[[quoteright:274:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nes_6662.PNG]]
[[caption-width-right:274:Expect a whole lot of pixels.]]

Nitrome is a British independent game developer founded in 2005 and known for its Flash games as well as mobile games, many of which are on Miniclip. Nitrome's games often have highly unusual gameplay that forces the player to think ''well'' outside the box.

You can visit their website [[http://www.nitrome.com/ here.]]

[[folder:Nitrome's Flash Games]]
* ''Hot Air!'' (2005): Guide a hot-air balloon through various obstacles, using a fan to blow it away from danger.
* ''Sandman'' (2006): Guide sleepwalkers through the land of Nod using sand to influence their direction.
* ''Chick Flick'' (2006): Help two squirrels bounce baby birds back into their nest.
* ''Roly Poly'' (2006): Help Poly the Hedgehog get through a maze by rotating the maze.
* ''Feed Me! ''(2006): Control a Venus Flytrap escaping a greenhouse by using its mouth to move itself around.
* ''Tanked Up'' (2006): Race tanks and avoid hazards, all while shooting at the competition.
* ''Scribble'' (2006): Help the Blots get to safety in this ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}''-like game.
* ''Gift Wrapped'' (2006): Find a selected item in a pile of gifts as quickly as possible.
* ''Frost Bite'' (2006): Control a mountaineer climbing up mountains using a grappling hook to get around and deal with monsters.
* ''Skywire'' (2007): Guide a cable car of tiny people past out-of-control toy animals.
* ''Space Hopper'' (2007): Help an astronaut collect stars and avoid enemies by hopping between planets.
* ''Dangle'' (2007): Help a spider swing down his thread towards the bottom.
* ''Hot Air 2: All Blown Up'' (2007): Help Hot Air save his girlfriend from the nefarious Baron Von Blimp.
* ''Square Meal'' (2007): Guide a troll through a dungeon by swallowing blocks and spitting them at monsters to knock them out for eating.
* ''Toxic'' (2007): Control a man bombing his way out a factory filled with rogue robots and toxic waste.
* ''Magic Touch'' (2007): Play as a wizard who must stop invaders to his castle by drawing the magic symbols on their balloons.
* ''Yin Yang'' (2007): Help the twins Yin and Yang navigate through their respective negative world environments.
* ''Nanobots'' (2007): Control nanobots to destroy waves of enemy nanobots.
* ''Off the Rails'' (2007): Control two cacti on a handcar making their way down a Mexican railroad.
* ''Headcase'' (2007): Play as the superhero Norman Noggin as he makes his way through a wacky world where everyone walks on walls.
* ''Pest Control'' (2007): Eliminate insects under a timer with your trusty flyswatter.
* ''Twang'' (2007): Help Black Ball make his way across an ocean over controllable colored wires filled with hazards.
* ''Thin Ice'' (2007): Skate around monsters to plunge them into lakes in this spinoff of ''Frost Bite''.
* ''Snow Drift'' (2007): Play as a yeti who can take out enemies by sliding down icy slopes.
* ''Jack Frost'' (2007): Control Jack Frost as he works to cover each stage with ice while avoiding enemies.
* ''Aquanaut'' (2008): Guide a minisub through an undersea world in search of treasure.
* ''Go Go UFO'' (2008): Race aliens in tiny [=UFOs=] around an out-of-this-world racetrack.
* ''Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam'' (2008): Navigate a flying steampunk fortress with a chain cannon as Dirk Valentine.
* ''Magneboy'' (2008): Control a boy robot who uses his magnetic powers to manipulate stages and reach the exit.
* ''Cheese Dreams'' (2008): Bounce the Moon through a spaceship run by the giant alien mice who have abducted him.
* ''Snot Put'' (2008): Toss droplets of snot as far as you can!
* ''Knuckleheads'' (2008): Control two chain-linked heads as they work together to escape a dungeon.
* ''Skywire 2'' (2008): Guide cable cars of tiny people again past a new and improved plethora of toy animals.
* ''Small Fry'' (2008): Guide four tiny creatures using each one's unique abilities to get them all to safety.
* ''Mutiny'' (2008): Battle pirates in this turn-based strategy game.
* ''Final Ninja'' (2008): Control Takeshi the last ninja as he navigates a cyberpunk metropolis to take down his old boss Akuma.
* ''Onekey'' (2008): Guide a tribesman through ancient Aztec ruins with only the space bar to help him avoid danger.
* ''Mallet Mania'' (2008): Use your mallet to guide a ball to a hole with a limited amount of shots.
* ''In the Doghouse'' (2008)[[note]]Mobile version (2018)[[/note]]: Guide a dog to his bone by moving rooms about to create a path.
* ''Numbskull'' (2008): Rotate blocks in a haunted castle to reunite a skull with its body.
* ''Bomba'' (2008): Guide Bomba through each stage with explosives, but avoid touching anything.
* ''Flipside'' (2008): Race through topsy-turvy tracks against gravity-defying racecars.
* ''Toxic 2'' (2008): Bomb your way through another factory of rogue machines and toxic slime to destroy the Mother Robot.
* ''Fat Cat'' (2008): Control a pudgy cat and an owl with laser vision to blast your way through various hazards.
* ''Frost Bite 2'' (2008): Scale some more mountains while avoiding more dangerous wildlife and icy hazards.
* ''Ice Breaker'' (2008): Free Vikings from icy prisons, but make sure they land safely in their longboat.
* ''Pixel Pop'' (2009): Chop fruit, smash tanks, and do much more in this beat-based game.
* ''Flash Cat'' (2009): Control a cat riding a caterpillar as they rush through obstacle-laden courses.
* ''Twin Shot'' (2009): Play as a kitty angel and slay the forces of evil with your bow and arrows.
* ''Mirror Image'' (2009): Guide a warlock through demon-infested ruins using the power of teleportation.
* ''The Glassworks'' (2009): Help Glassworks employee, Kapowski, navigate glass panes with his new climbing gloves.
* ''Ice Breaker: The Red Clan'' (2009): Free more Vikings from the ice with new helpers and hazards.
* ''Rustyard'' (2009): Guide a robot through a scrapyard by manipulating the environment around him.
* ''Final Ninja Zero'' (2009): Guide Taskeshi through the facility of a mad corporate executive in this prequel to ''Final Ninja''.
* ''Powerup'' (2009): Create a circuit between two transformers using the provided boxes and crates.
* ''Cosmic Cannon!'' (2009): Launch cannonballs and keep them in the air as long as possible by firing more balls at them.
* ''Droplets'' (2009): Safely deploy the Bunny Droplets onto point boxes to reach the target score.
* ''Double Edged'' (2009): Play as a Spartan warrior in this beat'em-up based on Greek mythology.
* ''Castle Corp: Castlewear for All Occasions'' (2009): Command knights and buy items to take down a rival company in this strategy game.
* ''Parasite'' (2009): Play as a villainous alien conqueror who possesses the ability to mind control creatures he infests.
* ''Twin Shot 2: Good and Evil'' (2009): Continue the battle against the forces of evil, but now you can bring it to their doorstep.
* ''Rockitty'' (2009): Guide the alien feline Rockitty by bounding him towards his spaceship.
* ''Nebula'' (2009): Guide a newborn sun using a trail of stars through cosmic obstacles.
* ''Cave Chaos'' (2009): Help a miner escape a collapsing cavern, keeping ahead of the unstable floor.
