauren for those twenty-five years. He couldn't leave, couldn't sleep, couldn't be heard and couldn't be seen.
29	* AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: [[spoiler:In the final game, gruff detective Sam Durkin reveals that part of the reason he's been helping Rosa is because of a case he worked twenty-odd years ago, when a woman went crazy and tore up her apartment, leaving a frightened little girl ... who was, of course, a very young Rosa. Durkin knew all along; Rosa had no idea.]]
30	* AbortedArc: [[spoiler:''Deception'' ended with Rosa declaring she were going to track down and fight the covert cabal of {{Emotion Eater}}s that Gavin was a part of. But that plotline is ignored in ''Epiphany'' and it only comes briefly into play again when Joey bumps into the ghost of Benjiro, a rogue member of Gavin's organization who played a factor in the game's underlying plot, and then it disappears completely again when Benjiro says ScrewThisImOuttaHere, as he realizes what Madeline is up to.]]
31	** [[spoiler: The police commissioner, hinted at the end of ''Deception'' to be part of the conspiracy, was going to have a scene in ''Epiphany'', but ended up being cut entirely as Dave Gilbert felt the scene didn't fit in the plot.]]
32	* AmbiguouslyBi: In ''Epiphany'', [[spoiler: it seems that Joey may fit this, as he was intentionally vague as to why he'd saved his assistant, Danny's, life by talking to members of the mob in his place]].
33	* AngerBornOfWorry: At the end of ''Convergence'', Joey calls Rosa out on [[spoiler:risking her life to send The Countess to the afterlife and [[StupidSacrifice "save" him.]]]]
34	* ArtisticLicenseGeography: All shots of New York are accurate or at least mostly accurate to the era they're shown in, except one. In ''Unbound'', the saxophone playing ghost is playing in a spot where the skyline of Manhattan is visible when it should not be. In the commentary, both the designer and the artist comment on it and claim artistic license that it looks nicer.
35	* ArtShift: The graphic design changes quite a bit from game to game. Dave Gilbert has called it a RunningGag on the commentary track, and that told he especially likes the idea of giving the portal to the Realm of Infinity a new interpretation in every game.
36	* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Ghosts are supposed to go into the realm of Infinity when they die. Some kind of afterlife is presumed to lie beyond that.
37	* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: The Countess, a medium who lost her spirit guide, now spends her days killing people who she identifies as being "in pain."]]
38	* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Joey, at the end of ''Epiphany''.]]
39	* BarredFromTheAfterlife: Joey and Madeline. [[spoiler:The latter eventually manages to move on in ''Epiphany'''s ending, but the former remains this way, even when the power of the universe is sending ALL unsent spirits. He is eventually resurrected by Rosa in her dying breath, in the hopes that he can finally move on when he passes away a second time.]]
40	* BatmanColdOpen: ''Convergence'', ''Deception'', and ''Epiphany''.
41	* BeingGoodSucks: Being a medium means spending all your time with the dead and basically never having a life of your own. Being a spirit guide forces you to remain in the mortal world indefinitely, unsure if you'll ever be able to move on. Joey admits he thought [[GoodFeelsGood saving lost souls would be fulfilling]] initially but isn't sure he feels that way anymore, we see in ''Unbound'' Lauren was numb to the whole process, and Rosa seems to be going the same way in ''Deception'' where [[spoiler:Gavin is able to exploit her resentment toward the role to put the mind-whammy on her and make her reject Joey and the role entirely.]]
42	* BigApplesauce: All games take place in New York City. Of course, this is subverted when you learn that the designer is [[WriteWhatYouKnow a native New Yorker]].
43	* BigBad: One for each game. Lampshaded by Joey in ''Epiphany''. "It always comes down to one guy, doesn't it?"
44	** In ''Blackwell Legacy'', [[spoiler:[[AlasPoorVillain The]] [[SinisterMinister Deacon]]]].
45	** In ''Blackwell Unbound'', [[spoiler:[[AxCrazy The]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist Countess]]]].
46	** In ''Blackwell Convergence'', [[spoiler:The Countess [[BackFromTheDead again]] with [[LoanShark Charlie Meltzer]] controlling her]].
47	** In ''Blackwell Deception'', [[spoiler:Gavin]].
48	** In ''Blackwell Epiphany'', [[spoiler:Madeline]].
49	* BittersweetEnding:
50	** Every game, as well as the individual stories of each ghost. In the commentary Gilbert mentions that he likes writing ghost stories for this reason, as while sad (they're dead, after all) there's also usually an element of hope.
51	** ''The Blackwell Epiphany'' is this for the entire series: [[spoiler:Madeline's plan to eradicate all spirits, both living and dead, has been stopped and all the restless spirits around the world have been saved simultaneously, except for Joey's for some reason. Just when it seems they're going to continue their ghost-saving job, the power of the universe becomes too much for Rosa, and [[SacrificialRevivalSpell she uses her last strength to bring Joey back to life before she dies.]]]]
52	* BlandNameProduct: Oogle, Rel Day Books, [=MyPhone=], etc.
53	* BlowYouAway: ...Sorta. Joey commands the power of light breezes. [[SarcasmMode Evildoers beware]].
54	* {{Bookends}}: [[spoiler:The first game begins with Rosa spreading her aunt's ashes off the Brooklyn Bridge. The final game ends with the now living Joey spreading Rosa's ashes at the same exact location.]]
55	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Turns out that the person that kills [[spoiler:Ostin]] in ''Epiphany'' is actually [[spoiler: a possessed Father Michael, Madeline's "host" at the time.]]
56	* BroughtDownToNormal: [[spoiler:Joey, after getting revived, notices that he can't see ghosts any more, and that he appears to be a normal person again.]]
