History VideoGame / BlackMatrix

* BonusBoss: Faust. Be prepared to have characters dropped in one hit.

* OneHundredPercentCompletion: Multiple endings means you'll be playing the game more than once. Thankfully, NewGamePlus makes subsequent playthroughs much faster. ''Black/Matrix II'' clear save files will include a percentage tracker as well as the number of times you've cleared the game. Said game also gives a nice bonus item at the end for use in subsequent playthroughs each time the game is cleared. 32 clears are required to get all of them (16 if you decide to run the BonusBoss each time). Of course, by then, [[BraggingRightsReward you don't really need them]].

* {{Cameo}}: Faust's appearance in ''Black/Matrix 2'' can be considered this. The circus mini-games in ''Black/Matrix 00'' features characters from the earlier two games. Yes, ''B/M 00'' was [[DaddySystem released so late in the [=PS1=]'s life cycle that it has characters that originated from a [=PS2=] game cameo in it]].

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: [[TheHighQueen Jenarose]], back when she was alive, had this among the devils. It's said that even the most foolish of devils in the middle of fighting each other would stop if they heard her request so. Her resurrection is seen as a way to end the in-fighting. Even PsychoKnifeNut Uni, who generally does not use [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics honorifics]], uses ''-sama'' when referring to her.

* AbsoluteCleavage: Domina, kind and sweet Mistress Domina, has this. Parge in ''Black/Matrix 2'' also, though she has the mature personality that tends to accompany the look.

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: [[TheHighQueen Jenarose]], back when she was alive, had this among the devils. It's said that even the most foolish of devils in the middle of fighting each other would stop if they heard her request so. Her resurrection is seen as a way to end the in-fighting. Even KnifeNut PsychoForHire Uni, who generally does not use [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics honorifics]], uses ''-sama'' when referring to her.

* CouncilOfAngels

* DarkIsNotEvil

* ElegantGothicLolita: Rhipsalis Sapphire

* MeaningfulName: A list can be found [[http://www.geocities.jp/write_in_blood/bmlexicon.html here]]
** Special mention goes to Reiji of ''Black/Matrix 2'' and Beir of ''Black/Matrix Zero'', whose names can be interpreted multiple meaningful ways.
* MultipleEndings: It's a Flight-Plan game.

* PathOfInspiration: Prodevon Church

* YouAllMeetInACell: In the first game, Abel meets the majority of the plot-centric player characters after he's imprisoned and sentenced to death.

* FanTranslation: A Korean fan translation of ''Black/Matrix Zero'' is available from [[http://redwing.woweb.net/ Team Redwing]]. An English fan translation of the same game, [[http://www.romhacking.net/translations/603/ done by Chris Judah]], was near completion but never finished. Scripts were fully translated, but no version with it was released.

* NoExportForYou: The entire series during its initial release. ''Cross'' and ''00'' were made available for a time in Playstation Store. In the Flight-Plan's defense, they had wanted to see their games make it outside the domestic market. The Sega Dreamcast re-release of the first game [[http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/069/069878p1.html was at one time actually considered for North American release]], but was later dropped. Someone probably wised up.[[note]]DarkerAndEdgier, GayOption, GodIsDead, KillTheGod, MediaWatchdog, MoralDissonance, MoralGuardians, ReligionOfEvil, ValuesDissonance, [=SRPGs=] being a niche market in said region, and the massive amounts of Judeo-Christian references that no amount of censorship could make palatable for American audiences while keeping the game intact... take your pick. Should've tried your luck in more liberal Europe, Flight-Plan.[[/note]]

* SequelDifficultySpike: Flight-Plan's fanbase prefers their games to be NintendoHard. After fans were disappointed with the relatively [[ItsShortSoItSucks short]] and [[ItsEasySoItSucks easy]] ''Black/Matrix II'', Flight-Plan responded with this in ''Black/Matrix 00'' and ''Summon Night 3'', both of which are generally considered to be the best games in their respective series.

