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* BigEater: The Iron Tummy, of course. And Mademoiselle Pepperoni loves her pizza, and [[FatGirl has the body]] to prove it.
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* BigEater: The Iron Tummy, of course. And Mademoiselle Pepperoni loves her pizza, and [[FatGirl has the body]] body to prove it.
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** If you look at the isotopes that give heroes extra powers, the game will say they look drinkable, "but so does <random unsavory beverage". Like "It looks drinkable, but so does Coors beer."
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** If you look at the isotopes that give heroes extra powers, the game will say they look drinkable, "but so does <random unsavory beverage".beverage>". Like "It looks drinkable, but so does Coors beer."
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* TakeThat: One of Dr. Entropy's master plans involves bringing [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams George Steinbrenner]] back to life to help him destroy the world.
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* TakeThat: TakeThat:
** One of Dr. Entropy's master plans involves bringing [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams George Steinbrenner]] back to life to help him destroy theworld.world.
** If you look at the isotopes that give heroes extra powers, the game will say they look drinkable, "but so does <random unsavory beverage". Like "It looks drinkable, but so does Coors beer."
** One of Dr. Entropy's master plans involves bringing [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams George Steinbrenner]] back to life to help him destroy the
** If you look at the isotopes that give heroes extra powers, the game will say they look drinkable, "but so does <random unsavory beverage". Like "It looks drinkable, but so does Coors beer."
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* BadassBiker: Princess Glovebox, although this is an {{Informed Ability}} due to the lack of actual motorcycles in the game.
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* BadassBiker: Princess Glovebox, although this is an {{Informed Ability}} due to the lack of actual motorcycles in the game.game ([[CoversAlwaysLie despite the cover art above showing her riding one]]).
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* {{Expy}}: Your late-game party member Toastbuster looks more than a little bit like [[WesternAnimation/RedAndStimpy Powdered Toast Man]].
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* {{Expy}}: Your late-game party member Toastbuster looks more than a little bit like [[WesternAnimation/RedAndStimpy [[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Powdered Toast Man]].
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* {{Expy}}: Your late-game party member Toastbuster looks more than a little bit like [[WesternAnimation/RedAndStimpy Powdered Toast Man]].
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* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The League of Hoboken is at the bottom of the federation leaderboards when the game begins. These underachieving heroes have to prove themselves to not only be given more important jobs, but also to earn privileges like a larger membership and cash bonuses.
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* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The League of Hoboken is at the bottom of the federation leaderboards when the game begins. These underachieving heroes have to prove themselves to not only be given more important jobs, but also to earn privileges like a larger membership and cash bonuses. It seems that a new leader whose entire power is to ''organize things'' was assigned to this league in a desperate attempt to turn them around.
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* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The League of Hoboken is at the bottom of the federation leaderboards when the game begins. These underachieving heroes have to prove themselves to not only be given more important jobs, but also to earn privileges like a larger membership and cash bonuses.
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Added release date.
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A hybrid adventure/RPG game for the PC, written by Creator/SteveMeretzky and published by Creator/LegendEntertainment. It centers, of course, around the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Superhero League of Hoboken]] as they fight crime and injustice in the [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic Tri-State Area]]. Unlike most games in such a setting, though, the random mutations and [[ScavengerWorld abject squalor]] are played entirely for laughs, and the random monsters and missions you'll tackle are [[WorldOfSnark absurdly silly]]. Of course, this doesn't mean the game [[SurpriseDifficulty is a pushover]] by any stretch of the imagination.
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A hybrid adventure/RPG game for the PC, DOS [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PCs]], written by Creator/SteveMeretzky and published by Creator/LegendEntertainment.Creator/LegendEntertainment in 1994. It centers, of course, around the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Superhero League of Hoboken]] as they fight crime and injustice in the [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic Tri-State Area]]. Unlike most games in such a setting, though, the random mutations and [[ScavengerWorld abject squalor]] are played entirely for laughs, and the random monsters and missions you'll tackle are [[WorldOfSnark absurdly silly]]. Of course, this doesn't mean the game [[SurpriseDifficulty is a pushover]] by any stretch of the imagination.
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* YouALLLookFamiliar: Every town, vendor, and store is completely identical, other than building layouts and potential quest items. The game [[LampshadeHanging lampshades this]], of course.
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* YouALLLookFamiliar: Every town, vendor, and store is completely identical, other than building layouts and potential quest items. The game [[LampshadeHanging lampshades this]], of course.course.
----
----
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** It's possible, though ''very'' difficult, to level up enough and get strong enough weapons to ''just'' beat the Steroid Men in the second chapter. This results in ''massive'' SequenceBreaking (see below).
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I'm adding a trope.
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* RidiculousFutureInflation: The unit of money is the kilodollar.
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* GameGourmet: Stat-boosting food items are divided into beef, fish, and vegetables, but like the rest of the game's inventory, every food item is unique, meaning you'll pick up fish tempura, fish knish, fish scallopini, vegetable fondue, a vegetable burger, and so on.
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* {{Unwinnable}}: It's possible to permanently run out of the item that lets you walk through mountain terrain squares.
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* {{Unwinnable}}: It's possible Unlike most such RPG's resources, including money and experience points, are all very finite in this game. A player who doesn't know what to permanently run out of the item that lets you walk through mountain terrain squares.expect can screw themselves over very easily.
