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* Ninja: The Thief's upgraded form after his Class Change, though only in the loosest sense of the word. The only abilities he gains after his upgrade are a skill that lets him throw shurikens and one that does much more damage to all members of an enemy force at once.
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* Ninja: ((Ninja)): The Thief's upgraded form after his Class Change, though only in the loosest sense of the word. The only abilities he gains after his upgrade are a skill that lets him throw shurikens word - he's an upgraded thief with shurikens, better weapons and one that does much more damage to all members of an enemy force at once.abilities.
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* LostTechnology: The magic and technology of the Vanir and Elves are long-since vanished. Elven relics are relatively common, and in many cases, humans are capable of either working with the tech or building something better. Vanir knowledge, on the other hand, really is lost ([[spoiler: though one Dvergar has managed to independently develop their Synthesis technology]]), and includes some of the mightiest equipment in the game. Also, [[spoiler: one of the Bonus Bosses is a Vanir Golem.]]
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You can still go back to the dead Leviathan.
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* OneTimeDungeon: The Leviathan, which is blown apart after you destroy its heart.
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* OneTimeDungeon: The Leviathan, which is blown apart after you destroy its heart.OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Master-smiths who live underground and have the highest technology of any surviving race, being the only surviving race that can forge Adamantium. They also had a problem with [[DugTooDeep digging too deep]], forcing them to abandon their previous mines and their main link to the surface.
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* KrakenAndLeviathan: Both creatures exist on the seas. Kraken [[spoiler: is captured by Gabriel to unleash against you and the world in general, and can be killed with the Gorgon's head or simply slain by brute force. Leviathan is a WombLevel; when it swallows your ship, you have to find and break its heart. As Leviathan's heart is crystal, one can surmise that it's a leftover Vanir or Elven creature.
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* KrakenAndLeviathan: Both creatures exist on the seas. Kraken [[spoiler: is captured by Gabriel to unleash against you and the world in general, and can be killed with the Gorgon's head or simply slain by brute force.force]]. Leviathan is a WombLevel; when it swallows your ship, you have to find and break its heart. As Leviathan's heart is crystal, one can surmise that it's a leftover Vanir or Elven creature.
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** [[spoiler: Lemuria, hidden by mountains and built on a cliff face, which sells dragon-scale equipment and is composed of [[WingedHumanoid Winged Humanoids]].]]
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** [[spoiler: Lemuria, hidden by mountains and built on a cliff face, which sells dragon-scale equipment and is composed of [[WingedHumanoid Winged Humanoids]]. Their interest in humanity is strictly academic, and their language is alien and can only be deciphered through the Rosetta Stone, but they're friendly to visitors.]]
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** [[spoiler: Lemuria, hidden by mountains and built on a cliff face, which sells dragon-scale equipment and is composed of [[WingedHumanoid Winged Humanoids]].
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** [[spoiler: Lemuria, hidden by mountains and built on a cliff face, which sells dragon-scale equipment and is composed of [[WingedHumanoid Winged Humanoids]].]]
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* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: [[spoiler: Atlantis]] provides both a straight example and a subversion. In the straight example, their inn costs 2500G and can't be [[AppealToForce seized by force]], which is far, far more expensive than any human town's inn. However, due to [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration their legendary skills at potion-craft]], they sell you healing items at half-price (in other words, the price you get if you ''sell'' such items).
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* HiddenElfVillage: Three of them!
** [[spoiler: Lemuria, hidden by mountains and built on a cliff face, which sells dragon-scale equipment and is composed of [[WingedHumanoid Winged Humanoids]].
** [[spoiler: {{Atlantis}}, inhabited by mermaids with access to incredibly advanced potion-making technology, are the only current manufacturers of diamond arms and armor, and who developed Master-level baits in the past. Now they're blocked behind a fallen boulder and terrorized by Kraken and Leviathan.]]
** [[spoiler: The Dvergar Village, [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves]] living deep BeneathTheEarth behind one of the most dangerous dungeons on Terra after having DugTooDeep. They are the master-smiths who craft adamantium weapons.]]
** [[spoiler: Lemuria, hidden by mountains and built on a cliff face, which sells dragon-scale equipment and is composed of [[WingedHumanoid Winged Humanoids]].
** [[spoiler: {{Atlantis}}, inhabited by mermaids with access to incredibly advanced potion-making technology, are the only current manufacturers of diamond arms and armor, and who developed Master-level baits in the past. Now they're blocked behind a fallen boulder and terrorized by Kraken and Leviathan.]]
** [[spoiler: The Dvergar Village, [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves]] living deep BeneathTheEarth behind one of the most dangerous dungeons on Terra after having DugTooDeep. They are the master-smiths who craft adamantium weapons.]]
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* KrakenAndLeviathan: Both creatures exist on the seas. Kraken [[spoiler: is captured by Gabriel to unleash against you and the world in general, and can be killed with the Gorgon's head or simply slain by brute force. Leviathan is a WombLevel; when it swallows your ship, you have to find and break its heart. As Leviathan's heart is crystal, one can surmise that it's a leftover Vanir or Elven creature.
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* VideoGameGeography: Terra is toroidal.
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** [[spoiler: The Vanir didn't create the Well of Souls either; where the golden pyramid came from before they got there is a mystery.]]
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** [[spoiler: The Vanir didn't create the Well of Souls either; where apparently, that's the golden pyramid came from before they got there is a mystery.work of the Gods, who were precursors even to the Vanir.]]
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** The Vanir and the Elves both qualify. The Vanir created the many puzzles in the game and built their civilization to its height before vanishing into the Well of Souls, while the Elves were nearly wiped out by Nyx' rampage, leaving Helios as the LastOfHisKind and a bunch of LostTechnology that the party can find.
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** The Vanir and the Elves both qualify. The Vanir created the many puzzles in the game and built their civilization to its height before vanishing into the Well of Souls, while the Elves were nearly wiped out by Nyx' rampage, leaving Helios as the LastOfHisKind and a bunch of LostTechnology that the party can find. Dragonkind are also an elder race, and like the Elves, are down to one sentient survivor; all other dragons have long since become nonsentient beasts. All of these races, plus [[spoiler: the Lemurians, who are still around]] share ancestry in the past.
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** Dragonkind are also an elder race, and like the Elves, are down to one sentient survivor; all other dragons have long since become nonsentient beasts.
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* MandatoryMotherhood: Implied by one plaque in the Pandora Castle Basement: mothers of five or more males are elevated to a rank above that of soldiers, in keeping with the clear fascist themes of the other Pandoran plaques.
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* GreaterScopeVillain: Nyx destroyed the Elven Council and [[spoiler: was responsible for siring the BigBad, Gabriel]], but ever since then, he's been [[SealedEvilInACan trapped in the Abyss, not doing anything]].
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* LastOfHisKind: Bahamut is the last dragon in existence, and gives the player and their party a Class Upgrade if they bring him Kali's Medallion. [[spoiler:Later, the player can free the dragon Tiamat in the Mines of Dvergar, and the two dragons can speak to the player at the former's cave]].
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* LastOfHisKind: LastOfHisKind:
** Bahamut is the last dragon in existence, and gives the player and their party a Class Upgrade if they bring him Kali's Medallion. [[spoiler:Later, the player can free the dragon Tiamat in the Mines of Dvergar, and the two dragons can speak to the player at the former'scave]].cave]].
** Helios is the last of the Elves, living in the Forest Tower and guarding what remains of the Elves' secrets.
** Bahamut is the last dragon in existence, and gives the player and their party a Class Upgrade if they bring him Kali's Medallion. [[spoiler:Later, the player can free the dragon Tiamat in the Mines of Dvergar, and the two dragons can speak to the player at the former's
** Helios is the last of the Elves, living in the Forest Tower and guarding what remains of the Elves' secrets.
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* {{Precursors}}: The Vanir and the Elves both qualify. The Vanir created the many puzzles in the game and built their civilization to its height before vanishing into the Well of Souls, while the Elves were nearly wiped out by Nyx' rampage, leaving Helios as the SoleSurvivor and a bunch of LostTechnology that the party can find.
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* {{Precursors}}: {{Precursors}}:
** The Vanir and the Elves both qualify. The Vanir created the many puzzles in the game and built their civilization to its height before vanishing into the Well of Souls, while the Elves were nearly wiped out by Nyx' rampage, leaving Helios as theSoleSurvivor LastOfHisKind and a bunch of LostTechnology that the party can find.find.
