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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/worldsendrepresentative.png]]
2 [[caption-width-right:350:The "heroes" of the game, and the casualties of their first battle.]]
3->''"As we enter the Age of Despair, the situation looks dire indeed for Tevoran and Company. Tragedies befall us without cease, and fickle fate grants us no reprieve! My endeavors have all come to nought! Gambling dens, a male escort service, even slunk trafficking! Fortune can only frown upon my efforts. Now I sit here in abject poverty, with scarce left to eat save for a miserable pot of cabbage-water. I fear I may even have to seek legitimate employment..."''
4-->-- '''Edwin Tevoran'''
5
6''World's End'' is a series of Flash {{Strategy RPG}} games created by Mezzanine Stairs. It's notable for its dark humour and flexible gameplay mechanics, allowing a wide range of tactics.
7
8So far three chapters have been released, [[http://www.mezzaninestairs.net/worlds-end the first one]] in July 2013, [[http://www.mezzaninestairs.net/worlds-end/chapter-2 the second one]] in July 2015, and [[http://www.mezzaninestairs.net/worlds-end/chapter-3 the third one]] in December 2017. Also, the game has its own [[http://worlds-end.wikia.com/wiki/World%27s_End_Wiki wiki]].
9
10Unrelated to the third ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie ''[[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd At World's End]]'', the 2013 movie ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'', or the video game ''VideoGame/WorldsEndClub''.
11
12----
13!!All chapters provide examples of the following tropes:
14* AchillesHeel: Many of the enemy classes (and a few of yours) have inbuilt exploitable weaknesses that you can use to your advantage.
15** Spearmen cannot spear anything in the square directly in front of them, making it possible to surround them and completely disable their attacks. It works best if you back them into a corner.
16** All melee oriented enemies can be absolutely crippled by the often overlooked "slow" status effect. It cuts an enemy's attack points in half, which for all intents and purposes means ''they cannot move and attack on the same turn.'' Meaning as long as no one is in range of their attacks at the start of the turn, they can't do any damage. [[note]] For this reason it's much less effective against ranged characters [[/note]] Very few enemies are immune to it, and it has the added advantage of not causing them to run away like "stun" does.
17** "Stun" (enemies can't attack) is brutally powerful, but has a few drawbacks: almost all bosses are immune to it, attacks that inflict it tend to be very expensive, and it makes enemies affected by it run away.
18** Many of the most devastating bosses can be locked down by Zofia's "Lewd Glance" power. It doesn't inflict any damage, it just keeps them from attacking and causes them to [[DistractedByTheSexy wander towards you mindlessly.]]
19*** Immunity to this power is [[ContractualBossImmunity becoming more common with certain bosses in Chapter 3.]]
20* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: Somehow manages to combine with KarlMarxHatesYourGuts. All prices for consumables and gear are fixed, but shops will only buy them for half as much as they sell them, making every purchase a sunken cost you'll never fully recover. However, prices ''do'' go up over time as vendors sell higher quality and exponentially more expensive gear at the exclusion of cheaper options. By the end of Chapter 3 you'll be shelling out the winnings of seven battles just for one piece of armor.
21** Deconstructed in that, as a gang of mercenary looters, you can bypass the shops altogether in favor of pilfering the dead.
22* AntiHero:
23** The protagonists are illegal mercenaries.
24--->'''Ivan:''' ''"Really? You do realize how much destruction we've wrought, right? We [[spoiler:wiped out half a street gang, offed a nobleman and all his servants, spoiler:killed a church full of monks, completely trashed that tavern, decimated an entire platoon of jail guards]]... need I go on?"''
25** Also in Chapter 2, Vorona has started a siege on Masori. Tevoran's response? Loot everything.
26* AllThereInTheManual: A lot of information about the setting can be read in Codex, available between missions. There's stuff in there about Ivan's father; Tomasz, the war Tevoran fought in, the political structure of several of the nations... there's so much info in there you could write a book on it.
27* ApatheticCitizens: Awesomely averted in Chapter 14-1. The ordinary citizens of Vorona will come out [[BadassNormal unarmed]] and help you fight back against the Voronese military.
28* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit:
29** During battles each side can have up to 8 characters. Though there is one exception to this in between two battles, when the next one starts [[spoiler:Vadim gets killed by a trap.]]
30** In Chapter 3, it goes up to 9 characters.
31* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: At the beginning of Chapter 2, after butchering dozens of Tiervan citizens, Ivan is thrown into prison...for loitering. Tevoran and Vadim have also been locked away for trafficking human remains and lewd conduct, respectively.