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* HoldingOutForAHero: A strange variant, as in the course of the game you visit the territory of two other superhero leagues. However, the areas where they're headquartered will continue to be menaced by mutant miscreants unless your team, the embarrassment of the federation, takes care of it for them.
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* HoldingOutForAHero: A strange variant, as in variant. In the course of the game you visit the territory of two other superhero leagues. However, However the areas where they're headquartered will continue to be menaced overrun by mutant miscreants monsters unless your team, the embarrassment of the federation, takes care of it for them.
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A hybrid adventure/RPG game for the PC, written by SteveMeretzky and published by Creator/LegendEntertainment. It centers, of course, around the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Superhero League of Hoboken]] as they fight crime and injustice in the [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic Tri-State Area]]. Unlike most games in such a setting, though, the random mutations and [[ScavengerWorld abject squalor]] are played entirely for laughs, and the random monsters and missions you'll tackle are [[WorldOfSnark absurdly silly]]. Of course, this doesn't mean the game [[SurpriseDifficulty is a pushover]] by any stretch of the imagination.
to:
A hybrid adventure/RPG game for the PC, written by SteveMeretzky Creator/SteveMeretzky and published by Creator/LegendEntertainment. It centers, of course, around the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Superhero League of Hoboken]] as they fight crime and injustice in the [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic Tri-State Area]]. Unlike most games in such a setting, though, the random mutations and [[ScavengerWorld abject squalor]] are played entirely for laughs, and the random monsters and missions you'll tackle are [[WorldOfSnark absurdly silly]]. Of course, this doesn't mean the game [[SurpriseDifficulty is a pushover]] by any stretch of the imagination.
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I want to cut the Main redirect.
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A hybrid adventure/RPG game for the PC, written by SteveMeretzky and published by LegendEntertainment. It centers, of course, around the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Superhero League of Hoboken]] as they fight crime and injustice in the [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic Tri-State Area]]. Unlike most games in such a setting, though, the random mutations and [[ScavengerWorld abject squalor]] are played entirely for laughs, and the random monsters and missions you'll tackle are [[WorldOfSnark absurdly silly]]. Of course, this doesn't mean the game [[SurpriseDifficulty is a pushover]] by any stretch of the imagination.
to:
A hybrid adventure/RPG game for the PC, written by SteveMeretzky and published by LegendEntertainment.Creator/LegendEntertainment. It centers, of course, around the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Superhero League of Hoboken]] as they fight crime and injustice in the [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic Tri-State Area]]. Unlike most games in such a setting, though, the random mutations and [[ScavengerWorld abject squalor]] are played entirely for laughs, and the random monsters and missions you'll tackle are [[WorldOfSnark absurdly silly]]. Of course, this doesn't mean the game [[SurpriseDifficulty is a pushover]] by any stretch of the imagination.
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* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Despite your heroes having a slew of useless-sounding powers, once you've been playing the game a little while you'll see everyone has their uses.
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* SuperheroesWearCapes
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* SuperheroesWearCapesSuperheroesWearCapes: Even though no party members can fly.
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* TakeThat: One of Dr. Entropy's master plans involves bringing [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams George Steinbrenner]] back to life to help him destroy the world.
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Lost Forever is not omnipresent enough to deserved a noted aversion. Lost Forever is now called Permanently Missable Content.
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* LostForever: Generally averted. You can drop weapons and armor when fleeing from battle (and money), but as long as you keep winning fights in the same sector where you lost the item, you'll get it back eventually. None of the plot items will ever actually be lost, either.
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* {{Plunder}}: The party will sometimes discover a pizza box or other weird storage object after combat, which will contain loot, traps, or both. Mademoiselle Pepperoni can use her powers to see if the pizza is trapped before you open the box, and if it is, a dose of the Vanquished Baked Goods power will eliminate the delicious threat. If you don't have those resources available, though, you can still take your chances, or [[LostForever leave the potential loot behind]].
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* {{Plunder}}: The party will sometimes discover a pizza box or other weird storage object after combat, which will contain loot, traps, or both. Mademoiselle Pepperoni can use her powers to see if the pizza is trapped before you open the box, and if it is, a dose of the Vanquished Baked Goods power will eliminate the delicious threat. If you don't have those resources available, though, you can still take your chances, or [[LostForever [[PermanentlyMissableContent leave the potential loot behind]].
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Do we honestly have to keep pointing this out? The guy's real "power" is organizing things and figuring out puzzles, which only a player is qualified to do.
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** The only superpower that is completely and utterly useless for the duration of the game is the "Create Organizational Charts". Which, naturally, is the main ability of the Crimson Tape, who represents the ''player''.
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superheroleagueofhoboken.jpg]]
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* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Powers either work in combat or puzzle screens, not both. There are a couple puzzle that you ''should'' be able to solve with attack powers(frustratingly, this includes several of Dr. Entropy's plots), but the game doesn't let you. Like you probably kill dozens and dozens of robots with the Induce Rust power over the course of the game, but when one blocks you on a stairway, your only hope is to trick him into drinking a bizarre cocktail of things you've picked up in early missions.
