Line #21 VideoGame/ThreadsOfFate


1	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/threadsoffate.png]]
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3	An 1999 ActionRPG by Square (now Creator/SquareEnix) for the Platform/PlayStation, which was released as ''[[MarketBasedTitle Dewprism]]'' in Japan. The player can choose to follow the adventures of Rue or Mint as they quest for a powerful artifact, known as the Dewprism, that can reshape reality.
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5	Rue has been living with Claire, a friend he loves as a sister, since she rescued him years ago. When [[HeroicSacrifice she is killed shielding him from the "Arm of Death,"]] he vows to find the Dewprism in order to bring her back. He wields a large axe in combat and [[VoluntaryShapeshifting can turn into monsters he slays]], gaining their abilities.
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7	Mint is a princess horrified to learn she's been passed over in the line of succession for her younger sister. Enraged, she vows to find the Dewprism and take back what is rightfully hers, and then some. In fact, nothing less will do than [[TakeOverTheWorld rulership over the whole world]]. She wields a pair of golden hoops that allow her to use magic.
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9	A manga was planned, but later scrapped, though various fan works do exist including a [[DoujinSoft fangame]], ''Duo Princess'', by Creator/EasyGameStation, starring Mint and Maya.
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13	!!This game provides examples of:
14	* AbsurdPhobia: Mint is afraid of pumpkins.
15	* ActionMom: Mira, [[spoiler:who not only fights her way through a forest full of ghouls during the invasion of Carona, but also faces down Trap Master with nothing but her blade and a badass boast.]]
16	--> [[spoiler:"You need to learn some manners. I guess I'll have to teach you."]]
17	* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:The three Masters in both stories. Doll Master in Rue's story.]]
18	-->[[spoiler:"... Brother... Thanks, Rue... Best thing I've heard in a hundred years..."]]
19	* AmplifierArtifact: The relics, objects created by the Aeons to amplify their already powerful magical powers.
20	* AndTheAdventureContinues: The extended ending after completing both stories. [[spoiler:After being invited by Klaus, Rue and Mint go on an adventure together in search of another relic.]]
21	* ApocalypticLog: Mint finds a journal of a man who hid an item in a monster and, apparently, died as a result. Her response? "What an idiot."
22	* ArtificialHuman: [[spoiler:Rue,]] Prima Doll, and [[spoiler:Ruecian AKA Doll Master]]. [[spoiler:[[SequelHook Also Ruenis, and there are implied to be many more...]]]]
23	* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: The fate of some of the Magicians.
24	* BadassBookworm: Played straight and averted with Duke -- he gains his fighting techniques by reading epics... though his reading romantic novels doesn't help with his social clumsiness.
25	* BadPowersGoodPeople: [[spoiler:Rue. Originally intended to be an agent of the BigBad Valen, he wakes up with no memories and is then taken care of by Claire. Rue started his search for the Dewprism to bring Claire back to life after she was mercilessly murdered by Ruecian the Doll Master, and he is kind and helpful to the people he meet in his adventure, namely Klaus and his family.]]
26	* BaitAndSwitchBoss: The Ghost Temple contains four guardian Chimeras. Rue fights three of them, and the last one gets disposed of easily by Duke, who will challenge Rue again.
27	* BerserkButton: Don't call Belle old, or you ''will'' get it.
28	* BigBad: [[spoiler:Valen. The most powerful of the Aeons, he created the Dewprism in order to gain control of every aspect of the universe. This made the other Aeons uneasy, and so they put a stop to him. He also created the dolls, including Rue and Ruecian, as his agents for his resurrection.]]
29	* TheBlacksmith: Rod, the red-haired chiseled traveler with the short vest and nice hat. Serves as an optional opponent who gets harder every time he fights you, upgrades both your weapon AND [[EvolvingAttack his own]], has a dog named Johnny Wolf [[DualBoss who also fights alongside him]] and has built his own CoolBoat.
30	* BoobyTrap: Trap Master's preferred combat method.
31	* ChekhovsGun: Rue's ability to take in the soul/spirit of slain lifeforms. [[spoiler: It's what enables him to bring Claire back in his ending, and what lets Valen possess him in Mint's penultimate battle.]]
32	* CityOfAdventure: Carona. The town comes equipped with mandatory RPG places (an inn, weapon and item shops, and a pub), and its surrounding areas are littered with ruins and ateliers (homes of powerful magicians).
33	* ConvectionSchmonvection: Raging Mountain. Not only do you travel a few feet above a sea of lava, the stepping stones ''plunge toward it'' whenever you jump on them.
34	* CoolShip: Rod's Pulsar-inferno Typhoon Omega ([[InsistentTerminology it's not]] [[EveryCarIsAPinto a Pinto]]).
35	* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: The reason Rod became a traveling blacksmith/warrior. While he's good at both, neither is what he desires.
