Line #3 VideoGame/ViolentStorm


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1483737_violentstorm.jpg]]
2	->''Who'll be the hero?''
3
4	''Violent Storm'' is an arcade BeatEmUp made by {{Creator/Konami}} released in 1993, and their final foray into the genre along with ''VideoGame/MetamorphicForce''.
5
6	In an unspecified future, the world is recovering after WorldWarIII destroyed most of it. The main characters Boris, Wade, and Kyle are a group of vigilantes protecting the innocents from thugs, the most dangerous being the "Geld Gang". One day, their friend Sheena is kidnapped by a member of the Geld Gang and thus they go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge to save her. But really, [[ExcusePlot who cares for the plot]] in a game like this?
7
8	Konami's farewell to the beat'em up genre, this arcade release features superb graphics with huge, fluidly animated sprites, an insane lyriced soundtrack and an impressive variety of moves. Though it may look like a blatant ripoff of ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' at first, that's really the point as it [[AffectionateParody celebrates the classics of the beat-em-up genre as much as it makes fun of them]], makes many improvements on the formula anyway, and overall is just a [[TropesAreTools very finely crafted example of its genre and all it entails]].
9
10	See also ''VideoGame/CrimeFighters'' and ''VideoGame/Vendetta1991'', Konami's previous beat-em-ups with similar themes. Some consider ''Violent Storm'' as the final installment of a trilogy that includes these games (incidentally, there was a two year release gap between all three), although it was never advertised as such.
11	----
12	!!This game has examples of:
13
14	* AchillesHeel: Sledge is extremely vulnerable to being thrown, which gets around his blocks.
15	* AffectionateParody: Of both beat'em ups and post-apocalyptic anime like ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar''. This is most noticeable in the bosses, who do ''not'' fit the theme at all - there's an orange-skinned hunchback who wields a giant ticket punch, a guy wearing what seems to be the ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' Power Loader, a LivingStatue...
16	* AfterTheEnd: As already mentioned above, the game's backstory states that the world is recovering after WorldWarIII, which had left said world in its post-apocalyptic condition.
17	* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Red Freddy (who’s actually green), Joe (orange), and Geld (violet).
18	* TheApunkalypse: Though a very light version. Although all the elements are there - leather vests, spiky armor, several punks - the world seems perfectly fine despite that. There's even fully functional trains and an untouched peaceful park with fountains and gates. [[CozyCatastrophe It's almost like the apocalypse happened and no one, after changing clothes and getting ripped, really cared.]] Essentially the only sign that ''something'' happened is that the buildings are covered in cracks and chips.
19	* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Ryuken has both the martial arts gi and the SuicidalOverconfidence of being a {{mook}}.
20	* AssKicksYou: One of Boris's aerial moves involves him striking enemies with his rear end.
21	* BaldOfEvil: Dabel and his clones. Instead of hair, they have ''spikes'' growing out of their heads.
22	* BalanceSpeedStrengthTrio: [[FragileSpeedster Kyle]] trades strength for speed. [[MightyGlacier Boris]] trades speed for strength. [[JackOfAllStats Wade]] lacks Kyle's weakness and Boris's slowness, yet also lacks Kyle's speed and Boris's strength.
23	* BarBrawl: Downtown involves a bar where you can throw [[ChairmanOfTheBrawl chairs]] and flowerpots at foes.
24	* BarrierBustingBlow:
25	** Dabel introduces himself by smashing open a wall.
26	** The protagonists start chasing Red Freddy by busting a metal door with their car.
27	* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Wade, Kyle, and Boris, in that order.
28	* BossBanter: All of the bosses have introductory dialogue before the fight starts, though sometimes you can hit them before they're done talking.
29	-->'''Red Freddy:''' Crazy punks! Get them out!
30	-->'''Joe:''' May I see your ''ticket?''
31	* BreathWeapon: Lollypop can breathe fire.
