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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/worldofhorror.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:Something terrible has begun to awaken in our town.]]
3
4''World of Horror'' (''Kyoufu no Sekai'') is a roguelite horror [[RolePlayingGame RPG]] developed by Polish indie developer Panstasz and published by Ysbryd Games. It's made for the [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]], UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and UsefulNotes/Playstation4. A demo is available [[https://panstas.itch.io/world-of-horror here]], which was released in the same year, although the pre-2020 demos were initially released from 2018. It was finally released on Steam under Early Access on February 20, 2020, with the full release under multiple platforms out October 19, 2023.
5
6The year is [[YearX 198X]], and the world is on the brink of collapse. The [[EldritchAbomination Old Gods]] are beginning to stir from their long slumber, and with their awakening, a small coastal town named Shiokawa in UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} begins to fall into chaos as the sanity of its inhabitants slips and strange monsters emerge. It's TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, and [[ForegoneConclusion there's no way to stop it]]. However, with some courage, tenacity, cunning, and just a bit of luck, it may be possible to hold off the end times...even if just for a little while.
7
8''World of Horror'' is heavily influenced by both Creator/HPLovecraft and Japanese master of horror Creator/JunjiIto. The game utilizes a mix of Japanese urban myths and ghost stories, relying on a careful mix of {{Jump Scare}}s and atmospheric horror to build up an atmosphere of dread. The game's aesthetics are [[{{Retreaux}} reminiscent of 1-bit adventure games]]; enemy design tends to take influence from both aforementioned authors, with nightmarish results. Players follow one of a handful of characters as they attempt to solve the mysteries haunting their town, collecting items, solving puzzles, and defending themselves from the forces of darkness as they try to stave off the end of the world.
9
10The official site is [[http://www.wohgame.com/ here.]] Panstasz can be followed on [[https://twitter.com/panstasz his Twitter feed.]]
11----
12!!Tropes that can be found in this game include:
13* AdultsAreUseless: In an overarching sense -- most of the protagonists are high school-age or barely out of their teens, and they're the only ones doing anything to stop the cosmic horror overtaking the world. The "Macabre Memoir of Morbid Mermaids" outright states that no adults believe you and you'll have to face your adversary alone.
14* AffablyEvil: Here and there, despite everything. The best example is the [[spoiler:Mermaid/Deep One]] from Macabre Memoir of Morbid Mermaids. They just seem so disappointed in the Janitor.
15* AlliterativeName: All the mysteries you can investigate. For example, "Spine-chilling Story of School Scissors", "Freaky Feature of Found Footage", or "Horrible History of Household Hell".
16* AlternateTimeline: One of the advanced customization options allows you to set which timeline you're in. For instance, Timeline B presents a reality where Shiokawa is considered a tourist hot spot for those interested in the occult.
17* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Reaching 100% Doom while under the influence of Cthac-Atorasu will result in all humans being cocooned, waiting for their turn (days, months, even years) to be devoured by the Old God]].
18* AntiFrustrationFeatures: If a player encounters a Ghost enemy as their first tutorial fight it won't have the immunity to physical attacks that it usually has.
19* ApocalypseCult: There's a cult rising up in Shiokawa determined to beckon the Old God, and subsequently TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt (or at least, The End of Shiokawa as We Know It). If you're being Hunted by the Cult, they are even more active.
20* ArcNumber: [[FourIsDeath Four]] crops up frequently.
21** Spending time shopping for items or resting in the middle of an investigation advances the Doom Track by 4% each time.
22** Solving one of the mysteries and getting a certain ending (typically the one where the most about the mystery is revealed) will subtract 4% of the Doom Track, though only on Initiate difficulty.
23** During one phase of the "Far-Out Fable of Fear Festival", you can make four moves before [[spoiler:time runs out for finding any survivors]].
24** Making four purchases from the History Club [[spoiler:gives you a bad ending where you are sacrificed by the club president]].
25* AscendedGlitch:
26** The prototype version of the game had an infamous bug with the Magician enemy causing the game to crash. Subsequent versions gave a nod to the bug by adding a glitched variant, with reality distorting around him.
27** Versions before 1.0 had a bug wherein Kana doesn't die even when sacrificed in events and mysteries. While the bug was fixed, [[spoiler:the main gimmick of playable Kana is them reviving when killed, at the cost of Doom.]]
28* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: The ending leans in this direction. The protagonist has stopped the Old One temporarily, but they are virtually-invincible entities existing beyond the ken of mankind; you may have sent them back to sleep for another thousand years and slaughtered their cultists, but you can never truly silence them, merely suppress them.
29* AwesomeButImpractical: Guns are quite powerful and deal massive damage per shot, but ammo is extremely scarce and difficult to find, and shots can still miss. They also inflict the Ringing Ears status when fired, slowing down attack speed until the end of the mystery. One of Moriko's perks helps to mitigate this slightly, granting extra ammo after completing a mystery.
30* TheBadGuyWins:
31** If the Doom Track reached 100%, then the Old God that the player is trying to stop wakes up and destroys Shiokawa, and possibly (definitely in Ath-Yolazsth's case) the world.
32** Some of the mysteries can end in this sort of situation too, such as "Violent Vigil" [[spoiler:where one of the endings has your presumed grand-uncle successfully resurrect himself, leaving you an accessory to murder]].
33* BadMoonRising: One of the possible town statuses is "Blood Moon", in which a crimson moon suddenly appears over Shiokawa, which increases all enemy Power by 20, making your attacks significantly less accurate.
34* BaitAndSwitch: Pulled on the ''player'' in one mystery. [[spoiler:Freaky Feature of Found Footage is such an obvious homage to ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' that few players will realize until it's too late for that run that the storyline is ''actually'' an update of Lovecraft's ''Literature/TheShunnedHouse''. There are only two clues beforehand, both subtle -- first, that the apparently homaged work is well outside the purview of what the game normally references, and second, there's a reference to an unusual number of dead trees near the village -- the aforementioned house was characterized by the strange and unhealthy vegetation surrounding it, including barren trees.]]
35* BandagedFace: Suffering from the "Holes" curse changes your portrait so your character is wearing bandages on their face to hide their affliction. Also, suffering from the "Burn" injury changes your portrait so your entire face is wrapped in gauze.
36** The friend in "Worrying Write-Up of a Wordless Ward" sports one for most of the mystery until the final day, when they reveal that [[spoiler:they got extensive plastic surgery to [[IJustWantToBeYou look like you.]]]]
37* BatterUp:
38** The Apartment Stalker uses a baseball bat to attack, which can hit hard enough to inflict a concussion upon your character, lowering their KNW for the rest of the mystery. On the plus side, defeating them drops their Baseball Bat, allowing you to wield it as a solid weapon.
39** It is possible to obtain a Wooden Bat in the Scissors mystery. It's weaker than the Baseball Bat by far, but it's better than nothing.
40** Getting both of the bats in a single run unlocks Yumiko, who has her own Lucky Bat that provides a +2 bonus to her luck.
41* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: {{Downplayed}}. Injuries, curses, and lowering stats are reflected upon your character's portrait, and several of these can have an impact upon their stats. Some of these can be cured, and doing so usually restores your appearance accordingly, but others are effectively permanent.
42* BigDamnHeroes: At the end of "Far-out Fable of a Fear Festival", in Ending A, [[spoiler:you get captured by cultists and are being prepared as a sacrifice for the being they are summoning, only for an undercover agent to shoot one of the cultists and bust the scene, rescuing you. This is one of the few times AdultsAreUseless is Averted [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments and the adults save the day, with the professionals immediately taking down the bad guys in one move!]]]]
