History VideoGame / RealSpace

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking[=/=]AsskickingEqualsAuthority: While it's not clear exactly what his position is, Vengeance is clearly someone important to the Katuri, and has a powerful ship to show for it. In the second game, he flies a supership that is approximately the size of a cruiser, as resilient as a battleship, has ''rapid fire cannons'' for ''basic weaponry''[[note]]''before'' picking up anything better[[/note]], and is easily the fastest[[note]]non-suicide-bomber[[/note]] ship in the game. In the third game, he speaks with authority (the fleet attacking earth holding fire for him to speak), and his post-{{Retcon}} ship is a stupidly resilient and reasonably agile superfighter with stronger guns than the others [[spoiler: which can also mount several brutal weapons for the bossfights against it, such as even more powerful guns and a ''fighter-sized Beam Laser'']].

* ArbitraryMaximumRange: For energy weapons and missiles alike. Heck, in the very first game Antaris's shots are stopped by a 2-D plane of ''hard vacuum''.

** In Realspace 2, the distinction between fighters and larger ships isn't as clear (beyond fighters being able to be launched from carriers) and fighters seem to do double duty as corvettes, being the appropriate size and armed with slow-firing weapons that can deal (some amount of) meaningful damage to any other ship in isolation (or destroy them through volley fire when massed). They are often deployed on their own or in pairs/small groups, as well as as part of a fleet. The ships gradually scale up from there, and all ships and weapons are on roughly the same scale; most ships carry either [[EnergyWeapon one of a few different energy weapons]] [[note]][[HomingLasers some of them homing]][[/note]], [[PlasmaCannon cannon turrets]], or [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]], and use these weapons to engage each other.
** In Realspace 3, as gameplay is much more fighter-centric, the fighter counts are significantly increased. Fighters are now visibly much smaller, and are almost never seen on their own; they're basically always deployed as squadrons, fleet support ships, continuous spawns (from offscreen or warp-ins), or from carriers. Even the [[PlayerCharacter protagonist Antaris]] usually has two or more NPC wingmen for most missions. Their weapons loadout is also significantly altered; fighters now carry rapider-firing light guns, which can only deal scratch damage to larger ships, and bombers armed with torpedoes are introduced. Other ships, in turn, have become much bigger than any fighter, and carry dedicated anti-small-ship weapons (rapid fire gun turrets and light missile launchers) while only engaging each other with their primary beam lasers. Katuri Beam Ships and UF Torpedo Destroyers take on the role of battleship-sized corvettes.

** The Realspace 2 [[AttractMode Demo Mode]] goes wild with this to the point of ForegoneConclusion in the Katuri's favor, as both factions get roughly equal spawns of random ships... however this includes Katuri Carriers and Juggernaut Carriers, which as listed under CosmeticallyDifferentSides, are superior to the United Fleet's standard Carriers and produce superior fighters. As noted in YMMV under GameBreaker, this rapidly snowballs into a critical mass of fighter-corvettes and support ships that can obliterate anything with volleys of HomingLaser fire, leaving only United Fleet battlecruisers and dreadnoughts[[note]]which oneshot fighters and have decent firing rates, with Dreadnoughts having twice as many guns and more armor) capable of inflicting meaningful losses in returns[[/note]].

* {{Retcon}}: In Realspace 2 all ships are all much closer together in size, with Fighters basically doing double duty as Frigates/Corvettes, and KFS Vengeance is portrayed as a Super Cruiser/Battlecruiser. Realspace 3 chronologically begins immediately after, with no time for the factions to entirely overhaul their ship types and battle doctrines - but, as discussed under StandardSciFiFleet, has much more fighter-centric gameplay, and so significantly increases the numbers of fighter class vessels involved in battles, and the size difference between Fighters, Bombers, and Corvette-type larger ships like Katuri Beam Ships.
** KFS Vengeance is first shown in Realspace 2 as something akin to a super cruiser or battlecruiser in both size and armaments (in fact, Arcadetown's [[https://web.archive.org/web/20040810000219/http://www.arcadetown.com/realspace2/fleetintell.asp fleet intelligence page for the game]], [[AllThereInTheManual which gives a bit of fluff and info on the ships]], even lists it as a cruiser), with its default weapons as a rapid-firing [[FixedForwardFacingWeapon fixed forward facing]] version of the strongest cannons available to [=NPCs=] in that game. Come Realspace 3, KFS Vengeance is unambiguously shown as a superfighter (to match Antaris) instead - it's larger than other fighters, but smaller than even Katuri beam ships (as well as also being smaller than the United Fleet transports it was at ''least'' the size of in the previous game), and while using a stronger version of standard fighter weapons by default, also lacks any meaningful ability to engage larger ships[[note]]beyond inflicting DeathOfAThousandCuts while [[StoryDrivenInvulnerability being invincible]] if the player takes too long in a mission involving it; it is never shown to use its beam laser in any mission involving large ships, only to engage Antaris[[/note]].

