History VideoGame / TheLostCrown

* VideoGameCaringPotential: Soft-hearted players can let Nigel stuff Cairon the pig with leftovers to their heart's content. [[spoiler:And then [[SubvertedTrope be heartbroken]] when Bob [[EatTheDog dishes up pork]] at the Fair.]]

Two more Crown-hunting games, ''The Last Crown'' and ''The First Crown'', have been adrift in in DevelopmentHell for some time, while an additional haunting-investigation, ''Blackenrock'', is currently in development. A Halloween vignette-game, ''The Last Crown: Midnight Horror'', debuted on Steam on October 28, 2015.

* DaylightHorror: Just because its mid-day doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about the phantom hands and ghostly visages that roam the house Nigel is staying at.

Nigel takes refuge in Saxton, where he meets local psychology student Lucy Reubans. Together they set out to solve local mysteries, study paranormal activity and discover the whereabouts of a legendary Anglo-Saxon crown, thought to be buried somewhere around town. Nigel’s presence in the town does not go unnoticed and there are many threats to his life... not just from the living but from the dead also!

* AccidentalMurder: [[spoiler:A particularly tragic example concerning Edward and Christina Molina, the ghosts haunting Harbor Cottage. When Christina fell ill soon after they moved in, Edward kept feeding her water from the cottage's water supply to help her recover, completely unaware that the water was stagnant and lethally contaminated until it was too late. Nigel helps the couple move on by making Christina realise that her husband did not deliberately poison her.]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: Whatever causes Mr. Gruel to act the way he does.

* AncientArtifact: The titular Lost Crown.
* AncientTomb: The hiding place of the Crown is one of these. Nathaniel Ager's crypt is a not-quite-so-ancient version.

* AnimalNemesis: Someone in Saxton is stealing [[spoiler: and skinning]] the cats of Saxton. When the culprit's lair is found, it's revealed that [[spoiler: they did it because they're guarding the Lost Crown, and somehow got suspicious that [[InsaneTrollLogic their natural curiosity meant the cats were looking for it]].]]

* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler:The 'shadow across the land,' forewarned by a legend describing the mystical powers of Ganwulf's Crown. Taking the crown from Ganwulf's tomb causes a Class 0 apocalypse, spreading pestilence and famine across Saxton and the surrounding areas. The final chapter takes place during the early stages, with Nigel racing to fix his mistake before the situation worsens. Fortunately he succeeds before we see how exactly how much worse it would have gotten.]]

* AssholeVictim: Hardacre.

* BedsheetGhost: Invoked with the "Guess the Ghost" game in ''Midnight Horror''. Played with when [[spoiler: Nigel's initial encounter with "the ghost" turns out to be a ''real'' haunting.]]
* BeingWatched: Between Nigel's own suspicions, soft sounds in the woods, and [[spoiler: surveillance photos from the Nightmare Room]], it's implied that someone or some''thing'' is always stalking him. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that the stalker is Mr. Gruel, who has taken up the Agers' obsession with protecting the crown.]]
** [[spoiler: Plus, Mr. Hadden is apparently observing his every move... somehow.]]

* BigGood: [[spoiler:King Ganwulf, the man who wore the lost crown, was said to be this in life. In fact, beseeching his ghost is how Nigel is able to save Saxton at the end of the game.]]
* BigScrewedUpFamily: The infamous Ager family, especially the four brothers at the end of the line before the family went extinct.

* TheBlackDeath: The Black death all but wiped out the neighbouring town of Northfield centuries ago, and only the church remains.
* BookDumb: Bob Tawney.

* CameraAbuse: When Nigel uses the night-vision camera to explore [[spoiler: the catacombs beneath Ulcombe Church]], poltergeist activity tosses pebbles at his camera, as if trying to break the lens and strand him in the dark.

* ChekhovsGun: An abandoned building that looks foreboding.
** In-Verse example: In Molina's diary, [[spoiler: the water he mentions bringing Christina in the first two-page entry turns out to be contaminated and was the cause of her accidental death.]]
* {{Chiaroscuro}}: Some people you meet are in candle light or bathed in shadows.
* CompanionCube: Jemima the rag doll, for Mr. Gruel. [[spoiler: Borders on CargoShip once you learn that Jemima was his late wife's name.]]

