Line #3 VideoGame/TransformersConvoyNoNazo


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/convoymystery1986.jpg]]
2
3	''Transformers: Convoy no Nazo'' (or "Mystery of [[InconsistentSpelling Comvoy]]," as the subtitle is translated on the cover) is a side-scrolling and vertical-scrolling PlatformGame for the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Nintendo Family Computer]], based on characters from ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' [[note]]"Convoy" is the Japanese name for Optimus Prime[[/note]]. It was originally released in 1986 by Takara, in Japan only.
4
5	The plot -- [[ExcusePlot minimal as it may be]] -- centers on Ultra Magnus attacking various Decepticon strongholds to find out who killed Optimus Prime. As ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie'' wasn't released in Japan until 1989, the circumstances of Prime's death prior the third season of ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' (dubbed in Japan as a separate series entitled ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers 2010'') weren't very clear to Japanese audiences at the time.
6
7	In October 2009, [=TakaraTomy=] released [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/To_Die_Game! a pack-in comic]] with the [[PaintItBlack Diamond Black]] version of ''Alternity'' Megatron, which tied in with this game by establishing it as a proxy war - a "game full of death and suffering" - between an Optimus Prime from one dimension (using Ultra Magnus as his champion) and a Megatron from another dimension (sharing his power with the Decepticons of that era and is also the Megatron that is fought as a boss in the game). Website/{{TFWiki\|DotNet}} acknowledges that this may be one of the greatest instances of FanWank ever.
8
9	In late 2014, the game was adapted as an EndlessRunningGame for mobile devices to tie in with a line of SuperDeformed ''Transformers'' figures. This game, ''Q-Transformers: Kaettekita Convoy no Nazo'' (''[[RevengeOfTheSequel Mystery of Convoy Returns]]''), was further accompanied by a series of online animated shorts under the same title, in which the Q-Transformers have various [[NoFourthWall fourth-wall shattering]] conversations about the quirks and reputation of the game and the franchise as a whole.
10
11	----
12	!!This game contains the following tropes:
13	* OneUp: An Energon cube with a "1" on it.
14	* AWinnerIsYou: Beat the game as Rodimus Prime? "CONGRATULATION!" and your total score is all you get.
15	* BigBad: The Decepticons, though seemingly Megatron is this as a portrait of him is seen when killing an enemy in Stage 8.
16	* BossRoom: Most stages end in an area with three platforms that float up and down and the boss on the right.
17	* CollisionDamage: Touch an enemy, and Ultra Magnus will lose one life.
18	* CutAndPasteEnvironments: Given that it's an early NES title.
19	* DepthPerplexion: The player can't shoot or pass through solid blocks. Enemies fly in front of the bricks, but they still kill you with CollisionDamage if they touch you.
20	* DragonTheirFeet: For some unknown reason, Trypticon is the final boss instead of [[BigBad Megatron]].
21	* EpilepticFlashingLights: When Optimus Prime forms for the first time and every time you complete a boss, you're treated to an ''extremely'' bright flashing red, blue, and yellow strobe light effect that goes on for a good few seconds and takes up the whole screen, which would otherwise be solid black.
22	* ExcusePlot: Optimus Prime's dead. Find out who killed him. Though to be fair, since [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie the movie]] hadn't been released in Japan yet (not until 1989!), it did somewhat help explain the circumstances of Optimus' death for Japanese fans at the time.
23	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Trypticon as the final boss. This seems bizarre since the boss before him was [[BigBad Megatron]]. While he at least makes sense to be an earlier boss, just not the final one, the Deception Symbols fought throughout the game have no such excuse.
24	* HardLevelsEasyBosses: The levels are famous for their frustrating difficulty, but the bosses are basically gigantic hitboxes that shoot very slow, large projectiles at you.
25	* HitboxDissonance: Enemy hitboxes are far larger than their graphics might suggest. On top of that, your own character is a large robot to begin with, and the game is extremely biased when it comes to hit detection - your own projectiles have to hit enemies dead center to hit them (and they're often very small to begin with) while enemy projectiles only need to barely graze you to score a hit.
26	* HumongousMecha: Bruticus, Menasor and Trypticon. And Megatron, oddly enough.
27	* LampshadeHanging: What the ''Convoy no Nazo'' cartoon boils down to, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Lockdown commenting about the game and how hard it is and them and other guest stars commenting about the Transformers franchise in general.
28	* LevelInReverse: Stage 6 is Stage 3 going down instead of up, and Stage 10 is Stage 8 going up instead of down.
29	* TheMaze: Stage 9, which loops if the player doesn't take the correct path.
30	* {{Mooks}}: Prominent Decepticons such as Blitzwing and Soundwave show up as regular enemies... several times. Sometimes, two of the same character appear on the same screen!
31	* NintendoHard: There is very little room for error and the odds are never in your favor. Your tiny projectiles have to hit enemies dead center while the abundance of foes can kill you [[OneHitPointWonder in one hit]] if their bullets merely graze you, and their bullets can sometimes be hard to distinguish from background details.
32	* OneBulletAtATime: Only four shots can be on screen at once.
33	* OneHitPointWonder: Normally, Ultra Magnus dies if anything hits him (in either form), but the "B" Energon cube produces a barrier that protects against three hits.
34	* PaletteSwap: You fight a Decepticon symbol as bosses 3, 6, and 8 that only differ in color. Rodimus Prime's robot mode sprite is merely a recolor of Ultra Magnus, but gets a new sprite for his vehicle mode.
35	* PoisonMushroom: The "D" Energon cube undoes the effects of other powerups.
36	* RecurringBoss:
37	** The boss of stages 3, 6 and 8 is a giant Decepticon mark.
38	** The bosses of the first two stages are what appear to be [[WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd nuclear macadamia nuts inside moons]].
39	* SpellingBonus: The alternate ending is unlocked by collecting the letters R-O-D-I-M-U-S, which are hidden in seven different stages.
40	* TheStarscream: He appears as an enemy. And a WarpZone too, no less!
41	* TyopOnTheCover: The game is spelled Mystery of ''Comvoy'' on the cover.
42	* VideoGameFlight: A power granted by the "F" Energon cube.
43	* WarpZone: You can skip to later levels in some levels if you kill Starscream when he shows up.
44	* YouDontLookLikeYou: The sprites tend to not resemble their intended characters very well, such as the recurring jet enemies meant to be Seekers lacking most of their defining robot mode traits, Bruticus being a weird mish-mash of his toy and cartoon designs and having a ShoulderCannon for some reason, and Trypticon being entirely gray instead of black with light gray and purple highlights. Rodimus Prime's robot mode is a mere PaletteSwap of Ultra Magnus', but his vehicle mode is accurate (albeit with the mid-transformation sprites depicting him turning into Ultra Magnus' truck mode before suddenly becoming his proper alt mode).
45	* YourSizeMayVary: For some reason, the ''Nemesis'' is relatively small compared to Ultra Magnus (as is Trypticon, who supposedly turns into a Decepticon-scale city), while Megatron dwarfs him!

Context VideoGame / TransformersConvoyNoNazo