History VideoGame / VagrantStory

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Callo was originally planned as a playable character.
** While it's unknown if a sequel was ever actually on the table, in 2020 Matsuno [[https://twitter.com/YasumiMatsuno/status/1251311231773716481 revealed on Twitter]] that he did have ideas for one that would have involved how the human mind creates false memories to deal with trauma. Some of those ideas got reused in a guest storyline he wrote for ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''.

* SkillsAndPerks: Progression is definitely of the Perk variety (though these perks are called skills in-game). As Ashley travels further down Lea Monde and kills more bosses, he'll automatically learn new skills. Justified in the story as he's remembering abilities from his forgotten memories.

* OurLichesAreDifferent: Liches, Lich Lord and Death are part of the Evil type enemy rather than Undead. The highest level of the lich Evil types is Death and these guys are light-oriented and religious in nature.

* {{Combos}}: The biggest and most unique part of combat in Vagrant Story, at the cost of raising risk Ashley can use his Chain Abilities to unload a flurry of hits in a single combo. Each attack in a combo does an extra point more damage than the previous one and this keeps going up until you whiff your combo.

* [[ImmuneToBullets Elemental Immunity]]: Downplayed. In this game you roast a fire elemental to death, it's just that it will take more fire magic than torching a goblin.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Break Arts. They have fancy names and cool animations, deal above the average damage and some inflict status effects. However, an average attack chain will still harm the enemy much more. There is also no guarantee that the Break Art will connect (and there really is a lot of hard to hit enemies), which can lead to a flashy attack followed by a much disappointing "MISS".

* DamageIncreasingDebuff: These and various StatusBuff are a major of mastering combat with Ashley. His attacks can link a large number of different buffs and debuffs to give him an edge against enemies that are often better equipped than he is.

* {{Combos}}: The biggest and most unique part of combat in Vagrant Story, at the cost of raising risk Ashley can unload a flurry of hits in a single combo. Each attack in a combo does an extra point more damage than the previous one and this keeps going up until you whiff your combo.

* DamageIncreasingDebuff: This and various StatusBuff are a major of mastering combat with Ashley. His attacks can link a large number of different buffs and debuffs to give him an edge against enemies that are often better equipped than he is.

* DarkerAndEdgier: One of the darkest games in Squaresoft's history. In terms of tone, it sometimes gets pretty close to horror.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: There is one for each weapon type. All of them except for the Rhomphaia (one-handed sword) and Holy Win (greatsword) can be forged. Rhomphaia and Holy Win have to be won from certain enemies, and are only obtainable in new game plus.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Callo was originally planned as a playable character.

* NintendoHard: Unlike most [[RolePlayingGame J[=RPGs=]]], ''Vagrant Story'' likes to keep the player on his toes... by kicking him in the balls every half an hour or so. Boss fights consistently cream poor Ashley, and random encounters are even worse. Success depends largely on mastery of the game's near-inscrutable ItemCrafting system, and there's even a random enemy with an instant death spell... in a game with only one [[PlayerCharacter PC]]. Rumours tell of gamers that actually enjoy this, but it's possible they have been conditioned to it by [[TakeOurWordForIt experiences too horrible to comprehend]].

* HereThereWereDragons: ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''... they were both set in this same world. ''What the hell happened?''

* AFateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Grissom, whose wandering soul searches for a body to possess - and finds his own cold corpse]]. By the end of the game, he's not holding together very well.

* BigNo: Doubly subverted. Joshua clearly attempts this when [[spoiler:Hardin is stabbed by Guildenstern]] but not only is there no voice acting in this game but [[CuteMute Joshua]] himself has been mute since the events of the game began, resulting in a very heartfelt, but ultimately silent NOOOOOOOO!

* [[LimitBreak Break arts]]; four for each class of weapons, [[CastFromHitPoints but don't rely on them TOO much.]]

* CuteMute: Joshua.

* DarkMessiah: Guildenstern.

** Callo, even though - given the setting - her battle gear is relatively conservative.

* FramingDevice: The game actually has a frame story which reveals the final ending: Duke Bardorba dies - and you play the game to discover just why, setting the stage for the actual game, which occurs in a single location in roughly a day. Just like a Greek drama should, wink wink.