32	* BrickJoke: Stage 1 begins with our heroes driving their car through a gate, damaging the front end in the process. The ending reveals that they never got around to fixing it.
33	* {{Camp}}: If ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' is the glam rock version of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', this is the punk rock version.
34	* CarryABigStick: Dabel, the first boss, is armed with a large mace. So are his clones.
35	* ChainPain: Gigadeath's weapon of choice is a chain.
36	* ChairmanOfTheBrawl: There a couple of chairs that can be picked and thrown during the second half of Stage 3.
37	* ColorCodedMultiplayer: Inverted compared to most brawlers that followed the ''Final Fight'' template. Kyle wears green and is the [[FragileSpeedster weakest but fastest]]. Boris wears red and is the [[MightyGlacier strongest but also the slowest]], although not as slow compared to other mighty glaciers in brawlers. Wade wears blue and is [[JackOfAllStats average]] between the other two player characters.
38	* CombatStilettos: Eliza and Liza, the knive-wielding maniacs, wear these.
39	* CombatPragmatist: [[BigBad Geld]] uses magic against the protagonists, who have only martial arts on their side.
40	* CoolCar: Your Cadillac the heroes drive in.
41	* CreatorCameo: One of the developers is the referee you land on before the Drigger fight. He appears again as a sailor striking a CaptainMorganPose. [[ButtMonkey You can knock him off the pier.]]
42	* DamselInDistress: Sheena. There’s also a cageful of more in the final stage, whom you can save by smashing the door.
43	* DegradedBoss: Dabel, the first boss, shows up later on as a normal enemy named Bull.
44	* DieChairDie: Lots of stuff gets broken up in this game. Including actual chairs, which can be thrown at foes.
45	* DifficultyByRegion: A small example; the Japanese version allows extra lives when you reach a certain number of points while the other versions have extends turned off by default (but that can be changed in the service mode). Otherwise, they're identical.
46	* DiscOneFinalBoss: Red Freddy is the one who kidnaps Sheena and instigates all the traps to stop the protagonists. In the final stage, it's revealed he is merely TheDragon to Geld.
47	* DisneyVillainDeath: Geld falls from a cliff after being beaten.
48	* TheDragon: Red Freddy to Lord Geld. He is the penultimate boss and much more active than his master at trying to stop the heroes. However, it's clear he is ''not equal'' to Geld.
49	* DubNameChange: Sledge to Cupper Maki in the Violent Round. The latter was one of the developers' pen name.
50	* DuelBoss: All bosses except Joe fight the players alone. Special mention to Drigger, who is fought in a cage match, and the final bosses, who are in the same room but fight you separately.
51	* EternalEngine: The fourth stage is set in an industrial complex, and mostly takes place inside a huge factory.
52	* EvilLaugh: Red Freddy, Joe, the Spike enemies, Doyle and Geld. In most cases, they laugh when they kill you. In Red Freddy's, it replaces a PreAsskickingOneLiner.
53	* EvilRedhead: Crossbones and Liza, and the red variations of most other enemies. All determined to kill you.
54	* {{Expy}}:
55	** Boris is similar to [[VideoGame/DukeNukem Duke Nukem]], though funnily enough, while his appearance and outfit are similar to 3D-era Duke, [[OlderThanTheyThink Boris had it three years earlier!]]
56	** Kyle is like a male incarnation of Chun-Li.[[note]]Not only that, and due to his physical appearance, he predates [[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Charlie]].[[/note]]
57	** Lord Geld, leader of the enemies, is basically a combination of [[Manga/{{AKIRA}} Tetsuo]] (especially pre-boss fight) and FrankensteinsMonster, and is [[RankScalesWithAsskicking every bit as dangerous as that implies]].
58	** Red Freddy is an anorexic, effeminate ripoff of [[Franchise/StreetFighter Blanka]].
59	** The recurring "Lollypop" enemy is a fat version of [[VideoGame/DoubleDragon Abobo]], combined with [[VideoGame/StreetsOfRage Big Ben's]] ability to breathe fire.
