- Jennifer: I don't belong in your world, Kane. And you don't belong in mine...
Jonathan Kane: The Protector (also titled Hidden Target in certain releases) is a 2009 First-Person Shooter developed by Polish company Gingerbread Studios, and is said company's sole output.
Jonathan Kane, former member of the British Armed Forces turned mercenary-for-hire, was unexpectedly reunited by his ex-lover, Jennifer Guile, after he was hired by Jennifer's father and Jonathan's old friend, the renown archeologist Kelvin Guile, to be Jennifer's bodyguard - a day before Kelvin was murdered in his mansion home. Turns out Kelvin Guile has discovered an ancient artifact that could bring untold chaos and destruction, and a terrorist syndicate who call themselves "Scarlet Vengeance" is after the artifact as well.
After a daring rescue mission, Jonathan and Jennifer are now pursued by Scarlet Vengeance's mooks across multiple missions leading from the States to Mexico to the Middle East.
As usual, players are in control of Jonathan, who gets to kick ass with assorted firearms; though there are several missions where Jennifer is in play.
Jonathan Kane: The Tropector:
- Air-Vent Passageway: The first time player takes control of Jennifer, they have to crawl through a ventilation shaft to escape from terrorist mooks. Said vent leads to a maintenance locker containing a taser, Jennifer's sole weapon.
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: Jonathan and Jennifer attempts to hide in the former's penthouse, but the Scarlet Vengeance managed to track them down and send their mooks into the building (complete with a cutscene of mooks doing a "Mission: Impossible" Cable Drop). Jennifer was taken in the process, while Jonathan suffers a near-fatal Agonizing Stomach Wound courtesy of Hakan - he need to reach his personal emergency medikit within 40 seconds or it's a Non-Standard Game Over.
- Almost Dead Guy: Jonathan, after getting shot by Hakan and left to bleed out while the Scarlet Vengeance leaves with Jennifer. To prevent becoming a Really Dead Guy, players as Jonathan needs to locate his emergency medikit within 40 seconds.
- Arrested for Heroism: Towards the game's ending, Jonathan had killed Hakan Akhbar, took down the Scarlet Vengeance, and destroyed the Aztec Mask to prevent it from falling to the wrong hands. Unfortunately, the CIA is after the same mask, and having shot it to bits Jonathan is now a CIA fugitive.
- Come with Me If You Want to Live: After Jonathan managed to extract Jennifer from the museum, and as they escape into a subway with plenty of terrorists looking for them.Jennifer: Two years without a word, now this... how can I know I can trust you?
Jonathan: You don't! But right now, I'm your only option if you want to live. Now let's go! - Damsel out of Distress: Jennifer spends the first stage and most of the second being escorted around by Jonathan, until an unexpected terrorist attack causes her to be separated when she and Jonathan are on different subway trains. But then Jennifer managed to obtain a taser and she turns out to be no slouch using it to kick ass.
- Deliberately Monochrome: A few moments are in black-and-white.
- The opening scene which depicts Jonathan's past with Jennifer, for instance, during which the page quote happens.
- After Jonathan was shot by Hakan and left for dead, the next segment is in greyscale depicting a near-dead Jonathan trying to reach his emergency medikit. It goes back to colour once he's healed.
- Dolled-Up Installment: Interestingly, some of the game's international versions sells it as The Mark 2, promoting it as a sequel to an earlier Polish FPS, The Mark. Despite having zero connections with each other.
- Donut Mess with a Cop: Referenced in the first stage, when Jonathan infiltrates the museum swarming with Scarlet Vengeance's mooks. A sarcastic museum guard greets him near the entrance.Museum Guard: Damn, you guys got here fast! There a doughnut shop on campus or something?
Jonathan: I'm not a cop. I need you to help me find the archives... - Evil Mask: The Aztec Mask discovered by Dr. Kelvin Guile, an ancient Artifact of Doom which grants wearer superpowers from ancient Aztec Gods, which the Scarlet Vengeance is after. Despite the best efforts of Jonathan and Jennifer, they're unable to stop Hakan Akbar from putting on said mask, leading to the terrorist leader gaining a fearsome One-Winged Angel form.
- Fatal Family Photo: Dr. Kelvin Guile in the opening FMV is shown alongside a picture he took with his daughter Jennifer (the wife is absent though, for reasons unknown), with Jennifer playfully making a V-sign above her father's head. He gets killed in the same scene, with some of his blood splattered on said photo.
- Hanging by the Fingers: The final stage have Jonathan and Jennifer trying to take a shortcut by jumping across an elevator shaft, but Jennifer didn't make it. She fell to a lower level before clinging to a ledge, and Jonathan must find the stairs leading to a lower level - shooting mooks all the way - before reaching Jennifer.Jennifer: Kane! Help me! I'm slipping! Kane!
[once Jonathan reaches Jennifer and rescues her, comes the oldest response in the book]
Jennifer: What took you so long?
