''[[http://www.hero-u.net/ Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption]]'' is an AdventureGame by Lori and Corey Cole, creators of the ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series, set in the similar parallel world. The story centers around the titular Hero-U, a school for heroes located on the island of Sardonia, west of Silmaria (the setting of ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryV: Dragon Fire''). The protagonist is Shawn, a thief who got caught during his thieves guild initiation and given the choice between prison or reform at Hero-U. The game follows Shawn's adventures and eventual redemption.

The Coles have mentioned they have a second ''Hero-U'' game planned featuring a female Wizard (They had originally planned to write its story first, but changed their minds once they realized it would draw some unwanted parallels to [[Literature/HarryPotter another wizard sent to a strange magical school]]).
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!!Hero-U provides examples of:
* EleventhHourSuperpower: Just before the ending sequence, Shawn is given a magic key that can open any lock regardless of his skill level. This allows the plot to play out even if you've neglected training Shawn's skills.
* AcademyOfAdventure: It's a school for heroes, established in an old castle with a mysterious backstory, with plenty of secret passages and abandoned dungeons.
* AccidentalMurder: While the full truth is left somewhat ambiguous, it seems that [[spoiler:Shamus O'Conner]] accidentally knocked [[spoiler:his brother, Shawn's father]] off a cliff when one of their heated arguments came to blows. [[spoiler:For the full truth of Shamus' intention, get into a fight with him and then lose; he'll do the same thing to Shawn that he meant to do to Donal.]]
* AdultsAreUseless: Averted. While most of the threats in the game will be handled by the students, those threats also tend to be something personal to the student and aren't a greater threat. When someone's life ''is'' on the line (specifically [[spoiler:Joel's]]) the teachers start a search. It turns out they're looking in the wrong place, but if you tell them the right place (rather than doing it yourself), they will save the day for you.
* AdventurerOutfit: The Headmaster, the Famous Adventurer, is depicted throughout the school wearing the standard safari outfit. The outfit is even on display in a glass case.
* AlcoholInducedIdiocy: Choosing to drink wine in the Wine Cellar results in a very merry Shawn spending a while hanging out with equally merry drats and proaches ... which proceed to maim him after the booze runs dry.
* AllAnimalsAreDogs: PlayedForLaughs when you meet a giant sea serpent that pants and wags its tail when you offer it something nice to eat.
* AllThereInTheManual: Many details in the Cole's AlternateUniverse. Like [[spoiler: Master Urwald being the Chief Thief from the first game, and the hero rescued the fox that was his son who was transformed by Baba Yaga]] are only partially referred to.
* AntiHero:
** Shawn, who starts as a thief and has to develop the "hero" part at Hero-U.
** As Urwald explains, a Rogue is a Hero, but part of their job description is helping people and getting the job done by working around the rules. Thomas in particular struggles with this, as his objective is to become a Paladin and an IdealHero, and part of his CharacterDevelopment involves accepting that he can be a Hero as a Rogue too.
* AsianFoxSpirit: One Wanted poster is for a humanoid fox named Kitsu who is accused of “impersonating a faculty member and various trickery”, which is par for the course for a Japanese ''kitsune''.
* BackStab: Shawn does about twice as much damage in combat if he begins it by attacking his opponent from behind. Even a sneak attack to the face does a little more.
* BeingEvilSucks:
** [[spoiler: Joining Shawn’s uncle will temporarily make Shawn a prince of crime, but also lead to von Urwald’s downfall and Terk becoming headmaster. Terk’s incompetence will lead to the evil under the University destroying all of Sardonia, Shawn included.]]
** [[spoiler: Even worse: if Shawn turns down his uncle but still claims the title, he will be too inexperienced to deal with either the other thieves or the EldritchAbomination.]]
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Mr. Bun E. Slippers may have a ridiculous name (and matching slippers), but if you attack him you'll face the wrath of the rabbit.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The proaches.
* BindleStick: Shawn is shown carrying one if he's expelled from the school for any reason [[spoiler: except becoming a Thief]], such as after accumulating 100 demerits, failing to get Rogue Of The Year, or outright asking Urwald for permission to leave.
* BookDumb: Esme has already learned many practical rogue skills from her upbringing as a Rover, but her relatively weak literacy causes her to struggle with written exams. She improves as part of her CharacterDevelopment.