43* BigFirstChoice: Choosing which Old God is awakening changes which one's events you get in the playthrough, and the effect they cause.
44* BittersweetEnding: Make no mistake - this may be LovecraftLite, but it is still a form of CosmicHorrorStory. All the good endings are this. You may have stopped the Old God du jour, but you'll often pay a dear price to do it, and your victories are all temporary in the grander scheme of things.
45* BlackMarket: One possible location to visit: the Illegal Den by the seaside. It's your one-stop shop for menacing weapons, extra ammunition, booze, cigarettes, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking bandages.]]
46* BlindingCameraFlash: You can weaponize this in combat if you have a camera equipped, as using the camera will make enemies easier to hit and give you a chance to dodge their attack.
47* BodyHorror: It wouldn't be a Junji Ito-inspired game without it. Not only does this apply to a lot of enemies you can encounter, some injuries/curses can cause this to apply to your character - such as holes or eldritch sigils appearing on your skin.
48* BodyOfBodies: The Class of 1971 is a monster that can be encountered at the Seaside, made from the mashed-together bodies of a student group who died in a freak accident.
49-->''In the Summer of 1971, a whole class trip fell to the sea when a rock they were standing on collapsed.\
50They didn't find the bodies... until now.''
51* BrainBleach:
52** The Memory Extract spell restores a small amount of Reason in exchange for sacrificing EXP, expunging traumatic memories from the user's mind.
53** Most spells can be forgotten to restore one point of Reason.
54* BreakableWeapons: The box cutter is very powerful when you initially obtain it, but it will eventually break when used in combat, significantly reducing its damage.
55* BusmansHoliday:
56** Some of the cases have you leaving Shiokawa, only to end up encountering mysteries and monstrosities wherever you went instead.
57** {{Averted}} when Saving and Quitting a session. Doing so means that your protagonist leaves town for a while (i.e. 'Until you continue playing'), giving them a chance to rest and recover, losing any spells they've learned and healing their injuries. Nothing happens to them until you return, meaning they actually get a break from all the horrors for once.
58* ButThouMust: You cannot refuse to help the creepy substitute teacher, as she just grabs you and insists you help her with no way out.
59* CanineCompanion: One of the allies you can recruit is a dog that you rescue from a bear trap. It increases your chances of finding items after combat and is exempt from the effects of the Seventh Curse. [[spoiler:Unlike the Shiba Inu shopkeeper, you can also be assured that it won't murder you and turn you into kibble.]]
60* CastFromHitPoints:
61** The Demon Mask does this indirectly, as it increases all damage you deal by 1, at the cost of reducing your maximum stamina by 4.
62** Certain spells (e.g. Expel Evil) cost Stamina to use.
63* ChainsawGood: A chainsaw is an available weapon. You obtain it by [[spoiler:investigating the shed during "Perilous Parable of the Peculiar Painting" with a flashlight equipped]] and is useless unless you acquire and use Fuel. Take these steps, however, and you've got an ''extremely'' powerful weapon. [[spoiler:Defeating an enemy with the chainsaw while playing as Moriko unlocks the Herald of the Shattered Court.]]
64* ChallengeRun: Challenges mode is unlocked by beating the game without ever using the "Rest" action during a mystery. Currently there are seven available challenges. The first six involves the character having their special gimmick disabled, while the seventh ''goes further'' with it.
65** Parole Violation - play as Miku; Doom starts at -10%, but Miku doesn't get her [[CriticalStatusBuff Mayhem]] ability.
66** Going Cold Turkey - play as Haru; you start with a refillable bottle of water but can never use Cigarettes.
67** But Dad!! - play as Moriko; you start with an Inspiring Novel but automatically discard all guns you acquire.
68** Ghastly Presence - play as Kirie; you start with an extra spell but cannot use offensive actions in battle.
69** Ghost Town - play as Mizuki; you start with the Seventh Curse background, meaning you can't get allies, and cannot take any non-investigation action but Rest.
70** Wrong Book! - play as Toshiaki; instead of the Necronomicon, you have a cookbook that constantly spawns a food item in your inventory.
71** Mimi's Little Project - play as Mimi; perform experimental surgeries on yourself before each mystery, the majority of which decrease your stats and have other drawbacks on top of that.
72* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The ribbons around your player character's portrait at the EndGameResultsScreen change depending on how it ended: black if [[GameOver you failed]], white if [[BittersweetEnding you succeeded]].
73* CombinationAttack: Among the numerous ways to use allies in combat, one is telling your allies to attack, with it's damage scaling with how many people you have with you.
74* CommonplaceRare: Empty bottles are very valuable, as they allow you to bottle water while bathing, making for an easy and portable +1 STA recovery. Despite being able to find ''broken'' bottles in combat, however, you can only reliably obtain intact ones by either buying them at the pharmacy, or by buying a bottled drink elsewhere and consuming it, both of which are surprisingly expensive.
75* ControllableHelplessness: If you go into negative stamina/reason or hit 100% Doom at the end of a mystery, you'll still be taken to the town screen, but you ''will'' die at the start of the next mystery if you don't find a way to replenish your health or reduce the Doom counter beforehand.
76* CosmicHorrorStory: Downplayed. This trope is to be expected when both Creator/HPLovecraft and Creator/JunjiIto were major influences; the game is surprisingly optimistic regardless. Even the most horrible monstrosities can be banished with enough hard work and combat skill. Whether this is permanent or simply delaying the inevitable is left ambiguous for lesser monstrosities, but the simple fact that the likes of [[Manga/{{Remina}} Ath-Yolazsth]] can be defeated by PunyHumans places the game firmly into LovecraftLite territory.
77* CrapsackWorld: It's TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt; horrifying {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and murderous psychopaths roam the streets and lurk at every corner, and society is crumbling into insanity and anarchy before your very eyes as you try to survive the apocalypse for as long as you can.
78* CreepyDoll: The Fleshy Doll item, acquired from ending B of "Restless Rumors of a Residential Recluse", resembles a cross between a stuffed rabbit and a flayed human skeleton. Equipping it increases the Doom track, but also gives a boost to maximum Reason.
79* CriticalExistenceFailure: Averted. As your Stamina depletes, your character's portrait will show more and more injuries. As your Reason depletes, your character will begin to appear more tired and haggard.
80* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: The "paranoid patient" was committed when police assumed from their wounds and terrified rambling that they were insane. They're actually no less sane than the protagonist (possibly more so) and only had the misfortune of not being believed. A successful charisma check lets you convince them of the full picture and add them as an ally. The Paranoia curse (which makes YOU the subject of this trope) allows you to auto-succeed, at the cost of raised doom.
81* CueTheSun: [[spoiler:If you succeed in reaching the top of the lighthouse and stopping the Old God's summoning, the black haze blanketing the town will be lifted, revealing the sun that it was hiding.]]
82* CursedWithAwesome:
83** Sometimes curse effects actually help your current run.
84*** Brain Damage boosts your max reason at the cost of 2 knowledge. If you're playing a low-Knowledge character, this won't hinder you.
85*** Masochistic gives you -3 max reason, but gives you +1 reason when entering combat. If you get it early enough (but not so early that it causes your current reason to drop), it ends up being more beneficial than harmful.
86*** Insmasu Look gives you random bad effects when investigating the seaside. [[spoiler:If you do the Macabre Memoir of Morbid Mermaids mystery, however, you can show your gills to the Mad Janitor, instantly ending the fight with no negative consequences]].
87*** Blood Frenzy causes you to take +1 damage in combat, but the same bonus also applies to your damage. As you always act first and killing the enemy prevents all damage, it may actually help you stay alive.
