History VideoGame / Awakening

* HundredPercentAdorationRating:
** Sophia (like her parents before her) clearly enjoys this from her subjects, all of whom have been waiting patiently for a hundred years for her to come and save them from Dreadmyre.
** In the playable epilogue of ''The Golden Age'', the Elder Trees advise Sasha that [[spoiler:she must be a wise ruler when she becomes Queen. She is Sophia's grandmother, and the family will need her support when the worst comes.]]

* BalefulPolymorph: The cute hamster Nibbles that you help the mysterious peddler recover? [[spoiler:He's really King Crookshanks, the Goblin King. His brother Grimble turned him into a hamster in order to usurp the throne. The peddler is actually Cyrus, the Goblin court wizard, who went into hiding with the king until Sophia arrived.]]

* FungusHumongous: In the Fungal Forest, where the Gnomes live in ''Goblin Kingdom'', most things there are based around mushrooms or spores; and their Sacred Toadstool is a massive glowing mushroom several stories tall!
* [[GhostCity Ghost Kingdom]]: The original human kingdom, where Sophia awakens in ''Dreamless Castle'', is this in the sense that she is the only human left in it. It's been so long since humans were seen there that some of the goblins she encounters don't even believe in her existence anymore.

* {{Guile Hero}}ine: Sophia is, [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld at least physically]], a sixteen-year-old girl without any magic. As such, she has to rely on her own wits and intellect to accomplish her goals.
* HelloInsertNameHere: In ''Kingdoms'', a squabbit (squirrel/rabbit hybrid) served as the hint assistant. Its default name was "Buddy," but the player could change it to anything they wished.

* AdrenalineMakeover: ''The Sunhook Spire'' has Sophia change from a full length gown to a more practical SkirtOverSlacks [[LadyofAdventure Lady of Adven]][[AdventurerOutfit ture Outfit]].

* ''[[http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/27988/awakening-the-golden-age-collectors-edition/index.html The Golden Age]]'' is a {{Prequel}} set in the Human Kingdom a century before Sophia's birth. You play as Sasha, a human who barely escapes an attack on her village by the Minotaur Kingdom. Alongside the human Prince Cedric, Sasha sets out to find out why the Minotaur Kingdom is attacking and to stop further attacks before all out war breaks loose.

** In the playable epilogue of ''The Golden Age'', the Elder Trees advise Sasha that [[spoiler:she must be a wise ruler when she ascends to Queen. She is Sophia's grandmother, and the family will need her support when the worst comes.]]

* ArtInitiatesLife: In ''Golden Age'', the gnolls' favored form of magic is using magic charcoal which brings things to life [[spoiler:and in Cedric's case, traps him inside a faded drawing.]]

* FungusHumongous: The Fungal Forest where the Gnomes live in the ''Goblin Kingdom''. Most things there are based around mushrooms or spores, and their Sacred Toadstool is a massive glowing mushroom several stories tall!

* ALoadOfBull: The opening of ''The Golden Age'' leads the player to believe the main antagonist is the Minotaur Kingdom. Except they aren't, they're only attacking under the belief that Human Kingdom have been trying to starve them as their water source has been cut off. [[spoiler:One of the minotaurs, Longhorn, believes differently and offers his help. It's then revealed the mysterious Black Tree has been absorbing the minotaurs' water. Once the truth comes to light, the minotaurs help rebuild the Human Kingdom in gratitude.]]

** Also, Sophia's parents' names have not been given.

** Prior to ''Skyward Castle'', most characters simply call Sophia "Princess." In ''Sunhook Spire'', she is often addressed or referred to as "Skyward Queen" rather than by her actual name.

** Prince Cedric in ''The Golden Age'' is no slouch, as he first tells Sasha and her friend Caity that he's a Ranger in the royal army before divulging his true identity. [[spoiler:It's implied that Sasha will eventually marry Cedric as she's a commoner and is revealed to be Sophia's grandmother.]]

* TimeSkip: The bonus chapter epilogue of ''Redleaf Forest'' takes place at least ten years later as Sophia [[spoiler: now has a little girl of her own, Andreia. The player is the newest nanny for the little princess. Ran now sports a pair of glasses, and the pocket dragon is now a full-sized dragon with her own offspring.]]

* FiveRaces: Only four have been shown: Humans, Fairies, Gnomes, and Dwarves. It's shown that before Dreadmyre attacked the realm, all the races shared the world in harmony. Fauns, goblins, centaurs, and other fantastical creatures are also shown to live in this world. It's only after Dreadmyre's attack that the humans fled to the sky, and the centaurs and dwarves that mainly inhabit the Redleaf Forest have been feuding since.

