Line #54 Videogame/MyLovelyDaughter


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mld.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: She's alive!]]
3
4	''My Lovely Daughter'' is an alchemist simulator developed by [=GameChanger=] Studio, and published by Toge Productions and Neon Doctrine. It explores the depth of a father’s grief and overcoming the loss of a loved one through forbidden alchemy experiments.
5
6	You are Faust, an amnesiac alchemist and father, who wakes up alone and confused only to discover that your lovely daughter has died. As you enter the first stages of grief, you do what everyone wishes they could do but can’t: bring back the dead with the power of alchemy.
7
8	To revive your daughter, you must perform forbidden alchemy experiments to restore her soul. You will have to create dozens of homunculi girls, raise them as if they were your own daughter, build relationships with them ... and then murder them to harvest their souls!
9
10	To support your experiments, you will also need to assign jobs to your homunculi, even sacrifice their bodies in order to sell their remnants, all to keep your income flowing and your research progressing. Perhaps, along the way, you will even recover your own memories and come to understand how this terrible situation came about.
11
12	This game contains dark and disturbing subject matters, that might not be suitable for children, or those who are easily disturbed.
13
14	This game received two major content packs since its initial release; ''The Inquisitor'', a free DLC in which the titular investigator tries to uncover Faust's scheme, and ''Sacrificial Sons'', a base-game update that adds homunculi boys. A sequel, ''VideoGame/MyLovelyWife'', was released on June 8, 2022.
15	----
16	!! ''My Lovely Daughter'' contains examples of:
17	* AdorableAbomination: A lot of the homunculi are this.
18	* AlchemyIsMagic: Alchemy in the game is portrayed as a discipline of magic.
19	* AwfulTruth: The Inquisitor, from the anniversary update, eventually learns of Faust's past and has this reaction.
20	* BetrayalByOffspring:
21	** In one of the endings, [[spoiler:Arhea wakes up and she and Faust share a long embrace until she (quite literally) [[DeadlyHug stabs him in the back.]]]]
22	** In the DLC, [[spoiler:another ending has Faust come to love the Homunculi as his own daughters and give up on Arhea... only to discover this came too late, and that all the time spent killing them has caused the remaining ones to turn on him]].
23	* BittersweetEnding: "Pacifism" from the DLC. It's triggered by [[spoiler:waiting for a long time instead of sacrificing the homunculus created in the tutorial. Faust, realizing that he cannot bring himself to kill the homunculus, and therefore cannot resurrect his daughter, ends up killing himself out of despair]]. On its own, it's a DownerEnding - until you consider that [[spoiler:it's the ''only'' ending where Faust refuses to [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Jump Off The Slippery Slope]]]].
24	** In the Inquisitor DLC, if Faust focuses on collecting homunculi instead of feeding their souls to his daughter, [[spoiler:Faust comes to accept his daughter's death and adopts his homunculi instead of killing them. Unfortunately, they either feigned love to stab him in the back at the perfect moment, or realized that they were merely the first daughters he kept. Faust is buried alive with his daughter's corpse, but he accepts this while the girls live on.]]
25	* CameBackWrong: [[spoiler:This is always the case with Arhea once she is successfully revived, one way or another (exactly how this manifests depends on the affinity or affinities used)]]
26	* ChineseVampire: The Jiangshi type of homunculus is this, made by Clay-Clay-Water. Her constant hopping is why he kills her.
27	* CreepyDoll: The Doll homunculus is this to the point it utterly creeps him out, even carrying a RoyalRapier.
28	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: As if killing them wasn't bad enough, the ways Faust chooses to kill the homunculi are far from humane and include [[OffWithHerHead beheading]], [[KillItWithFire burning]], [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling]] and [[BatterUp bludgeoning]].
29	* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: If you want to progress in the game you have to kill the Homunculi.
30	* DirtyCop: A free update on the game's first-year anniversary added The Inquisitor, an investigator from the capital who makes a deal with Faust, promising to help uncover his past and keep his true intentions a secret in exchange for his homunculi stealing mementos from key suspects.
