History VideoGame / Strife

** When you die in the fight with the BigBad. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OITBkFNP8U Here's what it looks like.]]

* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler:Losing to the FinalBoss results in all human life being wiped out.]]

* AnnoyingArrows: The electric bolts shot from the pistol-crossbow are one of the weakest distance weapons; it takes four such bolts on average to kill an acolyte. On the other hand, the poison bolts will kill humans instantly.

* ShipTease: Pretty much implicit from the start with Blackbird [[spoiler: if you get the GoldenEnding, you meet her in person and [[TheyDo kiss]].]]

* LighterAndSofter: Yes the setting is bleak enough to be a CrapsackWorld, but compared to ''Doom'' and its contemporaries, the game is largely set in bright environments also demonic sigils and symbols are never sighted in the game. Also, not everyone is trying to murder you on sight for a change, though some [=NPCs=] are not trustworthy.

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:This happens when you lose to the FinalBoss. He drives humanity to extinction.]]

* AnnoyingArrows: The pistol-crossbow, at least, when loaded with electric bolts.

** The Sigil itself, mainly because it [[CastFromHitpoints uses YOU as ammo]]. making most players reluctant to use it. Also, the one piece Sigil causes a bunch of lightning strikes to occur in the general area, and can make players believe they cannot target a specific foe with it (you have to be aiming directly at them and be close enough, and if so the node that drop the lightning spawns at the target's feet, otherwise the node spawns at ''yours''). You ''are'' required to use it on the spectres and [[spoiler: The entity]], as they NoSell everything else.

* BifurcatedWeapon: The Sigil, [[IKEAWeaponry some assembly required]]. Any given piece functions perfectly fine as a weapon, it grows more powerful the more pieces are combined.

* BoringButPractical: The assault rifle and mini-missle launcher. The former is the only {{Hitscan}} weapon the player has aside from the primary fire of the mauler (which isn't gotten until much later), and for some reason can aim a lot higher than the crossbow or missile launcher. The latter does enough damage to kill most common enemies (such as the basic Order troops or the stalkers) in one hit, and ammo is fairly common and you can carry up to 100 missiles at once.

* InterfaceSpoiler: One of the achievements in ''Veteran Edition'' originally had a description that outright spoils the fact that [[spoiler:you have to defeat Macil]]. Even better? The achievement's name is "[[spoiler:Trust No One]]". Current Steam and GOG Galaxy version avert this by hiding the achievement description until it's actually gained in-game.

* PoisonedWeapons: In addition to the standard electric bolts, the crossbow can fire poison bolts, which are a OneHitKill to organic targets and won't set off the alarm, or even alert closeby enemies.

* SchrodingersGun: [[spoiler:Follow the "Kill Macil first" path, and Blackbird is revealed to be the Entity making you as the UnwittingPawn. On the other hand, follow the "Kill Oracle fist" path, and Blackbird is revealed to be a psychic-enhanced woman trapped in Entity's vessel.]]

* SigilSpam: Literally. ''Thrice''. The Order loves plastering the Sigil on everything. You can [[SpamAttack spam]] [[JustForPun the Sigil]] until it kills you. Finally, the end boss can ''only'' be hurt by the Sigil. Hope you brought plenty of health kits!

** Knife: Punch dagger. Stamina upgrades turn it into the Chainsaw.

* UselessUsefulStealth: On the one hand, the basic humanoid (non-boss) enemies will normally only be alerted if you use any weapon other than your punch dagger or the crossbow's [[OneHitKill poison bolts]]. But on the other hand, robotic enemies will always go pursue regardless. [[RuleOfThree But on the other, other hand]], many areas where getting through without a fight would be useful have alarms that will be set off simply by entering the place, or be filled with robots. Plus, poison bolts deal no damage whatsoever to robotic enemies (or [[DemonicSpiders Templars]] either), killing them requires either a noisy weapon or getting up close. Both choices tend to be painful.
** Although if the Templar is attacking you, you already set off the alarm.

