Bit.Trip: Difference between revisions
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[[File:BitTrip.jpg|frame|"I AM ONLY A MAN."]]
{{quote|I command destiny.
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{{quote|"It's a basic story. Life and death. It's the story of a human's life. You are nothing--or are you? And then you are, and then what do you do with your life? And then it ends. No one really knows before you're born and then you die. People have beliefs but nobody really knows."|'''Alex Neuse'''}}
Alright, let's put this [["Not Making This Up" Disclaimer|as straight as possible]]: you are playing [[Atari 2600]] games [[What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?|while high on acid]]. While listening to [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] music. Nothing could be [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|more awesome]].
''
* ''
* ''
* ''
* ''
* ''
* The sixth and final game
A pair of [[Compilation Rerelease
The initial hype for these games came from an online [[Viral Marketing]] campaign, encouraging users to try and decode hidden messages from a mysterious "CommanderVideo" entity. CommanderVideo is portrayed in the game's story cutscenes as a box/astronaut/television-like creature, and the story follows his adventures through space as he matures, assembles a [[Five-Man Band]], and beats up a gear robot to... uh... well, [[Mind Screw|nobody's really too sure]]. The series does have a plot, but it's entirely based on [[All There in the Manual]] (which ''
The games are critically acclaimed for their nostalgic retro quality, brutal but addictive difficulty, and [[Crowning Music of Awesome|kickass soundtracks]] that [[Variable Mix|build themselves as the levels progress]].
----
{{tropelist}}
* [[100% Completion]]:
** It's a little known fact that hitting ''all'' the beats in a single song will get you acknowledgment at the score screen. Though, it's no surprise not many people have seen it.
** ''Bit.Trip Complete'' has a hundred and twenty Challenges (twenty in each game) to play through. It also has plenty of unlockables... of which the Songs require you to get Perfects.
* [[All There in the Manual]]: ''Confirming'' most of a certain WMG.
* [[Alternate Reality Game]]: The PC version of ''
* [[Arch Enemy]]/[[Big Bad]]: Mingrawn Timbletot.
* [[Arc Words]]: "I am only a man"
* [[Art Shift]]: ''
* [[Ascended Glitch]]: In ''
* [[Back for the Finale]]: ''Bit.Trip Flux'' has many gameplay elements from all five of the previous games:
** From ''Bit.Trip Beat'': the core gameplay.
** From ''
** From ''Bit.Trip Void'': the inclusion of checkpoints and Beats that harm you if you try to repel them.
** From ''
** From ''
* [[Bonus Stage]]: Collecting all pieces gold in a stage in ''Bit.Trip Runner'' will activate one at the end of said stage.
* [[Book Ends]]:
** The first and last games of the series, ''Bit.Trip Beat'' and ''Bit.Trip Flux'' respectively, have identical controls, but on opposite ends of the screen.
** {{spoiler|The last background image seen in ''Bit.Trip Flux'' is the giant blue ball that represents a heartbeat at the very beginning of ''Bit.Trip Beat''. The comet from said song also makes an appearance as it flies back to the blue ball}}.
** Every song in ''Bit.Trip Flux'' is based upon Transition, the first song in ''Bit.Trip Beat'', in some way. The opening theme is based upon Growth, the third song in ''Bit.Trip Beat'', as well as "Move to Intercept", the menu theme of that game (made by the same guy).
* [[Boss Dissonance]]: It varies by game.
** ''
** ''
** ''
** ''
** ''
* [[Bullet Hell]]: ''
* [[Call Back]]: In the background of ''Bit.Trip Flux'' are the level names and other statements from previous games in the series, representing {{spoiler|1=CommanderVideo reflecting on his experiences}}.
** [[Call Forward]]: Some of the names are those of later stages in ''Bit.Trip Flux'', possibly to reinforce the non-linearity of time in the ethereal.
* [[Character Development]]: CommanderVideo throughout the series.
