History VideoGame / ArmedWithWings

In 2011, Daniel-Sun released ''[[http://www.sun-studios.net/viewGame.php?view=12 Culmination]]'', which follows the side story of Lone Warrior during the events of ''Armed With Wings 3'' as he sets out on his own, blinded by rage, to slay Vandheer Lorde. [[ForegoneConclusion That goes well.]] ''Culmination'' is a short, pure fighting platformer with no puzzle elements nor level system, but it really tones up the epic attacks and combos. Thanks to a deal made between Sun Studios and Creator/CartoonNetwork, the game can also be played in the form of a ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' flash game called ''Shadow Mission'', which replaces the Lone Warrior with Robin and the BigBad with Young Justice villain Klarion, and whose plot involves Robin being pulled into a shadow dimension and having to fight his way out with the help of the other members of his team.

There is a world, not unlike ours, but not quite like ours either. In this world, reigns an [[BigBad evil tyrant]] going by the name of [[AwesomeMcCoolName Vandheer]] [[MeaningfulName Lorde]]. Five years ago, an army of rebels stood up to defeat the king. They failed, and were all slaughtered.

In 2011, Daniel-Sun released ''[[http://www.sun-studios.net/viewGame.php?view=12 Culmination]]'', which follows the side story of Lone Warrior during the events of ''Armed With Wings 3'' as he sets out on his own, blinded by rage, to slay Vandheer Lorde. [[ForegoneConclusion That goes]] [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption well]]. ''Culmination'' is a short, pure fighting platformer with no puzzle elements nor level system, but it really tones up the epic attacks and combos. Thanks to a deal made between Sun Studios and Creator/CartoonNetwork, the game can also be played in the form of a ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' flash game called ''Shadow Mission'', which replaces the Lone Warrior with Robin and the BigBad with Young Justice villain Klarion, and whose plot involves Robin being pulled into a shadow dimension and having to fight his way out with the help of the other members of his team.

* [[spoiler:AGodIsYou:]] [[spoiler:Essentially, the player in ''Armed with Wings 1'' and ''3''. Interestingly, this status is ''not'' permanent; Those who are Armed With Wings will have their true nature as Blackmist revealed to them in their most dire hour, but the essence of the God Blackmist can leave the chosen Armed With Wings for another chosen. This is the case with the Lone Warrior, who was Armed With Wings (and thus Blackmist) in ''AWW 1'' and 2, but was no longer during ''AWW 3'' and ''Culmination'', since Leo was the new chosen.]]

* [[spoiler:DuelingPlayerCharacters]]: [[spoiler:Depending on your difficulty, you'll get to play as either Vandheer or Lone Warrior against the other.]]
* DyingAlone: The Lone Warrior in the end, [[spoiler:though we know it doesn't stick]].

** ''Culmination'' takes this UpToEleven.

* VillainTeleportation: Vandheer Lorde, in almost every game featuring him. The only game in which he does not is ''[=AWW2=]'' — the one where you play as him. Especially prominent in ''[=AWW3=]'' and ''Culmination'', and '''[[UpToEleven especially]]''' in ''Culmination'', seeing as [[spoiler:the player will likely be [[TeleportSpam spamming them to hell and back]] in sheer glee]].

* ContinuityNod: Vandheer uses the Blade of Lightning as his new signature weapon, which he presumably obtained inside the room of sealing, just like the player gained it after finishing ''AWW2''.
** One of Leo's specials is a giant energy wave, a nod to Eivana's powers conferred by the Red Moon in..., well, ''Red Moon''.

* AnIcePerson: In every game of the series, including the one where you control him, Vandheer is able to fire blue damaging projectiles. Due to the series' peculiar art style, they could have been anything, and it's only in ''Armed with Wings 3'' that they are revealed to be ice bolts.

* SequelDecay: Some pay be disappointed with the lower difficulty of the later games compared to the first one.

* DifficultySpike: The Hard mode in this game is very noticeably harder than Normal. It changes not only the power and amount of enemies, but also the layout of several levels to be noticeably harder. Also, it turns several bosses, which are fairly easy on normal mode, into vicious killing machines who will spam their attacks with barely any window to hit them in return.

But now, one of the rebels finds himself [[BackFromTheDead coming back to life.]] He has become Armed with Wings, the avatar of Blackmist, divine matter that composes all beings of this world. Armed with Wings is one being in two - a man, and an eagle. With this new power, he now has another chance to defeat Vandheer Lorde once and for all.