* InterfaceSpoiler: One of the achievements in ''Veteran Edition'' has a description that outright spoils the fact that [[spoiler:you have to defeat Macil]]. Even better? The achievement's name is "[[spoiler:Trust No One]]".
** As a direct response to this article, the GOG Galaxy release marks this as a secret achievement, where the title and description are not revealed until you actually do it in-game.

* RefrainFromAssuming: The game's full title is "Strife: Quest for the Sigil" (or "The Original Strife: Veteran Edition" in the re-release), not "Strife: Trust No One" as the box art might lead you to assume (and as the [=GameFAQs=] walkthrough erroneously calls it). Although in the Veteran Edition, the full game is called "Quest for the Sigil" and the demo game "Trust No One". To add to the confusion, one of the achievements in the ''Veteran Edition'' is also called "Trust No One".

** The Sigil itself, mainly because it [[CastFromHitpoints uses YOU as ammo]]. making most players reluctant to use it. Also, the one piece Sigil causes a bunch of lightning strikes to occur in the general area, meaning you can't target a specific person. You ''are'' required to use it on the spectres and [[spoiler: The entity]], as they NoSell everything else.

* LighterAndSofter: Yes the setting is bleak enough to be a CrapsackWorld, but compared to ''Doom'' and its contemporaries, the game is largely set in bright environments also demonic sigils and symbols are never sighted in the game. Also, not everyone is trying to murder you on sight for a change, though some NPCs are not trustworthy.

* MultipleEndings: 3 endings total. The two big ones hinge on whether [[spoiler:you kill The Oracle or Macil first]]. As for that other ending? Well, better save before fighting [[spoiler:The Entity]].

* TheMole: [[spoiler:Macil, according to the Oracle. But in fact, Macil is simply driven to madness later if you kill the Oracle first.]]

* KillEmAll: [[spoiler:This happens when you lose to the FinalBoss.]]

* LighterAndSofter: Yes the setting is bleak enough to be a CrapsackWorld, but compared to ''Doom'' and its contemporaries, the game is largely set in bright environments also demonic sigils and symbols are never sighted in the game. Also, not everyone is trying to murder you on sight for a chance.

* NiceGirl: Blackbird. Despite being quite the DeadpanSnarker and even kind of a BloodKnight, she really does care about the protagonist, as well as showing compassion toward the "drones" (miners who [[AndIMustScream have their brain function suppressed by a mind control device so they can't even think on their own]], luckily you get to set them free.)
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The governor can send you on a mission to investigate and destroy a tap connected to the local power main. What you aren't told is that [[spoiler:it's The Front's power tap, and Blackbird isn't too happy with you if you break it]].

* NoWomansLand: Because of their use of cybernetics and assimilation, the Order is entirely uninterested in reproduction, and kill women and children on sight. As a result, all the planet's surviving women and children are hiding in underground shelters.

* ScriptBreaking: The game can be painfully easy to break. From minor and recoverable things like going back to break the illicit power tap (and failing a mission you've already completed) to major things like killing the Sigil piece holders in the wrong order, which makes the game {{Unwinnable}}. There's only two 'official' sequences, one for the happy ending [[spoiler:(Programmer, Bishop, Oracle, Macil, Loremaster)]] and one for the DownerEnding [[spoiler:(Programmer, Bishop, Macil, Loremaster, Oracle)]], but you have access to two of the last four for the entire second half of the game and can theoretically kill them at any time. The game plays fine as long as you obey everyone's orders, but don't ever think for yourself.

* LighterAndSofter: Yes the setting is bleak enough to be a CrapsackWorld, but compared to ''Doom'' and its contemporaries, the game is largely set in bright environments also demonic sigils and symbols are never sighted in the game.

* MookMaker: Inverted; you can find and/or buy teleporter beacons that spawn in Front troops to help you. Unfortunately, they're only good for a momentary distraction and the ammo they drop when they (inevitably) die.