32* ArtificialStupidity: One of the most broad examples is that the enemy AI has never figured out how to throw corpses or shove you off a ledge- two ''incredibly'' useful tactics you can use against them. They also don't make near as efficient use of their action points as you can. This really allows you to swing the aggressive edge to your side, even in fights where you're hopelessly outnumbered.
33** And then in Chapter 3 you start gaining actual allies in big fights, but watching them battle is...painful. The Tiervan guards in 13-4, for example: it's not simply that they have trouble hitting anything in combat, no, half the time, ''they forget to even attack''. During the siege of Vorona, you're graced with allies such as a streetwalker who may well attempt to seduce ''a gun turret'' and a fat shopkeeper who runs into a line of soldiers with no weapons or armor.
34* BigBadEnsemble: Duriken and [[spoiler:Fallon]] a.k.a. the Cloaked Woman, who want Aizu for unknown purposes and seem to have grand designs for the world.
35* BigDamnHeroes: Subverted in [[spoiler:the Siege of Masori]]. Tevoran suggests that they stop the soldiers, but Ysabel points out that it would only get them killed. This is made painfully obvious during the warehouse raid a few battles later.
36** Later played straight in Chapter 3, [[spoiler: during the final chapter where they lead a successful siege against Vorona, overpowering the city's army with the help of only a couple of riled Voronese citizens.]]
37* BigGood: Martin, the exiled prince of Vorona, is a just and honorable man who seeks to save his country from his father's tyranny and Duriken's machinations.
38* BilingualBonus: A minor example. The in-universe writing system appears to be some sort of runic alphabet, but a closer look reveals that there are actually two separate scripts. Given that both alphabets are used in Tierva but only one in Vorona, the implication appears to be that one is the Tiendai/Khendai alphabet, and the other is the Bronoi.
39* BlackAndGreyMorality: At the beginning of the series, the world's pretty dark. Tevoran and Company are a rather dark shade of grey, but they're lighter than most of the people they fight, such as the Cloaked Woman, and Duriken. It later becomes White and Dark Grey vs. Black vs. Black once Martin enters the picture and the bigger plot comes into shape.
40* {{Bookends}}: Chapter 3. [[spoiler: It begins with Tevoran & Co. camping out on the Voronese wilderness and ends in almost the exact same place, a few months later. The entire journey in Chapter is a big circle from Vorona to Niendam and back again.]]
41* BreadEggsMilkSquick: Many of the "accessories" you can collect to buff your team are ordinary articles of clothing, such as the Red Belt or the Blessed Girdle. Others, however, such as the "Bone Godemiche" or "Grotto Merkin"...
42* CallToAdventure: Hilariously subverted. There's no sense of a greater quest beginning at first in World's End; what gets the ball rolling is that the heroes are [[ReducedToRatBurgers flat broke]] and want to scrounge up some cash for food by selling tobacco to the [[GangBangers friendly neighborhood street thugs.]]
43* CardboardPrison: Played with in Episode 5, the "Jailbreak" episode. Tevoran & Company's plan for escape appears to an ungodly mix of wishful thinking, Tevoran flying on the seat of his pants, and unadulterated senseless hack and slash. It succeeds only because the [[RedShirt Tiervan guards]] are about as competent as Imperial Stormtroopers with [[SwissCheeseSecurity security standards to match]].[[note]] Namely, keeping the cell keys hanging on a rack right outside the cell, unlocking the door with just one unarmed guard, and apparently not confiscating dangerous weapons from the prisoners [[TooDumbToLive like knives]] [[/note]] This gets [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Tevoran.
44--> '''Tevoran''': ''Not to worry! I've rarely found myself in a jail where the prisoners belongings weren't kept in an unlocked chest in the next room.''
45* ColorCodedArmies: Tiendai thugs have dark green singlets, bandanas, and masks; while their Bronoi counterparts are decked out in dark red ones. Boris's guards have uniform colors that [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority get further up the rainbow hierarchy the more experienced they are.]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Red]]shields have armor that's mostly red. Voronese soldiers have red-orange clothing, and their Hrvaincais counterparts wear dark green. Niendans typically wear brown and earthy tones. Hillmen have cowboy-style clothing with mustaches, and anyone that breaks these patterns is either a boss, party member, or both. The color codes are pretty much there to tell you who you're fighting. Of course Tevoran and Company don't have a particular color, indicating that they're of many different backgrounds but no general affiliation, further emphasizing their mercenary identity.
46* {{Confessional}}: Confessional booths show up in the Ecthainian church Tevoran and Company are sent to clean out. [[{{Irony}} You can tip them over and use them to injure the priests you're fighting.]]
47* ContractualBossImmunity: Later bosses gain immunity to status effects like stasis (can't attack), stun (can't move), or other disabling moves like Mockery or Burning.
