History VideoGame / PandorasTower

It tells the tale of a young couple, Aeron and Elena (Ende and Seres in the Japanese version), and Aeron's quest to remove the {{curse}} on Elena. Elena is suffering from the Curse of the Beast, which causes her to transform into a [[BodyHorror hideous monster]] over time, which must be temporarily quelled by feeding her the flesh of the beasts that dwell within the thirteen Towers. Equipped with the [[VariableLengthChain Orichalcos chain]], his sword, and not much else, he ventures into the Towers to gather the meat of the beasts, and ultimately the fleshy cores of the twelve Aruji (Master), biological weapons that serve as the guardians of each of the towers in order to permanently remove Elena's curse and keep her human.

* LivingWeapon: [[spoiler:The Masters of the Towers were created by the Elyrian army to be used in the war against Athos.]]

* AfterBossRecovery: After obtaining a piece of Master Flesh, you're forced to give it to Elena. The pieces restore her curse gauge to full.

* AscendedToCarnivorism: Elena, as she was initially a Miko (priestess) of a religion that forbids the consumption of meat; the very thought of it makes her nauseous and she starts to vomit. However, because of her curse, she doesn't really have much of a choice. Later on, [[spoiler:as the game progresses, she seems to enjoy eating the meat a bit more than normal. It's kind of creepy]]. Also, if you let her transformation get dangerously close to complete, you get to see her ''eating a bird''.
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Mavda and her husband, the old Vestra man she carries on her back.]] What exactly they atone for is never revealed.

* BattleThemeMusic: The bosses fought in towers 1 to 5 have a battle theme sung by male musicians, which is remixed to a female version for the bosses fought in towers 6 to 10, then once again with singers of both sexes for the DualBoss in towers 11 and 12.
* BigBad: [[spoiler:It turns out that Elena's curse is an attempted DemonicPossession by a PsychoPrototype SuperSoldier, Zeron. Needless to say, she's the final boss. In addition, she reveals in the A Ending that she was the one who caused the Catastrophe five decades ago when the Elyrian army attempted to replicate the experiments from 500 years ago, the same experiments that turned her into what she is.]]

* TheCorruption: Although it's not Aeron who's got it, but his girlfriend.

* DownerEnding: A number of the endings if the requirements for the [[GoldenEnding Best Ending]] aren't met.

* HorrorHunger: Inversion of the usual: human needs to eat disgusting monster flesh to stay human.

* InMediasRes: The opening cutscene is very disjointed and confusing and provides almost no information on what has happened before throwing you into the thick of things in gameplay. Cutscenes further in the game [[OnceMoreWithClarity clarify exactly what happened.]]

* TheCorruption: Although it's not the Aeron who's got it; but his girlfriend.

* DarkReprise: The observatory's theme is a peaceful piano theme at first, but as Elena's condition worsens the theme becomes more and more wistful, eventually becoming a quiet and mournful organ. If you fall for the NonStandardGameOver, the music [[NothingIsScarier cuts entirely.]]

* DownerEnding: A number of the endings if the requirements for the Best Ending aren't met.

** To an extent, Aeron is always doing this, since he can use the Oraclos chain to great effect regardless of which primary weapon he has equipped.

* GameBreakingBug: In the North American version of the game, upon reaching the 11th and 12th Towers, the [[spoiler:Dawn and Dusk Towers, respectively]], the game has a high chance of freezing, and when it does it locks the console, causing it to emit an ear-piercing wail that can only be ceased by unplugging the system itself. Creator/XSeed (the developers who localized the game for the region) have a few ''recommended'' work-arounds, some of which involve waiting for Aeron's cape to stop blowing in the wind, waiting until [[spoiler:Dawn or Dusk, to enter their respective towers]], going through the ''second'' Tower, among others. Many gamers prefer trial and error though, as it's what seems to be the most common answer among FAQ sites.

* GridInventory: While Aeron can only have one primary weapon and one set of clothes equipped, he can equip as many other trinkets and accessories as can be crammed into an equipment grip. Increasing the size of said grid is one way leveling up makes you stronger.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: In all but the best ending, one of these is necessary to give the Orichalcos Chain the final push it needs to seal the Scar for good. Elena goes alone in Ending B, and Elena and Aeron go together in Ending A. In Ending S, the chain is strong enough to seal the Scar on its own, but Mavda stays behind to pull the Scar shut, and presumably dies in the resulting earthquake.]]