''[[http://www.sun-studios.net/viewGame.php?view=8 Armed with Wings 3]]'' appears to take place many years after the events of the first two games. The shadow of a great evil hangs over the lands, and it's up to Leo - a mere boy, Eivana's child -- to save his world. In this one, the eagle element is reintroduced, though the puzzles are much easier than in the first game. This game also has an RPG element, as Leo can gain experience, upgrade his stats, learn new skills and find new powerful spells.

* [[spoiler: AGodIsYou:]] [[spoiler: Essentially, the player in Armed with Wings 1 and 3. Interestingly, this status is ''not'' permanent; Those who are Armed With Wings will have their true nature as Blackmist revealed to them in their most dire hour, but the essence of the God Blackmist can leave the chosen Armed With Wings for another chosen. This is the case with the Lone Warrior, who was Armed With Wings (and thus Blackmist) in AWW 1 and 2, but was no longer during AWW 3 and ''Culmination'', since Leo was the new chosen.]]
* BackFromTheDead: Blackmist can bring the righteous back to life. This is how Armed with Wings is able to take his revenge on the King ([=AWW1=]), how he then brings back his rebel comrades ([=AWW2=]), and how [[spoiler:Leo brings back his mother and Lone Warrior from the grave]].

** [=AWW1=]: Goals that don't appear when supposed to, goals that are unreachable, getting stuck inside walls from knockback, problems with point of view and scrolling, inability to walk on certain objects may cause you to become stuck...

** [=AWW2=]: Vindstot freezing in a state where she's unattackable and unable to attack.
** [=AWW3=]: Getting pushed through walls and stuck inside of them without possibility to get out nor a level restart button, Network teleporting out of reach in Survival mode, Vandheer freezing up in Survival mode...

* MysteriousPast: Lone Warrior is the most featured character in the series, behind only Vandheer (the only game where he does not feature is ''Red Moon''), however, he might also be the character we know the least about. He is the leader of the rebellion against Vandheer and seems to hate the man with a passion, to the point of it being [[ItsPersonal personal]], but no explanation is ever given as to what Vandheer actually did that made Lone Warrior bear such a grudge - he isn't telling and Vandheer [[ButForMeItWasTuesday might not even remember]]. In fact, Lone Warrior is such a mystery that we don't even know so much as his '''name''', the only major character in the series with this distinction.
* PowerGivesYouWings: The Lone Warrior, as [[TheChosenOne Armed with Wings]], have this, but we [[InformedAbility don't actually see them]] before the end of the second game. In the third, they appear, too, but mostly in the videos.

** ''Culmination'' takes this UpToEleven

* SequelEscalation: The first game was unbearably hard and lacked several crucial features, like a save function and the ability to jump, which admittedly makes for an odd platformer. Later games fixed those problems, toned down the difficulty, were much richer in terms of story and last but not least, [[RuleOfCool had more awesome attacks.]]
* ShoutOut: The whole series is clearly inspired by Manga/{{Bleach}}. The Power Wave and the Power of the Red Moon are very reminiscent of Getsouga Tenshou, and Vandheer's mask is quite reminiscent to something you'd see in Bleach. Completed Network is quite similar appearance-wise to Hollow Ichigo.

* SwordBeam: In [=AWW3=] Vandheer casts a modified one in a cutscene, it's a straight beam rather than a curved slash.

* VillainTeleportation: Vandheer Lorde, in almost every game featuring him. The only game in which he does not is [=AWW2=] -- the one where you play as him. Especially prominent in ''[=AWW3=]'' and ''Culmination'', and '''[[UpToEleven especially]]''' in ''Culmination'', seeing as [[spoiler:the player will likely be [[TeleportSpam spamming them to hell and back]] in sheer glee.]]

!!Armed with Wings 1 provides examples of:

* GuideDangIt: Killing the demon boss and solving some of the puzzles late-game can be rather frustrating. Thankfully there's a walkthrough.

* LuckBasedMission: your success against the first boss highly depends on whether he decides to spam his windmill move, giving you no chance to retaliate against him and eventually pinning you to the spiked wall.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: The accurately named Master Blade, the last item to be unlocked by grinding points. It's a sword with only one ability that cannot be changed (which strikes all the enemies on screen with a series of consecutive blink-slashes, similarly to Lone Warrior's ultimate in ''Culmination''), but what makes it unique is that it's the only sword in the game which [[{{Cap}} maxes out]] '''all''' stats (health, damage, speed and range).

