History VideoGame / HeroCore

* BonusBoss: [[spoiler:The Living Warmachine.]] [[spoiler:(As well as Zero, the level 0 specialist).]]

** The ultimate weapon of the BonusBoss is also this. [[spoiler:Because it's the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Massacre]], a weapon from ''Iji'' that also uses up health in that game.]]

* MinimalistRun: See {{Metroidvania}} above. Furthermore, a BonusBoss is only accessible on one of these. Annihilation mode is also this. You don't get any upgrades from bosses, and it's much more linear.

*** Another ''Iji'' reference comes in the form of [[spoiler: a BonusBoss called the Living Warmachine, whose appearance is strikingly identical to the [[BossInMookClothing Komato Annihilator]].]]

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The game initially starts off as BlackAndWhiteMorality, with [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth Flip Hero]] [[SavingTheWorld protecting planet Earth]] from [[BigBad Cruiser Tetron]] and his forces, but collecting all ten core computers throughout Tetron's base reveals [[GrayingMorality a somber example]] of this trope: [[spoiler:Tetron and Flip Hero are weapons built for a [[GreatOffScreenWar war that ended long ago]], but unlike Flip Hero, who [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming outgrew his programming]] and [[HeelFaceTurn fights to protect Earth and its inhabitants]], Tetron tries to destroy Earth because he is trapped by his programming and [[AIIsACrapshoot thinks the war still exists]]. After the final battle, Flip Hero frees Tetron and his army from their endless conflict by mutual death out of [[MercyKill mercy]]. Even [[BonusBoss The Living Warmachine]] from [[HarderThanHard Annihilation Mode]] is [[SympathyForTheDevil treated with sympathy]] by TheHero for a similar reason: a destructive yet tragic weapon that deserves to rest in peace.]]

* OneBulletAtATime: There is a limit of six (non-Expel) bullets at a time.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted with [[spoiler:The Annihilator, which refers to two similar yet completely separate saurian [[BossInMookClothing boss-like enemies]]. The Annihilators in this game are flying cyborgs with a visible tail as its [[AttackTheTail secondary weakpoint]], while The Annihilators from ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' are PowerArmor that look like tailless robot T-rexes.]]

* {{Speedrun}}: Creator/DanielRemar [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CcVj3-xnls made one for the Normal and Normal Boss Rush modes]], as he did for ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}''.

* OneSteveLimit: Subverted with [[spoiler:The Annihilator, which refers to two similar yet completely separate saurian [[BossInMooksClothing boss-like enemies]]. The Annihilators in this game are flying cyborgs with a visible tail as its [[AttackTheTail secondary weakpoint]], while The Annihilators from ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' are PowerArmor that look like tailless robot T-rexes.]]

*** Another ''Iji'' reference comes in the form of [[spoiler: a BonusBoss called the Living Warmachine, whose appearance is strikingly identical to the [[BossInMooksClothing Komato Annihilator]].]]

* FlunkyBoss:
** The Reaper Drone takes this to its logical extreme.
** The Grand Mother is this on multiple levels -- it spawns Mothers, which are themselves {{Mook Maker}}s. The Guardian also has statues at the top of his room that come to life after you damage him enough, and the Liquid Metal Processor is a more standard example. Seems like Daniel really likes this trope.

* HeWasRightThereAllAlong: The Rock Smasher remains idle until you enter it's hull.

* OneBulletAtATime: There is a limit of six (non-Expel) bullets at a time.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted with [[spoiler:The Annihilator, which refers to two similar yet completely separate saurian [[BossInMooksClothing boss-like enemies]]. The Annihilators in this game are flying cyborgs with a visible tail as its [[AttackTheTail secondary weakpoint]], while The Annihilators from ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' are PowerArmor that look like tailless robot T-rexes.]]

* SeriesMascot: Flip Hero seems to be this for Remar Games, seeing as he gets referenced in a few other games that have nothing to do with him and appears in the Remar Games logo in the ''Videogame/GardenGnomeCarnage'' Flash version. In a strange variant of the trope, he's not even from Remar's most popular game.

* SoundOfNoDamage: A high-pitched "ding" whenever Flip Hero's weapons hit anything that's not a weak spot.

* DevelopersForesight: Remar had programmed in ranks pertaining to finishing BossRush in less than 4 minutes ( called "Seriously") and in less than 3 minutes (called "[[MemeticBadass Reallyjoel's Dad]]"). These ranks are supposed to normally be impossible to obtain... but [[http://youtu.be/FkRSMCGVSWU at least one player managed genuinely to get the rank of Reallyjoel's Dad]], even if only via cheating.

