History Videogame / StoriesPathOfDestinies

** While the game does change narration and dialogue depending on what truths the player has unearthed, they have no effect on what Reynaldo actually chooses to do in cutscenes and he will blindly step forward even if he knows its a bad idea. Which is usually fine, as usually Reynaldo does what the player bids him to and Reynaldo optimistic foolish the point, but sometimes he makes extra decisions on his own. A good example is "The Endless Moment:" [[spoiler: where the player chooses to trust Zenobia and take her to the Rebel base, and in the following cutscene Reynaldo opts to additionally call Lapino and tells him the location of the secret Rebel base. This ensures a DiabolusExMachina, as Reynaldo will do so - and blame Zenobia for the subsequent betrayal - even if he already knows for a fact that Lapino is TheMole. Unlike most decisions, the Truth about Lapino isn't mentioned at all even in the narration, as the story requires Reynaldo to not consider it.]]

* CutsceneIncompetence: At max level, in the player's hands, Reynardo is and unstoppable whirlwind of magical swords, employing {{Flash Step}}s, BulletTime and ImplausibleFencingPowers to utterly annihilate the Raven hoards without breaking a sweat. In cutscenes, he's merely an above average swashbuckler who's gameplay feats are only replicated when armed with the [[DeadlyUpgrade Iblis Stone]].

* ShoutOut: There are plenty of them to go around. Hell, one of the endings is called [[Film/GalaxyQuest "By Grabthar's Hammer."]]

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Several endings are ultimately good for Boreas, but are ultimately counted as ''bad'' because Reynardo dies in them. On the other hand, [[spoiler: the GoldenEnding is really only happy for Reynardo and Zenobia, with Boreas' fate left uncertain]].

* BraggingRightsReward: After you get the GoldenEnding and have unlocked every ending, you are given both the Iblis Stone and the Skyripper with all the benefits involved: healing with each mook killed and a laser that kills them.

* FridgeBrilliance: If you show the Iblis Stone to the scientists, they say that it feeds not on blood or souls, but the pain of killing another living being. [[spoiler:That's why it immediately encourages Reynardo to kill Zenobia -- since he loves her, killing her would be the most painful.]]

* BFS: The Hero Sword is absolutely gigantic. Oddly enough, it's special power is the ability to heal yourself at the cost of MP.

* ObviouslyEvil: The presence that dwells within the Iblis Stone. Pitch-black gemstone, hissing rasp of a disembodied voice, the promise of untold power if you feed it with the souls of your slain victims...is it any surprise that it's an ArtifactOfDoom?

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: The Iblis Stone's power is so great that even [[spoiler: Lapino]] or the [[spoiler: Counsel Speaker]] can effortlessly trounce Reynardo or Zenobia if they get a hold of it. In the player's hand, however, all it does is provide a slight health recharge on every kill.

-> [[DareToBeBadass What kind of hero are you?]]

* BigBad: The Emperor himself. [[spoiler: Despite his horrific crimes, he's really an AntiVillain who only started JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope after researching [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Things That Man Was Not Meant To Know]].]]

* CunningLikeAFox: Reynardo, obviously.

* TheDeterminator: Reynardo. Even leaving aside the timelines where he kept on fighting despite impossible odds, experiencing death and misfortune repeatedly--over and ''over''--isn't enough to stop Reynardo from plunging back into the book's projected destinies to find a happy ending.

* EyepatchOfPower: Reynardo sports one, adding to his sky pirate motif.

* TheLostLenore: Hypatia, the mother of Peter, was this to Reynardo.
* MagicKnight: Zenobia is described as a master of both sword and sorcery by the narrator, and the few times they fight on even terms, she can utterly clobber Reynardo.

* SmugSnake: Lapino is rather abrasive if you upset him, and has a considerable ego. [[spoiler: This is one of the clues pointing towards his identity as the mole]].

* UsedToBeASweetKid: It's mentioned that Emperor Isengard III used to be a shy and humble toad who sponsored libraries and ruled fairly. Then he started poking around in ruins of lost eldritch lore, and it all went downhill from there.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Several endings are ultimately good for Boreas, but are ultimately counted as ''bad'' because Reynardo dies in them. On the other hand, [[the GoldenEnding is really only happy for Reynardo and Zenobia, with Boreas' fate left uncertain]].

* CoolSword / HeroesPreferSwords: Reynardo wields one of four swords at a time, and all of them are pretty rad:

** ScrewDestiny: Reynardo's ultimate goal is to figure out how to use the knowledge gained from his alternate lifetimes to find a future in which he survives, the Empire falls, and--just ''maybe''--he gets the girl in the end. [[spoiler: To do so, he must make choices that will lead him to four Truths:]]
*** [[spoiler: [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique The Skyripper's truth.]]]]
*** [[spoiler: [[FalseFriend Lapino's truth.]]]]
*** [[spoiler: [[LoveConfession Zenobia's truth.]]]]
*** [[spoiler: [[PowerAtAPrice The Eye of Iblis' truth.]]]]
** GoldenEnding: What you unlock when [[spoiler: taking the path revealed by discovering all four truths]].
*** EarnYourHappyEnding: And by this point, you ''will'' have earned it.

*** [[spoiler: DangerousForbiddenTechnique]] The Skyripper's truth.
*** [[spoiler: FalseFriend]] Lapino's truth.
*** [[spoiler: LoveConfession]] Zenobia's truth.
*** [[spoiler: PowerAtAPrice]] The Eye of Iblis' truth.

* GreenEyedMonster: [[Lapino]]. His MotiveRant in one ending reveals he turned traitor simply out of jealousy for Reynardo hogging all the glory.

-> "One in 128. What are the odds?"

ArtisticLicenseStatistics: Discussed and defied in one ending. After discovering that the completed Skyripper could potentially destroy the universe if fired, he discusses the matter further with the sage Calaveras, who narrows it down to a 1 in 128 chance. Reynardo decides this is no big deal; when confronting Zenobia, he even explains the 1 in 128 chance in terms of the Gambler's Fallacy (i.e. that the risk will increase the more he fires the weapon, but the first shot should be perfectly safe), which an exasperated Zenobia points out is not how odds work at all. Needless to say, he fires it, and it destroys the universe.
"One in 128. What are the odds?"

* InferredHolocaust: In the GoldenEnding, [[spoiler: Reynardo and Zenobia both survive, and leave the Isles of Boreas to search for a mythical island where Zenobia might be cured of the after-effects of temporarily wielding the SealedEvilInACan Iblis Stone. The Emperor and most of his fleet was blown up by the unstable Skyripper Core, and the Rebel Council were cut down by Zenobia while she was [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil under the influence of the Iblis Stone]]. Two other endings have the Empire and the Rebels both get wiped out, and then make it clear that with no-one left to take charge, the whole region slide into banditry, anarchy and famine come winter.]] So it seems likely that this 'Happy Ending' really isn't all that happy for anyone other than Reynardo. In fact, several of the supposed 'bad endings' would likely bode far better for the citizens of Boreas - albeit with Reynardo dead, as usual.