When the first game came out, it was described as ''Manga/{{X1999}}'' or ''Manga/AngelSanctuary'' [[XMeetsY meets]] ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''. Nowadays, the series can also be described as a DarkerAndEdgier Franchise/{{Disgaea}}.[[note]][[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness The first Disgaea game]] can be considered an AlternateCompanyEquivalent.[[/note]] It shares many similarities with the B/M games that predate it. For starters, both series are [=SRPGs=] that feature humans, angels, and devils/demons (both ''akuma'' in Japanese) with their own generically-named worlds, the same across both. The demons of Disgaea have a BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentality much like the first B/M. The general plot of Disgaea mirrors B/M 2. Both protagonists are family members of their somewhat-dead Maou, are recently awakened/resurrected, working to stabilize Makai in the absence of the Maou, have to contend with humans being manipulated by angels, spend most of the game in Makai with the end part in Tenkai, revolve mostly around a PowerTrio dynamic in terms of plot, have a token angel party member, come with multiple endings, and have a new game plus feature. The main differences are general tone and mechanics. Flight-Plan's offering is DarkerAndEdgier with AntiGrinding whereas Creator/NipponIchi's offering is LighterAndSofter with LevelGrinding.

[[Creator/FlightPlan Flight-Plan]]'s first StrategyRPG series. The games, particularly the first one, have a strong Abrahamic motif to them. Unlike Flight-Plan's [[SummonNight other SRPG series]], the Black/Matrix games do not share the same universe with each other. They do, however, share many common characteristics. In all of them, there are three races of people: the white-winged angels, the black-winged devils, and the wingless humans. The angels and devils hate each other for one reason or another. The humans are relatively weak compared to the winged people and tend to believe the angels are good and that the devils are evil. The truth is usually a bit murkier than that.

** ''Black/Matrix 00'' (Sony Playstation; 13th May 2004) [[note]][=PSone=] Classics; 10th February 2010 to 24th December 2010)[[/note]][[labelnote:Also]]Excluding re-releases, this was the last PS1 game released in Japan. It was also the last Black/Matrix game as the division in charge was [[http://www.rpgfan.com/features/interviews2007/index1.html sold to GungHo Online Entertainment]] after this.[[/labelnote]]

* VideoGame3DLeap: ''Black/Matrix 2''. ''Black/Matrix 00'' reverted back to 2D sprites either due to PS1 hardware or stylistic choice. Possibly both as 3D polygons were not seen again in a Flight-Plan game until ''VideoGame/EternalPoison'', almost six years later.

When the first game came out, it was described as ''Manga/{{X1999}}'' or AngelSanctuary [[XMeetsY meets]] ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''. Nowadays, the series can also be described as a DarkerAndEdgier Franchise/{{Disgaea}}.[[note]][[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness The first Disgaea game]] can be considered an AlternateCompanyEquivalent.[[/note]] It shares many similarities with the B/M games that predate it. For starters, both series are [=SRPGs=] that feature humans, angels, and devils/demons (both ''akuma'' in Japanese) with their own generically-named worlds, the same across both. The demons of Disgaea have a BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentality much like the first B/M. The general plot of Disgaea mirrors B/M 2. Both protagonists are family members of their somewhat-dead Maou, are recently awakened/resurrected, working to stabilize Makai in the absence of the Maou, have to contend with humans being manipulated by angels, spend most of the game in Makai with the end part in Tenkai, revolve mostly around a PowerTrio dynamic in terms of plot, have a token angel party member, come with multiple endings, and have a new game plus feature. The main differences are general tone and mechanics. Flight-Plan's offering is DarkerAndEdgier with AntiGrinding whereas Creator/NipponIchi's offering is LighterAndSofter with LevelGrinding.