57	* ButNowIMustGo: Getting a ghost to this point is the entire purpose of the Medium profession.
58	* ButThouMust: A medium who is cut off from their spirit guide or refuses to perform the task laid before them, will eventually go mad. [[spoiler: RefusalOfTheCall causing madness is an assumption corrected in ''Epiphany''.]]
59	* [[CantHoldHisLiquor Can't Hold Her Liquor]]: In ''Convergence'', when you try to leave the Park Gallery after visiting it for the first time, Nishanti urges Rosa to stay for the party. If she complies, a slightly different set of dialogue will play out throughout the game that implies Rosa got very drunk that night at the gallery. Attempting to interact with liquor bottles in ''Deception'' has Rosa refuse because it didn't work out well last time.
60	* CanonWelding: In ''Epiphany'', Rosa is shown to have a subscription to [[VideoGame/{{Resonance}} The AbbotPost]].
61	* CatchPhrase:
62	** Upon seeing another ghost becoming aware of his or her death, Joey will often tell them that he's "so sorry."
63	** As Rosa grows increasingly accepting of her role as a spirit medium and of Joey as a friend, hers becomes: "It's what we do." At first it's reluctant and begrudging, but by the end of ''Epiphany'' it's basically a BadassCreed.
64	* CharacterDevelopment: In the first game, Rosa suffers from intense social anxiety to the point where she hasn't spoken to any of her neighbors in five years at the same building, something Joey teases her about constantly. She also finds it difficult to make small talk or be in front of crowds, and she has a tendency to be defensive or snappish in conversation. It's likely a combination of childhood trauma and her foster home upbringing, plus whatever hereditary components might be involved. Over the course of the series she begins to push past this, not letting it stop her from interrogating dozens of complete strangers on the most bizarre topics, doing a thankless job that no living person is even aware she's doing.
65	* CharacterOverlap: Sam Durkin first appeared in ''VideoGame/TheShivah'', a game unrelated to the ''Blackwell'' series but confirmed by WordOfGod to take place in the same universe. Rosa, for her part, appears as a non-speaking extra in the remaster version of ''The Shivah'' at one point, and based on her description (looking into empty space), Joey is likely there as well.
66	* ChekhovsSkill:
67	** [[HairpinLockpick Picking]] a locked door with [[spoiler: a paper clip]] in ''Convergence''.
68	** [[spoiler: Getting a person to remember their sense of self worth and defend themselves by [[CruelToBeKind insulting them]]]], which first becomes important in a minor situation ''Convergence'' and [[spoiler: then saves Rosa from Gavin's control]] in ''Deception''.
69	** By the time of ''Epiphany'' Rosa's mental control allows her to keep her balance on moving to the gate to infinity rather than falling over as she and her aunt always did in the past. This later allows her to [[spoiler: withstand the effects of being linked to infinity much longer than her aunt or grandmother, letting her remain lucid and functional long enough to take down Madeline.]]
70	* ChivalrousPervert: Joey is always willing to put on the charm, flirts with nearly every female ghost, constantly calls Rosangela "sweetheart", and is supremely annoyed that when he goes into a women's locker room it's currently empty. But he's always respectful when it really matters, and the one time ''he's'' propositioned he turns her down because she's unsure if she really wants to.
71	* TheChosenOne: The painter Claude Urdin in ''Convergence'' believes to be this, [[spoiler:[[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor right before he gets killed]].]]
72	* ClimaxBoss: [[spoiler: the countess's ghost. she is a major villain in both the 2nd and 3rd game and after she is stopped rosa learns more about the overall setting and plot points are set up for the last two games. ]].
73	* ClingyJealousGirl: Tiffany Walters, who relentlessly pursued her boss into having an affair, and then when he ended it hounded him until he filed a restraining order against her. In her defense, [[spoiler:she was psychically manipulated into it.]]
74	* ClipboardOfAuthority: In ''Unbound'', the crazy tenant ghost doesn't believe Joe to be an official of some sort, because he is not carrying a clipboard.
75	* TheConspiracy: [[spoiler:Gavin hints that there's a greater organization at work apart from him, and if TheStinger at the end of ''Deception'' is any indication, people in power may be involved.]]
76	* ContinuityCavalcade: Rosa's apartment gradually fills up with mementos, clippings, and pictures referring to past events. By ''Epiphany'' there's stuff referring back to every previous game.
77	* ContinuityNod: In ''Deception'', you meet the son of Cecil Sharpe from ''Unbound,'' who now owns SFX company and [[spoiler: had an affair with one of the ghosts.]] The photograph of the Cecil's old band the C-Sharpes that Lauren need to copy to complete the case is even hanging on the wall in his office, including Isaac Brown - the important ghost from Cecil's case. Likewise, the Seagram nursing home is named for Seagram Realty, who bought and tore down the home of Mavis Wilcox, one of the other ghosts in that game. Either of these might otherwise be considered too much of a coincidence by the protagonists, but they come to naught and Joey only comments on the former, if indirectly.
78	* CreatorCameo: Dave Gilbert himself voices at least one or two characters in each game.
79	* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: A puzzle in ''Legacy'' involves poisoning a dog. Joey [[WhatTheHellHero calls Rosa out on it]], Rosa defends it as only ''mild'' poisoning, and in the commentary Gilbert regrets he couldn't think of anything better. In ''Epiphany'' Joey claims the dog has never been the same since.
80	** In ''Deception,'' either Joey and Rosa have to insult the ghost Allen Reiken in order to either get him to stand up for himself (or discover he's a ghost by attempting suicide, depending on how you do it). In ''Deception,'' [[spoiler: you have to do the same thing for Rosangela when Gavin takes control of her.]]