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* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Powers either work in combat or puzzle screens, not both. There are a couple puzzle that you ''should'' be able to solve with attack powers(frustratingly, powers (frustratingly this includes several of Dr. Entropy's plots), but the game doesn't let you. Like you probably kill dozens and dozens of robots with the Induce Rust power over the course of the game, but when one blocks you on a stairway, stairway your only hope is to trick him into drinking a bizarre cocktail of things you've picked up in early earlier missions.
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When the group stops to rest being irradiated stops you from being completely healed
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* InformedDisability: Becoming irradiated, which can happen randomly as you wander through irradiated waste tiles, sounds horrible, but doesn't actually ''do'' anything to you.
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* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: New York City and Philadelphia each have one underground. And yes, the New York sewers have [[UrbanLegends alligators in them]].
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* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: New York City and Philadelphia each have one underground. And yes, the New York sewers have [[UrbanLegends [[SewerGator alligators in them]].
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* SewerGator: The sixth mission requires the League to defeat fifteen Alligators From Hell that can be found in the New York sewers.
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* InformedDisability: Becoming irradiated, which can happen randomly as you wander through irradiated waste tiles, sounds horrible, but doesn't actually ''do'' anything to you.
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* SequenceBreaking: Starting with the third set of missions, when you get Treading Water Man, it's possible though difficult to reach certain areas long before you're supposed to, if you can find enough isotopes to give enough members of the team the Really Good At Treading Water power to 75%. While it is by no means easy[[labelnote:*]]One of the buyable isotopes you need to get for this to work is in a very dangerous area that you haven't explored yet, that contains very powerful enemies, though not as strong as the Steroid Men BeefGate[[/labelnote]], doing so gives you access to every area in the game by bypassing the aforementioned BeefGate above. Accessing the later areas gives you access to much stronger equipment and level grinding[[labelnote:*]]Normally not available due to "clearing" a sector of enemies[[/labelnote]], and making any future combat trivial. As missions are all puzzle-based, this does not affect the progression of the story at all, however.
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Removing Non Identical Twins misuse
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* NonIdenticalTwins: Toastbuster and Zaniac, the former being a [[DumbMuscle huge beefy dimwit]] and the latter being a [[ImprobablyHighIQ scrawny supergenius]]. This, of course, is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in-game.
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* HoldingOutForAHero: A strange variant, as in the course of the game you visit the territory of two other superhero leagues. However, the areas where they're headquartered will continue to be menaced by mutant miscreants unless your team, the embarrassment of the federation, takes care of it for them.
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A hybrid adventure/RPG game for the PC, written by SteveMeretzky and published by LegendEntertainment. It centers, of course, around the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Superhero League of Hoboken]] as they fight crime and injustice in the [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic Tri-State Area]]. Unlike most games in such a setting, though, the random mutations and [[ScavengerWorld abject squalor]] are played entirely for laughs, and the random monsters and missions you'll tackle are [[WorldOfSnark absurdly silly]]. Of course, this doesn't mean the game [[SurpriseDifficulty is a pushover]] by any stretch of the imagination.
While a traditional {{Adventure Game}} at its core, it also features a fairly robust [[RPGElements RPG-style combat system]] with equippable gear, [[CharacterLevel level gaining through experience]], and a mix of melee and ranged combat. Superpowers are also vital in combat, and function much the way that spells would in more traditional RPG titles. You'll deal with {{Random Encounters}} as you explore the wastes, solving the missions doled out to you from {{Mission Control}}. Each set of missions inevitably ends in a battle of wits with [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr. Entropy]], the League's [[ArchEnemy arch-nemesis]].
While the game was well-received in general, those who live in the depicted area (particularly [[BigApplesauce New York City]]) will get the most out of the cultural and geographical references.
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!!This game provides examples of:
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: New York City and Philadelphia each have one underground. And yes, the New York sewers have [[UrbanLegends alligators in them]].
* ActionGirl: Princess Glovebox and Mademoiselle Pepperoni.
* AlliterativeName: The Caped Cod.
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Oxide Man, who is completely blue.
* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: Starts at four and increases by one every time you complete a set of missions, to a maximum of nine.
** In addition, you will only ever have 3 people in the front line for combat. Some difficult terrain limits this to two, or even one. Everyone not on the front line must use powers or ranged weapons.
* AWinnerIsYou: The ending is a single box of text. And then the credits.
* BadassBiker: Princess Glovebox, although this is an {{Informed Ability}} due to the lack of actual motorcycles in the game.
* BandOfBrothels: Some towns have brothels in them, where heroes can pay for a night of fun. It gives them a boost of experience points.
* BeefGate: A trio of Steroid Men will attack you if you go too far south. They'll maul a small, lower-level party, but can be easily dispatched later with a stronger squad.
* BigApplesauce: New York City plays a big part of the game, particularly towards the second half. The Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall, the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations Building, Carnegie Hall, and Times Square are all worked into the plot.
* BigEater: The Iron Tummy, of course. And Mademoiselle Pepperoni loves her pizza, and [[FatGirl has the body]] to prove it.
* CantDropTheHero: The Crimson Tape, de facto leader of the League, never gets a day off.
* CardCarryingVillain: Dr. Entropy, of course, who appears to have no other purpose in life than hatching convoluted [[EvilPlan evil schemes]].
* ChestInsignia: Most of the League has one as part of their costume.
* ConservationOfNinjitsu: There's a "danger" level in each sector of the game indicating how strong the enemies there are. Because it's a relative constant, the smaller a group of enemies is, the tougher each of them will generally be.
