History VideoGame / BrainDead13

* {{Catchphrase}}: "Hiya, pal."

** Also, it's either this or a VisualPun, but when Vivi wraps Lance up in a spider web barber cloth, she says, "Snug as a bug," when he is like a bug who is caught in a spider web, and is mistaken for a bug a little later by a tiny spider who grabs his face and swallows him whole in a death scene.
*** In another death scene of the same scenario, Vivi uses a scythe to [[OffWithHisHead chop off both Lance's head]] and his long red hair in a DangerouslyCloseShave... which is somehow a pun on "ShaveAndAHairCut", a piece that was used to end a musical tune... and this is pretty much her finishing move in a death scene.
*** Vivi, a ''vampire'' remember, tells Lance they should go out for a "bite" because he looks like "her type"....as in ''blood type'' perhaps?

*** In another death scene of the same scenario, Vivi uses a scythe to [[OffWithHisHead chop off both Lance's head]] and [[TraumaticHaircut his long red hair]] in a DangerouslyCloseShave... which is somehow a pun on "ShaveAndAHairCut", a piece that was used to end a musical tune... and this is pretty much her finishing move in a death scene.

* TraumaticHaircut: Combined with DangerouslyCloseShave: In one death scene, Vivi the {{vampires|AreSexGods}}s gives Lance one of the "OffWithHisHead" variety, when she uses the SinisterScythe to chop off his {{long|HairedPrettyBoy}} red hair and also his head. ''Truly'' painful and traumatizing [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids even for children]].

* GainaxEnding: In a sense. After Lance departs, the camera zooms to a bat sleeping on a nearby tree, who then awakens to fly off into the night. The bat had absolutely nothing to do with the story: why it gets the focus in the last 5 seconds is anybody's guess.

* RantInducingSlight: Neurosis goes into a rage when Lance calls him "average."

* GirlWithPsychoWeapon: Vivi. Just when you think she can do a manicure as in "treatment for fingernails", she uses the word "manicure" as in "[[AnArmAndALeg cutting off people's hands]] with a [[KnifeNut butcher knife]]", which she has! Yikes!

* ManEatingPlant: If Lance clings onto the hilt of the [[ProngsOfPoseidon Giant Statue's trident]] for too long, he'll get flung into the jaws of a yellow, vile plant that can swallow him in a gulp in one death scene.

* ProngsOfPoseidon: The [[LivingStatue giant statue]] at the end of the maze has a giant one that can impale Lance if he's not quick or careful.

* PsychopathicManchild: Moose.

* NintendoHard: You can die within ten seconds of leaving the intro cutscene, and you have to have good reflexes (and occasionally psychic powers) in order to get past everything in the castle.

-->'''Lance:''' ''[to Dr. Neurosis]'' Hey, New-free!!! It's just me and you!!!\\

* GuideDangIt: Played straight in the MS-DOS version and other gaming console ports. Though you can try and {{subvert|edTrope}} this in the [=iOS=] port by turning on the move guide in the "Settings" screen, which allows you to [[NoticeThis quickly press the appropriate button as soon as it lights up in certain areas]], helping you to guide Lance in the right direction, it still counts as a GuideDangIt if you press a lit button that [[DoubleSubversion turns out to be a wrong move]], especially in TheMaze and in certain boss battles that make the game UnwinnableByDesign if you run away from them.

* PublicDomainSoundtrack: In the Conservatory Room, as Lance tries to avoid getting strangled by [[DemonicDummy Mongo the Marionette]] or pounced upon by Fritz, the music played [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=munJ_A-f9TY#t=00m44s here]] kinda sounds like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2ISRMSIyX8 "The Trepak Dance"]] from ''Theatre/TheNutcracker'' by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky... which brings some SoundtrackDissonance as Lance is running for his life or getting murdered (again).

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Lance gets fatally poisoned by an evil MushroomMan in the maze in one death scene. It could fall between ICantBelieveItsNotHeroin, GettingCrapPastTheRadar, and ''[[{{Pun}} Mushroom]]'' [[MushroomSamba Samba]].

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The deaths are really violent for a K-A rated game. There's also the issue with the buxom vampire lady... also, see FreezeFrameBonus above.

