Line #5 VideoGame/OdallusTheDarkCall


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/header.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:You have seen this land, you know what one can do in search for power.]]
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4	''Odallus: The Dark Call'' is an ActionAdventure PlatformGame developed by Joymasher, makers of ''VideoGame/{{Oniken}}'', ''VideoGame/BlazingChrome'' and ''VideoGame/VengefulGuardianMoonrider''. The game was released on 15 July 2015 on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and Website/GOGDotCom. It was developed in Clickteam's ''Multimedia Fusion 2'', with Joymasher planning to migrate to ''{{UsefulNotes/Unity}}'' to make use of its advantages.
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6	Set in a medieval world that has been abandoned by its gods, it became infested by grotesque demons when darkness spread and began collecting human souls for its army. The game follows Haggis, a retired warrior who must wield his sword once more to search for his lost son, and solve the mystery of the Odallus stone to bring an end to those who are at the helm of this madness.
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8	Odallus is a classic exploration/action game, inspired by ''Videogame/GhostsNGoblins'', ''Videogame/DemonsCrest'', and ''{{Franchise/Castlevania}}''. The game is divided in 4 top stages, 4 bottom ones and a final stage. It is necessary to thoroughly [[{{metroidvania}} explore]] the hellish landscapes in order to find the secrets and abilities needed to progress further.
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10	A UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis remake [[https://www.darkcallproject.com has been announced]].
11	----
12	!!The game provides examples of:
13	* OneUp: There are a few hidden through the levels. Each can only be collected once, so you'll have to buy more from the merchant.
14	* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: The merchant's items will become slightly more expensive every time you buy from him. Money isn't that hard to come by, but one should probably restock items with him sparingly.
15	-->"...Our people are being massacred and you only care for some profit?"
16	* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: Implied with the game over screen. [[spoiler:And once you beat the game, And Then Haggis Was A God occurs.]]
17	* AndYourRewardIsClothes: The prize for clearing Veteran mode is a skin that makes Haggis look like Zaku from ''Oniken''.
18	* ArtifactOfDoom: The Odallus stone. Its pieces are held by powerful creatures that were once normal people.
19	* AttackItsWeakPoint: Every monster boss has some weak point on their body. At least two have to be slashed until a second weakness temporarily pops out of them. The last boss' weakness is [[spoiler:the Odallus floating around it]].
20	* BadassCape: Haggis wears a fur cape as shown by the artwork and cut scenes. The in-game sprite doesn't do it enough justice unfortunately.
21	* BattleAmongstTheFlames: Stage 1 is set on a burning town.
22	* BearsAreBadNews: One MiniBoss is a bear made of ice.
23	* {{BFS}}: Haggis's claymore.
24	* BigBad: Gael is the presumed one, but the ultimate villain is Priscus, the leader of the new gods.
25	* BigRedDevil: The boss of Dark Forest Area 2 is a towering, red-skinned demon with horns.
26	* BlockPuzzle: Certain areas require for blocks to be pushed along a certain path to be used as platforms, crush barriers or press buttons. A particular puzzle requires a block to be pushed down a series of holes in the order pointed out by statues in the previous room.
27	* BossRush: Planned for the Unity version.
28	* CastFromHitPoints: The Blood Armor uses 5 subweapon units instead of 10 for each charged attack but also drains Haggis' health.
29	* ChargedAttack: The Dark Armor grants a different charged attack for each subweapon (a DashAttack for the Axe, a [[InvincibilityPowerup Fire Shield]] for the Torch and a [[SmartBomb Laser Rain]] for the Spear), at the cost of 10 subweapon units. The Blood Armor does the same thing while also draining HP.
30	* {{Checkpoint}}: A statue whose eyes fire up when you use it.
31	* CheckpointStarvation: There are noticeable gaps between checkpoints and mini bosses.
32	* CompletionMeter: The level select screen has a counter for how many secrets in each level have been found.
33	* ContinuingIsPainful: Getting a Game Over in Veteran mode sets your orb count to 0.
34	* CrapsackWorld: The game is set in a land that has been forgotten by gods and is infested with terrifying demons, which means non-badass people will either live in hiding and fear, or meet cruel ends.