* ''Graveyard Shift'' (2009): Blast zombies that pass by your screen in this take on the Light Gun Shooter genre.
* ''B.C. Bow Contest'' (2009): Compete in a prehistoric archery contest.
* ''Cold Storage'' (2009): Help a yeti escape from a giant's freezer by swinging on poles.
* ''Ice Breaker: The Gathering'' (2009): Help Viking clans free their frozen brethren once more.
* ''Avalanche: A Penguin Adventure'' (2009): Control a penguin as she flees from a massive avalanche.
* ''Rubble Trouble New York''[[note]]Originally just ''Rubble Trouble''[[/note]] (2010): Demolish buildings with the provided tools to earn cash.
* ''Skywire VIP'' (2010): Guess the names of famous folks (real and ficional) in this quiz spinoff of ''Skywire''.
* ''Blast RPG'' (2010): Launch a young warrior from a cannon to slay monsters and gain experience in Nitrome's twist on the RPG genre.
* ''Tiny Castle'' (2010): Play as a knight navigating a castle that shifts form as his quest for the princess progresses.
* ''Chisel'' (2010): Control the robot Chiseller as he drills planets down to size while avoiding enemies.
* ''Bullethead'' (2010): Battle alien invaders coming down from the sky and shoot them down with your cannon helmet.
* ''Fault Line'' (2010): Help the robot Zapo navigate by merging and un-merging walls with his rocket hands.
* ''Ribbit'' (2010): Bounce your way through enemies and terrain as a frog-rabbit hybrid chasing after the deranged Dr. Siamese.
* ''Worm Food'' (2010): Devour as many people as possible as quickly as you can as a monster worm.
* ''Squawk'' (2010): Direct a parrot ball around a pirate ship using steering pegs.
* ''Temple Glider'' (2010): Help an Ancient Egyptian bird navigate a pyramid and get back to its sarcophagus.
* ''VideoGame/SkySerpents'' (2010): Slay massive aerial dragons by stabbing at their joints while you avoid getting thrown off.
* ''Enemy 585: The Last Henchman'' (2010): Guide an A.I.-controlled enemy as Turner the Block in this parody of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''.
* ''VideoGame/SuperTreadmill'' (2010): Help Billy lose weight on his uncle's Super Treadmill in this retro-styled game.
* ''Bad Ice-Cream'' (2010): Play as Ice Cream trying to collect fruit while obstructing enemies with blocks of ice.
* ''Rush'' (2011): Race as fast as you can with gravity-flipping dynamics.
* ''The Bucket'' (2011): Control a magic flying fish carrying a bucket to guide a raccoon to safety in this retro-styled game.
* ''Canary'' (2011): Control the mining robot Canary 214-LE as he navigates an asteroid mining colony with his rock-cutting laser cannon.
* ''Test Subject Blue'' (2011): Help Blue the lab enzyme navigate tests in this ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''-influenced game.
* ''Chisel 2'' (2011): Help Chiseller with drilling up planets again, but now with the ability to jump between planets.
* ''Knight Trap'' (2011): Guide knights through a platformed castle loaded with traps.
* ''Steamlands'' (2011): Command an upgrade a tank to battle enemies tanks in this stampunk strategy game.
* ''Test Subject Green'' (2011): Guide Blue through a new series of experiments by the sinister Dr. Nastidious.
* ''Silly Sausage'' (2011): Help a super-stretchy wiener dog navigate through mazes in another pseudo-retro game.
* ''Test Subject Arena'' (2011): Battle your friends as Blue and Green in this spinoff of the ''Test Subject'' series.
* ''Office Trap'' (2011): Guide your office workers to safety in this modernized version of ''Knight Trap''.
* ''Rubble Trouble Tokyo'' (2011): Demolish buildings with the provided tools to earn cash in the capital of Japan.
* ''Canopy'' (2011): Swing your way through a monster-infested jungle to find delicious fruit.
* ''VideoGame/MegaMash'' (2011): Navigate through a damaged [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] console, facing multiple genres at once.
* ''Steamlands: Player Pack'' (2011): Battle, command, and upgrade stampunk tanks once more in this compilation of fan-designed levels.
* ''Stumped'' (2011): Guide a severed monster's foot that can only move in one direction through a haunted house.
* ''VideoGame/NitromeMustDie!'' (2011): Mow down hordes of Nitrome characters as an angry fan on a quest to destroy Nitrome in [[MilestoneCelebration their 100th game]]. [[invoked]]
* ''Lockehorn'' (2011)
* ''Rubble Trouble Moscow'' (2011)
* ''Rainbogeddon'' (2012)
* ''Swindler'' (2012)
* ''Skywire VIP Extended'' (2012)
* ''Gunbrick'' (2012)
* ''Cave Chaos 2'' (2012)
* ''Super Snotput'' (2012)
* ''Hot Air Jr'' (2012)
* ''J-J-Jump'' (2012)
* ''Skywire VIP Shuffle'' (2012)
* ''Calamari'' (2012)
* ''Turnament'' (2012)
* ''Swindler 2'' (2012)
* ''Ice Beak'' (2012)
* ''Bad Ice Cream 2'' (2012)
* ''Plunger'' (2013)
* ''Super Stock Take'' (2013)
* ''Test Subject Complete'' (2013)
* ''Colourblind'' (2013)[[note]]Mobile version: Colorblind: An Eye For An Eye (2018)[[/note]]
* ''Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage'' (2013)
* ''Oodlegobs'' (2013)
* ''Test Subject Arena 2'' (2013)
* ''Cheese Dreams: New Moon'' (2013)
* ''Bad Ice Cream 3'' (2013)
* ''changeType()'' (2014)
* ''Ditto'' (2014)
* ''Flue'' (2014)
* ''Bump Battle Royale'' (2014)
* ''8bit Doves'' (2014)
* ''Coil'' (2014)
* ''Turn-Undead'' (2014)[[note]]Mobile version: Turn-Undead: Monster Hunter (2017)[[/note]]
* ''Endless Doves'' (2014)
* ''Submolok'' (2014)
* ''Roller Polar'' (2014)
* ''Platform Panic'' (2014)
* ''Gunbrick SD'' (2015)
* ''Magic Touch: Wizard for Hire'' (2015)
* ''Silly Sausage in Meat Land'' (2015)
* ''Cooped Up'' (2015)
* ''Green Ninja'' (2015)
* ''Vault!'' (2015)
* ''Beneath The Lighthouse'' (2015)
* ''Gopogo'' (2015)
* ''Rust Bucket'' (2015)
* ''Ultimate Briefcase''[[note]]developed by Quite Fresh and published by Nitrome[[/note]] (2016)
* ''Leap Day'' (2016)
* ''Redungeon''[[note]]developed by Eneminds and published by Nitrome[[/note]] (2016)
* ''Magic Mansion''[[note]]developed by Folmer Kelly's Sets And Settings and published by Nitrome[[/note]] (2016)
* ''Stretch Dungeon'' (2016)
* ''Hop Swap'' (2016)
* ''Silly Sausage: Doggy Dessert'' (2016)
* ''Drop Wizard Tower''[[note]]developed by Neutronized and published by Nitrome[[/note]] (2017)
* ''VideoGame/TowerFortress'' (2017)[[note]]developed by Keybol and published by Nitrome[[/note]] (2017)
* ''Slime Pizza''[[note]]developed by Neutronized and published by Nitrome[[/note]] (2018)
* ''Nano Golf''[[note]]developed by Rhubarbist and published by Nitrome[[/note]] (2018)
* ''Spike City''[[note]]developed by Joseph Gribbin and published by Nitrome[[/note]] (2018)
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[[/folder]]

!!Nitro's Commercial Titles:
[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/BombChicken'', Release for the Nintendo Switch, [=PlayStation=] 4, PC and will release for the Xbox One.