The United Fleet managed to regroup and struck back against the Katuri Empire, barreling through the heart of the empire. With the blood of their comrades now spilled, [[ItsPersonal they fought against the Katuri with renewed rage.]] No world was safe. They eventually reached Sirius Prime, the Katuri homeworld, and mounted one final assault against the Katuri. The Katuri attempted to fight back with the remnants of their army, but failed, and the United Fleet [[DarkestHour began to devastate Sirius Prime.]] In a final act of desperation, a group of Katuri suicide bombers struck the United Fleet assault force, forcing them into retreat. With the Katuri now hanging on by a thread, one Katuri commander, [[AwesomeMcCoolname Vengeance]], led a massive assault against the United Fleet, single-handedly regrouping the Katuri army and leading a massive attack against the human homeworld- Earth. At the end of the second game, the Katuri manage [[spoiler:[[EarthShatteringKaboom to destroy Earth]] and annihilate the United Fleet.]]

* BeamSpam: In Realspace 2, large scale fleet battles will inevitably become a combination of this and MacrossMissileMassacre. Both Antaris and Vengeance can also invoke this on their own, especially once Antaris gets the [[HomingLasers Star Cannon]] and/or a Rapid Fire or Double Fire powerup. [[UpToEleven With all three at once...]]

** Additionally, Reaslspace 3 bombers and fighters have ''no unique targeting priorities'', despite their opposite roles and armaments. As such, you will see things like [[TooDumbToLive fighters ignoring an enemy fighter nipping at their tails to inflict]] ScratchDamage to [[BullyingADragon a nearby cruiser or battleship]] (and also often [[DoNotTauntCthulhu get shot up by its turrets in return]]), or [[TooDumbToLive bombers trying to dogfight with torpedoes that won't hit unless the target goofs up - and a serious lack of agility - while nearby battleships go unmolested]].

* AntiVillain: By the end of Realspace 3, Vengeance could care less about the Human-Katuri war, he just wants to destroy Antaris.