35	* DarkFantasy[=/=]MedievalEuropeanFantasy
36	* {{Determinator}}: Neither his village burning down nor a veritable army of monsters and dark gods will stop Haggis from reaching his son. [[spoiler:Too bad his son was possessed by an ancient god and aged up.]]
37	* DoomedHometown: The first level, Glenfinnan.
38	* DoubleJump: One of the last abilities required to finish the game.
39	* EasterEgg: There are a series of mysterious stars in 5 levels that must be found and watched in a certain order. Finding them all gets them together at Gael's Castle, where they cause a glitch distortion and ''something'' to [[FreezeFrameBonus quickly flash on the screen]], netting the player an achievement.
40	* FlunkyBoss: What makes boss battles in Veteran mode so hard is that the worst GoddamnedBats in the game will regularly spawn nearby to hinder and corner you.
41	* GameOverMan: The continue screen shows a close up of Haggis' sword laying on the ground. If you do continue, Haggis then picks it up.
42	* HeartContainer: One item increases your max HP. Another lets you carry more subweapons.
43	* HellIsThatNoise: Provided in a way only possible through a faux-NES era soundchip
44	* TheHero: Haggis.
45	* HeroesPreferSwords: Haggis' weapon of choice is a claymore. It's steel upgrade is faster and the silver one is also stronger.
46	* InfinityPlusOneSword: The secret Dark Armor, earned by defeating the Ghost Knight. It allows Haggis to perform powerful charged attacks. The Fire Shield in particular can be a GameBreaker. In Veteran mode the Dark Armor is replaced by the Blood Armor, which costs less for each charge but also drains HP.
47	* IntrepidMerchant: Who sells healing items, subweapons and extra lives. He also gives hints on the game's secrets.
48	* KillItWithFire: Haggis' third subweapon is a torch. It hits multiple times and is required to melt snow blocks.
49	* KonamiCode: Unlocks Veteran mode in an unclear file.
50	* MarathonLevel: The bottom levels are all much longer than the top ones.
51	* {{Metroidvania}}: Some paths seen early on are only accessible by finding abilities that allow Haggis to push large blocks, dash, breath underwater and double jump.
52	* MinecartMadness: Featured in the Ice Mines. There are also areas in which Haggis rides a boat and has to clear obstacles on his way without losing it.
53	-->"[[https://twitter.com/ThaisWeiller/status/824652181144039425 We estimate that]] 40% of the game's bugs were from this stage in particular. [[WordOfGod Danilo says that]], from the technical standpoint, he regrets making the mine carts. No one cares, though, because mine carts are awesome."
54	* MiniBoss: The are a few you must defeat to unlock certain barriers.
55	* MirrorBoss: The Ghost Knight shares Haggis' general movements and basic attacks. His Dark Armor then grants you use of his unique charged attacks.
56	* MultipleEndings: You can only see what actually happens at the end by doing [[OneHundredPercentCompletion a 100% run.]]
57	** Incomplete Ending: Gael Castle fades away into a pillar of light from the heavens. [[NoEnding The]] [[GainaxEnding end.]]
58	** [[GoldenEnding Full Ending]]: [[spoiler:Haggis receives the powers of the Odallus and becomes a god. However, he uses this power in an effort to rid the world of the gods' influence. Then the castle fades into the light... and Haggis finds himself at a EldritchLocation, where a voice claims that the darkness Haggis sought to end is a part of him and that he must embrace it]].
59	* {{Nerf}}: A patch made it so charging the Dark Armor costs 10 subweapon units instead of 5. The [[GameBreaker game-breaking]] Fire Shield's duration was also lowered.
60	* NewGamePlus: A patch added a new difficulty mode named Veteran. Beyond adding more enemies all over the place, it adds and changes several features to make your life hell.
61	* NintendoHard: ''Odallus'' is a fairly tough game, but it is also reasonable enough that most people won't have much trouble getting to the end. Veteran Mode, however, will sucker punch you in the face.
62	* NonLethalBottomlessPits: The minecart and boat sections have those. The game otherwise has no other pits except for a small one at the beginning of the final level.
63	* NoSwastikas: The game is named after the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odal_(rune) odal]]'' rune, a symbol of heritage. WordOfGod is that the symbol appears upside-down in the game to avoid associations with its use in Nazism.
64	* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler:In the end, Haggis reluctantly kills his own son who was forced into realizing his purpose as the reincarnation of an ancient god.]]