* ''VideoGame/ShovelKnightDig'', Co-developed and published by Creator/YachtClubGames.
[[/index]]
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!!Nitrome's games contain examples of the following tropes:
* AbsurdlyHighStakesGame: ''Flipside'' is a fun racing game... [[spoiler: that determines whether the protagonist stays in prison or not.]]
* AdvancingBossOfDoom: Present in both ''Ribbit'' (as a hybrid of a rhinoceros and a beetle) and ''Off the Rails'' (as a train.) The final level of the latter has two such bosses, one in front of you and one behind, preventing you from going too fast or too slow [[spoiler:unless you do a jump and manage to get over it, in which case you can reach the level's end quickly and without impediment.]]
* AdvancingWallOfDoom: ''Avalanche'' has a straight one. ''Cave Chaos'' uses an odd variant: the scenery constantly assembles in front of you and disassembles behind you, forcing you to keep up or fall to your doom.
* AffectionateParody:
** ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Happy Jump Land]]'' in ''Enemy 585''.
** In ''Mega Mash'', There's a game called ''[[VideoGame/{{Tetris}} Nitrometris]]''.
* AfterTheEnd:
** ''Rustyard'', starring a robot that wanders the ruins in search of places to recharge its batteries. [[spoiler:And he finds a girlfriend.]]
** The second game in the ''Toxic'' series takes place in a world where the robots took over.
** The setting of ''Steamlands'' takes place following a GreatOffscreenWar that left Europe in ruins and caused most of the belligerents' countries to collapse. The background regularly features elements such as the ruins of old buildings, or the rusting wrecks of steam-powered war engines destroyed in the conflict.
* AllThereInTheManual: Some of the plots are only mentioned in the game descriptions.
* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: In ''Test Subject Green'': [[spoiler:Xeno Industries gets raided by Dr Nastidious. He later destroys it in ''Complete''.]]
* AlwaysABiggerFish: In ''Cheese Dreams'', [[spoiler:the ending has you escaping the ship... [[ShootTheShaggyDog only for you and the ship to be promptly eaten by a ship shaped like a cat.]]]]
* AmusementParkOfDoom:
** ''Skywire''. It's a long twisty track and has robot animals that will cause one passenger to inexplicably fall out if they hit it.
** ''Skywire 2'' takes this up to eleven. There's still the robot animals, but now there is a rare kind of robot bird with 4 arms instead of one.
* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: [[spoiler:In ''Test Subject Complete'': After Blue digests himself in the professor's system to revive him, you're playing as him from that point on. He starts off [[NoGearRun unarmed]] and has to focus on stealth until he finds a human-sized copy of [=Rex209=].]]
* AndTheAdventureContinues: In ''Test Subject Complete'': [[spoiler:After deciding to never work on enzymes again, the revived professor continues to live out his life via the second chance granted by Blue.]]
* AntiHero: Often, the people who are fighting you are perfectly reasonable, such as in ''Worm Food'', when you're terrorizing [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext floating islands]] with people living on them simply for food.
* ArmlessBiped:
** The [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]] protagonist of ''Square Meal'' has two legs, but no arms.
** The titular character of ''Lockehorn'' and his tribe are reindeer with two legs and no arms.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: From ''Tiny Castle'': "[...]And also subletting to your grandad was the final straw!"
* AssassinOutclassin: After Takeshi decided to resign from underworld life prior to ''Final Ninja'', his old employer sent assassins after him. Takeshi effortlessly wiped the floor with the lot of them, with the assassination attempts doing nothing but [[OneLastJob provoking him into deciding to dispose of his employer before retiring for good.]]
* AstralFinale: The second half of ''Rubble Trouble Moscow'' has you go to space to destroy old structures there.
* AxCrazy: Maxwell Merlock from ''Final Ninja Zero'' is an utter maniac, spending much of his screentime shouting about how much he wants [[PlayerCharacter Takeshi]] to be chopped into pieces by his cyber-samurai and served to him as lunch.
* BabiesEverAfter: The ending of ''Hot Air 2''. You can even play as the protagonist's son in ''Hot Air Jr.''
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:In Test Subject Complete Blue brings the Professor back to life.]]
* BadassAdorable: The main characters in ''Twin Shot''. Kittens! Kittens with bows that destroyed Hell!
%%** Hot Air Jr. from... [[CharacterTitle guess!]]
%%** Also, Left Eye from "Colorblind".
* BadBoss:
** The BigBad of ''Office Trap''. He forces prospective employees to make their way through an office building riddled with death traps and agrees to give a temporary work contract to all the survivors.
** The Nitrome Boss in ''Nitrome Must Die'' has his employees whipped by the lesser bosses.
* BeeAfraid: Both ''Skywire'' and ''Nitrome Must Die'' have bees as antagonists.
* BizarrePuzzleGame: Pretty much all of them, with ''Flipside'' being a notable exception.
* BlackKnight: The protagonist of ''Tiny Castle'', at least in terms of how he dresses.
%%* BlackSheepHit: One of their most popular games is ''Mutiny'', which is a lot simpler in gameplay to most Nitrome games; although it looks like a Nitrome game in terms of design, it's one of their few games with no BizarrePuzzleGame elements.
* BlobMonster: The enzymes in the ''Test Subject'' series. Also prevalent in ''Swindler''.
* BloodlessCarnage: So far, only ''Graveyard Shift'' and ''Parasite'' have used blood at all, and in those, it's been greenish gunk. ''Nitrome Must Die'' also uses blood, and its colour varies depending on the enemy. There's also a bit of normal, red blood in the vampire level of ''Pixel Pop''.
* BodyHorror: The worm transformation in ''Cave Chaos 2''.
* BossGame: ''VideoGame/SkySerpents'' has you only fight the title creatures, with no other enemies present.
* CallBack: In ''Small Fry'', it's difficult to see, but in the background, you can see the protagonist of ''Cheese Dreams'' sitting in the sky.
%%** ''Nitrome Must Die'' and ''Super Stock Take'' are made of them.
%%* TheCameo: So many of them.
* CartoonCheese: The protagonist of ''Cheese Dreams'' is made of it.
* CatsAreMean: ''In the Doghouse'', although the worst it does is block your way.
* ChainedHeat: Necessitates your awkward movements in ''Knuckleheads''.
* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: ''Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam''.
* CharacterTitle: ''Enemy 585''.
* CheesyMoon: The protagonist of ''Cheese Dreams'' is a moon made of cheese. He gets kidnapped by alien mice because of this.
* CoolTank:
** ''Steamlands'' puts you at the controls of a building-sized {{steampunk}} tank, complete with customisable weapons and the ability to fight other steam tanks.
** ''Tanked Up'' is a racing game with tanks. They can even fire at each other until they are destroyed, taking them out of the race.
