History VideoGame / DarkMessiahOfMightAndMagic

* ShoutOut: The Master Thief's armor you can acquire towards the end of the game is embossed with a "G", a reference to Garrett from the ''{{Thief}}'' series (which the game's stealth gameplay strongly resembles), and must be reached with use of rope arrows, one of the signature tricks of the ''Thief'' games.

* MauveShirt: Duncan, the surviving guard from the orc attack on the temple reappears a few times and his cousin is an important character in the final level. [[spoiler:Duncan is pretty much doomed to die after telling you about said cousin, as he has low health and there are a few enemies he will rush. You ''can'' save him with major effort, but his AI was not programed for the possibility, and runs around in circles afterwards.]]

The game is built on ValveSoftware's Source engine and it makes full use of the engine's physics component. Objects in the world of appropriate size, can be picked up and thrown at foes to disrupt them, while strong blows, or the game's dedicated "kick" attack", can knock enemies around (this is particularly pronounced with Goblins and Undead due to their lack of bulk), pushing them into traps, bottomless pits or each other. Magic is similarly more than a rocket launcher. Spells allow you to freeze the ground, throw ''big'' things around with telekinesis, light your enemies on fire and be a general badass.

* DemBones: [[spoiler:The final boss is a skeletal dragon.]]

Arkane Studios was announced to be working on another "[[http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/58649 immersive first person RPG]]" in 2009 before their acquisition by [[{{Bethesda}} Bethesda Softworks]], which has since been revealed to be called [[http://www.gameinformer.com/games/dishonored/b/xbox360/archive/2011/07/11/getting-to-know-dishonored.aspx Dishonored]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: Phenrig describes fairly mundane things with absolutely delicious quantities of [[LargeHam ham]].

!! Provides examples of these tropes:

* GameplayAllyImmortality: Averted hard. Allied soldiers and mages rarely fight alongside you, and when they do they only have about as much health as the basic enemy Mooks. When Leanna follows you around as a partner, she only has slightly more health than a basic Mook and dies all too easily if she gets mobbed by two or three enemies at once.

* AwesomeButImpractical: Magic and stealth. Good luck fighting off more than two dudes unless you've invested a ''lot'' of skill points in melee combat.

* SquishyWizard: Looking to make Sareth an all-mage build? You won't just get your ass handed to you, you'll get it express-delivered.

* SpiritualSuccessor: As mentioned above Dark Messiah is one to ''Arx Fatalis'' (indeed, a few file names, primarily basic weapons, use "arx",). Additionally, Dark Messiah borrows the "marked secrets" system of early First Person Shooters, complete with the ability to find more powerful than standard weapons/armor early, while missed equipment is sitting out in the open a few levels down the line.

* SpiritualSuccessor: As mentioned above Dark Messiah is one to ''Arx Fatalis'' (indeed, a few file names, primarily basic weapons, use "arx",) and [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'s combat appears to be one to it. Additionally, Dark Messiah borrows the "marked secrets" system of early First Person Shooters, complete with the ability to find more powerful than standard weapons/armor early, while missed equipment is sitting out in the open a few levels down the line.

* BadDreams: Two of them, one where you dance with Leanna and Arantir, and one when you remember the meeting with Menelag [[NightmareSequence in a different way]]. Depending on your choice, the dancing dream can also be DreamingOfThingsToCome.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Xana, [[spoiler:as every other succubus in the series]], frequently suggest Sareth to betray his allies, even when they are technically on her side. [[spoiler:She will even betray the ''Demon Sovereign'' if Sareth chooses to leave his father sealed.]]

* DeadpanSnarker: Sareth eventually starts responding to Xana's "advices" this way.

* FakeKillScare: [[spoiler:Leanna appears to be killed by Arantir however you get the chance to rescue her from his lair later in the game.]]

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Sareth in the middle of the game is thrown into a spike by Arantir.]]
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Lampshaded by the FinalBoss, who wonders who will win the duel, a seventeen years old MagicKnight or someone who trained for centuries.