* ItemCrafting: Scattered through the first twelve towers are numerous objects, spoils and treasures that can be given to Mavda so she can upgrade the weapons Aeron finds, including the secret fourth weapon that can be found during the NewGamePlus. Uniquely, the upgrade requirements can be chosen accordingly to the items gathered, though all of them will be necessary if the player seeks to completely empower the weapons. As far as money goes, the upgrades are all free. Also, ingredients can be given to Elena to cook.

%%* KnightInShiningArmor: Aeron, to Elena.

* MoodWhiplash: The final boss theme is a ''waltz'' performed like an ''opera'', and its lyrics are about ''love'' -- all of this in the '''absolute happiest way possible'''.

* NewGamePlus: Once the game is completed (regardless of the ending triggered), it's possible to not only restart a new playthrough on the same file, but also choose from which part of the game to do so. The first option is the beginning, the second starts with the sixth tower, the third starts with the eleventh and the fourth and last starts with the finale (but since [[spoiler:Elena is taken by force right after the completion of the 12th tower]], it won't be possible to get a different, thus better, ending to that gotten in the first playthrough, so this last option is pointless unless the GoldenEnding was already unlocked). In addition, Mavda will put into sale numerous new items, including gifts to keep increasing the affection with Elena, as well as a special key that can open all of those red doors in the towers that could never be opened in the first playthrough, giving access to rooms with unique treasures.

* TheQuietOne: Aeron's word are limited to 'Elena' and a few short sentences. He does have dialogue, but is usually only voiced in the cutscenes and not often at that.

* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler:The stronger Aeron and Elena's connection by the finale, the more demented and incoherent Zeron becomes in her desire to reunite with Aeron. In Ending C she barely considers him; in endings B and A she calmly delivers some background exposition before fighting; and in Ending S she's unable to do anything more but scream out her love for him, leaving Elena and Mavda to explain what the heck her deal was.]]

* SlidingScaleOfLinearityVersusOpenness: The game starts in a linear fashion as you clear the towers one by one, but after the first five you're invited to complete the following five in any order; this allows you to get certain collectible items earlier to upgrade more often your weapons and tools, as well as bring gifts to Elena to increase the affection status between her and Aeron. When they're all cleared, two more towers open and require to be beaten simultaneously, but the ability to warp between them means that the order of going through the rooms is up to the player. And then there's the final level.

* StarCrossedLovers: Aeron and Elena's relationship got off to a pretty rough start: Elena was shunned by most of her home village and even her family for being the only person willing to treat Aeron's wounds, since he was [[LoveAcrossBattlelines an enemy soldier from Athos]] and the country was at war at the time. After his recovery, it's implied it's rather difficult for them to even see each other: in the intro cutscene at the Harvest Festival, Aeron has to disguise himself to avoid being pegged as an Athosian. Played straight [[spoiler:in all endings (their relationship is doomed) except for the S ending.]]

* SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic: Much of the wonders inside the thirteen towers, especially the inhabitants of them, were the products of extensive research, [[spoiler:which was abandoned after the failure of Experiment Zero, which it was all leading up to.]]

* UndergroundLevel: Inverted with the Sheerdrop Spire and the Rockshard Rampart. Their layouts, structures, puzzles and overall atmosphere are themed around mineral caverns; the inversion is because they're ''towers'', so the placement of the cavernal rooms aren't underground but upward.

* VendorTrash: "Reading Material" beyond fleshing out the setting and sometimes having hints to upcoming obstacles is useless. Beast flesh is important, but it is easy to end up with far more of it than you can use before it goes bad.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The A Ending reveals that [[spoiler:Zeron caused the Catastrophe 50 years ago to prevent the Elyrian army from repeating the experiments that created her, which would have given them bioweapons to start a new war, and that if she does not unite with Aeron, the world will never know peace, only more pointless suffering in war]]. Ending C proves that [[spoiler:[[TheExtremistWasRight she is correct.]]]]

** Leaving Elena alone for too long until you get an eventual game over screen is very similar to {{Ico}}.

It tells the tale of a young couple, Aeron and Elena (Ende and Seres in the Japanese version), and Aeron's quest to remove the {{curse}} on Elena. Elena is suffering from the Curse of the Beast, which causes her to transform into a [[BodyHorror hideous monster]] over time, which must be temporarily quelled by feeding her the flesh of the beasts that dwell within the thirteen Towers. Equipped with the [[VariableLengthChain Oraclcos chain]], his sword, and not much else, he ventures into the Towers to gather the meat of the beasts, and ultimately the fleshy cores of the twelve Aruji (Master), biological weapons that serve as the guardians of each of the towers in order to permanently remove Elena's curse and keep her human.