65	* OneWingedAngel: Some of the human villains transform into monsters right before you fight them.
66	* OptionalBoss: The Ghost Knight tasks Haggis with finding his three secret rooms in [[spoiler:Devil's Peak, Underground Temple and Frozen Mines]]. Once the three rooms are found, he challenges Haggis and rewards him with the either the Dark Armor or the Blood Armor upon being defeated.
67	* RandomlyDrops: Enemies may drop money when killed.
68	* RetiredBadass: Haggis before the game begins, according to the backstory.
69	* {{Retraux}}: [[http://joymasher.com/2015/07/06/odallus-and-nes-graphics-love-letter/ The game emulates the NES' 8-bits aesthetic,]] bending a few technical rules when necessary.
70	* SelfImposedChallenge: Clearing the game without using the sword and armor upgrades nets a couple Steam achievements.
71	* ShoutOut:
72	** The ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' influence is palpable.
73	** So is the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' influence. [[spoiler:The final boss' helmet looks exactly like the helmet on a Black Knight.]]
74	** And ''VideoGame/{{Faxanadu}}'' to complete the trifecta of eldritch medieval series.
75	** Haggis is named after a Scottish dish, in reference to a dialogue between Connor and Ramirez from ''Film/{{Highlander}}''.
76	** One of the Runestones says that [[Literature/{{Dune}} fear is the little death that brings obliteration.]]
77	** You can change Haggis' appearance to that of [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse Trevor Belmont]], the [[VideoGame/GargoylesQuest Red Arremer]], or [[VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins Arthur]].
78	** In one level, the merchant can say "[[Videogame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest What a horrible night to...]] Yeah, whatever." He also advices to not look at the "[[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Death Star]]", because anything named "death" can't be good. And later he tells Haggis that a passage to the underwater temple must be ''VideoGame/OutThereSomewhere[[TradeSnark ©]]''.
79	*** Death Star is actually a reference to the infamous line from [[Videogame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest Castlevania II: Simon's Quest]] (which in turn was likely a reference to Hokuto no Ken).
80	** In certain levels, you can see strange lights if you go high enough, which then quickly disappear. Seeing all 5 lights gets the [[spoiler:[[Series/TheXFiles "I want to believe"]]]] achievement.
81	** At the beginning of Dark Forest 2, there is a monument dedicated to the three current top players of the game. If the player is offline, the monument is dedicated to [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]], [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire Brienne]] and [[Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}} Siegfried]] instead. Amusingly enough, [[https://twitter.com/JoyMasher/status/667364639047553025 somebody bewildered the devs]] by getting Griffith to be the top name for the online ranks.
82	** The Underground Temple boss is reminiscent of [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Mother Brain]]. First you go through several barriers protected by turrets, then you do battle against a giant face who is helped by more turrets. Its Steam achievement was even named "Maternal Brain".
83	** Most of the Steam achievements' names are references to memetic quotes such as: "One does [[WalkIntoMordor not simply...]]", "Giant [[GiantEnemyCrab Enemy Shrimp]]", "I see dead people"... Some of the references were cut out after an update, though.
84	** On a 100% run, part of [[spoiler:Priscus']] last words is paraphrased from [[Film/BladeRunner Roy Batty's]] dying monologue.
85	** The achievement for obtaining all of the shards is [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/HalfLife2 Unforseen Consequences.]]]]
86	%%* SpikesOfDoom
87	* StatusEffects: There are hazards that can poison Haggis. To cure him, the player must look for herbs in certain spots.
88	* StylisticSuck: Not the game as a whole, but the digitized voice clips are deliberately low-quality (and at times extremely amateurishly delivered) to evoke a 1990s-era video game aesthetic.
89	* SuperNotDrowningSkills: An ability bestowed by one relic. Needed to explore the underwater levels.
90	* TemporaryPlatform: [[Franchise/MegaMan Yoku Block-esque]] platforms and platforms that break when stepped on are seen late in the game.
91	* VideoGameDashing: One relic allows Haggis to dash.
92	* WeCanRuleTogether: Priscus repeatedly makes this offer to Haggis, but he refuses and the conflict escalates into a DuelToTheDeath.
93	%%* WombLevel: The last few areas of Aqueducts 2.

Context VideoGame / OdallusTheDarkCall