36	* DevelopersForesight: A woman in Carona can ask Mint to find Elena, and that causes Mint to guess Elena's name, when they meet, but if that woman isn't interacted with, Elena gives her name, instead.
37	* DittoFighter: Rue can take the form of most normal monsters encountered in the game.
38	* TheDitz: Elena. Oh so much. Constantly calls Rue "Polly" after his [[DittoFighter transforming into a pollywog]] to save her.
39	* DoesNotLikeSpam: Mint and pumpkins.
40	* DynamicEntry: Mint is fond of making these, befitting her spunky personality.
41	* EarnYourHappyEnding: Rue and his story, oh so very much. Mint's is bittersweet by comparison almost entirely because of the major difference. [[labelnote:spoiler]]Claire is revived in Rue's ending, but not in Mint's. Mint fails to achieve world domination either way.[[/labelnote]]
42	* EleventhHourSuperpower: Both characters get one for the final battle. Rue gains [[spoiler: the ability to guard attacks]] and Mint [[spoiler: is given the Cosmos spell type. When combined with Gold Magic (only Gold and Cosmos combine) she can cast the Valiant spell]].
43	* EyesAlwaysShut: Psycho Master. [[spoiler:When not using his full power.]]
44	* ForcedTransformation: Maya can turn Mint into a pumpkin during their fight, and does so on one of the credits' segments.
45	* GenkiGirl: Mint.
46	* GetAholdOfYourselfMan: There is a scene in both character's storylines where the Prima Doll has a temporary breakdown about soon fulfilling his purpose and afterward being considered worthless. Rue calmly talks him out of his slump. Mint slaps him and goes off on a rage about how pathetic he sounds.
47	* GirlishPigtails: Mint, who is very childish.
48	* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Mint and Maya.
49	* AGodAmI: [[spoiler: Valen. With the Dewprism he created, he basically wanted to play God and control the universe.]]
50	* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:Valen does this to Claire and Rue. He hijacks Claire's body in Rue's storyline and temporarily successfully hijacks Rue's body in Mint's storyline and only attempted in failure in Rue's storyline.]]
51	* HappilyAdopted: [[spoiler:Prima Doll is adopted by Klaus' family]] at the end of either story.
52	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Doll Master]] in Rue's path.
53	* HopelessBossFight: Rue's first fight against [[spoiler:Doll Master]] is this. Even if the player plays in NewGamePlus and achieves maxed out stats it's impossible to beat him due to infinite HP.
54	* HotBlooded: Duke, due to his obsession with romantic novels and epics.
55	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Mint, in Rue's story.
56	* ItsAllUpstairsFromHere: The Tower of Maya. It's filled with Eastern-style architecture and pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins.
57	* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: Arm of Death turns out to be the big bad's dragon. Since Arm of Death kills Claire in the prologue of Rue's story, it's pretty clear why the trope applies. [[spoiler:And that's without taking the whole brothers thing into account.]] Doesn't apply as much for Mint, although [[spoiler:she's still perfectly happy to kick Doll Master's ass for his role in her removal from the throne.]]
58	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Mint. Small, but it's there.
59	* LevelGrinding: To get past 3 blocks of ice you may have to grind. Other than that there's virtually none.
60	** In fact, there aren't levels at all -- your max HP will go up gradually as you ''get hit by monsters'', and your max MP is raised by using MP up. You can also buy stat boosts from a shop in Carona, if you've got the cash for it.
61	* LifeMeter: In the upper left of the screen, with a fractional display of HitPoints, when combat is possible.
62	* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Rue starts out marginally stronger than Mint, but has a limited number of transformations that aren't particularly powerful and his only character wise enhancements are increase in stats. Mint, on the other hand, gains access to wide ranges of spell types such as healing, barriers, and magic waves. And the way MP works in the game, most of it can be recovered within ten seconds. By the end of their respective storylines, Mint grossly overpowers Rue gameplay wise.
63	* LoadBearingBoss: [[spoiler:Valen. Defeat him, and his fortress goes ka-blooey.]]
64	* MacGuffinTitle: In Japanese, anyway, ''Dewprism'' (デュープリズム).
65	* MagicKnight: Mint, who prides herself on her melee skills with special mention of her dropkick.
66	* TheManBehindTheMan: In Mint's story, Maya is initially seen as the antagonist, having kicked Mint out of the East Heaven Kingdom. [[spoiler:It turns out that Ruecian the Doll Master is the mastermind behind this plot, seeing Maya was easier to manipulate. Being the East Heaven Kingdom's court magician also gave Ruecian access to info about relics, especially the Dewprism, while keeping Maya in the dark about it.]]
67	* MegaManning: [[spoiler:Mint absorbs the power of the Book of Cosmos, gaining its energy attack.]]
68	* MegaNeko: [[spoiler:Gorotan, one of Fancy Mel's servants who looks like a tiny cat with bat wings, grows into a huge cat that shoots out lightning. His powers are required to jolt the lifeless Prima Doll.]]
