The Classmates and Fiends of Last Year: The Nightmare and their tropes.
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Classmates
As A Whole
- All-Stereotype Cast: In which the original five actually fit the horror genre, since it takes place in the 90s.
- Asshole Victim: Subverted. All the survivors have admirable and redeeming qualities to them. Even the Alpha Bitch has a Hidden Heart of Gold.
- Badass Normal: All of them really aren't afraid of what they're going up against in the nightmare.
- Common Character Classes: Four of them, in which the survivors can select from the start. Most of these items require gathering materials/scrap scattered throughout every single map. These are the basic classes.
- Assault: Lead Pipe, Helmet, Molotov and Baseball Bat.
- Scout: Tracker, Smoke Grenade, Adrenaline and Shotgun.
- Medic: First Aid Kit, Pipe Bomb, Gas Mask and Shocker.
- Technician: Toolbox, Proximity Mine, Pain Pills and Flamethrower.
Chad Taylor
Chad
- Voiced by: Noshir Dalal
Quarterback. Prom King. D Student.
Chad is the quintessential popular kid, a jock whose good looks and success on the football field excuse his academic delinquency. Though he might seem like the type, he's far from a bully, always sure to stand up for his team and lend his considerable strength to the cause — of kicking ass. Loud, confident and occasionally overbearing, Chad doesn't know what it feels like to lose. For him, the Nightmare is just another challenge.- Blood Knight: Always ready to fight the Fiends whenever possible.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Implied. Though he has terrible grades, including a C+ in shop class, he's still able to construct complex gadgets such as bombs, tasers, and flamethrowers with limited resources and tools. Given that he's been described as an academic delinquent, his C+ may have come from misbehavior rather than bad work.
- Dumb Blonde: Sometimes forgets about what needs to be done.
- Hopeless with Tech: Implied by his remark about hating computers on the Library map. He's just as capable of hacking computers as the other students, though.
- I Should Have Been Better: Occasionally says this after seeing a classmate die:Chad: Shit! I should have stopped him!
- Lovable Jock: He may look like a bully, but he's a team player who'll do whatever it takes to make sure everyone escapes the nightmare.
- Meaningful Name: A chad, in internet slang terms, is a stereotypical jock who's handsome but also arrogant and rude. Though he's much nicer than you may expect, this is a pretty fair description of Chad.
- Misspelling Out Loud: One of his voice lines after killing a Fiend.Chad: You're dead, bro! D-E-D!
- Plucky Comic Relief: Provides some very entertaining commentary out of the classmates.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Swears the most out of the classmates and sometimes, it's actually pretty funny.
Nick Howard
Nick
- Voiced by: Michael Johnston
Nerd. Scientist. Renaissance Man.
Nick is a proud nerd, entirely comfortable with himself and his archetype. Though fashion-impaired and frequently the target of school bullies, Nick sees everything as "classic" high school, and manages to carry himself with confidence and an innate charm. Nick realizes that the Nightmare might be supernatural, but there's a certain logic to it, a fascinating temporal loop that must surely possess some underlying science. This is his chance to "boldly go", and as terrifying as the killers might be, he's going to take it.- Geek Physiques: The skinniest, palest member of the group. Doesn't stop him from laying a beatdown on the Fiends.
- Gentleman and a Scholar: He refers to himself as a genius.
- I Know Mortal Kombat: A variation. He claims to have some fighting experience from LARPing. Also has plus two strength.
- Lawful Good: Nick proclaims himself to be this, in contrast to the Fiends being Always Chaotic Evil.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Downplayed. Though he's determined to escape the Nightmare, at the same time, he's also the most curious about its supernatural aspects and tries to find some science to its inner workings.
- Proud to Be a Geek: Along with being a "Mathlete" as well.
- The Short Guy with Glasses: He's the only one wearing glasses.
Amber Davis
Amber
- Voiced by: Erica Lindbeck
Overachiever. Prom Queen. Mean Girl.
