Line #67 VideoGame/Nefarious


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nefarious_p.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Being bad has never been so good.]]
3
4	-> ''"Be the villain! A traditionally animated side-scroller where you get to be the bad guy! Kidnap Princesses! Thwart heroes!"''
5	-->--- '''Nefarious' Tagline'''
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7	Ever wonder what it would be like to play a traditional 2D Platformer like [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]], but instead of playing as Mario to rescue Princess Peach, you're playing as Bowser, and trying to kidnap her?
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9	[[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/749082525/nefarious Nefarious]] takes that concept and runs with it. In this game, you play as Crow, the leader of a villainous group who treats kidnapping princesses like it's a job, and takes his role as a CardCarryingVillain rather seriously. Crow's ultimate goal is to TakeOverTheWorld, and he's not about to let some do-gooder heroes stand in his way. Determined to kidnap every princess he can, no matter how ''[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} eccentric]]'' they may be, will Crow manage to finally cement his role as one of the [[BigBad biggest bads]] there ever was? Or will he end up an IneffectualSympatheticVillain? Only time will tell.
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11	Nefarious was started on UsefulNotes/{{Kickstarter}}, just barely managing to reach its Kickstarter goal by the skin of its teeth in its final hour. Supporting a cast of developers from many different web projects, such as Matthew Taranto from ''WebComic/BrawlInTheFamily'' fame, the game seeks to humorously explore the princess-kidnapping aspect of games of old.
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13	Supporting a cast of many different princesses for Crow to kidnap, some of which aren't going to sit idly by while Crow kidnaps them, Crow will have to use every bit of his abilities if he wishes to further his goal. Some princesses, like the EnergyBeing princess Farrah Day, will have rather odd effects on Crow's [[PowerArmor power suit]] like supercharging it, while others will force Crow into some rather tricky situations. At the end of the day though, it all comes back to you fighting the princess' [[TheHero normal heroes]], but with a twist... ''You'' are the end boss battle at most levels, trying to stomp out TheHero with Crow's HumongousMecha.
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15	The development team has also opened a [[http://nefariousgame.com/slacker-backer-paypal/ paypal]] for anyone who wishes to further along the project to meet the stretch goals offered during its Kickstarter run. Some of these include a musical stage, additional princesses to kidnap, a New Game+, and co-op modes.
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17	[[https://store.steampowered.com/app/448290/Nefarious/ The game was released]] on January 23, 2017. An online comic was released nearly a year later, picking up where the game left off. See [[Webcomic/{{Nefarious}} here]] for its tropes. Crow himself also appears as (fittingly enough) the FinalBoss in the crossover game ''VideoGame/IndiePogo''.
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19	Now has a [[{{Characters/Nefarious}} character page.]]
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21	----
22	!! Nefarious contains the following tropes:
23	* AffablyEvil: Crow seems to be a decent boss to his minions, and a surprisingly considerate kidnapper to the princesses.
24	* AmbidextrousSprite: Though Crow's prosthetic hand is canonically his right hand, it becomes his left hand any time he's facing left.
25	* AndThenWhat: Becky is initially confused as to what happens now that Mack has given up dealing with Crow. Crow has to remind her that, yes, he ''does'' have a plan for Mayapple and the other princesses.
26	* ArtificialHuman: Princess Farrah Day was made in a lab.
27	* ArtShift: Heartless Abyss is depicted as solid-color silhouettes, contrasting with the rest of the game's more traditional look.
28	* TheBadGuyWins: This is the point of the game; you have to help Crow defeat the heroes. [[spoiler:Played straight in the bad ending, in which Crow successfully subjugates the world.]]
29	* BadassBureaucrat: Becky, Crow's right-hand assistant. She's the secretary of an entire evil empire, after all. [[spoiler:She even recaptures the princesses offscreen after the ''Sovereign'' is shot down, which is quite a feat since two of them are Ariella and Farrah.]]
30	* BeePeople: The Insektia Kingdom.
31	* BossBattle: The game twists this with its "reverse boss battles". Instead of fighting a boss at the end of the level, ''[[InvertedTrope you]]'' are the boss at the end of the level, trying to beat TheHero to finish your attempt at kidnapping the princess. The trope is played straight with sub-bosses and [[spoiler:[[TrueFinalBoss Becky]]]], though.
32	* BossRush: The final stage has you going through a gauntlet of all the boss fights with the exception of [[spoiler:the JRPG fight, with Crow simply walking over the heroes.]]
33	* CardCarryingVillain: Crow. He considers himself a 'classic' villain, and is dang proud of it.
34	* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:Well, more like Chekhov's ''death ray'']]. Crow points this out when using it.
35	* CoolAirship: ''The Sovereign'', Crow's preferred method of transportation.
36	* CoolHelmet: Crow's helmet matches his [[PoweredArmor armor]] and has two headlamp lights.