* ArtEvolution: {{Justified|Trope}} with the [[DevelopmentHell length of time between the release of the second and third games]], but still- compare [[http://www.allgamesfree.com/gameshots/online/screenshots/271-1.jpg this]] and [[http://static1.freeaddictinggames.com/thumbs/123.jpg this]] to [[http://www.jaggedbladegames.com/realspace3shootinggame/screen4big.jpg this.]]
* ArtificialStupidity: It's more obvious in the Attract Mode, but in Realspace 2, Carriers use the same AI as any other ships, and so fly towards enemy ships until "scared off" by enemy fire[[note]](often too late to prevent damage or destruction)[[/note]], despite having ''no weapons'' of their own.
** In Realspace 3, bombers and fighters share the same AI, despite their theoretically opposite battle roles and armaments - fighters are armed with rapid-fire anti-fighter guns, while bombers carry anti-capital torpedoes. As such, you will see things like [[TooDumbToLive fighters ignoring an enemy fighter nipping at their tails to inflict]] ScratchDamage [[TooDumbToLive to a nearby capital with their guns, or bombers trying to dogfight you or your fighter allies with torpedoes that won't hit you unless you goof up - and a serious lack of agility - while nearby capships go unmolested.]]
** Also from Realspace 3, United Fleet Torpedo Destroyers show ''why'' all the other capital ships exclusively engage each other with anti-capital beam lasers - they frequently waste their launchers' (unguided) shots on targeting fighters or other small ships, while there are capital ships present they would be far more effective against.
* AttractMode: Realspace 2's "Demo Mode" intro screen is this, displaying randomly generated Katuri and United Fleet ships engaging each other over a background of generic planets, stars, and nebulae. It also periodically resets, progressively erasing each ship before restarting from default, as [[GameBreaker the Katuri's Juggernaut Carriers]][[note]]and the fact that their basic fighters' weapons are homing, unlike the United Fleet's, resulting in less wasted shots and more damage inflicted per individual engagement[[/note]] usually [[UnstableEquilibrium allow their fleet to snowball into an unstoppable mass]], with only [[DemonicSpiders UF Battleships]] able to inflict anything approaching meaningful losses.
** Realspace 3 also features randomly generated ships fighting as the background of its main menu, and after a while the menu will disappear, allowing them to be clearly seen in all their glory. These random fights are also typically far more balanced, possibly due to the different ship types in this game, possibly due to [[DevelopersForesight the absence of Carrier spawns for either faction in this mode]].
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking[=/=]AsskickingEqualsAuthority: While it's not clear exactly what his position is, Vengeance is clearly someone important to the Katuri, and has a powerful ship to show for it. In the second game, he flies a supership that is approximately the size of a cruiser, as resilient as a battleship, has ''rapid fire capital cannons'' for ''basic weaponry''[[note]]''before'' picking up anything better[[/note]], and is easily the fastest[[note]]non-suicide-bomber[[/note]] ship in the game. In the third game, he speaks with authority (the fleet attacking earth holding fire for him to speak), and his post-{{Retcon}} ship is a stupidly resilient and reasonably agile superfighter with stronger guns than the others [[spoiler: which can also mount several brutal weapons for the bossfights against it, such as even more powerful guns and a ''fighter-sized Beam Laser'']].

* CosmeticallyDifferentSides: Downplayed in Realspace 2 and 3. If you look closely, you'll notice:
** In Realspace 2, the Katuri Basic Fighter not only has homing shots, but they move faster than the seeking shots fired by the only United Fleet fighter variant to get such. This makes them better in most ways than all of the United Fleet fighter variants, with them only falling short in speed against one variant. (In gameplay, you get ''much'' less of them to compensate - until the lategame, when Battleships and Dreadnoughts that can oneshot them anyway start showing up with frightening regularity.)
** The United Fleet has no equal to the Katuri Juggernaut Carriers, having only standard Carriers of its own. Additionally, while all Carriers have a (varying) cap to how many fighters they can deploy total, United Fleet carriers in Realspace 2 can only deploy one fighter at a time, as compared to the Katuri standard Carrier getting to launch two at once and the Juggernaut Carrier being able to put out a whopping ''4''. [[note]]This makes it noticeably more likely to get shot down before deploying all its fighters, especially since Carriers only start to launch fighters once they get sufficiently near enemy forces. (And even more so if [[PurposefullyOverpowered KFS Vengeance]] gets involved.)[[/note]]
** Realspace 2 Katuri Battleships have two capital cannons and two missile launchers, as compared to the United Fleet battleship's four capital cannons and lack of missile arrays.
** Realspace 2 Katuri Cruisers fire two homing shots in quick succession, while the United Fleet has Light Cruisers which fire single homing shots and have less health, and Heavy Cruisers which fire two unguided shots and have more health.

** In Realspace 3, the factions' fighters subtly vary, with the Katuris' Light Fighters seemingly inferior in speed, agility and resilience, while the Katuri Heavy Fighters seem to have dual guns, as compared to the UF's single heavier guns. Capital Ship armaments also vary here and there between equivalent classes, as well as a few ships (like UF Torpedo Destroyers and Katuri Beam Ships) having no direct cross-faction analogues.

** On the NPC vs. NPC side, in Realspace 2, Katuri Suicide Bombers seem able to destroy ''any'' United Fleet ship they connect with in their suicidal [[RammingAlwaysWorks ramming]] attacks. Thankfully, the United Fleet lacks an equivalent, and when you face the Katuri suicide bombers yourself in Realspace 3, they're also nerfed by the Retcon mentioned below, being transformed into a fighter-sized unit that deals heavy damage to you, and enough damage to capital ships to be concerning, but [[AvertedTrope far from a one-hit kill]]. On the flip side, their original appearance in Apocalypse Outpost not only had them blowing up player ships in one or two hits, but they also had a ''fairly wide blast radius''.

