History VideoGame / CellOfEmpireo

In 2019, the DLC, called Records of Sanemitsu Isoi, was released. It is a supplement to the original game, unlocked with a save fine from the best ending of the series itself. Just like the base game, it's an exploration-focused RPG maker game, but is much shorter & lacks the same horror elements & quick time events as the base game.

In 2020, Hermit's Room was released. It's accessible with a save file that's cleared the DLC, and it allows you to read all books that appear in the game, both main & DLC, replay the Vs.Moments (boss battles), and access character profiles.
It mostly serves the function of a developer room, but the mysterious Hermit overseeing it seems to be very curious about you.
Who is said Hermit, and did they have anything to do with the soundfile you hear of a mysterious incident occurring in 1954? Well...

In 2020, Interlude was also released. It acts as a bridge between Cell of Empireo and Cell of Mirage, which is its planned sequel, and shows off the RPG Maker MV engine that will be used for the sequel, as well as some of the exploration gameplay.
It's a short game, showing scenes from the POV of multiple different people: First is Seodore Riddle, Second is the livestreamer ZERO, Third is the mysterious man Ryu Nijou, and Fourth is the young man Izu Nanami.

Interlude, unlike the previous games, does not require you to have completed the base game to access, but these characters & their roles are deeply tied to their appearances in the previous entries, so it's highly recommended you play it after if you'd like to know what's going on.

Cell of Empireo is a free mystery/horror game with a focus on exploration, made in RPG Maker 2003. developed by [=SharkTale=] Factory in 2018. It follows protagonist Haruki Atou, a 28-year-old man employed at his childhood friend’s detective agency who was tasked with keeping an eye out for his junior [[{{Keet}} Eiji]] [[TraumaInducedAmnesia Shinano]]. Seems simple enough, until one April day, Shinano goes missing.

* AnyoneCanDie: Many of the main characters can die depending on the ending, others will die no matter which ending. Some of these characters include the usually spared children and pets.

* ArcWords: The initially cryptic line “A rat with no head is looking this way” crosses Haruki’s mind various times throughout the series. It is eventually revealed that this refers to [[spoiler: the first thoughts Hatsutori had upon first witnessing the horrors his cells could cause—namely, his cell-endowed pet rat’s head disintegrating off, leaving it to die]].

* {{Bookends}}: Employed in Arrival Point E—the story started with Haruki arriving at the mysterious Empyrean Heaven Research Institute in search of Shinano, while this ending has [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent Otowa]] arriving at the same place in search of Haruki. It’s also worth mentioning that they’d both come to find that the person they were in search of [[spoiler: isn’t the same person they used to be]].
* ChosenConceptionPartner: Enomoto treats Atou this way on various occasions despite her main affections and…desires for impregnation lying with Hajime, since [[spoiler:he would hypothetically be able to produce offspring that could succeed Hajime]].
* CollapsingLair: Occurs at the ends of two Arrival Points.
* ComfortTheDying: [[spoiler: Atou does this to Enomoto in Arrival Point S, exploiting the fact that he triggers her memories of Hatsutori.]]

* DeathByDepower: [[spoiler:The only way to effectively defeat Enomoto was to land a finishing blow on her lower body, disabling her abilities (including regeneration) since they came from there in the first place.]]
* DeathOfAChild: [[spoiler: Present in some routes if Karen isn’t protected in time. Failing to save her guarantees a DownerEnding—naturally, since most people aren’t in highest spirits after witnessing a child die before them.]]

* DeathOfPersonality: [[spoiler: What happened to the original Haruki Isoi—while his body lived on thanks to his Empyrean cells, the actual personality died (except for within the deepest depths of Atou’s consciousness).]]