* SequentialBoss: Vandheer Lorde is one, this time around. The battle starts off similarly to the way it played out in ''Armed With Wings 1'', with Vandheer fighting with his [[BareFistedMonk bare fists]], teleporting erratically around the map, flinging ice bolts and occasionally using a massive avalanche, [[TurnsRed getting faster and more aggressive as his health goes down]], but is eventually finished by a power attack. This time around, however, [[spoiler:a cutscene follows, wherein Vandheer [[IAmNotLeftHanded proceeds to draw his own blade]]. The '''true''' final level then ensues, in which Vandheer gains some new attacks and fights aggressively right off the bat. Another short cutscene occurs after Vandheer is reduced to a little less than half of his health. When he reaches very low health, Vandheer goes '''absolutely nuts''', becoming more relentless than ever and gaining the ability to jump into the air and fire bolts of dark lightning. At this point, if the Lone Warrior falls, yet another cutscene ensues as he accesses his EleventhHourSuperpower, regaining all of his health and receiving a tremendous boost in abilities to put Vandheer down, though even that is far from a guarantee of victory considering how utterly frantic the king is at that point.]]

!!Armed with Wings 2 provides examples of:

* BlownAcrossTheRoom: Most bosses have power attacks that will send Vandheer flying - usually that's the last attack in their combo chain. This is a bad thing because most bosses have BottomlessPits around their arena. Hawken is particularly rage-inducing with this, because his knockback move is dished out using his WhipSword, which has an ''immense'' range.

* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Vandheer ends up sealed in a white room for all eternity... or not, since he gets out in ''Armed with Wings 3''.]]
* {{Fireballs}}: Quema Tormenta's ultimate attack is a massive ball of fire that can only be avoided via super jump and deals massive damage if it hits. Unfortunately it also uses so much energy he has to take a break, during which he's wide open.
* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: [[spoiler:Armed with Wings fight. If you lose, Vandheer is killed, if you win he is [[SealedEvilInACan sealed in a room forever]]... or is he?]]

* OneLastSmoke: Vandheer denies a last smoke to Smoking Martillo, which is probably a good idea seeing as Martillo is able to attack with smoke.

* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Vandheer's grab move is a variation of this. He telekinetically raises his unfortunate victim above his head and then sends them flying with a blast of magical energy. Usually this kills normal mooks on the spot.

* TheStarscream: [[spoiler:Brother Hawken. He betrays Vandheer in ''Red Moon'' in an attempt to seize power. Come ''Armed with Wings 2'', Vandheer calls upon him for aid, and this time he joins the rebels and betrays him AGAIN.]]

!!Armed with Wings 3 provides examples of:

* AnnoyingArrows: The archers don't deal much damage (then again, most of the enemies don't deal too much damage anyways), plus their arrows can be deflected. However they can become deadly if they hit you mid-jump and send you hurtling into a bottomless pit.

* BreakingOutTheBoss: Inverted: it's the boss ([[GodOfEvil Network]]) who breaks out his subordinate ([[EvilOverlord Vandheer Lorde]]). [[spoiler:But played somewhat straight in that it is Vandheer who is the FinalBoss, not Network]].

* ContinuityNod: Vandheer uses the Blade of Lightning as his new signature weapon, which he presumably obtained inside the room of sealing, just like the player gained it after finishing AWW2.

* DevelopersForesight: After the first stage, the Blacksmith will give you the new "traditional karate" style. However, if you are on a [[NewGamePlus NewGame+]], you will already have this style. The dialogue will change to reflect this. Oddly, this doesn't happen with the other styles you are given.

* ReasonYouSuckSpeech: When Leo comes to face Network, the latter asks him: "Have you come for justice, or revenge?" then snorts derisively that Leo is but a child blinded by his own hatred... [[spoiler:until, that is, he sees Blackmist's wings on Leo's back.]]

** The first boss (who stops walking around slowly and starts running around at high speed, making him much more deadlier as it becomes harder to keep your distance, also when he uses his special the swords move around before emerging, making them harder to avoid),
** The fourth boss, who rains down more fireballs faster when damaged. The size of the fireball he casts just before taking a rest also goes up as his health goes down. If he's really badly wounded, he takes you by surprize by casting not one but two of them.
** Network, the fifth boss. Once taken to half health he proceeds to collapse the sides of the area you're fighting him in to a bottomless abyss (which can be a nasty surprise if you were precisely there just as you brought him at half health). He will also start using his special moves much more often, and uses more of them too. He also gains Anti-Flinch when he has about 1/3 of life remaining.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Network, the antithesis to Blackmist, is obviously the Satan of this world. Which might make Vandheer the Antichrist? And Leo has Jesus-like overtones - a child with no father, son of Blackmist if you will.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: This game has the very first appearance of [[BigBad Net]][[{{Satan}} work]], in the ending cutscene. Back then, [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment his purpose was unclear]] as he just sorta appears and stands there, [[spoiler:stopping Vandheer from finishing Hawken off in the process]]. We never get any explanation of what he is and what he was doing there until [=AWW3=]. This encounter is how Eivana learned about Network and got the idea that Vandheer might be able to face him.