88** A number of effects give you bonuses at the cost of eating into your maximum Stamina and/or Reason. At the start of a run, this can seem hefty... but by the end of a run, it's almost a certainty you'll ''never'' be at max Stamina/Reason anyway, meaning the bonuses become quite a bit more attractive.
89** Zhectast's unique events give +3 to one of your character's stats at a small Stamina/Reason cost. And they'll need it, given that they'll be losing stats as Doom increases.
90* CulturalCrossReference: The game runs on this. It's an emulation of PC-88 adventure games with 1-bit/2-bit graphics, combining that with the manga art-style seen in some others, and is stuffed with Japanese cultural references that, although not always perfect, are frequent and sometimes to very obscure material. It even has some use of bad romanization/translation for jokes that is ''actually'' consistent with common Japanese issues with letter-swapping, even beyond the well-known L/R.
91* DealWithTheDevil:
92** Implied by 'The Seventh Curse' Backstory, represented by an ominous handshake. The player starts with more Funds, but cannot have any Allies, for their family is cursed so that everyone around them dies.
93** In "Vicious Verses of a Violent Vigil", [[spoiler:it is revealed that your presumed grand-uncle made a deal with an eldritch being to cheat death in exchange for two human sacrifices. Ending C shows him succeeding thanks to your unwitting aid, while Endings A and B have you defeat him, voiding the pact and ending his scheme.]]
94** "Perilous Parable of the Peculiar Painting" climaxes with the reveal that [[spoiler:Ichiro Mamiya's monster paintings ''are'' monsters that he's bound into paintings they can use to access our world, an arrangement his eldritch benefactors allow as long as he furnishes them with the occasional HumanSacrifice. If you interrupt him as he's about to kill his latest starstruck fan, one impatient abomination will kill Ichiro and attack you itself.]]
95* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The entire demo is in strict black and white. The Early Access release has an option to customize it in colors reminiscent of CGA and similar displays in the early age of [=PCs=].
96* DevelopersForesight:
97** One enemy doubles as a SecretCharacter. Should you be ''playing'' as that SecretCharacter, the enemy will have a different appearance.
98** The Young Witch enemy normally deals only Stamina damage, but also deals Reason damage to male characters by playing on their attraction to her. One SecretCharacter is a lesbian, so she ''also'' takes Reason damage from the Young Witch.
99** The "Neighbor" sub-location is dedicated solely to talking with Kana. [[spoiler:After earning HundredPercentCompletion, Kana becomes a playable character. Select them, and Yashiro will take their place in the sub-location]].
100** If you manage to run out of any perks to take (such as by using infinite XP exploits, a long Endless Mode run, or playing a character with no perks), you will be given the Final Stretch perk that restores 2 points of REA and STA and can be taken multiple times, so as to prevent the game from crashing or softlocking.
101* DisabilityImmunity: Played very darkly with the "Brain Damage" Curse. Your Knowledge is reduced, but your maximum Reason increases... because you no longer know enough to be scared by the hideous truths you uncover.
102* EnclosedSpace: "Restless Rumors of a Residential Recluse" takes place entirely within your apartment, the walls of which have overgrown all the doors and windows preventing you from leaving.
103* EndlessGame: An alternative mode to the main game, where it obviously lasts until you die. Considering the sheer amount of bad things that can happen to cripple your chances of success in a regular run alone, you have to be real lucky and/or a major ActionSurvivor to last very long.
104* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The Old God's arrival will definitely destroy Shiokawa, though the world's fate in non-Ath-Yolazsth scenarios is unclear.
105* EscortMission: In "Bizarre Bruit of the Blood-Curdling Botanist", the only way to save Shiro-san is by protecting him while you escape. [[spoiler:If you've taken the optional steps, you can choose to examine him more closely - and realize [[SubvertedTrope he's infected by the Cordyceps Fungus and saving him is a bad idea]]. This is the first step to getting a good ending for the mystery.]]
106** In "Perilous Parable of the Peculiar Painting", to get the best ending you must [[spoiler:stay with the art curator you meet as she moves through different rooms of the mansion. You can deviate ''once'' - which you need to do if you want the Chainsaw - but doing it more than that will kill her]].
107* EyeScream: It's not for nothing that the icon for the game on Twitch implies one:
108** In "Eerie Episode of Evolving Eels," it's revealed that [[spoiler:the titular eels lay their eggs in people's eyes.]] Furthermore, in order to get Ending A for the case, [[spoiler:you have to pay 3 Reason to puncture your neighbor Kana's eye with a needle to release the eels inside]].
109** You can encounter a victim of the Scissor Woman who combines this with FacialHorror, thanks to the slashes cutting across her face.
110** In one event that pops up when Goizo is your chosen Outer God, you can run into a woman leaving a beauty parlor who's carved her own eyes out, reasoning that it can't see her if ''she'' can't see ''it''. [[note]]A lot more drastic than simply [[Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy wrapping a towel around one's head]].[[/note]]
111** And if Goizo isn't stopped in time, [[spoiler:the last thing you see is the god starting to emerge from the eyes of your lover]].
112** Lose against [[spoiler:Oetaru]] and enjoy the sight of your hero collapsing, blood streaming from their eye sockets [[spoiler:and ears]].
113** If you decide against all common sense to [[spoiler:anger the Shiba Inu Shopkeeper]], an eye is all that's left of you once [[spoiler:you're minced and cooked]].
114** One of Ygothaeg's events has the protagonist seriously consider gouging their eyes out just to avoid looking into the god's eyes.
115** Using the Glass Eye item entails your character ''jamming it into their eye socket, destroying their real eye in the process''. You gain +1 Perception in so doing, but you lose 3 Stamina from the injury and 1 Reason from the pain, plus [[ShowsDamage your portrait reflects this gruesome change]].
116* FacialHorror: More examples than you can shake a Junji Ito manga at. To name just a handful of them:
117** The Aspiring Model enemy wears a mask made out of human skin. When she takes damage in combat, the mask falls off and you get to see what a woman with her facial skin peeled off looks like.
118** The Ribcage Woman's face is replaced with a gaping hole filled with bony thorns.
119** The Glued Corpse's encounter text has the player finding him seemingly crying, and once the fight begins, his sprite graphically shows what happened when he tried to take his hands off his face and ripped his skin off in the process.
120** "Something Truly Evil" looks like the front and top of its head have been ripped off, leaving only a pair of lights where its eyes should be against a black void.
121** From "Chilling Chronicle of a Crimson Cape": [[spoiler:Aka Manto's true form reveals that behind his mask, there is a black void where his face should be.]] Also, [[spoiler:if you take on his human form instead, equip the Crestfallen Mask he drops, then take it off for whatever reason, ''you'' become just as faceless as his true form and suffer a nasty stat debuff to boot.]]
122** From "Vicious Verses of a Violent Vigil": [[spoiler:Sotomura's monster form has his scar torn open into an enormous hole in his facial skin, exposing two entirely white eyes where just one normal eye should be.]]
123** Collecting eldritch blood and drinking it will cause your character's face to melt. Needless to say, you die if you do this [[spoiler:unless you use a special item to collect the blood]].
124** Poor Juri basically gets half her face torn off once the Horror fully catches up to her. This shows both on her portrait ''and'' on her home sprite.
125* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: For some events, if you lack a specific item, skill, or ally, the only option you can choose is one that penalizes you. This is also {{Enforced}} by the "Ill-Fated" backstory, which forces every skill check to fail. [[EndlessGame Endless Mode]] also enforces this, as you will not be able to stop the Old God's summoning and the game will only end if you die, go insane, or reach 100% Doom.