* EnigmaticInstitute: The Empyrean Heaven Research Institute fits this description to a T, with all their experiments being privately ran [[PlayingWithSyringes (for obvious reasons)]] and funded by a particularly wealthy family of which they share common interests with.
* EtTuBrute: Occurs in Arrival Point S when [[spoiler:Hatsutori restrains Utsugi, his (self-proclaimed) most devoted follower, in order for the two to [[TakingYouWithMe die together]]. Despite usually accepting all of Hatsutori’s actions, Utsugi seemed a bit bothered by this one for some reason.]]
** This occurred on a less monumental scale between [[spoiler:Jabuchi]] and [[spoiler: Kanou]]. [[spoiler: As [[RewatchBonus revealed in the DLC]], the two were friends. In the end, despite warning Jabuchi to not be consumed by the pious beliefs of the institution, Kanou was still murdered by him for that very cause.]]
* EvenEvilCanBeLoved: Despite having become a cold-hearted murderer, You is still loved and saught out by Nina, who insists that it isn’t too late for him to return to the person he used to be.
* FamilyOfChoice: [[spoiler: Though it turns out Isoi was not in fact Atou’s biological little brother, he still accepts him as his older brother since they have the same father.]]

* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: Noa and [[spoiler: Haruki]] both grew up in the facility together, and had a relationship that was only half-friendly. Flash-forward to current day and the latter is trying to escape capture by the former’s hands.

** [[spoiler: Jabuchi]] is smiling in his final moments, being proud to go out with both his dignity and the heart of his beloved in tact.
** [[spoiler: Enomoto]] is able to smile genuinely for the first (and, well, last) time in the entire game thanks to the fairy tale-esque hallucination she witnesses in her dying haze.

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Occurs on two separate occasions, actually.
** [[spoiler: Hajime Hatsutori is revealed to be alive and as well as he can be without a lower half, thanks to Utsugi’s fervorous attempts to prolong his life following an incident that would have killed him otherwise.]]
*** '''DLC Spoilers''': [[spoiler: The incident in question was a display of Seodore’s full power, who had attacked Hajime in a blind rage after some unprecedentedly successful provocation.]]
** [[spoiler: Noa was not fortunate(?) enough to survive this, on the other hand—her upper half was all that remained after Isoi was finally able to land a devastating blow on her. Because the existence of her lower parts (namely, her uterus) served as the source of the will her Empyrean cells were granting, all of her abilities including regeneration were rendered useless.]]

* HonorableMarriageProposal: In Arrival Point B, [[spoiler:Haruki and “Nina” are preparing to get married while the latter is pregnant.]]
* {{Infodump}}: A loooot of information pertaining to Empyrean cells and their functions are revealed to both Atou and the player through wordy and often conveniently-placed documents scattered around the facility, in classic RPG fashion.

* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler: Arrival Point B has a gravely injured Enomoto murder Nina and take over her body in a desperate attempt to prolong her will to give birth to Hajime’s child. The attempt proves successful, since she was able to keep up appearances long enough for Atou to fall in love with and impregnate her.]]

* LabPet: [[spoiler: Years ago, Hajime Hatsutori had a pet rat that he administered his cells unto. Because the rat was unable to properly resonate with Hajime thanks to his unsteady feelings, it perished—hence where the cryptic phrase “a rat with no head is looking this way” comes from.]]
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Some amusing remarks that rely on this occur throughout the game.
-->'''Atou, the protagonist of the game:''' I’m a normal person. I’m not a game’s protagonist.
* LetThemDieHappy: [[spoiler:In Arrival Point S, Noa is granted the mercy of seeing a happy hallucination of her beloved Hajime thanks to Haruki’s nostalgic words before finally succumbing to her injuries.]]
* LogicalWeakness: When a host loses the source of their will, their will-propelled abilities are rendered useless.

* MeetingTheParentsSequel: Downplayed. [[spoiler: Both versions of Arrival Point S focus on Haruki reuniting with his father, Sanemitsu, and the DLC that serves as a technical-sequel follows Sanemitsu but does not revolve around his relationship with his son.]]

** There are also various [[NonStandardGameOver Non-Standard Game Overs]] that are only ‘endings’ in name—some are more fleshed out than others, but none are total conclusions to the story.