** Much of the problem seems to stem from Sardonian not being her native language.
* BoxedCrook: Subverted. Shawn ''does'' initially face the choice of Hero-U or jail, but once he's there, he can quit with no consequences just by asking to be released (though this loses the game).
* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler: Shamus]] killed his brother by accident. It still makes him a pariah, even among his fellow thieves.
* CallBack: Behind the golem room is a tapestry showing the dryad and white stag from [[VideoGame/QuestForGloryI]] Shawn wonders whether the place was [[Creator/GeorgeLucas Lucas Valley]] or [[Creator/StevenSpielberg Katzenburg Valley]] and [[MediumAwareness he feels like he could walk right into it and interact with the characters]].
* CaperRationalization: A good chunk of the lessons in the game are about why the Rogues should be considered heroes and not common criminals, and it lays out which sorts of roguish acts it's okay to rationalize and which ones just make you a thief.
* CuteKitten: One Wanted poster is for “QT” Kety, a kitten who is wanted for “stealing hearts”.
* DeadpanSnarker: Master Urwald has a very wry and understated sense of humor. Make no mistake, though: he ''will'' make use of it when pointing out your shortcomings or answering a stupid question.
* DeadlyEuphemism: One way to die is to challenge the pirate captain to a game of cards without having enough money. You’ll learn that being “tickled by a kitten” means being flogged with a cat o’ nine tails.
* DeanBitterman: Senior Staff Administrator Mortimer Terk, to the point of even referencing some of the more famous ones. He has it out for you since the moment you arrive at the school and even tries to get your entire class shut down. On the other hand, he's essentially the only faculty member that ''isn't'' a ReasonableAuthorityFigure.
* DecompositeCharacter: The Bird Siblings are all the Hero from Quest For Glory, separated into each of his classes.
* DoesNotLikeMen: Katie is suspicious of men by default. If Shawn wants to win her over, he has to go out of his way to help her achieve her heart's desire.
* TheDreaded: All advice in-story about fighting TheUndead: Don't. Leave it to "Death Stalkers" and Paladins. Of course, you still can. (Bring magic weapons and defense)
* EldritchAbomination: Mentioned in the backstory, if you know which books to read.
* EveryoneHasStandards: Being suspected of intentionally killing his brother makes [[spoiler: Shamus]] a pariah even among thieves.
* ExtranormalInstitute: Hero-U gathers people of all kinds and species from all around the world to learn whatever skills they need to become heroes, be it magic, mad science, or even music, all in an old castle that was once built to guard against an incursion by an EldritchAbomination.
* FalseReassurance: Shawn enjoys pulling this on Sosi. On one possible path, Sosi will demand that Shawn give him a cut of the immense riches hidden in a secret location. Shawn can agreeably reply that Sosi will "get exactly what [he] deserves", which can be taken to mean "nothing".
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Rovers are the fantastic counterpart of the Romani.
* FictionalCurrency: Lyra is the currency in Sardonia.
* FishPeople: The Gogs. WasOnceAMan remnants of the EldritchAbomination incursion.
* ForcedTransformation: Wearing a certain cursed bit of jewelry or falling in battle to [[spoiler:the Drat Queen]] results in Shawn being permanently transformed into a drat.
* GayOption: Shawn can give the One and Only Ring to Joel. He can also romance Aeolus.
* TheGhost: The Headmaster, Captain Mombera [=MacGillicuddy=], and Maestro Lorenzo Lafcadio are all mentioned in the handbook as Hero-U faculty, but are never actually seen in the flesh. The Headmaster is verbally mentioned on occasion, and Aeolus frequently talks about Maestro Lorenzo (his Bard professor), but [=MacGillicuddy=] only exists as a portrait in the reception hall.
* {{Golem}}: The final challenge before the [[spoiler: Drat Queen. It's guarding a door that you cannot open, likely leading to the EldritchAbomination. It's programmed to attack anyone who gets that far. You can destroy it with three Big Booms; but maybe that's not the best thing to do. Nevertheless, the ramifications of destroying it or not are not brought up in this game.]]