37	* CreepyJazzMusic: Crow has a swingy tune for [[https://youtu.be/7M5MaoXRFLE his theme music]].
38	* DamselOutOfDistress: Unlike the typical kidnapped princess the ones in this game tend to fight back.
39	* DidntThinkThisThrough: When attempting to kidnap Princess Tephra [[spoiler:she merely grabs Crow and [[NeverTrustATrailer punches him away with ease]]. Considering she's nearly twice his size and has Hulk hands, this was the outcome that should have been expected.]]
40	* DistressedDude: Prince Malachite. Crow's equal-opportunity evil, y'know.
41	* DoomsdayDevice: The [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Doom Howitzer]]. Crow's goal is to use it to take over the world.
42	* EpicFlail: In the Insektia Kingdom, Crow uses a hoverpod with a humongous wrecking ball attached.
43	* EvilEmpire: Crow has one, naturally.
44	* EvilGenius: Crow ''is'' one, natch.
45	* EvilMinions: Crow has a veritable army of minions, and can interact with them aboard his airship.
46	* EvilOnlyHasToWinOnce: Nearly said word for word in the [[spoiler:normal ending where [[TheBadGuyWins Crow wins and takes over the world]]]].
47	* {{Expy}}:
48	** Princess Mayapple is a [[DeadpanSnarker snarkier]] version of [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Peach]], down to the name, the villain dynamic, and the [[GoKartingWithBowser go-kart races]].
49	** The 8-bit heroes are structured like a traditional ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' party.
50	** Dash and Dr. Mechano serve as ones for Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog and Eggman, albeit the former is more of a guard than a freewheeling spirit, and the latter isn't competing with Dash at all.
51	* FantasyCounterpartCulture: [[SlippySlideyIceWorld Winterdown]] is a cartoonified Russia while [[LethalLavaLand Sukochi]] is [[{{Wutai}} a cartoonified Japan]].
52	* {{Foreshadowing}}: When dealing with Apoidea to find the treasure, Crow keeps his word because he thinks it's not dramatic enough to betray someone in the middle of the story. [[spoiler:In the Good Ending, Becky does just that.]]
53	** In the supervillain museum, there's a note about how villains usually [[WellIntentionedExtremist want to make the world a better place]]. [[spoiler:Crow can change his mind and save the world from Becky.]]
54	** [[spoiler:In both versions of the Bad Ending[[note]] Whether you've ignored the extra missions or whether you did them and chose to activate the Doom Howitzer ''anyway.''[[/note]] Mayapple can be seen escaping her imprisonment. It's the hint that she's the key to achieving the good ending and saving the world.]]
55	* FourLeggedInsect: Princess Apoidea.
56	* FriendlyEnemy: Crow is an enemy of each princess's nation, but still bonds with them quite a bit over the course of the game. Even before the game, he and Mayapple are fairly close.
57	** Crow and Dr. Mechano are rival villains who both want to rule the world, and fight when they both invade the same kingdom at the same time. But when the battle is over, they share friendly banter and plan to meet up for a game of poker later.
58	* GoKartingWithBowser: Crow and Mayapple have gone go-karting and played tennis.
59	* HavingABlast: Most of Crow's attacks and special moves involve explosions. While he doesn't have a double-jump, he has a Bomb Jump, which is similar.
60	* HardLevelsEasyBosses
61	* HarmlessVillain: Crow is generally seen this way, particularly by his usual hero Mack. [[spoiler:He realizes otherwise on the bad ending route, but by then it's too late.]]
62	* HotBlooded: Princess Tephra.
63	* HostileShowTakeover: Crow does this to the manual, of all places.
64	* HumongousMecha: Crow builds a number of these, and uses them in [[BossBattle reversed boss fights]], wherein the player controls the giant hulking robot against the little hero.
65	** Inverted when Crow has to fight the Treble Rangers; They pilot the mighty TR Mech, and Crow has to battle them on foot.
66	* InsectQueen: Princess Apoidea fits this trope, though she's not a queen ''yet.''
67	* LivingMacGuffin: Crow wants to kidnap the princesses because he wants to use their magic to power his doomsday weapon.
68	* MalevolentMugshot: Crow's personal sigil is just a picture of his face.
69	* MultipleEndings: There are two main endings, with the Good Ending being unlocked by completing all of the sidequests.
70	** Bad Ending: [[spoiler:Crow uses the Doom Howitzer and fights Mack. After winning, he successfully conquers the world with his army, with the only one to escape being Mayapple, who has decided to lead the rebellion against him.]]
71	** Good Ending: [[spoiler:Having a last second change of heart, Crow decides not to use the Doom Howitzer, which prompts Becky to backstab him and take control. Mayapple and Crow work together to save the world and everyone lives happily ever after, with Crow and Becky deciding to patch things up between them and plan their next move.]]