* NoGearLevel: Sareth's horse is startled away at the start of chapter 1, taking everything he found in the prologue with it. Given you get far more than what you found in the prologue (which is a short sword, 2 health potions and maybe a bow) before you have any use for it and Sareth kept the plot coupon on his person, this just makes the intro a bit more cinematic. A strange example occurs in chapter 7, where you can't even use your spells (which are treated as inventory items by the game, complete with taking up space) until you get your stuff back, nor can you pick up any items (they are stored in your taken backpack, and you still can't even hold one in your hands). Thankfully both enemies you meet before getting your stuff back are conveniently in front of a fire and bottomless pit and you can still kick [[spoiler:plus you just got access to a "demon form" ability that doesn't need weapons]].

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Xana, [[spoiler:as every other succubus in the series]], frequently suggest Sareth to betray his allies, even when they are technically on her side.

** [[spoiler: Arantir is honestly trying to stop the prophesy from being fulfilled. Which, if you opt to do and release your demonic father, ends up making him the lesser evil.]]
* AntiAntiChrist[=/=]TheAntichrist : [[spoiler:Sareth, depending on your choice.]]

* BigNo : performed by Leanna, if you choose to [[spoiler: release your dad.]]

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Xana, [[spoiler: as every other succubus in the series]], frequently suggest Sareth to betray his allies, even when they are technically on her side.

* DeadpanSnarker: Sareth eventually starts responding to Xana's "advice" this way.

* DemBones: [[spoiler: The final boss is a skeletal dragon.]]
* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler: a benevolent version is practiced by Xana when you are ImpaledWithExtre]]

* EmergencyTransformation : see DemonicPossession

* FakeKillScare: [[spoiler: Leanna appears to be killed by Arantir however you get the chance to rescue her from his lair later in the game.]]

* GoodParents: [[spoiler: Sareth's demon-lord father is actually pretty good to his son, assuming that you don't decide to rebind him into his prison. A bit like [[StarWars Darth Vader and Luke]], without the dueling.]]

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Sareth in the middle of the game is thrown into a spike by Arantir.]]
* HardWorkHardlyWorks : lampshaded by the FinalBoss, who wonder who will win the duel, a seventeen yearold MagicKnight or someone who trained for centuries.
* HornyDevils: Xana
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: I do this for the sake of Ashan. [[spoiler: Said by Arrantir while he is killing Sareth]]
* InfinityPlusOneSword: Light Elemental weapons are the most powerful in the game (and also have the added benefit of doing extra damage to undead, the most common enemy type encountered), but since your character is [[spoiler: a half-demon hybrid who's also carrying around a demoness in his head]], you can't actually use them until the last chapter where you can [[spoiler: purify yourself at the temple of the world's CrystalDragonJesus, who also is good enough to provide you with a Light Elemental weapon, in case you didn't manage to find any before]].

* MauveShirt: Duncan, the surviving guard from the orc attack on the temple reappears a few times and his cousin is an important character in the final level. [[spoiler: Duncan is pretty much doomed to die after telling you about said cousin, as he has low health and there are a few enemies he will rush. You ''can'' save him with major effort, but his AI was not programed for the possibility, and runs around in circles afterwards.]]

* MultipleEndings: With little variation in-between each. [[spoiler: Whether you cleanse Xana or kill Leanna. And whether you imprison your father again or release him and destroy the world with him.]]

* NoGearLevel: Sareth's horse is startled away at the start of chapter 1, taking everything he found in the prologue with it. Given you get far more than what you found in the prologue (which is a short sword, 2 health potions and maybe a bow) before you have any use for it and Sareth kept the plot coupon on his person, this just makes the intro a bit more cinematic. A strange example occurs in chapter 7, where you can't even use your spells (which are treated as inventory items by the game, complete with taking up space) until you get your stuff back, nor can you pick up any items (they are stored in your taken backpack, and you still can't even hold one in your hands). Thankfully both enemies you meet before getting your stuff back are conveniently in front of a fire and bottomless pit and you can still kick [[spoiler: plus you just got access to a "demon form" ability that doesn't need weapons]].