* GratuitousGerman: Master Gerhard von Urwald hails from Germania, and he makes ample use of "Germanish" words and phrases. Most of them are correct, though "die Versteckten sehen" means "see the people who are hiding" rather than "spot hidden".
* GuileHero: This is the ideal Rogue: someone with the skills and wits of a thief who uses them to become a hero.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Aelous is half-human and half-[[FaunsAndSatyrs faun]]. This gives him small little horns and goat-like eyes that unsettle some of the characters.
* HaveANiceDeath: Most game overs are also accompanied by a humorous poem. Considering who designed the game, there are surprisingly few ways to actually die, and most of them are very obvious. Even falling in combat usually just results in someone dragging you back to the infirmary, with the exception of the boss battles.
* HealingHerb: The First Aid elective is about gathering these to make StatusBuff, MagicAntidote and Healing Potion.
* HeroicBSOD: If you fail to [[spoiler:rescue Joel]] in time, Thomas is the one who comes closest to succeeding, being just a short time too late. He takes it pretty hard for the next couple days, lamenting that all the hours he had spent attending class, eating supper, or resting safe in his bed could have been spent helping someone in urgent need.
* HopelessSuitor: Aeolus would very much like to date Katie, but she's not interested in him.
* HurricaneOfPuns: Can't get away from this one, being in the parallel Glorianna universe to the ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory''. Fittingly enough for the trope name, most of the puns come from [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Aeolus.]]
* IKnowKungFaux: Mr. Bun E. Slippers (the owner of the house that Shawn is robbing at the start of the game) is apparently a "Bunny Fu Master" and can knock Shawn unconscious with one kick -- while wearing some exceedingly plush-looking bunny slippers.
--> '''Mr. Slippers:''' ''[[{{Kiai}} Woo-ya!]]'' Face the wrath of the rabbit!
* ImAHumanitarian: Lou Tittle, the Springhaven Biter (from a Wanted poster), is wanted for the furtive fabrication of “felon fricassee”.
* InformedEquipment: Other characters may comment on the clothing and armor you've applied to Shawn's equipment screen, yet his 3D model never changes from the white shirt and brown jacket.
* InformingTheFourthWall: Every object interaction is accompanied by Shawn describing what he sees and what he's doing. There are a great many silly actions that Shawn will refuse to do, often with humorous excuses and occasionally addressing the player, more like you're telling Shawn what to do rather than controlling him directly. Other characters sometimes overhear Shawn's more incriminating comments, and [[https://i.imgur.com/aqaQuJw.jpg Master von Urwald even rebukes his habit at one point]].
* InsistentTerminology: The Rogue class is officially the "Disbarred Bard" and it's a rule to insist as such due to the concept of training people to be master thieves being hard to explain (to the point of being a controversy even within the school's management).
** Also within Rogue class it is emphasized that a Rogue is ''not'' a thief. Rogues are sneaky heroes who work to improve society. Thieves do not.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Sosi only cares about himself and uses others for his own benefits.
* LampshadeHanging:
** When Shawn contemplates eavesdropping on Master von Urwald, the latter criticizes his “unfortunate tendency to talk to [him]self out loud.”
** When examining a desk, Shawn finds a "a bill for magic… I guess you have to pay to keep those lamps lit". [[note]]Of course, all lamps and fires in the game are lit at all times.[[/note]]
** If Shawn survives the game until the end but does not become Rogue of the Year, he wonders if there is a way to start over again.
* LawfulStupid: In ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' tradition, the game goes out of its way to insist that paladins are ''not'' this in the game's universe.
** The paladin representative in this entry, Moira, is one of the nicest characters in the game and firmly committed to Good rather than Law. Her status as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure can be plot relevant depending on your choices.
** Thomas' father was a famous paladin. Wishing to follow in those footsteps, Thomas initially feels that being an unlawful rogue is inherently incompatible with paladin ideals, but he always speaks for himself, that ''he'' would like to be transferred to the paladin class, and not criticizing his fellow rogues. He eventually learns that rogue skills can accomplish just as much good as paladin skills, and he is nearly as capable as Shawn at solving the major storyline quests.
* LiteralMinded:
** The Librarian is a classic GrammarNazi and has no patience for small talk or the figures of speech that Shawn uses so freely. Over time, his tendency to argue over casual word misuse reduces to the occasional [[DeadpanSnarker Deadpan Snarking]].