* {{Public Domain|Soundtrack}} SoundtrackDissonance: In the Conservatory Room, as Lance tries to avoid getting strangled by [[DemonicDummy Mongo the Marionette]] or pounced upon by Fritz, the music played [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=munJ_A-f9TY#t=00m44s here]] kinda sounds like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2ISRMSIyX8 "The Trepak Dance"]] from ''Theatre/TheNutcracker'' by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
* [[PullingThemselvesTogether Pulling Himself Together]]: Lance does this in miraculous ways in some scenes whenever he loses a limb, like [[AnArmAndALeg his hand]] or [[OffWithHisHead his head]]. Heck, there's even one resurrection scene that has the pieces of his body falling on top of each other and reconnecting him if he dies in the confrontation with Fritz.
* PunBasedTitle[=/=]GoryDeadlyOverkillTitleOfFatalDeath: This game is called ''Brain Dead 13'' for a reason: it takes place in Dr. Neurosis' castle, which is located at "13 Brain Dead Avenue", for those who haven't seen the intro. It can also be a DoubleMeaningTitle when it involves an evil scientist BrainInAJar and [[TheManyDeathsOfYou the many death scenes of Lance Galahad]]. {{A|rsonMurderAndJaywalking}}lso, ThirteenIsUnlucky for Lance and the player.

* SouthernBelle: Vivi.

** Hell, the ''magazine ads'' for the game use Fritz.

* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: The UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn port of the game (at least in the European and Japanese releases) is given a highly selective dubbing, which retains all the NonDubbedGrunts from the original voice actors, even when it appears in the same clip that has the verbal voice acting. One example is the Japanese dub, which is pretty well done, even though it may contain bits of {{Woolseyism}}. Compare the original version of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MFzXoBzHZg the intro]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0LPEbjisWI Vivi's Funeral Salon]] to the Japanese dub of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adBpHQ8C7V4 the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJOkOEzhdGg intro]] and of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4OyEw7-QLE Vivi's Funeral Salon]].
** Another example is the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAo5XmyRmn8 German]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzW4ZdRTtFA dub]] of the game, which sounds a bit mediocre than the original. And another example is the French dub, which looks okay ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I6GKbrOvUA the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkjhjZ_Dgqc intro]] is another example in this French dub).

* {{Wicked Witch}}es: The twin witches. ''Duh!''

* BerserkButton: "AVERAGE?!?"

* ChekhovsGun[=/=]ItMayHelpYouOnYourQuest: The eyeballs from the rooms of the twin witches. [[spoiler:It later helps Lance out for use as a tetherball weapon against Fritz in the final confrontation. Of course, this still doesn't answer the question of why Lance picked up the eyeballs in the first place.]]
* {{Circling B|irdies}}ats: Vivi gets this when she's [[HoistByHisOwnPetard defeated by her own Mortifier-Beautifier]].

* DancingIsSeriousBusiness[=/=]GratuitousDiscoSequence: Lance has to do this to "[[Music/TheBeeGees stay alive]]" while dodging [[MoreDakka a hail of bullets]] that TriggerHappy Fritz shoots at both our hero and Neurosis. And it all takes place entirely in the [[EvilIsNotWellLit darkness]], where the only tiny pillars of light are used as a {{disco}} dance floor.
* DangerouslyCloseShave[=/=]SinisterScythe: If Lance chooses the "shave" (which is rather odd, since he doesn't have any facial hair), Vivi will spray him with green shaving cream, and she will use this small scythe to try and [[OffWithHisHead kill him in this dangerous way]], a la ''Theatre/SweeneyTodd.''

* DemonicDummy[=/=]PerversePuppet: One puppet on a string in the conservatory will grab Lance by the neck with its strings, choke him, and pull him up offscreen into unseen death in one death scene.
* {{Determinator}}: Fritz. Insanely so. Lance has to keep on the move at all times, otherwise Fritz will immediately show up and kill him. At no time is it safe to stop and get your bearings, since the psychotic little jerk is on your coattails.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything[=/=]ICantBelieveItsNotHeroin: Lance gets fatally poisoned by an evil MushroomMan in the maze in one death scene. It could fall between these, GettingCrapPastTheRadar, and ''[[{{Pun}} Mushroom]]'' [[MushroomSamba Samba]].

* FacialHorror[=/=]SkullForAHead: Exaggerated: if Lance can't escape the Beautifier in Vivi's Salon, the mechanical powder puffs will close in on his head and vigorously polish until there's just a shiny skull left!
* {{Family Unfriendly Death}}s: This game's got ''a whole [[{{Pun}} mess]]'' of them, and almost all of them that happen to Lance are graphic and [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids family-unfriendly]]. [[BloodlessCarnage Neither bloody nor gory]], but family-unfriendly nonetheless.