When the first game came out, it was described as ''Manga/{{X1999}}'' or AngelSanctuary [[XMeetsY meets]] ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''. Nowadays, the series can also be described as a DarkerAndEdgier Franchise/{{Disgaea}}.[[note]][[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness The first Disgaea game]] can be considered an AlternateCompanyEquivalent.[[/note]] It shares many similarities with the B/M games that predate it. For starters, both series are [=SRPGs=] that feature humans, angels, and devils/demons (both ''akuma'' in Japanese) with their own generically-named worlds, the same across both. The demons of Disgaea have a BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentality much like the first B/M. The general plot of Disgaea mirrors B/M 2. Both protagonists are family members of their somewhat-dead Maou, are recently awakened/resurrected, working to stabilize Makai in the absence of the Maou, have to contend with humans being manipulated by angels, spend most of the game in Makai with the end part in Tenkai, revolve mostly around a PowerTrio dynamic in terms of plot, have a token angel party member, come with multiple endings, and have a new game plus feature. The main differences are general tone and mechanics. Flight-Plan's offering is DarkerAndEdgier with AntiGrinding whereas Creator/NipponIchi's offering is LighterAndSofter with LevelGrinding]].

When the first game came out, it was described as ''Manga/{{X1999}}'' or AngelSanctuary [[XMeetsY meets]] ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''. Nowadays, the series can also be described as a DarkerAndEdgier Franchise/{{Disgaea}}.[[note]][[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness The first Disgaea game]] can be considered an AlternateCompanyEquivalent.[[/note]] It shares many similarities with the B/M games that predate it. For starters, both series are [=SRPGs=] that feature humans, angels, and devils/demons (both ''akuma'' in Japanese) with their own generically-named worlds, the same across both. The demons of Disgaea have a BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentality much like the first B/M. The general plot of Disgaea mirrors B/M 2. Both protagonists are family members of their somewhat-dead Maou, are recently awakened/resurrected, working to stabilize Makai in the absence of the Maou, have to contend with humans being manipulated by angels, spend most of the game in Makai with the end part in Tenkai, revolve mostly around a PowerTrio dynamic in terms of plot, have a token angel party member, come with multiple endings, and have a new game plus feature. The main differences are general tone and mechanics. Flight-Plan's offering is DarkerAndEdgier with AntiGrinding whereas [[Creator/{{Nippon Ichi}} Nippon Ichi]]'s offering is LighterAndSofter with LevelGrinding]].

When the first game came out, it was described as ''Manga/{{X1999}}'' or AngelSanctuary [[XMeetsY meets]] ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''. Nowadays, the series can also be described as a DarkerAndEdgier Franchise/{{Disgaea}}.[[note]][[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness The first Disgaea game]] can be considered an AlternateCompanyEquivalent.[[/note]] It shares many similarities with the B/M games that predate it. For starters, both series are [=SRPGs=] that feature humans, angels, and devils/demons (both ''akuma'' in Japanese) with their own generically-named worlds, the same across both. The demons of Disgaea have a BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentality much like the first B/M. The general plot of Disgaea mirrors B/M 2. Both protagonists are family members of their somewhat-dead Maou, are recently awakened/resurrected, working to stabilize Makai in the absence of the Maou, have to contend with humans being manipulated by angels, spend most of the game in Makai with the end part in Tenkai, revolve mostly around a PowerTrio dynamic in terms of plot, have a token angel party member, come with multiple endings, and have a new game plus feature. The main differences are general tone and mechanics. Flight-Plan's offering is DarkerAndEdgier with AntiGrinding whereas NipponIchi's offering is LighterAndSofter with LevelGrinding]].

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: [[TheHighQueen Jenarose]], back when she was alive, had this among the devils. It's said that even the most foolish of devils in the middle of fighting each other would stop if they heard her request so. Her resurrection is seen as a way to end the in-fighting. Even KnifeNut PsychoForHire Uni, who generally does not use [[JapaneseHonorifics honorifics]], uses ''-sama'' when referring to her.