** Due to Gregor's less-than-perfect grasp on human language, it's PlayedForLaughs when Shawn tells him, "See you later, alligator," and Gregor indignantly replies that he's a [[RatMen Ratty]], not an alligator. He's a bit embarrassed when he realizes that Shawn didn't mean it literally, and counters with a whimsical farewell of his own.
* LovableRogue: By improving his Charm skill and his reputation with his classmates and the staff, Shawn can become one. Katie and Thomas in particular also strive to fulfill this trope.
* MagicKnight: Shawn can become this by practicing magic. The various runes can help him in battle, particularly the [[ShockAndAwe Spark Rune]], which empowers his dagger.
* TheMagicPokerEquation: The card game Poobah is an abstracted form of Draw Poker. The other players' portraits are shown and some of them have tells indicating the strength of their hands. [[QuirkyBard Aeolus]] and [[SmugSnake Sosi]] have blatantly obvious reactions to strong hands. Katie tries too hard to lie, grinning right before she folds her terrible hand and scowling at excellent cards. Esme occupies a middle ground, smiling at good hands but having only average card skill. Joel is dangerous; he only smiles at ''really'' good hands and very rarely folds in the first round, making it hard to tell just what he's got. Thomas has an impeccable poker face, but is an overly "tight" player and often folds everything except the very best hands.
* MathematiciansAnswer: Shawn ask if the final exam will be multi choice or an essay. Master Gerhard simply reply "Yes".
* MixAndMatchCritter: The proach, which is a cross between a praying mantis and a cockroach. Also a BigCreepyCrawlies.
* MultipleEndings:
** Being the main goal of the game, no-one should be surprised that Shawn can find his redemption and become Rogue of the Year.
** Alternatively, not being heroic enough may disqualify him from the prize. This can be due to Shawn [[spoiler:keeping the Raven and declaring intent to become the King of Thieves, which [[DidNotThinkThisThrough backfires in a big way]]. Having the Raven doesn't equate to having the skills and connections to make it in the criminal underworld. Meanwhile, joining up with the man who ''can'' become King of Thieves will set off a chain of dominoes that unleashes an EldritchAbomination and sinks Sardonia.]]
** Shawn can court and, during the final class, profess his love for a fellow student. If it's not the person you gave the One and Only Ring to, expect some bitterness from whoever just got kicked to the curb.
* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: You cannot take all the electives and get the benefits of all of them in one game. First half of the game there are 3 electives, and then the second half you can either take a different elective or else an Advanced Course of the first elective.
** Magic. Wizard Silvia Witherspoon Featherstonehaugh does not expect anyone to be full Wizards, but they can learn how to sense magic and she can teach them how to charge runestones for combat effects. Her Advanced Class is more of the same with stronger runes.
** Science. Dr. Emmental von Braun is a rather sane MadScientist who appreciates that magic exists but likes teaching things like physics and chemistry which teaches you how to make explosives and adhesives for combat purposes. His Advanced Class, however, goes into things like Zap Guns and Friction Belts.
** First-Aid. Moira Glenshannon teaches you to identify restorative mushrooms (healing and buffs) and how to make bandages. Her Advanced Class teaches how to make them into more potent medicine.
* [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch My Profession Doth Protest Too Much]]: Professor von Braun scorns the magicphobic {{Mad Scientist}}s from previous QFG games like [[VideoGame/QuestForGloryV Dr. Pretorius and Dr. Mobius]] or even [[VideoGame/QuestForGloryIV Dr. Cranium; who is somehow related to him.]]
* NiceGuy: Joel is a very polite person, standing out as the only rogue who will play any parlor game with Shawn and always end with a compliment. The only occasions where he gets angry with Shawn are if Shawn betrays him with the One and Only Ring, or Shawn [[spoiler:fails to rescue him from the wraith]].
* NobleWolf: Sometimes you come across a wolf hunting drats and proaches in the wine cellar. [[spoiler:Quest for Glory fans and players who pay attention to certain details about her can figure out exactly who she is even before The Reveal.]]
* NoHonorAmongThieves: Master Gerhard invokes this trope when discussing the difference between thieves and rogues.