126* FantasyKitchenSink: Ghosts, yokai, vampires, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, witches...chances are, if it's been used in J-horror, it's in the game.
127* FertilityGod: The final boss fight of [[spoiler:"Freakish Fable of a Frightening Flood"]] is against one of these and its throngs of nude followers, who heal it every turn.
128* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:The last enemy you fight in a given playthrough is Takashi-San, a high-ranking cultist who will try to stop you from interrupting the Old God's summoning. While he doesn't attack you, he will instead try to hinder your progress as the fight with him causes the Doom counter to increase with every turn (which, given how high the Doom counter may be by this point, means you need to kill him quick).]]
129* GainaxEnding: One of the bad endings requires [[GuideDangIt a bit of work]] to achieve, but is a really strange one. [[spoiler:It requires you to first get a Blue Gem from the Dog Shopkeeper, which you can only get as a randomly-selected discount item. Next, you have to trigger a series of randomly-determined events at the seaside, the school, and then the forest. Done correctly, the game ends with you abducted by alien Shiba Inus who are whisking away a handful of humans to resettle on a new world away from the doomed Earth.]] It makes a ''bit'' more sense when you realize [[spoiler:the whole thing is a giant ''Franchise/SilentHill'' reference]].
130* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: If you decide to [[spoiler:burn down the School]] in "Macabre Memoir of Morbid Mermaids", you can no longer visit any School sub-locations for the rest of the run, but it's established that classes continue in an older wing of the building. [[spoiler:Should you choose "Spine-Chilling Story of School Scissors" as one of your mysteries afterwards, you get to explore the charred remains of the School, and even face a unique variant of the boss as a result.]]
131* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
132** Because some events can trigger regardless of where you are or what mystery you're investigating, it's possible for your character to have their wallet stolen in the middle of a crowded plaza, despite the fact that they're supposed to be [[ClosedCircle trapped in a haunted mansion with only the other guests for company]].
133** The mystery solving, which constitutes the bulk of the actions that the protagonists take, is not actually connected to the overarching goal of stopping an EldritchAbomination from waking up and destroying the world. From a purely [[WatsonianVersusDoylist Watsonian]] perspective, the protagonist can only disrupt the summoning ritual in the lighthouse because someone keeps sending them keys to lighthouse's locks, one by one, after each mystery investigation, regardless of how the investigation concluded.
134* GiantEyeOfDoom:
135** The Old God Ath-Yolazsth is known as "The Towering Eye" for a reason.
136** One of the endings of [[spoiler:"Freaky Feature of Found Footage"]] has you staring directly into one of these.
137* GoingColdTurkey: One of the achievements, fittingly named "Cold Turkey", is awarded for playing as [[MustHaveNicotine Haru]] without ever smoking. Haru starts off with nicotine withdrawal, mind, which makes him weaker if he's not smoking, and his starting perk can only be activated if he smokes. His ChallengeRun (where he starts with a bottle of water but can never use Cigarettes) is actually titled "Going Cold Turkey".
138* GoldenEnding: Played with. Almost every mystery has multiple endings. "Ending A" is typically the hardest to get, reveals the most about what was going on, and ensures that whatever horror was behind it is laid to rest for good, or at least for now. However, this ''does not'' mean that Ending A is always the ''happiest'' ending. A prime example of this is "Horrible History of Household Hell", where the protagonist burns down the mansion and ensures nobody else will disturb what lies beneath it again. [[spoiler:To get it, you need to kill one of your companions in cold blood to satisfy the eldritch horror you've awoken.]]
139* GuideDangIt: Intentionally so; this is a ''mystery'' horror game, and a great deal of the experience comes down to investigating, learning secrets, putting two-and-two together, and sometimes even good old-fashioned trial-and-error. There are many branching paths and they range from "reasonable with a bit of legwork and common sense" to "totally reliant on foresight and outright luck." It's part of the charm, though; every path is tracked and recorded (even the bad ones), failure is frequently expected, and meta-knowledge gleaned from one playthrough can lead to a better outcome the next time around.
140** Even then, some of the unlockable content is particularly devilish. You'll ''need'' a guide if you're stumped on getting it all.
141* GunsAreWorthless:
142** {{Zigzagged}}; they are among the best weapons in the game due to high damage and low action cost...if they have bullets, which are hard to find and you aren't always guaranteed to get them with the gun. Running out in the middle of the fight just means you have to [[PistolWhipping beat your enemy to death with the empty gun]] as you can't switch weapons mid-fight which isn't exactly the best melee weapon. Haru's CQC ability buffs gun damage so that they aren't inferior to normal weapons, while Moriko's Deft Handling reduces the time consumed by gun attacks.
143** Completely averted with enemies, as Cultist Hunter B wields a hunting rifle, and deals a lot of damage with it. The Lumpy Officer, meanwhile, may randomly decide to shoot you with his revolver, which is just as damaging, if not more.
144* HarmfulHealing:
145** Going to the Hospital to heal your injuries has a chance to leave you with severe blood loss or wounds that will reopen as soon as you take damage. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] by the School Nurse, however, who despite her [[NightmareFace creepy appearance]] will heal any minor injuries without payment or consequences.
146** Most of the healing magic in this game comes with a price. Book of Gore heals 3 Stamina and 3 Reason, but also inflicts a random Injury on your character, while Flesh Regrow restores 3 Stamina, but reduces your Max Stamina by 2.
147* HaveANiceDeath: In addition to death screens for running out of Stamina or Reason, there are unique ones for hitting 100% Doom depending on which Outer God you're trying to stop. Also, there are certain special death screens for events such as [[spoiler:drinking boiling blood from a glass bottle]], [[spoiler: getting killed by the boss of "Spine-Chilling Story of School Scissors"]], or [[spoiler:being sacrificed by the History Club]].
148* HealThyself:
149** The game shows that you can restore 2 Stamina with the "Cauterize" spell, though this is a one-time thing. Other healing spells exist, but they usually cost Reason or increase Doom.
150** The Sewing Kit lets you restore 3 Stamina at the cost of 1 Charisma, as your character is left with a scar where they stitched themselves up. [[spoiler:If you find Black Hair and use it with a Sewing Kit in your inventory, you get the Sewing Kit (Hair), which leaves a much cleaner scar. This restores 3 Stamina ''and'' 3 Reason with no Charisma penalty.]]
151* HitPoints: HP comes in two varieties, Stamina and Reason. Run out of Stamina, and you die. Run out of Reason, and you go insane. In either case, it's GameOver.
152* HopelessBossFight:
153** If you manage to fulfill the requirements for the additional endings of "Horrible History of Household Hell", you are faced with a boss where you can do absolutely nothing to hurt it. Your only options are to run or [[spoiler:sacrifice one of your companions to sate its hunger]].
154** Should you be unfortunate to encounter [[spoiler:Something Truly Evil]], you find yourself in one of these - you simply can't run from it or damage it in any way. Your only option is to harm yourself in various ways and hope that your suffering amuses it enough to make it let you go.
155* HorrorHunger: One curse implicitly causes the protag to grapple with this, leaving their mouth and chin splattered with blood. Gameplay wise, it lowers your Charisma stat, since your character can't help seeing other people as tasty snacks.
156* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels: The game has five difficulties, originally three, as of the Halloween 2020 update.
157** ''[[EasierThanEasy Skeptic]]'' - An easier version of Easy/Initiate difficulty: enemies receive a debuff to their power, making them easier to hit in combat, and you're only required to complete four mysteries instead of five.