** In ''Rubble Trouble Moscow'', the demolition team are given a tank at some points.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive:
** Your leader in ''Castle Corp''. He may also be a PointyHairedBoss, considering how cliche his idea of a pep talk is.
** The FinalBoss of ''Nitrome Must Die'', who also appears in ''Super Stock Take''.
* CraniumRide: The title character of ''Parasite'' uses a particularly brutal version, burrowing its tentacles into the heads of foes to control them and use their abilities. Creatures so controlled get a SicklyGreenGlow [[GlowingEyesOfDoom in their eyes]] and [[{{Phlegmings}} a constant stream of green drool]], and when abandoned explode into LudicrousGibs.
* CrosshairAware:
** In ''Test Subject Complete'', [[spoiler:when The Machine activates, a red crosshair is present for nearly the remainder of the game as it tries to shoot you.]]
** ''Final Ninja'' has the sniper enemies in both games. When one is active, a crosshair will appear on the screen and follow the player, indicating where it will shoot.
* CrapsackWorld:
** ''Steamlands'' takes place in a timeline where a {{steampunk}} GreatOffscreenWar left Europe in ruins. The barren wastes are plagued by murderous pirate bands operating from steam tanks, with what little is left of civilization consisting of small towns struggling to resist their attacks.
** ''Final Ninja Zero'' takes place in a dystopian {{cyberpunk}} future where {{Mega Corp}}s control the world, with the opening scroll implying that open war over markets is not an uncommon occurrence.
* CuttingOffTheBranches: In ''Rubble Trouble Moscow'', no matter how careful you were [[spoiler:in the space levels, the demolition team still accidentally destroyed some satellites, much to the fury of Moscow.]]
* {{Cyberpunk}}: ''Final Ninja'' has a lot of elements of the genre. The backstory states that {{Mega Corp}}s control everything and everyone, battling one another for market dominance across the world; the PlayerCharacter in ''[[{{Prequel}} Final Ninja Zero]]'' is essentially a [[CorporateSamurai corporate hitman]] sent to kill a competitor's top scientist as part of one such conflict. {{Cyborg}}s are also are common element, with the main character having to fight cybernetically-enhanced samurai in their former master's employ in ''Final Ninja'' itself.
* DamselInDistress:
** Referred to as such in ''Graveyard Shift''. You've got a HostageSpiritLink to them, and they die in a single hit from a zombie, so be careful.
** ''Tiny Castle'' has the standard SaveThePrincess plot. [[spoiler:Then it turns out you're trying to get her evicted.]]
* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Test Subject Complete'' has an evil mastermind out for world domination, [[spoiler:then the game outright states that he murdered the professor.]]
* DeadHatShot: In ''Canary'', [[spoiler:your coworker at one point asks if you've seen Foreman White (the guy in the tutorial). At this exact point, you find his helmet on the floor.]]
* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: ''Fault Line''. You're merely sent back to the last checkpoint you accessed, and any fastened fault nodes that hid it are unfastened.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Each level of ''Yin Yang'' is essentially two in one: one that's on a white background, with everything in black, and one that's on a black background, with everything in white. Everything that's empty air in one world is a solid block in the other. The two main characters can't directly interact, but can sometimes move crates around to open up holes in the other character's landscape.
* DemBones:
** One of the types of Small Fries in ''Small Fry'' is a skeleton, who can regenerate when other kinds would normally die.
** ''Mutiny'' has a level where you face an enemy team of skeletons.
** ''Numbskull'' has the player trying to put a living skeleton's skull back on his body.
* DisguisedHorrorStory: ''Canary'' starts off fairly tame, with the invading aliens looking more like stuffed animals than monsters. [[spoiler:And then they start [[TheVirus infecting other Canaries]], with MissionControl going off its meds and exhorting you to "join us."]]
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Used on zombies in ''Graveyard Shift''... Oh, wait, you were using the phrase ''[[LiteralMetaphor metaphorically]]''?
* EarWings:
** In ''Skywire 2'', level 13 has a flying pink elephant enemy [[UniqueEnemy not found in any other levels of the game]] that flaps its ears to fly.
** ''Twin Shot'' and its sequel have rabbit-like enemies that use their ears as wings.
* EarlyBirdCameo:
** The zombies, plant, and maiden from ''Graveyard Shift'' debuted months before the game was released.
** The creatures from ''Rainbogeddon'' appeared in ''Nitrome Must Die!'' as enemies prior to the former game's release.
* EldritchAbomination: The player character in ''Worm Food'' is a giant, worm-like monstrosity that likes eating people.
* EliminationPlatformer: The objective in ''Twin Shot'' and ''Twin Shot 2'' is to kill all enemies in each level.
* ElixirOfLife: [[spoiler:In Test Subject Complete Blue is said to be the essence of life itself, specifically referred to by the Professor as the Elixir of Life. When ingested, Blue is capable of bringing new life to those who have passed on. It is unknown whether this grants the person immortality, or if the regenerative effects are temporary.]]
* EscortMission:
** The owl in ''Fat Cat'' functions rather like a standard plane in a standard shmup, but is completely ImmuneToBullets. The cat is slow and vulnerable, but must be kept alive so that it can [[WaveMotionGun smash down walls the owl can't damage.]] In later levels, this means deliberately moving the owl into [[BulletHell hails of bullets]] to keep them from reaching the cat.
** ''Enemy 585'' is all about escorting a slow, fat {{mook|s}} escape.
* EveryCarIsAPinto: The hand-powered trolley car in ''Off the Rails'' explodes when it gets hit.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: ''Rainbogeddon''.
* EvilLaugh:
** The protagonist of ''Mirror Image'' gives one every time he survives a level. It's actually {{subverted|trope}}, [[DarkIsNotEvil as he's trying to stop the demons from causing havoc.]]
** The protagonist of ''Parasite'' also does this every once in a while.
** Dr Nastidious of the ''Test Subject'' series.
* ExcusePlot: Very, very common. However, games that descend into NoPlotNoProblem often have TheReveal at the end explaining what you've been doing the whole time.
* ExpansionPack: ''Ice Breaker: The Red Clan'' and ''Ice Breaker: The Gathering''.
* EyepatchOfPower: Both the title character in ''Dirk Valentine'' and Akuma in ''Final Ninja Zero''.
* EyeScream: Several of the creatures you take over in ''Parasite'' undergo various horrifying transformations which also affect their eyes. Of special note is the spitting pigs, whose ''eyes explode''.
* FacelessGoons: The standard enemies in ''Castle Corp'', ''Double Edged'', and ''Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam'' are knights/soldiers whose faces are covered by helmets. Note that the former two also have faceless ''protagonists'' -- apparently, [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic helmets are sometimes antiheroic]].
* FakeDifficulty: Nitrome's specialty is to take things that would usually be considered such, particularly {{Interface Screw}}s, and try to make them reasonable and enjoyable limitations.
%%* FollowTheLeader: Many Nitrome games can be traced to an individual game they're copying (for instance, ''Small Fry'' is a mimic of ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}''.) To its credit, it's often quite inventive in creating new challenges within the same basic framework.
%%** The game sequels also tend to be exactly like additional levels of the original games. Notable exceptions include ''Test Subject Arena'' and ''Skywire VIP'', although there were individual sequels to ''Skywire VIP'' that fit their normal sequel formula.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Plenty amounts in ''Test Subject Complete'', such as the mention of the "orange goo pie" and [[spoiler:The Machine]].
** Your reflection in ''Ditto'' has a slightly out of sync IdleAnimation. [[spoiler:It's a separate entity that eventually leaves you for dead]]. However, Nitrome themselves have stated that it was unintentional.