* NearRapeExperience: [[spoiler: While he’s under her supervision, Noa attempts to force herself onto Haruki, but Hajime speaks through Haruki and commands her to stop. Beyond flabbergasted that Haruki has in fact become a vessel of sorts for Hajime, Noa literally coughs up blood before dashing out of the room.]]
* NighInvulnerability: Those who successfully bear Empyrean cells are practically unkillable, so long as they aren’t getting injured faster than their bodies can regenerate. It’s also imperative that the source of the will granted by those cells is still in tact, most notably exemplified by [[spoiler: Noa]]’s demise.
* NoBodyLeftBehind: Occurs when any inheritor of Empyrean cells, successful or not, is killed. They corrode into a black substance that is potentially infectious to anyone who comes into contact with it—that is, the dying lifeform can live on through the infected person.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Many of the characters look much younger than their actual age in-universe—especially hosts, thanks to the regenerative qualities of the cells they received. Notable examples of this include 28-year-old Haruki Atou, who is sometimes mistaken for a middle schooler, and [[Hajime Hatsutori]], who is currently 60 years old, but looks no different than he did when he was 25.
* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: Shinano loudly professes his love for Atou when they first reunite in the laboratory.
--> '''Atou:''' I’m relieved…you’re unharmed.
--> '''Shinano:''' Uu, Atou-sannnn!! I love you!!
--> '''Atou:''' No…[[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday if a man tells me that in this situation]], my heart can’t flutter…
* PlayingWithSyringes: The experiments conducted by the Empyrean Heaven Research Institute are definitely far from ethical, seeing as how they are done oftentimes without permission from those getting experimented on in the first place. Not to mention, the results are either a disturbing

* ReplacementGoldfish: Played straight in Arrival Point C, where [[spoiler: Atou assumes the identity of a deceased Jabuchi following Nina’s mental break]]. Averted with [[spoiler: Sanemitsu]] and [[spoiler: Reiji]], though—[[spoiler:Reiji shares the same name as Sanemitsu’s deceased second son, but he is loved unconditionally and entirely separately from him]].

* SeeYouInHell: Oddly enough, a rather non-hostile example occurs as [[spoiler:Hatsutori]] and [[spoiler:Utsugi]] are dying together.
--> '''[[spoiler:Hatsutori]]:''' Hell is a bit frightening, but if you’re there, then it won’t be as scary.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Of the current day group of executives, the only woman is Noa.

** Similarly, [[spoiler:‘Aogu Kanou’]] uses an alias that is particularly similar to his actual name ([[spoiler:Aogi Kanao]]) in response to the infamy he garnered due to the triple homicide he committed years ago.
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler: The two will always die together, but this specifically occurs between Hatsutori and Utsugi in the [[GoldenEnding golden version]] of Arrival Point S, when Hatsutori uses the little strength he has left to restrain Utsugi so the two could undoubtedly burn in the facility’s hellish flames together. This prompts one final [[EtTuBrute scandalized breakdown]] on Utsugi’s part.]]
* TheThreeFacesOfEve: The main female characters across the cast fit this dynamic, with Nina as the Wife, Noa as the Seductress, and Karen as the Child.

* TwoGirlsToATeam: Nina and Karen are the only two girls among the testosterone-riddled group of allies.
* UnwittingTestSubject: As it turns out, the majority of the main cast fits this description, having been administered Empyrean cells at some point without knowing.

* WithAFriendAndAStranger: The main trio of Atou, Shinano, and Isoi fits this dynamic.
* TheWorfBarrage: [[spoiler: Atou’s attempts to kill both Enomoto and Utsugi ended up being this, despite all their overkillness. Thanks to their regenerative powers, the two survived being crushed in an avalanche of rocks as well as being violently electrocuted after taking some time to heal.]]

[[quoteright:350:]]
[[caption-width-right:350:This isn't the start of a nightmare, but the end of a peaceful dream.]]

When creating fanworks and generally engaging with the series, please keep in mind there are some rules Fukao and [=SharkTale=] Factory would like you to follow.

These rules include not editing or reposting in-game sprites or official art or using them as icons or headers, not fully reposting in-game text on public sites, and not making large, for-profit fandom zines.

Posting in-game screenshots is allowed, as is making small, non-profit fandom zines. Quote bots are also allowed, but not anything further than that, which is why many wikis or similar pages for this game simply give a basic summary of the full plot but not much else.