Jonathan: Had some company. - Knockout Gas: Jonathan gets tranquilized by gas while at Julio's place, before he gets re-captured. Turns out Julio's working for the CIA, and they are trailing Jonathan's every move.
- Living Statue: The Mayan pyramid has a gigantic statue of a warrior-king who animates itself to attack Jonathan, serving as a difficult boss near the end. It's only vulnerable area is a red sigil on it's chest.
- Locomotive Level: The subway stage have Jonathan and Jennifer making their escape via train, only for terrorists to catch up. Cue a massive shootout in the cabins, but try not to shoot the innocent passengers.
- Middle Eastern Terrorists: The Scarlet Vengeance, founded by the Big Bad Hakan Akhbar, serving as the game's main villains. They're targeting a peace conference in the Middle East while their boss intends to Take Over the World with a sacred artifact.
- Mission Control: Zig-zagged with Jonathan and Jennifer playing this role.
- The first time player controls Jennifer after she's unintentionally separated from Jonathan, the latter will act as her guide as she tries escaping the subway level, evading terrorists all the way.
Good work, now go straight, and turn left and right.- The Mayan pyramid stage where Jonathan is in play have Jennifer providing navigation and tipping him off on the giant statue boss' weakness.
- Museum Level: The game's first stage is set in the museum Jennifer works as a curator, with mooks sent by Scarlet Vengeance after her. Cue a massive shotout between the various displays, destroying plenty of exhibits in the process and culminating with a stray grenade causing the dinosaur skeleton to collapse to bits.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Deep into the Mayan Pyramid, Jonathan was attacked by a gigantic animated statue, which activates because he intruded the sacred chamber. Jonathan destroys the statue thanks to Jennifer's help, and said statue is also a MacGuffin Guardian protecting the Aztec Mask the Scarlet Vengeance was after, and with the statue destroyed the Mask then reveals itself, shortly before the Scarlet Vengeance stole it. Nice Job indeed.
- No MacGuffin, No Winner: Having killed Hakan and retrieved the curse Aztec Mask, confronted by the CIA, Jonathan's response is... to destroy the mask with a single shot, ensuring it never falls into the wrong hands. This only leads to Jonathan becoming a wanted man by the CIA for his actions.
- Power Floats: Hakan Akhbar, after putting the Aztec Mask on himself, gains the ability to levitate. And spends the whole Final Boss fight floating all over the place. Jonathan killing him had Akhbar falling all the way to his demise.
- Skewed Priorities:
- There are a few Game Within a Game segments where Jonathan, for some baffling reason, stops by computer screens to play a space-shooter game (seemingly based on Galaxian) for points. Even in the middle of a museum filled with terrorists, or in Jonathan's mansion where he knows assassins are after his life...
- At the subway stage, attempting to escape with terrorists on their tails, Jennifer somehow thinks it's a good idea to purchase train tickets. Jonathan reminds her they can just hijack their way through instead.
You kidding me? Come on! - Switching P.O.V.: The game tends to randomly shift POV between the titular character and his protectee, Jennifer. If Jonathan is in play he gets to shoot terrorists left and right like every other FPS in existance, but if the player is in control of Jennifer then most of her stages are Stealth Based Missions instead.
- Sniping Mission: There's one stage near some docks where Jonathan made it across, but needs to provide cover for Jennifer via Sniper Rifle as enemy mooks approaches her from the sides.
- Static Stun Gun: Jennifer, being a non-combatant, obtains a stunner in the first stage she's playable as, using it to taze enemy mooks unconscious. It's a surprisingly effective weapon that does a One-Hit KO, that Jennifer sticks to even when she can obtain firearms from unconscious enemies.
- Take Cover!: As Jonathan, players can take cover from enemy fire behind barricades. The game briefly switches from First-Person to Third-Person when this happens.
- Mook–Face Turn: While Jennifer is imprisoned in the Scarlet Vengeance's Mayan hideout, one of the terrorist mooks approaches her cell... and releases her. Turns out the mook is smarter than his fellow colleagues and realize their religious leader, Akhbar, is a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist.I want to help you escape, American. What he. Akhbar is doing, is not the way of my people. He would have us believe we fight for freedom, but he seeks only to destroy, poisoning the minds of our young men till we are blinded by his lies. For men like Akhbar, there is only hate... I cannot, I will not allow him to destroy our world's best chance for peace... Go! Find your artifact! Destroy it. May Allah go with you.
- Unexpected Gameplay Change: The game starts as a pure FPS/TPS game with some stealth sections and then turns into platforming and trap dodging in the ancient city.
- Unusable Enemy Equipment: Averted for Jonathan, but... no, Jennifer can't collect firearms from unconscious terrorists, her first and only weapon is her stunner.
- Wall of Weapons: Jonathan Kane's Colombian contact and private arms supplier, Julio, have a wall filled with different firearms when Jonathan pays him a visit. Jonathan can help himself to whatever weapon he sees, and even test them in a nearby Shooting Gallery.