48* CrystalDragonJesus: Perhaps more of a [[FantasyCounterpartReligion fantasy counterpart religion]], but it seems unmistakable that Ecthain and the Church of Ecthain at least started like this. Besides the fact that the church Tevoran & Co. decimate is laid out exactly like a medieval Catholic church, replete with monks, priests, deacons, stained glass windows, confessionals, and a puplit in the sanctuary, [[note]] You'd be justified assuming that the church was Catholic or Eastern Orthodox just from looking at it were it not for the crosses all being replaced with Xs and the priests wearing godemiches strapped to their foreheads. [[/note]] looking into the Codex entry for the Church of Ecthain sheds some interesting light on the religion: ''The church scriptures tell about how the god Ecthain manifested on the Earth nearly 2000 years ago, leading the forces of humanity against the evil god Haxis before returning to the heavens.''
49** Even more obvious is the usable relic "Cross of Ecthain", described as "A reminder of the gruesome demise of it's divine namesake".
50** This raises some interesting questions given the revelation in Chapter 3 that [[spoiler: Ecthain is real, and [[MysteriousWaif Aizu]] is his(?) [[GodInHumanForm reincarnation]]. Combined with the hints that Aizu's true nature is far more [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch]] than she appears, one is left to wonder what this implies about the Church of Ecthain.]]
51* DeathIsDramatic: Inverted, and given this game's dark humor, justifiably so. Mooks die in droves, and the [[DeathMontage Endless List of Ways to Die]] in this game runs the gamut from arrows and bullets to [[spoiler:Zofia's Helldrill]]. From Chapter 2, [[spoiler:main characters begin dying as well]], and the fact that [[spoiler:Vadim dies suddenly ''in a cutscene'']] avoids the audience's expectation, and is actually a bit of a shock the first time given the suddenness of it all. At least you can reclaim their items and skill points afterwards.
52* DefeatEqualsFriendship: A surprising number of enemies you fight later end up joining your team. Played the most straight with [[spoiler: Reynold]], but to a lesser extent with [[spoiler: Vadim]] and [[spoiler: Zofia]].
53* DenOfIniquity: Played with several times throughout the series:
54** Tevoran ''tries'' to set up his hideout as one of these, with his scheme to set up a "male escort service", but it fails abjectly. By the time the story starts, him and his gang are [[ReducedToRatburgers to poor to even indulge in petty crime]].
55** Zofia's fortress is described as such in-game, and while she does operate a smuggling racket from it and is implied to have a lot of "psychotic bondage gear" in her bedroom, more of her fortress is dedicated to her arsenal and [[GadgeteerGenius insane mechanical contraptions]] than debauchery.
56** Finally played completely straight with the brothel in Episode 11. The area's leitmotif is even titled "Den of Iniquity".
57* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Vadim]], who dies three seconds into a battle's intro cutscene. The death is notable for not occurring in battle, which implies not everyone gets to die heroically. Even the protagonists are mostly unfazed by the whole affair.
58* DrugsAreBad: Many of the series' vilest antagonists, such as Boris Beleyav, Prince Rudolf, and Jedmesz, are chronic abusers of drugs or drug like substances, and it's never pretty. Boris in particular looks like he walked straight off an anti-drug PSA.
59** Late in Chapter 3, the Voro soldiers start taking [[FantasticDrug Jhurukian uppers]] to boost their combat power, but after a few turns they start hallucinating and attacking each other.
60* DrugsAreGood: That said, many of the games' "heroes" are shown using drugs in a neutral or positive light. [[TheStoner Tevoran is infamously addicted to opiates]], [[SmokingIsCool Ivan smokes tobacco]], [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl Zofia can chug booze as a combat power]], Casimir is just a flat out drug-dealer, and anyone can take drugs during battle to boost their combat abilities.
61* EliteArmy: The Voronese are equipped with guns, grenades and priests. Everyone else is still using swords. So when they [[spoiler:lay siege to Masori]], it's not surprising that they complete it within a few hours. It's no wonder [[spoiler:Zofia blows up her warehouse]]; they can't afford for an already powerful army to become even more powerful.
62* EliteMook: a lot of enemies have [[PaletteSwap recolours]] of them that serve as this, boasting higher stats and often an extra skill or two.
63* EvilIsHammy: A few of the villains are truly sinister, but quite a few of them come off as over the top hams, notably: [[AristocratsAreEvil Boris Beleyav]], [[FatBastard the Redshields]], [[TestosteronePoisoning the Warden]], [[RoyalBrat Prince Rudolf]], [[CrazyHomelessPeople the Sewer Shaman]], [[MoralGuardians Lord Leithar]] and of course [[CardCarryingVillain Gilbrecht Arkanad]].