** [[spoiler: The Vanir didn't create the Well of Souls either; where the golden pyramid came from before they got there is a mystery.]]
** Dragonkind are also an elder race, and like the Elves, are down to one sentient survivor; all other dragons have long since become nonsentient beasts.
** The Vanir and the Elves both qualify. The Vanir created the many puzzles in the game and built their civilization to its height before vanishing into the Well of Souls, while the Elves were nearly wiped out by Nyx' rampage, leaving Helios as the
** [[spoiler: The Vanir didn't create the Well of Souls either; where the golden pyramid came from before they got there is a mystery.]]
** Dragonkind are also an elder race, and like the Elves, are down to one sentient survivor; all other dragons have long since become nonsentient beasts.
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* SealedEvilInACan: Nyx, father of Gabriel, destroyer of the Elven Council, and prisoner of the Abyss.
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* ThereIsAnother: [[spoiler: Both the Elves and the Dragons have a second survivor. The second Dragon is Tiamat, who is friendly. The other elf is Nyx, the GreaterScopeVillain for the game.]]
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A Disc One Final Dungeon requires the game to be apparently over - the trip to Doria, no.
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* DiscOneFinalDungeon: The Forest Tower/Forest of Despair, depending on what path the player takes. [[TakeAThirdOption Not that there's anything stopping you from doing both before going to Doria]].
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* AnAdventurerIsYou: Though there's a surprising amount of flexibility, the classes generally fall under this.
** Knight: Tank and melee DPS.
** Thief: Pre-class-change, Backstabber, weak healer and item farmer. After class change, a Jack of melee combat with added stealing gimmick.
** Monk: Hand-to-hand scrapper DPS.
** Hunter: Status effect specialist and utility class (provides access to Giant Moas to ride).
** Gray Mage: Jack.
** White Mage: Healer, buffer.
** Black Mage: AOE nuker and status effect deliverer.
** Engineer: MechanicallyUnusualClass, specializing in item use at first as a sort of healer and MP regenerator, and later developing INT-based DPS. Also provides the ability to travel through tunnels and [[spoiler: disarm a bomb]].
** Knight: Tank and melee DPS.
** Thief: Pre-class-change, Backstabber, weak healer and item farmer. After class change, a Jack of melee combat with added stealing gimmick.
** Monk: Hand-to-hand scrapper DPS.
** Hunter: Status effect specialist and utility class (provides access to Giant Moas to ride).
** Gray Mage: Jack.
** White Mage: Healer, buffer.
** Black Mage: AOE nuker and status effect deliverer.
** Engineer: MechanicallyUnusualClass, specializing in item use at first as a sort of healer and MP regenerator, and later developing INT-based DPS. Also provides the ability to travel through tunnels and [[spoiler: disarm a bomb]].
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* {{Precursors}}: The Vanir and the Elves both qualify. The Vanir created the many puzzles in the game and built their civilization to its height before vanishing into the Well of Souls, while the Elves were nearly wiped out by Nyx' rampage, leaving Helios as the SoleSurvivor and a bunch of LostTechnology that the party can find.
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* RoamingEnemy: Notably, there are three instances where enemies can be seen walking around an area and will not respawn after being killed by the player - the Alexandria Outpost, the Fairy Queen's Cave and Pandora Castle.
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* RoamingEnemy: Notably, there are three four instances where enemies can be seen walking around an area and will not respawn after being killed by the player - the Alexandria Outpost, the Fairy Queen's Cave Cave, Asgard Castle and Pandora Castle.
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* JackOfAllStats: The Gray Mage is, obviously, strong in combat, white and black magic, and his strengths are only limited to how you choose to use him.
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* MechanicallyUnusualClass: The Engineer is a bit weird to play. It's a utility class with a penchant for tunneling and [[spoiler: disarming a bomb]], but on the battlefield, the Engineer is a cut-rate Hunter who can use items to better effect than most - with fish, the class can outheal a White Mage. Later in the game, the Engineer suddenly starts to pull out a mighty offensive arsenal, one that relies on a strong INT to do physical damage, but his [[NukeEm ICBM and Megaton Explosion]] attacks can match a Black Mage for non-elemental destruction.
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* TheRedMage: The Gray Mage is this game's version of the Red Mage, with a limited selection of spells from the White and Black lists and a liking for swords surpassed only by the Knight.
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* ItemFarming: Fishing is the grindiest form of this, requiring you to drown bait for hours if you want better rods, but rewarding you with fish that are superior to and cheaper than shop-available potions. Also, if you do it right, said fish sell for high prices (especially once you get the best rods) that will allow you to fund any late-game purchasing sprees (or more fishing for useful items, either way).
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* AbandonedLaboratory: There is one such location in the game, which has little of value besides some basic items.
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* AbandonedLaboratory: There is one such location in the game, which has little of value besides some basic items.[[spoiler: submarine plans]].
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* IdiotBall:
** The player character and their party, despite repeated warnings from the Ancient Hermit (who [[spoiler:hid Kali's Medallion to stop their progress]]) not to collect the Ultima Stones, find them anyway and try to use them on [[spoiler:the Dark Lord in Pandora Castle, which goes about as well as you'd expect - he nonchalantly disintegrates them, tells you they mean nothing]], and challenges you to a difficult boss battle. Meanwhile...
** The Dark Lord himself gets this. Despite knowing that the hero is his "opposite", and has thwarted his plans time-after-time until they meet in Pandora, he doesn't bother to reveal his true form, only laughing at the player and desiring to "test" them. He doesn't bother to show up until the endgame, angrily accusing you of sabotaging his plans.
** The player character and their party, despite repeated warnings from the Ancient Hermit (who [[spoiler:hid Kali's Medallion to stop their progress]]) not to collect the Ultima Stones, find them anyway and try to use them on [[spoiler:the Dark Lord in Pandora Castle, which goes about as well as you'd expect - he nonchalantly disintegrates them, tells you they mean nothing]], and challenges you to a difficult boss battle. Meanwhile...
** The Dark Lord himself gets this. Despite knowing that the hero is his "opposite", and has thwarted his plans time-after-time until they meet in Pandora, he doesn't bother to reveal his true form, only laughing at the player and desiring to "test" them. He doesn't bother to show up until the endgame, angrily accusing you of sabotaging his plans.
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* IdiotBall:
** The player character and their party, despite repeated warnings from the Ancient Hermit (who [[spoiler:hid Kali's Medallion to stop their progress]]) not to collect the Ultima Stones, find them anyway and try to use them on [[spoiler:the Dark Lord in Pandora Castle, which goes about as well as you'd expect - he nonchalantly disintegrates them, tells you they mean nothing]], and challenges you to a difficult boss battle. Meanwhile...
**IdiotBall: The Dark Lord himself gets this. Despite knowing that the hero is his "opposite", and has thwarted his plans time-after-time until they meet in Pandora, he doesn't bother to reveal his true form, only laughing at the player and desiring to "test" them. He doesn't bother to show up until the endgame, angrily accusing you of sabotaging his plans.
** The player character and their party, despite repeated warnings from the Ancient Hermit (who [[spoiler:hid Kali's Medallion to stop their progress]]) not to collect the Ultima Stones, find them anyway and try to use them on [[spoiler:the Dark Lord in Pandora Castle, which goes about as well as you'd expect - he nonchalantly disintegrates them, tells you they mean nothing]], and challenges you to a difficult boss battle. Meanwhile...
**
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* StupidityIsTheOnlyOption: The player character and their party, despite repeated warnings from both the Ancient Hermit (who [[spoiler:hid Kali's Medallion to stop their progress]]) ''and'' Helios (who sealed the stones in the first place - and the main character not only saw him do it, but knew ''why'' he did so) not to collect the Ultima Stones, find them anyway and try to use them on [[spoiler:the Dark Lord in Pandora Castle, which goes about as well as you'd expect - he nonchalantly disintegrates them, tells you they mean nothing]], and challenges you to a difficult boss battle.
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Huh? No.
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* ContractualBossImmunity: Notably, Helios subverts this. If you manage to defeat him in the Forest Tower, he laughs it off and still intends to destroy you and your team... [[spoiler:until a Mysterious Stranger warps in, kills him in one hit and leaves after briefly addressing the player]].