158** ''Initiate'' - Easy difficulty, the player starts with 21 max Stamina/Reason and 5 Funds, resting during a mystery recovers 3 Stamina/Reason and earns 2% Doom, enemies are at full power, and all locations start with no threat level.
159** ''Cultist'' - Normal difficulty, the player starts with 17 max Stamina/Reason and 4 Funds, resting during a mystery recovers 2 Stamina/Reason and earns 3% Doom, enemies are at full power, threat levels for all locations are random with one being near max from the start.
160** ''True Believer'' - Hard difficulty, the player starts with 13 max Stamina/Reason and no funds, resting during a mystery recovers 2 Stamina/Reason and earns 4% Doom, enemies are at full power, threat levels for all locations are random with one being at max threat (Doomed) from the beginning.
161** ''[[HarderThanHard Harbinger of Doom]]'' - A harder version of Hard/True Believer difficulty: enemies receive a buff to their power, making them more difficult to hit in combat, shop items cost more Funds, and threat level for all locations are random with two being at max threat from the beginning.
162* IJustWantToBeYou: In "Worrying Write-Up of a Wordless Ward," [[spoiler:you're asked to stay with a friend as they recover from a surgical procedure in the hospital. As they lie bandaged up, they begin acting strange and possessive toward you. On the final night, they reveal that they admire you so much that they underwent extensive plastic surgery to look just like you -- so that they could KillAndReplace you. In Ending A, after killing your former friend, you discover that they had convinced every patient in the ward to get the same face job. In Ending B, it's heavily implied the plastic surgery was actually just the first part of a GrandTheftMe plan.]]
163* ImpossiblyMundaneExplanation: In "Alarming Account of Abnormal Arms", [[spoiler:while investigating the mystery of a woman who was murdered without any sign of forced entry, you start to learn of neighbors who had personal affects go missing and hearing strange noises in the vents. Given the Old Gods' imminent return and all of the other freaky shit going on in Shiokawa, the root of this mystery turns out to be completely mundane (aside from how inhumanly elongated the killer's limbs got): the building's manager, who simply died getting stuck in the vents of the apartment while perving on the tenants... at least in Timeline A. In Timeline B, [[{{Averted}} it actually is a monster]]...]]
164* IncreasinglyLethalEnemy: The Aspiring Model and Obsessed Man double the damage they deal after the first round of combat. This can be exceptionally nasty if their base damage is already being boosted.
165* InfinityPlusOneSword: There are multiple of these available in the game, though they're fittingly quite difficult to obtain.
166** The [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]] is the best DEX weapon, doing heavy damage with an acceptable speed. However, obtaining it requires you to get a specific otherworld event, then pass a rather difficult check, making it unlikely for you to get one in a playthrough.
167** The DIY Flamethrower is the second strongest DEX weapon next to the katana, where it deals heavy damage with surprisingly fast speed, and is also fast to equip. However, to obtain it, you must achieve Ending A from "Macabre Memoir of Morbid Mermaids" to get the Fire Axe, then go for Ending A of "Bizarre Bruit of the Blood-curdling Botanist" by chopping down the blockage with the axe, then breaking into the van to obtain the flamethrower, all while being hounded by a difficult boss.
168** The [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]] serves as the ultimate PER melee weapon, as it does decent damage while attacking extremely fast, to the point that you can easily hit the cap of 8 actions per turn. However, it requires you to get a light source, use it in the workshed in the "Perilous Parable of the Peculiar Painting" mystery, then spend 3 funds to buy a fuel can and fill up the chainsaw.
169** The hunting rifle is the most powerful firearm bar none, doing a whopping 32 damage per shot. It's for this reason that it's the most expensive item in the game, costing a whopping 11 funds in the Illegal Den. The other way to obtain it is to play on the "Hunted by the cult" backstory, then encounter [[GlassCannon Cultist Hunter B]] and defeat them.
170* IntangiblePrice: {{Inverted}} in the form of Intangible Sale, where one encounter appropriately titled "Out of Funds" has a sinister man offer to buy one of three things from you for 2 Funds: The most tangible being A Jar of Blood [[note]]3 Health[[/note]]; Fond Memories [[note]]3 Reason[[/note]]; or Peace of Mind [[note]]Advance the Doom Track by 5%[[/note]].
171* IntentionalEngrishForFunny: The game includes the curse ''Insmasu'' Look[[note]]Innsmouth Look[[/note]] and the item ''Karukosa'' Mask[[note]]Carcosa Mask[[/note]], presumably for this reason.
172* InterfaceScrew: The ''Eldritch Statuette'' Seaside event has you encounter a heavy statuette of a Cthulhu-esque creature, which [[ArtifactDomination calls to you]], urging you to take it home. The option to ignore it is black with white text (a colouration reserved for actions you can't take due to lacking a specific perk/ally/item), yet has no actual prerequisites and can be chosen freely.
173* ItsAWonderfulFailure: Game Overs are preceded by a [[SarcasmMode positively delightful]] description of your failure, including (without counting mystery-specific failures):
174** Collapsing and dying from your wounds.
175** Being institutionalized when your sanity is finally spent.
176** The Old God arriving and destroying Shiokawa.
177** [[spoiler:Melting your face by drinking eldritch blood without protection]].
178** [[spoiler:Being sacrificed by a nearly naked History Club president]].
179** [[spoiler:Getting murdered by the shiba inu shopkeeper, your remains made into dog food]].
180** [[spoiler:Abducted by alien shiba inus because the Earth is doomed]].
181* JumpScare: There's a few sprinkled throughout the game as to be expected with the genre, but they're very brief moments and the game doesn't try to repeatedly exploit them. [[SchmuckBait Unless you alt-tab a lot...]]
182* KatanasAreJustBetter: While it's hard to get it and requires you to be very lucky, the katana is, bar none, the single strongest weapon in the game. It's swing is stronger than every other weapon, and it does better damage than a revolver. This is justified, it's also one of the few weapons that [[ImprovisedWeapon is actually intended for use as a weapon]].
183* KillAndReplace: The implications for the Gruesome Altar random event.
184--> "Seeing two chopped off heads, you can't help but wonder who's been preparing your food for the past week?"
185* KlaatuBaradaNikto: During the school event "There Was A Hole Here", this phrase can be partially seen written on the blackboard. It's treated as "eldritch writing" that teaches the player a random spell if they read it.
186* LastChanceHitPoint: With the "Last Stand" option on, you won't immediately lose if your Stamina or Reason drop to 0 or below, and you will be given some leeway to restore them so long as you do so before ending the event[=/=]battle and they don't drop below -5. "Sudden Death" mode, on the other hand, will end the game the moment your Stamina or Reason drop below 1.
187* LevelEditor: While very buggy and missing several features, events and mysteries can be created and shared amongst the community.
188* LordBritishPostulate: "Invincible" enemies like Oetaru, Something Truly Evil, and the Nameless Horror can still be damaged with thrown objects or spells, so it's possible to "kill" them by doing so (though the sheer volume of spellcasting required will typical tank your stats and Doom to the point the game becomes unbeatable). However, the game doesn't recognize that you killed the enemy, and will treat it as though the encounter ended in a normal manner (i.e. you ran away, or it never happened).
189* LovecraftLite: {{Zigzagged}}. While there are {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow as expected in this kind of CosmicHorrorStory, most of them can be defeated, placated, or outright stopped. That being said, there's a few aversions that keep the game from being completely free of horrors.