81	* DarkerAndEdgier:
82	** ''Unbound'' is distinctly bleaker than the other games, even without [[DoomedByCanon knowing Lauren's fate]]. Lauren and Joey can barely stand each other, Lauren herself is suicidally depressed, both the ghosts' backstories are horrible [[spoiler:and were both strangled to death]], and [[spoiler:you actually have to kill someone.]] Even the soundtrack is morose.
83	** ''Epiphany'' has a number of ghosts' souls torn apart, for the first time you see the ghost [[spoiler:of a little girl]], you see the inside of an insane asylum, and a rogue ghost nearly kills [[spoiler:all of New York]].
84	* DeadArtistsAreBetter: The antagonist of ''Convergence'' relies on this to make money.
85	* DeaderThanDead: Souls normally can't return from the afterlife ([[spoiler:excluding Joey, who was yanked out again after Contis locked away her guide]]), but the possibility remains unless the soul is completely torn apart.
86	* DeadpanSnarker: Joey.
87	* DeadPersonConversation
88	* DeadToBeginWith: The ghosts Rosangela encounters, obviously, most of which she has to make aware of that fact before they can move on.
89	* DefinitelyJustACold: In ''Deception'', Jeremy thinks he just came down with the flu [[spoiler:when, in fact, he's dead and haunting his apartment]].
90	* DidntThinkThisThrough: In ''Epiphany'', Joey has a good laugh at [[spoiler: Madeline's]] expense when she finds she can't move beyond the range of [[spoiler: her former host's dead body after taking possession of Rosa]].
91	* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage: The opening theme gets remixed into a gym's workout track in ''Epiphany''.
92	* DiscontinuityNod: One character in ''Epiphany'' says about a TV show that she is watching, "They changed the main character's voice after the first episode."
93	* DoomedByCanon: [[spoiler:When Joey says that it's a bad idea for Lauren to get back in touch with her brother, he means it. This shifts the ending from {{Bittersweet\|Ending}} closer to {{Downer\|Ending}}.]]
94	* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: The ''Blackwell Epiphany'', arguably. Yes, [[BackFromTheDead Joe has a new lease on life,]] and all the spirits who couldn't move on have been sent to the afterlife, but [[DeaderThanDead all the members of the Grace Group had their spirits destroyed,]] and [[TheHeroDies Rosangela had to sacrifice herself to save New York.]] Joe also admits that his memory of being a ghost is fading, implying that he might eventually forget Rosangela, or at least, all the times they had together.]]
95	* DreamingOfThingsToCome: The dreams Lauren recorded on her dictophone in ''Unbound'' refer to events in the previous game (which takes place around thirty years later). One or two of these dreams [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadow]] a few twists in ''Convergence''.
96	* DrivenToSuicide:
97	** ''Legacy'' has Joann, Alli, and Susan, who resorted to this to [[spoiler:escape the Deacon]]. The former two "succeeded", the latter is fortunately still alive.
98	** ''Convergence'' has the ghost in the opening, found hanging out on a building ledge and threatening to jump. Turns out he decided not to go through with it, but slipped before he could go back inside.
99	* DVDCommentary: Commentary Mode.
100	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first game had you only controlling Rosa, even after Joey makes his appearance (the ability to switch between Rosa - Lauren in ''Unbound'' - and Joey wasn't introduced until the second game), is ''much'' shorter compared to the later games, and proportionately contains less investigation and more puzzles.
101	* ElectromagneticGhosts: All ghosts, including Joey, can interfere with radio-based devices simply by getting close to them. This is crucial to solving several puzzles throughout the games. Also Rosa notes that she had to install cable just so she could watch TV with Joey around.
102	* EmotionEater: [[spoiler:Gavin feeds on people's positive emotions, prolonging his own life and eventually causing his victims to die of aneurysms.]]
103	* EpisodicGame: The series are a borderline example. Each installment came about every year and a half and offers about 3-4 hours of gameplay. ''Epiphany'' is the odd one out, being 3 years in development and being substantially longer that the previous installments.
104	* EveryoneHasStandards: As abrasive as Joey can be, [[spoiler: when faced with the ghost of a young girl, no older than 10]] in ''Epiphany'', he simply can't bring himself to tell her that she's dead.
105	* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Madeline. Turns out freeing her from the void in ''Deception'''s climax was a bad idea, as she's abusing her powers to tear spirits apart and absorb their essence to become more powerful. She plans to tear a hole to the void and destroy all spirits (including the living) in New York [[WellIntentionedExtremist in order to teach humanity to accept death]] [[DeathSeeker with the added bonus of finally ending her own "life"]].]]
106	* EvolvingTitleScreen: After finishing ''Epiphany'', the title screen changes from Rosa and Joey looking away from the camera to [[spoiler:a closeup of Joey's hat, which he leaves behind after being brought back to life by Rosa.]]
107	* FateWorseThanDeath:
108	** What happened to [[spoiler:the Countess]]. Not even death could free her from it.
109	** What's worse than death? Dying and then having your ghost literally ripped apart. Rosangela and Joey are shocked and furious, respectively, for most of the game after seeing that.
110	* FilmNoir: The series has definite strokes of this: the investigation-based gameplay, jazzy score, Lauren's smoking, and Joey's entire shtick as a wisecracking 1930s rogue in a fedora.
111	* FirstEpisodeTwist: In ''Legacy'', the ghost appearing before Rosa finally revealing his identity: Joey. This only comes into play about a third of the way through the game, and can come as a huge shock to those not expecting it, however, it is nearly impossible to describe the series without spoiling it.
112	* {{Flight}}: Joey can levitate high off the ground if he wishes. He rarely exploits this ability, however, since he has to stay within thirty feet of his medium at all times.
