Line #25 VideoGame/ArthursNightmare


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/an_5.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:'''''[[JumpScare HEY!]]''''']]
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4	''Arthur's Nightmare'' is a freeware horror game released in June of 2018 by Varun Ramesh. A self-described "[[MemeticMutation meme]] game" based on the Creator/PBSKids show ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', the player is tasked with collecting Woogles while exploring Arthur's home. However, they also have to watch out for Arthur himself while they're at it, as he's not as friendly as you remember him... and neither are the other residents of the house.
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6	The game can be downloaded for free on [[https://varunramesh.itch.io/arthurs-nightmare itch.io]].
7	----
8	!!This game provides examples of:
9	* AdaptationalVillainy: Every ''Arthur'' character in this game, far from the source material's friendliness, is a villain hellbent on hunting you down.
10	* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: More like [[PlayedForHorror Horrific Technicolor Wildlife]], as Arthur's purple complexion in the PlayerCharacter's nightmare is meant to make him look scary.
11	* AntagonistTitle: No, the title doesn't refer to a nightmare Arthur is having. Instead, he [[spoiler:(along with his family)]] is trying to kill the PlayerCharacter in ''his'' nightmare.
12	* ArtShift: [[spoiler:Combined with MediumBlending in the ending, which is entirely live-action.]]
13	* BodyHorror: Downplayed with [[spoiler:D.W.]], who lacks their nose, has a perfectly round mouth full of teeth and also displays reptilian eyes.
14	* ColorMotif: Red (obviously associated with danger). The game's title screen is entirely in red, various rooms can change into red-tinged {{Eldritch Location}}s, and every enemy has [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]. Even minor details, like a QR code shown on the house's TV and [[spoiler:the protagonist's computer's wallpaper in the ending]], are colored red.
15	* DisproportionateRetribution: One interpretation of the game's premise - Arthur and company are haunting a man's dreams solely because he dislikes the later seasons of their series.
16	* EasterEgg:
17	** The house's TV displays a QR code. Scanning it leads you to [[spoiler:[[https://pastebin.com/jXYsVKT1 a Pastebin page]] consisting entirely of [[MythologyGag repetitions of "Jekyll" and "Hyde", which while a reference to the infamous "Jekyll Jekyll Hyde "song"]], when you replace every appearance of "hyde" with 0s and every appearance of "Jekyll" with 1s, it turns out to be a binary combination. Translating it leads to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjF0yX0a9wI an unmarked extended ending on the creator's [=YouTube=] channel.]]]]
18	** On very rare occasions, it is possible to encounter [[VideoGame/BaldisBasicsInEducationAndLearning Baldi]] or [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys Golden Freddy]] while changing rooms.
19	* EldritchLocation: The house has a habit of turning random rooms into red-lit, Hellish places full of teeth as you make headway in collecting Woogles (though this only impacts their aesthetics). [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] since the entire game takes place in a nightmare.
20	* EnfantTerrible: In this game, eight-year-old Arthur is out to kill the PlayerCharacter. [[spoiler:So is his four-year-old sister D.W.]]
21	* EntertainmentBelowTheirAge: The PlayerCharacter is a full-grown man who is a fan of ''Arthur''. [[spoiler:And the ending implies he's into a bunch of other PBS Kids shows as well]].
22	* ExcusePlot: You're an embittered ''Arthur'' fan who dreams about having to collect Woogles in Arthur's house while avoiding its residents. Good luck.
23	* TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether: [[spoiler:The Reads]], save for [[spoiler:Baby Kate]], who doesn't appear in the game at all.
24	* FanDumb: InUniverse, it's implied that the PlayerCharacter is part of it. The game opens with "[=ArthurFan598=]" posting a comment [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks complaining about the series' switch to Flash animation in season 17]] and saying it [[DarthWiki/RuinedForever "ruined the show"]]. [[spoiler:After beating the game, the ending shows what is presumably the same man waking up and deleting a whole folder full of ''Arthur'' rants from his computer (with similar folders for other PBS Kids shows (such as ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales'', WesternAnimation/MagicSchoolBus, WesternAnimation/MayaAndMiguel, and ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'') being [[FreezeFrameBonus visible]]).]]
25	* FourEyesZeroSoul: We all know Arthur wears glasses, and in this game, he's literally a soulless monster bent on hunting down and killing the PlayerCharacter.
26	* FreezeFrameBonus: [[spoiler:In the ending, as the protagonist deletes a folder full of ''Arthur'' rants from his computer, other folders dedicated to fellow PBS Kids shows like ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus'' are briefly legible.]]
27	* HellishPupils: [[spoiler:D.W.]] has these.
28	* JumpScare: Running into an enemy unsurprisingly leads to this.
29	* MythologyGag: Several to the cartoon it's based on.
30	** The title screen replicates the original show's {{Episode Title Card}}s.
31	** The player is tasked with collecting Woogles (from "[[Recap/ArthurS3E7ArthurRidesTheBandwagonDadsDessertDilemma Arthur Rides the Bandwagon]]") each night.
32	** As mentioned above, scanning the QR code on the TV in the living room leads to a reference to [[spoiler:the "Jekyll Jekyll Hyde" song from the original series' MusicalEpisode]].
33	** [[spoiler:In the ending, the protagonist finally waking up is accompanied by the sound effect used for the end of {{Fantasy Sequence}}s in ''Arthur'' itself.]]
34	* NightmareSequence: As the title indicates, the entire game is one.
35	* NonIndicativeName: You don't play as Arthur - he is in fact the main antagonist.
36	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Every enemy in the game has them.
37	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Inverted. Arthur's family tries to target the player for his recent criticisms of the show.
38	* ScaryTeeth: Arthur has markedly sharper teeth than in the actual series. [[spoiler:D.W. has them as well.]]
39	* SensoryAbuse: The game's main scare tactic - all the {{Jump Scare}}s are accompanied by extremely loud audio clips from the original TV show.
40	* ShoutOut:
41	** Some of the game's mechanics allude to ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', chiefly the use of a handheld device with limited power to track the antagonist and the levels being referred to as "nights".
42	** As mentioned before, [[VideoGame/BaldisBasicsInEducationAndLearning Baldi]] or [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys Golden Freddy]] can cameo on very rare occasions.
43	* StalkedByTheBell: [[spoiler:D.W.]] serves this purpose - they slowly rise up from the floor in whatever room you're in and JumpScare you if you stay in one place for too long, necessitating frequent movement.
44	* TearsOfBlood: [[spoiler:Jane and David]] both have these.

Context VideoGame / ArthursNightmare