190** If the Old Ones return, it's game over - you stand no chance of even opposing them. The game's goal is to ''stop them from awakening'' instead. That being said, you will go up against many eldritch horrors throughout the game, and most[[note]]The boss of Curious Case of a Contagious Coma isn't killed if you choose to fight it, as [[spoiler:they're merely the fingers of an eldritch being in a different dimension]][[/note]] of them can be killed with enough skill; if you succeed at solving all of the mysteries and disrupt the ritual in the Lighthouse, the Old One goes back to sleep, showing that their return can be delayed, perhaps even indefinitely. Though in spite of that, many of the defeated horrors are outright stated to be gone, but can return by someone else summoning them.
191** Endings A and B of the "Household Hell" investigation have your foe too far away to attack: the only options you have against the thing you've awoken are to either run away, leaving it to terrorize the coastline, or [[spoiler:satiate it by murdering one of your companions.]]
192** You can't kill Something Truly Evil, and aside from spells (which don't kill it even if you deplete all of its HP), you can't even ''attack'' it. All you can do is harm yourself in a pitiful effort to appease it or to die trying.
193* LowLevelRun: Invoked with the Commoner background. With this background chosen, you cannot gain ''any'' experience, leaving you with your base stats and any equipment you pick up to complete the run.
194* LuckBasedMission:
195** [[spoiler:The mermaid case]] has a special ending which requires your character to be afflicted with a specific condition. Said condition is only obtainable through [[spoiler:eating the lump of meat, which has the chance of instead giving you the bloated injury or a random curse]], by playing a certain character who accumulates curses after each mystery, or by randomly encountering it in the wild.
196** Good luck getting the students in the Schoolyard to discuss the [[spoiler:Aka Manto]] case with you during that investigation. Especially if circumstances have led to only one or two students showing up in the Schoolyard at a time.
197** "Bizarre Bruit of the Bloodcurling Botanist"'s ending A requires a specific item, which you can only get from another case, and only get from a specific ending.
198** Successfully [[spoiler:drinking eldritch blood and surviving]] is a ''chain'' of these. You first need a Tiny Key, which is only guaranteed if [[spoiler:you get Ending A to "Alarming Account of Abnormal Arms" ''and'' do the optional sidequest]]. Then you need to [[spoiler:investigate the School until you get the "Trophy Room" event and use the Tiny Key to get the Goblet]]. ''Then'', you need to [[spoiler:enter the Otherworld - which requires either the Void spell or yet another random event, and it specifically has to be the Upper Kingdom Otherworld at that! - and choose the right options to fill the Goblet with blood]]. Do ''all'' of this and you can get the single best healing item in the game, which [[spoiler:unlocks a playable character when you first use it]]. You can also [[spoiler:fill a glass bottle with the blood]], but that [[PressXToDie is not advisable]].
199* LuckStat: The hidden LCK stat, with every character starting with a 6 in it. Its only use is for checks that determine events outside the character's control.
200* MadeOfPlasticine: The Medical History background makes your character into this, as they can suffer injuries regardless of the type of damage dealt to them. Thus, they can have an artery cut by being slapped, or break their ribs from the enemy doing literally nothing.
201* MalevolentMaskedMen:
202** An enemy known as the Apartment Stalker can be randomly encountered if you check your door peephole. You'll be granted with a wonderful close-up of their nightmarish mask.
203** In the village, you can randomly encounter two strange men wearing bags over their heads to mask their identities. As members of a {{cult}} that worship whatever Old God you're going against in this mission, they pull you aside and ask you if you're also a worshipper. Say yes and they'll unmask themselves and join you as allies because [[TheAntiChrist you're their "master" according to some prophecy]]. Surprisingly, if you say no, they apologize for bothering you.
204** Aka Manto wears a mask not unlike [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]]. [[spoiler:It conceals the black void where his face should be.]]
205** The antagonist of "Nightmare News of the Noisy Nails" is a SerialKiller who wears a Kabuki mask and harvests the nails of his victims.
206** ''You'' can become one yourself, by equipping one of several masks, all of which will update your character's image accordingly.
207* MonsterClown: Invoked by the mask of the Apartment Stalker, which reflects their brutal nature. The player can obtain a replica of the mask, which lets them do additional damage to human enemies.
208* MultipleChoicePast: Each of the playable characters has their own backstory, with some having [[ItsPersonal personal ties]] to certain cases. In addition, you can unlock and select extra backgrounds to add more flavor and potential complications to your playthrough.
209** The "Medical History" background makes your protagonist more susceptible to injury due to past medical troubles. They also start out with Bandages to help them treat minor wounds, and a medical discharge paper that grants free experience points.
210** "Hunted By the Cult" makes the cultists far more active, but solving mysteries reduces Doom more. Your protagonist managed to elude them before, but they seem to be closing in...
211** "Seventh Curse" has you start with more funds than what the chosen difficulty allows, at the expense of gaining any human allies. This is because a DealWithTheDevil makes anyone who gets close to you die.
212** "Ill-Fated" makes it so you automatically fail '''every''' skill check during a run. You're so used to it by the time the game starts, however, that you start off with enough EXP to level up right away.
213** "Knight-Errant" will start you with a unique book that grants more damage during the mystery it's used in, but penalizes you with a significant Doom gain if you complete a mystery with any ending other than Ending A.
214** "Scars" reduces all damage you take by 1, but your max Stamina and Reason are reduced by 3 points.
215** "Curious Birthmark" gives you a chance of receiving a curse each time you take damage in combat, but you also start off with a special coin that can be used to remove a curse.
216** "Eldritch Parasite" starts you out with 20 more Stamina and Reason than usual, but you're unable to heal by any means.
217** "Exquisite Taste" means you can only visit one sub-location in each area.
218** "Fatalist" hides the details of each Mystery until you investigate it and forces you to investigate Mysteries in the order that they appear.
219** "Commoner" makes it impossible for you to earn any experience.
220* MultipleEndings: Oh, so many endings, which are split between mystery endings and playthrough endings.
221** Most of the mysteries can be resolved in a variety of ways, depending upon what the player does/doesn't do and whether or not they complete their objectives. Some require completing the additional objective, while others require specific items. Generally, endings fall into one of the following classifications:
222*** "[[GoldenEnding Ending A]]", which sees you solve the mystery in its entirety, uncovering the secrets and avoiding any traps, and walking away totally victorious.. but not always innocent. True victory sometimes requires a harsh price.
223*** "[[BittersweetEnding Ending B]]" typically sees you either resolving the problem at hand [[PyrrhicVictory at great cost]], or else ''narrowly'' avoiding success, while still managing to harm or inconvenience the antagonist in the process. It can also refer to avoiding a hopeless death, but making a great sacrifice in the process.
224*** "[[DownerEnding Ending C]]" are the "bad" endings, that result from half-assing the investigation, missing clues, taking the easy ways out, falling into plot traps, failing to be GenreSavvy, or even being a DirtyCoward and abandoning the investigation when the opportunity arises. These are unequivocally bad, with the problem getting worse, the antagonist winning, or the impending disaster kicking off with you being powerless to stop it. Sometimes, your investigation is stopped cold before you learn the truth. Most of these count as "successes," however, and let you advance the game.
225*** There exist a few "[[DownerEnding Ending D]]" endings as well. These are ''even worse'' than Ending C's, as you utterly fail in your goals or, in some cases, even accidentally help the antagonist succeed. Again, they still count as "successes" and let you proceed with the game, even though the world is indisputably worse off because of your "help."
226*** One Halloween update added an [[DownerEnding Ending E]] as well. In this, you accomplish absolutely nothing, and the villain gets away with zero repercussions. You, however, are far worse off, having something horrible happen to you that will inevitably kill you, or cause great harm at best.