* NoNameGiven: Technically subverted if you look into things deeper. The hero from ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' has a prominent statue in the main hall, across from Erana's. Instead of having a name, the "Statue" is dedicated to the "Hero in All of Us" (and right clicking calls it the "The Unknown Hero"), referencing that hero's status as AnAdventurerIsYou. Actually you can find a picture of him in the Foyer, and Moira will comment when discussing it, that his name is Falcon, and he was Moira's mentor. In fact there are four heroes, each of a different class, and each named after a bird. Hawk the Warrior, Falcon the Paladin, Owl the Wizard, and Wren the Rogue. Certain backstory details of at least two of these characters appear in the game. The characters originate from an unpublished novel series called School For Heroes: By the Book, which has them as four siblings (two older twins, a middle brother, and a younger sister) who all end up going on Hero's journey from the QFG games, and saving the world. The Coles have stated that they wanted to leave certain things vague enough however that all players could believe that their individual Heros were part of the world as well (yes, including Devon Aidendale). A character in Hero-U 2 is said to have a second name, named after one of the Heroes, which can be anything even Mwamba Devon. A book in the library makes reference to "Fox" which was Wren's alias as a thief (and the game also discusses some of her history with Urwald, and Silmaria Thieves' Guild). The book was written under her pseudonym "I.M. Fulin".
* NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught:
** One of the rules of the Rogues' class is "Don't get caught." In fact, most of the rest of the rules are variations of "Don't get caught." Master Gerhard says the rules are more like guidelines anyway, and it's more important for rogues to give the ''appearance'' of following the rules.
** It's implied that a certain amount of Shawn's gaming skill comes from discreet cheating. Joel can also offer to cheat in your favor in the later Poobah games, with nobody the wiser.
* {{Oireland}}: The Conner family’s home is Eire (Ireland’s Irish name) which was conquered by Albion (an old name for Britain). Moira wears green, uses the word “colleen”, mentions the Blarney stone and is seen fighting a banshee in one painting. Shamus has an Irish accent.
* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: There's a minotaur who lives in the Catacombs. Though he has a slight case of HairTriggerTemper, he's not a bad person and just wants to chill out and play chess. He's also an OptionalBoss, but Shawn must specifically provoke him into a fight.
* OrphanedPunchline: All of Shawn's jokes during supper only have the punchline. Since they always include puns, the setup doesn't matter so much. One punchline is from an Erasmus joke in ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryI'', "What's the difference between a comma and a cheetaur?"[[note]]"One has claws at the end of its paws, and one has pause at the end of its clause."[[/note]]
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: [[spoiler:"Pesce spada," which means Swordfish in Italian.]] As in the remake of ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryI'', knowing that doesn't do you any good unless Shawn learns it in-game.
* PunBasedTitle: Mixing 'rogue' and 'road to redemption', making a MeaningfulName on many levels, with it being a story about Shawn redeeming himself from an (attempted) life of crime, the Rogue class itself sort of being a redeemed Thief, and being indicative on a meta level of the HurricaneOfPuns you'll find within the game.
* RatMen: Ratties, the humanoid rat species represented by Gregor the shopkeeper. Far more like [[{{WesternAnimation/Ratatouille}} Remy]] than [[{{TabletopGame/Warhammer}} Skaven]], he is an unceasingly helpful and friendly character with a big and rounded face. He describes other Ratties as being a timid people, preferring sameness in their lives and being very good at hiding.
* RatStomp: The weakest monsters you'll find in this game are -- you guessed it -- dire rats.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Pretty much everyone but Terk. This is most notable when [[spoiler:Joel]] goes missing. If you find out where he is, you can certainly deal with it yourself, but if you inform the teachers, Moira has you lead her to the spot without delay in a BigDamnHeroes moment.
* RodentsOfUnusualSize: The drats, which is the common name for dire rats.
* ScientificallyUnderstandableSorcery : Unlike previous Scientists in ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'', Dr. von Braun the Science Teacher doesn't deny that magic exists nor is he resentful. He is working on a theory that can explain both.
* SealedEvilInACan: The castle is built over a dormant EldritchAbomination. One possible ending/game-over drastically reduces Hero-U's ability to keep that abomination contained, resulting in its eventual awakening and the complete destruction of Sardonia.
