History VideoGame / CastleCrashers

** The Cyclops also does the thumbs-up from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''.

%%* BigBad: The Wizard.

%%* BubblegloopSwamp: The swamp and Medusa's Lair.

%%* DarkIsNotEvil: The playable Necromancer probably counts.%%How?
%%* DeathMountain: Full Moon.

* ChromosomeCasting: All playable characters and villains are male; this includes the [[RealMenWearPink Pink Knight]]. While there are princesses, [[SaveThePrincess their only purpose is to be saved]], there's no other interaction with them, and [[spoiler:one of them turns out to be [[Website/Newgrounds Tricky the Clown]]]].

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: [[spoiler:The dragon at the end of Lava World.]] [[spoiler:The Painter in the Wizard's Castle]] also fits, as does [[spoiler:the big angry corn husk]], and [[spoiler:[[Website/Newgrounds Tricky the Clown]]]].

* ChromosomeCasting: All playable characters and villains are male; this includes the [[RealMenWearPink Pink Knight]]. While there are princesses, [[SaveThePrincess their only purpose is to be saved]], there's no other interaction with them, and [[spoiler:one of them turns out to be [[WebAnimation/MadnessCombat Tricky the Clown]]]].

* GainaxEnding: The ending seems normal enough as the warrior takes the orange princess back home, but... [[spoiler:the princess turns out to be a clown in disguise. She dances around in a psychedelic background and then the game ends. How weird! But isn't that Tricky, a clown who's depicted as a murderer in the ''Madness Combat'' series and who already got a cameo in this game as an enemy in a room that [[FridgeHorror had portraits of a dead orange princess in the background?!]]]]

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: [[spoiler:The dragon at the end of Lava World.]] [[spoiler:The Painter in the Wizard's Castle]] also fits, as does [[spoiler:the big angry corn husk]], and [[spoiler:[[WebAnimation/MadnessCombat Tricky the Clown]]]].

* MonsterClown: A doodle based on [[http://newgrounds.wikia.com/wiki/Tricky Tricky the Clown]] is something the Painter boss can summon. [[spoiler:The Orange Princess turning out to have the same face is [[FridgeHorror rather suspicious]]. Tricky's design in this game is his original look from before his violent appearances in the ''Madness Combat'' series, though.]]

* TheReveal: The Orange Princess (see TheFaceless) shows up after the credits, her face this time covered by an orange veil. As you move in to kiss her like all the other princesses, she finally reveals her face... [[spoiler:and it's actually Tricky the Clown from ''WebAnimation/MadnessCombat'']]!

** Also, the [[spoiler:flying saucer]] level is one long shout-out to the game [[spoiler:''VideoGame/AlienHominid'']], right down to the [[OneHitPointWonder mooks' HP]].

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: Each character maxes out at Level 99. One can beat the game at around [strikethrough]Level 40[/strikethrough] 30, actually, as long as you didn't negelct strength. Those extra levels come ''real'' handy in [[HarderThanHard Insane Mode]], however. The game has up to about 30 playable characters (unlockables and DLC included).

''Castle Crashers'' is a BeatEmUp available on the UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade, Playstation Network, PC, and Mac. Created by Tom Fulp, creator of {{Website/Newgrounds}} and ''VideoGame/AlienHominid'', it maintains the comedic style and artistic look you might find on his web site.

[[folder: A -- F]]

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: Each character maxes out at Level 99. One can beat the game at around Level 40. Those extra levels come ''real'' handy in [[HarderThanHard Insane Mode]], however. The game has up to about 30 playable characters (unlockables and DLC included).

In 2015, the game was remastered for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne and PC. Then in 2019, the remaster was brought over to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

[[folder: A - F]]

* BigBad: The Wizard.

* BishonenLine: [[spoiler:The final battle. The Wizard fight has six stages!]]
** Also, the Necromancer, the Wizard's [[TheDragon second-in-command]] and most powerful minion, is humanoid, whereas his two lesser underlings are monstrous.

* BubblegloopSwamp: The swamp and Medusa's Lair.

* CowardlyBoss: The Industrial Prince runs away from you at every point up until the battle with [[spoiler:his giant mechanical contraption]]. Then he runs again, but gets zapped by the wizard instead of getting a ride. You can [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential smack him off the tower of his castle]] for some satisfying revenge.
** The moment can be even more hilarious depending on what means you smack him with. [[ImprobableWeaponUser The shovel. The horn. Anything works.]] For maximum laughs, bring along Bipolar Bear.

* {{Cyclops}}: One of the bosses.
* DarkIsNotEvil: The playable Necromancer probably counts.
* DeathMountain: Full Moon.