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* BrokenBridge: "Oh, you need to go adventure somewhere? Of course, just rescue my daughter and I'll have that bridge over there fixed for you!" The first time this is done, it's almost a direct copy of the same quest from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI''.
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* DiggingToChina: Used as a gag in the Desert Oasis, where someone mentions that he's going to dig a tunnel to Midgard because the world's round.
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* AppealToForce: It's perfectly possible to solve all your legal troubles by simply killing the CityGuards. You can stay at the inn for free this way too.
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Added image.
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/last_dream_image.png]]
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* DefectorFromDecadence: [[spoiler:Dante turns out to have worked for Gabriel in the past and ditches after hearing the truth from his good personality.]]
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* ICannotSelfTerminate: [[spoiler:Before the start of the game, The Dark Lord/Gabriel temporarily regained his sanity long enough to ask Dante to stop him.]]
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I get the feeling that part was meant to be hidden behind a spoiler tag.
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*** [[The Outer/Inner Sanctum is a long parade of these, made up of the disembodied (and far more powerful) souls of all the bosses you've killed throughout the game, who are heavily pissed off and looking to take you down for good]].
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*** [[The [[spoiler:The Outer/Inner Sanctum is a long parade of these, made up of the disembodied (and far more powerful) souls of all the bosses you've killed throughout the game, who are heavily pissed off and looking to take you down for good]].
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Moving to YMMV
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* GoddamnedBats: Small Lizards in the early game become annoying very quickly, as they often have a massive agility advantage over the player party and attack first, and often in groups. It's not uncommon to see them wipe out at least one party member in their opening salvo if the player isn't prepared.
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** Likewise, [[spoiler:showing Kali's Medallion to Bahamut} in the Dragon Cave results in him using it to restore his own power, and subsequently rewarding the player party with a Class Upgrade. This turns the base characters into specialized classes, gives 150 skill points and unlocks their Super Skills - high-level abilities that can decimate most enemy groups when unlocked.
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** Likewise, [[spoiler:showing Kali's Medallion to Bahamut} Bahamut in the Dragon Cave Cave]] results in him using it to restore his own power, and subsequently rewarding the player party with a Class Upgrade. This turns the base characters into specialized classes, gives 150 skill points and unlocks their Super Skills - high-level abilities that can decimate most enemy groups when unlocked.
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* CharacterSelectForcing: Downplayed. It is entirely possible to complete the various sidequests without having the class that specializes in them, meaning that you can participate in Moa races without a Huntress and can steal from towns without a Thief (though it is much riskier). The one notable exception is [[spoiler:Mount Dvergar, where you absolutely ''need'' to have an Engineer in your party in order to save the mining town from the eruption.]]
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Spoilered All Just a Dream in its entirety, as mentioning it is a bit of a spoiler
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* AllJustADream: Implied in the ending after [[spoiler:the player character returns through the portal to the beach]].
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* AllJustADream: [[spoiler:AllJustADream: Implied in the ending after [[spoiler:the the player character returns through the portal to the beach]].
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''Last Dream'' is a 2014 role-playing game developed by White Giant RPG Studios in the VideoGame/RPGMaker VX engine, which follows a group of heroes as they seek to save the world from an impending dark force.
The game begins with a man who is sucked into a interdimensional portal after he momentarily leaves his family at the beach to collect firewood. The man is thrown into the world of Terra, an expansive world made up of several continents, and is rescued by a local villager named Dante, who brings him back to his home and begins to train him. One year later, the man is told by Dante that his daughter has been kidnapped, revealing a plot by an evil entity called the Dark Lord who seeks to control the world and subjugate the residents.
With the help of three other heroes, the father sets out to rescue Terra from the Dark Lord's clutches, as well as take part in a resistance movement, obtain four crystals that are the key to stopping the Dark Lord's plans and more on the way to the climactic confrontation at the mythical Well of Souls...
Developed in part as a throwback to early-[[TheNineties 90's]] RPG's, the game bills itself as an "ode to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''", and features multiple references and [[ShoutOut shout-outs]] to various RPG franchises. The game also includes many different paths of exploration and a wide assortment of sidequests.
An expansion pack and sequel are currently in development. The game is available on [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/266230/ Steam]].
----
!!The game provides examples of:
* AbandonedLaboratory: There is one such location in the game, which has little of value besides some basic items.
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The Excalibur (an upgraded Adamantium-level sword) is described as being "honed to a razor edge", and is the second-most powerful sword in the game.
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The Oakwood sewer system and the Asgard Sewer / Catacombs.
* AdultFear:
** Dante blames himself for allowing his daughter to go out on her own (where she was subsequently captured by the Dark Lord's forces) and begs the player to rescue her.
** In the opening, the player character expresses fear about leaving his kids alone, even for just a few minutes, to gather firewood.
* AllDesertsHaveCacti: The Oasis, Dry Gulch and the Southern Desert.
* AllJustADream: Implied in the ending after [[spoiler:the player character returns through the portal to the beach]].
* AllMythsAreTrue: Pretty much everything mentioned in passing by various NPC's turns out to be real, including the Well of Souls, the BonusBoss Kali and more.
* AnotherDimension: [[spoiler:The Outer/Inner Sanctum, accessed through the Well of Souls, which is a series of confusing platforms in space]].
* ApatheticCitizens: The townsfolk in Oakwood aren't concerned in the slightest when Pandoran troops besiege and take over their town, with most having the exact same "nothing interesting ever happens in this town" dialogue after the event in question occurs.
* ArmorOfInvincibility: The [[InfinityPlusOneSword Rainbow Robe/Armor]], which is the best armor in the game bar-none, and protects the wearer from all status effects.
* TheAtoner: The King of Doria considers himself this, as he [[spoiler:exiled the Hermit for nearly half a century due to not believing his prophecies]], and does whatever he can to make amends for the rest of the game.
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler:Dante becomes the new king of Pandora]] in the ending.
* BadGuyBar: The Pandora Inn (and Pandora itself), due to the player party being interlopers who have snuck in to assassinate General Hannibal. They alternately salute the player with the standard Pandoran greeting, ask why the player has forgot to recite their oath, or gleefully boast about how they'll take over the rest of the world.
* BossBattle:
** BonusBoss:
*** [[spoiler:The corrupted elf Nyx]], who resides at the bottom of the 50-level deep Abyss.
*** The four Legendary Hunter's Guild contracts, which are located in remote parts of the world map. They require the player to be ''at least'' level 50+, and are the strongest monsters in the game. Beat them, however, and you have access to the [[InfinityPlusOneSword most powerful armor, ring and sword in the game]]. Beating the four bosses also unlocks [[spoiler:the second coming of the Dark Lord]], who has the most HP of any single creature in the game (750,000!).
** BossBonanza:
*** The four Legendary Thieves' Guild contracts are incredibly-powerful bosses. Two of them have more HP than the final boss himself.
*** [[The Outer/Inner Sanctum is a long parade of these, made up of the disembodied (and far more powerful) souls of all the bosses you've killed throughout the game, who are heavily pissed off and looking to take you down for good]].
** ClimaxBoss: The battle against General Hannibal and the 9 Pandoran Elite Legions results in one of two choices: either call for help and let Atticus and the Spartans battle them (which results in Spartan casualties and Atticus [[YouKilledMyFather getting revenge for Hannibal killing his father]])... or you can decide to take on all of the Legions and Hannibal yourself, which results in an OhCrap moment when Hannibal realizes he has no one left and tries to take you on by himself.
** CutsceneBoss: [[spoiler:Helios in the Forest Tower Basement]]. Whether you are knocked down to no health or (rarely) defeat him, the battle is resolved by a mysterious individual appearing and effortlessly wiping it out.
** EarlyBirdBoss: The Ancient Gargoyle/Master of the Forest in the Forest of Despair, who have 2,500/7,500 HP, respectively. They're usually far beyond the party level on their first time through, but come back later and they can be easily trounced, and net some powerful rings and a large chunk of money.
** FinalBossNewDimension: The Well of Souls leads to [[spoiler:The Outer/Inner Sanctum, a repository for all the souls in the universe, and the location where the Dark Lord resides]].
* BraggingRightsReward:
** Defeating [[spoiler:Helios in the Forest Tower Basement]] (which usually isn't possible, because he is far past the average party level and lobs devastating attacks) results in a different cutscene and the party receiving a powerful set of Dragon armor for a White/Black Mage, which is good enough to use for the majority of the game.