* ForTheEvulz: The main character of ''Parasite'', who decides to ruin a vibrant green planet just to harvest its resources and he likes making living creatures explode after controlling them.
* FungusHumongous: Giant mushrooms are a common background element in ''Small Fry'' and ''Swindler''.
%%** One level in ''Canopy'' is full of these.
* GoingCommando: Judging by the intro of ''Toxic 2'', the protagonist isn't wearing anything under that radiation suit.
* GoombaStomp:
** One form of attack in ''Frost Bite'' is jumping on enemies.
** ''Ribbit'' is an interesting variation in that you can only jump on enemies if you've charged up for a high jump -- standard jumps just result in CollisionDamage.
* {{Gorn}}: ''VideoGame/SkySerpents'' has lots of ([[AlienBlood blue-ish]]) blood, especially when you win a level.
* GrapplingHookPistol: Your way of getting up the mountain in ''Frost Bite'' is a grapple gun, which also serves as your primary weapon.
* GravityScrew:
** ''Rush'' has as its gimmick the ability to flip your character from floor to ceiling, not unlike ''VideoGame/{{VVVVVV}}''. You can also flip your opponents' tracks, causing them to get screwed over as well!
** ''Swindler'' is based around being able to rotate rooms/levels, as a means of controlling how to rappel down a rope or to move objects around. Enemies are unaffected by rotating the room.
* HarmlessFreezing: In ''Jack Frost'', the titular protagonist can freeze enemies, but once they thaw out, they seem no worse for wear than they were before.
* HaveANiceDeath: It's worthwhile to lose intentionally in ''Mutiny'' just to see the unique messages for every battle.
* HazmatSuit: The ''Toxic'' series' main hero, Hazmat Hero, wears a hazmat suit throughout the series.
* HealingPotion:
** ''Graveyard Shift''. Somehow, it works by ''shooting'' it.
** [[spoiler:In the ''Test Subject'' series, it's revealed that the Blue enzymes can cure ''death'' in ''Complete''.]]
* HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: Usually, the necessary information is on signposts scattered around the level. ''Cheese Dreams'' gives these from the main character's perspective, with the inevitable [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] of "Why are my thoughts appearing on these signs?"
* HeroicSacrifice:
** [[spoiler:Blue in ''Test Subject Complete'' digests himself in the professor's system to resurrect him.]]
** [[spoiler:The [[MissionControl Miner Canary]] in ''Canary'' sets Mining Colony CM08 to self-destruct, wiping out the alien menace at the cost of their own life.]]
* HollywoodAcid: In ''Toxic'' and ''Toxic 2'', the bottom of each level is [[NoOSHACompliance covered in a pool of green acid]]. In case you fall into it, there's a [[SarcasmMode lovely]] sizzling before the death animation plays.
* HopeSpot: [[spoiler:The first half of ''Test Subject Complete'' is built up suggesting that the professor is being held as a prisoner. It's later revealed that Dr Nastidious killed him earlier.]]
* HumanCannonball: Each run in ''Blast RPG'' starts with the protagonist being fired from a cannon.
* HumanPopsicle: Your objective in ''Ice Breaker'' is to liberate vikings that have been frozen. [[HarmlessFreezing Don't worry, a good whack with a hammer and they'll be perfectly fine]].
* HundredPercentCompletion: There's a fuse in each level of ''Rustyard'', and several vials of acid in each level of ''Toxic 2''. In each case, you're encouraged to collect them all, though neither explains whether anything special happens if you do (a screen in the former says "Have you been collecting those fuses? What for?"). Of note is that these are among the few Nitrome games that have no leaderboard for ScoringPoints or completing a level in the smallest possible time.
* HuskyRusskie: A "Cousin Ivan" is mentioned multiple times during ''Rubble Trouble: New York'' as the provider of the demolition team's more "military-grade hardware" (including a missile launcher, a bomber plane and a ''Chaingun''), with only vague explanations of where he got them.
* HyperactiveMetabolism: Sushi in ''Final Ninja'' and tea in ''Dirk Valentine'' is able to heal the protagonists of both games by a point.
* HypocriticalHumor: [[spoiler:The ending of ''Nitrome Must Die'' has Austin and Justin decide to start their own games studio, having recently destroyed Nitrome, taken their site offline and stole tons of money from the recently-deceased Nitrome Boss.]]
* AnIcePerson:
** The protagonist of ''Jack Frost'' can freeze anything he touches.
** ''Bad Ice Cream'' and its sequels have protagonists who can create walls of ice.
* InvisibleMonsters: The levitating swords in ''Tiny Castle'' aren't actually levitating -- they're held by invisible swordsmen, who flash when struck.
* ItHasBeenAnHonor: In ''Test Subject Complete'': [[spoiler:[=Rex209=] says this to Blue before she shuts down, [[HeroicSacrifice knowing what Blue has to do next.]].]]
* JustToyingWithThem: Your SarcasticDevotee in ''Toxic 2'' is certain the robot leader is doing this -- you can't ''possibly'' have gotten this far without her wanting you to. It's never entirely clear whether he's right about this, though either way, a good player is being underestimated.
%%* KillerRabbit: [[spoiler:The final boss]] in ''Hot Air Jr''. No, really!
* KnightInShiningArmor:
** The protagonist of ''Blast RPG'', though he's [[KidHero a little young for the role]]. If his HP drops to zero, the armor breaks and shows off his GoofyPrintUnderwear as he [[OcularGushers cries a river of tears]].
** Subverted in ''Tiny Castle''. At first, it seems like this trope applies as you try to save a princess. [[spoiler:It turns out you were just evicting her.]]
%%* LarynxDissonance: In ''Icebreaker''.
* LastOfHisKind: The protagonist of ''Final {{Ninja}}'' is described as being the last Ninja, with the game's events being "The final mission for the [[TitleDrop final Ninja.]]"
* LeetLingo: A very mild example in ''Super Stock Take'' -- in the ending, the CorruptCorporateExecutive says two sentences (one of which, of course, being a BigWhat) filled with exclaimation points capped with an "11".
* LegionsOfHell: They wander the village in ''Mirror Image''. Don't get too close.
* LightningCanDoAnything:
** Lightning revives a skeleton in "Numbskull".
** In ''Headcase'', a lightning strike teleports the main character to "a world where everyone walked on walls" and turns him into a superhero.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: In ''Graveyard Shift'', you have a shield, which you use to prevent zombie goop from killing you. Pieces break off it as it blocks more and more hits, but it never completely breaks, and you can replace it at some points.
* LudicrousGibs:
** ''Graveyard Shift'' and ''Parasite'' are straight examples.
** ''Off the Rails'' has gore, but no blood, with dead bodies splitting into neatly sliced bits resembling steaks.
** ''Final Ninja'' has no blood or gore, just body parts flying every which way in a [[GrotesqueCute disturbing fashion]].
* MadScientist:
** The villain of ''Ribbit'' is a scientist who fuses animals together.
** Also, a scientist created the protagonist of ''Test Subject Blue'' (a living enzyme), although he has purely benevolent intentions. In ''Test Subject Green'', Blue is captured by a different mad scientist that created Green enzymes to destroy him, as well as planning for world domination.
* MalevolentArchitecture: In ''Rubble Trouble Moscow'', it's lampshaded on why most of the structures you were sent to destroy were absolutely nuts. [[spoiler:It's implied your boss was building them to avoid losing contracts.]]
