Ao Oni

Ao Oni is a Japanese indie horror game, created with RPG Maker XP. It follows the adventure of four teenagers who go into an abandoned mansion (which is supposedly haunted) in order to investigate...

Provided inspiration for Heta Oni, an Axis Powers Hetalia-themed parody/reinterpretation. Other games inspired by it include Aka Oni, Siro Oni, Niji Oni, Hakkyou Oni, Gon Oni, and Ao Oni S.

Keep in mind that with different revisions of the game may have significant differences within the plot.

The game can be downloaded for free here.

Tropes used in Ao Oni include:

Agent Scully: Hiroshi to some degree. This is demonstrated most in the third version; even after being chased around by the oni, when he catches up with everyone else and gets asked what's happening, he suggests it's some sort of Halloween costume. The oni disproves that theory, prompting a later dream where Hiroshi imagines he was right after all.
All Just a Dream: Used for both the Scary Surprise Party and a Catapult Nightmare in the fifth version's ending.
And Now for Someone Completely Different: In version 1, there's a point where the player switches over to Kazuya.
Anyone Can Die: Depending on the version. Sometimes Hiroshi might get to save everyone; other times, not so much.
Art Style Dissonance: The character portraits in early versions are drawn in markedly different styles. Takeshi's in particular stands out.
Awesome but Impractical: There are closets in a couple of rooms. You can escape the oni by hiding in one of them. If the oni is in the same room as you, going in one will land you an automatic game over. Good luck trying to hide in one without the oni catching you!
Bittersweet Ending: In version 5, Hiroshi leads his friends to safety, but another group enters the mansion...
- In 1, only Hiroshi, Megumi and Kazuya manage to escape.
- In version 6, Hiroshi ultimately escapes, but couldn't save anyone, making for a Downer Ending.
Book Ends: Two examples in Version 5's ending: Takeshi has a nightmare about being found in the cabinet he first hid inside, and a new group of victims enter the house.
Bookcase Passage: Frequently.
Broken Bridge: Most of the mansion's doors are locked at the start, forcing Hiroshi to explore and solve puzzles in order to progress.
Cat Scare: Subverted in version 6. At one point the player is in a room when something breaks offscreen, only to see a cat flee the room after knocking over a picture frame. Seconds later, a monster with More Teeth Than the Osmond Family and Black Eyes of Evil runs out from behind a bookcase toward the player.
- One of the first events in every game involves Hiroshi hearing a strange crash and going to investigate. It's just a broken plate.
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The Oni's Dark Blue color allows you to see it the millisecond it enters the room.
- In the later games, Takeshi, Mika and Takuro have blond, brunette and red hair respectively, while Hiroshi has silver-white hair. Makes it easy to tell them apart.
Conscience Makes You Go Back: In version 1, this happens near the end of the game: Kazuya escapes, but goes back looking for Hiroshi.
Creepy Basement
Cue the Rain: As you move deeper into the manor, you will eventually hear it raining outside.
Curiosity Killed the Cast
Darker and Edgier: Aside from removing the more confusing and misleading puzzles, version 6 amped up the horror elements compared to the previous one, changing the attic from just another location to get puzzle pieces into an Eldritch Location, including the gut-punching Scary Surprise Party scene, and sequentially killing off the other characters one by one.
Driven to Suicide: Takeshi, in version 6. He is extremely sad, and guilt-ridden after convincing everyone to go into the mansion, only for most of them to get eaten, killed, or worse.
Drop in Nemesis
Dwindling Party: In some versions, including 1, 3 and 6.
Early Installment Weirdness: The original version puts more detail into the Excuse Plot with a longer opening sequence. While the main character is still named Hiroshi, he's now a dark-haired underclassman who, along with the silver-haired Kazuya, gets forced to visit the mansion by a gang of four older students. Takuro leads this gang, and the other members include Mika's precursor Megumi, a brown-haired Takeshi counterpart, and a gray-haired boy who would eventually become Hiroshi in later versions. There are no character portraits.
- The oni suffers heavily from Artificial Stupidity in the original game, having a harder time navigating around obstacles. By the same token, certain objects can be walked right through.
Easter Egg: In the later versions, these can be accessed by entering different codes for Hiroshi's name.
Extreme Omnivore: The monster can devour a rope ladder without blinking an eye.
Fan Sequel: The fangame Ao Oni S is specifically set after version 5's ending.
- There's also Siro Oni, Hakkyo Oni, Heta Oni, and Crom Oni, each with, respectively, a Two Headed Oni, a Bleeding Screamer Oni, a sort of Alien-like Oni, and a Red Oni.