* RecurringBoss: Vengeance, again.

* {{Retcon}}: In Realspace 2 the battle roles and armaments of many ships, including KFS Vengeance, are very different to what they are portrayed as in Realspace 3 - which chronologically begins immediately after, with no time for the factions to entirely overhaul their ship types and battle doctrines.
** In Realspace 2, the distinction between fighters and larger ships isn't as clear (beyond fighters being able to be launched from carriers) and fighters seem to do double duty as corvettes, being the appropriate size and armed with slow-firing weapons that can deal (some amount of) meaningful damage to any other ship in isolation (or destroy them through volley fire when massed). They are often deployed on their own or in pairs/small groups, as well as as part of a fleet. Most ships carry either [[EnergyWeapon one of a few different energy weapons]] [[note]][[HomingLasers some of them homing]][[/note]], [[PlasmaCannon capital cannons]], or [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]], and use these weapons to engage each other.
** In Realspace 3, fighters are much smaller, and are almost never seen on their own; they're basically always deployed as squadrons, fleet support ships, continuous spawns (from offscreen or warp-ins), or from carriers. Capital ships are visibly much bigger than any fighter, and carry dedicated anti-small-ship weapons (relatively rapid fire guns and light missile launchers) while only engaging each other with their primary beam lasers; in turn, fighters can only deal ScratchDamage to them with their own rapid-fire light guns, and bombers armed with anti-capital torpedoes are introduced. Katuri Beam Ships and UF Torpedo Destroyers take on the role of capital-sized corvettes.
** KFS Vengeance is first shown in Realspace 2 as something akin to a super cruiser or battlecruiser in both size and armaments (in fact, Arcadetown's [[https://web.archive.org/web/20040810000219/http://www.arcadetown.com/realspace2/fleetintell.asp fleet intelligence page for the game]], [[AllThereInTheManual which gives a bit of fluff and info on the ships]], even lists it as a cruiser), with its default weapons as a rapid-firing [[FixedForwardFacingWeapon fixed forward facing]] version of the strongest capital cannons available to [=NPCs=] in that game. Come Realspace 3, KFS Vengeance is unambiguously shown as a superfighter instead - it's larger than other fighters, but smaller than even Katuri beam ships (as well as also being smaller than the United Fleet transports it was at ''least'' the size of in the previous game), and while using a stronger version of standard fighter weapons by default, also lacks any meaningful ability to engage capital ships[[note]]beyond inflicting DeathOfAThousandCuts while [[StoryDrivenInvulnerability being invincible]] if the player takes too long in a mission involving it; it is never shown to use its beam laser in any mission involving capital ships, only to engage Antaris[[/note]].
** Additionally, at the end of Realspace 2, [[spoiler: Earth is destroyed by massed fleet fire, [[LaserGuidedKarma much like the Katuri homeworld nearly was in the opening cutscene]].]] The opening of Realspace 3 instead shows a cutscene where the Katuri fleet take up positions [[spoiler: around Earth]], and inflict some damage on it with fighter fire, only to [[HonorBeforeReason cease fire]] and announce "the instrument of their vengeance" as [[TooDumbToLive a wave of suicide bombers]], which proceed to finish the job.

* StandardizedLeader: The only real things we know about Antaris are his name and that he's a spectacular pilot. Hell, [[SamusIsAGirl Antaris could be a girl for all we know.]]
* StandardSciFiFleet: Both sides use these, with an array of fighters, frigates, corvettes, and cruisers to go around, though the differences aren't as pronounced in the earlier games. Realspace 3 really embraces the classifications, though, making the differences between fighters and bombers and capital ships much more pronounced.

* TooDumbToLive[=/=]HonorBeforeReason: While the Katuri suicide bombers are effective both tactical and strategic units, the use of them against [[spoiler: Earth]] comes across as this, when there are ''three unopposed capital ships'' present, and a swarm of fighters which ''ceases fire right before they show up'' for Vengeance to give a grandiose speech. Made worse by the fact that prior to the aforementioned Retcon, the Katuri ''did'' destroy [[spoiler: Earth]] through sustained fire, and before that their homeworld was also ravaged and nearly destroyed by United Fleet weapons fire.
* UnexpectedGameplayChange: The first time you pilot a capital ship, rather than UFS Antaris, may come across as this in Realspace 3. Also, the aforementioned StealthBasedMission, and an additional unusual mission where you have to rescue stranded shuttles as Antaris.