When the first game came out, it was described as [[{{X1999}} X]] or AngelSanctuary [[XMeetsY meets]] FinalFantasyTactics. Nowadays, the series can also be described as a DarkerAndEdgier Franchise/{{Disgaea}}.[[note]][[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness The first Disgaea game]] can be considered an AlternateCompanyEquivalent.[[/note]] It shares many similarities with the B/M games that predate it. For starters, both series are [=SRPGs=] that feature humans, angels, and devils/demons (both ''akuma'' in Japanese) with their own generically-named worlds, the same across both. The demons of Disgaea have a BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentality much like the first B/M. The general plot of Disgaea mirrors B/M 2. Both protagonists are family members of their somewhat-dead Maou, are recently awakened/resurrected, working to stabilize Makai in the absence of the Maou, have to contend with humans being manipulated by angels, spend most of the game in Makai with the end part in Tenkai, revolve mostly around a PowerTrio dynamic in terms of plot, have a token angel party member, come with multiple endings, and have a new game plus feature. The main differences are general tone and mechanics. Flight-Plan's offering is DarkerAndEdgier with AntiGrinding whereas NipponIchi's offering is LighterAndSofter with LevelGrinding]].

{{Flight-Plan}}'s first StrategyRPG series. The games, particularly the first one, have a strong Abrahamic motif to them. Unlike Flight-Plan's [[SummonNight other SRPG series]], the Black/Matrix games do not share the same universe with each other. They do, however, share many common characteristics. In all of them, there are three races of people: the white-winged angels, the black-winged devils, and the wingless humans. The angels and devils hate each other for one reason or another. The humans are relatively weak compared to the winged people and tend to believe the angels are good and that the devils are evil. The truth is usually a bit murkier than that.

** ''Black/Matrix 00'' (Sony Playstation; 13th May 2004 [[note]][=PSone=] Classics; 10th February 2010 to 24th December 2010)[[/note]][[labelnote:Also]]Excluding re-releases, this was the last PS1 game released in Japan. It was also the last Black/Matrix game as the division in charge was [[http://www.rpgfan.com/features/interviews2007/index1.html sold to GungHo Online Entertainment]] after this.[[/note]]

When the first game came out, it was described as [[{{X1999}} X]] or AngelSanctuary [[XMeetsY meets]] FinalFantasyTactics. Nowadays, the series can also be described as a DarkerAndEdgier {{Disgaea}}.[[note]][[DisgaeaHourOfDarkness The first Disgaea game]] can be considered an AlternateCompanyEquivalent.[[/note]] It shares many similarities with the B/M games that predate it. For starters, both series are [=SRPGs=] that feature humans, angels, and devils/demons (both ''akuma'' in Japanese) with their own generically-named worlds, the same across both. The demons of Disgaea have a BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentality much like the first B/M. The general plot of Disgaea mirrors B/M 2. Both protagonists are family members of their somewhat-dead Maou, are recently awakened/resurrected, working to stabilize Makai in the absence of the Maou, have to contend with humans being manipulated by angels, spend most of the game in Makai with the end part in Tenkai, revolve mostly around a PowerTrio dynamic in terms of plot, have a token angel party member, come with multiple endings, and have a new game plus feature. The main differences are general tone and mechanics. Flight-Plan's offering is DarkerAndEdgier with AntiGrinding whereas NipponIchi's offering is LighterAndSofter with LevelGrinding]].

* {{Expy}}: Syria and Beir from the Zero games to Sapphael and Elrazak from the second game. Both are a younger sister and older brother pair of blond angels, with the younger sister leaning towards TheMessiah and older brother leaning towards TheDragon.

When the first game came out, it was described as [[{{X1999}} X]] or AngelSanctuary [[XMeetsY meets]] FinalFantasyTactics. Nowadays, the series can also be described as a DarkerAndEdgier {{Disgaea}}[[hottip:*:[[DisgaeaHourOfDarkness The first Disgaea game]] can be considered an AlternateCompanyEquivalent. It shares many similarities with the B/M games that predate it. For starters, both series are [=SRPGs=] that feature humans, angels, and devils/demons (both ''akuma'' in Japanese) with their own generically-named worlds, the same across both. The demons of Disgaea have a BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad mentality much like the first B/M. The general plot of Disgaea mirrors B/M 2. Both protagonists are family members of their somewhat-dead Maou, are recently awakened/resurrected, working to stabilize Makai in the absence of the Maou, have to contend with humans being manipulated by angels, spend most of the game in Makai with the end part in Tenkai, revolve mostly around a PowerTrio dynamic in terms of plot, have a token angel party member, come with multiple endings, and have a new game plus feature. The main differences are general tone and mechanics. Flight-Plan's offering is DarkerAndEdgier with AntiGrinding whereas NipponIchi's offering is LighterAndSofter with LevelGrinding]].