31	* TheDreaded: It's possible for some of the homunculi become afraid of Faust, and his own daughter will wake up terrified of him too if infused with too much of the fear affinity.
32	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The alchemist Faust]] in two of the endings.
33	* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: According to one of the villagers, Faust has these.
34	--> "I saw your eyes before. They used to glow with pride. But the day you lost your wife, it vanished."
35	* ElementalEmbodiment: The Flame, Ice, Metal, Stone, and Mud (earth) types of homunculi.
36	* TheEmpath: The Inquisitor, from the anniversary update, has the ability to read someone's past and understand their state of mind by making contact with their most cherished memento.
37	* FaceDeathWithDignity: Played straight with some homunculi, averted with others. When/if they realize, some of the homunculi come to accept and even consent to Faust's plan to kill them for varying reasons, for example with joy affinity it's a case of [[SuicideForOthersHappiness being willing to be sacrificed]] so Faust and his daughter can be reunited and happy, while the Sadness affinity who agree just seem to feel they're [[PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou worthless anyway]]. Others are understandably [[HesitantSacrifice upset]] and are not OK with it at all, although none of them try to fight back.
38	--> "If this is for the best, then do it, Daddy."
39	--> "Why daddy? Why? Why are you killing us? Why are you doing it to us one after another? Do you not care about us? I cannot accept this. I cannot agree to this. I do not understand you. I thought you loved us."
40	* FalseFriend: You can make Faust be nice to the homunculi, sending them to jobs they like, giving them gifts and spending time with them to gain their affection and trust, but it's soon revealed by the way he talks about them and how brutally he kills most of them that Faust does not return their affection and regards the homunculi with utter contempt.
41	* FingerTwitchingRevival: Subverted, the first time Faust tries to revive Arhea with a homunculi soul it doesn't appear to have any effect at all, then her fingers twitch once causing Faust to closely watch her for any further signs of life. Nothing more happens.
42	* GenderFlip: The "Sacrificial Sons" from the titular update; the only difference between them and the base-game sacrificial daughters are their appearances.
43	* InelegantBlubbering: Some of the Homunculi are heard [[TearsofFear crying]] like this as Faust is about to kill them. [[spoiler:Arhea will also sob inconsolably and constantly if she is revived with too much sadness affinity.]]
44	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Faust wakes up with no memory of what happened or even who he is. He remembers his daughter after finding her recently deceased body, and gradually recovers the rest of his memories as the game progresses.
45	* LaughingMad: [[spoiler:Arhea in one of the possible endings]] suffers severe sanity slippage and laughs constantly and hysterically. Faust notes that it's [[MirthlessLaughter not because she is happy or amused]] either. She just can't seem to stop.
46	* LetsMeetTheMeat: The Meat homunculus is this, being made out of, well, meat. Once she's killed off, Faust just cooks the remains.
47	* LivingToys: The Doll homunculi.
48	* MadnessMantra: One page of Faust's diary is this.
49	* MadScientist: Faust has increasing shades of this.
50	* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Arhea was this before her death.
51	* MixAndMatchCritters: The Rodent daughter is this, being primarily a rat with a cheese addiction, though it has mole-like hands. When it's time for Faust to kill her, he just [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink poisons her cheese]].
52	* MummiesAtTheDinnerTable: Faust keeps Arhea sat (propped) up in her bed, and holding an open book in her lap.
53	* {{Narcissist}}: Faust's FatalFlaw. Even without broaching the "created sapient life only to constantly destroy it to further his own ends" topic, Faust disdains everyone around him and their problems, even those who try to forge a connection with him, seeing ''everyone'' [[ItsAllAboutMe as beneath him]] - and his notes and comments make it clear that he reacts badly, sometimes explosively so, to anyone not recognizing what he considers to be his genius, even in small ways. This extends to the Homunculi, who - no matter how much they come to love him - never catch on that he utterly despises most of them for being "imperfect" in comparison to himself and his daughter. [[spoiler:In the true ending, his future self realizes that even his dedication to his daughter came more from his ego not wanting to accept that he had been defeated rather than genuine love.]]