** Defeating the Kraken ''without'' going the obvious route (killing the Gorgon and using its head to turn the Kraken to stone), and beating it in direct combat. It has a whopping 25,000 HP, and can put the hurt on the player's party without preparation. You don't get much for it besides some cash and an achievement, but the NPC's constantly referencing how awesome you are for saving them is thanks enough.
** Beating all 5 tiers of the Arena results in a ton of cash, the recipe for the powerful Onyx Armor and NPC's remarking on [[AWinnerIsYou how badass your team is]]. Furthermore, beating all tiers and clearing the first three sets of Hunter's Guild missions allows the player to buy powerful rings from the VIP store.
** Clearing the Abyss, a dungeon that runs 50 levels deep. Doing so nets you one of the best rings in the game (Amaranthine Ring), a powerful armor set and robe, and multiple rings that are otherwise only acquired via stealing from the [[BonusBoss bonus bosses]].
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:Gabriel, a.k.a. The Dark Lord]], who was corrupted as a young man and is trying to achieve immortality by killing everyone else.
* BrickJoke: Entering the sewers in Oakwood for training/items and exiting, then talking to the townspeople. results in all of them ostracizing the player party until they clean themselves in the town's central pool. This can be done long after the point where it's expected to be funny - when the Pandoran army takes over the town, you can use the same trick to have them react in horror and fight you in retaliation!
* ButThouMust: Dante asking you to rescue his daughter, and the King of Doria asking you to rescue the Hermit.
* CollectionSidequest: There are many scattered throughout the game, including:
** The Adamantium synthesis schematics, which are tied into some of the hardest challenges in the game (the Mystic Cave, the Hunter's Guild, the Arena, the Hedge Maze), and are used to craft very powerful weapons and armor.
** The various puzzles throughout the game world, which can be redeemed at the Puzzle Master's house for powerful rings.
** The items and schematics that are found through using the drill and sonar throughout the game world - there are 50 of them in total.
* ContractualBossImmunity: Notably, Helios subverts this. If you manage to defeat him in the Forest Tower, he laughs it off and still intends to destroy you and your team... [[spoiler:until a Mysterious Stranger warps in, kills him in one hit and leaves after briefly addressing the player]].
* CoolShip: Depending on which story path you take, you can acquire the Relic Collector's small boat... or a much larger ship given by the King of Doria. Although this has no effect on the cosmetic appearance of the boat on the world map, it can later be upgraded to function as a submersible.
* CosmicKeystone: The four Ultima Crystals. [[spoiler:They're proven to be useless to the plot when The Dark Lord destroys them after you've acquired them]].
* DamselInDistress: Dante's daughter, who was captured by forces sent by the Dark Lord and has to be rescued in the first mission of the game.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Once you hit the final tier of Hunter's Guild contracts, the correspondents all express amazement that you were able to destroy what are effectively demi-gods. When you defeat the fourth and most powerful boss, Kali, the correspondent mentions that he could see her death throes from the other side of a mountain.
* DiscOneFinalDungeon: The Forest Tower/Forest of Despair, depending on what path the player takes. [[TakeAThirdOption Not that there's anything stopping you from doing both before going to Doria]].
* TheDragon: General Hannibal to the Dark Lord.
* DressingAsTheEnemy: The heroes have to take a uniform from a captain inside Pandora Castle in order to move around without suspicion.
* DungeonCrawling:
** DiscOneFinalDungeon: The Forest of Despair, which offers the most powerful enemies up to that point in the story.
** TheMaze: The Hedge Maze, a [[HarderThanHard brutally-difficult]] puzzle that requires memorization (or a [[GuideDangIt guide]]), speed and a lot of luck to hit all ten sigils without running out of time.
* DyingAsYourself: [[spoiler:Gabriel regains his soul and sanity after the player character stabs him in the heart, having driven the corruption of the Dark Lord from him]].
* TheEmpire: The city of Pandora becomes this (influenced by the Dark Lord) when their King is assassinated and General Hannibal assumes control of their military forces.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Just before the final battle, The Dark Lord expresses indignation that anyone would try to stop his plan to achieve eternal life...by planning to kill the hero and all the residents of Terra.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: When the player attempts to assassinate General Hannibal in Pandora Castle, they are caught and imprisoned by a large garrison of soldiers as soon as they enter the front doors. Normally, the player then has to sneak through the castle to find their equipment and a uniform that lets them pass by undetected. However, there's nothing stopping the player from taking on hordes of soldiers and soundly beating them if their level is high enough.
* GlobalAirship: The airship acquired from the Southern Continent, which is even used by the heroes to rappel into Pandora while their forces are occupied.
* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:Defeating the four Legendary Hunter's Guild contracts results in the Dark Lord harnessing their souls to power himself up, heralding his second and upgraded form]].
* GoddamnedBats: Small Lizards in the early game become annoying very quickly, as they often have a massive agility advantage over the player party and attack first, and often in groups. It's not uncommon to see them wipe out at least one party member in their opening salvo if the player isn't prepared.
* GoldenEnding: With one [[MyGreatestFailure notable exception]], doing all of the sidequests in the game results in additional dialogue and better endings for all of the characters, including Brokkr (who goes into business selling suits of adamantium to interested parties), the residents of the Oasis (who see tourism flourish after the player dispatched the pirate running their economy), the denizens of Lemuria remarking on humanity's potential, and many others.
* GondorCallsForAid: The player party can enlist Atticus and the Spartans when they're confronted by General Hannibal and the Pandoran army at the Well of Souls. The Spartans show up with their airships and trounce the army, though not before taking casualties of their own, and Atticus and Hannibal have a final duel in front of the Well.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Alluded to in the first dream sequence in Dry Gulch - [[spoiler:the mother refused to give up the half-elf child after she was raped by Nyx]].
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Gabriel, who was corrupted and became the Dark Lord]].
* HowDidWeGetBackHome: After [[spoiler:killing the Dark Lord/Gabriel, an interdimensional rift opens above the Well of Souls, forcing the party to make a run for it and jump through before it closes. After the player character arrives back on the beach, he seems confused about what happened, and why only a few minutes have passed since he left to get the firewood]].
* HPToOne: Failing certain puzzles (like the minefield in the Great Southern Marsh) or going for certain treasures in the Mines of Dvergar results in the party's health reduced to 1 each.
* HumongousMecha: The half-stone, half-machine Vanir Golem, a BonusBoss found through the Thieves' Guild contracts.
* IdiotBall:
** The player character and their party, despite repeated warnings from the Ancient Hermit (who [[spoiler:hid Kali's Medallion to stop their progress]]) not to collect the Ultima Stones, find them anyway and try to use them on [[spoiler:the Dark Lord in Pandora Castle, which goes about as well as you'd expect - he nonchalantly disintegrates them, tells you they mean nothing]], and challenges you to a difficult boss battle. Meanwhile...
** The Dark Lord himself gets this. Despite knowing that the hero is his "opposite", and has thwarted his plans time-after-time until they meet in Pandora, he doesn't bother to reveal his true form, only laughing at the player and desiring to "test" them. He doesn't bother to show up until the endgame, angrily accusing you of sabotaging his plans.
* InescapableAmbush: The player and their party are caught when they walk through the front door of Pandora Castle, despite potentially being able to wipe the floor with all of the soldiers (and General Hannibal) in the room if they've leveled up enough.
* InfinityMinusOneSword: The Adamantium/Saint-level equipment, which can only be found in the Mines of Dvergar. Despite being overshadowed by the upgraded Adamantium/Saint equipment and the items/armor found on the [[BonusBoss bonus bosses]] and The Abyss, they are the easiest to get in the course of gameplay, and are capable of mopping the floor with most enemies.
* InfinityPlusOneSword:
** The Vanir Sword, which is only found as a mandatory drop from the Vanir Golem BonusBoss, and is a stealable item from the Kali bonus boss. It greatly increases the user's attack and agility stats, and is by far the best sword in the game.
** The Rainbow Robe/Armor, which protect the user from status effects and are more powerful than upgraded Adamantium equipment. They can be found on the Grotesque BonusBoss and as a reward for getting to levels 46/48 of The Abyss.