Amber is East Side High's breakout star and she knows it. Her grades are as winning as her million-dollar smile and her social engineering skills and acerbic wit have kept her at the top of the food chain since freshman year. She's smart, savvy, and can move from bubbly to cutting in a flash. Amber is not about to let a few serial murderers get in the way of her college applications, so when she enters the Nightmare, it's with a ferocity and a drive that is a surprise to the group — and perhaps to her.- The Ace: Pretty, popular, smart, and as the game shows, a pretty damn good athlete.
- Alpha Bitch: Pretty? Check. Popular? Check. Endless stream of sarcasm and rude remarks? Check.
- Academic Alpha Bitch: Her attitude isn't helped by the fact she is also at the top of her class and is almost certain to get into medical school if she escapes.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: It's shown whenever her Hidden Heart of Gold comes out.
- The B Grade: Being given an A minus is apparently enough for her to celebrate the offending teacher's demise.
- Deadpan Snarker: Nearly every sentence that comes out of her mouth is sarcastic disdain for her current situation. Even if she's been caught in a bear trap or about to be executed, she'll just be insulting the Nightmare's apparent lack of creativity.
- Defiant to the End: Her snark never abates, with her insulting the Fiends as she's getting set up for the kill.
- Determinator: She's worked incredibly hard to get to medical school after graduating. And since she knows it'll all go to waste if she dies in the Nightmare, she'll stop at nothing to escape.
- Insufferable Genius: One of East Side High's brightest students. And she'll be sure to mention that every single chance she gets.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite her abrasive attitude, she is just as willing to risk her life to save the other survivors and expresses genuine concern for their wellbeing. She'll also sincerely thank them if they save her.
- Kick the Dog: When discovering the dead body of a teacher, occasionally she'll say this:
Troy Coleman
Troy
- Voiced by: Zeno Robinson
Cool Kid. Strategist. Genre Savvy.
Troy's family moved from New York City to Forest Hills when he was four years old. While he has little memory of his former home, he's happy to take the cred it affords him in the sleepy suburbs. Charismatic and trustworthy, Troy's used to having people to look up to him, but being the sharpest guy in the room can mean more responsibility than he's happy to take on. Troy's seen a lot of horror movies, so when he arrives in the Nightmare, he doesn't love his odds. But in the midst of terror, it's up to him to lead the team, devise escape strategies, and get everyone out alive.- Black Dude Dies First: Entirely possible in-game, though not enforced by any means.
- Genre Savvy: He's seen his fair share of horror movies.
- Only Sane Man: Has a serious personality unlike the others.
- The Leader: Of the group of classmates stuck in the nightmare.
- The Strategist: Usually comes up with escape plans for the group.
- Token Minority: The only African-American character in the game.
Samantha Bennett
Sam
- Voiced by: Melissa Hutchison
Outcast. Geek. Invisible.
Sam can't seem to catch a break. A meek and mild-mannered girl, her efforts to be cool (or even noticed) are constantly undone, and the reason she never gets bullied is the bullies don't seem to know she exists. Sam strives to break free of her loserdom and become a cool kid at last... but for now it's mostly online penpals, orthopaedic shoes and her pet bunny, Sprinkles. Sam's arrival in the Nightmare feels like an inevitability: of course she's going to be chased by crazed killers in an alternate dimension, just like she'll be the one who gets caught in a lawn sprinkler on picture day.- Apologizes a Lot: Likely a result of her sheltered upbringing.
- Braces of Orthodontic Overkill: Downplayed, but she's wearing visible orthodontic headgear.
- Friend to All Living Things: The only member of the group besides Nick (who's more interested in training them as minions) who's friendly towards the rats skittering around the Nightmare. She also owns a pet bunny and aspires to become a veterinarian after graduating.
- Nice Girl: She's actually adorkable in her own unique way.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Downplayed. She has tame insults against her enemies, and isn't afraid of them... or so she says.