* MiniBoss: Several, although they seem to disappear after you cross the ocean.

* ExcusePlot: The Wizard invades the King's Castle to steal the large magical crystal off the throne. Wizard flies off on it, and the King yells at the Knights to bring it back. That's your story, now go hit stuff.

* ApatheticCitizens: Used ''painfully'' straight in the beginning of the game, then subverted later in the swamp level, where the peasants, encouraged by your violent bravery, join you in fights - and even then, you have to lure the [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Corn Boss]] into attacking them to actually have them join you in fighting the monstrosity.

* AvengingTheVillain: [[spoiler:The Conehead leader's death causes Cyclops to attack you... well, after he runs away with the Green Princess and you chase him down. Justified; the conehead leader is his ''son''.]]

* TheBrute: [[spoiler: The Recyclops plays the muscle to the Necromancer.]]

* CastingAShadow: The Skeletons, Cult Minions and the Necromancer all use Shadow Magic.

* CharacterLevel: As you level up, your character will learn new combos and gain 2 stat points until after Level 20 when it's reduced to one stat point.

* ChromosomeCasting: all playable characters and villains are male, this includes the [[RealMenWearPink Pink Knight]]. While there are princesses, [[SaveThePrincess their only purpose is to be saved]], there's no other interaction with them, and [[spoiler: one of them turns out to be [[WebAnimation/MadnessCombat Tricky the Clown]].]]
* ColorCodedMultiplayer: Red, blue, green and orange knights in four player action with many secret characters to unlock.
* ComedicSociopathy: In-Universe and out, some people can't help but laugh at some of the ways people die in this game. Even when players are fighting each other in the Arenas, sometimes the winner character will point and laugh at the dead loser. [[BackFromTheDead And they usually come back for the next level or match, of course]]. Even if they [[OffWithHisHead lost their head in the fight]].

* ConvectionSchmonvection: One of the greatest examples is the Cyclops boss: after his defeat he falls into a pit of magma and is buried here. When the necromancer resurrects him as Recyclops he doesn't look burned at all.

* CycleOfHurting: In cases where enemies spawn en masse, they may stunlock you until your health runs dry. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF4d4o-FUlI And even then it may take them awhile to stop.]] Also, the Blue Knight has a certain melee combo (Light, Light, Light, Heavy) that (after striking an enemy three times in succession) freezes that enemy with a heavy blow; this combo deals absolutely massive amounts of damage and can be spammed repeatedly on a single enemy if you have the proper timing skills.

* DemBones: Skeletons appears as mooks and potential playable character. They take minor damage from magic. Oddly, they can become beefy even if they're, you know, skeletal.

** Also happens on the [[spoiler: Alien Ship]], which you must escape from before it blows up. Otherwise, you take heavy damage.

** And those are just the ones that make sense. One boss is a [[spoiler:giant ear of corn who attacks rather viciously with his husk.]]

** Several other characters fit this, such as the Royal Guards, the Black Knights, the Wizard's Cultists, the Coneheads, the colored knights...

* GainaxEnding: The ending seems normal enough as the warrior takes the orange princess back home, but... [[spoiler:the princess turns out to be a clown in disguise. She dances around in a psychedelic background and then the game ends. How weird! But isn't that Tricky, a clown who's depicted as a murderer in the Madness Combat series and who already got a cameo in this game as an enemy in a room that [[FridgeHorror had portraits of a dead orange princess in the background?!]]]]

** [[spoiler:The Painter]] dodges you for the first half of his bar by only coming down from his spot to create more minions. Eventually his elevator breaks and he runs around screaming for help.
** [[spoiler: The Frost King]] is also hard to catch, seeing as [[spoiler: the battle arena's floor is completely made of slippery ice, and he also pops in and out similarly to The Evil Corn as his health runs out.]]

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: [[spoiler:The dragon at the end of Lava World]]. [[spoiler:The Painter in the Wizard's Castle]] also fits, as does [[spoiler:the big angry corn husk]], and [[spoiler:[[WebAnimation/MadnessCombat Tricky the Clown]]]].
* GoKartingWithBowser: At the end of the desert level, just after you slaughter dozens of Saracens, you play a friendly game of volley ball with some survivors. And even then, you can STILL beat each other senseless.

* InexplicableTreasureChests: Small ones can show up in certain levels, and a huge one full of money drops after every boss that guards a princess. [[spoiler:The chest the Evil Wizard drops, however, contains his [[EldritchAbomination more monstrous form]]]].

* IronicNurseryTune: The theme for the Conehead Groom fight, called "Till Death Do I Impart" is a distorted version of "Here Comes The Bride".