%%** Lampshaded in ''Final Ninja Zero'', and present without acknowledgement in too many games to list.
* MasterOfNone: The Engineer main character of ''Steamlands'' is not only responsible for keeping his tank powered, but can also fix broken parts, [[ImprovisedWeapon fling coal at opposing tanks]] and knock away any Saboteurs trying to dismantle the tank. However, doing any of the latter immediately shuts the tank down and you later get crewmembers who do the same jobs for you, so all of the Engineer's sub-tasks are for dire emergencies only or when there's no enemies present.
* MeanBoss: Kapowski's Boss in ''The Glassworks'' berates and then fires him for not using regulation equipment, despite Kapowski getting his work done twice as quickly and with no decline in quality. The game centres on Kapowski's efforts to make his boss eat his words by proving the usefulness of his gloves.
* MeaningfulName: ''Canary'' gets its name from the idiom "canary in a coal mine." Miners used to use canaries to detect carbon monoxide; due to the birds' faster breathing, they would inhale the gas quicker if it was there, and so if the canary died, a mine was unsafe. Fittingly enough, you play as a miner going into a mineral mine to fight an alien infestation.
%%* MilestoneCelebration: Their 100th game is about... some guys attacking them.
* MindRape: You take over the minds of different animals in ''Parasite''.
%%* MindScrew: ''Tiny Castle'' owes a ''lot'' to ''VideoGame/{{Braid}}'', at least until TheReveal.
* {{Minimalism}}: ''Gunbrick'', ''J-J-Jump'', ''Turnament'', ''Ice Beak'', and ''Flue''. So much so, they are the size of the game thumbnails!
* MiniMecha: Exaggerated with [=Rex209=] in ''Test Subject'', as she could fit in someone's hand. [[spoiler:Played more straight with her human-sized mass-produced copies which are borderline PoweredArmor.]]
* MirrorBoss: The Mimic enzyme introduced in ''Test Subject Green'' copies every single move you make ''except'' stand still.
* MixAndMatchCritters: The {{Mook}}s in ''Ribbit'' are standard versions of this, like a snake with porcupine quills. The title character is a variant, with a rabbit's head and a frog's head joined by their necks, lacking a torso or limbs. (Note that Ribbit is ''not'' a MultipleHeadCase or TwoBeingsOneBody, referring to itself as "I.")
* MoneySpider:
** Lampshaded in ''Tiny Castle'' at the end--[[spoiler:the princess has so much money that she feeds it to the monsters]].
** In the ending of ''Nitrome Must Die'', [[spoiler:the Nitrome Boss turns into a huge pile of notes/bills after being killed. Austin and Justin later steal it.]]
* MissionControlIsOffItsMeds: [[spoiler:''Canary'''s MissionControl slowly starts sending increasingly ominous messages as the aliens start taking over the Canaries, with your main contact eventually succumbing to the infection. They go ''completely'' off their meds after this, with [[HughMann the visibly-infected Canary alternating between asking you to "Join us"]] and occasionally FightingFromTheInside.]]
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Many, many games.
** ''Pest Control'' is exactly what it sounds like: you're an exterminator killing insects. And it's fucking ''awesome''.
** The ''Frost Bite'' series is about hiking, and ''Thin Ice'' is about ice skating.
* MyBrainIsBig:
** The protagonist of ''Headcase'' has an oversized head. [[UseYourHead This has multiple applications]].
** Due to gaining PsychicPowers through the use of "brain stimulants," the BigBad of ''Final Ninja Zero'' is depicted as having an oversized head with a bulging brain.
* MyLittlePanzer: In ''Rubble Trouble Tokyo'', a [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} Mecha-Godzilla]] {{Expy}} that is huge and can shoot [[WaveMotionGun huge lasers]] is ''legally sold as a toy''.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler:Baron Battenberg's body is stated to have not been found at the end of ''Dirk Valentine'', leaving it ambiguous whether he survived the Fortress of Steam's destruction.]]
* NightOfTheLivingMooks: The enemies in ''Graveyard Shift'' consist mostly of zombies.
* NintendoHard:
** ''Hot Air'' and ''Nanobots''. The former is very cramped, [[OneHitPointWonder unforgiving]] and has strange controls, while the latter is mostly {{Marathon Level}}s ([[DownplayedTrope although downplayed]]).
** This is the premise of ''Nitrome Must Die'', where two irate gamers unable to beat most of Nitrome's games decide to go destroy the company.
* NoFourthWall: In ''Skywire VIP'' the hosts speak directly to you, ponder why you're not pressing the play button, and even [[RageAgainstTheAuthor insult the programmer]].
* NoOSHACompliance:
** The titular ''Glassworks'' is full of raving cleaning robots that hurt employees, and there are ''lasers everywhere''.
** The facility in the ''Toxic'' series is mostly full of acid.
** The Nitrome building in ''Nitrome Must Die'' is depicted as an absolute hellhole, with executives whipping employees, spikes everywhere, working toilets seats being placed at desks and torturing being encouraged.
* OddNameOut: ''changeType()'' is the only game they have made which name starts with a lowercase letter.
* OminousFloatingCastle: ''Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam'' takes place on a flying, steam-powered fortress controlled by the evil Baron Battenberg.
* OneHitPointWonder: Applies in many of them, such as ''Hot Air'', ''Hot Air 2'', and ''Parasite''. Justified in the former two in that you're a hot air balloon.
* PacifistRun: You get bonus points for beating a level without killing a single enemy in ''Final Ninja''. By ''Final Ninja Zero'' it's inverted: you get bonus points if you LeaveNoSurvivors.
* {{Pirate}}: All the main characters in ''Mutiny'' are pirates.
* PoweredArmor:
** The protagonist of ''Final Ninja'' wears some, though it's not quite as powerful as most fictional examples, being more focused on [[VisibleInvisibility stealth]].
** The protagonist of the ''Test Subject Series'' uses the Proto-Suit, until it later uses the [=Rex209=].
* ThePowerOfLove:
** Twisted in ''Parasite''. Certain areas are covered in "happy gas," somehow related to an overwhelming force of positive feeling. The title character is unharmed for gameplay purposes, though he strongly dislikes the feeling. His mind-controlled minions [[LudicrousGibs explode]].
** The love arrows in ''Twin Shot'' make enemies completely harmless, explode into flowers and hearts, and the infection spreads to other monsters when they're contacted.
* PrecisionFStrike: Nitrome is notable for their games generally not having any profanity, though the opening and ending of ''Nitrome Must Die'' had Austin and Justin's chat screens peppered with SymbolSwearing, and the word "damn" is used early on in ''Super Stock Take''.
%%* PrisonEpisode: [[spoiler:''Flipside''.]]
* ProductionForeshadowing: In the background of ''Nitrome Must Die'', there's a whiteboard labelled 'New game ideas'. One of the ideas was a 'Game with blobs'. A month or two later, ''Swindler'' was released, in which the protagonist is a green blob. Later, ''Oodlegobs'' features blobs and cats, with the latter coming from the same board suggesting a game with cats in it.
* ProductPlacement: InUniverse and out: The final minigame in ''Rubble Trouble Tokyo'' is [[spoiler:''Off the Rails'']], including two of the protagonists [[NoFourthWall mentioning it's a Nitrome game]] and keep praising it due to being paid to do so and the fact they actually like it.
