Line #12 VideoGame/AzraelsTear


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cover-320_5688.jpg]]
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3	An early 3D AdventureGame with elements of action from Intelligent Games and published by Mindscape. The protagonist is a sort of high-tech professional tomb robber called a Raptor who gets a letter from one of his rivals one day, saying that he thinks he's located the HolyGrail in northeast Scotland, but may have gotten in too deep. The letter was to be delivered in the event of his disappearance, so something must have gone wrong.
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5	There's also a vague backstory of the world undergoing various upheavals, like massive earthquakes unearthing ancient ruins, and [[ThePlague a terrible plague]]. Against this background, the protagonist sets off to investigate (and possibly attempt to acquire the Grail for himself while he's there), entering the Temple of Aeternis early in [[MayanDoomsday December 2012]].
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7	Despite having an intriguing and well-written story with an ending that makes you seriously think, it was a [[AcclaimedFlop commercial failure]] (no doubt being released alongside the wildly popular ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' did not help one bit) and is not too well known today.
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9	Matthew Stibbe, one of the original developers, released the original pitch and design documents [[http://www.badlanguage.net/azraels-tear on his blog]].
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11	!! Azrael's Tear provides examples of:
12	* AncientConspiracy: [[spoiler:The Prieuré, an organization about as old as the Templars, who constantly plot against them (most likely referring to the real-world hoax and subject of many conspiracy theories known as the Priory of Sion).]]
13	* AndIMustScream: The fate of countless people and possibly animals whose bodies are too damaged for grailstone to heal, yet cannot quite die. And even when they do die, their spirits often remain trapped, unable to depart.
14	* ApocalypseHow: Not greatly elaborated, but based on the small amount of information, societal collapse on a planetary scale.
15	* ArcNumber: 12.
16	** 12 Guardians of Aeternis.
17	** 12 ships sent to Aeternis before it was sealed.
18	** The protagonist enters Aeternis during [[MayanDoomsday the 12th month of 2012]].
19	** Chapter XII is the only one that can be read in ''The Holy Vision of Tobias de Treece''.
20	** 12 tracks in the BGM.[[note]]Unfortunately, the last one is not always heard in-game, quite likely due to the terribly buggy drivers.[[/note]]
21	* DiegeticInterface: Not only does the MS-2 helmet display information in the protagonist's field of vision and provide a mapping facility, but it also has buttons to turn the BGM on and off, as well as saving and loading the game.
22	* EpilogueLetter: Well, journal entry, really. [[spoiler:Written by Cesar de Treece, brother of Tobias.]]
23	* EverythingSensor: The MS-2 helmet is standard equipment for Raptors. It contains a variety of sensors which can scan surfaces, detect hidden structures, and analyze DNA. It also contains a powerful computer with a very large database, which can identify rooms, machines, artifacts, and lifeforms, and can make intelligent suggestions about the purpose of some things and recommend courses of action based on the data acquired.
24	* FactionSpecificEndings: Depending on a LastSecondEndingChoice. [[spoiler:However, the True Ending, and the only one reasonably good for the protagonist, requires making a right decision a little earlier.]]
25	* HeadsUpDisplay: The MS-2 helmet.
26	* ImmortalityInducer: The Grail, of course. Or rather, the material it's made of, grailstone. But it's not the kind you'd want to actually use for any length of time.
27	* LastSecondEndingChoice: At least three paths, each leading to different endings. Though to be sure, [[spoiler:there is only one True Ending, complete with an epilogue; the others are pretty much just slightly extended {{Game Over}}s.]]
28	* MayanDoomsday: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in that the story [[spoiler:''begins'' in December 2012 with the world in bad shape, but then ''ends'' several years later, with the world in even worse shape but definitely not ended. Then again, the future is left uncertain.]] It's also an unusual example: while — as one would expect — most instances appeared in works published in the handful of years preceding the date, this one was all the way back in ''1996'', 16 years before.
29	* OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: [[spoiler:The Prieuré.]] Somewhat less omniscient than most, but quite powerful.
30	* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Short-term exposure to grailstone is quite beneficial. It heals virtually all injuries, cures all sickness, and generally makes one healthy. Long-term exposure... [[BodyHorror not so much]].
31	* ThePlan: [[spoiler:There is a "chosen" Thief, but the Prieuré knows there is no guarantee he'll succeed. So they've manipulated things so no matter who gets the Grail, it will fall into their hands. If the chosen one succeeds, he may either escape or lose it to Tobias or to Edward and Lurka. Or one of the other Raptors may get the Grail, with the same possible outcomes. Or possibly none of the Raptors succeeds, in which case one of those schemers may somehow get a hold of it. But no matter who emerges with the Grail, the Prieuré is waiting to take it and use it for their own purposes.]]

Context VideoGame / AzraelsTear