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1[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/forbidden_forest.jpg]]
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3''Forbidden Forest'' is a 1983 third-person shooter game made by Paul Norman, and published by Cosmi for the Platform/Commodore64 and Platform/Atari8BitComputers.
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5You play as an archer who, while practicing his skills out in the woods, has stumbled into the feared forbidden forest, where giant, ferocious animals and deadly monsters wander, looking to slay any intruders into their domain. The only way out is to put your archery skills to the ultimate test, killing every monster you encounter before you meet the lord of the beasts, the feared Demogorgon.
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7The game was quite a technical achievement for its time, as it included things such as [[MotionParallax parallax scrolling]], a [[EternalEquinox day/night cycle]], and context-sensitive music. The game got positive reviews for its gameplay and creepy atmosphere.
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9Two sequels were made. The first, ''Beyond the Forbidden Forest'', also for the C64, featured an archer who has now set out to specifically kill Demogorgon, who awaits in the caves under the castle. You must slay the monsters he sets fourth to earn enough golden arrows to pierce the darkness of the underworld where he dwells. This game allowed for full movement in all directions, which the game dubbed "Omnidirection 4D."
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11Another game, simply titled "Forbidden Forest" (Though often informally called Forbidden Forest 3) was released in 2003 for Platform/MicrosoftWindows. This one was a full 3D adventure game where the main character wandered around, gathering powerups and battling the first game's monsters again. It's mostly known for bringing back the victory dance from the first game, with remixed music.
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13----
14!!''Forbidden Forest'' contains examples of:
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16* BackgroundBoss: The Ghost, the Snakes, and Demogorgon in the first game. The giant hydra in the sequel.
17* BigBad: Demogorgon, lord of the beasts of the titular Forbidden Forest.
18* BossGame: Each 'stage' is a single battle against the current monster, though you may have to kill several of the same monster to win.
19* DemBones: The third-to-last boss in the original game. A bunch of spear-wielding skeletons led by a large ghost in the background
20%%* DemonLordsAndArchDevils: Demogorgon.
21* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Twice, you challenge Demogorgon with nothing but a bow and arrows. At least partially justified in the second game by needing Golden Arrows.
22* DireBeast: Many of the monsters are giant animals. Spiders, bees, frogs, snakes, scorpions, and even giant mosquitos will assault you through the games. The third game introduces giant owls.
23* DisintegratorRay: Demogorgon's eye beams in the sequel light up the archer for a moment before he evaporates.
24* EyeBeams: Demogorgon's main form of attack in the sequel. Once he kills the archer, he turns his gaze towards the player.
25* EverythingIsTryingToKillYou: Spiders, bees, frogs, snakes, scorpions, mosquitos, bats, and even more monsters.
26* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: In the sequel, if you die to the Demogoron, he then turns and shoots his eye beams directly at ''you'', the player.
27* FragileSpeedster: The archer. He can only take one hit from the monsters, but he can outrun any of them, including a flying dragon.
28* GiantSpider: The first boss. Many of them, actually. They come back as regular fodder in the third game.
29* HappyDance: The archer's VictoryPose after each level in the first and third games, with accompanying victory music.
30* HardModeFiller: The first game loops back to the beginning after defeating Demogorgon.
31* LightningReveal:
32** In the first game, Demogorgon is only visible when lightning flashes. So you'll need to quickly aim arrows at the place you last saw him.
33** The second game's title screen hides the title in darkness, only illuminated by lightning flashes for a while before fully revealing the game's name.
34* LimitedLoadout:
35** If you run out of arrows, it's effectively game over because the monsters can kill you but you can't kill them. In Innocent and Trooper difficulties they replenish after every stage, but in Daredevil difficulty they only replenish twice during the whole game, and in Crazy only once. This is made even worse by the fact that the harder difficulty levels have more enemies.
36** While you start with infinite normal arrows in the second game, you have to acquire golden arrows to take the fight to Demogorgon's lair. Running out of golden arrows within the caves will end your run.
37* TheLostWoods: The titular Forbidden Forest, a deep section of the woods where only monsters dwell, ready to devour the unwary.
38* TheManyDeathsOfYou: Lots of bosses can give you a unique death animation, including being stabbed or stung to death, eaten alive, crushed into gory paste, melted with acid, sucked dry of bodily fluids, [[StrippedToTheBone burned to a skeleton,]] or [[DisintegratorRay outright disintegrated.]]
39* MotionParallax: One of the earliest 2D games that uses parallaxes in its backgrounds.
40* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The archer on the game's box art looks suspiciously like ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}''-era Sylvester Stallone
41* NonStandardGameOver: What happens to you if you fail to kill the Demogorgon in the final stage of the first game. His giant head lowers down from above as horrific music plays, and then the game just ends, regardless of how many lives you have left. Unlike other stages, you don't get to continue, either.
42* NothingIsScarier: What makes the Demogorgon so creepy in the first game. Up to this point, it's been a pretty standard arcade shooter. Enemies arrive, you avoid their attacks, and you kill them, and move on to the next stage. Finally, you arrive at the final stage and the music abruptly stops while the sky goes pitch black. You wait for the Demogorgon to make his appearance...and he never does. No attacks thrown your way at all. All you get are brief glimpses of him as the lightning flashes. As time passes, you see him getting closer and closer to you with each flash of lightning, and a sense of urgency hits as you know something ''bad'' is going to happen if you don't kill him quickly enough. Fail, and you're greeted by [[ScareChord Scare Chords]] as the Demogorgon's head descends upon you, and then you get a one-way trip to the Game Over screen.
43* OneHitPointWonder: You and just about every monster. [[spoiler: Including Demogorgon.]]
44* OurDragonsAreDifferent: The first one you meet is a flying serpent who spits fire. The one in the sequel is a large, fat hydra who can breathe fire from his many heads.
45* ThePlace: The game is named for the monster-infested forest the protagonist finds himself lost in.
46* SandWorm: The second boss in the sequel is a worm that pops out of the ground at random. In this case, though, you'll want to keep moving.
47* ScareChord: A shrill chord plays when you die to a monster in both the first and second games. Demogorgon killing you gets a unique shrill noise.
48* ScaryScorpions: The first boss in the sequel, he will chase you around the forest.
49* StrippedToTheBone: Getting roasted by the Hydra's fire in the sequel reduces you to a skeleton.
50* AWinnerIsYou: Beating the Demogorgon just rewards you with the same dance as all the other stages, and then the game abruptly ends.

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