60	** Sledge is a [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Ninja Turtle]] parody, though his attack pattern is based on [[VideoGame/FinalFight Rolento]].
61	** [[BossInMookClothing Spike]], the big brute with spiky armor, bear an uncanny resemblance to Dolg, the first boss of ''VideoGame/CaptainCommando''. His bear hug attack is really similar to [[VideoGame/FinalFight Atlas/Jony]]'s.
62	* FatBastard: Lollypop, Dabel and Drigger are all fat and work for Lord Geld.
63	* FanDisservice: Lollypop. He is so fat that it looks like he has six separate stomachs, and he also happens to fight ''shirtless''.
64	* FemmeFatalons: Inverted with Red Freddy. He does have talons, but is a man and preys on women.
65	* FightClubbing: The heroes take on Drigger in a cage match.
66	* TheFightingNarcissist: Mr. Julius is so obsessed with his masculine beauty that he's constantly flexing. He even introduces himself with, "Beauty is justice!"
67	* FlunkyBoss: During the fight with Joe, he occasionally loses his ticket punch. At that point he jumps back on the engine and rings a bell, summoning lesser enemies to attack you while he retrieves another weapon.
68	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
69	** The final stage, a museum, features a portrait gallery with paintings of all the bosses the player fought so far, and on the end two more paintings of Red Freddy and Geld. It effectively spoils who the last two bosses will be, as well as the fact that Red Freddy [[DiscOneFinalBoss won't be the final boss after all]], even though he is the character who kicked off the plot and has been chased by the player up to this point. Also, the stage has statues which belong to the BigBad... Geld, not Red Freddy.
70	** A more subtle one is in the theme for the third stage. "Everyone wanna knock [[FinalBoss Geldo]] down!"
71	* TheHeavy: Geld is the BigBad, but Red Freddy kicks off the plot by kidnapping Sheena and is the most active threat you face.
72	* HellBentForLeather: Liza, Gigadeath, and Wade all wear leather clothing and are quite capable of beating the tar out of others.
73	* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
74	** After getting defeated, Doyle's mechanical frame malfunctions, causing it to give off minor explosions before rocketing him into the molten steel below.
75	** Also if Crossbones goes nuts with his pipe and misses, he exhausts himself and is vulnerable for several seconds.
76	* HurricaneKick: Wade does one for his desperation attack. Kyle, meanwhile, does a spinning bird kick.
77	* IWantMyMommy: Upon being defeated, Boss Geld will cry out "Mamma!" and fall off the building, screaming.
78	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Sledge uses a cooking wok as both a weapon and a shield. Before him, Joe carries a giant, electrified ''ticket punch''. And the protagonists can use footballs in the second stage.
79	* ImprovisedWeapon: One of the oddest examples being the pigs which inexplicably turn into footballs when picked up.[[note]]Oh, wait--[[IncrediblyLamePun "pigskin"]].[[/note]]
80	* IronicName: Red Freddy's skin is green. [[note]]It might still be meaningful since he wears red, and is is a kidnapper and a killer.[[/note]]
81	* JealousRomanticWitness: PlayedForLaughs after the FinalBoss, where Sheena gives a kiss to whoever scored the final blow on Geld. If there are additional players, the unlucky guys look on in shock and dismay.
82	* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: [=Mooks=] can be attacked when they're lying on the ground. So can bosses, but they can also do the same to you.
83	* LastChanceHitPoint: Excluding bosses, enemy attacks will often drain the heroes' health bars completely red; one more it, and bye-bye good guys!
84	* LightningBruiser: Sledge is both the fastest and strongest non-final boss. He's actually faster than ''Kyle''.
85	* LivingStatue: Julius is a statue brought to life by Red Freddy. When you defeat him, he turns back into stone and [[LiterallyShatteredLives shatters]].
86	* MachoCamp: Julius.
87	-->''"Beauty is justice!"''
