All The Tropes

Oracle of Tao: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

Oracle of Tao (view source)

Revision as of 12:12, 25 January 2014

39 bytes removed ,  10 years ago
m
Mass update links
VisualWikitext
m (Mass update links)
m (Mass update links)
Line 3:
 
 
An amateur [[RPG Maker]] game posted on [http://www.rpgrevolution.com/game/oracle-of-tao_1445.html Rpgrevolution.com]. The basic premise involves a spunky, tomboyish beggar girl, who is called on a [[Mission From God]] to save the world by restoring balance... or something. Also, an evil demon is threatening the world and needs to be stopped. Along the way she meets [[Five -Token Band|an assorted group of characters]] starting with her potential love interest, an [[Wholesome Crossdresser|effeminate]] swordsman. Beyond the initial story however, there are numerous side tales that can be gleaned from romantic sidequests, and some random [[Black Comedy|dark humor]] by exploring the world. Not to mention some hints about the nature of the hero herself, and the nature of the world.
 
----
Line 23:
* [[The Chain of Harm]]. Trope namer.
* [[Literal Strawman]].
* [[Mune Shinri (Literature)|Mune Shinri]]: The book of the main "religion" ([[Cough -Snark -Cough|cough*cult*cough]] ) of this [[Religious Edutainment]]. Obviously, it's not mentioned anywhere before (or likely to appear elsewhere).
 