64** Not that the heroes themselves are [[WorldOfHam that much less hammy.]]
65* EvilVsEvil: Duriken and [[spoiler:Fallon]] the Cloaked Woman are rival contenders for the position of BigBad, and the last battle of Episode 13 has them duking it out while you run away.
66* FantasticDrug: The three most common are Jhurukian uppers, Phorian opiates, and [[Literature/BraveNewWorld soma]] though these exist alongside real world drugs, such as tobacco and regular opium.
67* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Although the Valelands are very much their own world, certain cities bear striking similarities to real world cultures, i.e. Vorona = Imperial Germany, Hvrain = France, Tierva = Poland, Niendam = Russia/Scandinavia (though ironically, set in a desert), and Phoria most likely is England, though it's never yet been shown.
68* FictionalCurrency: The entire known world uses "zloteks", gold coins with a letter Z stamped on them. Several times it comes up in bribes, debts, and purchases.
69** Note that these are likely based on the real-world Polish currency "zlotys".
70* FingerlessHands: Due to [[LimitedAnimation limited animation]], all of the sprites hands are represented as little balls.
71* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Interestingly, in the episode directly previous to that, when there were only four members on the team, they filled the roles of a four temperament ensemble:
72** '''Tevoran''' -- ''Melancholic'': Dark, somber, brooding and calculating are all words one could use to describe Tevoran. Case is point, he's one of the only team members to never be shown smiling (though that could just be his mustache).
73** '''Ysabel''' -- ''Choleric'': Angry, foul-tempered, irritable, aggressive, and prone to violent outbursts, Ysabel is easily the most volatile member on the team.
74** '''Ivan''' -- ''Phlegmatic'': Lazy, cool tempered, lethargic and apathetic. His passive skill upgrade drives home how lackadaisical and passive he is. [[BerserkButton Though he does occasionally subvert this.]]
75** '''Vadim''' -- ''Sanguine'': Enthusiastic, energetic, carefree, optimistic with a tendency to dive into things without much of a plan--yep, Vadim is pretty classic sanguine stock.
76* {{Foreshadowing}}: Some of Tevoran's first words to Aizu are [[ExactWords ''What'' are you?]] instead of "Who are you?".
77** Milan's many conspiracy theories include: there are infiltrators in the government trying to ban pornography, the Church of Ecthain is a covert invasion force, the Voronese government is trying reclaim their old empire, and the undead god of the wastes is going to rise up and kill them all. [[spoiler: All of which are revealed to be true in later chapters.]]
78* FlunkyBoss: Most bosses are this, with the exception of the Redshields.
79* GlassCannon: Ysabel and Zofia can deal exceptional damage at range, but have very little bulk.
80* GrievousHarmWithABody: One of the main selling points of the game. A common part of the environment is the enemies you've beaten, and like any other part of it, they can be thrown at enemies.
81** It's even a viable strategy! To compare: a spear might be able to do 21 damage to an enemy for 5 AP. Throwing a Redshield corpse at him, on the other hand, will deal around 30 damage for 2 AP. Which means if you can get 4 characters to stand around a mook and take turns chucking a corpse at him, [[FridgeLogic you will be able to deal far more damage than if you stab him with swords and knives.]]
82** And here's the kicker: It works on any enemy! No matter what kind of resistances, immunities, and hit penalties your enemy has, you can ''always'' damage them by throwing corpses!
83* HamToHamCombat: Seems to be a growing theme anytime Tevoran gets into a verbal sparring match with one of the over-the-top bosses the gang faces (which is now about once per episode). Notable confrontations include those with Boris Beleyav,The Redshields, Lubomir the Prison Warden, the Sewer Shaman, Gilbrecht Van Arkanad, and Jedmesz Luziret, but special mention goes to Lord Leithar, whose over-the-top melodramatic rhetoric managed to wow ''Tevoran''.
84* HiddenDepths: Episode 13 implies, though doesn't outright confirm greater goals in life for our original trio of protagonists beyond 'get rich'. [[spoiler:Tevoran wants to set himself up with a wealthy desk job before he becomes too old to fight, Ivan wants to search for his lost father, and Ysabel has an "embarassing life goal" only Tevoran knows about, which she very much wants to keep that way.]]
85* HoldTheLine: Battle 7-4 is a defense map where you must survive for 11 turns. Despite this, it's still possible to inflict a TotalPartyKill on the enemy. In fact, you're encouraged to, lest you miss out on some valuable skill points and items.
86* HyperactiveMetabolism: Several healing items are types of food and drink. The lowest tier is '''''moldy bread''''', and food higher in quality is a higher tier, with sardine tins being the next step up.
87* IdiotBall: Happens several times, mostly from Tevoran, always played for laughs.