* CutTheJuice: Dr. Entropy's first scheme involves a complex electronic device with a protective [[DeflectorShield force field]]... and a long, obvious power cord that [[WhatAnIdiot extends out of the range of the field]].
* {{Cyborg}}: The Mighty Magnitude, whose head is a computer monitor with [[RuleOfCute smiley-face wallpaper]].
** Treader Man is a genetically engineered half man, half boat, due to microchips from a boat ending up in the process. His biography mentions that he cannot see another boat without pondering whether it is, in fact, his father.
* DisasterScavengers: Just about everyone, to an extent, and the Superhero Leagues in particular. Part of their job is to reclaim lost relics from the pre-apocalypse days for educational and archival purposes. Of course, [[WorldOfSnark this being a Meretzky game]], these relics are items like celebrity diet books and the recipe for Silly Putty. And a souvenir rack is an important (gold-plated!) historical relic. Even though no one knows what a "souvenir" is.
** Meanwhile, one mission has you destroying what is probably the last Frank Sinatra recording to complete the mission, but no one really seems to mind that.
* EvilPlan: Dr. Entropy has a bountiful supply of these, each more silly than the last. Genetically-altered trees that [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment drop their leaves again right after you finish raking]], a ray that reverses street signs to snarl up traffic, and even the thawing of a [[HumanPopsicle cryogenically frozen George Steinbrenner]] to become the dictator of the wastes. Amusingly, he DOESN'T have a plan put together at the end of one chapter, causing him to leap off of the Statue Of Liberty in villainous shame.
* FishPeople: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Caped Cod]], naturally.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Powers either work in combat or puzzle screens, not both. There are a couple puzzle that you ''should'' be able to solve with attack powers(frustratingly, this includes several of Dr. Entropy's plots), but the game doesn't let you. Like you probably kill dozens and dozens of robots with the Induce Rust power over the course of the game, but when one blocks you on a stairway, your only hope is to trick him into drinking a bizarre cocktail of things you've picked up in early missions.
* GunsAreWorthless: There are a few conventional firearms in the game, but they're eventually outclassed by other ranged weapons, including something called a [[{{Squick}} bowel disruptor]].
* HermitGuru: The Wisest Man in the World, who you need to find in order to learn how to get to Carnegie Hall.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Everyone in the League, thanks to the wonderfully bizarre weapons you acquire throughout the game. A modified jet engine, a swarm of trained hornets, arsenic-tipped deer antlers... you name it.
* ImprovisedArmour: Your heros will wear pretty much anything for protection, thanks to the game's giant supply of comedic clothing. Who needs traditional armor when you can wear a diamond-studded chastity belt or a mortarboard inexplicably made of concrete?
* IronicNickname: Captain Excitement, who is so horribly dull and lethargic that he developed a superpower from it.
* KleptomaniacHero: While the League is sworn to upholding the law, this IS an {{Adventure Game}}, so you'll still grab every item in sight, even from private property.
* LiteralMetaphor: In addition to telling you how to get to Carnegie Hall, the Wisest Man in the World will also let you use his piano.
* LostForever: Generally averted. You can drop weapons and armor when fleeing from battle (and money), but as long as you keep winning fights in the same sector where you lost the item, you'll get it back eventually. None of the plot items will ever actually be lost, either.
* MixAndMatchCritters: One of Entropy's schemes involves cross breeding sewer rats and racehorses to develop [[RodentsOfUnusualSize large, ultra-fast rodents]] that will terrorize the city. Mercifully, you can put an end to it before having to witness any of the finished product.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: The Beaver Jaw power, which you get from an isotope and has no other purpose than to solve a single puzzle.
* NonCombatEXP: The game gives bonus XP for discovering every area on a map (how hard this is varies, since different terrain types have different requirements for being passable) and for completing missions.
* NonIdenticalTwins: Toastbuster and Zaniac, the former being a [[DumbMuscle huge beefy dimwit]] and the latter being a [[ImprobablyHighIQ scrawny supergenius]]. This, of course, is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in-game.
* NonIndicativeName: Captain Excitement. His power? Talk animal to sleep.
* OldSuperhero: King Midas, who was quite something [[GloryDays in his youth]] but is pretty much washed-up when he joins the League. His inability to properly work his Midas Touch (which turns things into mufflers) is used for both comedy and as a surprising puzzle solution.
* PlayerHeadquarters: The League has a cozy HQ where you can get new missions, [[ArbitraryHeadcountLimit change up your squad members]], and restock provisions.
* PlotCoupon: You can't attempt the Entropy quest in each set of missions without doing the other four jobs first, as completing each one will provide an item you need to tackle Entropy, or to simply get to him in the first place. To the game's credit, these items tend to be pretty creative and clever.
** SequenceBreaking: There is exactly ''one'' point where you can ignore the requirement and complete the Dr. Entropy mission first. In the third series of missions, you have to get past a bodyguard who likes to collect not-quite-spherical objects, in order to get to the roof of an airport control tower. However, if you spend enough time leveling to get past the BeefGate of Steroid Men, you can get enough Really Good At Treading Water power to swim to another airport control tower to fly an abandoned helicopter back to the first one, and defeat Dr. Entropy. However, this is pretty pointless, as you'll need to finish the other four quests eventually anyway, and the four not-quite-spherical objects have no other use.