=== This game contains examples of: ===
Line 85:
* [[Bonus Boss]]: [[Expy|Zakum]] from [[Maple Story]].
* [[Bottomless Magazines]]: Averted after an update. A long bow now uses up arrows from the inventory, unequipping your last arrow and getting rid of it when you fire the last one (small glitch of being able to unequip the last, makes 10 arrows really only give 9 shots).
* [[Break -Up Bonfire]]: Averted. She keeps his personal items, like his diary.
* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: Ambrosia herself, in a moment of doubt (she later is talked into "realizing" she's real again).
{{quote| I'm not real! I'm [[Medium Awareness|just a video game character]]! }}
Line 126:
* [[Difficult but Awesome]]: Aqorm's mechanics. She basically is a weaked-down fighter with stealing ability and a [[Wild Magic|geomancy]] effect. To use her to her full effect requires gaining loads of money, and then charging her to her limit break. Since her limit break basically spends money to deal damage, and the more she has the more damage (but also the more she spends). Then there's the fact that she can take apart mechs [[Final Fantasy X|Riku-style]].
* [[Dismantled MacGuffin]]:
** In order to become the [[Title Drop|Oracle of Tao]], Ambrosia has to collect a series of scattered tattoos by realizing [[An Aesop|some profound truth]] from various [[Hermit Guru|wise people]] (sort of a [[Shout -Out]] to [[The Lost Years of Merlin|The Seven Songs of Merlin]]).
** Also, another version of this is going on in the villains' case, since the [[Big Bad]] is sealed inside a giant pot, and [[Thirteen Is Unlucky|thirteen]] gems are needed to unseal the spell.
* [[Divine Date]]: Nevras finds out Ambrosia is {{spoiler|God}}, and shortly thereafter asks her on a date.
Line 132:
* [[Double Consciousness]]: Ambrosia has this. As does Anideshi, due to her Sage trance ability.
* [[Downtime Downgrade]]: Averted. During the downtime, not only do they not break up, but Ambrosia actually has a child.
* [[Dragons Up the Yin -Yang]]: Lots of both, including a few Eastern dragons.
* [[Dramatic Shattering]]: It's not actually glass that's breaking... {{spoiler|Ambrosia has an existential crisis, and the image on the screen is herself shattering into a million pieces, before she [[Cessation of Existence|ceases to exist.]] She gets better, though.}}
* [[Dual Boss]]: Sera and Phim.
Line 155:
* [[Fake Balance]]:
** The battle balance is a little... weird. {{spoiler|Attacks in the early game barely hurt enemies, but then after the tenth epic weapon, and after beating enemies with magic, it's not really so.}} [[For Massive Damage]] is also a big part of this.
* [[Fantastic Religious Weirdness]]: The world religions are greatly affected by a demonic upheaval that destroys most of the population. Churches, even [[Christianity Is Catholic|Catholic]] ones, are referred to as "revival" churches, which takes on a new meaning entirely, since much of these religions are gone, along with their members. Instead of temples, most people in need of healing or worship, have to seek out wandering old priests. Also, many religions have become their endtimes equivalent (such as [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Miroku |Miroku]] Buddhism, which is mainly composed of itinerant monks). That and the general state of the Earth is such that angels and demons are present in temples.
* [[Female Angel, Male Demon]]: Inverted. Though the male angel has [[Ambiguous Gender]], and the female demon is highly aggressive.
* [[Feminine Women Can Cook]]: Type 3 and 4.
* [[Fertile Feet]]: Ambrosia, after becoming the Oracle, grows massive amounts of some generic weed, most likely [http://www.co.stevens.wa.us/weedboard/other%20weeds/ht1.jpg something called Houndstooth]. Also, in flashbacks ( {{spoiler|since this power was originally hers}} ), she as a kid grew tiny sprouts inside her shadow when she moved.
Line 162:
* [[The Four Gods]]: A group of bosses in game.
* [[Fighting Your Friend]]: Ambrosia fights her former party.
* [[Five -Token Band]]: The party has everything from elves, to angels, and demons.
* [[Freeware Games]]: Duh, the game itself.
* [[Functional Magic]]: Some of the spells fall under various categories...
Line 174:
== G ==
* [[Game Favored Gender]]: In terms of item usage and magic, most of the females have more magic power and versatility. The game has [[Wholesome Crossdresser|an interesting workaround]], though.
** Also averted [[No Periods, Period]]: Uses the [[The Slayers|Lina Inverse rule]] of magic loss during the menstrual cycle. This is a balance to the above advantage for females.
* [[Gameplay and Story Segregation]]:
** Ambrosia's actual powers, and those she gets at the end of the game, are significantly [[Reality Warper|different in scale]] (although she still has one skill that can bypass maximum damage, it's nowhere near her story powers).
Line 186:
* [[Gay Option]] and [[Give Geeks a Chance]] as the other option.
* [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere]]: There are sudden jarring changes from a fantasy setting monsters to robots and the like.