* [[Chekhov's Gunman]]: In ''
* [[Co-Op Multiplayer]]: With four players in ''Bit.Trip Beat'' and ''Bit.Trip Void'', and two players in ''Bit.Trip Core'', ''Bit.Trip Fate'' and ''Bit.Trip Flux''. ''Bit.Trip Beat'', ''Bit.Trip Core'', ''Bit.Trip Void'' and ''Bit.Trip Flux'' are all individual-style, while ''Bit.Trip Fate'' is assistant-style. Averted in ''Bit.Trip Runner'' for storyline reasons and averted completely in ''Bit.Trip Saga'', likely out of space concerns.
* [[Color-Coded Multiplayer]]: Played straight in ''
* [[Color Coded for Your Convenience]]: Conspicuously averted in ''Bit.Trip Flux'', in which every beat is the same color, including the ones that bounce back and must be hit again an instant later.
* [[Cosmetic Award]]: The "PERFECT!" acknowledgment on the scoreboard. This does extend to real life as getting the elusive title gives you [https://web.archive.org/web/20130927204956/http://commandervideo.com/perfects.html name recognition on the official site].
* [[Crapsack World]]: Triumph in ''Bit.Trip Runner'', and all of ''Bit.Trip Fate''.
* [[Crossover]]: [[Meat Boy]] and [[Robotube Games|Mr. Robotube]].
* [[Darker and Edgier]]: ''
* [[Difficulty Levels]]: The [[IOS Games]], PC and ''
* [[Distaff Counterpart]]: CommanderVideo gets one in ''
* [[Downer Ending]]:
*
**
* [[Downloadable Content]]: The iOS version of ''Bit.Trip Beat'' currently has a level pack based on ''Bit.Trip Void''.
* [[Dropped a Bridge on Him]]: In the first cutscene of ''Bit.Trip Fate'' alone, {{spoiler|Radbot apparently stops working altogether, and his head splits apart, revealing Mr. Robotube}}.
* [[Easter Egg]]:
** There's actually a [[Game Over]] in ''Bit.Trip Runner'', though it requires a completely [[Epic Fail]] on your part.
** You can play random notes in all the games by pressing a button that isn't used for any purpose in that game.
* [[Easy Mode Mockery]]: In ''
* [[The End of the Beginning]]: Level 1-10 of ''Bit.Trip Runner''.
* [[Everything's Better with
* [[Everything's Better with Sparkles]]: As you Mode Up in ''Bit.Trip Runner'', CommanderVideo will leave behind a trail of sparkles, which eventually becomes his distinctive rainbow trail.
* [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]: It's like an acid trip. And, somewhere, bits are involved. Made even more hilarious in ''
* [[Fade to White]]: At the end of ''
* [[Final Exam Boss]]: ''
* [[Five-Man Band]]: [[The Stinger]] in ''
* [[Flash of Pain]]: The enemies in ''
* [[Foreshadowing]]: {{spoiler|1=The explanatory letters in
* [[Get Back Here Boss]]: The final boss of ''RUNNER''.
* [[Goomba Stomp]]: {{spoiler|1=How CommanderVideo defeats the final boss in ''
* [[Hard Mode Perks]]: In ''
* [[He Who Fights Monsters]]
* [[Hitbox Dissonance]]: In ''
* [[Homage]]:
** The boss of each song simulates an old [[Atari 2600]] or Arcade game. ''
** Each stage in ''
* [[The Homeward Journey]]: The premise of ''
* [[Idiosyncratic Combo Levels]]: The music in each game changes slightly depending on combo, in addition to the names of the extra modes, which trigger in sequence based on some level of combo. NETHER is the lowest, HYPER is normal, then MEGA, SUPER, ULTRA, EXTRA, GIGA and META, with SUPER onwards being added in each subsequent game.
* [[Interface Screw]]:
** The trippy background images and particle effects are enough to distract you from the field of play. [[Classic Video Game "Screw You"s|This is completely intentional]].
** Don't forget the "Challenge" portions of ''Bit.Trip Beat'', ''Bit.Trip Core'', ''Bit.Trip Void'' and ''Bit.Trip Flux'', where your paddle is shrunk down to half-size, your Control Stick is reversed, or you have to ''rotate the actual controller 90 degrees around the Control Pad to match what's onscreen''.