227** Then there's the playthrough endings, which are range from simply losing all Stamina/Reason or reaching 100% Doom to dying in specific ways during investigations. And there are only a very small number of good endings you can get.
228* MurderousMannequin: There's the Headless Mannequin as a reference to Junji Ito's ''Headless Sculptures''. It's a female form, evidently without head, that's armed with a knife. She's encountered during the Sculptures event at the School.
229* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The ally Iwa is based on Wrestling/DwayneJohnson, specifically his portrait is based on a famous picture of Johnson in his [[YoungerThanTheyLook teens]], and Iwa is a direct Japanese translation of "Rock".
230* NotQuiteTheRightThing: [[EnforcedTrope Enforced]] by virtue of being a horror-mystery game at its core; oftentimes the goals given to you upfront are not wholly accurate or honest, and you need to complete the optional sidequests in each mystery to get the full story. Failing to do so may lead to an ending where you "win" but ultimately miss something critical that causes you to miss the full story.
231** In particular, "Bizarre Bruit of the Blood-curdling Botanist" asks you to track down Shiro-san, a missing gardener. The mystery culminates in a battle where you find the gardener under attack by his own garden, which is alive and hostile. The goal presented to you is to keep Shiro-san alive and guide him out. [[spoiler:This gets you [[DownerEnding Ending C]], since finishing the sidequest and investigating the gardener once the vines have damaged him reveals the truth: he's been turned into a horrible PuppeteerParasite for a mutant strain of Cordyceps fungus, and by helping him escape, you likely just doomed the world to a VideoGame/TheLastOfUs scenario. Once you learn the truth, you now have to kill him - though doing so normally only earns you [[BittersweetEnding Ending B]]. The GoldenEnding takes quite a bit more work.]]
232* OminouslyOpenDoor: You can encounter one as an event that's trying to suck you in. You can resist it[[note]]At the cost of losing 1 Stamina[[/note]] but choosing to go through transports you to the Otherworld.
233* OminousVisualGlitch:
234** Fail to perform the ritual correctly in "Spine-chilling Story of School Scissors", and you're presented with a [[spoiler:full body]] version of this to represent how [[spoiler:you've failed to render the Scissors Woman vulnerable]].
235** Whenever you encounter Something Truly Evil, some of these flash across the screen.
236** Some enemies appear to be glitching out and are even named as such.
237* OneHitPointWonder: Your allies are effectively this; while your main character can take a beating from the various horrors you encounter, any ally that gets hit or launches an attack [[KilledOffForReal goes down hard]].
238* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: The mystery "Macabre Memoir of Morbid Mermaids" revolves around a janitor whose obsession with mermaids has led him to start kidnapping schoolgirls and sewing their legs together. [[spoiler:One ending reveals that mermaids ''are'' actually real - [[BodyHorror but the fish part goes on top.]]]]
239* PistolWhipping: If you run out of ammo or don't want to spend it, you can strike with an equipped gun. Two characters also have perks and exclusive firearms that are made for this
240** Haru's CQC Training boosts the melee damage of firearms, and the Semi-Auto he can obtain in one of his events happens to be the only gun that uses STR (Haru's highest stat) for melee attacks, as well as striking extremely fast.
241** Moriko's starting Old Shotgun has a good combination of melee damage, speed, and hit chance. The Deft Handling perk can then reduce the amount of time it takes to strike with guns, making the shotgun into one of the best melee weapons.
242* PointOfNoReturn: [[spoiler:Entering the lighthouse]]. The game warns you that there won't be any turning back once you begin, offering you the chance to rest as much as you dare before continuing.
243* PoliceAreUseless: {{Downplayed}}. The police in Shiokawa are overwhelmed by the murders, riots, and various paranormal cases when the story starts, and in some instances, they're corrupted and turned into hostile monsters. But you can offer the officers information and tips (in the form of 30 XP) at the Police Station for Funds or request more patrols to lower the chance of combat encounters.
244** Also [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] during some events: you have the options to call the police but doing so requires a Charisma check to [[YouHaveToBelieveMe convince them whatever you've encountered is real]].
245** Ending A for Far-out Fable of a Fear Festival [[spoiler:averts this hard. You managed to delay the cult long enough for a police task force to burst in and stop them. The leader, your aunt, escapes, but the cops disrupt the summoning ritual at the last moment, arrest most of the cultists, rescue the survivors, and clean up all the evidence in a manner of hours.]]
246* PowerAtAPrice: Every spell in the game has a cost that balances out the benefits they bestow. Some examples include Flesh Regrowth, which restores 3 Stamina at the cost of reducing your maximum Stamina by 2; Mind Drain, which inflicts 3 damage on an enemy at the cost of 2 Reason; and Midasu Touch, which provides 1 Fund at the cost of 2 Stamina. If Ath-Yolazsth is the chosen Old God of a playthrough, Reason costs for magic are replaced with increased Doom counter progress.
247* PressXToDie:
248** While trying to appease Something Truly Evil, you can choose to commit suicide. Doing so kills you, unsurprisingly.
249** If you get the Upper Kingdom otherworld event, you can collect some of the god's blood if you have either an empty bottle or the Goblet. The blood can only be safely consumed from the Goblet. Trying to drink it from the bottle is a ''[[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/woh/images/2/24/Bottle_%28Blood%29_Ending.png very bad idea]]''.
250* PsychicAssistedSuicide:
251** The Forgotten Specimen is a monster encountered in the School. It's an octopus-like creature trapped in a jar that uses psychic powers to compel its victims to harm and attack themselves.
252** If the Doom track reaches 100% when facing Ygothaeg, the GameOver has the Old God use its hypnotic power to force you and everyone else in Shiokawa to march into the sea and drown themselves.
253* {{Retreaux}}: The game is presented in retro-style monochromatic shades in simulated 1 or 2-bit graphics with a [=MacIntosh=] style desktop theme. The default display size simulates a CRT monitor with a sticky note attached to the corner.
254** Certain cues in-game show it's specifically supposed to be modeled on 1-bit/2-bit PC-88 games, though that was very rarely combined with realistic, manga-styled artwork in actual PC-88 games, with most of the ones that had that art style being in color.
255* RevolversAreJustBetter: The characters can secure a revolver if you get the right event while investigating or as a specific enemy drop. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]], however, in that it deals less damage than the rifles and the shotgun, and it's rapid attack speed isn't very useful due to the scarcity of ammo. [[note]]The designs look like the Nambu Model 60, which is one of the standard sidearms of Japanese law enforcement, though most are being replaced/supplemented by Smith & Wesson-made revolvers.[[/note]]
256* RisingWaterRisingTension: "Freakish Fable of a Frightening Flood" is a timed mystery: a village [[spoiler:and site of a river-based fertility cult]] is about to be engulfed by rising flood waters. You must rescue as many researchers as possible before the water levels get too high, and it's entirely possible you won't have time to find them all.
257* RuleOfCute: You can poke the nose of the Dog Shopkeeper, eliciting a cute bark from it. There's even an achievement for booping his snoot!
258* SanityMeter: The Reason stat, serving as mental HitPoints. If it drops to zero, it's game over.
259* SanitySlippage: Reason gets whittled away as you encounter horrifying events. If your Reason depletes fully, you will suffer a HeroicBSOD as you get institutionalized and [[GameOver the Old Gods return]].
260* SchmuckBait: In the Upper Kingdom Otherworld event, you are given the option of putting some of the god's blood in a container. The blood is described as burning hot. The correct option is to carry it in the goblet that's cold to the touch you obtain from the school trophy case using the tiny key. You also can just bottle it and drink it straight. [[ItsAWonderfulFailure The results]], however, [[ImMelting aren't pretty]].