** the king of demon isn't a slouch in the "look evil" department : GlowingEyesOfDoom, red and spiked armor.
* TheReveal / TheUntwist: After you acquire the skull you've been seeking for the whole game, [[spoiler: your EvilOverlord demonic father reveals himself to you and explains how you were his UnwittingPawn.]] That said, if you'd been paying attention to the cutscenes and Xana's dialogue or even just read the manual, you probably saw this coming.

* ShieldedCoreBoss: The FinalBoss. It's [[spoiler:Arantir]], who summons a [[spoiler:skeletal dragon/paokai]] to fight you and remains invulnerable as long as it lives. After defeating it, he's open for a few seconds after which he summons it again.

** Xana doesn't wear much either. [[spoiler: And her true form doesn't wear anything at all.]]

* SuperpoweredEvilSide: After TheReveal, [[spoiler: Sareth can take on a demonic form, courtesy of Xana. In this mode, you cannot cast spells or use special abilities, but you can drain an enemy's health to restore your own.]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech : Arantir is very fond of telling Sareth he is patetic.
* TomatoInTheMirror: Though not all that shocking.

* [[spoiler: VillainProtagonist: Potentially, [[MultipleEndings depending on the ending you go for.]]]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Though it is really hard to agree with him given he murders and imprisons civilians while laying waste to everything in his path, Arantir is out to stop you from fulfilling the prophecy and [[SealedEvilInACan seal Sheog forever]] while he's at it, which is a goodish thing.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Phenrig disappears from the plot after the tutorial, despite being Sareth's foster father, [[spoiler: and despite implicitly being aligned to demons.]].

* PropheticDream: depending on your choice, they are played straight or subverted.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Though it is really hard to agree with him given he murders and imprisons civilians while laying waste to everything in his path, Arantir is out to stop you from fufilling the prophecy and [[SealedEvilInACan seal Sheog forever]] while he's at it, which is a goodish thing.]]

* BackStab: You can pull off stealth kills once you raise your Sneak skill high enough. UselessUsefulSpell is averted here, this technic work on the FinalBoss.

** Xana also has her moments.

* AntiAntiChrist[=/=] TheAntichrist : [[spoiler:Sareth, depending on your choice.]]

* AntiAntiChrist / TheAntichrist : [[spoiler: you, depending on the ending]]

* BackStab: You can pull off stealth kills once you raise your Sneak skill high enough.

* GodivaHair: Xana.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:Though it is really hard to agree with him given he murders and imprisons civilians while laying waste to everything in his path, Arantir is out to stop you from fufilling the prophecy, which is a goodish thing.]]

* WarringWithoutWeapons: Sareth's horse is startled away at the start of chapter 1, taking everything he found in the prologue with it. Given you get far more than what you found in the prologue (which is a short sword, 2 health potions and maybe a bow) before you have any use for it and Sareth kept the plot coupon on his person, this just makes the intro a bit more cinematic. A strange example occurs in chapter 7, where you can't even use your spells (which are treated as inventory items by the game, complete with taking up space) until you get your stuff back, nor can you pick up any items (they are stored in your taken backpack, and you still can't even hold one in your hands). Thankfully both enemies you meet before getting your stuff back are conveniently in front of a fire and bottomless pit and you can still kick [[spoiler: plus you just got access to a "demon form" ability that doesn't need weapons]].

* SpiritualSuccessor: As mentioned above Dark Messiah is one to ''Arx Fatalis'' (indeed, a few file names, primarily basic weapons, use "arx",) and {{Skyrim}}'s combat appears to be one to it. Additionally, Dark Messiah borrows the "marked secrets" system of early First Person Shooters, complete with the ability to find more powerful than standard weapons/armor early, while missed equipment is sitting out in the open a few levels down the line.

* {{Antivillain}}: The Orcs aren't evil, just territorial, and have every good reason to keep you from taking the [[ArtifactOfDoom Skull Of Shadows]].