This is also why this page doesn't have tropes listed or an official header image as of right now.

These rules can be read in full in the original Japanese [[https://lamondocommedia8.wixsite.com/stf-cos/blank-8 here]], and an unofficial English translation of all of them can be accessed [[https://dreamofarcadia.dreamwidth.org/2756.html here]].

In 2020, Interlude was also released. It acts as a bridge between CoE and CoM, which is its planned sequel, and shows off the RPG Maker MV engine that will be used for the sequel, as well as some of the exploration gameplay.

Interlude, unlike the previous games, does not require you to have completed CoE to access, but these characters & their roles are deeply tied to their appearances in the previous entries, so it's highly recommended you play it after if you'd like to know what's going on.

You can download and play the game in its original Japanese [[https://www.freem.ne.jp/win/game/17735 here]]. The DLC can be downloaded in Japanese [[https://lamondocommedia8.wixsite.com/cos-coe/dlc-1 here]], and Interlude can be downloaded in Japanese [[https://lamondocommedia8.wixsite.com/cos-com/rtc-%E5%B9%95%E9%96%93 here]].

These rules include not editing in-game sprites/official art, reposting, or using them as icons or headers (posting game screenshots is perfectly fine), not fully reposting in-game text on public sites (Twitter quote bots are allowed, but things further than that may not be, which is why many wikis in other languages tend to be bare-bones and simple summaries of the plot and characters, without too much commentary.), and not making large, for-profit fandom zines (small nonprofit ones are fine).

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cellofempireo.jpg]]

Cell of Empireo is a free mystery/horror [[StrategyRPG TRPG]] developed by [=SharkTale=] Factory in 2018. It follows protagonist [[GreatDetective Haruki]] [[AmnesiacHero Atou]], a 28-year-old man employed at his childhood friend’s detective agency who was tasked with keeping an eye out for his amnesiac-as-of-recent junior, [[{{Keet}} Eiji]] [[TraumaInducedAmnesia Shinano]]. Seems [[TemptingFate simple enough]], until one April day, Shinano goes missing.

Tracking his disappeared coworker’s whereabouts, Atou finds himself at the gates of the [[{{Cult}} Empyrean Heaven]] [[EnigmaticInstitute Research Institute]], where it doesn’t take long before he is knocked unconscious and kidnapped. Inside the building, he is able to escape solitary confinement thanks to a benevolent stranger, but finds himself still stuck in an unfamiliar AbandonedLaboratory crawling with disturbing failed experiments and the corpses of researchers. With the help of newfound allies [[BruiserWithASoftCenter Reiji]] [[AloofAlly Isoi]], [[EnthusiasticNewbieTeacher Nina]] [[LoveWillLeadYouBack Yanagi]], [[FriendOnTheForce Terumi]] [[FamilyMan Kurachi]], and [[TagalongKid Karen]] [[WaifProphet Kumazaki]], Haruki sets out on a journey to save not just his friend, but his life.

The mysterious Empyrean Heaven Research Institute’s preachings, a direct ShoutOut to Creator/DanteAlighieri’s Literature/TheDivineComedy, insist that humankind will be able to essentially reach Empyrean Heaven (Paradiso) were they to accept God’s love. Easier said than done, it seems, before one learns that the religion’s founder possesses special will-granting cells that can be passed down to other beings. The passing down of these cells is achieved through the experiments conducted by the facility, but just how successful are these too-good-to-be-true-sounding experiments? How many people were affected by these experiments in one way or another in the first place? Just who is this mysterious cell-bearing [[PhysicalGod Child of God]] in the first place, and how has his actions led to Atou and his allies being in the place they are now?

You can download and play the game in its original Japanese [[https://lamondocommedia8.wixsite.com/stf-cos/ here]], as well as find downloadable content and other games within the same universe. There are no plans for an official English release of the game anytime soon, however an authorized but unofficial playthrough translated into English can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL51yd4XDjFE1PueaIIe0s70BlDCEMJUpD here]].