** Since Ran is off with Sophia during the events of ''Kingdoms'', Linea the owl was the one to teach the player the game mechanics and also provided some of the quests, while a squabbit was the hint button.

* SamusIsAGirl: WordOfGod states that the pocket dragon is female.

** Similarly, Skullface the... Uh, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin skull]] references memes such as "[[Series/{{Mythbusters}} Am I missing an eyebrow?]]" and [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim 'taking an arrow to the knee']].
** Skullface is also a reference to the talking skull guard from the ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series, down to the accent.

* FeaturelessProtagonist: Averted by the main series, but played straight in ''Kingdoms'', since the steward you're playing is supposed to literally be yourself. In the bonus chapter of ''The Redleaf Forest'', your avatar is blank as you are the newest nanny to [[spoiler: Sophia's daughter]].

* GottaCatchEmAll: ''Kingdoms'' has various collectibles scattered around which can be found during the course of completing objectives; most of them are given as bonuses in hidden object scenes. Collecting all of a particular kind of object (e.g. a certain group of flowers) nets prizes such as extra coin or supplies.

* HelloInsertNameHere: In ''Kingdoms'', you have a squabbit (squirrel/rabbit hybrid) as your hint assistant. Its default name is "Buddy," but you can change it to anything you like.

* KidSidekick: In ''Kingdoms'', a local boy named Quinn will offer his advice to the player on various tasks in exchange for resources for his squabbit den.

** ''Kingdoms'' gives the player one in the form of Linea, another owl.

** Since Ran is off with Sophia during the events of ''Kingdoms'', Linea the owl teaches you how to play the game and provides you with some of your quests, while a squabbit is your hint button.

* PowerCrystal: Light crystals are the energy source fueling the lift in the Sunhook Spire. In ''Kingdoms'' they are used to purchase building upgrades and also to speed up the reconstruction time on various buildings.

* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Pretty nearly every animal Sophia encounters, but particular mention in the main games must be given to her pet pocket dragon, Ran the owl, and Nibbles the hamster. ''Kingdoms'' adds the equally adorable squabbit and Linea the owl.

* SocializationBonus: In ''Kingdoms'', some of the achievements can only be unlocked by getting other players to be your friends.

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* AndYourRewardIsInteriorDecorating: And exterior too. In ''Kingdoms'', you complete tasks to earn coins, light crystals, and resources, many of which are used to repair the damaged castle and other buildings throughout the Skyward Kingdom.

* BrokenPedestal: In ''Golden Age'', Prince Cedric was extremely proud of his uncle, General Claudius for leading the army and rescuing the villagers from the Minotaur attacks. [[spoiler: When the truth surfaces that Claudius created the Black Tree, which spurred the minotaurs' attacks, Cedric is outraged.]]

* EvilSorcerer: Dreadmyre. His attack on the human kingdom when Sophia was a child is what prompted the humans to leave the magical realm. [[spoiler: Turns out he's an evil spirit involved in a SummoningRitual gone wrong who killed and possessed the human kingdom's court wizard, whose name was Patrick Dreadmyre. The ghost of the real Patrick appears to Sophia and reveals the way to defeat Dreadmyre.]]

* WingedUnicorn: Sophia's feathered friend and means of transportation to the Skyward Kingdom.
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* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In ''Skyward Castle'', Sophia learns that every year on the Winter Solstice, the people of the Skyward Kingdom release enchanted lanterns. Her parents devised this celebration to help the princess find her way back to them, much like [[{{Disney/Tangled}} another king and queen used lanterns to commemorate their missing daughter]].

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: Played straight until the end of the fourth game, in which she becomes Queen.

* EvilSorcerer: Dreadmyre. His attack on the human kingdom when Sophia was a child is what prompted the humans to leave the magical realm. [[spoiler: Turns out he's an evil spirit involved in a SummoningRitual gone wrong who killed and possessed the human kingdom's court wizard, whose name was Thomas Dreadmyre. The ghost of the real Thomas appears to Sophia and reveals the way to defeat Dreadmyre.]]

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Dreadmyre. [[spoiler:It's a twist, though, in that the ''original'' Dreadmyre - Thomas Dreadmyre, the royal magician as noted above - was a really nice guy.]]

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The bonus chapter of ''Redleaf Forest'' reveals that [[spoiler: Sophia has a daughter of her own, Andreia. King Crookshanks eventually forgave his brother and Grimble is one of his advisers. The centaurs and dwarves ended their feud when the dwarf queen returned, and peace and prosperity have flourished throughout the land.]]