* ContinuityNod: Several in fact, to the ''VideoGame/DarkFall'' series.

* CreepyCrows: Real ones, painted ones, and symbolic ones. Also a MeaningfulName for both the Agers and one of Hadden's men.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Some of the ghosts' deaths weren't pretty. Special mention goes to the train wreck victims: the apple train derailed into a river, and the unfortunate sorting staff all drowned, but not before their bodies were gruesomely mangled beyond hope.]]

* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Katherine and Robert Karswell and the Northfield vicar. At Ulcombe Church, Nigel figures out relatively quickly that the evacuees he meets there are ghosts, and gently breaks the news to the older sister. She takes it remarkably well]].

* DeathOfAChild: Several examples have taken place during Saxton's dark history. [[spoiler:Said examples include a child accidentally drowning in the sea, destroying his parents' marriage, a girl getting trapped and dying in a museum's hidden passages, and beloved pets getting abducted and butchered, to name a few.]]

* EerilyOutOfPlaceObject: On most mornings, Nigel wakes to find that his ghost-hunting equipment has been scattered throughout Habor Cottage, forcing him to track them down before starting the day proper. More ominously he keeps finding a pair of large scissors in his bed.
* EldritchAbomination: Fenlaria, supernatural beasts from the legend of the lost crown which preyed on any human who got too close to the dark shadows where they dwelled. They were prevented from inflicting famine and plague upon the kingdom by the power of the crown Ganwulf wore. [[spoiler:When famine and plague fall upon the fens after Nigel takes the crown from Ganwulf's tomb, one must wonder whether the Fenlaria are RealAfterAll. In fact, their description in the legend is eerily similar to that of the hostile black mist ghosts encountered by Nigel and Lucy.]]

* EvilIsNotWellLit: Some of the areas (the haunted house, train tracks, castle, cave, etc) are very dark, dimly lit, or just foggy and creepy.
* EvilInc.: The Hadden Corporation, at least where the owner's secret experiments are concerned.

* FetchQuest: Several short ones, including soup ingredients for the Karswells and [[spoiler: stone hands and coat-of-arms photos]] for one of the ghosts.

* FliesEqualsEvil: A swarm of Ager-conjured flies appear to attack Nigel in [[spoiler: the Nightmare Room]].
* FoodAsBribe: Luring Mr. Tibbs back home requires this. Luckily, the cat is a cheese addict.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: One early encounter with Alex Spitmoor takes place next to the phone booth. [[spoiler: He's standing in front of the "Reubans Fayre" poster Lucy put up, which hints at his true identity: Detective Alex ''Reubans'', Lucy's brother. In fact, there are numerous instances of foreshadowing in the game, the first being a tombstone of Cole Tawny, the deceased soon of Nanny Noah and Bob Tawny, seen when the train first arrives with Nigel in it.]]

* FortuneTeller: Nanny Noah and "Mystic Morgan"

* [[spoiler:GainaxEnding: At the climax of the game, Nigel tries to get in contact with Ganwulf's ghost so he can convince him to let Nigel back into the lost kingdom. During the seance, Nigel encounters the crown, glowing and floating in the air, and then is somehow transported back to Ganwulf's tomb. Surrounded by figures of all the characters he'd encountered on his quest, he puts the crown back on Ganwulf's skull and then somehow ends up on the beach with Lucy. This can only be explained by Ganwulf having special powers.]]
* GameBreakingBug: Clicking the walkie-talkie at the wrong time can leave you stuck inside [[spoiler: the Nightmare Room]] with no way to get the key. In-universe, Nanny Noah's "treasure hunt" would be impossible to complete on May Day [[spoiler: because one of the clues is in the Museum, which is closed]], although Nigel finishes it on a different day.