** The description for Kali's Ring lists it as the best item in the game, and up to two copies can be acquired from beating Kali herself (one as a stealable item, and one given after beating her).
* InnSecurity: Trying to strongarm any innkeeper into letting you stay the night for free results in them calling the city guards on you.
* LastDiscMagic: The Super Skills are only acquired after the halfway point of the game (from Bahamut after you give him Kali's Medallion), and are only accessible once each character gets to level 40/50 and has enough skill points, but are far and away the most powerful skills in the game, and can utterly trounce everything, up to and including the final boss, to the point of being potential game-breakers.
* LastOfHisKind: Bahamut is the last dragon in existence, and gives the player and their party a Class Upgrade if they bring him Kali's Medallion. [[spoiler:Later, the player can free the dragon Tiamat in the Mines of Dvergar, and the two dragons can speak to the player at the former's cave]].
* LegendaryWeapon: The upgraded Adamantium/Saint gear, including Excalibur and the Masamune among others.
* LevelGrinding: Defeating the four [[BonusBoss bonus bosses]] requires that the player either get very lucky with completing sidequests (like finishing all tiers of the Mystic Cave and The Abyss) around level 40, or grind like a madman until they reach level 50. Notably, this also comes back to bite the player later on - [[spoiler:the Dark Lord harnesses their souls to become even more powerful than before]].
* LoadsAndLoadsOfSidequests: There are scores of sidequests throughout the game, including the Thieves' Guild contracts (four tiers of powerful monsters to slay across the game world), the fishing sidequests, 50 puzzles throughout the various locations, sonar treasures, an endless enemy dungeon, multiple labryinths and more.
* LostForever: Several of the treasures in the Mines of Dvergar, which can become inaccessible if they aren't picked up before the bridge the party crosses breaks apart.
* LostTribe: Several are dotted throughout the game, having either isolated themselves from society or are completely blocked from human contact, including the Lemurians and the mermaids in Atlantis.
* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: It is up to the player party to solve all of the conflicts in the game, ranging from the obvious (the Dark Lord's scheme) to the various sidequests (doing the Hunters' Guild's work for them, helping the Master Fisherman catch the ultimate prize, completing the Mystic Cave and [[spoiler:obtaining the Adamantium schematics from Cid and Locke's brother]]).
* MeaningfulName: Many of the supporting character names are references to various figures from Greek and world mythology, including [[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante]], Atticus, Ajax, Kali and many more.
* MissingMom: In the opening sequence and the ending, the mother is nowhere to be seen when the father goes out for firewood, and the latter even pains over leaving his kids alone while he goes off.
* MultipleEndings: There are numerous variations for who the player helped over the course of their journey, with alternate dialogue given if the player performed certain [[BraggingRightsReward feats]] (beating all tiers of the arena, completing the four Hunters' Guild tiers, etc).
* MyGreatestFailure: Interestingly seen from several supporting characters:
** The King of Doria deeply regretted [[spoiler:exiling the Hermit (who was his close advisor, and warned him about the looming prophecy that foretold death and destruction) for 50 years because he didn't want to believe it]]. For the rest of the game, he doesn't bother to punish or chastize him, even when [[spoiler:the Hermit hides Kali's Medallion out of spite because he doesn't want the player party to succeed]].
** If General Hannibal is fought directly by the player party instead of the easier option (recruiting the Spartans to help fight them), Atticus is seen in the ending consumed with regret over his failure to find his father's killer, even as the townspeople are celebrating the death of the Dark Lord.
* NewGamePlus: There are actually two options given for this - the standard "New Game+" erases the player's equipment, money and items but keeps their achievement and collection tallies, while the "Reborn" mode allows the player to start the game with all of their equipment.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** In spite of the Hermit's warnings, the heroes gather up the four Ultima Crystals and take them to the confrontation with the Dark Lord in Pandora Castle... [[spoiler:who nonchalantly destroys them and laughs at the heroes for trying such a thing, forcing them to enact an alternate plan]].
** Beating the four Legendary Hunter's Guild contracts results in [[spoiler:The Dark Lord harnessing their souls to revitalize himself, and forcing the player's party to fight his second, upgraded form]].
* Ninja: The Thief's upgraded form after his Class Change, though only in the loosest sense of the word. The only abilities he gains after his upgrade are a skill that lets him throw shurikens and one that does much more damage to all members of an enemy force at once.
* NintendoHard:
** The Expert-level Giant Moa Race is an exercise in extreme frustration, as it requires that you essentially master a three-minute sequence of button mashing, reflex time and near-pinpoint accuracy. Make more than four mistakes, and the race is over before you know it, as you'll never get enough of a lead back to overtake the competitors.
* OneTimeDungeon: The Leviathan, which is blown apart after you destroy its heart.
* OverlyLongFightingAnimation: The Ninja's Super Skill, Dancing Daggers, can sometimes take longer to play as opposed to the time it takes to kill enemies with it, due to the system going through and listing the results of the Ninja's thievery for each and every enemy. It gets ridiculous when the move knocks out eight or nine enemies at once, and the move continues for another minute as it rattles off the results.
* PartyInMyPocket: Played straight, although if the lead character is killed, the model for the party will jump to the next available party member.
* RapeAsDrama: It's only briefly alluded to, but [[spoiler:Nyx rapes a woman during his siege/destruction of a town in one of the hero's flashbacks, with an Elder commenting that he can "heal her body, but not her soul", and the inadvertant mother choosing to keep the child]].
* RoamingEnemy: Notably, there are three instances where enemies can be seen walking around an area and will not respawn after being killed by the player - the Alexandria Outpost, the Fairy Queen's Cave and Pandora Castle.
* SaveTheWorldClimax: The climax has the heroes protecting Terra by [[spoiler:fighting the Dark Lord, who plans to harness the planet's souls to make himself immortal]].
* ShiftingSandLand: The Southern Desert. Stray off the beaten path, and you'll get sucked down through quicksand into a dungeon.
* ShoutOut: The game has multiple shoutouts and references to the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series, including two of the three brothers being named Cid and Locke, an airship acquired at a key point in the game, and more.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: One of the NPC's you meet at an inn laments her lot in life and tells the player character that she plans to find a good soldier to settle down with after the war is over.
* StormingTheCastle: The party's assault on Pandora Castle, which fails miserably until you sneak through the castle and get your equipment back.
* SwissCheeseSecurity: Notably averted - unless you have a Thief in your party (who is able to auto-pick chests without alerting anyone), opening chests in NPC houses will result in a greater chance of the town guard being summoned to fight you. You will also have to bring down your reputation by paying a member at the Underground Hideout in Altheim.
* TakeAThirdOption: The game stresses non-linearity and branching choices. Early on, the party is given the choice to obtain a ship, either by collecting two Elven Runes from bosses in specific locations, or by proving their worth by journeying through the Forest of Despair. Of course, there's nothing stopping the player from collecting the relics before going through the forest, which nets you a set of powerful Mythril armor and weapons or 75,000 gold depending on which quest you trade in first.
* TookAShortcut: The player can pull this in the Mines of Dvergar by paying an NPC standing by the entrance 500,000 gold to escort them to the city of Dvergar. No explanation is given for how the player was able to get past all the enemies and the boss blocking the route beyond the guide telling them that he "knows the mines well".
* TooAwesomeToUse: The Leviathan healing items (which restore 100% of the party's HP/MP). There are only three found in the game before fighting the final boss (two in the Leviathan graveyard, and another which can be stolen from Kali). However, when you fight the Dark Lord, you can steal Leviathans from him with reckless abandon and use them to restore your party back to full strength if needed.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** The entire party gets this upon beating all of the contracts in the Hunter's Guild - they go from a standard party of adventurers dispatching minor nuisances to ''fighting urban legends and demigods thought to be a myth'' by the time the fourth tier is completed, and their deeds are respected and talked about by numerous NPC's throughout the game world. In the GoldenEnding, Locke admits that the player and his/her party are simply the greatest warriors alive, even moreso than Atticus and Ajax.
** Likewise, [[spoiler:showing Kali's Medallion to Bahamut} in the Dragon Cave results in him using it to restore his own power, and subsequently rewarding the player party with a Class Upgrade. This turns the base characters into specialized classes, gives 150 skill points and unlocks their Super Skills - high-level abilities that can decimate most enemy groups when unlocked.