When creating fanworks and generally engaging with the series, please be sure to adhere to the terms of service set by Fukao and [=SharkTale=] Factory. They can be read in the original Japanese [[https://lamondocommedia8.wixsite.com/stf-cos/blank-8 here]], and an unofficial English translation can be accessed [[https://dreamofarcadia.dreamwidth.org/2756.html here]].

----
!! Tropes that Cell of Empireo provides an example of:
* TwentyMinutesIntoThePast: The game takes place in 2015, but was released in 2018.

* AnyoneCanDie: Many of the main characters can die depending on the ending, others will die no matter which ending. Some of these characters include the usually spared children and pets.

* AppliedPhlebotinum: The mysterious and titular Empyrean cells.

* ArcWords: The initially cryptic line “A rat with no head is looking this way” crosses Haruki’s mind various times throughout the series. It is eventually revealed that this refers to [[spoiler: the first thoughts Hatsutori had upon first witnessing the horrors his cells could cause—namely, his cell-endowed pet rat’s head disintegrating off, leaving it to die]].

* ArtisticAge: In response to a fan’s question about characters looking younger than they are, Fukao pointed out that it is partially because of their art style.

* {{Bookends}}: Employed in Arrival Point E—the story started with Haruki arriving at the mysterious Empyrean Heaven Research Institute in search of Shinano, while this ending has [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent Otowa]] arriving at the same place in search of Haruki. It’s also worth mentioning that they’d both come to find that the person they were in search of [[spoiler: isn’t the same person they used to be]].

* ChosenConceptionPartner: Enomoto treats Atou this way on various occasions despite her main affections and…desires for impregnation lying with Hajime, since [[spoiler:he would hypothetically be able to produce offspring that could succeed Hajime]].

* CollapsingLair: Occurs at the ends of two Arrival Points.

* ComfortTheDying: [[spoiler: Atou does this to Enomoto in Arrival Point S, exploiting the fact that he triggers her memories of Hatsutori.]]

* CuriosityKilledTheCast: One of the NonStandardGameOver endings aptly-titled ‘Needless Prying’ has Atou killed after learning a bit too much about a certain someone.

* CuttingOffTheBranches: Unsurprisingly, [[GoldenEnding Arrival Point S]] is considered canon in the DLC that takes place a few years after the original game.

* DeathByDepower: [[spoiler:The only way to effectively defeat Enomoto was to land a finishing blow on her lower body, disabling her abilities (including regeneration) since they came from there in the first place.]]

* DeathOfAChild: [[spoiler: Present in some routes if Karen isn’t protected in time. Failing to save her guarantees a DownerEnding—naturally, since most people aren’t in highest spirits after witnessing a child die before them.]]
** Also occurred prior to in-game events with [[spoiler:Haruki’s little brother Reiji.]]

* DeathOfPersonality: [[spoiler: What happened to the original Haruki Isoi—while his body lived on thanks to his Empyrean cells, the actual personality died (except for within the deepest depths of Atou’s consciousness).]]

* DysfunctionJunction: Most of the cast has suffered monumentally before ending up where they are. This is most notable within the Empyrean Heaven Research Institute, since it’s because of their tribulations that they were all [[HopeSpot so quick to devote themselves]] to reaching God’s love.

* EndingMemorialService: Arrival Point D has Atou visiting the graves of [[spoiler: Yanagi]] and [[spoiler: Kurachi]].

* EnigmaticInstitute: The Empyrean Heaven Research Institute fits this description to a T, with all their experiments being privately ran [[PlayingWithSyringes (for obvious reasons)]] and funded by a particularly wealthy family of which they share common interests with.

* EtTuBrute: Occurs in Arrival Point S when [[spoiler:Hatsutori restrains Utsugi, his (self-proclaimed) most devoted follower, in order for the two to [[TakingYouWithMe die together]]. Despite usually accepting all of Hatsutori’s actions, Utsugi seemed a bit bothered by this one for some reason.]]
** This occurred on a less monumental scale between [[spoiler:Jabuchi]] and [[spoiler: Kanou]]. [[spoiler: As [[RewatchBonus revealed in the DLC]], the two were friends. In the end, despite warning Jabuchi to not be consumed by the pious beliefs of the institution, Kanou was still murdered by him for that very cause.]]