* [[Golden Ending]]: The game has multiple endings, but in order to unlock the best, you need to complete a romance event between the male and female leads, defeat the final boss, and fight the extra final boss forms (this unlocks the [[Playable Epilogue]] which has its own [[Golden Ending]]). {{spoiler|It turns out Ambrosia is really [[God in Human Form|God]], and that her suspicion that [[All Just a Dream|she was dreaming]] is only half right, and that world itself [[Ret -Gone|doesn't exist]]. Ultimately, though, she can cause it to be born, making a [[Double Subversion]] of the notion that she was dreaming. She gets to live in the world with the brand new, [[Real Life]] versions of the characters. There's also an extra ending sequence by killing an [[Bonus Boss|optional]] [[Puzzle Boss|boss]].}}
** Actually no, that's not even the rarest ending. The rarest ending is actually after winning against Cthulhu rather than getting the loss ending, and talking to him, and choosing option 2. See Radar section for more details, as this is deeply hidden in the game.
* [[Go Mad From the Revelation]]: One of the endings has a literal [[Lovecraft Lite|Cthulhu-style ending]] where unspeakable things {{spoiler|[[Department of Redundancy Department|which we won't speak of here]]}} happen to Ambrosia, driving her nuts before the universe is consumed by the Elder Gods.
Line 192:
* [[Good Parents]]: There are several instances of this, listed below.
** When the Ambrosia's and Nevras's child dies in battle, both of them [[Berserk Button|buff up dramatically]], and the [[Limit Break]] fills more easily.
** {{spoiler|Tamashii}} can also not drink any ales or other beverages. And one item, the [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffer_fish:Puffer fish|Puffer Fish]] Sushi, which has a chance of killing party members as often as it heals them (it's nutritious), Ambrosia will forbid her from using because "it's dangerous."
** The two of them also protect her from [[Continuing Is Painful|experience loss due to party death]] by taking it on themselves.
*** That said, Ambrosia is a [[Reality Warper|rather]] [[Sugar and Ice Personality|strange]] [[Mama Bear|mom]].
Line 220:
* [[Homeless Hero]]: Subverted, since over the course of the story, [[Standard Hero Reward|she gains a house]].
** Also [[Humble Hero]], for her general view that [[Ambition Is Evil]] with regard to any rewards for her quest.
* [[Hope Spot]]/[[Despair Event Horizon]]: If you don't have the right party, the characters will still make pretty speeches on [[The Power of Love]]. It'll seem effective for awhile, but... {{spoiler|[[Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies|everyone dies]]}}.
* [[Hot Chick With a Sword]]: Lilith.
** She also counts as a [[Dominatrix]] by her all-black outfit, and [[Whip It Good|choice of weapons]].
Line 263:
* [[Laser Blade]]: The futuristic land of Hotaru has a lightsaber in a chest.
* [[Laser Hallway]]: One of the futuristic towns has this on several floors. The lasers deal damage (it stops damage at 1 hp), and knock the hero back, sometimes into enemies.
* [[Last -Minute Hookup]]: The [[Gay Option]] above, only is completable after the [[Playable Epilogue]].
* [[Lazy Backup]]: [[RPG Maker]] has it designed this way, barring massive coding. Subverted in one bonus castle that actually [[Plot Tailored to The Party|requires teamwork]] from the multiple parties. But still, they won't actually help in battle if your party dies.
* [[Lemony Narrator]]: [[The Hero|Ambrosia]] is also the narrator. She goes on [[Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny|side topics]] about her family or personal history, glossing over what a normal narrator would consider the main story. It somehow manages to avoid [[Protagonist-Centered Morality]], since Ambrosia has no real illusions of her own righteousness. But she talks a great deal about her personal interests in the story at hand (if she's interested in it), her failings in knowledge legends and history, and her overall skepticism in the story's plot.
Line 279:
== M ==
* [[Magitek]]: To a really huge extent. Cellphones run on lightning magic, and emotional connections. [[Swiss Bank Account|Automatic Teller Machines]] run on some sort of magic. One town has an subversion of this, since it is an ancient city of lost technology.
* [[Make -Out Point]]: One of the bars.
* [[Make Up or Break Up]]: The option which happens actually determines your ending.
* [[Marathon Boss]]: This game loves these.
Line 335:
** [[Our Ghouls Are Creepier]]: The idea was based from the movie [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1069228/ Ghouls]. They keep coming back, unless somehow sealed away, and come from another dimension.
** [[Our Mermaids Are Different]]: Everything from merfolk, to water elementals, to sirens.
** [[Our Monsters Are Weird]]: You fight everything from Elder Gods, to robots, to Stonehenge. Super-cute anime style sirens, [[Shout -Out]] enemies, and truly freakish monsters populate the game.
** [[Our Vampires Are Different]]: Vampires are subject to silver and holy effects, and vampire lords can only be killed by destroying their coffin. Vampires protect one of the towns, in exchange for their food. Stakes are never mentioned, and vampires actually like garlic. Vampires are more like some wild beast than true undead, and can probably mate.
** [[Our Zombies Are Different]]: There are three types, conventional (undead), diseased zombies (which can best be killed by wounding their brains), and Thriller zombies ([[Shout -Out]] to [[Michael Jackson]]).
* [[Ouroboros]]: As a boss.
 