* FunctionalMagic: Subverted. The premise is that magic doesn't exist in the normal world at all - and as a result, all magic is BlackMagic. Casting any kind of spell is [[TheDarkSide an unnatural act]] that [[FateWorseThanDeath sentences your soul to a horrible fate beyond imagination.]] While spells exist, most magical powers come as special gifts.

* GovernmentConspiracy: It's AllThereInTheManual but [[spoiler:the earthquake that destroyed the city of Lea Monde and killed off all of its inhabitants were caused on purpose by the Parliament - or perhaps the Cardinal? - in order to feed the souls of the dead to the darkness within the city and seize the control of that power. This is why the Duke Bardorba and Sydney, not wanting the Dark to be misused, enact the [[GambitIndex plan]] to transfer its power to Ashley, completely destroying the city in process.]]
* GroinAttack: Sydney's disturbingly low pants seem to be another case of Squaresoft's trademark ImpossiblyCoolClothes... until you consider the possibility that he's sacrificed his genitals along with his arms. (The other explanation would be BarbieDollAnatomy.)

--> [[spoiler: Grissom]]: ... Please, a moment. My body is not... cooperating."

* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: It's difficult to say if ''Vagrant Story'' is a subversion, aversion or a straight play of this trope. Next to all the guys in appropriate medieval armour, Sydney goes topless, with a buttcape and low-slung pants that only barely hide what all fangirls want to see. Rosencrantz wears red spandex bondage gear. Ashley wears leather chaps that leave most of his ass exposed. Tieger wears a leather bondage harness with an incongruous pair of khaki shorts (probably an afterthought to keep the T rating). Hardin wears normal pants... well, normal except for the built-in chaps.
* InfantImmortality: ''Very'' averted with [[spoiler:Marco]]. Averted even more with the Quicksilver and Shrieker enemies since they're possessed by dead children's spirits.

** The most devastating weapons in the game are actually two you build. The Destroyer Two-Handed Mace and the Halbard Two-Handed Axe. Both of these have blades that are actually more powerful than their Holy Win equivalents and they can use the Elephant hilt which has better stats than the best sword hilts. That said building a Destroyer or Halbard is a pain, especially if you're aiming for ones made of Damascus
* InformedAbility: Played straight with poor Samantha, who's a Commander in the Crimson Blades but gets zero chance to shine in battle, and with Callo Merlose, who gets taken hostage immediately and relies on a [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands psychic power newly-awakened by Lea Monde]] to do her job anyway. That's not to say they're clearly incapable, but since Samantha is never shown using any abilities related to her position and Merlose is forced to TakeAThirdOption because of her kidnapping, we don't actually see them use any of the skills we're told that they have. Merlose suffers from this especially, since her mind-reading can barely be detected, let alone resisted, without some degree of magical understanding: we don't see her doing any of the mundane inquisition work she's supposed to be famous for because she gets a handy cheat for it right off the bat.

* TheLegionsOfHell: Most of the enemies.

** Significant ones, too.
* NewGamePlus: It allows you to keep whatever is on your person, as well as any equipment you saved in a Container. Additionally, the [[spoiler:Rood Inverse]] grants Ashley access to {{Bonus Dungeon}}s and their respective {{Bonus Boss}}es, such as the [[BlackoutBasement the]] [[DugTooDeep Iron Maiden]] [[TheMaze B2]] --home of [[TheGrimReaper Death]] and [[ThatOneBoss Asura]].
* NeutralFemale: Callo Merlose is a rare type of subversion. She gets captured early on and spends the rest of the game being dragged around by the bad guys without resisting at all... because it gives her ample time and opportunity to use her psychic powers to get the truth out of Hardin whether he wants to tell it or not. Keep your enemies closer, as the saying goes.

* NoSell: Averted for the usual elemental immunity. If Ashley is sufficiently powerful, he can burn a fire elemental to death.
* OhCrap: [[spoiler:This is probably the expression on Rosencrantz's face as he is about to be cut in half by the Kali statue that Sydney summons]].