* TreasureRoom: The King of Doria has one set up (and blocked by guard) in Doria Castle. However, this seems to be a subversion - despite all the boxes and suits of armor inside, the only items you get when you enter are Dragon Armor, the Dragon Sword and an Ascendant Ring. While great, they're nowhere near the level of the endgame weapons/armor that can be upgraded, or even that much better than what you win at the Arena.
* UpgradeArtifact: Thor's Hammer, which is won by completing the Expert course in the Giant Moa Races, and is used by Brokkr to enhance Adamantium-level equipment.
* UselessUsefulSpell: Most early-level White/Black Mage spells become useless as the game goes on, as the enemies gain the ability to resist or counter status effects.
* VideoGameStealing: The Thief (later Ninja) can steal items from enemies and bosses through various attacks until they run out of goods.
* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Averted - the player character and up to two other squadmates can fall in battle, and if the single surviving squadmate wins, the game will still continue until said members are resurrected at a church.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the ending, despite the fact that the player character returns to Earth from the Terran portal, the rest of his/her squadmates are nowhere to be found in the cinematics.
* WithThisHerring: Played straight and averted. After you complete the first leg of the game (clear the Forest of Despair/find the Relics), if you choose to forego the King of Doria's offer of a ship, he will instead give you a ton of cash and a full set of Mythril armor and weapons. Not only are they worth a lot of money, but the gear is far better than what you have at that point. However, the King only gives you the most powerful gear in his armory (the Dragon Armor and the Ascendant Ring) if you rescue the King of Midgard much later in the game.
* YouCanBarelyStand: General Hannibal tries to use this against the player party if they choose to confront him and his legions by themselves.
----
The game begins with a man who is sucked into a interdimensional portal after he momentarily leaves his family at the beach to collect firewood. The man is thrown into the world of Terra, an expansive world made up of several continents, and is rescued by a local villager named Dante, who brings him back to his home and begins to train him. One year later, the man is told by Dante that his daughter has been kidnapped, revealing a plot by an evil entity called the Dark Lord who seeks to control the world and subjugate the residents.
With the help of three other heroes, the father sets out to rescue Terra from the Dark Lord's clutches, as well as take part in a resistance movement, obtain four crystals that are the key to stopping the Dark Lord's plans and more on the way to the climactic confrontation at the mythical Well of Souls...
Developed in part as a throwback to early-[[TheNineties 90's]] RPG's, the game bills itself as an "ode to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''", and features multiple references and [[ShoutOut shout-outs]] to various RPG franchises. The game also includes many different paths of exploration and a wide assortment of sidequests.
An expansion pack and sequel are currently in development. The game is available on [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/266230/ Steam]].
----
!!The game provides examples of:
* AbandonedLaboratory: There is one such location in the game, which has little of value besides some basic items.
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The Excalibur (an upgraded Adamantium-level sword) is described as being "honed to a razor edge", and is the second-most powerful sword in the game.
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The Oakwood sewer system and the Asgard Sewer / Catacombs.
* AdultFear:
** Dante blames himself for allowing his daughter to go out on her own (where she was subsequently captured by the Dark Lord's forces) and begs the player to rescue her.
** In the opening, the player character expresses fear about leaving his kids alone, even for just a few minutes, to gather firewood.
* AllDesertsHaveCacti: The Oasis, Dry Gulch and the Southern Desert.
* AllJustADream: Implied in the ending after [[spoiler:the player character returns through the portal to the beach]].
* AllMythsAreTrue: Pretty much everything mentioned in passing by various NPC's turns out to be real, including the Well of Souls, the BonusBoss Kali and more.
* AnotherDimension: [[spoiler:The Outer/Inner Sanctum, accessed through the Well of Souls, which is a series of confusing platforms in space]].
* ApatheticCitizens: The townsfolk in Oakwood aren't concerned in the slightest when Pandoran troops besiege and take over their town, with most having the exact same "nothing interesting ever happens in this town" dialogue after the event in question occurs.
* ArmorOfInvincibility: The [[InfinityPlusOneSword Rainbow Robe/Armor]], which is the best armor in the game bar-none, and protects the wearer from all status effects.
* TheAtoner: The King of Doria considers himself this, as he [[spoiler:exiled the Hermit for nearly half a century due to not believing his prophecies]], and does whatever he can to make amends for the rest of the game.
* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler:Dante becomes the new king of Pandora]] in the ending.
* BadGuyBar: The Pandora Inn (and Pandora itself), due to the player party being interlopers who have snuck in to assassinate General Hannibal. They alternately salute the player with the standard Pandoran greeting, ask why the player has forgot to recite their oath, or gleefully boast about how they'll take over the rest of the world.
* BossBattle:
** BonusBoss:
*** [[spoiler:The corrupted elf Nyx]], who resides at the bottom of the 50-level deep Abyss.
*** The four Legendary Hunter's Guild contracts, which are located in remote parts of the world map. They require the player to be ''at least'' level 50+, and are the strongest monsters in the game. Beat them, however, and you have access to the [[InfinityPlusOneSword most powerful armor, ring and sword in the game]]. Beating the four bosses also unlocks [[spoiler:the second coming of the Dark Lord]], who has the most HP of any single creature in the game (750,000!).
** BossBonanza:
*** The four Legendary Thieves' Guild contracts are incredibly-powerful bosses. Two of them have more HP than the final boss himself.
*** [[The Outer/Inner Sanctum is a long parade of these, made up of the disembodied (and far more powerful) souls of all the bosses you've killed throughout the game, who are heavily pissed off and looking to take you down for good]].
** ClimaxBoss: The battle against General Hannibal and the 9 Pandoran Elite Legions results in one of two choices: either call for help and let Atticus and the Spartans battle them (which results in Spartan casualties and Atticus [[YouKilledMyFather getting revenge for Hannibal killing his father]])... or you can decide to take on all of the Legions and Hannibal yourself, which results in an OhCrap moment when Hannibal realizes he has no one left and tries to take you on by himself.
** CutsceneBoss: [[spoiler:Helios in the Forest Tower Basement]]. Whether you are knocked down to no health or (rarely) defeat him, the battle is resolved by a mysterious individual appearing and effortlessly wiping it out.
** EarlyBirdBoss: The Ancient Gargoyle/Master of the Forest in the Forest of Despair, who have 2,500/7,500 HP, respectively. They're usually far beyond the party level on their first time through, but come back later and they can be easily trounced, and net some powerful rings and a large chunk of money.
** FinalBossNewDimension: The Well of Souls leads to [[spoiler:The Outer/Inner Sanctum, a repository for all the souls in the universe, and the location where the Dark Lord resides]].
* BraggingRightsReward:
** Defeating [[spoiler:Helios in the Forest Tower Basement]] (which usually isn't possible, because he is far past the average party level and lobs devastating attacks) results in a different cutscene and the party receiving a powerful set of Dragon armor for a White/Black Mage, which is good enough to use for the majority of the game.
** Defeating the Kraken ''without'' going the obvious route (killing the Gorgon and using its head to turn the Kraken to stone), and beating it in direct combat. It has a whopping 25,000 HP, and can put the hurt on the player's party without preparation. You don't get much for it besides some cash and an achievement, but the NPC's constantly referencing how awesome you are for saving them is thanks enough.
** Beating all 5 tiers of the Arena results in a ton of cash, the recipe for the powerful Onyx Armor and NPC's remarking on [[AWinnerIsYou how badass your team is]]. Furthermore, beating all tiers and clearing the first three sets of Hunter's Guild missions allows the player to buy powerful rings from the VIP store.
** Clearing the Abyss, a dungeon that runs 50 levels deep. Doing so nets you one of the best rings in the game (Amaranthine Ring), a powerful armor set and robe, and multiple rings that are otherwise only acquired via stealing from the [[BonusBoss bonus bosses]].
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:Gabriel, a.k.a. The Dark Lord]], who was corrupted as a young man and is trying to achieve immortality by killing everyone else.
* BrickJoke: Entering the sewers in Oakwood for training/items and exiting, then talking to the townspeople. results in all of them ostracizing the player party until they clean themselves in the town's central pool. This can be done long after the point where it's expected to be funny - when the Pandoran army takes over the town, you can use the same trick to have them react in horror and fight you in retaliation!
* ButThouMust: Dante asking you to rescue his daughter, and the King of Doria asking you to rescue the Hermit.