113	* FriendOnTheForce: In ''Deception'', Rosa meets police detective Sam Durkin. He intentionally refuses to ask what she does exactly, but her ability to solve mysterious problems (even if he never really learns what was happening) convinces him to hire her as an unofficial consultant and he provides her with some off-the-record assistance at times.
114	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Alli Montego from ''Legacy''. Despite animals getting very restless around ghosts, she's able to examine a dog without it reacting, while ''being'' a ghost.
115	* GenderBlenderName: Adrian and Alex from ''Legacy''. [[spoiler: This is important, as Alex's gender-neutral name means that Rosangela can pose as him and slip by a security guard.]]
116	* TheGhost[=/=]NoNameGiven: Grandpa Blackwell. He is mentioned here and there, but he hasn't made an on-screen appearance or even been named in any of the games. Lauren is about to say his name at one point, but temporally interrupts herself for an unrelated reason, and the screen fades to black before the audience hears it.
117	* GhostAmnesia: As a sudden death is a pretty traumatic event, most ghosts don't realize they're dead, as they are subconsciously compelled to avoid thinking about things that reminds them of their death, and have to be reminded before they can move on.
118	* GhostlyChill: Joey's [[DeadpanSnarker power over light breezes]] imitates this. When one ghost walked through someone it had the same effect, so other ghosts can do it too.
119	* GhostlyGoals: Even ghosts who DO know they've died sometimes refuse to pass before they've accomplished something specific.
120	* GoIntoTheLight[=/=]DisappearsIntoLight: There's a bright light in the realm of infinity. Rosangela invokes this trope to usher spirits into it.
121	* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Turns out that [[spoiler: when The Countess sealed away Madeline, this happened to Madeline so thoroughly that she was ''also'' MaddenedIntoMisanthropy]].
122	* GoMadFromTheRevelation:
123	** [[spoiler:The Countess]]. Sealing away [[spoiler:your spirit guide]] and then [[spoiler:letting the Infinity fill into your own skull]] can do that to you.
124	** Ignoring the spirit guide, or refusing to help the ghosts everywhere drives a medium insane. It suggested that this what doomed Patricia and Lauren Blackwell. [[spoiler:Turns out, it isn't.]]
125	* GoneHorriblyRight: [[spoiler:Benjiro's "Epiphany Experiment" was meant to see if an EmotionEater, like himself, could feed off people without killing them in the process, by increasing the victim's positive energies and skimming of the top instead of the usual method of just sucking energy until the victim died. The energy output from this method turned out to be so strong that Benjiro's mind couldn't take it, and his mind become more and more addled and he was eventually committed to psychiatric care]].
126	* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler: Madeline's ultimate goal in ''Epiphany''. Her earlier attempts with Patricia and Lauren were... [[GoMadFromTheRevelation unsuccessful]].]]
127	* HairpinLockpick: Rosangela picks a door lock twice in ''Convergence''.
128	* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:Rosa at the end of ''Epiphany'': She collapses under the weight infinity puts on her mind, but not before saving all the lost souls at once (if you count Joey being resurrected).]]
129	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Joey died [[YouShallNotPass protecting Danny Marconi from some gangsters]] who showed up at their shop.]]
130	* HeroInsurance: Averted. When Rosa comes into contact with the police in ''Epiphany'', it's mentioned that she has more than a dozen restraining orders, covering several of the last games' important locations.
131	* {{Hikikomori}}:
132	** Mavis Wilcox in ''Unbound''. She never left her apartment for ''anything'', even when it was condemned, [[spoiler:and even in death, she still refuses to leave her apartment, even though the building had already been demolished.]]
133	** Rosa in ''Legacy'', to the point when some of her neighbors don't recognise her. She seems to get better in ''Convergence'', but she still is pretty antisocial.
134	* HilariousOuttakes: A standard feature of every game in the series.
135	* HistoricalDomainCharacter: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mitchell_(writer) Joseph Mitchell]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Gould_(Bohemian) Joe Gould]], complete with the unusual specifics such as Joseph Mitchell never writing anything after the 60's and Joe Gould composing his oral history. [[spoiler:The Deacon]] is one of the characters mentioned in Mitchell's book.
136	* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Heather Goffstein. Or rather, [[spoiler:[[LiteralSplitPersonality one half of her]].]]
137	* HopelessWithTech: Joey spent the entirety of the 80's and 90's locked in a hospital room and has very little knowledge of technology as a result. He can operate a [[RougeAnglesOfSatin computer moose]] by blowing on it, but that's about it.
138	* HopeSpot: In ''Epiphany'' [[spoiler: Rosa and Joey have defeated Madeline, saved the city and sent EVERY ghost in the world into the beyond. Joey starts talking about how they can have a vacation until more ghosts appear, maybe travel and Rosa seems to like the idea. Then it's suddenly revealed Rosa is still connected to the universe and unable to bear the strain of the link any longer and she dies, using her last moments to restore Joey to life and ensure he never ends up like Madeline.]]
139	* IconicOutfit: Joey's hat and tie, with the latter being a physical representation of his bond with the Blackwell family. [[spoiler:He loses both in the finale of ''Epiphany'', when he is restored to life and thus freed from his job as a spirit guide.]]
140	* ImprovisedLockpick: ''Convergence'' starts the tutorial room by requiring a paperclip to get through a locked door. Rosa thinks it won't work, only for the door to swing open.
141	* INeverSaidItWasPoison: In ''Epiphany,'' Rosa asks an uncooperative Pastor Ullman [[spoiler: if he knew a man named Michael. Ullman says he has never heard of him, but when Rosa presses a few clues he makes the mistake of telling her she'll have to "find Michael ''Cooper'' somewhere else," even though Rosa never actually told him Michael's last name. Amusingly, he still keeps up the act afterwards.]]