* FireBreathingWeapon[=/=]KillItWithFire: Fritz uses the flamethrower to charbroil Lance's head in one death scene. And as if that wasn't enough, the imp reappears to blow on the charbroiled skull, rendering it like dust in the wind.
* FlayingAlive[=/=]GenuineHumanHide: Fritz does this in one death scene in the stairs by pulling off Lance's scalp with his HookHand and ''using said scalp as a hat!''

*** If you look closely, the lairs of the two witches are both adorned with lots of rugs and coverings and even wallpaper made out of human skins stitched together haphazardly.
* {{Foreshadowing}}[=/=]RuleOfSymbolism: During the intro, while Lance's voice speaks to Fritz about his computer problems, there is a purple spider in the darkness that is chasing an inchworm with big eyes and red hair, seemingly devouring it before it returns to life and gets chased by said spider again. This definitely foreshadows the whole ChaseScene, as the purple spider symbolizes Fritz, and the inchworm symbolizes our hero himself.

* GenreSavvy: Lance is this and a [[AudienceSurrogate representative]] for the audience. His wry remark at Neurosis' plan backfired on him, but every other occasion sees Lance using some awareness that he's in a game. The crowning moment is Lance making Fritz fall down the stairs; the only way Lance would know pulling on a rug would eventually cause Fritz to fall was if he knew he was in a cartoony videogame.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The deaths are really violent for a K-A rated game. There's also the issue with the buxom vampire lady... Also, see FreezeFrameBonus above.

* HyperspaceArsenal: Fritz. Just look at the image.

* JerkJock: Moose.

* LampshadeHanging: When he meets Dr. Neurosis, Lance mocks him for every MadScientist trope in the book. The doctor is not pleased.

* LightningCanDoAnything[=/=]ShockAndAwe: Several examples in Moose's scenario:
** Lance can [[ChainLightning power up the lightning rod]] in his attempts to destroy Moose. Of course, lightning from the rods can [[HarmlessElectrocution even kill Lance AND Moose]] if you're not careful.

* MacGyvering[=/=][[SolidGoldPoop Solid Gold Snot]]: In the intro, Lance sees that the only way to fix Dr. Neurosis' computer is to find some connection on its core, like bubble gum. Failing that, Lance finds Fritz picking his own nose and uses his snot as a substitute. As soon as he fixes that, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness all hell]] [[TakeOverTheWorld breaks loose]]!
* MadeOfPlasticine[=/=]CriticalExistenceFailure: In one death scene of [[spoiler:the final confrontation]], when Lance gets shot multiple times, one bullet goes through [[PrettyLittleHeadshots his forehead]], followed by many bullets that reduce him to swiss cheese and consume his entire body until he is nothing but his eyeballs that fall down.
* MadScientist: Neurosis. Lampshaded.

* MeaningfulName[=/=]ThemeNaming: Lance's last name, Galahad, has an English origin that means "pure, noble and selfless", and named after one of Myth/KingArthur's Knights of the Round Table. The first name of Dr. Nero Neurosis, likewise, has a Latin origin that means "powerful", named after the Roman Emperor Nero; and his last name is derived from a mental disorder, less severe than psychosis, marked by anxiety or fear. No wonder this mad scientist wants to rule the world with an iron fist.

* [[NoAnimalsWereHarmed No Cartoon Characters Were Maimed or Mutilated During the Making of This Game]]: At least that's what it says in the box art's back cover of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation version.

* OurGhostsAreDifferent[=/=]JacobMarleyApparel: These haunted ghosts wear nooses around their necks in the bedroom and can [[VampiricDraining drain the living soul out of Lance]] and [[RapidAging rapidly age him to death]]!

* [[PreAsskickingOneLiner Pre-Asskicking]][=/=]PreMortemOneLiner: Done twice:

** [[spoiler:And after shoving Fritz into the jar where Neurosis is, our hero delivers one more badass line before pressing the "flush" button:]]

* UnwinnableByDesign: If you accidentally run from any of the "big three," then you can't see the ending without restarting.

* BigEater: In the most basic death scene she can inflict, if Lance waits too long to choose a service, she can't resist drinking his blood, completely exsanguinating him in the span of about 1 to 2 seconds by [[VampiricDraining sucking his blood]]. She then lets out a very loud and unfeminine belch, plus an almost-proud sounding giggle afterwards.

* ButtMonkey: Fritz, who has a chance of getting injured in every single room. Let alone the final battle....