* CollectionSidequest: There are many scattered throughout the game, including:
** The Adamantium synthesis schematics, which are tied into some of the hardest challenges in the game (the Mystic Cave, the Hunter's Guild, the Arena, the Hedge Maze), and are used to craft very powerful weapons and armor.
** The various puzzles throughout the game world, which can be redeemed at the Puzzle Master's house for powerful rings.
** The items and schematics that are found through using the drill and sonar throughout the game world - there are 50 of them in total.
* ContractualBossImmunity: Notably, Helios subverts this. If you manage to defeat him in the Forest Tower, he laughs it off and still intends to destroy you and your team... [[spoiler:until a Mysterious Stranger warps in, kills him in one hit and leaves after briefly addressing the player]].
* CoolShip: Depending on which story path you take, you can acquire the Relic Collector's small boat... or a much larger ship given by the King of Doria. Although this has no effect on the cosmetic appearance of the boat on the world map, it can later be upgraded to function as a submersible.
* CosmicKeystone: The four Ultima Crystals. [[spoiler:They're proven to be useless to the plot when The Dark Lord destroys them after you've acquired them]].
* DamselInDistress: Dante's daughter, who was captured by forces sent by the Dark Lord and has to be rescued in the first mission of the game.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Once you hit the final tier of Hunter's Guild contracts, the correspondents all express amazement that you were able to destroy what are effectively demi-gods. When you defeat the fourth and most powerful boss, Kali, the correspondent mentions that he could see her death throes from the other side of a mountain.
* DiscOneFinalDungeon: The Forest Tower/Forest of Despair, depending on what path the player takes. [[TakeAThirdOption Not that there's anything stopping you from doing both before going to Doria]].
* TheDragon: General Hannibal to the Dark Lord.
* DressingAsTheEnemy: The heroes have to take a uniform from a captain inside Pandora Castle in order to move around without suspicion.
* DungeonCrawling:
** DiscOneFinalDungeon: The Forest of Despair, which offers the most powerful enemies up to that point in the story.
** TheMaze: The Hedge Maze, a [[HarderThanHard brutally-difficult]] puzzle that requires memorization (or a [[GuideDangIt guide]]), speed and a lot of luck to hit all ten sigils without running out of time.
* DyingAsYourself: [[spoiler:Gabriel regains his soul and sanity after the player character stabs him in the heart, having driven the corruption of the Dark Lord from him]].
* TheEmpire: The city of Pandora becomes this (influenced by the Dark Lord) when their King is assassinated and General Hannibal assumes control of their military forces.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Just before the final battle, The Dark Lord expresses indignation that anyone would try to stop his plan to achieve eternal life...by planning to kill the hero and all the residents of Terra.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: When the player attempts to assassinate General Hannibal in Pandora Castle, they are caught and imprisoned by a large garrison of soldiers as soon as they enter the front doors. Normally, the player then has to sneak through the castle to find their equipment and a uniform that lets them pass by undetected. However, there's nothing stopping the player from taking on hordes of soldiers and soundly beating them if their level is high enough.
* GlobalAirship: The airship acquired from the Southern Continent, which is even used by the heroes to rappel into Pandora while their forces are occupied.
* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:Defeating the four Legendary Hunter's Guild contracts results in the Dark Lord harnessing their souls to power himself up, heralding his second and upgraded form]].
* GoddamnedBats: Small Lizards in the early game become annoying very quickly, as they often have a massive agility advantage over the player party and attack first, and often in groups. It's not uncommon to see them wipe out at least one party member in their opening salvo if the player isn't prepared.
* GoldenEnding: With one [[MyGreatestFailure notable exception]], doing all of the sidequests in the game results in additional dialogue and better endings for all of the characters, including Brokkr (who goes into business selling suits of adamantium to interested parties), the residents of the Oasis (who see tourism flourish after the player dispatched the pirate running their economy), the denizens of Lemuria remarking on humanity's potential, and many others.
* GondorCallsForAid: The player party can enlist Atticus and the Spartans when they're confronted by General Hannibal and the Pandoran army at the Well of Souls. The Spartans show up with their airships and trounce the army, though not before taking casualties of their own, and Atticus and Hannibal have a final duel in front of the Well.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Alluded to in the first dream sequence in Dry Gulch - [[spoiler:the mother refused to give up the half-elf child after she was raped by Nyx]].
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Gabriel, who was corrupted and became the Dark Lord]].
* HowDidWeGetBackHome: After [[spoiler:killing the Dark Lord/Gabriel, an interdimensional rift opens above the Well of Souls, forcing the party to make a run for it and jump through before it closes. After the player character arrives back on the beach, he seems confused about what happened, and why only a few minutes have passed since he left to get the firewood]].
* HPToOne: Failing certain puzzles (like the minefield in the Great Southern Marsh) or going for certain treasures in the Mines of Dvergar results in the party's health reduced to 1 each.
* HumongousMecha: The half-stone, half-machine Vanir Golem, a BonusBoss found through the Thieves' Guild contracts.
* IdiotBall:
** The player character and their party, despite repeated warnings from the Ancient Hermit (who [[spoiler:hid Kali's Medallion to stop their progress]]) not to collect the Ultima Stones, find them anyway and try to use them on [[spoiler:the Dark Lord in Pandora Castle, which goes about as well as you'd expect - he nonchalantly disintegrates them, tells you they mean nothing]], and challenges you to a difficult boss battle. Meanwhile...
** The Dark Lord himself gets this. Despite knowing that the hero is his "opposite", and has thwarted his plans time-after-time until they meet in Pandora, he doesn't bother to reveal his true form, only laughing at the player and desiring to "test" them. He doesn't bother to show up until the endgame, angrily accusing you of sabotaging his plans.
* InescapableAmbush: The player and their party are caught when they walk through the front door of Pandora Castle, despite potentially being able to wipe the floor with all of the soldiers (and General Hannibal) in the room if they've leveled up enough.
* InfinityMinusOneSword: The Adamantium/Saint-level equipment, which can only be found in the Mines of Dvergar. Despite being overshadowed by the upgraded Adamantium/Saint equipment and the items/armor found on the [[BonusBoss bonus bosses]] and The Abyss, they are the easiest to get in the course of gameplay, and are capable of mopping the floor with most enemies.
* InfinityPlusOneSword:
** The Vanir Sword, which is only found as a mandatory drop from the Vanir Golem BonusBoss, and is a stealable item from the Kali bonus boss. It greatly increases the user's attack and agility stats, and is by far the best sword in the game.
** The Rainbow Robe/Armor, which protect the user from status effects and are more powerful than upgraded Adamantium equipment. They can be found on the Grotesque BonusBoss and as a reward for getting to levels 46/48 of The Abyss.
** The description for Kali's Ring lists it as the best item in the game, and up to two copies can be acquired from beating Kali herself (one as a stealable item, and one given after beating her).
* InnSecurity: Trying to strongarm any innkeeper into letting you stay the night for free results in them calling the city guards on you.
* LastDiscMagic: The Super Skills are only acquired after the halfway point of the game (from Bahamut after you give him Kali's Medallion), and are only accessible once each character gets to level 40/50 and has enough skill points, but are far and away the most powerful skills in the game, and can utterly trounce everything, up to and including the final boss, to the point of being potential game-breakers.
* LastOfHisKind: Bahamut is the last dragon in existence, and gives the player and their party a Class Upgrade if they bring him Kali's Medallion. [[spoiler:Later, the player can free the dragon Tiamat in the Mines of Dvergar, and the two dragons can speak to the player at the former's cave]].
* LegendaryWeapon: The upgraded Adamantium/Saint gear, including Excalibur and the Masamune among others.
* LevelGrinding: Defeating the four [[BonusBoss bonus bosses]] requires that the player either get very lucky with completing sidequests (like finishing all tiers of the Mystic Cave and The Abyss) around level 40, or grind like a madman until they reach level 50. Notably, this also comes back to bite the player later on - [[spoiler:the Dark Lord harnesses their souls to become even more powerful than before]].
* LoadsAndLoadsOfSidequests: There are scores of sidequests throughout the game, including the Thieves' Guild contracts (four tiers of powerful monsters to slay across the game world), the fishing sidequests, 50 puzzles throughout the various locations, sonar treasures, an endless enemy dungeon, multiple labryinths and more.