* [[Interquel]]: Gaijin Games have [https://twitter.com/#!/GaijinGames/status/123913099551064064 stated on Twitter] that ''Bit.Trip Runner 2'' will take place between ''Bit.Trip Runner'' and ''Bit.Trip Fate''.
* [[Large Ham]]: CommanderVideo himself. Just listen to [http://www.gaijingames.com/?p=730 his haiku readings].
** Listen closely in ''
{{quote|NETHER. HYPER. MEGA! SUPER! ULTRA! EXTRA!! GIGA!!!}}
* [[Leitmotif]]:
** An identical-sounding heartbeat-like bass track is present in many of the series' songs, including Transition, Control, Id and nearly everything in ''Bit.Trip Runner''.
** CommanderVideo has a theme song that plays in the first world of ''Bit.Trip Runner'', {{spoiler|the end of ''Bit.Trip Fate'' and the final level of ''Bit.Trip Flux''}}. The distinctive first four notes play in varying orders in the first level of ''Bit.Trip Beat'' and {{spoiler|in the first cutscene of ''Bit.Trip Flux''. All of ''Bit.Trip Flux'''s level songs are based around ''Bit.Trip Beat'''s first level's music. On ''Bit.Trip Flux'''s full soundtrack, the notes play in the correct order one last time at the very, very end}}.
* [[Love At First Sight]]: CommanderVideo and CommandgirlVideo.
* [[Lying Creator]]: In regards to ''
* [[Mind Screw]]: The ''whole freaking thing''. The first game's story is about CommanderVideo flying through space, exploring the inside of a planet, and then... uh... building a brain out of voxels. The second game is about CommanderVideo meeting other people, exploring a city with them, and then acquiring independence from them. The third game had CommanderVideo [[Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever|growing in size]] and harassing the populace until they combine themselves into an even bigger giant, at which point the Commander is intimidated down to size and [[Defeat Means Friendship|decides to make amends with the others]]. What does it all mean? Your guess is as good as mine.
** Fortunately, starting with ''
** While ''
* [[Mind Screwdriver]]: The readme files for the soundtracks have some interesting hints: that ''
** Alex Neuse, the game's creator, has confirmed that Commander Video's story is about the development of human life.
* [[Musical Gameplay]]:
** Hitting the Beats (or doing successful actions in ''Bit.Trip Runner'' or downing enemies in ''Bit.Trip Fate'') makes beeping noises that contributes to the music.
** In ''Bit.Trip Beat'' and ''Bit.Trip Flux'', stereo is utilized by playing one blip on your paddle's side when it hits, then another on the other side when it goes off-screen.
* [[Musical Nod]]: "Transition" from ''Bit.Trip Beat'' briefly plays during the opening to ''Bit.Trip Runner'''s "Triumph" stage. A bit from the "Concept" cutscene from ''Bit.Trip Beat'' also plays in the cutscene after "Triumph".
* [[Nintendo Hard]]:
** There's a very good reason why they go through the trouble of including everyone who's ever gotten a "PERFECT!" on a stage on their website.
** Of all of them, ''
** Hmm, would ''Atari'' Hard count?
** [[Breather Level|Breather Game]]: ''Bit.Trip Void'' and ''Bit.Trip Flux'' are noticeably easier than other games. ''Bit.Trip Runner'' and ''Bit.Trip Beat'' are about the middle of the road.
* [[One-Hit-Point Wonder]]:
** Subverted in ''Bit.Trip Runner'', where CommanderVideo can only take one hit, but is merely sent to the beginning of the stage.
** Unless you miss the final spring in the last level, after which you get to watch the Commander twitch on the ground until the [[Game Over]] screen pops up.
* [[Pixel Hunt]]:
** Happens often with Beats due to the [[Interface Screw]]. And you only have about half a second to catch sight of that little thing anyways.
** Possibly made worse in ''Bit.Trip Flux'' since every single beat is the same color: white (however, given that the background gets increasingly bright and colorful with each Mode, this can become a bit of a mercy). They ''do'' have a faint colored glow around each one, but good luck seeing which one's which.