* {{Plunder}}: The party will sometimes discover a pizza box or other weird storage object after combat, which will contain loot, traps, or both. Mademoiselle Pepperoni can use her powers to see if the pizza is trapped before you open the box, and if it is, a dose of the Vanquished Baked Goods power will eliminate the delicious threat. If you don't have those resources available, though, you can still take your chances, or [[LostForever leave the potential loot behind]].
* PowerUpFood: Beef enhances a hero's Brawn score, vegetables boost Health, and fish increases Brains, which makes combat superpowers more potent. These items are in limited supply and tend to be expensive, but they're good investments, especially early in the game.
* {{Railroading}}: Rather literally, as you'll need to use the subway system to reach certain areas, and each line requires its own access card of the same color. Certain cards, naturally, will only become available later in the game, either by finding or purchasing them. While {{Sequence Breaking}} is technically impossible, [[GenreSavvy sly players]] could theoretically sneak into high-end areas and purchase elite weaponry, while {{Save Scumming}} to avoid random encounters.
** It's possible to avoid the Steriod Men BeefGate mentioned earlier via deft leveling and careful navigation of New York City and the attached sewers. Eventually, assuming you survive, you can reach various towns that sell the Treading Water isotope, and with enough money and isotope, you can reach most of the maps in the game long before you finish the second set of missions.
* RandomEncounters: The type of terrain you're on can effect which type of enemy you meet in any given area. [[GenreSavvy Crafty players]] will figure out which critters give the most {{Experience Points}} and fight their battles accordingly.
** However, there are also only so many random encounters in each map screen. After which only battles that take place in a specific location will still occur on that screen. Meaning that money and experience points are finite resources in this game.
* RPGElements
* RuleOfFunny: While the combat in the game is numbers-based and requires some decent strategy, the messages detailing the attacks of friend and foe alike are utterly ridiculous. Yes, that enemy is a Cy Young Cyclops... a beefy cyclops inexplicably wearing a baseball uniform that throws brushback pitches at your head. And when you defeat him (often by charging the mound with your weapon of choice), his manager decides he's all through and sends him to the showers.
* RunningGag: Tons, as per [[AuthorAppeal Meretzky's style]]. The longest-running one is on the chatterbox, which runs a series of stories about dogs biting men in the Weehawken area (or vice versa), wondering whether 'the Weehawken area' is a geographic location or a [[GroinAttack euphemism]]. It escalates to the point where [[HellHound Cerberus]] actually appears and starts mowing down every Weehawken in sight. Thankfully, this is only a side joke and not something the League actually has to handle. There are also themed enemies which have stronger brethren as the game goes on. (The lowly [[TheAlcoholic Albino Wino]] eventually gives way to the [[RhinoRampage Albino Rhino]], and then the dreaded [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs Albino Dino]].)
* SquishyWizard: The brainier members of your squad (who excel at combat superpowers) tend to have lower health and toughness, making them ideal for the back of your squad. This can be remedied to some extent with [[PowerUpFood vegetables]] and strong armor pieces, but those are in limited supply and are best given to your front-line fighters.
* StandardStatusEffects: Subverted. Instead of the bog-standard effects your characters can get like being petrified or poisoned, members of the SLH have to worry about becoming paranoid or getting a rash.
* StrawFeminist: Mademoiselle Pepperoni. This trait is actually useful when solving a certain puzzle.
* SuperheroesWearCapes
* SuicideAttack: Many enemies in the game have one, with a name befitting their character. ([[AmoralAttorney Lawyers]] will Sue, for example, while a [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Bureau-Crat]] will Spew Red Tape.) It does a fair bit of damage to almost everyone in the party.
* SuperNotDrowningSkills: Being able to swim is the primary power of two party members, and something you have to drink scientific isotopes to give other characters.
* SuperSerum: The heroes can drink isotopes to gain secondary superpowers. These are permanent, though, and don't seem to have any ill effects.
* SuperZeroes: Pretty much the game's entire premise, at least on paper. A guy called Robo Mop that can clean up big messes, for example, doesn't seem like much of an asset. Of course, there wouldn't be much of a game if the League was completely useless, so all of your goofy abilities actually prove to be quite useful as the game progresses. Having to deal with a avalanche of hot peppers when your League happens to have a guy called The Iron Tummy seems [[ContrivedCoincidence a little contrived]]. Or, perhaps, {{Mission Control}} only assigns you jobs that [[FridgeBrilliance your team is ideal for...]]
** The only superpower that is completely and utterly useless for the duration of the game is the "Create Organizational Charts". Which, naturally, is the main ability of the Crimson Tape, who represents the ''player''.
* TheTease: Princess Glovebox, who enjoys riling up her male teammates with a good {{Double Entendre}}.
* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: No matter how strange or silly a superpower is in this game, there will be a quest that requires it, or an enemy that is weak to it. Except, strangely, for Create Organizational Charts, the superpower of League leader The Crimson Tape. Unless you consider his organizational power to be choosing squad rosters, doling out power-ups, equipping his teammates, deciding battle strategy, etc.
* {{Unwinnable}}: It's possible to permanently run out of the item that lets you walk through mountain terrain squares.
* VideoGameStealing: One-Armed Bandit enemies will sometimes steal some of your cash instead of attacking you. Since money is a finite resource in the game, this is often the more painful choice of the two.