88	* MeteorMove: Boris has a piledriver as one of his attacks. No [[SpinningPiledriver spinning]], unfortunately.
89	* MusclesAreMeaningless: Generally averted, but Wade and Kyle subvert this trope. If they try to throw heavier enemies, they'll struggle a bit unless you either mash buttons for it to be successful or knee them a couple of times for an easier throw. Without proper button mashing, they will collapse under the enemy weight, losing some health. Boris has never such trouble.
90	* {{Mutant}}: One of the few signs of anything post-apocalyptic about this game is that several of the villains are clearly inhuman. Red Freddy has green skin and long talons, Lord Geld has purple skin and can change from a young-looking human into a hulking muscle-man, and Stage 2's boss Joe has orange skin and a hunchback.
91	* NewGamePlus: Completing the game on one credit unlocks the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3dAL7JRZLk&feature=related Violent Round]]" mode, which is the game all over again with much more cruel enemy placement, different background colors, blood splatters (if they're not turned on in the dip-switches) and other weird changes to the level design. For example, the first half of the third level has fewer enemies but only gives you thirty seconds to beat it.
92	* NoOSHACompliance: The steel mill you fight Doyle in has no safety features around the mechanical presses or ''pouring molten steel''. It's amazing they even have guardrails.
93	* OrcusOnHisThrone: Lord Geld, who doesn't appear until the very end of the game, when you confront him at this throne. In fact, the one who kidnaps Sheena and instigates the traps against you is [[TheDragon Red Freddy]], not him.
94	* PipePain: The Crossbones enemies carry these and you can also find them in various locations to use on enemies.
95	* PoweredArmor: Doyle wears a mechanical frame with a pneumatic grabbing arm and built-in jetpack.
96	-->"The machine sounds ''great!"''
97	* PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep: Lord Geld's voice noticeably drops a few octaves once he [[HulkingOut hulks out]] for the last battle.
98	* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Most bosses start with one of these.
99	--> '''[[LightningBruiser Sledge]]:''' "Eat you for breakfast!"
100	* TheQuincyPunk: Crossbones and Doyle resemble such punks.
101	* RapidFireFisticuffs: Kyle can do the kick variation.
102	* RecycledSoundtrack: The music used during the Drigger and Julius fights is remixed from the ''[[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles TMNT]]'' [[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame arcade]] [[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime games]]. The common boss theme is original but one part of it is a reference to the boss music of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' [[VideoGame/XMen1992 arcade game]]. The fourth stage music is like a combination of the night vision music from ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers1'' and the fourth stage music from ''Super {{VideoGame/Contra}}''.
103	* RidingIntoTheSunset: After you defeat Geld, the heroes and Sheena drive off along the beach with the sunset behind them.
104	* RoguesGallery: Literally. One section of the last level is an art gallery with portraits of all the bosses you've defeated up to that point, all except for the last two ([[DiscOneFinalBoss Red Freddy]] and [[FinalBoss Geld]]), which foreshadows who you will face next.
105	* ShoutOut:
106	** The mechanical parts of Doyle have the same color scheme as a [[Film/{{Aliens}} power loader]].
107	** In the middle, you come across two arcade machines, [[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Scramble]] and a game titled ''Penta''[[note]]the penguin from Konami's own ''VideoGame/AntarcticAdventure'', a game that was [[{{Irony}} never released in arcades]][[/note]].
108	** A ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'' doll is a collectable item.
109	** Parodying ''VideoGame/FinalFight'''s rockstar-named enemies, two of the generic [[{{Mook}} Mooks]] are called "[[Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer Talcus]]" and "[[Music/{{Megadeth}} Gigadeath]]."
110	** Wade is dressed like Film/MadMax and Kyle's outfit is visually similar to [[VideoGame/DoubleDragon Billy and Jimmy's]].
111	** Mr. Julius seems to be based on the Pillar Men from ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency''; a statue brought to life as a scantily-clad musclebound warrior with a penchant for posing in the middle of fights.