* [[Playing Tennis With the Boss]]: The final boss of ''Bit.Trip Beat'', and the first boss of ''Bit.Trip Flux''.
** The final boss of ''Bit.Trip Flux'' {{spoiler|has you playing tennis with a full-screen enemy paddle... or, arguably, fighting ''yourself'' as the final boss}}.
* [[Power of Love]]: The Commander and his team believe this fighting Mingrawn Timbletot. {{spoiler|During ''Bit.Trip Fate'', the Commander abandons his ideals and kills both himself and Mingrawn Timbletot in a rage}}.
* [[Product Placement]]: NULLSLEEP's logo appears as part of Super-Ego's beat pattern in ''Bit.Trip Void'', accompanied by the word NULLSLEEP passing by in the background.
* [[Punctuated! For! Emphasis!]]:
**
** Also, Mingrawn Timbletot caps off ''Bit.Trip Runner'' by darkly declaring, "You... are... not... a... ''man!''".
* [[Rail Shooter]]: Literally in ''Bit.Trip Fate'': CommanderVideo is on a rail, and you control both him and a crosshair.
* [[Ray Gun]]: Most prominently in ''Bit.Trip Fate'', coming in many forms depending on what wingmate powerup you have and your Mode; (though not with sound effects or (except in a [[Frickin' Laser Beams|few cases]]) traditional "laser weapon" looks) the enemies use this as well. [[Bullet Hell|Gratuitously]].
* [[Recurring Boss]]: Mingrawn Timbletot in ''Bit.Trip Runner'' and ''Bit.Trip Fate''. {{spoiler|The Commander kills him in a [[Suicide Attack]]}}.
* [[Retraux]]
* [[Rhythm Game]]: The games' genre is filed under "Retro Rhythm Action".
* [[Robot Buddy]]: Radbot and Mr. Robotube both.
* [[Roof Hopping]]: Present in ''Bit.Trip Runner''. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110116083645/http://bitmob.com/articles/origin-stories-bittrip-runner According to this review], this was going to be the entirety of "Triumph", but the guys at Gaijin discovered [[Canabalt]] and relocated most of the action to the streets of the [[Capital City]], only hitting the roofs at the very last level.
* [[Rule of Three]]: There are three songs in each game: ''Bit.Trip Beat'' had "Transition", "Descent" and "Growth"; ''Bit.Trip Core'' had "Discovery", "Exploration" and "Control"; ''Bit.Trip Void'' had "Id", "Ego" and "Super-Ego"; ''Bit.Trip Runner'' had "Impetus", "Tenacity" and "Triumph"; ''Bit.Trip Fate'' has [[This Is Gonna Suck|"Patience", "Frustration" and "Anger"]]; and ''Bit.Trip Flux'' had "Epiphany", "Perception" and "Catharsis".
* [[Running Gag]]: [http://www.vimeo.com/2576444 "I am only a man!"] seems to be this. Seen in Triumph are posters with cats that read "I am only a cat."
** "I AM ONLY A CAT!" is actually available as fan-made merchandise.
** From the PotatoFoolsDay level "<test>":
{{quote|{{spoiler|[[Portal (series)|GLaDos]]}}: "You are only human."}}
* [[Scare Chord]]: While you are playing the first two levels in ''
* [[Schizophrenic Difficulty]]: Granted you play multiple times, some parts will become simple, while others will screw you up every damn time. For specific examples of levels, see the [[Breather Level]] and [[That One Level]] examples in the YMMV page.
* [[Scoring Points]]: One of the taglines for ''
* [[Sequel Difficulty Spike]]: Thoroughly averted. They're ''all'' hard.
* [[Sequel Escalation]]: Each game so far adds a new Mode to Mode Up into. Nether, Hyper, and Mega Modes were the first ones featured in ''
* [[Sequel Hook]]:
*
** The floating bricks and the flapping birds/bats in the background near the end of ''Bit.Trip Void'' also hold significance to both ''Bit.Trip Runner'' and ''Bit.Trip Fate'' (they're similar to the flies around the garbage seen in Triumph for ''Bit.Trip Runner'').