* PuppeteerParasite: The protagonist of ''Parasite'' is an alien parasite that can take over the bodies of non-armored creatures.
* RailShooter: ''Graveyard Shift'' has the protagonist shooting zombies and other monsters in auto-scrolling levels. The game is shown in first person, with the method of avoiding damage being a shield that the player can use.
* RealityWarper: Zapo, the protagonist of ''Fault Line'', can fold the 2D levels in on themselves, causing everything in the folded area to temporarily vanish from existence--for instance, he can bypass walls by folding the space around the walls and leaving empty air behind.
* RecycledInSpace: ''Office Trap'' is basically ''Knight Trap'' set... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin in the office]].
%%* RedEyesTakeWarning: The protagonist of ''Tiny Castle''.
* ResignationsNotAccepted: The protagonist of ''Final Ninja'' tried to leave his life as an underworld assassin, prompting his old master to send assassins after him instead. After one attack too many, [[PlayerCharacter Takeshi]] decides to return the favour.
* RestrainingBolt: Your MissionControl in ''Toxic 2'' is an A.I. you've hacked and forced to aid you. It eventually decides it likes you and becomes your SarcasticDevotee.
* {{Retraux}}: '''''Everything.''''' Especially the "[[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Nitrome Enjoyment System]]" series.
* RewardingVandalism:
** ''Rubble Trouble'' is ''based'' around this -- you're a demolition engineer. Although, you lose money if you hit any other buildings besides the one you're trying to demolish, so this is pretty much an aversion.
** Played straight in ''Worm Food''. You get extra points for eating buildings, although you get most of your food from eating people.
* RiseToTheChallenge: Several levels in ''Knuckleheads'' have instant death-inducing lava rising upwards throughout.
%%* RobotWar: ''Toxic''.
* RottenRockAndRoll: In ''Parasite'', the game's normally calm music turns into hard rock whenever you infect something.
%%* RPGElements: ''Blast RPG'', naturally.
* RunningGag: Ever since ''Cheese Dreams'', every time the creators have shown a moon, it's been made of cheese.
* SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler:The protagonist of ''Frost Bite'' is revealed to be female at the end of the second game, which ends with a shot of the Climber with her hood down. Prior to this, the concealing mountaineering gear she wears and the VoiceGrunting rendered her gender ambiguous.]]
* SandWorm: The protagonist of ''Worm Food'' is a giant, burrowing, man-eating worm with large mandibles.
* SapientSteed: [=Rex209=] in ''Test Subject Complete''. She gives info to Blue and acts as MsExposition.
* SaveThePrincess:
** ''Tiny Castle''. [[spoiler:[[AvertedTrope Actually, you're the landlord and you're just trying to serve her an eviction notice]].]]
** In ''Hot Air 2'', you have to rescue your girlfriend.
** In ''Dirk Valentine'', you have to rescue Queen Victoria.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: The hero's scarf in ''VideoGame/SkySerpents''.
* ScavengerWorld: This is the entire point of ''Steamlands''. It's imperative to steal your enemies' tank parts after your destroy their engine room.
* ScreenTap:
** In ''Test Subject Blue'', the scientist occasionally taps on the window in the test chamber.
** In ''Test Subject Complete'', one of Dr Nastidious's soldiers takes it a bit farther and pounds the glass with his fist.
* SecretLevel: Several in ''Toxic 2'', accessed through blue teleporters in out-of-the-way areas.
* SegmentedSerpent:
** One of the nastier enemies in ''Graveyard Shift'', and the final boss in ''Aquanaut''. Naturally, you kill them bit by bit.
** The ones in ''Bullethead'' can take relatively few shots, but are only hurt when shot in the tail. They move left-to-right and right-to-left, descending a little with each pass, and are long enough that you only have a small opening to shoot the tail before another part moves in front of it.
** ''VideoGame/SkySerpents'' is based entirely on killing these.
* SelfDeprecation:
** ''Nitrome Must Die''. It's even in the title! Also, in the background of one of the levels, there's a whiteboard labelled 'New game ideas'. One idea that's circled and underlined is "Cheap Sequels".
* SequelGoesForeign: After the events of ''Rubble Trouble New York'', despite [[spoiler:demolishing the Statue of Liberty by accident]], the demolition team were invited to demolish old buildings in Tokyo and Moscow.
* SequelHook: Many games end on this.
** ''Canary'' features [[spoiler:[[PlayerCharacter Canary 214-LE]] escaping the asteroid as it explodes, followed by a single Alien Spinner. The Spinner divides itself into five, and each one flies off in a different direction, presumably toward other Canary colonies.]]
** ''Cheese Dreams'' [[spoiler:has the Moon and the mice's spaceship swallowed by another cat-shaped one.]]
** ''Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam'' has a twofold example: [[spoiler:the initial screen says Dirk returns to England only to encounter "a little problem" in "Dirk Valentine and the Martian Underworld." Following this is a newspaper article stating that [[BigBad Baron Battenberg's]] fortress has been destroyed, but [[NeverFoundTheBody his body was never found.]]]]
* ShootTheShaggyDog:
** Subverted in ''Enemy 585'' [[spoiler:when it looks like the titular character will walk off the cliff to their doom (and the player is unable to help) but stops and turns around]].
** Played straight in ''Cheese Dreams'', which ends with [[spoiler:both you and the ship you just escaped from gets [[AlwaysABiggerFish eaten by a larger ship.]]]]
** ''Ditto'' ends with [[spoiler:the protagonist finally finding the exit to the cave they are trapped in, only for their reflection to go through it first. This not only traps the poor creature, but turns them into a reflection themselves. They then act as the reflection for the next person to get trapped, presumably starting the cycle all over again. Essentially, if you really want your character to escape, you'll have to play the game twice.]]
** ''Test Subject Complete'' has the revelation that [[spoiler:Dr Nastidious murdered the professor. He gets better, but Blue had to be digested because of this.]]
** ''Cold Storage'' ends with [[spoiler:the Giant catching the Yeti just after they escape, with the last scene being the Giant placing the Yeti onto a cheeseburger and adding the top bun.]]
* ShoutOut:
** Many in pixel form in ''Skywire VIP''. In fact, that's practically the whole point.
** A tutorial box in a remote place in ''Final Ninja'' says, "The ninja must be like a snake, sneaking through the darkness, hiding from the light. To never be detected is the way of the [[VideoGame/MetalGear solid snake]].".
** In ''Chisel 2'', a level set in an asteroid belt has the [[VideoGame/{{Asteroids}} asteroids as green outlines]]. The VoiceWithAnInternetConnection comments that it hasn't been used since 1979.
** ''Enemy 585'' has many to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', consider the layout of the "boss" room at the start.
** ''Mega Mash'' has its first level pretty much identical to the first level of ''Super Mario Bros.'', apart from the bit where you turn into a spaceship.
** In Level 23 of ''Test Subject Blue'', the professor clearly modelled the level after ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders'' due to playing said game. He even mentions ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}'' in his notes.
** [=Rex209=] in the ''Test Subject'' series draws from [[Film/RoboCop1987 ED-209]] and [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Metal Gear REX]].
* SpikesOfDoom: Featured ''a lot''. In some games, such as ''Frost Bite'' or ''VideoGame/NitromeMustDie'', they simply damage the protagonist, while in others like ''Headcase'', the spikes cause instant death. They also usually hurt the player from the side as well.