* ThreeDEffectsTwoDCartoon: The characters in ''The Golden Age'' are animated in CGI so they can move around, but the effect appears clunky next to the hand-drawn backgrounds.

* ConspicuousCG: The characters in ''The Golden Age'' are animated in CGI so they can move around, but the effect appears clunky next to the hand-drawn backgrounds.

* FollowTheLeader: Possibly. At the time that ''Kingdoms'' debuted, Big Fish Games was offering several {{Freemium}} games connected to some of their more popular series, presumably as a way of increasing player interest (and making extra money from in-game purchases). All of these have since been discontinued.

Additionally, Big Fish Games and Boomzap have released a {{Freemium}} spinoff game titled ''[[http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/25386/awakening-kingdoms/index.html Awakening: Kingdoms]]'', in which the player serves as the Skyward Kingdom's Royal Steward in Sophia's absence and helps restore and repair the kingdom after the events of ''The Skyward Castle''. It is not meant to supplant the main games, but to serve as worldbuilding and run concurrent to Sophia's story. After a few months, however, Boomzap announced that ''Awakening: Kingdoms'' has been discontinued; players can still continue to play the game, but the story has been stopped.

* ''[[http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/27988/awakening-the-golden-age-collectors-edition/index.html The Golden Age]]'' is a {{Prequel}} set in the Human Kingdom a century before Sophia's birth. You play as Sasha, a human who barely escapes an attack on her village by the Minotaur Kingdom. Alongside the human Prince Cedric, Sasha sets out to find out why the Minotaur Kingdom is attacking and to stop further attacks before all out war sets out.

** In the playable epilogue of ''The Golden Age'', the Elder Trees advise Sasha that [[spoiler:she must be a wise ruler when she ascends to Queen as she is Sophia's grandmother and the family will need the support when the worst comes.]]

* AchievementMockery: ''Awakening 7: The Golden Age'' has the "Murderer" achievement for trying to use a razor on some sleeping gnolls.

** The dark-robed and shady looking peddler is [[spoiler: actually the Goblin Kingdom's CourtMage, and he's been subtly aiding Sophia because he's in hiding with the real king.]]

Additionally, Big Fish Games and Boomzap have released a {{Freemium}} spinoff game titled ''[[http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/25386/awakening-kingdoms/index.html Awakening: Kingdoms]]'', in which the player serves as the Skyward Kingdom's Royal Steward in Sophia's absence and helps restore and repair the kingdom after the events of ''The Skyward Castle''. It is not meant to supplant the main games, but to serve as worldbuilding and run concurrent to Sophia's story. Sadly, Boomzap announced in May that ''Awakening: Kingdoms'' has been [[http://forum.boomzap.com/showthread.php?tid=2886 discontinued]], meaning that players can still continue to play the game, but the story has been stopped.

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: Sophia (like her parents before her) clearly enjoys this from her subjects, all of whom have been waiting patiently for a hundred years for her to come and save them from Dreadmyre.

* AdrenalineMakeover: ''The Sunhook Spire'' has Sophia change from a full length gown to a more practical SkirtOverSlacks [[LadyofAdventure Lady of Adven]][[AdventurerOutfit ture Outfit]]

* ArtInitiatesLife: In ''Golden Age'', the gnolls' favored form of magic is by the way of magic charcoal that bring things to life and [[spoiler: in Cedric's case, entraps him inside a faded drawing.]]
* BadassInDistress: There are a few instances of Sophia being captured or otherwise endangered during the course of the series. She is an entirely self-rescuing damsel, with only a little help here and there from characters she encounters.

* BittersweetEnding: In ''Skyward Castle'', Sophia defeats Dreadmyre and ascends to the throne, but her parents have been left comatose because their battle with Dreadmyre sapped their spirits.

* {{Brainwashed}}: Captain Ironhoof, the sky pirate who captures Sophia at the end of the epilogue of ''Skyward Castle'', is actually under the influence of a curse that Grimble cast over him. Once released from the effects, the captain apologizes and thanks Sophia for freeing him when she destroys the amulet casting the curse.

* CallBack: In the playable epilogue of ''Redleaf Forest'', [[spoiler: Sophia's daughter Andreia]] recreates Sophia's adventures throughout the castle.

* DarkIsNotEvil: The Witch of the Woods is dressed in dark robes, but she is definitely on the side of good.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The recurring symbols of the royal coat of arms popping up around the Black Tree [[spoiler:sets up the fact that Claudius is the Black Knight and is the one controlling the tree and causing the Minotaur Kingdom's drought.]]

* MissingMom[=/=]DisappearedDad: Sophia finally finds her parents in ''Skyward Castle''. Unfortunately, they're trapped in a magical coma and have no idea she's there.