* VillainExitStageLeft: Entropy almost always manages to escape after you foil his latest scheme, using methods as absurd as a talcum-powder bomb or a poorly-made horse costume. Even if you do catch him, he just [[CardboardPrison busts out of containment]] in time for your next batch of missions.
* WeaponizedExhaust: One of the weapons is a "Modified jet engine".
* WeBuyAnything: The pawn shops you see in most towns, which both buy and sell a strange assortment of random items. They'll purchase all but the most useless junk you can find, other than weapons and armor, which have their own stores.
* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: The main character (you) is the Crimson Tape, with the ability to create organization charts and data in thin air. This ability is useful exactly ''zero'' times, but it does qualify you to be the leader of the League, if only because you're obviously very good at getting things and people organized.
** Professor Prescription has been rejected by dozens of leagues who don't think much of his power: the ability to read doctors' handwriting. [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman He shows up just when you have an illegible doctor's note to read.]] He later successfully signs on with another league.
* WitchDoctor: The town shamans, who can be hired to heal your ailments like paranoia and the hiccups. They practice a strange mix of witchcraft, voodoo, and basic pharmaceutical use.
* WorldOfSnark: A Meretzky staple.
* YouALLLookFamiliar: Every town, vendor, and store is completely identical, other than building layouts and potential quest items. The game [[LampshadeHanging lampshades this]], of course.
While a traditional {{Adventure Game}} at its core, it also features a fairly robust [[RPGElements RPG-style combat system]] with equippable gear, [[CharacterLevel level gaining through experience]], and a mix of melee and ranged combat. Superpowers are also vital in combat, and function much the way that spells would in more traditional RPG titles. You'll deal with {{Random Encounters}} as you explore the wastes, solving the missions doled out to you from {{Mission Control}}. Each set of missions inevitably ends in a battle of wits with [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr. Entropy]], the League's [[ArchEnemy arch-nemesis]].
While the game was well-received in general, those who live in the depicted area (particularly [[BigApplesauce New York City]]) will get the most out of the cultural and geographical references.
----
!!This game provides examples of:
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: New York City and Philadelphia each have one underground. And yes, the New York sewers have [[UrbanLegends alligators in them]].
* ActionGirl: Princess Glovebox and Mademoiselle Pepperoni.
* AlliterativeName: The Caped Cod.
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Oxide Man, who is completely blue.
* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: Starts at four and increases by one every time you complete a set of missions, to a maximum of nine.
** In addition, you will only ever have 3 people in the front line for combat. Some difficult terrain limits this to two, or even one. Everyone not on the front line must use powers or ranged weapons.
* AWinnerIsYou: The ending is a single box of text. And then the credits.
* BadassBiker: Princess Glovebox, although this is an {{Informed Ability}} due to the lack of actual motorcycles in the game.
* BandOfBrothels: Some towns have brothels in them, where heroes can pay for a night of fun. It gives them a boost of experience points.
* BeefGate: A trio of Steroid Men will attack you if you go too far south. They'll maul a small, lower-level party, but can be easily dispatched later with a stronger squad.
* BigApplesauce: New York City plays a big part of the game, particularly towards the second half. The Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall, the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations Building, Carnegie Hall, and Times Square are all worked into the plot.
* BigEater: The Iron Tummy, of course. And Mademoiselle Pepperoni loves her pizza, and [[FatGirl has the body]] to prove it.
* CantDropTheHero: The Crimson Tape, de facto leader of the League, never gets a day off.
* CardCarryingVillain: Dr. Entropy, of course, who appears to have no other purpose in life than hatching convoluted [[EvilPlan evil schemes]].
* ChestInsignia: Most of the League has one as part of their costume.
* ConservationOfNinjitsu: There's a "danger" level in each sector of the game indicating how strong the enemies there are. Because it's a relative constant, the smaller a group of enemies is, the tougher each of them will generally be.
* CutTheJuice: Dr. Entropy's first scheme involves a complex electronic device with a protective [[DeflectorShield force field]]... and a long, obvious power cord that [[WhatAnIdiot extends out of the range of the field]].
* {{Cyborg}}: The Mighty Magnitude, whose head is a computer monitor with [[RuleOfCute smiley-face wallpaper]].
** Treader Man is a genetically engineered half man, half boat, due to microchips from a boat ending up in the process. His biography mentions that he cannot see another boat without pondering whether it is, in fact, his father.
* DisasterScavengers: Just about everyone, to an extent, and the Superhero Leagues in particular. Part of their job is to reclaim lost relics from the pre-apocalypse days for educational and archival purposes. Of course, [[WorldOfSnark this being a Meretzky game]], these relics are items like celebrity diet books and the recipe for Silly Putty. And a souvenir rack is an important (gold-plated!) historical relic. Even though no one knows what a "souvenir" is.
** Meanwhile, one mission has you destroying what is probably the last Frank Sinatra recording to complete the mission, but no one really seems to mind that.
* EvilPlan: Dr. Entropy has a bountiful supply of these, each more silly than the last. Genetically-altered trees that [[CoolAndUnusualPunishment drop their leaves again right after you finish raking]], a ray that reverses street signs to snarl up traffic, and even the thawing of a [[HumanPopsicle cryogenically frozen George Steinbrenner]] to become the dictator of the wastes. Amusingly, he DOESN'T have a plan put together at the end of one chapter, causing him to leap off of the Statue Of Liberty in villainous shame.