* LoadBearingBoss:[[spoiler: The Wizard, whose castle gradually falls apart as you fight him. Justifiable, as he's going OneWingedAngel on you.]]

* MagicKnight: All the characters can cast magic and beat stuff up, but you need to upgrade attack, defense AND magic for this to be an extremely effective build.

* MonsterArena: Several throughout the game. [[spoiler:Beat them to be able to play as the enemies you fought. Well, except for the Peasant Arena which unlocks the Villager.]]

* MonsterClown: A doodle based on [[http://newgrounds.wikia.com/wiki/Tricky Tricky the Clown]] is something the Painter boss can summon. [[spoiler:The Orange Princess turning out to have the same face is [[FridgeHorror rather suspicious.]] Tricky's design in this game is his original look from before his violent appearances in the Madness Combat series, though]].

* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: Transforming into your beefy self renders you unable to shoot arrows or cast magic... or do anything but smash stuff, jump and block, really.

* OddNameOut: The boss lineup in the final level consists of [[spoiler: a knight with bat wings and an awesome curved sword with magic capable of raising the dead, an undead cyclops swinging the coffin of his friend/son around as a weapon, a persistent and evil wizard with a powerful blade, and... a somewhat burly painter with a toolbox for a head, a robotic voice and a disturbing imagination.]] One of these kids is not like the others.
* OffWithHisHead: One of the ways a character, just about any character including players when fighting each other, can die in this game. {{Mooks}} and bosses can't do this to players, though, because players (when in Co-Op mode) need to be able to be revived, and that's rather difficult to do if you're minus a head.
* OhCrap: The Wizard has an epic one [[spoiler: when the giant treasure chest is about to fall on him and squish him flat. Subverted when he comes out of it as a floating GiantSpider.]]

* OneHitKill: Pipistrello's tongue attack on Insane difficulty deals 999 damage. It's possible to have more than 999 health, but requires a specific setup, and even then any scratch beforehand will likely put you below 999.

* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler: The fourth stage in the Wizard fight. You kill the third stage and a chest drops down like any other defeated boss. Inside? A GIANT FLOATING LOVECRAFTIAN SPIDER-LIKE HORROR. He Then properly subverts that by changing back into an orb, then changing back to his normal form and pulling out the [[{{BFS}} Dragon Sword.]]]]
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: [[spoiler: The one in Lava World has a socket puppet on his left hand.]]

* PeopleJars: The EasterEgg on the ''VideoGame/AlienHominid'' spaceship level features the dev team inside individual cryo tubes.[[note]] Simply walk to the left at the start of the level to find it[[/note]]

* RemilitarizedZone: The first level takes place during a barbarian siege on the [[FirstTown Home Castle]]. In the background you can see massive armies clash (Well, at one point. The rest of the level's background is parts of the armies rushing ''toward'' the battle), and broken equipment and bodies are everywhere.

** [[spoiler: If you look carefully during the painter boss, some of the pictures are of the orange princess with a sword through her, suggesting that either she was killed and replaced by Tricky or, as [[TheWikiRule Castlepedia]] suggests, that, even though the Evil Wizard didn't kill her ''yet'', he did have that intention.]]

* RocketJump: The characters use the magic of their choice to drastically boost their jump height.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The King is a downloadable playable character, but even if you aren't playing as him he still shows up to help you defeat the Catfish.

* SecretAIMoves: Enemy characters can perform an UnnecessaryCombatRoll after being knocked down or when they're far away from player characters. They're completely invulnerable during the roll. They can also end a roll with a hop, and if a player character is nearby the enemy will strike in midair. They're ImmuneToFlinching during the hop, so trying to swat them out of the air will result in your character being knocked flat on their back.
* SequentialBoss: [[spoiler: The three bosses right before the Wizard battle, then the six or so stages of said fight]].

** Also, the [[spoiler:flying saucer]] level is one long shout-out to the game [[spoiler:''VideoGame/AlienHominid'']], right down to the [[OneHitpointWonder mooks' HP]].

* SmashMook: Cyclops. All he does is either attempt to smash you or throw knives. He switches it up a bit when he returns as [[PunnyName Recyclops]], but he's still limited to about three attacks. Beefy characters could also apply here.

* TheStinger: [[spoiler: The orange princess at the end who turns out to be Tricky the Clown.]]

* SugarApocalypse: [[spoiler: The heroes]] wind up causing one of these, as [[spoiler: the victory cutscene]] makes quite clear.
* SuperPersistentPredator: The Giant Troll apparently believes that Knights make an excellent meal, as he'll chase after them though a whole abandoned mill [[spoiler: and later on the way to the Cyclops' fortress.]]