* WallMaster: The ''VideoGame/{{Eversion}}''-like hands suddenly coming out of walls in Hero Forever. They don't damage you, but "just" copy\ your flags (that's bad already, though, since collecting flags is the point of Hero Forever) and will really creep you out the first time you encounter them.
** One of them even takes you to an easter egg in Annihilation mode.

* BonusDungeon: The Annihilation mode is one of these.

* CowardlyBoss: The Eliminator[=/=]Hunter-Killer.
* DestructibleProjectiles: Homing missiles.

* HumongousMecha: The Guardian boss. Also [[BigBad Cruiser Tetron]] and Annihilators.

--> [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments This upgrade has increase my "level" 1. Remember eat vegetables also to grow strong.]]

* MistakenForGranite: Guardian's room contains some statues of standard enemy machines you fought many times. Appearing to be decoration, they actually are idle machines and aid the boss once he loses a certain amount of HitPoints.

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The game initially starts off as BlackAndWhiteMorality, with [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth Flip Hero]] [[SavingTheWorld protecting planet Earth]] from [[BigBad Cruiser Tetron]] and his forces, but collecting all ten core computers throughout Tetron's base reveals [[GrayingMorality a somber example]] of this trope: [[spoiler:Tetron and Flip Hero are weapons built for a [[GreatOffScreenWar war that ended long ago]], but unlike Flip Hero, who [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming outgrew his programming]] and [[HeelFaceTurn fights to protect Earth and its inhabitants]], Tetron tries to destroy Earth because he is trapped by his programming and [[AIIsACrapshoot thinks the war still exists]]. After the final battle, Flip Hero frees Tetron and his army from their endless conflict by mutual death out of [[MercyKill mercy]]. Even [[BonusBoss The Living Warmachine]] from [[HarderThanHard Annihilation Mode]] is [[SympathyForTheDevil treated with sympathy]] by TheHero for a similar reason: a destructive yet tragic weapon that that deserves to rest in peace.]]

* BonusBoss: [[spoiler:The Living Warmachine.]] [[spoiler:(As well as Zero, the level 0 specialist)]]

* ResurrectiveImmortality: Thanks to his restoration unit, Flip Hero always comes back good as new after death. [[spoiler:Sadly, this does not apply to the True Ending where [[TheHeroDies he permanently dies]] after killing Tetron and his forces for good.]]

* {{Speedrun}}: Creator/DanielRemar [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CcVj3-xnls made one for the Normal and Normal Boss Rush modes]], as he did for ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' whenever Flip Hero's weapons hit anything that's not a weak spot.
* SoundOfNoDamage: A high-pitched "ding".

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The game initially starts off as BlackAndWhiteMorality, with [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth Flip Hero]] [[SavingTheWorld protecting planet Earth]] from [[BigBad Cruiser Tetron]] and his forces, but collecting all ten core computers throughout Tetron's base reveals [[GrayingMorality a somber example]] of this trope: [[spoiler:Tetron and Flip Hero are weapons built for a [[GreatOffScreenWar war that ended long ago]], but unlike Flip Hero, who [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming outgrew his programming]] and [[HeelFaceTurn fights to protect Earth and its inhabitants]], Tetron tries to destroy Earth because he is trapped by his programming and [[AIIsACrapshoot thinks the war still exists]]. After the final battle, Flip Hero frees Tetron and his army from their endless conflict by mutual death out of [[MercyKill mercy]]. Even The [[BonusBoss Living Warmachine]] from [[HarderThanHard Annihilation Mode]] is [[SympathyForTheDevil treated with sympathy]] by TheHero for a similar reason: a destructive yet tragic weapon that deserves to rest in peace.]]

[[http://www.remar.se/daniel/herocore.php Hero Core]] is a {{Metroidvania}} ShootEmUp game by Creator/DanielRemar, the creator of VideoGame/{{Iji}}. It uses old-school [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white graphics]] and 8-bit music to relate the never-ending war between Flip Hero and the Warmachine Cruiser Tetron. Though [[NintendoHard quite hard]], it's a high-quality game with numerous bosses and endings.

* BootstrappedTheme: "Annihilator Factory".

** The ultimate weapon of the BonusBoss is also this. [[spoiler:Because it's the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Massacre]], a weapon [[ShoutOut from Iji]] that also [[CastFromHitPoints Casts From Hit Points]] in that game.]]

** [[spoiler:The normal ending reveals that Flip Hero hunts down Tetron again and again to protect earth, even though he rebuilds every time he's defeated -- unless Flip Hero finds the way to finally destroy him.]]

