"The dignity of the dead or our own lives. Which do you think is more important?"
— Maylee
You wake up inside a dark, creepy, abandoned facility. You've lost your memories, there are traps everywhere, and bodies are turning up left and right. The only starting clue you have to your identity is a single name, ominously written in red:
Theresia.
Theresia: Dear Emile is a
Survival Horror game for the
Nintendo DS. Players take the role of the story's protagonist and must navigate through a
complex facility, progressing further by solving puzzles and utilizing various tools, all while avoiding numerous hidden traps. In addition, players must gather clues that will help them recover their lost memories.
The game is split into two parts.
Dear Emile puts you in the role of a young girl and her tragic relationship with her foster mother.
Dear Martel places you in the role of an adult male and his path to atonement.
This game provides examples of:
- Alas Poor Villain: Emile.
- Apocalyptic Log: Written by both protagonists (in their respective stories) and other characters. Finding the scattered pages is fundamental in recovering their memories.
- Armies Are Evil: The behaviour of the army Emile is a member of.
- The Atoner: The main protagonist of Dear Martel.
- Ax Crazy: Emile and played literally with Franz.
- The Baroness: Emile. Also fits Evil Is Sexy.
- Break The Cutie: The protagonist of Dear Martel (although questionable since we never see what he looks like, and this goes beyond The Faceless). He returns to his grandfather's orphanage after ten years. Everything seems picture perfect. Then it all goes south...
- Chekhov's Gun: The meaning of the name Theresia. Also, the title screen's music.
- Conveniently An Orphan: The war claimed the lives of Leanne's parents when she was barely a year old. Subverted when Emile (who was part of the enemy nation) finds her in the rubble and adopts her.
- Dungeon Master: Quite literally, Emile.
- Earn Your Happy Ending
- Everybodys Dead Dave: Aside from the protagonist, there is not a single person alive inside the facility.
- Everything Trying To Kill You: The facility you're trapped in is covered from head to toe in traps.
- The Faceless & Hidden Eyes: Everybody.
- Flashback Effects: Red static indicates that a flashback is about to happen.
- Heel Face Turn : Emile, when she singlehandedly mows down her former comrades when they try to kill Leanne. Also a Crowning Moment Of Awesome.
- High Octane Nightmare Fuel: The symptoms of Epicari; one in particular had people trying to sew up every opening in their body.
- Hot Mom: Somewhat subverted by Emile. She doesn't seem to have typical Hot Mom qualities other than being...well, hot.
- Hot Scientist: Maylee.
- If I Cant Have You: Emile decided that she'd rather have Leanne dead than away from her.
- Laser Guided Amnesia: A symptom of the Epicari virus, and a side effect of the cure.
- Les Yay: Leanne sure seems to love her mother a lot.
- Love Makes You Crazy: Or in Emile's case, crazier.
- Malevolent Architecture
- Mama Bear: Emile, oh god Emile...
- Meaningful Name: Theresia is the name of the cure for the Epicari virus. Named after Martel Theresia since her DNA was needed to complete the cure. This is later done with Emile, who also has the same last name.
- The Messiah: Martel.
- Moral Event Horizon: When Emile attempts to kill Sacha for simply talking with Leanne. Again when Emile headshots Sacha at point-blank range for trying to escape with Leanne, all while humming a lullaby.
- My Beloved Smother: Emile with Leanne, where she forbids her from leaving home as well as talking with other people.
- Nice Job Breaking It Hero: Maylee develops a treatment to a combat a fever that has struck the orphanage that she's working at. Guess what emerged from that.
- Nightmare Fuel: Some of the 2D artwork in this game can get quite graphic.
- No Name Given: The protagonist of Dear Martel.
- Ontological Mystery: The entire premise of the game.
- Orphan's Plot Trinket: Leanne's pendant, given to her by Emile, gives her insight on what to do next whenever she clutches it.
- Toy Ship: Leanne and Sacha. Not so much as they grow older.
- The Virus: The Epicari virus. The first stages include memory loss. From there, it worsens to peculiar behaviour. It soon culminates to suicide, but not without mindless murder. To make things worse, the bodies of the victims will turn purple after death, meaning the virus is spreading and is now contagious. Burning the bodies helps to prevent the virus from spreading.
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