* EvenEvilCanBeLoved: Despite having become a cold-hearted murderer, You is still loved and saught out by Nina, who insists that it isn’t too late for him to return to the person he used to be.

* FamilyOfChoice: [[spoiler: Though it turns out Isoi was not in fact Atou’s biological little brother, he still accepts him as his older brother since they have the same father.]]

* FirstNameBasis: Atou exploits this towards [[spoiler: Utsugi, calling him Noriyuki (just as Hajime always would) in order to catch him off guard when first attempting to kill him]].

* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: Noa and [[spoiler: Haruki]] both grew up in the facility together, and had a relationship that was only half-friendly. Flash-forward to current day and the latter is trying to escape capture by the former’s hands.

* GoOutWithASmile: Happens with a good majority of (canon) deaths.
** [[spoiler: Jabuchi]] is smiling in his final moments, being proud to go out with both his dignity and the heart of his beloved in tact.
** [[spoiler: Enomoto]] is able to smile genuinely for the first (and, well, last) time in the entire game thanks to the fairy tale-esque hallucination she witnesses in her dying haze.
** [[spoiler: Hatsutori]]’s perpetual smile remains as his [[DeathSeeker long-awaited]] end finally arrives. In one version of Arrival Point S, [[spoiler: Utsugi]] is also grinning in pious fervor as the two go out together.

* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: Rare example wherein the BigBads sport this color scheme. Naturally, the association lies more with divinity than it does with goodness.

* GuineaPigFamily: [[spoiler: The tension in the relationship between Minoru and Rai was because of the latter’s decision to give their first son, Haruki, up for experimentation in the Empyrean Heaven Research Institute. Later, father and son Minoru and Reiji (the first) would be trapped in the facility and used for experimentation, and Minoru would end up meeting the child that he would go on to adopt (Reiji the second) because of their shared undesirable circumstances.]]

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Occurs on two separate occasions, actually.
** [[spoiler: Hajime Hatsutori is revealed to be alive and as well as he can be without a lower half, thanks to Utsugi’s fervorous attempts to prolong his life following an incident that would have killed him otherwise.]]
*** '''DLC Spoilers''': [[spoiler: The incident in question was a display of Seodore’s full power, who had attacked Hajime in a blind rage after some unprecedentedly successful provocation.]]
** [[spoiler: Noa was not fortunate(?) enough to survive this, on the other hand—her upper half was all that remained after Isoi was finally able to land a devastating blow on her. Because the existence of her lower parts (namely, her uterus) served as the source of the will her Empyrean cells were granting, all of her abilities including regeneration were rendered useless.]]

* HealingFactor: All successful Empyrean cell hosts can regenerate enough to survive most injuries that would’ve been fatal otherwise, so long as they aren’t getting injured faster than they can regenerate.

* {{Hellhound}}: Origin β is revealed to be a dog with murderous tendencies, Empyrean superpowers, and a Cerberus-esque appearance.

* HonorableMarriageProposal: In Arrival Point B, [[spoiler:Haruki and “Nina” are preparing to get married while the latter is pregnant.]]

* {{Infodump}}: A loooot of information pertaining to Empyrean cells and their functions are revealed to both Atou and the player through wordy and often conveniently-placed documents scattered around the facility, in classic RPG fashion.

* JustFriends: Though they receive a little bit of ShipTease and are romantically involved in some endings (albeit under complicated circumstances), the GoldenEnding has Haruki and Nina remain good friends.

* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler: Arrival Point B has a gravely injured Enomoto murder Nina and take over her body in a desperate attempt to prolong her will to give birth to Hajime’s child. The attempt proves successful, since she was able to keep up appearances long enough for Atou to fall in love with and impregnate her.]]

* KilledOffscreen: In routes where [[spoiler:Kurachi]] dies, this will always be the case.
** This also applies for [[spoiler:Shinano]] and [[spoiler:Isoi]] in the endings where they go down together—we see the former violently pin the latter to the wall, but they don’t technically die presumably until the bombs go off in the building.