* WaterIsAir: Some rooms give the illusion of being flooded but do not affect Aeron in anyway, besides making him have to deal with things that swim through the "water" as if they were flying.

* StationaryBoss: The master of the Crimsom Keep fits the bill.
* SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic: Much of the wonders inside the thirteen towers, especially the inhabitants of them, were the products of extensive research, [[spoiler:which was abandoned after the failure of experiment Zero, which it was all leading up to.]]

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Mavda and her husband, the old Vestra man she carries on her back.]]
** Though, for what the game never reveals.

* GameBreakingBug: Upon reaching the 11th and 12th Towers, the [[spoiler:Dawn and Dusk Towers, respectively]], the game will freeze 9 times out of 10. Not only does it freeze, but it locks the console, causing it to emit an ear-piercing wail that can only be ceased by unplugging the system itself. As if this is not bad enough, this glitch only appears in North American versions of the game, and since Nintendo ''loves'' RegionCoding their games... Good luck trying to play the game to 100% completion. Not that you won't try.
** In relation to the above, XSeed (the developers behind the game) have a few ''recommended'' work-arounds, some of which involve waiting for Aeron's cape to stop blowing in the wind, waiting until [[spoiler:Dawn or Dusk, to enter their respective towers]], going through the ''second'' Tower, (why this seems to work, nobody knows, but personally, I've never had much luck with it), among others. Many gamers prefer trial and error though, as it's what seems to be the most common answer among FAQ sites.

** So much so, that they often lead to [[RageQuit screaming. Lots and lots of screaming.]]

* SavePoint: The desk where Aeron keeps his journal.
** Note: There's only ever ''one'' save point.

* GameBreakingBug: Upon reaching the 11th and 12th Towers, the [[spoiler:Dawn and Dusk Towers, respectively]], the game will freeze 9 times out of 10. Not only does it freeze, but it locks the Wii, causing it to emit an ear-piercing wail that can only be ceased by unplugging the system itself. As if this is not bad enough, this glitch only appears in North American versions of the game, and since Nintendo ''loves'' RegionCoding their games... Good luck trying to play the game to 100% completion. Not that you won't try.

* HardModeFiller: Five of the later towers, namely from the sixth to the tenth, are thematically (and, to a major extent, structurally) modeled after the first five towers. In fact, whereas the first towers give tribute to the gods of wood, earth, water, fire and metal, respectively, the subsequent five give tribute to the ''goddesses'' of those same elements. But as expected, the latter ones have tougher enemies and bosses, including some [[BossInMookClothing ''annoying'' servant beasts]], and some of the puzzles are more convoluted as well.[[note]]For example, whereas the Wellspring Steeple has a waterwheel that operates automatically after it's activated, the one in Torrent Peak has to be controlled manually, so the player has to time very well when to stop it to make better use of the hooks that lead to higher floors.[[/note]] The bosses are all different, however.

** To an extent, Aeron is always doing this, since he can use the Orichalcos chain to great effect regardless of which primary weapon he has equipped.

* HardModeFiller: Five of the later towers, namely from the sixth to the tenth, are thematically (and, to a major extent, structurally) modeled after the first five towers. In fact, whereas the first towers give tribute to the gods of wood, earth, water, fire and metal, respectively, the subsequent five give tribute to the ''goddesses'' of those same elements. But as expected, the latter ones have tougher enemies and bosses, and some of the puzzles are more convoluted as well.[[note]]For example, whereas the Wellspring Steeple has a waterwheel that operates automatically after it's activated, the one in Torrent Peak has to be controlled manually, so the player has to time very well when to stop it to make better use of the hooks that lead to higher floors.[[/note]] The bosses are all different, however.

* PuzzleBoss: The Masters in each tower have different weaknesses that must be found in order to damage them with the Orichalcos chain. Some are harder to find than others.

The European release date [[http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/35403/newspandoras-tower-release-date-confirmed/ was April 13th, 2012.]] The North American release was a year later on April 16th, 2013.

* BossRemix: The theme for the FinalBoss is a battle version of the song Elena frequently practices with.

* {{Cutscene}}: It is a {{JRPG}}, after all.

* {{Expy}}: Elena has a remarkable resemblance to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]].

* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: A lot of these in the towers.

* KnightInShiningArmor: Aeron, to Elena.

* {{Miko}}: Elena, despite taking place in a world inspired by Myth/GreekMythology.