* FishPeople: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Caped Cod]], naturally.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Powers either work in combat or puzzle screens, not both. There are a couple puzzle that you ''should'' be able to solve with attack powers(frustratingly, this includes several of Dr. Entropy's plots), but the game doesn't let you. Like you probably kill dozens and dozens of robots with the Induce Rust power over the course of the game, but when one blocks you on a stairway, your only hope is to trick him into drinking a bizarre cocktail of things you've picked up in early missions.
* GunsAreWorthless: There are a few conventional firearms in the game, but they're eventually outclassed by other ranged weapons, including something called a [[{{Squick}} bowel disruptor]].
* HermitGuru: The Wisest Man in the World, who you need to find in order to learn how to get to Carnegie Hall.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Everyone in the League, thanks to the wonderfully bizarre weapons you acquire throughout the game. A modified jet engine, a swarm of trained hornets, arsenic-tipped deer antlers... you name it.
* ImprovisedArmour: Your heros will wear pretty much anything for protection, thanks to the game's giant supply of comedic clothing. Who needs traditional armor when you can wear a diamond-studded chastity belt or a mortarboard inexplicably made of concrete?
* IronicNickname: Captain Excitement, who is so horribly dull and lethargic that he developed a superpower from it.
* KleptomaniacHero: While the League is sworn to upholding the law, this IS an {{Adventure Game}}, so you'll still grab every item in sight, even from private property.
* LiteralMetaphor: In addition to telling you how to get to Carnegie Hall, the Wisest Man in the World will also let you use his piano.
* LostForever: Generally averted. You can drop weapons and armor when fleeing from battle (and money), but as long as you keep winning fights in the same sector where you lost the item, you'll get it back eventually. None of the plot items will ever actually be lost, either.
* MixAndMatchCritters: One of Entropy's schemes involves cross breeding sewer rats and racehorses to develop [[RodentsOfUnusualSize large, ultra-fast rodents]] that will terrorize the city. Mercifully, you can put an end to it before having to witness any of the finished product.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: The Beaver Jaw power, which you get from an isotope and has no other purpose than to solve a single puzzle.
* NonCombatEXP: The game gives bonus XP for discovering every area on a map (how hard this is varies, since different terrain types have different requirements for being passable) and for completing missions.
* NonIdenticalTwins: Toastbuster and Zaniac, the former being a [[DumbMuscle huge beefy dimwit]] and the latter being a [[ImprobablyHighIQ scrawny supergenius]]. This, of course, is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in-game.
* NonIndicativeName: Captain Excitement. His power? Talk animal to sleep.
* OldSuperhero: King Midas, who was quite something [[GloryDays in his youth]] but is pretty much washed-up when he joins the League. His inability to properly work his Midas Touch (which turns things into mufflers) is used for both comedy and as a surprising puzzle solution.
* PlayerHeadquarters: The League has a cozy HQ where you can get new missions, [[ArbitraryHeadcountLimit change up your squad members]], and restock provisions.
* PlotCoupon: You can't attempt the Entropy quest in each set of missions without doing the other four jobs first, as completing each one will provide an item you need to tackle Entropy, or to simply get to him in the first place. To the game's credit, these items tend to be pretty creative and clever.
** SequenceBreaking: There is exactly ''one'' point where you can ignore the requirement and complete the Dr. Entropy mission first. In the third series of missions, you have to get past a bodyguard who likes to collect not-quite-spherical objects, in order to get to the roof of an airport control tower. However, if you spend enough time leveling to get past the BeefGate of Steroid Men, you can get enough Really Good At Treading Water power to swim to another airport control tower to fly an abandoned helicopter back to the first one, and defeat Dr. Entropy. However, this is pretty pointless, as you'll need to finish the other four quests eventually anyway, and the four not-quite-spherical objects have no other use.
* {{Plunder}}: The party will sometimes discover a pizza box or other weird storage object after combat, which will contain loot, traps, or both. Mademoiselle Pepperoni can use her powers to see if the pizza is trapped before you open the box, and if it is, a dose of the Vanquished Baked Goods power will eliminate the delicious threat. If you don't have those resources available, though, you can still take your chances, or [[LostForever leave the potential loot behind]].
* PowerUpFood: Beef enhances a hero's Brawn score, vegetables boost Health, and fish increases Brains, which makes combat superpowers more potent. These items are in limited supply and tend to be expensive, but they're good investments, especially early in the game.
* {{Railroading}}: Rather literally, as you'll need to use the subway system to reach certain areas, and each line requires its own access card of the same color. Certain cards, naturally, will only become available later in the game, either by finding or purchasing them. While {{Sequence Breaking}} is technically impossible, [[GenreSavvy sly players]] could theoretically sneak into high-end areas and purchase elite weaponry, while {{Save Scumming}} to avoid random encounters.
** It's possible to avoid the Steriod Men BeefGate mentioned earlier via deft leveling and careful navigation of New York City and the attached sewers. Eventually, assuming you survive, you can reach various towns that sell the Treading Water isotope, and with enough money and isotope, you can reach most of the maps in the game long before you finish the second set of missions.