* LabPet: [[spoiler: Years ago, Hajime Hatsutori had a pet rat that he administered his cells unto. Because the rat was unable to properly resonate with Hajime thanks to his unsteady feelings, it perished—hence where the cryptic phrase “a rat with no head is looking this way” comes from.]]

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Some amusing remarks that rely on this occur throughout the game.
-->'''Atou, the protagonist of the game:''' I’m a normal person. I’m not a game’s protagonist.

* LetThemDieHappy: [[spoiler:In Arrival Point S, Noa is granted the mercy of seeing a happy hallucination of her beloved Hajime thanks to Haruki’s nostalgic words before finally succumbing to her injuries.]]

* LogicalWeakness: When a host loses the source of their will, their will-propelled abilities are rendered useless.

* LongLostRelative: As it turns out, [[spoiler:Minoru Harada]] is the father of [[spoiler: Haruki Atou]].

* MeetingTheParentsSequel: Downplayed. [[spoiler: Both versions of Arrival Point S focus on Haruki reuniting with his father, Sanemitsu, and the DLC that serves as a technical-sequel follows Sanemitsu but does not revolve around his relationship with his son.]]

* MultipleEndings: There are six main endings titled Arrival Points A-E (plus S). They vary in tone from BittersweetEnding to DownerEnding, except for the GoldenEnding Arrival Point S, which is the only ending in which all of Haruki’s allies [[EverybodyLives survive]].
** There are also various [[NonStandardGameOver Non-Standard Game Overs]] that are only ‘endings’ in name—some are more fleshed out than others, but none are total conclusions to the story.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Atou experiences this enough to suffer a brief HeroicBSOD after he believes himself to have killed [[spoiler: Enomoto]] and [[spoiler: Utsugi.]]

* NearRapeExperience: [[spoiler: While he’s under her supervision, Noa attempts to force herself onto Haruki, but Hajime speaks through Haruki and commands her to stop. Beyond flabbergasted that Haruki has in fact become a vessel of sorts for Hajime, Noa literally coughs up blood before dashing out of the room.]]

* NighInvulnerability: Those who successfully bear Empyrean cells are practically unkillable, so long as they aren’t getting injured faster than their bodies can regenerate. It’s also imperative that the source of the will granted by those cells is still in tact, most notably exemplified by [[spoiler: Noa]]’s demise.

* NoBodyLeftBehind: Occurs when any inheritor of Empyrean cells, successful or not, is killed. They corrode into a black substance that is potentially infectious to anyone who comes into contact with it—that is, the dying lifeform can live on through the infected person.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Many of the characters look much younger than their actual age in-universe—especially hosts, thanks to the regenerative qualities of the cells they received. Notable examples of this include 28-year-old Haruki Atou, who is sometimes mistaken for a middle schooler, and [[Hajime Hatsutori]], who is currently 60 years old, but looks no different than he did when he was 25.

* PlatonicDeclarationOfLove: Shinano loudly professes his love for Atou when they first reunite in the laboratory.
--> '''Atou:''' I’m relieved…you’re unharmed.
--> '''Shinano:''' Uu, Atou-sannnn!! I love you!!
--> '''Atou:''' No…[[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday if a man tells me that in this situation]], my heart can’t flutter…

* PlayingWithSyringes: The experiments conducted by the Empyrean Heaven Research Institute are definitely far from ethical, seeing as how they are done oftentimes without permission from those getting experimented on in the first place. Not to mention, the results are either a disturbing

* PressXToNotDie: One of the main features of the game is its Quick-Time events, which are employed both while traversing the overworld as well as while in battle.

* ProfaneLastWords: [[spoiler: [[SirSwearsALot Kanou]]]]’s last last words if you trigger his special event:
--> [[spoiler: '''Kanou]]:''' Damn it.

* ReplacementGoldfish: Played straight in Arrival Point C, where [[spoiler: Atou assumes the identity of a deceased Jabuchi following Nina’s mental break]]. Averted with [[spoiler: Sanemitsu]] and [[spoiler: Reiji]], though—[[spoiler:Reiji shares the same name as Sanemitsu’s deceased second son, but he is loved unconditionally and entirely separately from him]].