* LostForever: Several of the treasures in the Mines of Dvergar, which can become inaccessible if they aren't picked up before the bridge the party crosses breaks apart.
* LostTribe: Several are dotted throughout the game, having either isolated themselves from society or are completely blocked from human contact, including the Lemurians and the mermaids in Atlantis.
* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: It is up to the player party to solve all of the conflicts in the game, ranging from the obvious (the Dark Lord's scheme) to the various sidequests (doing the Hunters' Guild's work for them, helping the Master Fisherman catch the ultimate prize, completing the Mystic Cave and [[spoiler:obtaining the Adamantium schematics from Cid and Locke's brother]]).
* MeaningfulName: Many of the supporting character names are references to various figures from Greek and world mythology, including [[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante]], Atticus, Ajax, Kali and many more.
* MissingMom: In the opening sequence and the ending, the mother is nowhere to be seen when the father goes out for firewood, and the latter even pains over leaving his kids alone while he goes off.
* MultipleEndings: There are numerous variations for who the player helped over the course of their journey, with alternate dialogue given if the player performed certain [[BraggingRightsReward feats]] (beating all tiers of the arena, completing the four Hunters' Guild tiers, etc).
* MyGreatestFailure: Interestingly seen from several supporting characters:
** The King of Doria deeply regretted [[spoiler:exiling the Hermit (who was his close advisor, and warned him about the looming prophecy that foretold death and destruction) for 50 years because he didn't want to believe it]]. For the rest of the game, he doesn't bother to punish or chastize him, even when [[spoiler:the Hermit hides Kali's Medallion out of spite because he doesn't want the player party to succeed]].
** If General Hannibal is fought directly by the player party instead of the easier option (recruiting the Spartans to help fight them), Atticus is seen in the ending consumed with regret over his failure to find his father's killer, even as the townspeople are celebrating the death of the Dark Lord.
* NewGamePlus: There are actually two options given for this - the standard "New Game+" erases the player's equipment, money and items but keeps their achievement and collection tallies, while the "Reborn" mode allows the player to start the game with all of their equipment.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** In spite of the Hermit's warnings, the heroes gather up the four Ultima Crystals and take them to the confrontation with the Dark Lord in Pandora Castle... [[spoiler:who nonchalantly destroys them and laughs at the heroes for trying such a thing, forcing them to enact an alternate plan]].
** Beating the four Legendary Hunter's Guild contracts results in [[spoiler:The Dark Lord harnessing their souls to revitalize himself, and forcing the player's party to fight his second, upgraded form]].
* Ninja: The Thief's upgraded form after his Class Change, though only in the loosest sense of the word. The only abilities he gains after his upgrade are a skill that lets him throw shurikens and one that does much more damage to all members of an enemy force at once.
* NintendoHard:
** The Expert-level Giant Moa Race is an exercise in extreme frustration, as it requires that you essentially master a three-minute sequence of button mashing, reflex time and near-pinpoint accuracy. Make more than four mistakes, and the race is over before you know it, as you'll never get enough of a lead back to overtake the competitors.
* OneTimeDungeon: The Leviathan, which is blown apart after you destroy its heart.
* OverlyLongFightingAnimation: The Ninja's Super Skill, Dancing Daggers, can sometimes take longer to play as opposed to the time it takes to kill enemies with it, due to the system going through and listing the results of the Ninja's thievery for each and every enemy. It gets ridiculous when the move knocks out eight or nine enemies at once, and the move continues for another minute as it rattles off the results.
* PartyInMyPocket: Played straight, although if the lead character is killed, the model for the party will jump to the next available party member.
* RapeAsDrama: It's only briefly alluded to, but [[spoiler:Nyx rapes a woman during his siege/destruction of a town in one of the hero's flashbacks, with an Elder commenting that he can "heal her body, but not her soul", and the inadvertant mother choosing to keep the child]].
* RoamingEnemy: Notably, there are three instances where enemies can be seen walking around an area and will not respawn after being killed by the player - the Alexandria Outpost, the Fairy Queen's Cave and Pandora Castle.
* SaveTheWorldClimax: The climax has the heroes protecting Terra by [[spoiler:fighting the Dark Lord, who plans to harness the planet's souls to make himself immortal]].
* ShiftingSandLand: The Southern Desert. Stray off the beaten path, and you'll get sucked down through quicksand into a dungeon.
* ShoutOut: The game has multiple shoutouts and references to the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series, including two of the three brothers being named Cid and Locke, an airship acquired at a key point in the game, and more.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: One of the NPC's you meet at an inn laments her lot in life and tells the player character that she plans to find a good soldier to settle down with after the war is over.
* StormingTheCastle: The party's assault on Pandora Castle, which fails miserably until you sneak through the castle and get your equipment back.
* SwissCheeseSecurity: Notably averted - unless you have a Thief in your party (who is able to auto-pick chests without alerting anyone), opening chests in NPC houses will result in a greater chance of the town guard being summoned to fight you. You will also have to bring down your reputation by paying a member at the Underground Hideout in Altheim.
* TakeAThirdOption: The game stresses non-linearity and branching choices. Early on, the party is given the choice to obtain a ship, either by collecting two Elven Runes from bosses in specific locations, or by proving their worth by journeying through the Forest of Despair. Of course, there's nothing stopping the player from collecting the relics before going through the forest, which nets you a set of powerful Mythril armor and weapons or 75,000 gold depending on which quest you trade in first.
* TookAShortcut: The player can pull this in the Mines of Dvergar by paying an NPC standing by the entrance 500,000 gold to escort them to the city of Dvergar. No explanation is given for how the player was able to get past all the enemies and the boss blocking the route beyond the guide telling them that he "knows the mines well".
* TooAwesomeToUse: The Leviathan healing items (which restore 100% of the party's HP/MP). There are only three found in the game before fighting the final boss (two in the Leviathan graveyard, and another which can be stolen from Kali). However, when you fight the Dark Lord, you can steal Leviathans from him with reckless abandon and use them to restore your party back to full strength if needed.
* TookALevelInBadass:
** The entire party gets this upon beating all of the contracts in the Hunter's Guild - they go from a standard party of adventurers dispatching minor nuisances to ''fighting urban legends and demigods thought to be a myth'' by the time the fourth tier is completed, and their deeds are respected and talked about by numerous NPC's throughout the game world. In the GoldenEnding, Locke admits that the player and his/her party are simply the greatest warriors alive, even moreso than Atticus and Ajax.
** Likewise, [[spoiler:showing Kali's Medallion to Bahamut} in the Dragon Cave results in him using it to restore his own power, and subsequently rewarding the player party with a Class Upgrade. This turns the base characters into specialized classes, gives 150 skill points and unlocks their Super Skills - high-level abilities that can decimate most enemy groups when unlocked.
* TreasureRoom: The King of Doria has one set up (and blocked by guard) in Doria Castle. However, this seems to be a subversion - despite all the boxes and suits of armor inside, the only items you get when you enter are Dragon Armor, the Dragon Sword and an Ascendant Ring. While great, they're nowhere near the level of the endgame weapons/armor that can be upgraded, or even that much better than what you win at the Arena.
* UpgradeArtifact: Thor's Hammer, which is won by completing the Expert course in the Giant Moa Races, and is used by Brokkr to enhance Adamantium-level equipment.
* UselessUsefulSpell: Most early-level White/Black Mage spells become useless as the game goes on, as the enemies gain the ability to resist or counter status effects.
* VideoGameStealing: The Thief (later Ninja) can steal items from enemies and bosses through various attacks until they run out of goods.
* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Averted - the player character and up to two other squadmates can fall in battle, and if the single surviving squadmate wins, the game will still continue until said members are resurrected at a church.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the ending, despite the fact that the player character returns to Earth from the Terran portal, the rest of his/her squadmates are nowhere to be found in the cinematics.
* WithThisHerring: Played straight and averted. After you complete the first leg of the game (clear the Forest of Despair/find the Relics), if you choose to forego the King of Doria's offer of a ship, he will instead give you a ton of cash and a full set of Mythril armor and weapons. Not only are they worth a lot of money, but the gear is far better than what you have at that point. However, the King only gives you the most powerful gear in his armory (the Dragon Armor and the Ascendant Ring) if you rescue the King of Midgard much later in the game.
* YouCanBarelyStand: General Hannibal tries to use this against the player party if they choose to confront him and his legions by themselves.
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