* TakenForGranite: Medusa. [[spoiler: On both ends.]]
* TechnicolorBlade: The Dragon's Sword.
* TechnicolorToxin: In this case we have Green poison.
* TimedMission: After [[spoiler:getting far enough into the Alien Ship, one of the aliens activates a self-destruct. You'll need to get to the escape pods (and grab an Animal Orb) before everything blows up, otherwise taking damage.]]

* TrickBoss: [[spoiler: The final boss. After smashing a few crystals and taking down a form that shifts between magic and melee vulnerability, the Wizard suddenly floats up off the ground and goes in circles, dropping magic bombs. After killing the pathetically weak form, the usual end-of-boss-fight giant treasure chest squishes him, except when you open it...well, see the OneWingedAngel entry.]]
* UniversalPoison: The Green Knight, Medusa, and the sandworms uses poison that has a green color and does a little extra damage over time. Poisoned characters are green and emit bubbles.
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The Wizard's Castle. Well, a giant castle just [[spoiler: flew off into the sky, the last princess is there, the villain we've been chasing the whole game is holed up there...]] couldn't get much more obvious.

* VideogameCrueltyPotential: Aside from the VisualPun, there's also a literal sand castle you can destroy; the builder isn't there to cry about his loss though.

* VisualPun: The Sand Castle. It's a castle in the desert...''made of sand''. See also the Catfish boss, who's half cat, half fish. ''Seriously.'' And the Weapon Frog, who's been tied to the Blacksmith's anvil... by the tongue. So he's, you know, [[spoiler:tongue-tied]]!

* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: This occurs with one of the late-game bosses ([[spoiler:The undead Cyclops and Conehead Groom)]].

* WorthyOpponent: The Necromancer fights like one after you've dealt with his waves of ZombieMooks. He fights a lot like a moderately powerful coliseum opponent, and is bound by all the rules the player characters are bound by. However, since there's just one of him rather then a large mob like in the coliseums, he's vulnerable to being stun-locked by repeated stomps.

* ZergRush: The primary strategy of the [[spoiler: Alien Hominids]]. They die in one hit, but there's so bloody many of them it still feels like a challenge.

* OldSaveBonus: You can unlock the main character of ''AlienHominid'' on the Xbox 360 version if you've downloaded it from the Marketplace and have at least one achievement on it.

* PeopleJars: The EasterEgg on the AlienHominid spaceship level features the dev team inside individual cryo tubes.[[note]] Simply walk to the left at the start of the level to find it[[/note]]

* RockBeatsLaser: When you encounter the [[spoiler: [[AlienHominid aliens]]]] in the desert, they fall pathetically easy to medieval weaponry, and their own weapons can barely scratch the player. Even their big scary hovering ships [[FakeUltimateMook go down after a few good smacks.]]
** This is possibly a reference to the original [[spoiler: AlienHominid]] being a OneHitPointWonder in its own game.

** Also, the [[spoiler: flying saucer]] level is one long shout-out to the game [[spoiler: AlienHominid]], right down to the [[OneHitpointWonder mooks' HP]].

* {{Adorkable}}: The Ice King's body language suggests he's been watching too much anime.

* BigLippedALigatorMoment: The painter boss's entire existence as a character.

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: The four princesses give the winning knight a [[SmoochOfVictory kiss]] after he saves them. They also serve as plot devices and they appear at the party in Home Castle at the end of the game.

* WidgetSeries: Some of the [=NPCs=]' actions are pretty weird. For instance, every non-killable animal in the Thieves' Forest has bowel issues, though you would probably shit uncontrollably too if [[spoiler: something whose ''teeth'' were bigger than you was roaming about.]]
* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: This is what happens to [[spoiler: Conhead Groom and the Cyclops's souls once you defeat their undead forms]].
* WombLevel: The blacksmith stores your weapons in the mouth of a large frog-like beast with antlers.
* WorldOfBadass: Everyone can kill anything. Even a peasant can decapitate you. With a WOODEN SPOON. Every character can also cast magic, ranging from an electrical shock to a rain of arrows to a wave of buzzsaws.
* WorthyOpponent: The Necromancer, [[spoiler:the third boss of the Wizard's Castle,]] fights like one after you've dealt with his waves of ZombieMooks. He fights a lot like a moderately powerful coliseum opponent, and is bound by all the rules the player characters are bound by. Sadly, as there's just one of him rather then the large mobs in the coliseums, he's vulnerable to being Stomprushed if you're going at it solo.

* YouKilledMyFather: Inverted with the Cyclops, you kill his son. On his wedding day, no less.

* DeveloperForesight: The Gray Knight's projectile magic lets him throw a bomb. Said bombs look like and can actually be used in place of the ones the player buys normally.