* TheSpiny: ''Frost Bite'' has a few enemies with horns on their head, damaging you if you try to GoombaStomp them. The protagonist's grapple gun can still hurt them though.
* StalkedByTheBell: ''Swindler'' has a block covered with some orange slime, and cornering around it causes an enemy to munch along the rope being used. They appear at the start of the levels and are unavoidable.
* StealthRun: Another thing that gets you bonus points in ''Final Ninja''.
* {{Steampunk}}:
** ''Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam'' has heavy Steampunk influences - the eponymous [[OminousFloatingCastle flying fortress]] and the various weapons defending it are all steam powered, with the game taking place in an alternate Victorian era. The backstory also features the BigBad using "steam-powered war machines" to devastate Europe and force countries to submit to his will.
** ''Steamlands'' takes place in a world where the Great War left Europe in ruins due to the use of steam-powered superweapons, with pirates now roaming the wastes in coal-fired "steam tanks". The player themself is a mercenary commanding one such steam tank.
* StrippedToTheBone: The death animation in ''Toxic'' is surprisingly gruesome.
* SugarApocalypse: The technology-free garden world on which ''Parasite'' is set is full of cartoonishly happy animals and benevolent nature spirits. The titular parasite kills the animals, harvests the spirits, and turns the entire world into a barren waste.
%%* SuperDeformed: The signature visual style in the more recent games.
* SuperDrowningSkills:
** Explained as part of TheReveal in ''Twang'' -- [[spoiler:you [[TheBet bet a substantial amount of money]] that you could get from one side of the ocean to the other without using a vehicle and without getting wet.]]
** Also present, with a handwave, in ''Parasite''. The VillainProtagonist forgot to take swimming lessons.
** ''Icebreaker'' requires you to get the Vikings in the boat lest they drown.
%%* SwordAndSandal: ''Double Edged''.
* TagLine: ''changeType()'' has "Rewire the Platformer!".
* TakeThisJobandShoveIt: [[spoiler:''The Glassworks''' ending features an understated version of this, with Kapowski boss offering to rehiring him and put his gloves into mass production. Kapowski retorts that he had his chance, and departs to go climb more glass.]]
* TeleportersAndTransporters:
** The one and only ability of the main character in ''Mirror Image'' is teleporting himself--he can't even walk.
** Portals that transport the characters around are the main aspect of the ''Test Subject Series''.
* ThemeMusicPowerUp: Twice in ''Test Subject Complete'':
** When [=Rex209=] and Blue make their escape, the background music switches from the Nastidious Labs theme to the Xeno Industries theme.
** [[spoiler:The final battle vs Doctor Nastidious and the Machine has the main menu theme playing.]]
* ThemeNaming: The leads of ''Nitrome Must Die'' are named A'''ustin''' Carter and J'''ustin''' Bennet.
* ThereCanOnlyBeOne: [[spoiler:Just like in ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' and ''VideoGame/CastleCrashers'', a multiplayer game of ''Double Edged'' culminates with the players killing each other to decide who gets the princess]].
* TomatoSurprise: The end of ''Tiny Castle'', where your knight, bound to save the beautiful princess, turns out to be [[spoiler:a debt collector chasing down the princess, who refuses to pay rent on the castle.]]
* TrialAndErrorGameplay: ''Cave Chaos'' manages to be {{Masocore}} ''without'' being NintendoHard, on the basis that you have to memorize how to avoid several deaths per level.
* UnexpectedGameplayChange:
** We have ''Test Subject Blue'', which plays out like ''Franchise/MegaMan'' meeting ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', then ''Test Subject Green'', where it's still the same formula, but not long after that we get ''Test Subject Arena'', where instead of getting a food pill, the blue and green enzyme fight with proton/enzyme blasts.
** There's a similar example in the ''Skywire'' series. The first sequel, ''Skywire 2'', is simply a bunch of additional levels to the original. ''Skywire VIP'', however, has you guessing who all the people you've been riding around are supposed to be.
** There's also ''Mega Mash'', which is a gameplay roulette of seven different sub-games with an overall puzzle element. The premise is that you're playing a broken Nitrome Enjoyment System cartridge which is constantly glitching out.
* VerbalTic: Ribbit, Ribbit in ''Ribbit'' constantly says "ribbit", ribbit.
* VillainProtagonist:
** ''Parasite'' is about as clear-cut as you can get -- you destroy entire planets both for survival and because it's fun. ''Worm Food'' is another staring example. A few other games, like ''Castle Corp'', have protagonists who're {{Anti Hero}}es.
** The ending of ''Powerup'' reveals that [[spoiler:the robot heads are actually part of an invasion.]]
** ''Droplets'' has a bizarre twist example. [[spoiler:The bunnies you've been carefully stopping from dying are an evil invading army.]]
** Austin Carter and Justin Bennet from ''Nitrome Must Die''. They pick up guns and raid the Nitrome headquarters... [[DisproportionateRetribution because they've decided Nitrome puts out too many bad games]].
** The ending of ''Mega Mash'' reveals that [[spoiler:after deposing the Moo King, [[TokenEvilTeammate Fluffykins]] becomes even more of a brutal tyrant than the Moo King was.]]
* ViralMarketing: [[http://www.nitromemustdie.com/ Nitrome Must Die]].
* TheVirus: ''Canary'' and ''Cave Chaos 2'' approach this in different ways.
** In ''Canary'', [[spoiler:the protagonist is never infected, but [[MissionControlIsOffItsMeds his mission control is, urging him to "join us."]]]]
** In ''Cave Chaos 2'', worm-like enemies crawl into the protagonist's ear to reshape him into something halfway between his normal self and the standard enemies in the first game. (It's [[BodyHorror even more disgusting than it sounds]].) This forces him to constantly move forward, just like those enemies, although he can still turn around. It also changes the level-complete animation--instead of dancing around happily, he'll stand in one place for a moment, then suddenly start vomiting (apparently purging the worm, since he's back to normal in the next level.)
** ''Twin Shot'' has love arrows that act this way, any monster who comes in contact with the affected one (or its explosion of love) become affected as well.
* WaddlingHead: The vikings in the ''Ice Breaker'' series are a non-enemy example.
* WallCrawl: The protagonist of ''Glassworks'' can cling onto panes of glass, due to the special gloves he wears.
* WeirdSun: The sun in ''Ribbit'' has bulging eyes, a slightly downturned mouth, and clenched teeth, and appears to be in significant pain. This is never explained.
* WhatHaveIBecome: Ribbit's reaction to becoming a {{Mix and Match Critter|s}}, though it skips the {{Wangst}} stage and proceeds straight to {{Revenge}}.
%%* AWinnerIsYou: Rarely, but ''Bullethead'' stands out in this regard.
%%* WombLevel: The entire game in ''Nanobots''.
%%* YouBastard: The end of ''Parasite'', although it's PlayedForLaughs.
* YouHaveResearchedBreathing: In ''Nitrome Must Die'', the Bullethead weapon is identical in almost every way to the regular pistol... except that it shoots ''up.''
* YourHeadASplode: In ''Parasite'', the Parasite can leave a creature after infecting it. [[CameraAbuse Doing so will make it explode, splattering green blood all over the screen.]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: ''Tiny Castle'' is pretty blatant about this--the princess is in a cage hanging by a rope, and several times you reach the cage just in time for the rope to be pulled and for her to get moved to another part of the castle.
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