Basic Trope: Video Game lets players do horrible things, but these actions have consequences.
- Straight: Dirk kicks Ichigo's adorable kitten Fluffles just because he can. Ichigo responds via giant strawberry-shaped fireball.
- Exaggerated: Dirk kicks Ichigo's adorable kitten Fluffles — who immediately turns into a hissing whirlwind of death and chases him around while Ichigo and the rest of the party insult and berate him. Then, after Fluffles has her way with him, Ichigo blows him up. And glares at the screen while scolding his body about how horrible and MEAN he was, and who'd do such a thing to a sweet little kitty anyway?!
- Downplayed:
- Fluffles bites you, as cats tend to when they're attacked.
- What the Hell, Player?
- Being cruel makes party members and factions angry, which can cause problems. This only happens if you're caught, however, and sometimes it's worth the price.
- Justified: You were warned beforehand that Ichigo was not to be trifled with; doing so was an act of Stupid Evil.
- Inverted:
- You are actually rewarded for being as evil as possible.
- Or you are punished for being good.
- Subverted:
- You are warned that you'll be punished if you kick Fluffles, but when Dirk does, nothing bad happens to him.
- The police arrive to the scene carrying a wanted poster of Fluffles and say that he is under arrest for multiple murders, drug trafficking, and tax evasion. Ichgo gets arrested for attempted assault with an incendiary weapon and you are given $500,000 in cash.
- Ichigo is a Superboss, but not a Hopeless Boss Fight; the player can get away with it if they can win the battle.
- Kicking Fluffles while Ichigo is around is Stupid Evil, but there's no punishment for tricking her into going to town before delivering a swift boot to the poor kitten.
- Double Subverted:
- ...Until he's in trouble later on, and Ichigo decides not to help him because he was so mean and nasty earlier, leaving him to his fate.
- The player can defeat Superboss Ichigo, but it leads to a miserable ending.
- Parodied:
- Fluffles displays Glowing Eyes of Doom, and we are then treated to a long distance shot of a nuclear explosion.
- The video game makes the television sprout a hand and proceeds to slap the player who's sitting on the couch while scolding them for being cruel.
- Zig Zagged: There are punishments for some actions, none for others. Some punishments seem completely over-the-top, while others seem like little more than a slap on the wrist. And certain things come back to bite Dirk when the player least expects it...
- Averted: Nothing bad happens to you even though you are hitting innocent villagers with your sword for fun.
- Enforced: The programmers want to ensure players know that bad behavior is bad.
- Lampshaded: "What?! You really thought karma wouldn't bite you in the ass if you did such an obviously despicable thing?"
- Invoked: "Maybe I'll get a funny Nonstandard Game Over if I burn down the orphanage!"
- Exploited:
- Manipulating another NPC into kicking the cat causes Ichigo to incinerate them instead, possibly benefitting you in the process.
- The Big Bad encourages you to be as evil as possible, hoping that you’ll trigger this and die leaving Dirk out of the Big Bad’s way.
- Defied: "No, we are not punishing the player if there's no logical reason for such a punishment to take place. If he wants to shoot a villager, don't make the villager pull a bazooka on him."
- Implied: "Ichigo will remember that."
- Discussed: "Dude, going nuts with the minigun in the crowded village square? Bad idea. Something bad's probably going to happen if you do."
- Conversed: "I'm sorry a few civilians got killed, but why does the mission have to end immediately? That stolen mecha prototype is still out there!"
- Deconstructed:
- The nation you've been torturing with your kingly/godly power by selling off all the crops for insane prices and then executing random people who spoke against you decides they've had enough and rebel. They then throw you in the darkest prison cell and torture you out of spite, allowing the Big Bad to conquer the kingdom.
- The trope itself deconstructs Video Game Cruelty Potential by showing that such actions have unpleasant consequences.
- Reconstructed: ...However, you can still get out of prison. It isn't easy nor intuitive, and you'll have a limp, a scar, and/or some other reminder of your crimes which will negatively affect your stats, through the rest of the game. And you’ll have to fight off the Big Bad’s occupation of your kingdom. But it is possible to complete the game even after being cruel; it's just more difficult (which some players might even dig).
- Played For Laughs: All the consequences are hilariously over-the-top (leading players to actively seek them out, which may be partly defeating the purpose, but eh...).
- Played For Drama: The Big Bad is a sealed, godlike Eldritch Abomination that is the embodiment of evil and gets more powerful every time Dirk commits an act of cruelty. No, raising your Karma Meter by doing good deeds won't erase your past evils. Do enough evil, and said Big Bad gets powerful enough to break free, and immediately decides to "reward" you for your contribution to their new reign of terror.
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Back to the Video Game Cruelty Punishment page, you criminal scum!