* SeriesMascot: Meeps and Kwirks, described as "[[Franchise/StarTrek Tribbles]] with legs, eyes and sharp teeth."
* ScienceHero: You, if you take the Science Elective. It starts with being able to collect things like sulphur and phosphorus to make bombs. If you take the Advanced Course you can get access to ZeeRust like the Zap Gun and Friction Belt.
* SharpDressedMan: Of all of the students in the Rogue class, Thomas Kent is the only one dressed with a three-piece-suit. [[spoiler:Subverted as Thomas is actually a girl disguising as a man.]]
* SimplifiedSpellcasting: The only true "spell" that Shawn can cast from Magic Class is "Sense Magic." The rest is {{mana}} powered runes that are pre-made spells crafted either in magic class or bought late-game.
* ShoutOut: Quite a few.
** Most portraits and statues in the game depict either a Kickstarter backer or a character from ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'', or both.[[note]]A few of them depict heroes and villains from the game's backstory, independent of Quest for Glory.[[/note]]
** Joel Kyro is a reference to ''Literature/TheMalteseFalcon''. Fitting as he's the son of Ugarte, who was also a reference to a character played by Creator/PeterLorre.
** Esme is named after [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame Esmeralda]].
** Thomas Kent is a reference to ''Film/ShakespeareInLove'', [[spoiler:as is the fact that he's actually a woman.]]
** Aeolus’ “Play us a tune, you’re the panpipe guy” references Billy Joel's "Piano Man."
** Shawn says about Aeolus’ song: “[[Music/TheBeatles Something]] in the way it moves – attracts me like no other song.”
** When first entering the cellar, Shawn will say: [[Literature/TheShadow “Who knows what Evil lurks in the heart of the cellar? The Ratty knows.”]]
** There's a reference to ''Literature/TheCaskOfAmontillado'' in the wine cellar.
** When attempting to talk to the wolf, Shawn quotes ''Film/CoolHandLuke'': “What we have here is failure to communicate.”
** If you are defeated by the zombie pirates in the Sea Caves, the Game Over screen is a poster of "[[Film/ShaunOfTheDead Shawn of the Dead]]".
** When Shawn examines a poster of a blackbird, the responses to his actions are quotes from ''Literature/TheRaven''.
** Dr. von Braun of the Science Department looks a lot like [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Dr. Emmett Brown.]] In the movies, "von Braun" was the name of said iconic scientist's ancestors before immigrating.
** When Urwald asks the class for examples of Roguish behavior, one of the answers Shawn can give involves dressing up like a series of ghosts to scare a [[Literature/AChristmasCarol miserly businessman]] into changing his ways. Urwald suggests that he should consider becoming a novelist.
** Shawn's assessment of a book on the Spanish Inquisition is that it's [[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus "nothing but a bunch of spam"]].
** The different classes of locks you can encounter have names such as [[Literature/EncyclopediaBrown Brown]], [[Literature/TheHardyBoys Hardy]], [[Literature/NancyDrew Drew]], [[Series/{{Columbo}} Columbo]], [[Literature/MissMarple Marple]] and [[VideoGame/LauraBow L-Bow]].
** If Shawn sings to Ghost Cat Chianti in the Wine Cellar, his verse is remarkably similar to the popular "Soft Kitty" song from ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''.
** One of the memorials in the Catacombs is for [[Creator/DavidTennant Doctor Tennant]]. If you have a look, the epitaph reads [[Series/DoctorWho "I don't want to go," and his ghost materializes to advise you on the benefits of having a companion.]]
** Some of the books in the Darla's Wing bookshelf include [[VideoGame/ConquestsOfTheLongbow "How to Achieve Conquest with a Longbow"]] and [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E26S4E1TheBestOfBothWorlds "Resistance is Feudal" by Locutus Borgia]].
** Shawn gets [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings The Won Ring]] after helping the Sea Serpent.
** When searching Sosi’s wardrobe, Shawn wonders: [[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic “These are a few of Sosi’s favorite things?”]]
** Shawn wonders what the big joke is about [[Film/ANewHope “You’re not the Druids I’m looking for.”]]
** When Shawn recues Joel, he can tell him that he is [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 “afraid of no ghosts.”]]