142	* InfoDump: A ''massive'' one at the beginning of ''Legacy'', involving extensive conversations with two characters and a bunch of letters. Gilbert laments this in the "Five Years Later" commentary, resolving after the game was made to never resort to this trope again.
143	* IntangibleMan: Common to all ghosts and used for several puzzles involving Joey.
144	* InterfaceSpoiler: Several achievements spoil events in the games, particularly [[spoiler:the confrontation with the Countess]] at the end of ''Convergence''. One achievement in ''Legacy'' looks like a story-related one but it being followed by another one hints that [[spoiler:it's possible to not save the Deacon]].
145	* InvisibleToNormals: Only mediums, [[InvisibleToAdults babies,]] and animals can see ghosts.
146	* ISeeDeadPeople
147	* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: In ''Convergence'', Rosa receives a rejection from Rel Day Books for her manuscript "The Devil and the Deacon"—presumably an account of the events in ''Legacy''. In ''Deception'', Rosa has a published (but wildly unsuccessful) manuscript called "The Actor and the Artist"--presumably an account of the events in ''Convergence''.
148	* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Joey attempts this on [[spoiler:the Deacon]] in ''Legacy''. You can choose whether [[VideoGameCaringPotential Rosa should intervene]] or [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential have him go through with it.]]
149	* JacobMarleyApparel:
150	** Not limited to the clothes. If a ghost was specially attached to an object while s/he lived, s/he will carry around a ghostly version of it. [[spoiler:Sometimes the objects are still somewhat functional, such as saxophones, guns, and phones.]]
151	** [[spoiler:The Deacon]]'s bottle (which he keeps drinking from despite being empty) hits closer to the Trope Namer's variant, [[spoiler:as the devil chasing him says it literally contains his past sins. If Rosa destroys it, it will absolve the Deacon of his sins, giving the devil no more reason to come drag him to hell and granting him passage into the afterlife at last.]]
152	* JusticeWillPrevail: Rosa always expresses some degree of sympathy for every ghost she and Joey meet, due to the often quite sad circumstances of their deaths, and is driven to right or, seeing as she is dealing with the death after all, at least try to mend the wrongs they have suffered and bring them some sort of justice and comfort. Madeline notices that her attitude makes her quite different from Lauren, who approached the life as a medium as more of a [[ResignedToTheCall reluctant]] PunchClockHero.
153	* JustifiedTutorial: ''Convergence'', ''Deception'', and ''Epiphany'' [[BatmanColdOpen open]] with the player restricted to a small area until they help a ghost pass on, using most of the skills they'll need in the game.
154	* KarmaHoudini:
155	** It's possible to save [[spoiler:Charles Meltzer]] in ''Convergence''. None of the characters care if you don't, however. Bonus points as none of the sequels cuts the branches.
156	** In ''Epiphany'' the BigBad, [[spoiler:Madeline, achieves her wish to move on through the light, even though none of the souls that she tore apart get to]].
157	* TheKeyIsBehindTheLock: In ''Deception'', Rosangela has to fetch a key from inside a room at the nursing home.
158	* LastNameBasis[=/=]FirstNameBasis: A funny back and forth takes place in ''Epiphany'', where Rosa works together with the cop, Cory Palmer. Rosa insists on keeping addressing him as just "Cory", while he, rather annoyed, corrects her to "Officer Palmer" every single time.
159	* LeftHanging: [[spoiler:Because of the aforementioned AbortedArc, TheStinger of ''Deception'', which strongly implies that New York's police chief, Alex Silva, is a leading figure in Gavin's covert cabal of {{Emotion Eater}}s, is never resolved or even elaborated upon.]]
160	* LiteralSplitPersonality: [[spoiler:Heather Goffstein was so insisting on ridding herself of her former life as a prostitute and starting a new life under the name Tanya Corsey, that when she died, her soul split up into two separate ghosts, Heather Goffstein, the young prostitute, and Tanya Corsey, the middle-aged talkshow host. In order to trigger her awareness of her death, Rosa and Joey must convince her to undergo a SplitPersonalityMerge.]]
161	* LivingMemory: [[spoiler:The Countess has the memories of a homeless philosopher and a writer for the New Yorker dwelling with her own memory in a diner somewhere beyond Infinity. ItMakesSenseInContext.]]
162	* LyingToProtectYourFeelings: Rosa banters with Joey about going on a vacation and seeing a movie before [[spoiler: collapsing and revealing that she is already dying.]]
163	* MadnessMantra: Look up Tomo on the Oogle web search.
164	* MindRape: The Deacon is mentally tormenting the three girls Joann, Alli and Susan in ''Legacy''. [[HearingVoices Hearing his voice]] non-stop [[DrivenToSuicide drives two of them to commit suicide]].
165	* MonsterAndTheMaiden: [[PlayerCharacter Rosangela Blackwell]] works with the ghost of a detective, [[SpiritAdvisor Joey Mallone]].
166	* MostWritersAreWriters: Rosa is a freelance writer by career.
167	* MusicalSpoiler: Most locations throughout the series don't change their background music throughout the game, or do so very few times. This means that sometimes you can tell if something serious is going to happen in a specific location later on if the BGM for it is particularly dramatic, or whether someone seemingly innocuous is more than they appear to be if the music around them is tense. This becomes noticeable as early as the first game, where [[spoiler: the Dog Park's music goes from cheerful to dark before Joey even shows up, let alone you find out there's a ghost there.]]
168	* MustHaveCaffeine: Rosa develops a serious coffee addiction as the series goes on thanks to how often she's out chasing ghosts late at night.
169	* MysteriousPast: A major part of Joey's character, and he keeps a tight reign on it. Rosa only learns how he died by accident, and she never learns why he became a spirit guide. The player learns about the latter in the last act of ''Epiphany'', [[spoiler:where it turns out to have been purely coincidence. The AntiClimax is very much intentional on Gilbert's part.]]