112	* ShearMenace: Joe, the second boss, is armed with a huge, [[ShockAndAwe electrified]] train ticket puncher.
113	* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: Drigger, the third boss, is a wrestler wearing a cow skull on his head.
114	* SoLongSuckers: When Joe, the boss of the second level, gets defeated, Red Freddy, who has a BoundAndGagged Sheena in his custody taunts the heroes with the trope name as he leaves them behind on the train car he disconnected from the main engine.
115	* SongStyleShift: During the second half of Stage 3, a belly dancer appears on-stage in the background, accompanied by Arabic music. About 28 seconds in, it shifts into a fusion of rock and new jack swing.
116	* SquashedFlat: The Industrial Area's presses will do this to enemy [=mooks=]. It will also kill them, [[AntiFrustrationFeatures but not you]], in [[OneHitKill a single hit]], so it's not a great idea to break them.
117	* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Zig-zagged. Every boss says something to you at the start of the fight. For the most part, they're not in range of your attacks while saying it... but some (like Drigger) ''are'', and you can land free hits on them while they're talking.
118	* TrainEscape: Type 3. At the end of the second stage, after the player has defeated Joe, Red Freddy unhooks the train carriage that the player is on in order to escape while having a BoundAndGagged Sheena in his custody. He succeeds.
119	-->'''Red Freddy:''' So long, suckers!
120	* VideoGameCaringPotential: In the last level there's a cell full of scantily-clad women presumably kidnapped as concubines. If you think to smash the door open, one of them throws you a bonus item out of gratitude.
121	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Vandalizing a stand in Stage 3 and furniture inside a bar of the same stage will reward you with points. You can also throw civilians and [[MookHorrorShow bad guys]] out of a train or into the sea, and in the latter case you even get a fish to restore health. And of course, nothing's stopping you from ignoring the other women and leaving them behind in the final stage.
122	* VisualPun: Footballs are often called "pigskins". Thus, whenever you pick up one of the piglets inside the train in Stage 2, it will turn into a football that can be thrown at enemies as a weapon.
123	* VocalDissonance: Geld has this when he changes his size. Justified, when he gets bigger and more muscular, it makes sense for [[PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep his voice to also become much deeper]].
124	* WalkingShirtlessScene: Lollypop and Lollypop Jr. Considering [[FatBastard their appearance]], this is [[FanDisservice not so attractive]].
125	* WallJump: Wade, Boris, and Kyle can all do this.
126	* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Boris is filled with more wrestling moves than [[VideoGame/FinalFight Mike Haggar]] and [[VideoGame/StreetsofRage Max Thunder]] combined.
127	* YouGetKnockedDownYouGetBackUpAgain: Averted, you can attack knocked-down enemies, something that is rare for the genre but not for Konami-made games. Some bosses can also do this to you.
128	----
129
130	->[[TheDeterminator I'm gonna get you eventually,]]
131	->[[HatedByAll everybody wanna knock Geldo down!]]
132	->[[DamselInDistress I'll go straight to Sheena (Sheena),]]
133	->...and-I'll-be-there-yes-I-will!
134	->[[CrapsackWorld This world is very difficult,]]
135	->[[DoNotGoGentle but I got nothing to lose now!]]
136	->[[LosingIsWorseThanDeath There's no defeat, you'd sooner die!]]
137	->[[ChallengeSeeker Challenge the beginning of the end!]]
138	-> Until I rescue Sheena,
139	->[[ImplacableMan I'm never gonna stop! (Feel my power!)]]
140	->[[BloodKnight Now I spend my time fighting all around!]]
141	->[[BadButt I'm a tough guy! (Do them in!)]]
142	->You think you can beat us,
143	->[[TheFightingNarcissist We got the look! Oh so fine!]]
144	->[[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Just wait I'll get even with you!]]

Context VideoGame / ViolentStorm