Line 354:
* [[Power of the Void]]: Which is usually the ability to slowly [[Cessation of Existence|consume things in nothingness]].
* [[Power Born of Madness]]: A special ending, where {{spoiler|the hero crosses her [[Moral Event Horizon]] by choosing to murder [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|an angel]]. She then decides to become a sort of [[Balance of Good and Evil|moral balance]], since there's too much good (or something), and tries to destroy everything. When they try to stop her, it turns out her madness has given her [[Reality Warper]] powers, not to mention [[Nigh Invulnerability]], so she slaughters the entire party.}}
* [[Pre -Climax Climax]]. Blacked out, but there are sound effects to indicate what's going on.
* [[Psychic Powers]]: {{spoiler|The hero's daughter, Tamashii is [[The Empath]], with some [[Playing With Fire|pyrokinesis]] and [[Empathic Healer|healing powers]].}}
* [[Puzzle Reset]]: Normally, this happens when you exit a dungeon.
 
== Q ==
* [[Quickly -Demoted Woman]]: Inverted. Within 10 minutes of the game, Ambrosia goes from beggar to middle class, possibly with a bank account.
* [[The Quiet One]]: Azrael can be this at times. She rarely speaks, except to note some supernatural or magical event.
 
Line 368:
* [[Reconstruction]]: See the [[Oracle of Tao (Video Game)/Fridge|Fridge Section]] for more details.
* [[Red Mage]]: Elias.
* [[Reference Overdosed]]: There are [[Shout -Out|ShoutOuts]] to several anime, things like [[Journey to The West]], assorted books, and other games. Some of the characters are [[Expy]]-types for this reason.
* [[Reincarnation Romance]]: Anideshi and Azrael.
* [[Religious Edutainment]]: The game is a strange mix of several different religions to teach the author's personal beliefs.
Line 386:
* [[Schrodinger's Cast]]: Ambrosia at one point is unsure whether she's alive or dead. She's given a choice whether she decides she's alive or dead, based on various flashbacks. ''It can go either way.'' The rest of the cast is either alive, or doesn't exist, depending upon {{spoiler|whether Ambrosia decides to create them}}.
* [[Schrodinger's Question]]: {{spoiler|Pretty much the ending options you choose can determine whether the entire universe exists or not. Among other things...}}
** And a [[Shout -Out]] to [[Schrodinger's Butterfly]] in one of the temples. {{spoiler|There is a character, asking the characters who talk to it if it's a butterfly or a person. The answer seems to be [[Answer Cut|implied by what's on the screen]].}} Not to mention the story itself is [[Schrodinger's Butterfly]].
* [[Sealed Evil in A Can]]: Belial has been trappedfor much of his life in an urn. Although, he's only really evil [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy|after being sealed in an urn]].
* [[Self Disposing Villain]]: On a [[Mook]] scale. Some of the lesser creatures, notably [[Our Goblins Are Different|goblins/kobolds]], would rather kill themselves than let you take them alive, and may do so after about 1/2 their life is gone.
Line 426:
** Also many [[Dead Unicorn Trope|DeadUnicornTropes]]. Especially the Cloud [[Expy]], and the [[The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches]].
** [[Troubled Sympathetic Bigot]]: Lilith hates angels. How can you hate angels?!? {{spoiler|She's a demon, so angels kind of hate her.}}
* [[True Final Boss]]: If you qualify for the [[New Game Plus+]], you have to fight a set of [[One-Winged Angel|three new bosses]]. Whereas the original [[Final Boss]] was basically just a [[Damage Sponge Boss]] some of these require real strategy.
* [[Truly Single Parent]]: {{spoiler|God. Has a child with [[Meaningful Name|Manna Leaven]], Ambrosia's mother, but it's later revealed that ''nobody really exists aside from Ambrosia'', so God effectively created a clone.}}
 
Line 441:
* [[Voice Actors]]. According to [[Word of God]], the game is currently being voice casted for a few opening and ending sequences (casting was done on starnow.com):
** Ambrosia, is [http://www.starnow.com/profile/ProfileDetail.aspx?m_id=1813975 Dawn Robertson] [[The Other Darrin|(main game only)]].
** Ambrosia for the [[New Game Plus+]] was originally planned using multiple actors, [[Loads and Loads of Roles|but now all roles]] seem to be done by [http://www.starnow.com/profile/ProfileDetail.aspx?m_id=2143993 Pippa Winslow].
** Bakamaru, Tamashii's boyfriend, is [http://www.starnow.com/profile/ProfileDetail.aspx?m_id=2072936&application_id=8853957 Jim Mcgovern].
** [[Large Ham|Estheriel]], is [[Take a Third Option|neither of the two original candidates]]. Instead, since this was a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]], and [[Narm Charm|a bit of a silly role]], [http://www.starnow.com/profile/ProfileDetail.aspx?m_id=297451 Lesley Sim] was chosen.
** [[Little Miss Almighty|God]], is [http://www.starnow.com/profile/ProfileDetail.aspx?m_id=1521287 Linda Southgate].
** Lilith is voiced by [http://www.starnow.com/profile/ProfileDetail.aspx?m_id=1660438 Meena Rayann].
** [[Cross -Dressing Voices|Nevras]], is [[Man of a Thousand Voices|talented actress]] [http://www.starnow.com/profile/ProfileDetail.aspx?m_id=1871143 Ingrid Elkner]
** Priests are played by [[Relationship Voice Actor|Alan Hooker]] (the author's father).
** [[Dawson Casting|Tamashii]], Ambrosia's {{spoiler|daughter}}, is [http://www.starnow.com/profile/ProfileDetail.aspx?m_id=572191 Ashley M Kalfas]
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/577643"