History Main / Deception

* ContinuityNod: Each game takes place in its own little universe. However, one of ''Kagero'''s endings implies that Millennia [[spoiler:would go on to become Astarte.]] Also, Ardebaran's mask appears in ''Kagero'' as an unlockable trap.

* InsistentTerminology: The third game always refers to TRAPs in all capitals, for some reason.

* SexyBack: The title screen of the second game.

Being the hero is [[VictoryIsBoring so dull]]. You fight against the boss, beat him, save the world, and everybody loves you, right?

Well, [[EvilIsCool playing for the other team has its benefits, too.]]

In 1996, for the Sony PlayStation, Tecmo released ''[[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt Tecmo's]] Deception: Invitation to Darkness'', which, while not a smash success by any stretch of the imagination, allowed the player to do something not often seen in video games: play as the bad guy. The goal of the story was to resurrect {{Satan}}, and instead of doing so with direct combat, you utilized a series of deadly traps that you placed throughout your castle. The game did well enough to spark a small series, although nothing new has been announced as of this time.

#''Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness'' (''Kokumeikan'') -- As a [[HelloInsertNameHere nameless]] prince of Zemekia, the player has been framed for the murder of the king by his brother Yurias in a bid for the throne, and he is spirited away by a demoness named Astarte to make a DealWithTheDevil to get his revenge.

#''Kagero: Deception II'' (''Kagero: Kokumeikan Shinsho'') -- A girl named Millennia is caught up as a MeatPuppet in a power struggle between the [[BlueBlood Time]][[{{Immortality}} noids]] and the humans over whom they reign.

#''Deception III: Dark Delusion'' (''Soumatou'') -- A girl named Reina has been abducted, along with her family, to be sold into slavery in a neighboring kingdom. She is freed by a rebel faction and must decide whose side she is on.

#''{{Trapt}}'' (''Kagero II: [[GratuitousEnglish Dark Illusion]]'') -- Princess Allura has been framed for the murder of her father and flees to a dark castle to escape execution, and while there, a demon offers her a chance for revenge.

In 1997, for the Sony PlayStation, Tecmo released ''[[InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt Tecmo's]] Deception: Invitation to Darkness'', which, while not a smash success by any stretch of the imagination, allowed the player to do something not often seen in video games: play as the bad guy. The goal of the story was to resurrect {{Satan}}, and instead of doing so with direct combat, you utilized a series of deadly traps that you placed throughout your castle. The game did well enough to spark a small series, although nothing new has been announced as of this time.

* AnInteriorDesignerIsYou: You can add rooms to the Castle of the Damned in the first game, though you cannot subtract any that were there from the start.

* {{Narm}}: The games are filled with horrible, melodramatic "acting" and dialogue.

#''Kagero: Deception II'' (''Kagero: Kokumeikan Shinsho'') -- A girl named Millennia is caught up as a MeatPuppet in a power struggle between the [[BlueBlood Time]][[{{Immortality}} noids]] and the humans over whom they reign. [[OrIsIt Or is she?]]

* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler: Typically, it turns out the main character is being manipulated. Often by [[ThirtyGambitPileup various sources]], to differing ends.]]

#''Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness'' (''Kokumeikan'')
#''Kagero: Deception II'' (''Kagero: Kokumeikan Shinsho'')
#''Deception III: Dark Delusion'' (''Soumatou'')
#''{{Trapt}}'' (''Kagero II: [[GratuitousEnglish Dark Illusion]]'')

* FunWithAcronyms: For whatever reason, "Timenoid" is shortened down to "TMD". "AUO" in ''Dark Delusion'' doesn't seem to stand for anything.

* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler: Typically, it turns out the main character is being manipulated. Often by [[ThirtyXanatosPileup various sources]], to differing ends.]]

* ArtEvolution: The first game uses goraud-shaded, SuperDeformed characters similar to ''FinalFantasyVII''. Later games opted to with with texture-mapped, proportional figures.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: ''Invitiation to Darkness'' is almost completely different from its successors, and it made use of goraud-shaded polygons similar to ''FinalFantasyVII'' while the sequels would opt to go with straight texture-mapping.

* HumanResources: Used in ''Invitiation to Darkness'' either to collect gold, restore the ManaMeter, or to harvest the actual ''bodies'' to create monsters.

* [[HeroicMime Antiheroic Mime]]: The player-character in ''Invitiation to Darkness'', Millennia.

* BonusBoss: Pretty much any gaiden character in ''Trapt'', but especially the final bosses of each path: Millennia (trap-tripper) and Kendal (creates illusions), each more inexplicable than the last. (Kenny's scene had this troper [[GainaxEnding flashing back to the last episode of Evangelion]].)

* [[strike:DubNameChange]] [[DubNameChange Subtitle Name Change]]: The change from "Alicia" to "Allura" was strictly in the text. The voice acting still very obviously uses "Alicia".

* WhatMeasureIsAMook: The games often go to some bother to make it clear that you're not killing anonymous mooks, but ''people'', with actual names, backstories and personalities. The [[{{Narm}} terrible acting]] keeps this from having the effect Tecmo was going for, however.
* XanatosSucker: [[spoiler: Typically, it turns out the main character is being manipulated. Often by [[ThirtyXanatosPileup various sources]], to differing ends.]]
**Well, it IS called Deception.
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* [[strike:DubNameChange]] [[DubNameChange Subtitle Name Change]]: The change from "Alicia" to "Allura" was strictly in the text. The voice acting still very obviously uses "Allura".

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Princess Fiana and Princess Allura.

* PitTrap