History VideoGame / ChaosLegion

* DifficultyByRegion: The original Japanese version of the game was criticized for being too easy, so changes where made in the international releases of the game, which includes making enemies deal more damage to Sieg, {{nerf}}ing his own damage out, and making enemies more aggressive. Upgrading your legions also cost much more EXP in the international versions than the Japanese version.

* ZettaiRyouiki: Arcia with her laced A-ranked thigh-high.

* GameplayGrading: At the Stage Results screen after clearing a stage, players are graded based on their performance in following criteria: Stage Clear, how quickly the stage was completed; Boss Clear, how quickly the stage's boss was defeated; Smash Count, how many monsters were slain; Monster Mark, how many special/target monsters were slain; Life, how much Life Meter is remaining; and Soul, how much Soul Meter is remaining. Meeting or exceeding the stage border requirements will earn you a higher rank in each criteria, ranging from D to AA+, and the averages between them affect your overall Rank, which will grant a higher EXP Bonus multiplier.

* GirlyRun: Arcia.

* GottaCatchThemAll: The pieces of Thanatos.

* ScarfOfAsskicking: Arcia.

* BadassCape: Delacroix.

* ChargedAttack
* ChurchMilitant: Sieg Wahrheit, a Knight of the Dark Glyphs working for the Order of St. Overia, and Arcia Rinslet, one of the Maidens of the Silver. Delacroix ''was'' part of the Order and ''was'' BashBrothers with Sieg, [[FaceHeelTurn but...]]

* ContinuingIsPainful: If you get a Game Over you'll have to start the level from the beginning, but at least you get to keep some of the experience points you had collected... unless you're playing in Hard Mode.

* DeathOfAThousandCuts: The Guilt Legion.

* DifficultyByRegion: The original Japanese version of the game was criticized for being too easy, so changes where made in the international releases of the game, which includes making enemies deal more damage to Sieg, nerfing his own strength, and making enemies more aggressive. Upgrading your legions also cost much more EXP in the international versions than the Japanese version.

* HackAndSlash

** As mentioned above, the nine fragments of the Ultimate Crest.

* OneHitPointWonder: American Super Mode applies this to everyone, Sieg and bosses included; in Japan it's just your enemies.

* PerpetualFrowner: Sieg only smiles ''once'' throughout the game and [[labelnote:that one time he does so]]in the prologue, when Delacroix almost stabs him in the head after accusing him of murdering Siela[[/labelnote]] isn't even a moment appropriate for it in the first place.

* PowerupLetdown: Can happen when you finally reassemble Thanatos... and discover that [[MagikarpPower you've still got to earn several million XP to make him as strong as he was in the opening and then some]]. [[PurposelyOverpowered It's very much worth the effort, however.]]

* ProperTightsWithASkirt: Arcia.

* RankInflation: By having an AA+ rank in every category when the mission is completed, Sieg attains '''AAA+ rank''' which multiplies the EXP he has gained in that stage by '''FOUR'''.

* RegeneratingHealth: Thanatos' ''HealingFactor'' Enchant, although its usefulness is limited by the regen's slow speed and Sieg needing to remain stationary for the effect to activate.

* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Sieg --> Delacroix --> Siela

* VariableMix: Every stage has a secondary song that plays when a Legion is currently on the field.

* ZettaiRyouiki: Arcia.

* NintendoHard: The game requires you learn the level designs and how to use the right Legion for each job, or else you'll have a very bad time.

* RegionalBonus: In addition to the difficulty changes in the international version to make the game harder than the Japanese release, some gameplay tweaks and improvements were featured, such adding new enemies and tweaking some of the existing ones, enemies are either organic or metallic types and certain legions are more effective against them, and changing some of the enemy placements.

[[caption-width-right:350:Arcia, Sieg, Siela and Delacroix]]

-->''Tis the darkest Glyph thou bearest. It sacrifices stray souls to summon unearthly force. Unearthly force shall obey and serve thee. 'Tis named "[[TitleDrop Chaos Legion]]."''

Gothic opera/{{hack and slash}}er game created by Creator/{{Capcom}}, released in 2003 for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] (a version which suffered from a bad case of PortingDisaster). The game is a loose adaptation of a seven-part light novel series of the name same by Tow Ubukata, known for his work on ''Literature/MardockScramble'', ''Anime/FafnerInTheAzureDeadAggressor'', ''[[Anime/LeChevalierDEon Le Chevalier d'Eon]]'', ''Anime/HeroicAge'', and ''Anime/GhostInTheShellArise''.