* SecretProjectRefugeeFamily: [[spoiler: Sanemitsu and Reiji become this following their escapes from the facility.]]

* SeeYouInHell: Oddly enough, a rather non-hostile example occurs as [[spoiler:Hatsutori]] and [[spoiler:Utsugi]] are dying together.
--> '''[[spoiler:Hatsutori]]:''' Hell is a bit frightening, but if you’re there, then it won’t be as scary.

* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Shinano and Isoi seem to have this dynamic, with the former being emotional and inclined to nerdier hobbies and the latter being gruff and familiar with traditionally masculine pastimes.

* SignificantNameOverlap: [[spoiler: Atou comes to find out that the Reiji Isoi that he knows today shares a name with the younger brother he forgot he had. Turns out they [[RedHerring weren’t actually related]]—Isoi was just named after Sanemitsu Isoi’s previous son following his informal adoption. Sanemitsu loves him just as much, but is adamantly against treating him like a ReplacementGoldfish.]]

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Of the current day group of executives, the only woman is Noa.

* SueDonym: Upon first meeting the fellow kidnapping victims in the abandoned lab, Atou’s first instinct is to go by an alias he’d once used while doing detective work: Kouji Asou. Conveniently, the surname used is only one consonant off from his actual one.
** Similarly, [[spoiler:‘Aogu Kanou’]] uses an alias that is particularly similar to his actual name ([[spoiler:Aogi Kanao]]) in response to the infamy he garnered due to the triple homicide he committed years ago.

* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler: The two will always die together, but this specifically occurs between Hatsutori and Utsugi in the [[GoldenEnding golden version]] of Arrival Point S, when Hatsutori uses the little strength he has left to restrain Utsugi so the two could undoubtedly burn in the facility’s hellish flames together. This prompts one final [[EtTuBrute scandalized breakdown]] on Utsugi’s part.]]

* TheThreeFacesOfEve: The main female characters across the cast fit this dynamic, with Nina as the Wife, Noa as the Seductress, and Karen as the Child.

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler: Having survived a large-scale electrocution earlier, Utsugi could only truly be killed off after being defeated in battle, crushed with a giant cross, and then finally restrained by vines and left to burn in the building’s rubble.]]

* TwoGirlsToATeam: Nina and Karen are the only two girls among the testosterone-riddled group of allies.

* UnwittingTestSubject: As it turns out, the majority of the main cast fits this description, having been administered Empyrean cells at some point without knowing.

* WhamLine: Occurs quite a few times.
** In Chapter 6:
---> '''Atou:''' …Shinano. Why do you [[spoiler: give the same sign out as Origin β]]?
** In Arrival Point S’s Chapter 8:
---> '''Atou:''' Ah, that's right, that's right――, you, I――I,――[[spoiler:"I", at that time, died]].

* WithAFriendAndAStranger: The main trio of Atou, Shinano, and Isoi fits this dynamic.

* TheWorfBarrage: [[spoiler: Atou’s attempts to kill both Enomoto and Utsugi ended up being this, despite all their overkillness. Thanks to their regenerative powers, the two survived being crushed in an avalanche of rocks as well as being violently electrocuted after taking some time to heal.]]

* WorldOfTechnicolorHair: While most of the cast has natural hair colors, others were born with vibrant colored hair, including blue, lavender, and green.

----
->''Yes, this work is a comedy (fiction).''
-> ''However, just as the passage of time does not go back, the reality is that the existence of this story―for better or for worse―was a part of the course of your life.''

Cell of Empireo is a free mystery/horror [[StrategyRPG TRPG]] developed by [=SharkTale=] Factory in 2018. It follows protagonist [[GreatDetective Haruki]] [[AmnesiacHero Atou]], a 28-year-old man employed at his childhood friend’s detective agency who was tasked with keeping an eye out for his [[TraumaInducedAmnesia amnesiac-as-of-recent]] junior, [[{{Keet}} Eiji]] Shinano. Seems [[TemptingFate simple enough]], until one April day, Shinano goes missing.