72	* NintendoHard: Funny and lighthearted? Yes. Easy? '''NO'''.
73	* NonindicativeName: Scorpior, a villain who usually kidnaps Apoidea, is a giant robot, and isn't scorpion-like at all. ("He gets that a lot," says Apoidea.) Though in the comics, Scorpior ''does'' look like a robotic scorpion.
74	* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Mack ends up learning the hard way that letting the IneffectualSympatheticVillain go because you're tired of putting up with his shenanigans is ''not'' a good idea. [[spoiler:''Especially'' in the bad ending...]]
75	* OverTheShoulderCarry: Once you kidnap a princess the whole level consists of carrying her this way. Depending on which one it is, Crow gains an additional ability. (For instance, if it's Apoidea, Crow can jump higher.)
76	* PintSizedPowerhouse: Princess Ariella. Not only does she force Crow to keep running when he 'kidnaps' her, she can also chop through support beams in one swing.
77	** Princess Farrah Day as well. She's very small, but is made of pure energy - enough to power Crow up with infinite ammo.
78	* PityTheKidnapper: Some of the princesses Crow kidnaps can't help but make you feel bad for Crow, especially for the likes of [[TheBrute Princess]] [[DamselOutOfDistress Ariella]].
79	* PoweredArmor: Crow's power armor is calibrated to counteract the shock of his own grenades. So, instead of being blown to bits, he can use grenades strategically to access hard to reach areas. [[spoiler:The justification for Crow's grenade jumping is actually used as a plot point during the Good Ending]].
80	* PrincessClassic: Princess Mayapple loves being a princess and everything that comes with it. She enjoys baking cakes, playing tennis and picnics on sunny days.
81	* RocketJump: Crow's grenades can propel him upward. Justified because his [[PoweredArmor power armor]] is designed to absorb and counteract the shock of his explosives.
82	* RoleReversalBoss: As a 2D platformer where you [[VillainProtagonist play as the villain trying to kidnap the princess]], and many of its boss fights run with this role reversal by putting the player in control of some big robot that fights like a typical video game boss.
83	* RoyaltySuperpower: Princesses and princes literally generate magical energy that can be harnessed to power a doomsday weapon. Princess Farrah Day is an experiment into coalescing this energy into a sentient being. [[spoiler:In the good ending Becky files the paperwork to deem Crow's territory a kingdom and, after usurping his rule on the spot, becomes a princess capable of generating power for the Doom Howitzer.]]
84	* SaveThePrincess: [[InvertedTrope Inverted.]] Instead of saving the Princess, you're trying to ''kidnap'' them. Played with with Farrah Day, who thinks Crow is saving her.
85	* SequentialBoss: [[spoiler:The final fight with the Doom Howitzer's defense cannon serves as one. What ending path you choose determines whether or not you're controlling it (vs. Mack) or fighting against it (vs. Becky)]].
86	* ShootTheMedicFirst: The key to winning the boss fight in the Lava Kingdom.
87	* SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer: [[spoiler:Malachite. All the promotional materials show Crow kidnapping his sister, Princess Tephra. Instead, Tephra turns out to be one of the game's antagonists.]]
88	* StatusQuoIsGod: Averted ''and'' deconstructed. The game begins with Mack, Crow's ArchEnemy, deciding that he isn't a big enough threat to bother with and just ''lets'' him kidnap Mayapple, breaking the status quo right out of the gate. The rest of the game shows what happens when said status quo is gone and the villain is allowed to do as he pleases, eventually growing too powerful for the hero to stop.
89	** Played straight with Crow's status as a CardCarryingVillain. [[spoiler:Even in the good ending, even when you choose to abandon the plan, all he does is choose ''not'' to use the Doom Howitzer; ''Mayapple'' is the one who fights Becky to save the world. Crow never once commits an action in any heroic interest.]]
90	* StickyBomb: Some of Crow's grenades stick to enemies.
91	* TakeOverTheWorld: The ultimate goal of the game.
92	* TheHero: Each princess has one, which Crow will need to fight and outsmart if he wants to kidnap the princess.
93	* TheSpock: Becky seems to be this, being the one who keeps Crow's EvilEmpire running while he's attempting to kidnap princesses, as well as talking in SpockSpeak.
94	* VillainProtagonist: Naturally, given the nature of the game.
95	* WarriorPrincess: Princess Ariella, the warrior princess of [[CutesyDwarf Dwarf Country]].
96	* WhatTheHellHero: When preparing to fight Mack at the beginning, Mack proceeds to tell Mayapple that he is breaking up with her and proceeds to leave without fighting saying he has real crimes to stop, upsetting both Mayapple and Crow.
97	--> '''Crow:''' He just gave up! Ugh. I might be a villain, but he's the real jerk here.
98	* [[StockScream Wilhelm Scream]]: During the game show, "Would you date a Supervillain?"

Context VideoGame / Nefarious