* RandomEncounters: The type of terrain you're on can effect which type of enemy you meet in any given area. [[GenreSavvy Crafty players]] will figure out which critters give the most {{Experience Points}} and fight their battles accordingly.
** However, there are also only so many random encounters in each map screen. After which only battles that take place in a specific location will still occur on that screen. Meaning that money and experience points are finite resources in this game.
* RPGElements
* RuleOfFunny: While the combat in the game is numbers-based and requires some decent strategy, the messages detailing the attacks of friend and foe alike are utterly ridiculous. Yes, that enemy is a Cy Young Cyclops... a beefy cyclops inexplicably wearing a baseball uniform that throws brushback pitches at your head. And when you defeat him (often by charging the mound with your weapon of choice), his manager decides he's all through and sends him to the showers.
* RunningGag: Tons, as per [[AuthorAppeal Meretzky's style]]. The longest-running one is on the chatterbox, which runs a series of stories about dogs biting men in the Weehawken area (or vice versa), wondering whether 'the Weehawken area' is a geographic location or a [[GroinAttack euphemism]]. It escalates to the point where [[HellHound Cerberus]] actually appears and starts mowing down every Weehawken in sight. Thankfully, this is only a side joke and not something the League actually has to handle. There are also themed enemies which have stronger brethren as the game goes on. (The lowly [[TheAlcoholic Albino Wino]] eventually gives way to the [[RhinoRampage Albino Rhino]], and then the dreaded [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs Albino Dino]].)
* SquishyWizard: The brainier members of your squad (who excel at combat superpowers) tend to have lower health and toughness, making them ideal for the back of your squad. This can be remedied to some extent with [[PowerUpFood vegetables]] and strong armor pieces, but those are in limited supply and are best given to your front-line fighters.
* StandardStatusEffects: Subverted. Instead of the bog-standard effects your characters can get like being petrified or poisoned, members of the SLH have to worry about becoming paranoid or getting a rash.
* StrawFeminist: Mademoiselle Pepperoni. This trait is actually useful when solving a certain puzzle.
* SuperheroesWearCapes
* SuicideAttack: Many enemies in the game have one, with a name befitting their character. ([[AmoralAttorney Lawyers]] will Sue, for example, while a [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Bureau-Crat]] will Spew Red Tape.) It does a fair bit of damage to almost everyone in the party.
* SuperNotDrowningSkills: Being able to swim is the primary power of two party members, and something you have to drink scientific isotopes to give other characters.
* SuperSerum: The heroes can drink isotopes to gain secondary superpowers. These are permanent, though, and don't seem to have any ill effects.
* SuperZeroes: Pretty much the game's entire premise, at least on paper. A guy called Robo Mop that can clean up big messes, for example, doesn't seem like much of an asset. Of course, there wouldn't be much of a game if the League was completely useless, so all of your goofy abilities actually prove to be quite useful as the game progresses. Having to deal with a avalanche of hot peppers when your League happens to have a guy called The Iron Tummy seems [[ContrivedCoincidence a little contrived]]. Or, perhaps, {{Mission Control}} only assigns you jobs that [[FridgeBrilliance your team is ideal for...]]
** The only superpower that is completely and utterly useless for the duration of the game is the "Create Organizational Charts". Which, naturally, is the main ability of the Crimson Tape, who represents the ''player''.
* TheTease: Princess Glovebox, who enjoys riling up her male teammates with a good {{Double Entendre}}.
* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: No matter how strange or silly a superpower is in this game, there will be a quest that requires it, or an enemy that is weak to it. Except, strangely, for Create Organizational Charts, the superpower of League leader The Crimson Tape. Unless you consider his organizational power to be choosing squad rosters, doling out power-ups, equipping his teammates, deciding battle strategy, etc.
* {{Unwinnable}}: It's possible to permanently run out of the item that lets you walk through mountain terrain squares.
* VideoGameStealing: One-Armed Bandit enemies will sometimes steal some of your cash instead of attacking you. Since money is a finite resource in the game, this is often the more painful choice of the two.
* VillainExitStageLeft: Entropy almost always manages to escape after you foil his latest scheme, using methods as absurd as a talcum-powder bomb or a poorly-made horse costume. Even if you do catch him, he just [[CardboardPrison busts out of containment]] in time for your next batch of missions.
* WeaponizedExhaust: One of the weapons is a "Modified jet engine".
* WeBuyAnything: The pawn shops you see in most towns, which both buy and sell a strange assortment of random items. They'll purchase all but the most useless junk you can find, other than weapons and armor, which have their own stores.
* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: The main character (you) is the Crimson Tape, with the ability to create organization charts and data in thin air. This ability is useful exactly ''zero'' times, but it does qualify you to be the leader of the League, if only because you're obviously very good at getting things and people organized.
** Professor Prescription has been rejected by dozens of leagues who don't think much of his power: the ability to read doctors' handwriting. [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman He shows up just when you have an illegible doctor's note to read.]] He later successfully signs on with another league.
* WitchDoctor: The town shamans, who can be hired to heal your ailments like paranoia and the hiccups. They practice a strange mix of witchcraft, voodoo, and basic pharmaceutical use.
* WorldOfSnark: A Meretzky staple.
* YouALLLookFamiliar: Every town, vendor, and store is completely identical, other than building layouts and potential quest items. The game [[LampshadeHanging lampshades this]], of course.