* ClusterFBomb: More like "Cluster S Bomb", but same effect; Hawken, [[spoiler: when he and Eivana are at Vandheer's non-existent mercy.]]

--> '''Vandheer''' (to Hawken's boast about the Red Moon): ''[[spoiler: Hmph. A Red Moon. So? [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter What kind of King would I be if I couldn't harness the power of a Red Moon?]] [[OhCrap Something as forgettable as that won't help you at all]].]]''

!!Culmination provides examples of:

* ContinuityNod: Vandheer has the same moveset as in ''Armed With Wings 3'' - though he's now [[ThatOneBoss a lot more brutal with it]].

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Daniel-Sun must ''really'' love this. Lone Warrior is doomed by canon -- he is to be slain by Vandheer Lorde [[spoiler: and then revived by Leo.]] Normal Mode plays with it a bit though, since [[spoiler:you take control of Vandheer Lorde for the battle.]] Hard Mode plays it straight, since [[spoiler:you fight Vandheer with Lone Warrior and Vandheer will pretty much one-hit kill you as soon as you bring him down to no health.]]
* GoldenEnding: Averted. Whether you play normal or hard, there will be NO good end. The final battle differs, but the result is the same.

* MirrorBoss: Lone Warrior's battle against Vandheer is one this time around. Two agile swordfighters with three special moves each (though Lone Warrior's ultimate is useless on Vandheer) and many combo possibilities - perhaps more than any other boss in this series, this is a battle of pure skill. Of course, Vandheer's attacks have a longer range and he's not limited by energy.

* ReverseGrip: The normal way for Lone Warrior to hold his sword. Curiously, he didn't do it in [=AWW3=].

** Vandheer as usual can teleport, but he normally does not spam it, however [[spoiler:when you take control of him for the Normal difficulty battle, you have the option to spam his teleport slash over and over again. It's a GameBreaker because the AI cannot avoid it and Vandheer never loses energy, so you can spam it to your heart's content with no retaliation and tear Lone Warrior apart.]]

* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Daniel-Sun must ''really'' love this. Lone Warrior is doomed by canon -- he is to be slain by Vandheer Lorde [[spoiler: and then revived by Leo.]] Normal Mode plays with it a bit though, since [[spoiler:[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome you take control of Vandheer Lorde for the battle]].]] Hard Mode plays it straight, since [[spoiler:you fight Vandheer with Lone Warrior and Vandheer will pretty much one-hit kill you as soon as you bring him down to no health.]]

Daniel-Sun has continued development of Armed with Wings over time, and in 2015, he released a new commercial game that can be bought on steam early access: ''[[http://store.steampowered.com/app/340580/ Armed with Wings:Rearmed]]''. As the title indicates, it is a remastered edition of the first Armed with Wings game, with new features like boosters to increase your stats and repertoire; an enhanced combat system and an arsenal of weapons with different strengths and weaknesses. The game is being actively developed, with new features every so often.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: The sword of Lightning special consumes less energy than your cheapest special move, deals enough damage to kill even bosses in one hit, and most importantly, [[SoCoolItsAwesome calls down lightning from the skies]]. And it looks like a lightning bolt, too.

* BadAss: [[WorldOfBadass Mostly everyone]], but Vandheer most of all.

''[[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/436721 Armed with Wings]]'' is a free flash game on Newgrounds created by Daniel-Sun. It's a unique platformer with elements of a puzzle game and a stealth game at once, since you can not only fight enemies with your sword, but also send out your eagle to solve a variety of difficult puzzles and distract enemies as you venture through the lands to reach and face the evil ruler himself. The game, and all of its successors, are also made in a mostly black and white distinct art style, reminiscent of shadow theater. The game has become highly popular and spawned several sequels and a prequel, ''Red Moon''.

In ''Red Moon'' you play the part of Eivana as she and Hawken attempt to slay King Vandheer to seize power themselves. Since Vandheer is still around and ruling in the main game, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption you can guess]] [[ForegoneConclusion how well that worked.]] This game is a bit more of a standard fighting platformer, and does not incorporate the eagle element.

The events of ''Armed with Wings 2'' are situated directly after ''Armed with Wings 1''. This time, [[VillainProtagonist you play the part of Vandheer Lorde]] as he struggles to regain his throne from Armed with Wings. The game is also a fighting platformer like ''Red Moon''.