** ''Black/Matrix Cross'' (Sony Playstation; 14th December 2000 [[hottip:*:[=PSone=] Classics; 24th December 2009 to 24th December 2010]])

** ''Black/Matrix 00'' (Sony Playstation; 13th May 2004 [[hottip:*:[=PSone=] Classics; 10th February 2010 to 24th December 2010]])[[hottip:*:Excluding re-releases, this was the last PS1 game released in Japan. It was also the last Black/Matrix game as the division in charge was [[http://www.rpgfan.com/features/interviews2007/index1.html sold to GungHo Online Entertainment]] after this.]]

* CreatorCameo: In ''Black/Matrix 00'', there is a [[BrotherSisterTeam brother and sister duo]] named "Flight" and "Plan", respectively. The circus where they work is called the Necinter Channel[[hottip:*:NEC Interchannel was the publisher of the game]] Group.

* NoExportForYou: The entire series during its initial release. ''Cross'' and ''00'' were made available for a time in Playstation Store. In the Flight-Plan's defense, they had wanted to see their games make it outside the domestic market. The Sega Dreamcast re-release of the first game [[http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/069/069878p1.html was at one time actually considered for North American release]], but was later dropped. Someone probably wised up.[[hottip:*:DarkerAndEdgier, GayOption, GodIsDead, KillTheGod, MediaWatchdog, MoralDissonance, MoralGuardians, ReligionOfEvil, ValuesDissonance, [=SRPGs=] being a niche market in said region, and the massive amounts of Judeo-Christian references that no amount of censorship could make palatable for American audiences while keeping the game intact... take your pick. Should've tried your luck in more liberal Europe, Flight-Plan.]]

* NoExportForYou: The entire series during its initial release. ''Cross'' and ''00'' were made available for a time in Playstation Store. In the Flight-Plan's defense, they had wanted to see their games make it outside the domestic market. The Sega Dreamcast re-release of the first game [[http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/069/069878p1.html was at one time actually considered for North American release]], but was later dropped. Someone probably wised up.[[hottip:*:DarkerAndEdgier, GayOption, GodIsDead, KillTheGod, MediaWatchdog, MoralDissonance, MoralGuardians, ReligionOfEvil, ValuesDissonance, [=SRPGs=] being a niche market in said region, and the massive amounts of Judeo-Christian references that no amount of [[{{Bowdlerise}} censorship]] could make palatable for American audiences while keeping the game intact... take your pick. Should've tried your luck in more liberal Europe, Flight-Plan.]]

* WingsDoNothing: Wings are a sign of power. They grant flight in cut-scenes and other plot related events. Just don't count on it in actual gameplay.

* SevenDeadlySins: As a result of the inverted morality in the first game, these are the "[[SevenHeavenlyVirtues Seven Beatific Virtues]]". The in-game Seven Deadly Sins are Equality, Freedom, Justice, Friendship, Weakness, Civil Liberty, and Love. The last is considered the biggest one.

* GayOption: The [[EveryoneRemembersTheStripper infamous]] Master Zero in the first game and the Gilvise ending in the second game.

* VideoGame3DLeap: ''Black/Matrix 2''. ''Black/Matrix 00'' reverted back to 2D sprites either due to PS1 hardware or stylistic choice. Possibly both as 3D polygons were not seen again in a Flight-Plan game until PoisonPink, almost six years later.

* MrFanservice: Master Zero was put in the first game for HoYay and to appeal to YaoiFangirls. Once word of this got around, the subsequent re-releases were strangely popular with said group.