170	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: The Countess has this realization towards the end of ''Convergence'', having killed countless people in her career as soul guide.
171	* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: In ''Epiphany'', [[spoiler:Benjiro]] tells Joey that he's not like the other members of his species, [[spoiler:such as Gavin from ''Deception'', who kill people by sucking the positive life energy out of them in order to sustain themselves. Instead, Benjiro founded the Grace Group to increase people's positive energy, so he could skim off the top and thus survive without needing to kill anyone. Unfortunately, it had [[GoneHorriblyRight unintended consequences]], which led to Benjiro being committed to an asylum and eventually dying there.]]
172	* MythologyGag: [[spoiler:Gavin and his superiors]] refers to Rosa as a "Bestower of eternity", a reference to the original freeware game the series is based on.
173	** Similarly, Joey refers to the business of saving ghosts as ''bestowing eternity'' at the end of ''Legacy''.
174	* NarrativeFiligree: Each game is littered with things that aren't relevant to the plot or a puzzle, but examining them can provoke a funny comment or some interesting but superfluous information.
175	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In ''Epiphany'', we find out that [[spoiler: Madeline, the ghost that Joey had freed, was behind the whole thing, and the spirits they'd brought to her were quickly made as sacrifices to boost her own power. ''And'' that she did so in order to successfully possess Rosa, after failing to do so with his previous two hosts]]. To say the least, this revelation does ''not'' sit well.
176	* NoJustNoReaction: Joey [[LamePunReaction struggles to put up with Rosangela's lame jokes]], alternating between this and SarcasmFailure.
177	-->'''Joey:''' "Ryan + June". I wonder who June could be.\
178	'''Rosa:''' Maybe Ryan really likes summer?\
179	'''Joey:''' No. Just... no.
180	* NoticeThis: The paperclip on the ground in the opening scene of ''Convergence'' is sparkling to grab your attention.
181	* TheNotLoveInterest: Rosa and Joey.
182	* NPCAmnesia: The dialogue puzzles usually involve choosing a right answer amongst several false ones, sometimes with a dialogue tree that requires a right answer at each step, and the player is given unlimited retries no matter how many times they get it wrong. It's at least justified with the ghosts, [[GhostAmnesia who aren't all there]], but the security guard in ''Legacy'' and the artist in ''Convergence'' have no such excuse.
183	* ObliviouslyEvil: The Countess. She strangles people she learns of through her "guide", thinking she saves them. It's only when the link is broken that [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone she realizes what she's been doing all this time...]] [[spoiler:[[ThisIsUnforgivable and boy, is she]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge not happy with it.]]]]
184	* ObliviousToLove: [[spoiler: Lauren does not at all recognize that Joey is in love with her (a fact which is confirmed by WordOfGod):]]
185	-->"Loved? Loved by who?"
186	* OccultDetective: Rosangela officially becomes one at the end of ''Convergence''.
187	* OddballInTheSeries: ''Unbound'' is the only game without Rosa, is [[DarkerAndEdgier much bleaker]] than the others, the most advanced electronic gizmo available is a tape recorder (it's the seventies, after all), and it doesn't even have character portraits and dialogue boxes. An interview revealed that ''Unbound'' originally was just flashback-parts in ''Convergence'' and turned into it's own game via an unusual path.
188	* OffscreenTeleportation: In the commentary of ''Unbound'', the designer and the artist joke that this is probably the only way Lauren could get around New York so fast in one night. That, or a jetpack.
189	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
190	** In every conversation with a ghost Joey has the option of bluntly telling them they're dead. However in ''Epiphany'' at one point Joey absolutely refuses to do so when dealing with [[spoiler:the ghost of a 10-year-old child.]]
191	** At the end of ''Epiphany'' [[spoiler:Joey actually refers to Rosa by name, rather than "Red" or "Sweetheart".]]
192	** Towards the end of ''Deception'', Rosangela [[spoiler:enters the Doorway to Infinity without collapsing on the ground. It's the first sign that she's been brainwashed.]]
193	* OralFixation: Lauren Blackwell is a hardcore chain smoker to the point where she does not only have an ashtray in every room, but also for all of her everyday activities that require two hands. She's also often in denial about her habit, claiming that the cigarette she's currently on is her "last one of the night". There's an achievement for smoking less than twenty cigarettes in a playthrough, which is much harder than it sounds, and conversely an achievement for smoking ''100'' cigarettes.
194	-->"During this game, Lauren smoked 38 cigarettes."
195	* OuijaBoard: They actually work. According to Joey, the results are always bad.
196	* ParentalAbandonment: Rosa's parents died in a car crash when she was only 5 years old. Her aunt Lauren took custody of her for a few years before she was driven insane and sent to a mental ward.
197	* PhoneCallFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Jeremy's phone call at the beginning of ''Deception'' turns out to be this]].
198	* PhoneyCall: In the first of the game series 'Blackwell Legacy' , Rosa needs to communicate with her ghost partner Joey that she needs him to use one of his abilities while in the general area of someone who isn't supposed to know about Joey being a ghost. Rosa gets around this by supposably making a call to Joey, although no one is on the other side of the line, but it lets her voice her request without arousing suspicions.
199	* PlanningForTheFutureBeforeTheEnd: In ''Epiphany'', [[spoiler:Rosa knows she can't survive her connection with the universe. At first, she hopes she can [[LetThemDieHappy send Joey on before she dies so he'll never know]]. When that isn't possible, she jokes and makes plans for a vacation before breaking down and telling him the truth.]]
200	* PleaseWakeUp: Heartbreakingly done in ''Epiphany'', when [[spoiler:Joey tries to hand his tie to Rosa after she'd restored him to life]].
