Gaiden Game: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

A game which takes place in or refers to another video game, but isn't really a sequel. It can be a simple side story, a [[Perspective Flip]], or a chance to [[A Day in the Limelight|give a liked character background they didn't get in the original game]]. The major stipulation is it is not usually ''required'' to canonically fit into the "main" game or require having played it to enjoy.

 

Not to be confused with ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]'', which has a troubled approach with its ''gaiden'' status. See the respective entry below.

 

 

{{examples}}

* There's a couple in the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series. ''[[Tails Adventure]]'' springs to mind. In the Japanese manual its said to take place before Tails' fateful meeting with [[Heterosexual Life Partners|his iconic partner in crime fighting]]. In the Western version it's treated as a [[Busman's Holiday]] but in both, its still Tails's [[A Day in the Limelight|day in the limelight.]]

** As do the ''[[Sonic Storybook Series]]'' and ''[[Sonic Battle]]''.

** Even before ''X-2'', the developers weren't sure if ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'' would be considered part of the main franchise due to how much is deviated from ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' and ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]''; it was less than a year before release that Square officially called it ''IX''.

* The recent spinoff games to the ''VII'' universe could be considered '''Gaiden Games''', including the [[PlayStation 2]] sequel ''[[Dirge of Cerberus]]'', and two prequels, ''[[Before Crisis]]'' for mobile phones and ''[[Crisis Core]]'' on the PSP. Fans are divided how much material has been stapled on as a cash grab and how much was simply cut for time.

** ''Portable Ops'' is unique in that while you don't have to play it to understand the story of ''Metal Gear'', its makes it easer to understand the story as the ending reveals how The Patriots where created, and fills in how the Philosophers became the Patriots. {{spoiler|They didn't.}}

* ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'':

* ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' had an action-RPG, ''An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire'', and an action-adventure, ''The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard'' (another Elder Scrolls Adventures, ''The Eye of Argonia'', was planned but never made, though the Eye itself is mentioned in the main games). (Those who don't know this often erroneously assume that it's a reference to ''[[The Eye of Argon]]''.) There's also the ''Elder Scrolls Travels'' side-series, consisting of ''Dawnstar,'' ''Stormhold,'' and the totally not canon ''Shadowkey,'' for the ill-fated N-Gage system.

* ''[[Gradius]] Gaiden'', the only ''Gradius'' title that allows the player to rearrange the power meter, and the second non-''[[Parodius]]'' game to have multiple selectable ships (the MSX title ''Nemesis 3'' being the first). And for that matter, the MSX version of ''Salamander'', and MSX exclusives ''Nemesis 2'' and ''3''. The MSX ''Salamander'' plays more like a ''Gradius'' title, and has several new features such as a powerup that temporarily stops the screen scrolling. ''Nemesis 2'' is an original title with the ability to fly into about-to-be-destroyed boss ships and obtain new powerups such as an upward-firing laser, at the cost of having a longer power meter. ''Nemesis 3'' is a retelling of the more mainstram ''Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou'' with ''Nemesis 2''-style gameplay. Also, the ''Salamander'' series is a gaiden series to ''Gradius''.

** [[Dawn of War]] was originally supposed to be this, creating an all-new [[Space Marine]] chapter, the Blood Ravens, to avoid stepping on continuity's toes. The fans liked them so much Games Wrokshop [[Ascended Fanon|went ahead and canonized them, the games, and the events therein.]]

* [[Soul Calibur]] 2's Weapon Master Mode appears to be a gaiden storyline: Weapon Master Mode takes place...somewhere other than Europe and Asia. Also, none of the Soul Calibur characters appear in Weapon Master Mode; the characters in Weapon Master Mode use the Soul Calibur fighters as "avatars", i.e. you're not actually fighting Mitsurugi, you're fighting some guy named Edgar. {{spoiler|Although there is a Lizardman named Calcos, aka Aeon Calcos who was transformed into Lizardman in the first Soul Calibur.}} [[Mind Screw|Boy is this complicated.]]