88** Basically the entire plot of Chapter 1 kicks off from this: Tevoran cooks up a new psychotic scheme that no sane person would attempt but that [[GoneHorriblyRight somehow works anyway.]]
89** His decision to relocate the team to [[PoliceState Vorona]] in Chapter 2. As he put it himself, "Half-wrought plans can only be half undone". [[note]]And they were. The gang was thrown off the train to Vorona halfway there after the guards didn't buy their crudely forged tickets.[[/note]]
90** Most notably when he [[TooDumbToLive presses the self-destruct button]] on the semi-autonomous Helldrill, causing [[spoiler: Aizu to rush in and sacrifice herself to save the team. Ironically, this prevents her from being captured by Duriken a few battles later.]]
91* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Vadim.]]
92-->'''[[spoiler: Vadim]]''': [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Aw piss!]]
93* InvisibleAnatomy: Oksana is the only main character sprite with a regularly visible mouth. Most character sprites also don't show any noses.
94* JokerImmunity: [[spoiler: The Redshields.]] They walk away from being hit several times with swords and arrows. The next time you see them, you hit them a bit more and then ''[[spoiler: run them over with an effing train]]''. And then the ''next'' time you see them, you'll probably be throwing [[spoiler: Molotov grenades at them]] - and they probably still survived ''that''. All in all, it makes you wonder how many organs they have to replace - and where they're getting them from, for that matter.
95** One of the Red Shields comments that they got a new ear off an enemy they killed. The question now is how many of the people they kill are compatible donors?
96* LadyInRed: [[spoiler: Zofia.]] She wears so much red, even her hair is pink! She also has "Lewd Glance" as an upgradeable skill. And to top it all off, she's also got a touch of ActionGirl for good measure.
97* LightningBruiser: Vadim can deal great damage if he outflanks a foe, and has incredible evasion and solid bulk to boot. His only problem is his poor range.
98* LimitedAnimation: Occasionally the constraints put on the animation inadvertently give rise to humorous situations, such as Tevoran breaking a door down instead of opening it, Zofia materializing a cannon from nowhere, every enemy curling into the exact same position as a corpse, or watching a dead-on ax swing miss its target.
99* LivingMacGuffin: Aizu is being pursued by all of the main villains for unknown reasons. Chapter 3 indicates [[spoiler:she is the reincarnation of the god Ecthain]].
100* MagikarpPower: The Foreman's Claws. At first it appears that nobody can use them. But if you [[spoiler: wait until Chapter 3]] Ivan will be able to equip them and get a whopping +35 Attack! You didn't sell them off, right?
101** By the way, those claws are the most powerful Knuckle weapon in Chapter 3... but [[DiscOneNuke you'll also need to complete Chapter 2]] to carry them over. Ysabel actually lampshades this for anyone who decided to keep them.
102--> '''Ysabel:''' Is this gonna be like that stupid claw ya picked up last time we were down here? Tell me you still ain't still haulin' that old thing around.
103* MightyGlacier: Tevoran and Martin have great HP, attack, and defense, but poor evasion.
104* MookFaceTurn: Vadim is introduced as a common gang banger with nothing to distinguish him from his brethren. Then he miraculously survives his fight with you, is forced to lead you to his boss, and ends up as your enforcer.
105* MultiMookMelee: [[spoiler:The survival stage in Masori.]] The enemies keep on coming, showing how pointless it is to try and outlive the onslaught.
106** Downplayed, as an experienced player can use strategy to completely turn the tide of the battle and beat the enemy back to the gates before the end of 11 turns.
107* MysteriousWaif: Aizu.
108* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Played with. Tevoran & Co. gain access to new abilities and passives every Chapter to keep the combat interesting. It's also very possible that a savvy players, knowing what sort of enemies he'll be going up against in the coming battles, will purchase new skills accordingly.
109* NominalHero: Pretty much the entirety of Tevoran and Company are only really fighting for money or bloodlust.
110* OneStatToRuleThemAll: Attack and special attack since generally killing enemies before they can touch you reduces damage more than being a tank would have. On the defensive side is HP since it works against both normal and special attacks and you get fairly consistent armor upgrades to improve them anyway.
111* OneWingedAngel: Played with several times.
112** Subverted with Boris Belayav, who ''tries'' becoming this. [[ClippedWingAngel He doesn't last long.]]
113** Then played straight with Father Otis, and that becomes a whole battle.
114** And then ''inverted'' with the Redshields, who take a beating and then walk away.
115** And ''then'' lampshaded in this neat little exchange in Chapter Two:
116-->'''Ivan:''' The one with a big head looks a little tough.\
117'''Tevoran:''' Let us just hope that is its final form.
