History VideoGame / HauntingGround

* HealThyself: Fiona can calm down her panic and pick up her stamina by using lavender and chamomile respectively. She can also completely restore both at the same time by drinking tap water, provided nobody's around. Hewie, on the other hand, can be fed beef and chicken jerky. They can both also be healed with items crafted through alchemy.

* LightAndMirrorsPuzzle: [[spoiler:Lorenzo tests Fiona in a labyrinth of color-coded doors. Take the wrong door out and it's back to the beginning of the maze.]]

* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: While Riccardo and Lorenzo need Fiona to be healthy and well-fed, Daniella (who is doing all the chores and cooking) might not necessarily feel the same, or she just doesn't see feeding Fiona [[spoiler:[[FamilialCannibalismSurprise her own parents]]]] as anything wrong. Fiona ends up with nausea after a single bite.

** All the endings are titled in Latin, and also the game over screen -- "Acta est Fabula" -- meaning "The drama is over" or "The drama has been acted out."

* RelationshipValues: Fiona can praise or scold Hewie, and too much abuse can cause the dog to be totally apathetic toward Fiona. He may even attack her. On Hard difficulty, Hewie can be killed off completely, giving you a Game Over.

* SchmuckBait: [[spoiler: Daniella can be spoken to in a few key moments during her section of the game if she's cleaning, and she generally won't bother you at all when you do. At one point doing so even grants you an item that helps with solving a puzzle. But if you speak to her in a small room where she's tending to a fireplace, you'll trigger a cutscene where she brandishes the fire poker she was using, and will immediately start chasing you afterward with better stats, a new attack, a quicker movement speed, and a more dangerous weapon. All of these improvements stick with her for the remainder of that playthrough.]]

* TearsOfBlood: [[spoiler:Daniella]] cries them before their boss fight.

* WouldHitAGirl: Assuming that any of the male stalkers would take it easy on poor petite Fiona isn't a good idea. Also applies to Hewie, as he will ferociously bite Daniella and even attack Fiona if abused enough.

->'''Daniella:''' Azoth... Essence of life... of life... of wo... wo... woman... *Woman!*

** The alchemy machine. It's very random what you get, depending on the colors you land on, and even then there's no real clue what you've made until you've made them. In some ways, this is also the only way to get some of the rarest equipment for Fiona, but good luck figuring out the specific colors/patterns with the right medallion to create them.

* ItemCrafting: The alchemist's quarters has a machine in which Fiona can refine medallions into items for her and Hewie, though some items can actually hurt them instead of help.
* ItsQuietTooQuiet: An inversion of its [[VideoGame/ClockTower predecessor]], which had the game played in silence and music only played in specific rooms or during chase sequences, ''Haunting Ground'' has music all throughout the various stages of the castle. Rather, it cuts to dead silence at various points when a stalker or other enemy is nearby. So while the music plays normally, silence serves as a sign you'd better be cautious or else...

** One of the game's easiest boss battles is this because [[spoiler:Riccardo only needs to take one specifically-executed hit from Hewie]].

* PetTheDog: Fiona does this to Hewie when praising him, as well as in certain cutscenes. If Hewie is badly injured, Fiona can stroke him comfortingly to get him back on his feet.

* SoftGlass: Daniella smashes a window with her forehead pretty effortlessly; later on averted in a spectacularly over-the-top fashion when [[spoiler:she [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice gets impaled by a massive shard of glass]]]].

** "Under the Scalpel" is earned simply by beating the game and is the most risque costume that she gets. It's short, skin-tight, has [[SexyBacklessOutfit a low-cut back]], shows plenty of leg, and leaves her barefoot. Guess which costume most [=YouTubers=] pick for their video walkthroughs?

* CreepyUncle: [[spoiler:Riccardo]]

** On a very obscure note: stalkers are not permitted to enter certain puzzle rooms until the puzzle is finished as an anti-frustration mechanic; engage a stalker, enter said room, and they will be waiting outside unless the player waits long enough in the room for them to despawn. With stronger boots equipped or Fiona using her gun from her cowgirl costume, one could theoretically easily loop a stalker between rooms and repeatedly knock them out for an infinite amount of items and grade points. If a stalker is wedged between rooms like this, however, their health values are raised to infinite, meaning they will never be downed no matter how much the player hurts them.

* GuideDangit:

* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: While Riccardo and Lorenzo need Fiona to be healthy and well-fed, Daniella (who is doing all the chores and cooking) might not necessarily feel the same, or she just doesn't see that feeding Fiona [[spoiler:with [[FamilialCannibalismSurprise her own parents]]]] as anything wrong. Fiona ends up with nausea after a single bite.

* IdiotBall: While being chased by [[spoiler:flaming]] Lorenzo, who is a OneHitKill, a statue falls on Fiona. You would expect her to let it fall after steadying her balance, but no, she takes the time to thoughtfully push it back into place.

* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: While Riccardo and Lorenzo need Fiona to be healthy and well-fed, Daniella (who is doing all the chores and cooking) might not necessarily feel the same, or she just doesn't see that feeding Fiona [[spoiler: with [[FamilialCannibalismSurprise her own parents]]]] as anything wrong. Fiona ends up with nausea after a single bite.

* NonStandardGameOver: "Acta Est Fabula" shows up on the screen rather than the traditional GameOver whenever Fiona gets killed. Death by booby traps come with a special cutscene, where Fiona's gruesome fate is made pretty explicit as well. You also lose automatically if Hewie dies (which, fortunately, can only happen on Hard Mode).

** [[spoiler:Lorenzo is Italian for "someone from Laurentum." This ancient city's name may have been derived from the Latin word "laurus", which means laurel, "a symbol of wisdom and accomplishment." These terms likely relate Lorenzo's ancestry and his own accomplishments as a master alchemist.]]

* NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: While Riccardo and Lorenzo need Fiona to be healthy and well-fed Daniella (who is doing all the chores and cooking) might not necessarily feel the same, or she just doesn't see that feeding Fiona [[spoiler: with [[FamilialCannibalismSurprise her own parents]]]] as anything wrong.

* AppliedPhlebotinum: Azoth, which in alchemy is pretty much a cure-all that can restore youth, ensure long life, cure any injuries, and so on. [[spoiler:Turns out Fiona's body is full of it, which is why everyone except Debilitas is hunting her.]]

* ViewersAreGeniuses: A ''lot'' of this game will fly over your head if you aren't at least partially familiar with the mythos surrounding alchemy -- in particular, what Azoth is beyond some poorly-defined in-game MacGuffin the villains all seem to want, however this could be argued to be intentional as Fiona’s confusion about what Azoth is and what the villains are talking about are likely to match the players confusion thus putting us more in Fiona’s shoes.

** In the Medical Room, there are two jars of acid that can be used against either Daniella or Riccardo: sulphuric acid and acetic acid. Sulphuric acid will burn and temporarily incapacitate them, but acetic acid will do nothing.

* UndressingTheUnconscious: Happens to Fiona twice. This is why she starts the game in nothing but a bedsheet, and when she is imprisoned in the water tower as well.

* AwesomeButImpractical: It's possible to knock out the stalkers during chase sequences, with some being easier than others [[spoiler:(Lorenzo being the easiest in his old man form),]] and the reward for doing so is often medallions for crafting rarer items, including exceptionally rare equipment for Fiona, or sometimes said rare equipment all by itself. However, most of them are difficult to fight and require knowing when and where to have Hewie attack, when to have him press on his attacks, and when to have him let go and fall back. All the while, Fiona's panic is rising, and any hits sustained over the course of the fight will kill either her or Hewie (the latter only on Hard Mode) if not treated.

* AwesomeButImpractical: It's possible to knock out the stalkers during chase sequences, with some being easier than others (Lorenzo being the easiest in his old man form), and the reward for doing so is often medallions for crafting rarer items, including exceptionally rare equipment for Fiona, or sometimes said rare equipment all by itself. However, most of them are difficult to fight and require knowing when and where to have Hewie attack, when to have him press on his attacks, and when to have him let go and fall back. All the while, Fiona's panic is rising, and any hits sustained over the course of the fight will kill either her or Hewie (the latter only on Hard Mode) if not treated.

* LongLostRelative: Riccardo and Lorenzo for Fiona.

* IncestSubtext: Riccardo, who is practically Fiona's uncle, wants to impregnate her. [[spoiler:And succeeds at that in the worst ending.]]

* IdiotBall: While being chased by [[spoiler:flaming]] Lorenzo, a statue falls on Fiona. You would expect her to let it fall after steadying her balance, but no, she takes the time to thoughtfully push it back onto its ledge. Bear in mind your pursuer can OneHitKill you.

* CreepyUncle: Riccardo

** If you can lure Debilitas into the Music Room, you can temporarily incapacitate him by pushing the cupboard on top of him.
** You can trick Debilitas into falling through a collapsing floor by throwing one of his dolls on top of it. However, if you walk on to the floor, then Fiona will fall through instead.
** At one point, you can use Hewie to attempt to knock Debilitas off a balcony, but whether Hewie succeeds or not depends on whether or not he is at full health, and if Hewie isn't even close by at the time, then Debilitas will just knock Fiona out.
** There are two ways of defeating Debilitas during his final encounter. One is done by using normal punches and kicks, which will kill him for good, and the other is by bringing down the chandelier on top of him, which won't kill him, but causes him to cease being a threat to Fiona, which leads to getting the best ending.

** In the Medical Room, there are two jars of acid that can be used against either Daniella or Riccardo: Sulphuric acid and acetic acid. Sulphuric acid will burn them and temporarily incapacitate them, but acetic acid will do nothing.

* BraggingRightsReward: Stuffed Hewie. Besides making Hewie even more of a BadassAdorable, it also makes him totally invincible, so the stalkers won't be able to stop him from attacking. To get it, you have to beat the game on Hard Mode.

*** Sometimes they will actually go after Hewie, but it's pretty rare. In most cases, they either ignore him entirely or briefly fight off his attacks before continuing to search for Fiona.

*** Sometimes they will actually go after Hewie, but it's pretty rare. In most cases, they either ignore him entirely or shake off his attacks before continuing to search for Fiona.

** Sometimes they will actually go after Hewie, but it's pretty rare. In most cases, they either ignore him entirely or shake off his attacks before continuing to search for Fiona.

* ArtificialStupidity: This applies to the stalkers during the game's chase sequences whenever Fiona's hiding.
** You'd think they'd be able to tell where she is based on Hewie's proximity to her, [[LoyalAnimalCompanion because he's never far from her side.]] Nor does it ever occur to them to [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim simply kill Hewie]], which would leave Fiona without any protection. Instead, they ignore him, even when he's barking at them and fiercely guarding Fiona's position. They simply walk past as they continue to roam the hallways looking for her.

* CloningBlues: [[spoiler:Riccardo and Fiona's father, Ugo. They're both {{Artificial Human}}s to some degree, and the toll it's taken on Riccardo's sanity is on full display once he becomes a homicidal maniac who is out for Fiona.]]

* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Fiona first finds Hewie chained to a tree by a wire digging into his neck and is appalled at how anyone could do such a thing. After rescuing him, she has to continue to keep him safe from the stalkers (who absolutely ''will'' attack him if given the chance) while also relying on him as her main means of defense. Ironically, Fiona herself falls under this trope if the player is going for Ending D.