Noctropolis is a 1994
Adventure Game with a twist. Rather than being a daring adventurer in a fantasy kingdom or a clever astronaut in deep space, you play a
Superhero.
Peter Grey's world has come crashing down with the failure of his business and his wife's infidelity. His only solace is the monthly adventures of Darksheer, the grim avenger of the night who protects an
eternally darkened city called Noctropolis. But he's about to lose that too, as the latest issue ends with Darksheer capturing the last of Noctropolis's supervillain fraternity and hanging up his cape.
But then Peter finds out he's the winner of the "I Want to be Darksheer!" contest and receives a new issue showing a new villain named Flux breaking the worst members of Darksheer's
Rogues Gallery out of jail, as well as a magical coin that teleports Peter to Noctropolis itself. After bumbling through a beginning adventure he assumes Darksheer's mantle, but is he up to the job of saving the city from the forces of evil?
This Game Provides Examples Of:
- Ascended Fanboy / Summon Everyman Hero
- Badass Normal
- Dark Is Not Evil: Darksheer's devices are fueled by a substance that's basically liquid darkness, created by a brotherhood who wished to use the substance for good. Peter will also frequently use it to heal himself after getting beaten up by supervillains.
- Instant Expert: Even though no indication whatsoever is given that Peter had any such skills beforehand, he's able to hold his own against Darksheer's partner in a fight when she tests his mettle.
- Light Is Not Good: It turns out the Big Bad who broke out the other villains is the old Darksheer, who now has a light-motif and is out to grab power for himself
- Solve the Soup Cans: One of the earliest examples consists of: To enter a cathedral guarded by a lethal, flying gargoyle, the player must A) locate the couple pixels representative of the only loose bar in the iron-wrought fence, B) open utility panel of a nearby streetlight, C) attach fifty-pounds worth of cable to connect the fence post to an arbitrary lead, and d.) throw the bar, like a spear, some 20-yards so that it lands upon the fountain on which the beast occasionally perches so that it is electrocuted the following time it does. This puzzle was one of the first in the game and significantly simpler that later examples.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: So you've taken on the mantle of the resident superhero who for years protected the citizens from a bevy of supervillains. Who disappeared just before another outbreak of superhuman crime, and who everyone's praying will return to save them. Nobody will react to this fact except the very villains you're trying to stop.
0 reviews