** The Realspace 2 [[AttractMode Demo Mode]] goes wild with this to the point of ForegoneConclusion in the Katuri's favor, as both factions get roughly equal spawns of random ships... however this includes Katuri Carriers and Juggernaut Carriers, which as listed under CosmeticallyDifferentSides, are superior to the United Fleet's standard Carriers and produce superior fighters. As noted in YMMV under GameBreaker, this rapidly snowballs into a critical mass of fighter-corvettes and support ships that can obliterate anything with volleys of HomingLaser fire, leaving only enemy capital cannons (which oneshot fighters and have a decent firing rate) capable of inflicting meaningful losses in returns.

* BadassArmy: In Realspace 2, there are no useless (combat) units on either side. Even the most basic fighters can effectively shoot each other down, and deal relevant ScratchDamage to larger ships[[note]]killing battlecruisers in approximately 6-8 hits, battleships in about 10, and your ship in 15[[/note]].

* ClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:Vengeance.]]

* CosmeticallyDifferentSides: Subverted in Realspace 2. If you look closely, you'll notice:
** The Katuri Basic Fighter not only has homing shots, but they move faster than the seeking shots fired by the only United Fleet fighter to get such. This makes them better in most ways than all three of the United Fleet fighter variants, with them only falling short in speed against one variant.
** The United Fleet has no equal to the Katuri Juggernaut Carriers, having only standard Carriers of its own.
** United Fleet carriers can only deploy one fighter at a time, as compared to the Katuri standard Carrier getting to launch two at once and the Juggernaut Carrier being able to put out a whopping ''4''. This makes it noticeably more likely to get shot down before deploying all its fighters, especially since Carriers only start to launch fighters once they get sufficiently near enemy forces. (And even more so if [[PurposefullyOverpowered KFS Vengeance]] gets involved.)
** Katuri Battleships have two capital cannons and two missile launchers, as compared to the United Fleet battleship's four capital cannons and lack of missile arrays.
** Katuri Cruisers fire two homing shots in quick succession, while the United Fleet has Light Cruisers which fire single homing shots (and have less health) and Heavy Cruisers which fire two unguided shots (and have more health).
** The United Fleet does not deploy Suicide Bombers or equivalents.
** Due to the absence of [[PlayerCharacter UFS Antaris]], the United Fleet has no equal to [[PlayerCharacter the supership KFS Vengeance.]]

* ShowsDamage: Prior to Realspace 3, heavily damaged craft will occasionally have small explosions appearing across their form.

* TheStarsAreGoingOut: Although it's not actually the stars, the celestial objects in the midground and currently present starships despawning sequentially when the AttractMode resets itself definitely gives off these vibes.
* StealthBasedMission: Partway through Realspace 3, you have to play as an unarmed spy shuttle to find Katuri industrial facilities, evade their defences long enough to discover all three, and report back to base.

** The [[AttractMode Demo Mode]] goes wild with this to the point of ForegoneConclusion in the Katuri's favour, as both factions get roughly equal spawns of random ships... however this includes Katuri Carriers and Juggernaut Carriers, which as listed under CosmeticallyDifferentSides, are superior to the United Fleet's standard Carriers and produce superior fighters. As noted in YMMV under GameBreaker, this rapidly snowballs into a critical mass of fighter-corvettes and support ships that can obliterate anything with volleys of HomingLaser fire, leaving only enemy capital cannons (which oneshot fighters and have a decent firing rate) capable of inflicting meaningful losses in returns.

* ''Realspace 2: [[ElectricBoogaloo Emperor's Revenge]]''

* ''Apocalypse Outpost'' (Chronologically the first in the series, taking place before Antaris)

* EndlessGame: Apocalypse Outpost had no ending

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: In the second game, as [[spoiler: the Katuri attack Earth]], an enormous black space station sits right by the planet, with no explanation as to what it is or why/ how it got there. It's never even mentioned again after [[spoiler: Earth is destroyed.]] The obvious answer is that it's the Moon, but no one comments on it.
** It doesn't even appear in the third game's opening cutscene, which reviews the second game's ending, right where it was!