54	* {{Necromantic}}: Its a strictly platonic version, but Faust appears to fit this trope at first. He is determined to preserve and eventually resurrect his dead daughter at any cost.
55	* OffingTheOffspring: Enforced. Since Faust created the homunculi, he is their father in a sense and they certainly regard him as such. He will still mercilessly kill them once they have [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness served him]] enough and their souls are ready to harvest.
56	* OurHomunculiAreDifferent: All the homunculi are female and vary in appearance and personality depending on type and affinity. While they view Faust as a father figure and will stay loyal to him if he treats them reasonably, they are also independent and free willed enough to protest against unfair treatment and will run away if they become unhappy enough.
57	* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Faust has outlived his daughter, although he is trying to change that by resurrecting her.
58	* ParentalBetrayal: Faust creates the homunculi, they call him "daddy" and depending on how you play they can have a lot of affection and loyalty towards him. Doesn't make him even hesitate to kill them so he can harvest their souls/affinities.
59	* PlantPerson: The tree, flower, and veggie types of homunculi.
60	* ReplacementGoldfish: The daughters are this until their time runs out and Faust sacrifices them to bring back his actual daughter.
61	* RockMonster: The Stone homunculus is this, even down to her dress. One arm is larger than the other as well.
62	* TheRunaway: The homunculi eventually run away if their relationship with Faust drops too low/he upsets them enough.
63	* TheScream: A couple of homunculi scream in fear (and possibly pain) as they are killed.
64	* SlidingDownTheSlipperySlope: At first Faust's goal of bringing back his deceased daughter and his apparent grief over her death makes him at least somewhat sympathetic. But he slides further down the slope the more the game progresses and by the true end/after TheReveal he has completely crossed the MoralEventHorizon.
65	* SlimeGirl: The mud homunculi qualify as this.
66	* TheSociopath: Faust comes across this way the further into the game you get, both in his general attitude towards the homunculi, and the way he will kill them without hesitation or remorse. Also in the true ending's [[spoiler:[[TheKillerInMe reveal]] it was a future version of himself whom set up the events of the game, having given up his goal in favor of the power the pursuit gave him. Said future version muses that perhaps his motivation was never about his family, but to soothe the blow to his pride that came from losing them.]]
67	* SpontaneousGeneration: The homunculi who are BornOfMagic and various inanimate ingredients.
68	* StableTimeLoop: One of the endings implies this, with [[spoiler:the "Master Warlock", Faust's future self, instigating the game's events in order to drive his past self into becoming a master]].
69	* TheStinger: The events of The Inquisitor update end this way, with [[spoiler:the "Master Warlock" approaching the mound of dirt Faust buried the man under after killing him in self-defense]].
70	* TechnicallyLivingZombie: The Zombie and Mummy homunculi.
71	* TorchesAndPitchforks: If Faust causes enough of the homunculi to run away, [[spoiler:he is hunted down and [[TheKillerBecomesTheKilled killed by an angry mob]] who are outraged by his behaviour]].
72	* TrailOfBlood: Smears of blood trails appear on the floor outside the homunculi's rooms as they are killed.
73	* VillainProtagonist: Faust is ''not'' a nice person, to put it lightly.
74	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: The homunculi that are so brutally murdered and disposed of by Faust may not be human, and vary in appearance with some looking humanlike and others not so much, but they all have equal or close to equal intelligence, enough so to be able to fully converse with humans and hold a job. They also have their own personalities, likes/dislikes and experience emotions, yet Faust shows them no mercy. [[spoiler:In fact, in one ending where enough homunculi run away, the townspeople end up killing Faust because of how horribly he treated them.]]
75	* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: One of the less empathetic (anger) affinity homunculi asks why Faust doesn't just get rid of the others because she is the only one he needs.

Context Videogame / MyLovelyDaughter