201	* PoliceAreUseless: Naturally, when deaths start involving ghosts. It gets lampshaded a bit by Joey in ''Convergence'' when Rosa isn't charged with the murder of an artist despite the fact that she and the murdered were the only ones visibly present at the time. Also, Lauren apparently gets off scot-free for [[spoiler:killing the Countess]]. Finally averted in ''Epiphany'', where the NYPD finally realize that Rosa just happens to be nearby whenever someone dies, and [[ClearMyName react accordingly]].
202	* PosthumousCharacter: The ghosts, obviously. More traditionally, Lauren "Auntie" Blackwell, though she's the main character in ''Unbound'' [[spoiler:and shows up as a ghost at the end of ''Epiphany''.]]
203	* PowerPerversionPotential: Joked about by Abe Goldfarb, Joey's voice actor, in one of the commentary nodes in ''Epiphany'', noting that because Joey can only blow on things, fellating the living is his power. He thus declares as canon that "Joey sucks a mean dick".
204	* {{Prequel}}: ''Blackwell Unbound''.
205	** WordOfGod later said in an interview, that the Lauren-parts were planned to be in ''Convergence'', then cut as that game became too large, then collected from the cutting room floor to make ends meet (money running out, convergence too far from release).
206	* PsychicPowers: Mediums don't get any of the flashy abilities associated with some psychics, but they can interact with ghosts in ways that are impossible for most people. [[spoiler: And some have other kinds of powers.]]
207	* PutOnABus: Nishanthi goes abroad some time after ''Convergence''. She emails Rosa about her travels from time to time, but otherwise plays no role in the plot. In the commentary for ''Epiphany'', Dave Gilbert says that he had a broader arc planned for Nishanti, but he concluded that it wasn't very good (he outright refuses to say what it was), and dropped it, leading to this trope.
208	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Dave Gilbert mentions in the commentary for ''Convergence'' that Joe Gould's portrait at the Minetta Tavern was taken down shortly after the release of the game. In ''Epiphany'', Rosa now has said portrait in her apartment, implying that she bought it from the tavern.
209	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler: Gavin, and possibly Benjiro]]. Madeline has been around for centuries, but being a ghost might disqualify her.
210	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Plentiful. Whenever a spirit refuses to listen to reason or encouragement, the option to give one of these appears in the dialogue tree. [[spoiler: And it's usually the best course of action. Rosangela can use one on Alan to snap him out of his depression, and Joey uses multiple in a row to save Rosangela from her brainwashing.]]
211	* RefusalOfTheCall: Rosangela's grandmother Patricia refused to ever acknowledge Joey, and Lauren gave up the ghost-saving duty to care for her niece. It's implied this was the [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive cause of their psychotic episodes]]. [[spoiler: Though this is not the case.]]
212	* RunningGag:
213	** Simply telling a confused lost soul they are dead is always possible ([[OOCIsSeriousBusiness with one exception]]), but never, ever works. Lampshaded in ''Epiphany'' where a positively ancient spirit guide is asked if it has ever worked, pauses, then concedes it hasn't.
214	** Joey's [[HopelessWithTech inability to understand modern technology]]. Amongst other things, he mistakes a fax machine for a telephone and a gaming controller for "some kind of neck brace".
215	** Rosa falling on her face every time she crosses the portal into Nodespace. Ended up becoming an OverusedRunningGag, hence Dave Gilbert decided to phase it out come ''Epiphany''.
216	* SanityHasAdvantages: This being an adventure game series, out-thinking the neurotic spiritual (or spiritually neurotic) villains is what earns the Blackwell mediums their victories in every game thus far.
217	* ScreenShake:
218	** The screen goes through some shaking twice in ''Convergence'' when you pick up the spirit from the oven.
219	** Similarly in ''Epiphany'' when [[spoiler: Madeline is gathering energy to unleash the vortex upon New York.]]
220	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler:Once the ghost of Benjiro realizes what Madeline is up to, he decides that he'd better get the get the hell out of dodge before she manages to finish what she started.]]
221	* SelfDeprecation: An entire EasterEgg in ''Epiphany'' is devoted to Abe Goldfarb, via Joey, mocking other characters that he's voiced.
222	-->'''Joey:''' Some hack actor. Nice tie, though.
223	* SequelHook: Every game except ''Unbound'' (being a prequel) and ''Epiphany''.
224	* SerialEscalation: With every new episode, the games get progressively longer, with ''The Blackwell Epiphany'' being the longest game in the entire series.
225	* SerialKillerBaiting: Lauren tells the journalist [[spoiler:cursed with his interview suspects becoming the targets of a crazy woman]] to write an article about herself in order to get the attention of the serial killer.
226	* ShoutOut:
227	** Rosa publishes her exploits as fiction, just like a [[VideoGame/GabrielKnight certain writer from New Orleans]]. Unfortunately, it doesn't work out so well for her, since there's not much of a market for Ghost stories.
228	** An EasterEgg in ''Unbound'' has Lauren call a character from ''VideoGame/TheShivah''.
229	** In ''Deception'' there's mention of an author named Robert Ashbless, who wrote a book called ''Anubis at the Gates''. ''William'' Ashbless is a fictional poet invented by authors Creator/TimPowers and Creator/JamesPBlaylock, and he plays an important role in Powers' novel ''Literature/TheAnubisGates''.
230	* SociallyAwkwardHero: Rosa. Helping ghosts move on to the afterlife? Easy. Interacting with the living? Not so much. Especially in the first game. She refuses to approach Nashanti while she's playing her flute in public, and her dialogue choices throughout the game often end up as a choice between "mean", "passive-aggressive", or "awkward/tell an awkward joke."