* NintendoHard: ''Antaris Realspace'' and ''Realspace 2'', past the first few levels of each, largely because your fleet carries over between levels (with a few reinforcements added each time) and you lose if all of them are wiped out, meaning that [[UnstableEquilibrium slipping up in an early level can make the later levels that much harder]]. Ships in these games also [[RocketTagGameplay tend to be quite fragile]]; for instance, a cruiser doesn't take much more damage than a fighter, and it's not helped by the heavy firepower of the enemy. Finally, [[CheckpointStarvation there are no save points in either game]].

** On the NPC vs. NPC side, in Realspace 2, Katuri Suicide Bombers seem able to destroy ''any'' United Fleet ship they connect with in their suicidal [[RammingAlwaysWorks ramming]] attacks. Thankfully, the United Fleet lacks an equivalent, and when you face the Katuri suicide bombers yourself in Realspace 3, they're also nerfed by the Retcon mentioned below, being transformed into a fighter-sized unit that deals heavy damage to you, and enough damage to capital ships to be concerning, but [[AvertedTrope far from a one-hit kill]].

* DemotedToExtra: The final boss of Antaris Realspace was a Katuri Juggernaut Carrier, otherwise known as the most powerful Katuri ship. The only other game they appeared in was Realspace 2, only during the final few levels.

* EarthShatteringKaboom:[[spoiler: At the end of the second game, sets the stage for the third.]]

* ExplosionsInSpace
** MadeOfExplodium: Bigger ships do not go down quietly.

** KFS Vengeance is first shown in Realspace 2 as something akin to a super cruiser or battlecruiser in both size and armaments, with its default weapons as a rapid-firing [[FixedForwardFacingWeapon fixed forward facing]] version of the strongest capital cannons available to [=NPCs=] in that game. Come Realspace 3, KFS Vengeance is unambiguously shown as a superfighter instead - it's larger than other fighters, but smaller than even Katuri beam ships (as well as also being smaller than the United Fleet transports it was at ''least'' the size of in the previous game), and while using a stronger version of standard fighter weapons by default, also lacks any meaningful ability to engage capital ships[[note]]beyond inflicting DeathOfAThousandCuts while [[StoryDrivenInvulnerability being invincible]] if the player takes too long in a mission involving it; it is never shown to use its beam laser in any mission involving capital ships, only to engage Antaris[[/note]].

* StandardHumanSpaceship: For the United Fleet.

* AllUpToYou: It's up to Antaris to save humanity. Likewise, in the second game, [[NotSoDifferent It's up to Vengeance to save the Katuri.]]

* GuiltFreeExterminationWar: [[NotSoDifferent Both sides]] seem to see the conflict this way. In fact, the ''Katuri'' may come closer to averting it, as they [[DarkestHour attempt to surrender]] at the beginning of the second game. Unfortunately for them, the United Fleet has [[OrbitalBombardment other]] [[FinalSolution ideas]].

* NotSoDifferent: Both Antaris and Vengeance were normal fighter pilots who ended up saving their respective races. Both are also seen as the strongest attribute in their armies. Both pilot smaller-than-average, yet unique ships. And both are dedicated to destroying the opposite race. [[spoiler: The main difference between them is that Antaris saves his side twice.]]

* FrickingLaserBeams: All over the place. Some of them are even ''homing''.

** In Realspace 2, the distinction between fighters and larger ships isn't as clear (beyond fighters being able to be launched from carriers) and fighters seem to do double duty as corvettes, being the appropriate size and armed with slow-firing weapons that can deal (some amount of) meaningful damage to any other ship in isolation (or destroy them through volley fire when massed). They are often deployed on their own or in pairs/small groups, as well as as part of a fleet. Most ships carry either [[FrickinLaserBeams one of a few different energy weapons]] [[note]][[HomingLasers some of them homing]][[/note]], [[PlasmaCannon capital cannons]], or [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]], and use these weapons to engage each other.

* ActionBomb: The Katuri employ two types of these: spatial mines (think sea mines [[AC:[[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE]]]]) and suicide bombers.