69	* MultipleEndings: A given, since it has two playable characters. [[spoiler:There's also a secret third ending that unlocks once both Rue's and Mint's stories are completed.]]
70	* {{Necromantic}}: Rue, a heroic version of it. [[spoiler:In his story, he succeeds without any negative consequences.]]
71	* OjouRinglets: Fancy Mel, befitting her ElegantGothicLolita getup.
72	* OminousFloatingCastle: Valen's Fortress.
73	* OneWordTitle: In Japanese, which is also a MacGuffinTitle. ''Dewprism'' (デュープリズム).
74	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Wylaf, the [[CoolOldGuy cool old dragon]] who's nice to humans, and even helps out Rue and Mint a little throughout the game.
75	* PsychicPowers: Psycho Master. Mainly uses [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]] in battle.
76	* RealityWarper: Most of the Magicians, as evident in Fancy Mel's atelier and Valen's tower.
77	* RedOniBlueOni: Mint is brash and smart-mouthed; Rue is more level-headed and serious.
78	* RedRightHand: Claire's killer, the Arm of Death [[spoiler:a.k.a. Ruecian the Doll Master]]. It's black, actually... and HUGE.
79	* RedundantResearcher: Subverted. Although Mint and Rue aid Klaus, he's the one who cracks the mysteries.
80	* RingsOfDeath: Mint's weapon of choice. She uses them to bash enemies and channel her magic.
81	* TheRival: Duke and Belle to Rue and Mint, respectively. [[TeethClenchedTeamwork Most of the time.]]
82	* RunningGag: Mint stomps whenever she's annoyed by somebody.
83	* SaintlyChurch: The church in the town gladly gives you aid if you give a donation, and lets you heal your wounds, no questions asked.
84	* SpikyHair: Trap Master. Also befits his punk-ish personality.
85	* SequelHook: [[spoiler:The extension to Rue's ending unlocked after completing both stories.]]
86	* SmallNameBigEgo: Most of the villains, especially Duke. Mint and some of the friendly [=NPCs=] are like this too.
87	* SticksToTheBack: Both character's weapons, although Rue's giant axe is more noticeable.
88	* StrongerSibling: Mint's sister, Maya, especially after obtaining the Relic. She took advantage of the power gap to kick Mint out of the kingdom.
89	* SugarBowl: Fancy Mel's atelier. Even the three platforming segments are decked out with cute and colorful architecture.
90	* SymbolSwearing: The game has a fair amount of swearing covered by symbols. Most of the swearing comes from Mint, the spunky girl.
91	* TacticalSuicideBoss: The FinalBoss, actually. [[spoiler:Valen shifts between four forms and the attacks of said forms at random. In only one form is he vulnerable, even to the EleventhHourSuperpower your character has for this fight. If he never shifts to the one form...]]
92	* TakeOverTheWorld: Mint's primary motivation, played for laughs, as the narrative never gives the players reason to actually believe she's capable of doing so.
93	* ThemeNaming: Most dolls have their specialty preceding "master" as their names. Rue and Mint are both named after herbs.
94	* ThoseTwoGuys: The bandits, Blood and Smokey. They both escape the long arm of the law, until the game's ending.
95	* TickTockTune: Slow track example: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WDkdljas7M&feature=related Mint's Scheme 2]].
96	* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler:Rue is one of the Dolls of Valen, another of which is the primary antagonist of the game (though Rue was already aware that he was not human).]]
97	* {{Tsundere}}: Belle, especially towards Duke.
98	* UnexpectedGameplayChange: Fancy Mel's platforming games.
99	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Minor example, if you pick a fight with Rod you can attack his dog, Johnny Wolf. Major example, at the top of Raging Mountain you fight Wylaf in a test that he surrenders, but there are a couple seconds after he surrenders and before the plot kicks in that you can keep attacking him. Neither of these are advised because...
100	* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: Minor example, hitting Johnny Wolf enough will get him mauling you not unlike Cuccos from ''Zelda.'' Major example, hit Wylaf enough after he surrenders and [[OneHitKill you won't live long enough to regret it.]]
101	* VillainProtagonist: Mint, in her story, plans to overthrow the East Heaven Kingdom for being removed from the succession.
102	* VisibleSilence: Rue's response to Fancy Mel is ''76 periods'' followed by "am I dreaming?"
103	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Mode Master's method of attack is mainly this. Rue can morph into monsters after gaining the slain enemy's coin.
104	* TheWallsAreClosingIn: After Rue defeats Duke in a room within the Ghost Temple, the wall starts to close in, threatening to crush them and Elena. Rue has to hack and slash his way through a closed door for the three to escape this trap.
105	* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Valen and Doll Master.
106	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Once Maya realizes that she's been manipulated by Doll Master in order for him to break the seal that leads to the Dewprism, he ditches her, imprisons her, and has Mode Master impersonate her.]]

Context VideoGame / ThreadsOfFate