118** Finally played completely straight with [[spoiler: King Oskar, who resurrects twice in battle, each time becoming more powerful than the last.]]
119* OrganDrops: Quite often with non-human opponents, allowing you to rack up a questionable array of spider glands, pigman horns, boar meat, cactus juice, and minion ichor.
120* PaperThinDisguise: Tevoran has a tendency to pull these on occasion, although his delivery is so [[RefugeInAudacity deadpan and outrageous]] that it's hard to tell if he actually expects to be believed or [[IShallTauntYou he's just mocking the listener.]]
121** Later Oksana, Ysabel and Casimir pull one in Episode 5, sneaking into a prison disguised as envoys from the "temple of debauchery".
122* PermanentlyMissableContent: If you miss a secret item or don't kill enemies for additional skill points, you won't be able to get them anytime later.
123* PoliceState: Vorona. The city has become so authoritarian that soldiers will open fire on citizens just for speaking out against the King.
124* PowerCrystal: Magic stones exist to allow certain individuals to channel powerful magics that can heal and attack. They are typically connected to the priests of Ecthain. Oksana wears hers in a necklace that she took from Otis, the high priest. Vera has one adorning a magic staff she took from priests in Pesko. Only certain people can use the stones, however, and they are implied to be [[spoiler:created from necromancy]].
125* PromotedToPlayable: Chapter 2 promotes [=NPCs=] Aizu and Reynold and boss Zofia to playable characters. Chapter 3 promotes NPC Vera to playability.
126* PunchClockVillain: The Voro soldiers, for the most part. Though hardly nice even under the best circumstances, it's heavily implied that that a lot of the lower rank and file infantry are just ordinary grunts doing a grueling job. The same can be said of the Tiervan Guard, [[spoiler: who even fight as your allies during the attack on the city gates. There's even a Voro footsoldier who tries to defect to your side during the siege of Vorona, only to be gunned down immediately.]]
127* PurpleProse: Almost everything Tevoran says.
128-->'''Tevoran:''' Quiet, you! As it happens I've just now leapt off the precipice of ignorance into a chasm of wisdom.\
129'''Ivan:''' That sounds more than a bit painful.
130* QuestionableConsent: Vadim and Zofia. [[{{Squick}} Enough said]].
131* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: During the course of game Tevoran and Company gains such members as a local thug, elderly drug dealer, lewd nun, [[MysteriousWaif axe-wielding mysterious girl]], amateur percussionist brawler, cunning former gang leader and an idealistic prince.
132* TheRedMage: Oksana has excellent damage and healing options with her magic, and has very solid HP and some physical attacks to boot.
133* ReducedToRatburgers: Tevoran and Company are so poor at the start they have to subsist on ''cabbage-water''. No, not cabbage juice, they're living off of water that has merely had cabbage in it at some point.
134* RunOrDie: Battle 13-5 has you fleeing from Duriken and the Cloaked Woman as they fight each other for possession of Aizu.
135** Ironically, even ''here'' it's quite possible to win by force if Oksana has the Holy Storm attack. Since Duriken and the Cloaked Woman's invulnerability buffs don't reflect magic damage, it's not difficult to get out of the way of the battle and watch the two beat each other to a pulp, casting magic blasts from Oksana as often as her skills recharge. Inevitably, Duriken will almost always win this fight, but by that point he'll be so weakened you can finish him off yourself.
136*** The key difference is, of course, there's no tangible reward for doing so.
137* SaveScumming: RandomNumberGod got you down? Just hit that Quick Save button before doing something, and if you don't like it, Quick Load and try it again!
138* SchizoTech: Although being set vaguely in a late medieval setting (the game lists the year as 1427, though what this means in the Valelands is anyone's guess), the game nonetheless features technology that wouldn't come about until much later, including trains, phonographs, mechanized gun turrets and flamethrowers.
139* SelfImposedChallenge: Quite a few of these.
140** In a boss battle, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment you must beat the boss to win.]] However, if you kill all the other enemies first and leave the boss for last, you get more skill points, which can be spent on developing player's skills.
141** Taking this to the other end of the spectrum, some players try to kill the boss quickly instead to try and complete the game in as few turns as possible.
142** Completing a battle without any of your characters dying earns you [[NoCasualtiesRun a flawless victory bonus]] and extra skill points.
143** And then there's trying to complete the entire game without SaveScumming. Good luck with that.
144* SerialEscalation: Episode 1 is a good example of this. Ivan starts out simply trying to sell some tobacco to the local thugs. That turns into a holdup, which turns into a back alley brawl, which turns into a full-on gang war that leaves at least over a dozen people dead. And this becomes a running theme in the series.