* FrickinLaserBeams: Malice and Arrogance's modes of attack, as well as the various enemy gunners (Barmos, Egans, Sadariars and Zomdagdas) and [[spoiler:Azrail]].

** GreaterScopeVillain: [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Azrail]], the evil Spirit of Purification that Sieg and Delacroix imprisoned three years prior to the beginning of the game. [[spoiler:Is unsealed at the very end of the game and proceeds to serve as the final boss.]]

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Flawed in a nutshell. Also, Thanatos in its Perfect form.

* TheHeavy: While Azrail is the final boss, it's Delacroix who does the most stuff in the story.

* InvisibleMonsters: The Danus are essentially BossInMooksClothing, which are common (upgraded) enemies in later stages; [[CherryTapping Sieg's sword is useless against them]] and can only be damaged by Legion attacks or assists. And if a Danu ever lands a blow on a Legion, it will [[OneHitKill hit HARD]].

* PerpetualFrowner: Sieg only smiles ''once'' throughout the game and [[labelnote:that one time he does so]] in the prologue, when Delacroix almost stabs him in the head after accusing him of murdering Siela [[/labelnote]] isn't even a moment appropriate for it in the first place.

* PowerFloats: Delacroix, in spades. If you manage to damage him enough to briefly render him unconscious, his body still hovers inches off of the ground. The final boss also demonstrates this, although [[spoiler:Siela]] can and will stick to the ground if need be.

** Sieg begins in Assault Mode, where he fights alone and has access to his active Legion's Assist Ability. Force Mode summons his Legions to battle alongside him, sacrificing Sieg's ability to run and decreasing his attack power in exchange.

* CrosshairAware: Some bosses will give you red markings on the ground to indicate where they will strike next. [[spoiler:Which will give you an OhCrap moment when the final boss ''fills the entire battlefield with these markings''.]]

** GunKata: Arcia's initiates sniping mode by twisting her body sideways to immensely increase her accuracy.

** Azrail--more commonly spelled as Azrael--is the ([[CelestialParagonsAndArchangels arch]])[[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]] of death in Islamic tradition, responsible for separating the body from the soul while watching over the dead. His namesake here adheres to this portrayal, while playing on the more negative belief in Jewish mysticism that Azrael/Azriel is [[SatanicArchetype the very embodiment of evil itself]].

* PlayingWithFire: Sieg's element of choice, it would seem. He dabbles a bit in ShockAndAwe as well.

* TheRightHandOfDoom: Sieg's gauntlet seems to be the main conduit for summoning his legions. Capcom sure has a thing for magic arms (''VideoGame/GodHand'', ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'', ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'', etc).

* SphereOfDestruction

* TheRightHandOfDoom: Sieg's gauntlet seems to be the main conduit for summoning his legions. Capcom sure has a thing for magic arms (''VideoGame/GodHand'', ''Franchise/{{Onimusha}}'', ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'', etc).

** Arcia's jump attack while in Strike Mode is visually identical to [[Franchise/StreetFighter Sakura Kasugano's]] [[http://iplaywinner.com/sakura-ssf4/sakura-normal-moves-super-street-fighter-4.html (diagonal) jumping heavy kick,]] as seen in the ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha]]'' series, ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV IV]]'', ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterV V]]'', and [[VideoGame/CapcomVsWhatever all of Sakura's crossover appearances]].

Gothic opera/{{hack and slash}}er game created by Creator/{{Capcom}}, released in 2003 for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and PC. The game is a loose adaptation of a seven-part light novel series of the name same by Tow Ubukata, known for his work on ''Literature/MardockScramble'', ''Anime/FafnerInTheAzureDeadAggressor'', ''[[Anime/LeChevalierDEon Le Chevalier d'Eon]]'', ''Anime/HeroicAge'', and ''Anime/GhostInTheShellArise''.

----

* WordSaladTitle

* MinimalistCast: Aside of Sieg, Delacroix, Siela, Arcia, and arguably [[spoiler:Azrail]], we only see two nameless members of the Order of St. Overia ([[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep referred to in the credits as "The Old Man" and "Intelligence," respectively]]) throughout the story, [[TropesAreTools thus giving prominence to the conflict between Sieg and Delacroix]]. Note that Siela [[PosthumousCharacter is already dead by the time the game starts]] and [[spoiler:Azrail doesn't personally appear until the final mission, with such little depth to it that it's more of a living plot device than anything else]]. All other characters mentioned, including the other Maidens of the Silver and Arcia's family, share the unfortunate distinction of having been killed off-screen at various points in time.