Four Is Death: In most versions, it's a group of four students who enter the manor.
A Friend in Need: Most strongly seen in the first version, where Hiroshi is constantly searching for his friend Kazuya, and Kazuya ultimately saves him in the end.
Gang of Bullies: Takuro and his friends act like this in version 1.
Gory Discretion Shot: Used in conjunction with Shadow Discretion Shot for one death: after seeing a shadow pass by a screen door, attempting to enter five times will let Hiroshi actually go in, while the 'camera' stays out in the hallway.
Guide Dang It: Some of the puzzles reach Moon Logic levels.
Haunted House
Hello, Insert Name Here: Hiroshi, though only in version 6.20 on.
Hidden in Plain Sight: A LOT of items and puzzles...
Initiation Ceremony: In the original game, Takuro and his gang force Hiroshi and Kazuya to visit the mansion as part of one of these.
It's All My Fault: Takeshi blames himself for convincing the others to visit the mansion in the first place.
Jump Scare: The cutscene when you're trapped in the jail could count. But if you really want a Jump Scare, hide in a closet with the monster in the room. At the end of the game, you get one of these with a horrifying sound to boot.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: The monster will, at times, use the text boxes to its advantage. In version 6, not even the status screen is safe!
- The South Park spoof lampshades this when Takeshi screams at you for talking to him, because he knows the Ao Oni's been using the text boxes to pop up behind its victims.
Let's Split Up, Gang!: While splitting up in the first place is involuntary, when Hiroshi actually finds his friends, they rarely agree to sticking together.
Lovable Coward: Takeshi and Mika, but mostly Takeshi. He is found hiding in wardrobes twice throughout the whole game, and is the only person having doubts about going to the mansion in the first place.
- The original version has Kazuya, who's simply terrified at being dragged to the mansion by Takuro and his bullies.
Megane: Hiroshi.
Monster Vision: Appears in some games; apparently, the oni sees in Predator-style.
Morphic Resonance: In Version 6, After your friends die, they turn into monsters that look exactly like the original monster except they retain the hair and hairstyle they had as humans.
Nothing Is Scarier: In version 6, there's no music except for when a monster appears, which is a repeating Scare Chord. Also, at some points the player has to hide in an empty wardrobe in the bedrooms; the screen goes black and the music is silenced. The only thing you can hear is the door opening when the monster enters to find you, then the door closing once it leaves. Even worse, in some cases, the monster will appear in the room just before you enter the wardrobe, thus causing a Game Over.
Off with His Head: Takuro dies this way in version 3.0, via surprise head chomp.
Once an Episode: Every version of the game is different, but a few things happen in all of them.
Ordinary Middle School Student
Plotline Death: If someone's gonna die, it's usually gonna be like this.
Retraux: The game is frequently noted for its similarity to the original Clock Tower.
Room Full of Crazy: In 6. It doesn't appear until you hide in the cupboard there, however.
Scare Chord: the music played when chased.
Scary Surprise Party: In early versions, this trope is cruelly subverted. The hero, Hiroshi, is suddenly attacked by the monster that has been chasing him and murdering all his friends, only for the Oni's head to pop off, revealing that it was a guy in a suit all along and that the whole ordeal was just a setup for a surprise birthday party. Pity that this turns out to be just a dream, and his friends really are dead.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After finding the hanging rope ladder, your hero can potentially pull this, leading to a Bad Ending.
Silliness Switch: If you enter "SOUTHPARK" as your name, the character sprites are drawn in South Park style and the dialogue is changed to incorporate catchphrases from the show. "Oh my god, they killed Mika! You bastard!"
The Smurfette Principle: Only one girl ever enters the mansion, whether it's Mika or Megumi.
Sole Survivor: Hiroshi can end up as this.
Stealth Hi Bye: The monster is good at this. Especially when it's got text boxes to hide behind.
Surprise Creepy
Surreal Horror
This Is No Time to Panic: In 3, Takuro chastizes Takeshi and Mika for arguing and tells them this.
Timed Mission: Most encounters with the monster involve running away while a hidden timer counts down. Entering TIMER as Hiroshi's name enables the player to see this clock.
Twisted Ankle: Takuro, in version 6. He hides in a closet, and gives you an important item, later on, you will come to collect him, but the monster ate the rope ladder you need to escape, and chases you and Takuro, he trips over and is eaten/killed/whatever you call it...
Was Once a Man: In version 6, your friends come back as monsters after they are killed off one by one. You can tell them apart from the original monster by their hairstyles.