Crimson Gem Saga: Difference between revisions

 

Killian von Rohcoff is a new [[Knight in Shining Armour|Chevalier]] graduate from Green Hill Academy who is eager to get out into the world and prove himself. He reluctantly teams up with <s> con artist</s> treasure hunter Spinel and the two are soon embroiled in a plot between opposing forces to collect the magical [[MacGuffin|Wicked Stones]], gathering a [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|party of quirky allies]] along the way.

''Crimson Gem Saga'' is in many ways an homage to old-school RPG sensibilities and lovingly [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] many of the genre's tropes along the way.

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* [[Artifact of Doom]]: Gathering the Wicked Stones causes...evil things to happen?

* [[Better Than a Bare Bulb]]: Especially early on, this game hangs a lampshade on everything it can, though it eventually succumbs to the very types of clichés it has been poking fun at.

* [[Corrupt Church]]: Whatever faith the Radiant Crusaders follow, which is never specified, though the Cardinal in charge and those immediately beneath him seem corrupt enough to qualify.

* [[Critical Hit]]...and how! Getting a critical opens the opportunity to land extra hits. One character can land as many as ''seven critical hits in a row'' before his turn ends.

* [[Face Heel Turn]]: {{spoiler|Gelts}}

* [[Fake Difficulty]]: {{spoiler|In the final dungeon, one party member runs off after his own [[MacGuffin]], another falls into a trap, and a third betrays the party, stabbing a fourth. None of this comes with any warning. Only one of them comes back, cutting down your team of six to only three, who have no useful [[Combination Attacks]] between them. And then you have to fight [[Sequential Boss|two bosses back-to-back]].}}

* [[Fetch Quest]]: The general plot of the game is this, but also a series of optional quests given to you by Chevalier trainer Englehyde.

** [[The Hero]]: Killian, who plays it very straight.

** [[The Lancer]]: Ladhuk, whose practicality and coldbloodedness is often at odds with Killian's sense of morals.

* [[Floating Continent]]: The place where Henson's master lives, though it's never actually shown and you only visit in a cutscene.

* [[Game Breaker]]: Very much the Grace of God [[Combination Attack]]. Full party immunity for eight turns! With careful strategy, even the hardest [[Bonus Boss|Bonus Bosses]] can't touch you.

* [[Global Airship]]: Teased, but surprisingly averted for a game with such old-school sensibilities. There's one in the title screen cinematic, but none to be seen in-game.

* [[Gold Fever]]: Given that the very nature of the Wicked Stones is to tempt the hearts of Men, it shouldn't come as a surprise that {{spoiler|two of your party members turn against you at the worst possible moment.}}

* [[Heroic Mime]]: Subverted. Sometimes, you might wish Killian would just shut up.

** Subverted with {{spoiler|the 30,000 Sword, a reward from one of Englehyde's side quests. A supposedly legendary weapon that delivers 30,000 points of damage...but that's only the on-screen damage indicator, as it actually does normal damage based on its stats. Fortunately, its stats are good enough to be the best weapon available for Killian until Act 3.}}

** Upheld with {{spoiler|the Sword of Soonsin, a [[Bonus Dungeon]] reward which is complimented by an Infinity Plus One Armor, that together give Killian a new in-combat sprite.}}

* [[Ms. Fanservice]]: Spinel--a [[Fetish Fuel|dusky-skinned, pink-haired elf in a leather bikini]]. It doesn't hurt that her in-combat sprite has [[Jiggle Physics]].

* [[Nominal Importance]]: Subverted. Every NPC has a unique name and there's a fair amount of variety in their sprites, many of which are animated, like someone repairing a roof. (Of course, it's always [[You All Look Familiar|that same guy]] repairing the roofs in every village.)

* [[The Precursors]]: The [[Big Bad]]'s plot revolves around {{spoiler|resurrecting an ancient elven emperor to destroy the world, despite there being no indication that the guy was even really evil.}}

* [[Preexisting Encounters]]: Enemies can be seen on screen and usually avoided, including some bosses and even certain story events, so you know in advance when you should prepare for the worst. Enemies roaming the map can recognize you and charge in for an ambush, but you can ensure initiative by approaching from behind. A brief period of invincibility after encounters lets you approach another enemy without fear, meaning you can chain together every encounter in the room and never lose initiative.

* [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]]: Killian's party is remarkably dysfunctional, yet unwaveringly loyal {{spoiler|except when it counts.}}

* [[Red Herring]]: Herbert von Guterrian, who is presented as Killian's [[The Rival|rival]] at the start of the game. He's not around for most of it and you never even get to pound his smug face into the ground.

* [[Save Point]]: Averted, you can save anywhere. It's a wonder some other games for mobile platforms haven't figured this out yet.

* [[Saving the World]]: Averted...? It's never really clear what the [[Big Bad]] is planning to do.

* [[Sorting Algorithm of Weapon Effectiveness]]: Not only do the podunk villages at the ass ends of the world sell better gear than settlements and cities that are supposedly on major trade routes, but the prices skyrocket so high that much of the game will be spent grinding more for money than levels. Somewhat justified in that the game is strictly linear, so you have no real choice over where in the world you're going.

* [[Squishy Wizard]]: Henson

* [[Surprisingly Improved Sequel]]: ''Crimson Gem Saga'' is considered a vast improvement over ''Astonishia Story'' in terms of gameplay, graphics, character development and pretty much everything else.

* [[Time Travel]]: {{spoiler|Spinel is the daughter of an ancient elven emperor who sent his daughter into the future for reasons that are entirely unaddressed.}}

* [[Unusually Uninteresting Sight]]: Spinel being an elf--possibly the only one left in the modern world--is never commented upon by anyone.

* [[Villain Forgot to Level Grind]]: {{spoiler|Skeltz and Vampreed, whose first appearances lead to an off-screen [[Curb Stomp Battle]], but are disappointingly easy to kill when they a finally proper bosses.}}

 

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