231	* SorryImGay: Rosa tries to get past a security guard by flirting with him. In the most awkward manner possible. The guard quickly excuses himself with the trope name.
232	* SpiritAdvisor: All mediums have one of these.
233	* StillGotIt: After Joey gets Jamie to return to her dorm room, during which she passionately kisses him twice, the achievement description reads "Not bad, for a dead guy."
234	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: As with many adventure games, Rosa must [[KleptomaniacHero pick up many objects owned by other people]], interrogate strangers on rather uncomfortable and intimate subjects to gather information, and she must often sneak her way into private establishments and residences. This results in her getting a ''lot'' of restraining orders.
235	* TakeYourTime: Standard in all the games, with one exception. At the end of ''Convergence'', if you don't [[spoiler:save Meltzer]] in time [[spoiler:The Countess will kill him.]]
236	** Two exceptions: But the end of ''Legacy'' gives you so much more time and so much fewer alternatives, [[spoiler:saving the Deacon]] looks like the default solution.
237	* TaughtByExperience: Joey, Lauren, and Rosa. Dialogue with another spirit guide (the only one besides Joey you ever encounter) suggests that, normally, mediums and spirit guides get a formal education from more experienced people, living and dead. Without a teacher and with nothing but instinct to go on, Joey has apparently developed some... [[IndyPloy unconventional]] talents as a spirit guide.
238	* TitleDrop:
239	-->'''Joey:''' Think of me as the Blackwell legacy, darling.
240	* UnfinishedBusiness: The games operate under standard ghost rules, except for the fact that while you fulfill some ghosts' unfinished business to make them notice their death and thus saveable, others need to be made aware of how pointless their goal is to be able to move on.
241	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: A woman named Jocelyn Contis performed a single act of unthinking selfishness which not only destroyed her own life ([[spoiler: and death, for that matter]]), but the lives of around a dozen other people, [[spoiler:the main characters included.]]
242	* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Joey, Rosa and Father Michael]] in ''Blackwell Epiphany'', as they help [[spoiler:Madeline furthering her scheme.]]
243	* UpdatedRerelease: ''Deception'' had an update in 2013 where the character portraits was changed to a more realistic style over the original comic-style portraits to fit more with the other games in the series.
244	* UrbanFantasy
245	* TheVerse: This series and ''VideoGame/TheShivah'' share some elements. Rosangela contacted Rabbi Zelig, presumably for an obituary. Sam Durkin makes appearances in ''Unbound'' when he's at college and ''Convergence'' and ''Epiphany'' as a hard-boiled detective. Sharming Fashion is mentioned in ''Convergence''. All the present-day games have spam e-mails by Tomo. In ''Deception'' it turns out that Rajshree Lauder contacted Rosa to see if her husband's ghost was still around. Rosangela's neighbor Nishanthi and Rajshree share the same maiden name, Sharma. And in ''The Shivah'', in the pub there's a certain redhead talking to someone who "isn't there".
246	* VideoGameCaringPotential: You can save [[spoiler:the Deacon]] from Joey's [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique "persuasion"]] and [[spoiler:the Demon]], save [[spoiler:Meltzer]] from [[spoiler:The Countess']] wrath, and convince a ghost to move on by giving him hope... or by [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential convincing him to kill himself again]], which produces a WhatTheHellPlayer reaction from Joey.
247	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: In ''Deception'', you can make Joey phase through a closed door while he's being followed around by a baby, causing the little tyke to slam face-first into it. This actually earns you an achievement.
248	* VitriolicBestBuds: Rosa and Joey. Lauren and Joey try for this at times, but it's far more resentful.
249	* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Turns out that [[spoiler: Madeline doesn't]]. ''Epiphany'' shows that [[spoiler: after a few centuries or more of thankless, ceaseless duty helping other spirits cross over, she's pretty much fed up with the whole affair and is willing to take drastic measures to end it all]].
250	* WhoWouldWantToWatchUs: Joey doesn't see the appeal of a TV show about [[Series/QuantumLeap a guy solving people's problems with the help of a shorter guy no-one can see or hear]], and states "it's a little far-fetched".
251	* WhoYouGonnaCall: Rosangela decides to set up an OccultDetective business at the end of ''Convergence'' and continues it in ''Deception'', complete with business cards and newspaper advertisement.
252	* WhyWeCantHaveNiceThings: A real-life example. On Halloween 2013, Wadjet Eye Games did a special free giveaway of one of the Blackwell games to encourage people to buy their games. Even though several goofs on behalf of their download fulfillment partner BMT Micro were rectified for the most part, a large amount of the freely-distributed Steam keys were still found to be hoarded (through spambots and IP blockers) for resale, forcing WEG to abort the giveaway and have Valve delete all still-unused keys, possibly including several that were gained legitimately.
253	* WorldBuilding: Each game reveals something important about mediums and the supernatural, and hints at much more.
254	* WorldHealingWave: At the end of ''Epiphany'', Rosa [[spoiler: uses the power of the Universe to save ''every single ghost on the planet''. Except Joey.]]
255	* WritingAroundTrademarks: Oogle and Bmail.
256	* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: Joey always calls Rosa nicknames until [[spoiler: she dies in a HeroicSacrifice when performin a PleaseWakeUp moment.]]
257	* YoureInsane: [[spoiler:Joey says so to Madeline, calling her a "raving lunatic" for being the culprit behind Patrica and Lauren Blackwell's madness, the FateWorseThanDeath she brought upon the entire Grace Group, and for [[GrandTheftMe taking control of Rosa's body]].]]
258	** ShutUpKirk: [[spoiler:Madeline's only retort is a self-righteous rant about how the fate she suffered through made her justified in doing all of those things.]]

Context VideoGame / TheBlackwellSeries