** The fourth game had the [[Five-Man Band]] shown in [[The Stinger]] confronting an angry Mingrawn Timbletot, who flies away screaming "YOU ARE NOT A MAN!".
** And the fifth game has CommanderVideo becoming a spirit and rising up offscreen, ready to [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence]] and begin [[The Homeward Journey]]. No dialogue here, unlike the others.
** The sixth game has
* {{spoiler|[[Sheathe Your Sword]]: In an incredibly meta example, ''
* [[Shout-Out]]: The [[wikipedia:Arecibo message|Arecibo message]] makes an appearance in the first level in ''
** The game is chock-full of video game references.
** ''
** ''
** ''
** ''
** CommanderVideo's form in the cutscenes of ''
* [[Silent Credits]]: ''
* [[Some Dexterity Required]]: While the controls are simple enough, the ''things the game makes you do with them'' can only be described as combos from hell. Add to that the fact that ''
* [[Special Guest]]: Each game has a chiptune artist that provides the menu and credits songs. Both ''
* [[Spin-Off]]: ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20120709173456/http://robotubegames.com/bittonik-blip-fest-09-gaijinrobotube-battle-brands BIT.TONIK]'', a collaboration between Gaijin Games and Robotube Games, made in a single day during Blip Fest 2009 in what was called the "[https://web.archive.org/web/20111108154545/http://www.gaijingames.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/blipfestflyer.jpg BATTLE OF THE BRANDS]". The gameplay is essentially a crossover of ''Bit.Trip Beat'' and ''[[Bloktonik]]''. The [[Obvious Beta]] version available is what they managed to get done in a single day. ''Bit.Trip Runner 2: The Future Legend of Rhythm Alien'' is one for ''Bit.Trip Runner'', and [[Art Shift|is being designed in a radically different style]].
* [[Springs Springs Everywhere]]: In ''Bit.Trip Runner''.
* [[Sprite Polygon Mix]]: The playing field is simple 2D, the backgrounds are all 3D environments (except for ''Bit.Trip Void'', but its cutscenes still feature them) Averted in ''Bit.Trip Runner'''s Retro Stages, which are solely 2D.
* {{spoiler|[[Suicide Attack]]}}: CommaderVideo's [[Finishing Move]] on the Mingrawn Timbletot in ''Bit.Trip Fate''.
** {{spoiler|[[Taking You with Me]]}}
** {{spoiler|[[The Hero Dies]]: CommandergirlVideo cries for you}}.
* [[Tertiary Sexual Characteristics]]: CommandgirlVideo.
* [[Theme Naming]]: Every game name except ''
* [[Tonight Someone Dies]]: ''
* [[Unexpected Gameplay Change]]: ''Bit.Trip Beat'' has you playing a game of ''[[Breakout]]'' for one boss and an ''authentic game of [[Pong]]'' for another, at which points the rhythm aspect of the game would be completely set aside. Though if you listen closely, the bouncing of the ball from the walls and paddles does kinda follow the rhythm.
* [[Variable Mix]]:
** The music gets a techno beat if you're in "Mega" mode (and above). If you go down to "Nether" mode, the music is turned off completely.
** In games after ''Bit.Trip Beat'', "Nether" has a metronome to help you out.
** In ''Bit.Trip Flux'', the music doesn't change, but instead the instrument used when Beats hit the paddle and leave the screen change... all the way up to a ''violin'' in Meta mode.
* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20130926092706/http://www.bittripgame.com/bittrip-beat.html The website] [https://web.archive.org/web/20130815015554/http://bittripgame.com/bittrip-core.html takes this] [https://web.archive.org/web/20110623222706/http://www.bittripgame.com/bittrip-void.html trope and] [https://web.archive.org/web/20130927184120/http://www.bittripgame.com/bittrip-runner.html runs] [https://web.archive.org/web/20130815014153/http://bittripgame.com/bittrip-fate.html with it]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110210102656/http://www.bittripgame.com/bittrip-flux.html The whole way].
* {{spoiler|[[A Winner Is You]]}}: At the end of ''Bit.Trip Flux'', you are presented with {{spoiler|a GAME OVER screen}}. It is, by far, the best parody of the trope.
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