* TrickArrow: Electric bolts are the default, pistol-like, ammo for the crossbow.

* DownerEnding: Either of the two "bad" endings to the game.

* LargeHam: ''Every single voiced character.'' [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools In a good way.]]

* MindScrew: If humanity is extinct in the bad ending, then who's doing the narration?

* DummiedOut: Going through the .wad files reveals several unused resources, such as graphics for a gas grenade and some bits of voice acting that were never used.

Released in 1996 by Rogue Entertainment, ''Strife'' is the last commercial game to use ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'s'' game engine (now officially known as ''[=idTech=] 1''). It featured [[HubLevel hub-based levels]] and small RPGElements such as {{cutscene}}s, {{Dialogue Tree}}s, shops, a rudimentary [[CharacterLevel leveling system]] and an actual, relevant plot. Unfortunately it never received much attention or commercial success due to it using a more "primitive" engine compared to what was out at the time, and it was overshadowed by [[VideoGame/QuakeI another game]] that was slated to be released a month later. Despite this, it was [[VindicatedByHistory eventually rediscovered]] by fans of 90's shooters and became something of a CultClassic.

''Strife'' was considered {{abandonware}} for a long time due to Rogue Entertainment no longer existing, and the game can be played on modern operating systems with source ports such as [=ZDoom=]. At the tail end of 2014, Creator/NightdiveStudios acquired publishing rights for the game, and on December 12, 2014, the game was re-released via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} as ''[[http://store.steampowered.com/app/317040/ Strife: Veteran Edition]]'' for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux-based [=PCs=]. This updated version of the game features many new enhancements such as high resolution modes and widescreen support, [=OpenGL=] rendering capabilities, dynamic lighting and bloom, rebindable keys, and restores lost features of the original game.

Not to be confused with the [[VideoGame/StrifeMOBA MOBA]] game of the same name. In fact, the Steam release been retitled ''The Original Strife: Veteran Edition''.

* ShipTease: Pretty much implicit from the start with Blackbird [[spoiler: if you get the GoldenEndind, you meet her in person and [[TheyDo kiss]].]]

* TooDumbToLive: In the [[PrisonEpisode prison break level]], you meet a judge who brags that you're now trapped here for life as the only way to open the locks is with his handprint, apparently not realizing that you can just [[BorrowedBiometricBypass "borrow" his and for that purpose.]]

''Strife'' was considered {{abandonware}} for a long time due to Rogue Entertainment no longer existing, and the game can be played on modern operating systems with source ports such as [=ZDoom=]. At the tail end of 2014, Creator/NightdveStudios acquired publishing rights for the game, and on December 12, 2014, the game was re-released via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} as ''[[http://store.steampowered.com/app/317040/ Strife: Veteran Edition]]'' for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux-based [=PCs=]. This updated version of the game features many new enhancements such as high resolution modes and widescreen support, [=OpenGL=] rendering capabilities, dynamic lighting and bloom, rebindable keys, and restores lost features of the original game.

''Strife'' was considered {{abandonware}} for a long time due to Rogue Entertainment no longer existing, and the game can be played on modern operating systems with source ports such as [=ZDoom=]. At the tail end of 2014, Night Dive Studios, the same company responsible for resurrecting ''[[VideoGame/SystemShock System Shock 2]]'', has acquired publishing rights for the game, and on December 12, 2014, the game was re-released via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} as ''[[http://store.steampowered.com/app/317040/ Strife: Veteran Edition]]'' for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux-based [=PCs=]. This updated version of the game features many new enhancements such as high resolution modes and widescreen support, [=OpenGL=] rendering capabilities, dynamic lighting and bloom, rebindable keys, and restores lost features of the original game.

Not to be confused with the [[VideoGame/StrifeMOBA MOBA]] game of the same name. In fact, the Steam release of the game above has been retitled "The Original Strife: Veteran Edition".