** The [[spoiler: Ager brothers']] goal is to keep Nigel away from the crown!
** The friendlier ghosts usually want something -- [[spoiler: Guerny's hands and coats-of-arms, Emily's Pasque flower, Tim and Nancy's letter]] -- that Nigel [[FetchQuest can retrieve for them]].

* GraveRobbing: In the crypt under Ulcombe, Nigel breaks open a coffin to acquire the clue to a puzzle, although he doesn't actually take away the book that contains the clue. [[spoiler: Also played straight when Nigel steals the Crown from Ganwulf's tomb, and inverted when he puts it back again.]]
* TheGrimReaper: Featured prominently in the morbid murals on the walls of [[spoiler: the Plague catacombs under Ulcombe]].
* HatesSmallTalk: Hardacre and Spitmoor.
* HauntedHeadquarters: While nearly every location in or around Saxton is haunted (see below), Nigel encounters more ghostly phenomena in Harbour Cottage, where he's staying, than anywhere else.

* HeKnowsTooMuch: The reason Nigel is forced to flee from Hadden and his goons, starting the whole plot.
* HorrorDoesntSettleForSimpleTuesday: Takes place on and around May Day, a major holiday for Saxton. ''Midnight Horror'' is set on Halloween night.
* ISeeDeadPeople: Some of the ghostly images appear briefly, only the cameras can let you see some of it clearly... other parts are a little... spooky... see the Spooky Photography explanation below.

* {{Jerkass}}: Hardacre is downright rude to Nigel at every chance [[spoiler: and later steals the Crown from him, only to become an AssholeVictim]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Lucy, at least until she and Nigel warm up to each other.

* LightningReveal: Done with creepy mystical energy-discharges [[spoiler: in Ganwulf's tomb]].
* MiniGame: The [=EnviroMeter=] poses a few small ones when used to pinpoint ghostly activity in Harbour Cottage.
* MindScrew: Some of the supernatural events Nigel gets himself into.
* MissionControl: Whomever is monitoring the remote cameras in Harbour Cottage. Lucy temporarily takes on this role over a short distance when she directs Nigel around a pitch-black room using the night-vision camera.

* MysteriousEmployer: Mr. Hadden.

* OffscreenAfterlife

* OccultDetective: Nigel is forced to act as one during the game.

* OpenSaysMe: Lucy kicks a door open to save Nigel in [[spoiler: the Old Net Hut]].
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: Seems like every variant Boakes could think of makes an appearance, from disembodied voices to wraiths of the still-living to full-body corporeal presences that don't know they're dead.

* ReadingTeaLeaves: Nanny Noah does this for Nigel during one of their fireside talks.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The Ager brothers' spirits and paintings have this when they're particularly pissed.
* RedHerring: A few clues point you in the wrong direction where you eventually get the right direction.

* SeasonalBaggage: The clues for the "mill stones" puzzle.

* SpookyPainting: The Agers' group portrait from [[spoiler: the Nightmare Room]], and Thomas Ager's from Northfield Church. The "Tree of Crows" is haunted also, but less menacingly-so.
* SpookyPhotographs: Nigel uses a digital and video camera to sniff out clues in the game. Seeing the whole world in gray-scale or night-sight green sometimes really makes it more creepy to see said ghostly images.

* SpookySeance: Several, some with simple props.
* StalkerWithACrush: William Ager, to Emily Travers. Brock Farm's resident, to Katherine Karswell.

** After you find the crown, you have the problem of finding a safe place to keep it. [[spoiler: What you're supposed to do is put it in the trunk in Nigel's bedroom. This leads to a man breaking in, stealing the crown, and dying for his troubles. The thing is, at that point in the game you know there's a safe in the basement and what the combination is. It's only after the crown's stolen from you that Nigel figures to put it in the safe instead.]]
** [[spoiler: Rationalized away in the revised edition of the game released on Steam, as Nigel can't bear to go down to the basement because it smells really, ''really'' foul down there.]]
** [[spoiler: Also to an extent taking the Lost Crown to begin with after reading a book which described at length what happened the last time it was removed. Then again, the Crown is the entire focus of the plot.]]