145** By the end of Chapter 3, the serial escalation has led to Tevoran and Company [[spoiler: basically single-handedly dismantling the most powerful empire in the world. ''And we're not done yet''.]]
146* SexSignalsDeath: Played with. [[spoiler: Many fans were quick to connect Vadim's unconscious romantic evening with Zofia and his untimely demise a few battles later. The fact that Aizu predicted it while he was being dragged to her bedroom didn't help.]]
147* SexForServices: Ivan slept with Oksana in exchange for trying to use the red jewel that is the source of her powers.
148--> '''Ivan:''' God knows I tried to use one of those things. "White Bolt! Holy Storm! [[MundaneUtility Light Cheroot]]!" None of it worked worth a damn!\
149'''Ysabel:''' And whose stone exactly were you usin', and how the hell'd that come to pass?\
150'''Ivan:''' Look, that's not important, okay?! ...There certainly wasn't any touching involved if that's what you're thinking.\
151'''Oksana:''' Ohohohoho! I thank you for wonderful gift. Oksana has seen how fiery rug blazes strong as curtains!\
152'''Ysabel:''' I feel sick.
153** It's likely that Ivan didn't ''actually'' sleep with her; it was more of an exhibitionist show.
154* ShopFodder: Mostly averted, as every item you can acquire has at least some function in-game. That said, there are plenty of drops that the player is almost certain to not use and that no rational shop owner should want to buy, such as rotten boar meat, slime residue, putrid ferns, and a filthy dress so dirty it's barely fit for human use.[[note]]You can sell them anyway.[[/note]]
155* SmokingIsCool: Ivan.
156* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: Generally averted. Whenever someone leaves the party for an extended period of time, they return their items to the party inventory and any skill points you spent on them are automatically refunded.
157* SourceMusic: At the start of episode 4, the band in the bar is playing the music while Tevoran discusses their most recent job.
158** During intermission after episode 7-2 Reynold is seen performing the drum-based music heard in the background.
159* SpaceWhaleAesop: Tevoran makes one of these in Episode 11. Don't visit brothels! Or else [[spoiler: you'll be fattened up, chopped into a steak, and then fed to your town's leader and possibly other highborn leaders.]]
160-->'''Tevoran:''' And so you all see at last the true danger of these dens of assignation! I hope you've learned an invaluable lesson today.
161* SquishyWizard: Aizu (in Chapter 3) and Vera have various offensive and healing magic, while Casimir can also heal with his knowledge of drugs and medicines. All three of them can take about as much damage as a used tissue.
162* SuperSoldier: [[spoiler:The notably inbred Redshields.]] In-game, as if it's not bad enough that they have 200+ health (which is ''a lot'' of health in the original chapter, even for bosses), they also have Stun and Stasis immunity, which pretty much makes fighting ''both of them at once'' mandatory. Oh, and after you "kill" them, they just walk away afterwards.
163* TokenGoodTeammate: Martin and his sister Vera are ''easily'' the most noble members of the playable cast. Also, Reynold is this to a lesser extent since he's a NobleDemon instead of a career criminal.
164* TurnBasedCombat: Somewhat, except [[TimeStandsStill time does not stand entirely still]] here. In this game, you're given the shove mechanic, which means the movement and attack order of your units start to matter. That aside, the enemy stays completely still until you're done - unless it's countering an attack, in which case it might attack back.
165* UnstableEquilibrium: A minor example. A unit dying means missing out on skill points, and all around weaker units, making it harder to keep them alive, and thus, it's likely you may end up not perfecting any battles after you screw up a single one.
166* UselessItem: Played with with the Foreman's Claw, [[spoiler: which was genuinely useless in Chapter 2 but can be equipped by Ivan in Chapter 3.]]
167* VideoGameCaringPotential: Oddly enough, the way Tevoran & Co. take care of each other during battles. Players going for flawless victories know that you can't simply focus on maximizing damage output; you have to be protecting your own as well. Sometimes that means casting a healing spell instead of an offensive attack, sometimes it means jumping in front of a wounded or fragile character to take the next blow for them.
168** In Chapter 3, you start gaining non-party allies during certain fights. Keeping them alive yields no tangible reward, but some players do anyway, out of principle.
169** A minor example. During an interval, Aizu requests that the party stock up on steaks, [[ImAHumanitarian which she's developed a taste for]]. Tevoran tells her that she can have one, and sure enough, when you go to shop, there is exactly one steak available for purchase. [[note]]As if this wasn't cute enough, a certain piece of promo art shows the company lounging around Uncle Milan's parlor, with Aizu gleefully going to town on a literal pile steaks sprawling across the parlor floor. No one else seems to mind. [[/note]]
170* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: In what could be considered a rare heartwarming moment, the common citizens of Vorona will join you in the final assault on the palace of Vorona and fight back against the soldiers at your side. Of course, there's nothing stopping you from [[YouBastard killing your allies yourself to take their belongings]], as some players undoubtedly have.