* ShyBlueHairedGirl: Elena, most of the time.

* SlidingScaleOfLinearityVersusOpenness: the game starts in a linear fashion as you clear the towers one by one, but after the first five you're invited to complete the following five in any order; this allows you to get certain collectible items earlier to upgrade more often your weapons and tools, as well as bring gifts to Elena to increase the affection status between her and Aeron. When they're all cleared, two more towers open and require to be beaten simultaneously, but the ability to warp between them means that the order of going through the rooms is up to the player. And then there's the final level.

* UndergroundLevel: Inverted with the Sheerdrop Spire and the Rockshard Rampart. Their layouts, structures, puzzles and overall atmosphere are themed around mineral caverns; the inversion is because they're ''towers'', so the placement of the cavernal rooms aren't underground but upward.
* TheUnintelligible: The old Vestra man Mavda carries on her back only "speaks" in random mumbles.

* MoodWhiplash[=/=]SoundtrackDissonance: The final boss theme is a ''waltz'' performed like an ''opera'', and its lyrics are about ''love'' -- all of this in the '''absolute happiest way possible'''.

* DarkWorld[=/=]DualWorldGameplay: Simulated with the Dawn and Dusk Towers. Both towers are physically in the same dimension, but are near-identical in terms of design and structure. Aeron has to frequently warp from one tower to another by activating certain dimensional rifts with Light Stones or Dark Stones (depending on the color of the rift). And to fight the bosses, the chains in ''both'' towers must be broken as well.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: See Grievous Harm With a Body entry, though it can be applied to some non-living things as well.

* NamesToKnowInAnime:
** Ende (Aeron) - Creator/SusumuChiba
** Seres (Elena) - Creator/MamikoNoto
** Graiai (Mavda) - Creator/IkukoTani

* SoNearYetSoFar: The protagonist's girlfriend, Elena, is turning into a beast from the very beginning, prompting the hero to go on a quest to save her. The game revolves around building an affectionate relationship with Elena as much as it does adventuring.

* WakeUpCallBoss: The third boss is a surprisingly difficult one. He's the first boss that moves his flesh very fast across his body, despite having a mostly stationary body. What makes him hard is that it shoots jetstreams capable of dealing massive damage while you are trying to hit his flesh. He also has other countermeasures, one of which are CombatTentacles.

Pandora's Tower is an ActionRPG that combines elements from ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', ''{{Ico}}'', ''ShadowOfTheColossus'', and a DatingSim.

* {{Miko}}: Elena, despite taking place in a world inspired by GreekMythology.

It tells the tale of a young couple, Aeron and Elena (Ende and Seres in the Japanese version), and Aeron's quest to remove the {{curse}} on Elena. Elena is suffering from the Curse of the Beast, which causes her to transform into a [[BodyHorror hideous monster]] over time, which must be temporarily quelled by feeding her the flesh of the beasts that dwell within the thirteen Towers. Equipped with the [[VariableLengthChain Orichalcos chain]], his sword, and not much else, he ventures into the Towers to gather the meat of the beasts, and ultimately the fleshy cores of the twelve Aruji (Master), biological weapons that serve as the guardians of each of the towers in order to permanently remove Elena's curse and keep her human.

* DownTheDrain: Wellspring Steeple and Torrent Peak.

* EternalEngine: Ironclad Turret and Truegold Tower.

* LethalLavaLand: Crimson Keep and Blazing Citadel.

* LostWoods: Treetop and Arcadian Towers are a building version of this.

''Pandora no Tō: Kimi no Moto e Kaeru Made'' a.k.a. ''Pandora's Tower: Until I Return to Your Side'', or, more commonly, ''Pandora's Tower'' is a Wii-exclusive [[EasternRPG JRPG]] developed by Ganbarion and published by Creator/{{Nintendo}}.

* HardModeFiller: Five of the later towers, namely from the sixth to the tenth, are thematically (and, to an extent, structurally) modeled after the first five towers. In fact, whereas the first towers give tribute to the gods of wood, earth, water, fire and metal, respectively, the subsequent five give tribute to the ''goddesses'' of those same elements. But as expected, the latter ones have tougher enemies and bosses, and some of the puzzles are more convoluted as well. The bosses are all different, however.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Mavda
* JigsawPuzzlePlot: Very much so. Collecting and translating the many journals and notes in the Thirteen Towers provides further backstory and how it relates to the current plot.

* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler:Zeron in endings A and S.]]

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