** Delacroix's tenure as the [[spoiler:third-to-]]last boss features [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdmbsHSyrWg a more manic arrangement of]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8JytXb397I his already moody boss theme.]]

* TheRightHandOfDoom: Sieg's gauntlet seems to be the main conduit for summoning his legions. Capcom sure has a thing for magic arms (''VideoGame/GodHand'', ''Franchise/{{Onimusha}}'', ''Franchise/DevilMayCry'', etc).

** The plot and its characters take cues from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', with one of Delacroix's scenes playing homage to Sephiroth and the infamous [[KillItWithFire Nibelheim Incident]] from the latter. Considering that the game calls itself a "savage gothic opera," one would suppose the allusions to former were intentional.

Gothic opera/hack 'n slasher game created by Creator/{{Capcom}}, released in 2003 for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and PC. The game is a loose adaptation of a seven-part light novel series of the name same by Tow Ubukata, known for his work on ''Literature/MardockScramble'', ''Anime/FafnerInTheAzureDeadAggressor'', ''[[Anime/LeChevalierDEon Le Chevalier d'Eon]]'', ''Anime/HeroicAge'', and ''Anime/GhostInTheShellArise''.

* ContinuingIsPainful: If you get a Game Over you'll have to start the level from the beginning, but at least you get to keep some of the experience points you had collected, unless you're playing in hard mode.

* CorruptChurch: [[spoiler:The Order of St. Overia isn't quite as holistic as they'd have you believe: they only sealed Azrail because the spirit was too powerful for them to control, presumably for less-than-pure intentions. See PoweredByAForsakenChild below for more fuel to the fire.]]

* GhostTown: The Forbidden City of Yzarc is deserted for a reason. Dyfan, the Twilight City, also counts, having been decimated and burned to the ground in one of Delacroix's attacks. A scout reports to the Order that [[EverybodysDeadDave no bodies or any other traces of evidence were left]], only a message scribbled in blood upon the castle walls: [[DarkMessiah "I am indeed the punishment for your sins. I am here to purify the three worlds."]]
-->'''Stage 2 Narration:''' "A man's hatred transformed a town into ruins. A knight, a bearer of Dark Glyphs, sets out on a journey to fell a man whom he once called a friend. In the shadows on a street corner in an abandoned town, the dark, insidious malice awaits the knight."

* ContinuingIsPainful: If you get a Game Over you'll have to start the level from the beginning, but at least you get to keep some of the experience points you had collected.

* FlunkyBoss: Every one of them.

-->'''Stage 2 Narration:''' "A man's hatred transformed a town into ruins. A knight, a bearer of Dark Glyphs, sets out on a journey to fell a man whom he once called a friend. In the shadows on a street corner in an abandoned town, the dark, insidious malice awaits [for] the knight."

* OneHitPointWonder: American Super Mode; in Japan it's just your enemies.

** Thanatos also exhibits this, going from egg (Baby), to [[BreathWeapon mist-spewing]] dragon youngling (Juvenile), to adult dragon (Adult), to [[WingedHumanoid angelic, armored dragon-human hybrid]] capable of bringing the pain before you can even blink (Perfect).

* FoeTossingCharge: There are bulldozing techniques aplenty, from flaming shoulder tackles (Hatred's ''Breakdown'' Enchant) to [[spoiler:Siela skating across the floor surrounded by a psionic orb to run you over]]. Thanatos in its Perfect form takes the cake, as its ''regular'' attack is an unrelenting whirling dervish of TeleportSpam.

** Arrogance Legion.

** Thanatos. Named after the Greek avatar of death, his perfect form is a humanoid dragon with angel wings that brings death to hordes of enemies in his path.

* PowerupLetdown: Can happen when you finally reassemble Thanatos... and discover that you've still got to earn several million XP to make him as strong as he was in the opening and then some. [[PurposelyOverpowered It's very much worth the effort, however.]]

* PurposelyOverpowered: '''Thanatos.''' As noted in InfinityPlusOneSword above, there is a good reason you have to jump through so many hoops when it comes to restoring Thanatos (i.e. finding all of the Thanatos Chips and then pouring an ''exorbitant'' amount of exp into raising it): helping Thanatos reach its Adult form again eases the game's difficulty a bit. Going one step further and evolving Thanatos to its [[OneManArmy Perfect form]] has your foes, ''mooks and bosses alike'', going from 0 to '''dead''' in about three seconds flat.