* NonHumanSidekick: Ran the owl and the pocket dragon are Sophia's constant companions.

* NoNameGiven: The pocket dragon's name has yet to be revealed, although one of the devs hinted on the forums at Big Fish Games that she may receive a name in future installments.

** There has also been identity offered for [[spoiler:the father of Sophia's daughter Andreia.]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Ran's actual name is Randolph.
** Sophia is often addressed or referred to as "Skyward Queen" rather than by her actual name by characters in ''Sunhook Spire''.

* ParentalAbandonment: In order to save their people from Dreadmyre, the King and Queen of the human kingdom literally packed up all of their subjects and moved them to a realm in the sky - leaving behind their only child. It gets explained that they did this because Sophia was the prophesied ChosenOne who could defeat Dreadmyre, so as long as she stayed in the original kingdom it was incorrectly believed that he wouldn't seek out the other humans. The princess would meanwhile be kept safe under the protection of the Fairy Queen, the Witch of the Woods, the goblins in the castle, and the other forest guardians until she was old enough to confront Dreadmyre.

* ProudMerchantRace: The Goblins. They are friendly and helpful to Sophia but only for the right price or if she helps them with a task first. ''The Goblin Kingdom'' maximizes this to the hilt as Sophia needs to gather bolgins, the Goblin currency, in order to acquire needed items.

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Sophia and her parents are a full century older than they appear. In fact, this is true of ''all'' of the residents of the human kingdom, as they were trapped in stasis while the princess was in her magic slumber (see TimeStandsStill, below).
** Doubly unfortunate due to the fact that they were preparing to welcome her back with a parade when she was supposed to awaken... on her coming of age birthday.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: The basilisk unleashed by Dreadmyre turns people into stone.
** An paid back in kind when the Cockatrice defeats it and [[LaserGuidedKarma turns it to stone in turn]].

** Prince Cedric in ''The Golden Age'' is no slouch as he first tells Sasha and her friend Caity that he's a Ranger in the royal army before divulging his true identity. [[spoiler:It's implied that Sasha will eventually marry Cedric as she's a commoner and is revealed to be Sophia's grandmother.]]

* ShoutOut: Captain Jackdaw, the ship's captain/castle navigator in ''Skyward Castle'' is very, ''very'' obviously an {{Expy}} of [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Captain Jack Sparrow]].

** Skullface is also a reference to the talking skull guard from the [[VideoGame/QuestForGlory Quest For Glory]] series, down to the accent.

* SlippingAMickey: The peddler sells Sophia a sleeping potion to sneak into a guard's drink so she can steal his armor.
** [[spoiler: When Sasha and Cedric are captured by gnolls, a disguised Longhorn orchestrates their escape by cooking up a stew with a heavy sedative, which knocks the gnolls out.]]

* TontoTalk: Some of the Gnomes speak like this, their Shaman in particular seeing as they're Native American themed.

* UnSorcerer: Sophia's lack of magic in a world where all the humans have some degree of magic allows her to be unaffected by magical attacks and bypass the magical barrier of the Sunhook Spire.

** In the playable epilogue of ''The Golden Age'', the Elder Trees advise Sasha that [[spoiler:she must be a wise ruler when she ascends to Queen as she is Sophia's ancestor and the family will need the support when the worst comes.]]

** The epilogue of ''The Golden Age'' shows Sasha receiving visions of her future and of Sophia's journey. [[spoiler:Justified in that she is revealed to be Sophia's ancestor and they do share a slight resemblance.]]

* {{Prequel}}: ''The Golden Age'' is the seventh game in the series, and is set in the Human Kingdom a century before Sophia's birth. [[spoiler:Sasha is revealed to be Sophia's ancestor.]]

** Prince Cedric in ''The Golden Age'' is no slouch as he first tells Sasha and her friend Caity that he's a Ranger in the royal army before divulging his true identity. [[spoiler:It's implied that Sasha will eventually marry Cedric as she's a commoner and is revealed to be Sophia's ancestor.]]

* EvilSorcerer: Dreadmyre. His attack on the human kingdom when Sophia was a child is what prompted the humans to leave the magical realm. [[spoiler: Turns out he's an evil spirit who killed and possessed the human kingdom's court wizard, whose name was Thomas Dreadmyre. The ghost of the real Thomas appears to Sophia and reveals the way to defeat Dreadmyre.]]

* DigitalDistribution: Via Big Fish Games, among others.

* BadassPrincess: Princess Sophia, naturally. [[spoiler:After she defeats Dreadmyre the first time, she becomes Badass Queen Sophia, though at the cost of her parents remaining comatose. They do get better.]]