* SurrealHorror: Averted. When something spooky happens, there's often a reason for it, mainly Nigel intentionally seeking out ghostly activity.
* SwirlyEnergyThingy: A supernatural version appears in the photos Nigel stole. [[spoiler: Also in Ganwulf's tomb.]]

* TogetherInDeath: The Molinas and the [[spoiler:Karswells]].
* TownContestEpisode: While not restricted to one episode, Mr. Branwen, owner of Celtic Corner, hosts a photography completion in town, which Nigel can participate in.
* TheUnintelligible: Doctor Black. Also, Gruel speaking through "Jemima", unless s/he's saying her name.
* UnnaturallyBlueLighting: Not exactly blue but the whole game is in gray coloring with only a few objects (flowers, certain animals, train, some objects, some buildings) having splashes of color like blue, green, yellow, or brown. In Night-Vision mode everything is green which makes it irritating to the players eyes after a while.
* UndeadChild: The ghosts of Verity, Nancy, and Timmy. Also Emily Travers if teenagers count.
* UnfinishedBusiness: Most of the ghosts have some. Nigel himself will remark that he's not finished investigating if you try to make him leave an area or go to bed prematurely.

* VideoGameCaringPotential: Soft-hearted players can let Nigel stuff Cairon the pig with leftovers to their heart's content. [[spoiler: And then [[SubvertedTrope be heartbroken]] when Bob [[EatTheDog dishes up pork]] at the Fair.]]

** Nigel never gets a straight answer to that one, and neither does the player, really.
** Nigel and Lucy ''do'' get a straight answer to this question in ''Midnight Horror'', but [[spoiler: only from a ghost who thinks it's 1785]], so it doesn't resolve the issue.
* WholePlotReference: [[spoiler: The central plot is based on [[Creator/MRJames M. R. James']] ''A Warning To The Curious'', down to the magical ancient crown that protects the country and is guarded by the ghostly Ager family.]]

* TheUnintelligible: Doctor Black. Also, Gruel speaking through "Jemima", unless s/he's saying her name.

** Several to Creator/MRJames and his ''A Warning To The Curious''. A big one is a skeleton found in the woods [[spoiler:which you can identify as a victim of the Ager brothers]]. Doctor Black is a character from the television adaptation of that story.

* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:The final day. Hardcore has been murdered by the Ager Brothers after trying to take the Lost Crown from Saxton, the morning newspaper reports that the local livestock is being killed of by a mysterious blight, the weather has turned rainy and bleak, and the townsfolk forget who Nigel is and turn against him. Nigel gradually realises to his horror that taking the crown from Ganwulf's brow has indeed unleashed an ancient curse upon Saxton.]]

Nigel takes refuge in Saxton, where he meets local psychology student Lucy Reubans. Together they set out to solve local mysteries, study paranormal activity and discover the whereabouts of a legendary Anglo-Saxon crown, thought to be buried somewhere around town. Nigel’s presence in the town does not go unnoticed and there are many threats to his life...not just from the living but from the dead also!

* ExtremelyDustyHome: The little sea shanty Nigel is staying at has obviously seen better days....much better days...30 yrs ago perhaps. The owner, Morgan Mankle, personally cleans it after the first night and leaves Nigel an apologetic letter after realising how bad the mess is.

* ISeeDeadPeople: Some of the ghostly images appear briefly, only the cameras can let you see some of it clearly...other parts are a little....spooky...see the Spooky Photography explanation below.

* AdultFear: Several examples have taken place during Saxton's dark history. [[spoiler:Said examples include a child accidentally drowning in the sea, destroying his parents' marriage, a girl getting trapped and dying in a museum's hidden passages, and beloved pets getting abducted and butchered, to name a few.]]

** Use of the name "Spivey" may be a reference to Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/TheFog''.

Two more Crown-hunting games, ''The Last Crown'' and ''The First Crown'', have been adrift in in DevelopmentHell for some time, while an additional haunting-investigation, ''Blackenrock'', is currently slated for a 2018 release. A Halloween vignette-game, ''The Last Crown: Midnight Horror'', debuted on Steam on October 28, 2015.