* SdrawkcabName: The Forbidden City of Yzarc.

** Arcia's jump attack while in Strike Mode is visually identical to [[Franchise/StreetFighter Sakura Kasugano's]] [[http://iplaywinner.com/sakura-ssf4/sakura-normal-moves-super-street-fighter-4.html (diagonal) jumping heavy kick,]] as seen in the ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Alpha]]'' series, ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV IV]]'', and [[VideoGame/CapcomVsWhatever all of Sakura's crossover appearances]].

* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Performed by Siela to save Sieg from an Azrail-possessed Delacroix, [[HeroicSacrifice earning her a blade to the heart/chest]]. Arcia throwing herself in front of Sieg in an effort to protect him from Delacroix in the exact same manner as Siela after their second battle ends up jogging Delacroix's memory, causing him to drop his sword.]]

This game provides examples of:

* CrystalDragonJesus: The Order of St. Overia has many of the trappings and aesthetics of a Medieval Christian order, with a few elements from other Abrahamic faiths and even [[{{Reincarnation}} some aspects of]] UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}}[=/=]UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} thrown into the mythology for good measure. As the game divulges no information about the setting beyond exposition directly related to Sieg's journey, it's unclear if the Order is [[LowestCosmicDenominator actually supposed to be Christian in some manner]] or merely analogous to it, especially since ''Chaos Legion''[='s=] [[AlternativeCalendar calendar system]] is an alternative spelling of ''Anno Satanas''--the "Age of {{Satan}}."

* NintendoHard

* BishonenLine: The final boss shows this. [[spoiler:Considering who you're facing, perhaps ''Bishojo'' Line would be a more accurate descriptor.]]

* BossRemix: Delacroix's tenure as the [[spoiler:third-to-]]last boss features [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdmbsHSyrWg a more manic arrangement of]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8JytXb397I his already moody boss theme.]]

* GiantFlyer: Galarges resemble carrion birds who fly in open areas as part of a flock.

* LastNameBasis: Delacroix is never referred to as Victor in-game. Not even by Siela.

* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Arrogance Legion.

* MacGuffin: As mentioned above, the nine fragments of the Ultimate Crest.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: Thanatos' ''The Ignorant Masses'' is this combined with BulletTime.

* MeaningfulEcho: Early on, Delacroix tells Sieg he'll liberate him from the dark spirit. [[spoiler:Sieg says he'll do the same for Delacroix right before he faces Azrail, who had been resurrected by Delacroix's willing sacrifice of his own soul.]]

* OminousLatinChanting: This trope is the lifeblood of the soundtrack; most of the regular stage music has a choir tucked away in the chords, doubly so when [[VariableMix you bring a legion out]]. And if, somehow, you manage to clear the stage [[SelfImposedChallenge without ever calling on them]], the boss fight song ''will'' make up for it.

* ThePromise: During TheReveal. It turns out that [[spoiler:Sieg won't bring himself to kill Delacroix because [[LastRequest he promised a dying Siela]] to take care of him]].

* SequentialBoss: In the fourth stage, you have to face a total of six Zagans as the boss. The first round is against one, the second has two, and the final round releases the remaining three. There are no rest periods in between rounds after defeating the Zagans.

* ShockAndAwe: Sieg's claymore emits glowing lightning around the blade, giving it considerable power against organic and metallic monsters.

* ShoutOut: The plot and its characters take cues from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', with one of Delacroix's scenes playing homage to Sephiroth and the infamous [[KillItWithFire Nibelheim Incident]] from the latter. Considering that the game calls itself a "savage gothic opera," one would suppose the allusions to former were intentional.

* ZergRush: Generators will send monsters toward you wave by wave.

* {{Mangst}}: Sieg's words throughout the story make it clear he's tormented by past ordeals, but his incredible display of stoicism means he openly displays (and voices) little emotion, even at his lowest point.

* CurtainsMatchTheWindows: Arcia, a brunette with {{brown eyes}}.

* {{Badass}} [[BadassLongcoat Longcoat]]: Sieg.

* PeoplePuppets: [[spoiler:Just before the final battle with Delacroix, he takes control of Arcia's body and forces her to put her gun to her head. She is forced to pull the trigger, but misfires and clips her shoulder. She tells Sieg that she felt Delacroix's doubt and uneasiness, thus his control wavered enough for her to not blow her brains out.]]

* WomanInBlack: Subverted by Siela.