* ''[[Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden]]'': A spinoff RPG from the original sports game Barkley: Shut up and Jam! There's also that ''[[Space Jam]]'' is also part of the game's canon.

* ''[[R-Type]] Leo'' has gameplay significant from a "real" ''R-Type'' game. Instead of a Force Pod, you had two smaller pods that provided additional firepower and had a homing charge attack, and the plot takes place before any other games in the series. The obscure ''Armed Police Unit Gallop'' is also a Gaiden Game.

* ''[[Halo]] Wars'' is a real-time-strategy spin-off/prequel to the main series. [[Halo]] has another gaiden game of sorts in its expansion pack ''Halo 3: ODST''. Despite that 3 in the title, it actually takes place during/just after Halo 2, and involves some new characters.

* ''[[Devil May Cry]] 2'' is a two-disc set. The second disk, which you may think will extend the story, doesn't. It fits this trope by giving you a gaiden game in form of Lucia, letting you play as her for the parts of the story where she wasn't interacting with Dante. It makes little enough sense what she's doing that it could easily be considered a wholly different game played in the DMC format.

** To clarify, Project Titan was a PSX-only sequel starring Richard Miller. It most definitely took place after 1 (note Wild Dog's mechanical arm); how long is uncertain. It doesn't affect anything that happens afterward, so it's no surprise you don't hear about it. Crisis Zone and Razing Storm are unrelated games which use the [[TC 2]]-and-later engine.

* ''[[Darius]]'' has its own gaiden game in the form of ''Syvalion''. You even have a Silver Hawk fly along side you in one stage and the metal dragon cameos in ''Darius Burst''.

* Every ''[[Grand Theft Auto]]'' game from GTA III to San Andreas was a Gaiden Game; they all took place in the same universe and had some recurring characters, but took place in three different decades (the Stories games took place a few years before Vice City and III) and locations. Other than a few characters who appear in multiple games, the storylines are completely unrelated and don't affect one another. [[Grand Theft Auto IV]] totally remakes the universe with a brand new Liberty City, though Vice City and San Andreas are confirmed to exist. How they've been redone is unknown, but will probably be seen in future sequels.

** Not only that, but Drakengard's joke ending becomes ''[[Serious Business]]'' for Nier. {{spoiler|Caim, Angelus, and their quarry brought magic into the real world... and magical diseases like [[Depopulation Bomb|White Chlorination Syndrome]] [[Apocalypse How|against which a world without magic had no defense]]...}}

* ''[[Valkyria Chronicles III]]'' is a Gaiden Game to the original ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]''. It takes place during the same time frame from the perspective of a different unit in the same army as the original game's protagonists.

* The ''[[Gundam]]'' anime franchise has quite a few Gaiden Games, most of which are spinoffs of [[Mobile Suit Gundam|the original series]] and depict events that take place at the same time as White Base's adventures but in different parts of the world. The best-known of these include ''Rise from the Ashes'' (set in Australia), ''Blue Destiny'' (set in North America), and more recently ''Gundam 0081'' (which takes place between the original series and ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory]]''). Some other games shift between this and a full-on [[Licensed Game]] - ''Zeonic Front'' and ''[[Gundam vs. Series|Federation vs. Zeon]]'' on [[PlayStation 2]] alternate between missions totally separated from the events of the anime and missions that put you right in the middle of major battles from the anime.

* ''Shift Freedom'', which has the same mechanic as the main ''[[Shift]]'' series, but does not appear to be part of that story.

* The second [[Expansion Pack]] for ''[[First Encounter Assault Recon]]'' is this for both the original game and its first expansion pack, starting within the last hour or so of the original game and ending before the first expansion does.

* ''[[Colony Wars]]: Red Sun'' feels like this in comparison to its two predescesors. The main character is a neutral bounty hunter with no ties to either of the main factions, it takes place concurently with ''Vengeance'' rather than after it and the League/Navy conflict is mostly in the background, with most of the missions instead involving feuds between newly-introduced factions and the protagonist investigating an outside threat.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Videogame Culture]]