* PowerTattoo: The Rood Inverse on Sydney's back. [[spoiler: It's inherited by Ashley during the ending scenes--and during new game plus it can unlock doors that were originally sealed on the first playthrough. "The Blood Sin on Ashley's back burns!"]]

* RareCandy: Elixirs can raise a stat by as much as five points. The various wines Ashley can find also have the same effect. Note that outside of boss fights, this is the only way to raise your stats--there are ''no'' experience points.
* RegeneratingHealth and RegeneratingMana: But a point at a time for each.
* RegeneratingHealth: It's really slow, at 1 HP every few seconds.

** FridgeBrilliance extends the theme a little further with the weapon Pussyfoot as it is the only cocktail in the list which is non-alcoholic and the weapon itself is wielded by the [[SmugSnake one character]] [[AntiMagic immune to magic]]. While the name may lack the [[IncrediblyLamePun threatening edge]] it is appropriate for an alcohol-free cocktail.

* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Discussed by Sydney, who claims that the trope works because people are willing to forget things that pain them and much prefer to replace them with pleasing lies. [[spoiler:If you believe Sydney's version of events, Ashley has invoked this trope against himself, convincing himself that he once lost a wife and son to help himself forget murdering two innocent people.]]

* TheUndead: - A lot of enemies. Justified as this is your fate if you die in the Lea Monde. [[spoiler:And all the inhabitants of the city died or succumbed to the Dark due to the certain event]].

* UnwittingPawn: A very rare inversion. Ashley gets tricked into [[spoiler:saving the world]].

''Vagrant Story'' is the tale of Ashley Riot, a knight who works for the kingdom of Valendia during the [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy dark ages]] of [[Franchise/IvaliceAlliance Ivalice]]. He is one of the Parliament's elite Riskbreakers, a OneManArmy trained for the most dangerous black-ops and infiltration missions.

Creator/SquareSoft's ''Vagrant Story'' is a UsefulNotes/PlayStation RPG by video game auteur Creator/YasumiMatsuno. It is available as a downloadable [=PSOne=] Classic on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork.

Creator/SquareSoft's ''Vagrant Story'' is a UsefulNotes/PlayStation RPG by videogame auteur Creator/YasumiMatsuno. It is available as a downloadable [=PSOne=] Classic on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork.

[[quoteright:200: https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/logo-left-ashley.gif]]
[[caption-width-right:200:"I '''[[MemeticBadass am]]''' [[OneManArmy the reinforcements]]."]]

** "Those who crave the Dark, cannot control the Dark." and "I ''am'' the reinforcements.'' [[spoiler: Foreshadows both the reveal of Sydney as a heroic antagonist and of Ashley becoming the Vagrant. Sydney is aiming to be rid of his powers because he no longer wants them and means to pass them on to Ashley, making Ashley the reinforcement for ''Sydney himself'', not the VKP, while Ashley is the only character who comes to Lea Monde having no interest, not even scholastic interest, in the magic of Lea Monde.]]

* ForMassiveDamage: Basically the ''only'' way to beat quite a few bosses in the game, including the final one, as they'll prove invulnerable to all but a few techniques or elemental alignments.

* GuideDangIt: The game can be played without a guide, in fact it's not possible to [[LostForever miss anything]]. That said, the game's weapon crafting system is simply so sophisticated, and the overall game so very difficult, that many players will take any crutch they can get.

* TitleDrop: [[spoiler:The last line in the game.]]

* TheUndead - A lot of enemies. Justified as this is your fate if you die in the Lea Monde. [[spoiler:And all the inhabitants of the city died or succumbed to the Dark due to the certain event]].

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: What happens to people who try to [[spoiler:wield the Rood Inverse powers and the Dark]] without sufficient HeroicWillpower. [[spoiler:Guildenstern]] finds this out only too late. Not that anyone felt sorry for him or anything.

[[caption-width-right:200:"[[{{Badass}} I]] '''[[MemeticBadass am]]''' [[OneManArmy the reinforcements]]."]]