* FantasyKitchenSink: You've got a haunted mansion owned by your [[RunningGag average]] MadScientist bent on world domination, and full of his creations - including a giant robotic statue in the hedge maze and his own spin on Frankenstein's Monster. In the hallways, you've got ghosts, walking skeletons, giant man-eating worms, and a stove with sentient fire. The maze has living man-eating plants. There's a vampire running a hair salon in the basement, and man-eating broom-riding witches in the towers. It's a little surprising there isn't some kind of man-eating sea monster in the sewers.

* GroinAttack: After Lance [[spoiler: jumps from the tower when [[FrankensteinsMonster Moose]] [[ShockAndAwe becomes blown up by becoming overloaded by]] [[ChainLightning lightning]]]], he lands on a statue by the groin.

* NotNowKiddo: Happens in Vivi's Funeral Salon, when Vivi asks Lance if he's in a hurry and he answers, "Yeah, lady, there's this freak of nature chasing me and--" but she shushes him by wrapping the spider web barber cloth around him and telling him to wait until later. Just then, Fritz, whom Lance referred to as the "freak of nature" who's coming after him, stumbles into the same salon, catching Lance's and Vivi's attention.

*** It may be noted that in the Japanese release, [[spoiler: Lance simply says, in a bit of a whisper, [[{{Woolseyism}} "Sayonara."]]]] [[invoked]]

** The giant {{bat|OutOfHell}} playfully chewing on Lance's head in the Trophy Room's (rather kid-friendly) death scene is taken from one of the Don Bluth Dragon's Lair games (hence it's much more kid friendly).

** SkippableBoss: If you do the shave first, Vivi will offer you the facial in her next set of options, which is the end portion of her area - which means the manicure can be skipped completely.
* SlidingScaleOfLinearityVsOpenness: Level 3. Unlike VideoGame/SpaceAce or VideoGame/DragonsLair, navigating the castle is part of the game, and it's not only possible but easy to find yourself in previously visited areas.

* StealthPun: You encounter flesh devouring worms in the library. The only speaking person there makes no comment on this.

* TiredOfRunning: [[spoiler:In the final confrontation with Dr. Neurosis, Lance is faced by Fritz, who wants to unleash TriggerHappy terror upon him by unloading every weapon he's got. Of course, Lance can have a choice of running away again by pressing right first or by pressing left twice, but that would only waste more time in endless chasing. The solution? Lance has to move left once, and ''then'' right, in order to show Fritz and Neurosis that our hero is tired of running away, then makes a BadassArmFold and a TakeThatKiss to show that he is not afraid and is ready for one more challenge that awaits him.]]

* VampiresAreSexGods: Vivi plays this up for all its worth during her scenes, and Lance falls for it up until she stuffs his hat into his mouth.

* VillainousBreakdown: Fritz's patience begins to visibly wear thin as you progress through timing events where he's the danger. [[spoiler: He finally snaps at the end, unloading upon Lance with every ranged weapon he has while blindly charging at our hero. This tunes out Neurosis' demands and pleas for him to stop since he's slowly destroying the doctor's jar in the process.]]

* ThreeDEffectsTwoDCartoon: [[spoiler: Dr. Neurosis' room.]] Everything, except him, Lance and Fritz is in CG.

* BigEater /{{Gasshole}}: In the most basic death scene she can inflict, if Lance waits too long to choose a service, she can't resist drinking his blood, completely exsanguinating him in the span of about 1 to 2 seconds by [[VampiricDraining sucking his blood]]. She then lets out a very loud and unfeminine belch, plus an almost-proud sounding giggle afterwards.

* ConspicuousCG: [[spoiler: Dr. Neurosis' room. Everything, except him, Lance and Fritz is in CG.]]

** Also averted in some death scenes.
* NeverSayDie: Averted in the intro when the word is "kill", [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids even for a K-A rated game]].

* FiveBadBand:
** The BigBad - Dr. Nero Neurosis
** TheDragon - Fritz
** TheBrute - Moose
** The DarkChick - Vivi
** The [[EvilGenius Evil Wizards]] - [[PaletteSwap The Blue and Orange Witches]]

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: When the game was first released in the U.S., its original box cover art shows Fritz unloading a wide range of weapons under his trenchcoat in all console versions. When the game became localized for Japanese releases in October 1996, it is averted in the box art for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation version (same as in the American release), but inverted when the [[http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/2/196812_14924_front.jpg Japanese Sega Saturn version box art]] is very different, in that it adds IdiotHero Lance Galahad right next to Fritz, who looks ready to slice him with a {{chainsaw|Good}} while our hero is struggling to stay alive, indicating that Japanese Fritz ''is'' hardcore! Real peachy, Japan.

* BlackComedy