- Womanchild: Downplayed. She's not an adult yet, but she occasionally behaves a bit young for her age due to her sheltered nature (such as threatening to "tell" or scream when a Fiend attacks her). She's also the most averse to using mature language.
Raj Singh
Raj
- Voiced by: Ritesh Rajan
Team Player. Hype Man. Natural Leader.
Raj comes from a big family, plays on a basketball team, and has a ton of friends, which made it all the more challenging when he was dropped into The Nightmare and found himself far from his classmates, forced to survive alone. His time in isolation forced him to rely on his unfailing positivity, something he now brings to his teammates as they make their way through this frightening world. But beneath his hype man persona, Raj is afraid: what if, this time, working together won't be enough?- Fish out of Water: Which is very prominent as he's in a horror situation.
- Funny Foreigner: A couple of his voice lines tend to be a bit humorous.
- (when crafting) "Raj in the kitchen cooking up something good."
- (when throwing an explosive) "Fuck off and die, Criminal."
- Hidden Depths: Implied to have had a lot of experience with the police. He usually refers to the Fiend as a "criminal", proclaims that he's going to "lay down the law" when he crafts an item, and occasionally remarks that the rescue rooms "feel like being in jail".
- Noodle Incident: One of his crafting voice lines implies he's made a shiv before.
- Sixth Ranger: He's definitely the new guy to the original team of classmates.
- The Generic Guy: Very unique as opposed to everyone else in the group.
Fiends
As A Whole
- Ax-Crazy: All of them are murderous psychopaths hunting down students.
- Big Bad Ensemble: The Classmates face three different Fiends per match, rather than facing off with one.
- Humanoid Abomination: Though they appear to be normal humans (with the exception of the Spider), they're all able to disappear and reappear from green mist at will, and possess powerful supernatural abilities. In addition, whenever one of them is killed, they always eventually come back to life.
- Offscreen Teleportation: Invoked: they can only spawn in or out if none of the survivors are too close or they're not too visible.
- The Voiceless: None of them say a word in English, instead electing to express themselves through crazed laughter, furious grunting, or animalistic bellowing.
The Giant
Giant
- Voiced by: Jon Olson
...
A massive and wildly powerful brute, The Giant is a deadly combination of muscle and malice. To fight him without weapons is folly: he must be outsmarted, cornered, and battled as a team if he is ever going to be taken down. His classic outfit suggests he's an escaped convict, leaving one to wonder what unspeakable acts of destruction lands someone in jail within the already horrific confines of The Nightmare.- Bald of Evil: Not a hair on his head and he has an unstoppable desire to mash teenagers into paste.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Doesn't have a weapon like the other Fiends. Unfortunately for the Students, he doesn't need one.
- Barrier-Busting Blow: The Giant has the option to ambush by smashing through a wall, instantly killing the survivor unlucky or careless enough to be in range.
- The Brute: You'd be hard pressed to find a single aspect of the Giant that doesn't scream "brute".
- Expy: Bears a striking resemblance to Chris Walker.
- Grievous Harm with a Body: Should he manage to throw a Classmate into another one, both of them will take damage.
- Metronomic Man Mashing: One of the Giant's execution moves is him grabbing a survivor by the ankle and repeatedly slamming their body against the floor.
- Mighty Glacier: The toughest killer of the three - and also the slowest. However, his charging ability compensates for this slightly.
- Punched Across the Room: Sort of. The Giant can grab a survivor and throw them quite a bit away, dealing a heavy amount of damage to them that, sometimes, can drop them to zero health with a punch immediately after leading to an easy kill.
The Strangler
Strangler
- Voiced by: Ray Chase
...
A twitching, snickering Fiend, The Strangler is possessed of a supernatural madness that has reduced him to something not quite human. Whatever dark desire drives him to choke the life from his victims, wrap them up in chains, is of little import; what matters is a broken mind and twisted morals make his every move impossible to predict. One imagines that even the other Fiends might find his presence... disconcerting.- Ankle Drag: He does this in his ambush if an unsuspecting student happens to be too close to a vent.
