History VideoGame / Overlord

* DumbMuscle: The Minions are this, especially the Brown ones that serve as fighters and guards. Gnarl even comments in one of the games that "Thinking only slows them down".

* SuperDrowningSkills: Any Minion that aren't Blues will instantly drown. The Overlord will simply wade through waist-high water and will not enter anything deeper, probably because all that armor would make him sink like an anvil chained to a boulder.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Among others, the Minions, the halflings, and some of the human farmers are barefoot.

Not to be confused with the [[Film/Overlord1975 similarly named 1975 film]], [[Film/Overlord2018 2018 film]], or Japanese {{Light Novel|s}} series.

Not to be confused with the Japanese LightNovel series of [[Literature/{{Overlord2012}} the same name]] or the [[Film/{{Overlord}} similiarly-named 2018 film]].

Not to be confused with the Japanese LightNovel series of [[LightNovel/{{Overlord2012}} the same name]] or the [[Film/{{Overlord}} similiarly-named 2018 film]].

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Somewhat averted in the beginning, where the player characters tend to be fairly weak and dependent on the Minions in a fight, in spite of what their intimidating appearance would suggest. However, with the proper upgrades the player character becomes a powerful MightyGlacier MagicKnight armed with an InfinityPlusOneSword.

Once again, it's time to put on your ([[NiceHat evil-looking]] and [[SpikesOfVillainy spiky]]) villain-hat... as might be suggested from the name, ''Overlord'' is a series that lets you step into the flower-stomping, minion-kicking, heavily-armored shoes of an EvilOverlord. With such a premise, it can hardly come as a surprise that the games use or subvert half the entries in the EvilTropes index...

* NiceHat: Besides your own spiky helmet and Quaver's jester hat, the Minions in general are fond of strapping random stuff to their heads, be it actual hats and helmets to flowers, pumpkins, and dead rats. In ''Overlord II'', some bosses will drop special minion hats, as well.

* ''VideoGame/OverlordDarkLegend'': A Wii prequel centered upon teenager Lord Gromgard (pictured above), a previous Overlord in a Fairy Tale setting.

* DarkFantasy: A parody of it.

* {{Expy}}: All Overlords are essentially parodies of [[Franchise/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]].
** And the minions themselves are basically bigger ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' (minus of course the three rules).

* FailedASpotCheck: The elves in the temple call themselves "watchers", even as they fail to notice thieves sneaking in ''right'' behind them.

* LaughablyEvil: The entertainingly destructive antics of the Minions, coupled with their tendency to stick just about anything on their head.
** Which is lampshaded by Gnarl in the second game, "I remember my days as a young minion. Oh the things I used to put on my head."

* MightyGlacier: The Overlord himself. He's somewhat sluggish in combat and tends to swing his weapon awkwardly, but he carries really big weapons and hits really hard. Khan the Warrior also counts, as you can easily run circles around him while he's lugging around that giant morning star of his.
** Note that the Overlord is really only slow compared to his Minions, who are quite happy to scramble along as fast as their little legs can carry them in order to get to the thing that needs smashing, bashing, looting, or killing.

* {{Mooks}} - For once, they're on your side. [[WeHaveReserves Dispensable, cheap]], and [[ZergRush with strength in numbers.]]

* RedRightHand: The spiky helmet that leaves your face as a mass of shadows with pinpricks of light for eyes, pretty much SCREAMS 'villain' from the moment you boot up the game. Not that you need the hint. The Overlad was creepy-looking from birth, having blue skin and glowing eyes that caused him to be viciously bullied by the children of Nordberg.
** On the other hand, in the first game [[spoiler:it turns out that you were actually the last Hero, one that joined in defeating the previous Overlord. So really, this is what you looked like then as well.]]

--> Gnarl: Oh great, a Film/{{Labyrinth}}. Sire, if you see any goblins or rosy-cheeked maiden, just ignore them, if there's singing, kill them all.

* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: But without the hardware. Gnarl, and sometimes one or more mistresses, can communicate with the Overlord over any range through the Tower Heart. Later, [[spoiler:Rose can talk to you directly using her mind... somehow]].
** Gnarl uses the classic IsThisThingOn line as he fires up the spell in the first game.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Minions are your first and last resort to anything. Halfing wobbling towards you with a pitchfork? Send Minions. Empire tries to TakeOverTheWorld? Send Minions. Emperor tries to kill you and become a god? Send Minions. Forgotten God tries to regain his powers? More Minions! You can count the problems you can't solve with use of Minions with one hand.
** Which you'll then clench tightly around the handle of your weapon of choice, and pound said problem out of existence. So really, all you have are two hammers for all your problems.

* WhatTheHellHero: Almost everyone in this game who is supposed to be "Good" is actually pretty corrupt. Ironically, despite the fact that your character is the EvilOverlord, he can be played with more redeemable traits than almost anyone. [[spoiler:This is a plot point in the first game; the former Overlord corrupted the Seven Heroes so they accumulate enough evil such that when the eighth Hero --namely you-- kill them, they release the enough energy for the Old Overlord to resurrect himself. All possible because the Seven Heroes left you for dead when the Tower collapsed.]]

%% Image replaced per Image Pickin' discussion: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1591476489008969500

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!!The entire Overlord series contains examples of:

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/packshot_6ef528be420f4401ecb806544cf8c53e.png]]

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: As bad as [[EvilOverlord the Overlord]] may be in a given game, he is still usually better than the [[FallenHero Seven Heroes]] or their enemies in later titles, especially if you go down the AntiVillain path.

Not to be confused with the Japanese LightNovel series of [[LightNovel/{{Overlord2012}} the same name]].

* OurElvesAreBetter: Subverted in that while the Elves are usually less evil (being at the worst {{Jerkass}}es) and are the closest thing to {{Hero Antagonist}}s that the Overlord has, they are still generally ineffectual and just as dumb as anyone else. For the record, they're whiny emos in the first game and hippies in the second. Fellowship of Evil has the Dark Elf prince Cryos as a playable protagonist.