** Katie’s reaction to being licked by a ghost dog is [[Film/Ghostbusters1984 “Argh! I’ve been slimed!”]]
** Shawn flirts with Joel by quoting “If I tell you that you have a beautiful body, will you hold it against me?” (The Bellamy Brothers)
** Master von Urwald mentions Literature/TillEulenspiegel, [[Characters/AkanMythology Anansi the Spider]], [[Myth/YorubaMythology Eshu]], [[Literature/JourneyToTheWest the Monkey King]] and Literature/ReynardTheFox as examples of tricksters. Sosi writes about [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Mercurius]] (also known as Mercury or Hermes), while Esme writes about Rover (e.g. Gypsy) Davy, the protagonist of several real-world folk songs.
** A possible answer for the exam question “What is the way of the Küchenschabe (cockroach)” is “[[Literature/TheMetamorphosis Gregor Samsa]]’s worst nightmare.”
* SkippableBoss: All of them. There's always a solution for each boss that doesn't involve combat (aside from not doing the quest at all, which is always an option).
* SmartPeoplePlayChess: The fact that the Minotaur is sitting next to a chessboard should be a clue that he's safe to approach, despite some nearby ghosts accusing him of murder. Playing chess with him is also a worthwhile activity if Shawn has built up his smarts stat.
* SoreLoser: Esme and Katie hate to lose at parlor games, and will refuse to play any game that Shawn wins too many times. Sosi will outright accuse you of cheating.
* SoulJar: The Wraith King in the Catacombs has one, which can be destroyed in an optional side quest.
* SpiritualSequel: To ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'', though both are set in parallel versions of Glorianna (the main difference is that in this universe there were 'Four Heroes' who jointly saved the world, rather than single heroes (one of each class) saving the world in four separate universes).
* SweetPollyOliver: Someone at the school isn't completely candid about their gender. There's some foreshadowing about it if you read the files in Terk's office, but it isn't until you accompany [[spoiler:Thomas to visit his father's tomb that it's revealed "Thomas" is actually a young woman named Janet.]] Shawn is not necessarily bothered by this.
** [[spoiler: Wren the Rogue, i.e.: the Thief Hero, called herself Fox and posed as a man.]]
* StayInTheKitchen: A surprisingly prevalent attitude among the relatives of certain students, although the students themselves defy this trope.
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: [[spoiler:Esme has animalistic golden eyes for a very good reason: she's a Rover and has the ability to shapeshift into a wolf at will.]]
* TakeYourTime: Averted. The game has a time limit for certain events and you'll most likely miss some of them because you can't do everything at the same time.
* TeacherStudentRomance: Defied. You can ''try'' to hit on Moira, but she's not going to have a relationship with a student.
* ThisIsMyNameOnForeign: Master Seishin is a ghost, and that’s exactly what his name means in Japanese.
* UpperClassTwit: Sosi is related to the prince of Sardonia and has an appropriately arrogant attitude.
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: You're supposed to be studying to be a Hero and seek redemption, not fall back into your old ways as a Thief. A little antiheroism is fine, but if you decide to truly become a Thief instead, you ''will'' suffer for it.
* TheVonTropeFamily: One of the teachers at the school is named "Master Von Urwald" [[note]]''Urwald'' means "primal forest". ''Von'' is a nobiliary particle. Tarzan would be ''vom Urwald'' or ''aus dem Urwald''[[/note]].
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman:
** The cook's assistant, Riki, is a ringajou, which looks like an animal but is sentient and can talk. Ifetaya met Riki when she was being sold like an animal and was horrified by such treatment towards one she recognized as a person.
** Gregor, the [[RatMen ratty]] who runs the school store, mentions being viewed and treated as a rodent elsewhere.
** Defied by Shawn, himself. Reading the xenology books in the library will have him remark that people are people, no matter what they look like. It's no surprise that he shows no discrimination toward Riki or Gregor.
* WeakToMagic: Lemures and Wraiths can ''only'' be hurt by magic; either through runes, or magic weapons.
* WizardingSchool: Downplayed. There are magic classes (which Shawn can attend as electives), but most of the school is not magical. The actual Wizard School is mentioned, and will appear in Hero-U 2: Wizard's Way.
** The Magic Teacher admits that her students can't be full Wizards, but she wants "Mundanes" to be able to enjoy it as well.
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