* {{Badass}}: Ahh, Ashley. "Reinforcements? I am the reinforcements." A total ImplacableMan and with a MysteriousPast that makes him even stronger, even the game's characters subtly [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] how ridiculously strong he is. He also acquires a BadassLongcoat for the final scene of the game.

Creator/SquareSoft's ''Vagrant Story'' is a genre-defying, stat-based UsefulNotes/PlayStation RPG by videogame auteur Creator/YasumiMatsuno. It is available as a downloadable [=PSOne=] Classic on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork.

''Vagrant Story'' is the tale of Ashley Riot, a knight who works for the kingdom of Valendia during the [[MedievalEuropeanFantasy dark ages]] of [[Franchise/IvaliceAlliance Ivalice]]. But Ashley is no ordinary agent: he is one of the Parliament's elite Riskbreakers, a OneManArmy trained for the most dangerous black-ops and infiltration missions.

When a seemingly immortal cult leader named Sydney Losstarot kidnaps the son of the powerful Duke Bardorba, Ashley is sent to infiltrate the [[TempleOfDoom lost city of Leá Monde]], assassinate Sydney and recover the boy. However, he is not alone: the Priesthood of St. Iocus, a political rival to the Parliament, have also taken a strong interest in the evil powers lurking within Leá Monde, and have dispatched their own private army to capture Sydney. Leading these "Knights of the Cross" is Romeo Guildenstern, a [[KnightTemplar pious but sinister paladin]].

In the style of classic dungeon crawlers, the player takes Ashley through Leá Monde's catacombs and ancient temples, killing vast quantities of equally-ancient monsters along the way. The plot unfolds rapidly as new parties enter the fray: there's Jan Rosencrantz, an ex-Riskbreaker who [[TheMole is playing all sides]] to seize the secrets of the city for himself; Callo Merlose, a Parliament agent who is captured by Sydney and (through the power of clairvoyance) becomes Ashley's eyes and ears on his mark; General Grissom, a Knight of the Cross seeking revenge for the death of his brother (at Ashley's hands); and John Hardin, Sydney's gentle accomplice, who slowly realizes that he's being LockedOutOfTheLoop.

A cat-and-mouse game ensues: as Ashley tails his mark through the catacombs, Sydney [[MindProbe probes Ashley's lost memories]] and teases him with the inconsistencies he finds. Have [[TheRashomon Ashley's memories been tampered with]] in order to turn him into the perfect soldier? What is Sydney's final goal, and who will ultimately claim the forbidden power of Leá Monde?

The game is easily one of the most [[GenreBusting complicated]] Squaresoft [=RPG=]s: a combination of 80's dungeon crawling with French graphic novel aesthetics, [[FloweryElizabethanEnglish Shakespearean dialogue]], elaborate ItemCrafting, RhythmGame combat and the structure of a Greek drama, with the characters dressed in... well, fairly homoerotic bondage gear. It's a gorgeous but polarizing game, due to being NintendoHard, and features ''very'' mature themes compared to other ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' installments. And its English version has what's probably [[{{Woolseyism}} the most celebrated localization in video game history]].

The game's difficulty lies in its stat-based and menu-based combat. ''Vagrant Story'''s battle system is perhaps closer to ''{{VideoGame/NetHack}}'' than it is to most games in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Instead of gaining traditional experience points, Ashley -- also a skilled blacksmith -- [[ItemCrafting crafts]] a collection of weapons and a full set of armor, planning around elements, weapon types, weapon range, creature types and Ashley's own reaction abilities. In practice, this means the player may end up switching and re-configuring their equipment for every enemy they encounter. Difficult? Horribly so. Rewarding? ''Yes''. It's NintendoHard, with a very steep learning curve, but of the "difficult to learn, easy to master" variety.

So, ''don't press start until after you see the first save point.'' Also, like many Japanese [=PlayStation=] games, circle is "confirm" and X is "cancel".

* InformedAbility: Played straight with poor Samantha, who's a Commander in the Crimson Blades but gets zero chance to shine in battle. Subverted with Callo, whom we see being every bit the epic Inquisitor that Heldricht says she is, in spite of her being taken hostage at the start!