261* SealedEvilInACan: Ithotu, the Devouring Fire is contained in a black marble statue currently being exhibited at the town museum. [[spoiler:Reach 100% Doom and he will break free, engulfing Shiokawa in flames in the process]].
262* SeenItAll: Some of the underwhelming reactions your character can have to various events has them come off this way.
263* SelfSurgery:
264** The sewing kit is used to stitch one's wounds, with no painkillers.
265** The "Mimi's Little Project" challenge has you doing one of these between each mystery, causing negative effects depending on which one you choose.
266* ShowerOfAngst: One of the first things you're encouraged to do after finishing a mystery (all of which end with a horrifying event) is to take a bath, as doing so will slightly recover your STA and REA.
267* ShowsDamage: As your Stamina and Reason get lower your character portrait changes to reflect that (cuts and bruises, shadows under eyes etc.). Most of the Injuries you can accumulate during gameplay also appear on your character there.
268* SmokingIsNotCool: While being on a Nicotine Rush speeds up your combat actions, ''Withdrawal'' slows you down, and thanks to your character being addicted, they'll burn through their smokes ''very'' quickly. The Cigarettes' description also simply states that 'smoking kills'.
269* SpookyPainting: "Perilous Parable of the Peculiar Painting," naturally, is about one of these: a painting that [[spoiler:contains and/or summons an eldritch horror that, depending on the ending, can attack you and/or an art curator who you meet during the mystery]].
270* StatDeath: If Zhectast is your run's Old God, having one of your stats reach 0 instantly ends the run and treats it as if Doom hit 100%.
271* StatusEffects: Present and accounted for in the form of Injuries and Curses. Injuries come in both minor and major varieties: while all injuries can be treated at a hospital, minor injuries can be healed with a bandage while major injuries require a medical kit. In either case, treated injuries may leave a "treatment" card behind that may help or hinder the player afterwards. Curses, on the other hand, cannot be healed: they remain with the player for the duration of the playthrough, and worse still, they can stack.[[note]]The only exceptions are with the Old Coin given with the Curious Birthmark background, or with Ayaka's Onyx Medallion, which applies two curses at the start of each mystery, while only allowing one curse to be removed per mystery.[[/note]]
272* SteelEardrums: {{Averted}}. As of 0.9.12, firing a gun in combat gives the player the "Ringing Ears" curse, slowing their combat actions for the duration of the current mystery.
273* StringTheory: Downplayed. The billboard from which you begin all of your investigations has elements of this as you complete the mysteries, but it isn't as over-the-top as most examples are. Kouji also has an exclusive event where he is shown studying a board with several pictures and notes connected by strings.
274* TabletopGames: The section of the Custom Game menu where you choose which contents to use in a run has them depicted as a tabletop game box and related expansion sets on a game store shelf.
275* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: One encounter offers the chance to intervene when you find a woman on the verge of killing herself. Succeed and she'll give you the dagger she was planning to do the deed with.
276* TheSecretOfLongPorkPies: During one event, you can acquire a certain "Long Pig Steak." Eating it gives you the [[ImAHumanitarian Hunger]] curse.
277* ThreeWishes: The Witch's Tree can grant up to three wishes in a single playthrough, including recovering Stamina, learning a new spell, or receiving additional funds. BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor, however, because every wish comes with a curse.
278* TimedMission:
279** The whole game is this. Investigating or visiting shops or other places increases "Doom", which is an indicator of how much time is left before the Old Gods awaken. If Doom reaches 100%, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt well...]]
280** Every move you make during the "Far-Out Fable of Fear Festival" and "Freakish Fable of a Frightening Flood" mysteries scoots the story along, with or without you.
281* TooLongDidntDub: Done exactly once to emulate the feeling of old localizations, as one enemy is called "Kinoko Gatherer" -- "kinoko" being Japanese for "mushroom."
282* UniversalAmmunition: Since you only have a single ammo tracker, you can use the same bullets in handguns, shotguns, and rifles. This is an AcceptableBreakFromReality, as ammo is already hard to find.
283* UnlockableContent: Tied to the game's AchievementSystem for failures as well as success. Releases new content for the game, including new items, allies, modes, even playable characters.
284* UnwinnableByDesign: The game being a rogue-lite, there's always the possibility of a procedural situation where the player's options are minimal to nil. And considering the Old Gods can indirectly impede your progress throughout a run, it's entirely within bad luck to end up heavily wounded, unable to rest or drink water, against insurmountable odds and nothing you can do about it.
285* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The lighthouse, the source of the Old God's summoning ritual. It can only be accessed by solving all of the cases in a given playthrough, and is a race against time and mounting odds to prevent the Old God's arrival.
286* VideoGameCaringPotential: Your allies are much more fragile than your protagonist, and you can strive to keep them safe as you wade your way through whatever challenges the world throws your way.
287* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Alternately, you can command your allies to throw their lives away in one last-ditch attack on some random monstrosity, make them risk themselves providing a distraction, or otherwise sacrifice their safety to save your own hide. And that's not even getting into how you can ''force'' some of them to accompany you by taking them hostage, or enact rituals that let you benefit from their deaths...
288* WeirdCurrency: The history club at school can sell you magical items, spells, or character perks... as long as you're willing to accept an often-hefty price in Doom. [[spoiler:You can only buy three items from them, though - try to buy a fourth one and you become a HumanSacrifice.]]
289* WeNeedADistraction: One way your allies can aid you in battle is by distracting your opponent, making you able to attack faster. However, that's because they go after your ''ally'' instead. [[KilledOffForReal And if they land a hit on them]]...
290* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong: Several of the preludes that open different cases end with some variation of the phrase 'What's the worst thing that could happen?'
291* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Some spells (e.g. Skin Removal) cost Reason to use.
292* WholePlotReference: In addition to specific mysteries referencing other works of horror, the overall game is similar to a single player session of ''TabletopGame/ArkhamHorror'' in that you're racing against an advancing Doom Track to complete missions in order to stop the awakening/summoning of an EldritchAbomination, while things in town get hairier the closer the Doom reaches completion. Other overlaps with ''Arkham Horror'' include the dual health/sanity resource system, the emphasis on resource management, encounters/monsters/items/allies/spells being characterized as cards drawn from a deck, locations having both a set purpose as well as random encounters, and so on.
293* YouHaveToBelieveMe:
294** Many of your potential allies, such as the students you can chat with in the Schoolyard, will only join you if they're convinced that there's an actual threat. Otherwise, they'll dismiss your request with comments like "You were always such a kidder!" [[spoiler:If you're strong enough, however, you can force them.]]
295** If you want the police to help you with certain events, you'd better hope that you can pass a Charisma check in order to convince them first.
296** While dealing with a 'crazy person', your protagonist can realize that the biggest difference between you is that nobody believes them. You can also not realize that they're telling the truth if you don't pass a check, which makes them land in this.
297* YourMindMakesItReal: Witnessing good or bad omens affects the Doom counter just like wasting or saving time. The ''Survivor's Guilt'' curse adds 2% to the Doom counter after completing a mystery, working against the -3% that normally gets applied. And certain events and endings advance the Doom counter if they make the protagonist feel guilty, such as ''Ending D: Lacerations'' of ''Bizarre Bruit of the Blood-curdling Botanist'', where the protagonist [[spoiler:is forced to leave Shiro-san behind while escaping from his hostile garden]], even though other endings reveal that [[spoiler:Shiro-san was already taken by the Cordyceps fungus and the player has to kill him after discovering this.]]
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