171** Bonus points if you use Martin or Vera to deliver the killing blow, forcing them to be murderers and hypocrites. That is just cold.
172* VillainProtagonist: Tevoran and Co. spends the first 8 chapters concerned with nothing but lining their own pockets, and maintain sympathy mostly by being LaughablyEvil and fighting people who are even worse than they are. Once Tevoran decides to rescue Martin from a Voronese prison, they become {{Nominal Hero}}es.
173* ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption: The amount of times diplomacy has been attempted as the first answer to a situation, let alone ''succeeded'', can be counted by your hands. Well, unless you count Tevoran's audacious calls for the enemy forces to surrender, which is always refuted.
174* WeBuyAnything: Every shop in the game will buy anything in your inventory. Bloodstained soldier uniforms? They'll buy it. Rotten boar meat? Heck yeah. Gutter ale? Slime residue? Holy Undergarments? Minion Ichor? A thoroughly soiled courtesan dress? Pass it all forward.
175** This gets even more ridiculous when you consider that none of these shops appear to have any kind of fixed inventory. What kind of place sells weapons, dresses and sardine tins side by side? One of the "shops" in Chapter 2 is just a creepy looking drug addict in the back of the train car. It gets even worse in Niendam, where the only "store" around appears to be a bar. That buys weapons. Figure that one out
176* WhamEpisode: There are several points where the game's plot deepens considerably at unexpected moments:
177** Episode Three is the first to hint that there is something more going on in Tierva than just drug rackets and petty gang feuds. This is the first time Tevoran and Company see magic used, the first official mention of Vorona and the Church of Ecthain, and, in retrospect, contains buried hints to MANY of the events to come in future days. As a bonus, this episode also sees the inclusion of [[WhiteMage Oksana]], considered by many to the most valuable party member in the entire company.
178** Episode Six reveals that both Vorona and Hvrain are hunting for [[MysteriousWaif Aizu]], and is the first time Tevoran and Company fights the forces of both nations head on and wins. This is also where Aizu first joins Tevoran and Company, and given her larger role in the story, might be the most significant moment of the entire saga.
179** Episode Eight establishes that AnyoneCanDie, as [[spoiler:Vadim]] discovers the hard way.
180** Episode Nine, good gravy. This chapter introduces the entire cast of the [[RoyallyScrewedUp Arkanad royal family]], reveals that the King of Vorona is being manipulated by an [[EvilChancellor evil chancellor]], and sees the crown prince of Vorona thrown into the dungeon, and that is before the first battle. Cue an insane rescue mission by Tevoran & Co. gone right, the "death" of Aizu and the first real demonstration that her latent powers are far greater than they seem, and the inevitable faceoff with [[ThatOneBoss Duriken]].
181** Episode Eleven, besides bringing the gang face to face with the Tiervan Triumvirate of Lords, reveals that [[spoiler: Aizu is still alive and more powerful than ever]].
182** Episode Thirteen: [[spoiler:Duriken successfully abducts Aizu by claiming he is her father.]]
183** Episode Fourteen: [[spoiler:Oskar is corrupted beyond salvation, and he and Rudolf must be killed off by Tevoran and Co. Duriken reveals that Aizu is the reincarnation of Ecthain, and Aizu overcomes his brainwashing and teleports the party away before blowing half of Vorona to hell.]]
184* WorldOfBadass: Not even ONCE do you find a helpless foe in battle, and as cowardly as they may be, they'll put up the fight of your life. It's also in conjunction with the below trope.
185* WorldOfHam: The population of the Valelands is rife with over-the-top lunacy that seemingly pervades every stripe and strata of society. On the "heroic" side, the biggest hams include Tevoran, Oksana, Vadim, and Zofia, while as far as villains go, Boris Beleyav, Father Otis, The Redshields, The Warden, King Oskar, Prince Rudolf, the Sewer Shaman, Gilbrecht Van Arkanad, Jedmesz, and Lord Leithar all easily fit the bill (it'd honestly be simpler to list the enemies who ''weren't'' hams). And let's not forget Volebor, either, leader of a literal ''nation'' of large hams...
186* WorldOfJerkass: And as much as it has ham, it has {{Jerkass}}es. Not once do you find anyone who ISN'T a complete fucking scumbag, as the initial trio has:
187** Tevoran, a complete loon who comes up with idiotic plans that might get everyone killed. His plans surprisingly work almost always.
188** Ysabel, a hot tempered woman who will attempt to kill anyone that pisses her off. Which is effectively anyone.

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