''Armed with Wings 3'' appears to take place many years after the events of the first two games. The shadow of a great evil hangs over the lands, and it's up to Leo - a mere boy, Eivana's child -- to save his world. In this one, the eagle element is reintroduced, though the puzzles are much easier than in the first game. This game also has an RPG element, as Leo can gain experience, upgrade his stats, learn new skills and find new powerful spells.

The newest game in the series, ''Culmination'', follows the side story of Lone Warrior during the events of ''Armed With Wings 3'' as he sets out on his own, blinded by rage, to slay Vandheer Lorde. [[ForegoneConclusion That goes]] [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption well]]. ''Culmination'' is a short, pure fighting platformer with no puzzle elements nor level system, but it really tones up the epic attacks and combos. Thanks to a deal made between Sun Studios and Creator/CartoonNetwork, the game can also be played in the form of a ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' flash game called ''Shadow Mission'', which replaces the Lone Warrior with Robin and the BigBad with Young Justice villain Klarion, and whose plot involves Robin being pulled into a shadow dimension and having to fight his way out with the help of the other members of his team.

* VillainTeleportation: Vandheer Lorde, in almost every game featuring him. The only game in which he does not is [=AWW2=] -- the one where you play as him. Especially prominent in ''[=AWW3=]'' and ''Culmination'', and '''[[UpToEleven especially]]''' in ''Culmination'', seeing as [[spoiler:the player will likely be spamming them to hell and back in sheer glee.]]

* TurnsRed: Vandheer starts off doing little but his basic combo (though even that has a long range and is pretty punishing), and he leaves himself vulnerable doing it. As time goes on, he starts using his teleport slash at the end of it, simultaneously leaving less room to hit him and doing more damage himself. He also uses his specials a lot more later on. He also begins to run instead of walking at the midpoint of the battle. [[SerialEscalation By the end of the battle]], [[RuleOfCool he's pulling off crazy stunts]] like a ''long'' sequence of {{Flash Step}}s all over the place before attacking, and ''[[{{Flight}} flying]]'' in order to [[DeathFromAbove drop a bolt of energy on you.]]

* VillainTeleportation: Vandheer Lorde, in almost every game featuring him. The only game in which he does not is [=AWW2=] -- the one where you play as him.

* TurnsRed: Vandheer starts off doing little but his basic combo (though even that has a long range and is pretty punishing), and he leaves himself vulnerable doing it. As time goes on, he starts using his teleport slash at the end of it, simultaneously leaving less room to hit him and doing more damage himself. He also uses his specials a lot more later on. He also begins to run instead of walking at the midpoint of the battle.

There is a world, not unlike ours, but not quite like ours either. In this world, reigns an [[BigBad evil tyrant]] going by the name of Vandheer [[MeaningfulName Lorde]]. Five years ago, an army of rebels stood up to defeat the king. They failed, and were all slaughtered.

* DyingAlone: The Lone Warrior in the end.

* ClusterFBomb: More like "ClusterSBomb", but same effect; Hawken, [[spoiler: when he and Eivana are at Vandheer's non-existent mercy.]]

--> '''Vandheer''' (to Hawken's boast about the Red Moon): ''[[spoiler: Hmph. A Red Moon. So? What kind of King would I be if I couldn't harness the power of a Red Moon? Something as forgettable as that won't help you at all.]]''

* FlamingSkulls: You fight such enemies in the fourth level. And the boss of said level is a giant, [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinetic]] version.

* PlayingWithFire: Quema Tormenta, and Vandheer with the sword of Fire.

* SuperSmoke: Smoking Martillo can turn to smoke and push an enemy away with smoke clouds.

** Network, the fifth boss. Once taken to half health he proceeds to collapse the sides of the area you're fighting him in to a bottomless abyss (which can be a nasty surprize if you were precisely there just as you brought him at half health). He will also start using his special moves much more often, and uses more of them too. He also gains Anti-Flinch when he has about 1/3 of life remaining.

--> '''Vandheer''' (to Hawken's boast about the Red Moon): ''[[spoiler: Hmph. A Red Moon. So? What kind of King would I be if I couldn't harness the power of something as forgetable as that?]]''

** AwesomeYetPractical: Definitely the sword of Fire. Once you get it, there's no reason to use anything else until the NewGamePlus item, the Sword of Lightning. The special costs about half your power bar and hits hard enough to one-hit kill any Mook (usually including the elite guards). Did we mention it creates a huge fiery explosion? On the hardest difficulty level, where enemies tend to attack very brutally with almost no respite, avoiding their attacks and hitting them from afar with the Fire sword special is perhaps the best way to win.