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Video Game: Upgrade Complete

Welcome to the trope page for Upgrade Complete!

The goal of this page is to upgrade EVERYTHING!

To view this page, you'll first need to upgrade the game description.

Upgrade Trope Page Description

Upgrade Complete is a shoot-em-up flash game based around the upgrade mechanic found in many video games. Instead of beating the schmup part of the game, the goal is to upgrade everything in the game. And by everything, we mean everything, from the music, sound and graphics, to purchasing the ability to actually play the game.

And of course, you can upgrade your ship as well, the upgrade system allowing you to add various weapons in a grid around the ship (and, of course, upgrade them.) Shooting down ships makes them drop coins that you need to collect in order to afford more upgrades, and if you defeat all the ships in a single wave without any of them reaching the bottom of the screen, you get to the next wave, which throws even more ships (and money) at you.

Play the game here.

A sequel was also made (found here

,) offering even more things to upgrade this time around.

Upgrade Trope Examples for Both Games

Both games include examples of:

Cosmetic Award: Almost every upgrade in the game is one of these, but the one that really takes the cake is the "Just Upgrade" upgrade in the second game, which upgrades the Just Upgrade level... and does nothing else.
Death Is a Slap on the Wrist: None of the ships can hurt you, and even if you fail to clear a wave, there's no consequences beyond not going to the next wave (you even get to keep your money.)
Grid Inventory: Sort of. All your ship's weapons and various equipment exist as option-style floating objects that have to be placed on a grid around the ship.
Macross Missile Massacre: Get enough Missile Upgrades and you will be doing this.
Money Spider: All mooks drop money when defeated. The Final Boss in 2 pretty much "bleeds" money when damaged.
More Dakka: If you're getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of ships in a particular wave, just add more guns (or upgrade the ones you have already.)
Stylistic Suck:
- When you initially purchase anything graphics or sound-wise, it will look/sound like crap until you upgrade it some more.
- Upgrade Complete 2 has your first set of music tracks just being the creator humming.
You Have Researched Breathing:
- Taken Up to Eleven. Examples include having to purchase the preloader, the shop to purchase upgrades, the play button (to actually play the game,) and the game's logo and copyright information.
- Also, the super secret upgrade that requires every other upgrade to unlock in the first game is the game over screen.

Upgrade Trope Examples for Upgrade Complete 1

Upgrade Complete 1 includes examples of:

But Thou Must: Parodied. You're given a yes/no option for if you want to play the game... but to choose the no option, you have to upgrade your decision-making power first.

Upgrade Trope Examples for Upgrade Complete 2

Upgrade Complete 2 includes examples of:

Allegedly Free Game: Parodied. With the right upgrades, you'll unlock the "Premium Content" button, which claims to let you purchase (with real life money) extra content for the game. However, upgrading the Premium Content page makes said content cheaper and cheaper, until you can finally get it for free. Turns out the "Premium Content" was just a picture of a sheep, which commentary talking about said sheep.
Beam Spam:
- The Smart Bomb weapon.
- Also, if you amass enough lasers, you can easily do this.
Call Back: In the first game, you can "borrow" some money to start playing, like a due. In the second game, the game remembers this due, and shows you just how much of a due this really is.
Damage Sponge Boss: The final (and only) boss of the game does nothing but very slowly move forward...and have a lot of hit points.
Deliberately Monochrome: "Indie Mode"
Frickin' Laser Beams: Averted by the lasers, which are instant-hitscans that aim at your mouse.
Hey, It's That Voice!: Egoraptor, is that you?
Jerkass: The upgrade window will insult you regularly. You'll have to purchase upgrades to make it less surly.
Jitter Cam: One of the many upgrades, causing the screen to shake whenever a ship explodes or the player fires off a smart bomb. The fully upgraded Jitter Cam will sometimes shake violently for no reason (like at the end of a wave.)
Large Ham: The male pilot, after you completely upgrade his voice acting.
Loads and Loads of Loading: Of course, you can always decrease the loading times. Three guesses as to how you accomplish that.
Logo Joke: Upgrading the logo is essentially a history of Armor Games logos.
Most Annoying Sound: Invoked. The upgrade shop has an annoying humming noise. You can make it go away... by purchasing an upgrade, of course.
No Plot? No Problem!: Lampshaded by your pilot (with a full voice acting upgrade) on occasion when you clear a wave.
"Take that, evil space aliens...or whoever you are!"
Pi�ata Enemy: The Final Boss drops LOADS of money whenever you hit it- just whacking it quite a few times is enough to give you enough money to buy ALL the upgrades in the game (including all the grid squares).
Screamer Prank: If you upgrade your heart rate.
Shmuck Bait: The heart rate upgrade.
Shout Out: The fully upgraded avatars both look like Pok�mon. The male looks like a Poliwhirl while the female looks like a Pikachu.
- Upon losing: "Me! Me? Meeeeeeeee!"
Small Name, Big Ego: The first-level credits page has the creator taking credit for everything in the game. Upgrading it further adds more names to the credits, until it's finally a complete credits list.
Speaking Simlish: First-level voice acting is just incomprehensible muffled talking.
True Art Is Angsty/True Art Is Incomprehensible: invoked Parodied. "Indie Mode" makes the game Deliberately Monochrome and changes the soundtrack to something more melancholy, while displaying a series of messages on the screen portraying a conversation between two people (also being a reference to Final Fantasy VIII's opening, with the first few lines), one spouting off nonsensical, artsy one-liners, and the other getting more and more creeped out by the former until he threatens to call the cops.