- Bandaged Face: Most of his face is covered in bloody bandages.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: The only Fiend to have visible pupils.
- Eye Scream: Nearly all of his executions involve this.
- Fingore: He's missing the tip of his right index finger.
- Flipping the Bird: He performs this during his Threat emote and when chosen for the Fiend deck.
- Laughing Mad: He laughs constantly.
- Senior Creep: A hunchbacked, filthy old man who wants nothing more than to stab teenagers' eyes out with rusty scissors, laughing insanely all the while. It's implied that he even makes the other Fiends uncomfortable.
- Shear Menace: Uses a pair of oversized scissors as his weapon.
- Slashed Throat: One of his executions results in this.
- Sociopathic Soldier: It's implied that he used to be in the military, judging by his dog tags and the emblem on his vest.
- Token Evil Teammate: While all the Fiends are evil, the official game website states that the other Fiends find the Strangler's presence to be "disconcerting."
- What a Drag: Drags survivors along the ground towards him with his chain.
- You Will Not Evade Me: Can grab Classmates from a fair distance away with a chain to pull them towards him.
The Slasher
Slasher
- Voiced by: Elias Toufexis
...
A classic villain, the Slasher is every bit as intense as the horror genre that bears his name. Armed with a blood-stained axe, and a tireless thirst for violence, the Slasher will stop at nothing to bury his blade in a terrified victim. But more than deadly, the Slasher possesses a keen intellect and the patience to lie in wait and toy with his targets. Potential victims must be on their guard at all times, lest they be caught unaware.- Almighty Janitor: Is implied to be the school janitor, judging by his appearance.
- Death from Above: The Slasher can ambush the kids by dropping in from the skylights, planting his axe blade in their faces for an insta-kill.
- Evil Laugh: Downplayed. He chuckles, only for a brief moment.
- Expy: Judging by his appearance and choice of weapon, he appears to be based on Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance.
- Jack of All Stats: A rough balance between the mobility of the Strangler and the high health and damage output of the Giant.
- Mascot Villain: The most common character in Last Year advertisements. Also implied to be The Dragon, as he appeared in all victory and defeat cutscenes regardless of who the Killer's playing before they were removed for the Steam release.
- Only One Name: "Bill", but obviously nobody calls him that...
The Spider
Spider
- Voiced by: ???
...
A manifestation of arachnophobia itself, the Spider is the first Fiend without a shred of humanity, fueled only by a savage hunger for flesh and a mind wired for predation. The eight-legged menace stalks the halls of East High and beyond, relentlessly seeking her quarry and spreading venom to poison the students she intends to make her meal.She's the first Fiend to be added after the game's initial launch with Chapter 1: Afterdark.
- Action Bomb: Due to her Defeat Equals Explosion property, a cunning player can use The Spider to force the Classmates to learn a valuable lesson in spacing.
- Ambiguous Gender: The Classmates always refer to her with male pronouns, as they do with all other Fiends.
- Anthropomorphic Personification: Per the official website, it's the living embodiment of the fear of spiders.
- Animalistic Abomination: Despite looking like one, it’s not an actual spider, instead being the corporeal manifestation of arachnophobia itself.
- Antlion Monster: Can ambush Classmates by bursting out of the ground and dragging them into pits.
- Defeat Equals Explosion: The Spider's abdomen swells up and explodes in a spray of venom upon death.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The first Fiend that isn't a human, but a giant spider.
- Fragile Speedster: Easily the fastest Fiend. However, she also has the second lowest health.
- Long-Range Fighter: The first Fiend that can damage Classmates from a distance (excluding the Strangler's ability to pull Classmates towards him).
- Off with His Head!: The Spider's preferred method of killing - it often crushes a Classmate's head with its legs or devours it whole.
- Poisonous Person: The Spider can spew venom onto students that deals damage over time. When the Spider is defeated, it explodes into a spray of venom that harms everyone in range.
- Spiders Are Scary: Perhaps the Anthropomorphic Personification of this trope.