* TheHero: Flip Hero serves as the only form of Earth's protection against Tetron and his army.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:In the good ending, [[TheHeroDies Flip Hero dies]] from the collapsing fortress after desroying Tetron and his army for good.]]

* IntentionalEngrishForFunny: One of the game's three language settings is "Retro!", and when selected it will display all messages and dialog in humorously-broken English.

* InternalHomage: Remember VideoGame/{{Iji}}? Annihilation difficulty gives you a first-hand view of [[spoiler:Ciretako!]]

* NintendoHard: Normal mode is fairly easy, but Hard is brutal. Annihilation is worse.

* OneSteveLimit: Subverted.

* SegmentedSerpent: Some enemies (such as the Dire Viper) are this, appearing as mechanical snakes whose bodies are made of lined-up balls. While their main attack is to simply chase Flip Hero, the stronger variants leave explosive mines that explode into more bullets.

*** Another ''Iji'' reference comes in the form of [[spoiler: a BonusBoss called the Living Warmachine, whose appearance is strikingly identical to the [[EliteMook Komato Annihilator]].]]
* {{Speedrun}}: Creator/DanielRemar [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CcVj3-xnls made one for the Normal and Normal Boss Rush modes]], as he did for VideoGame/{{Iji}}.

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The game initially starts off as BlackAndWhiteMorality, with [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth Flip Hero]] [[SavingTheWorld protecting planet Earth]] from [[BigBad Cruiser Tetron]] and his forces, but collecting all ten core computers throughout Tetron's base reveals [[GrayingMorality a somber example]] of this trope: [[spoiler:Tetron and Flip Hero are weapons built for a [[GreatOffScreenWar war that ended long ago]], but unlike Flip Hero, who [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming outgrew his programming]] and [[HeelFaceTurn fights for the safety of Earth and its inhabitants]], Tetron is trapped by his programming and [[AIIsACrapshoot thinks the war still exists]], which is why he tries to destroy Earth. The final battle is essentially Flip Hero freeing Tetron and his army from their endless conflict through [[MercyKill merciful death]], keeping Earth safe from harm. Even the [[BonusBoss Living Warmachine]] from [[HarderThanHard Annihilation Mode]] is given [[SympathyForTheDevil sympathy]] by TheHero for a similar reason: a destructive yet tragic weapon that deserves to rest in peace.]]

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The game initially starts off as BlackAndWhiteMorality, with [[CaptainSpaceDefenderOfEarth Flip Hero]] [[SavingTheWorld protecting planet Earth]] from [[BigBad Cruiser Tetron]] and his forces, but collecting all 10 computers throughout Tetron's base shows why he wants to destroy Earth in the first place: [[spoiler:Tetron is a weapon built for war, but after the war ended, [[AIIsACrapshoot his programming makes him think the war still exists]], which is why he tries to destroy Earth. The MercyKill dealt by Flip Hero shows Tetron as a tragic victim of his programming and the vicious cycle of hate he's locked in. Even the [[BonusBoss Living Warmachine]] in [[HarderThanHard Annihilation Mode]] is given [[SympathyForTheDevil sympathy]] by TheHero for a similar reason: a tragic weapon that deserves to rest in peace.]]

* BossBattle:
** AnticlimaxBoss: [[spoiler:Cruiser Tetron]] is actually quite easy compared to some of the other bosses. [[spoiler:The Living Warmachine]] can be, too.
** BonusBoss: [[spoiler:The Living Warmachine.]] [[spoiler:(As well as Zero, the level 0 specialist)]]
** CoresAndTurretsBoss: Rocksmasher, Liquid Metal Processor, Grand Mother, and Star Splitter.
** CowardlyBoss: The Eliminator[=/=]Hunter-Killer.
** DualBoss: The Elites. Also [[spoiler:a MirrorBoss]].
** FlunkyBoss:
*** The Reaper Drone takes this to its logical extreme.
*** The Grand Mother is this on multiple levels -- it spawns Mothers, which are themselves {{Mook Maker}}s. The Guardian also has statues at the top of his room that come to life after you damage him enough, and the Liquid Metal Processor is a more standard example. Seems like Daniel really likes this trope.
** GetBackHereBoss:
*** The Eliminator. It [[CowardlyBoss even leaves the entire room after a certain time limit]].
*** The Reaper Drone at some points, especially if you can't kill his mook swarms before he starts moving and becomes lost in the crowd.
** SequentialBoss:
*** The Star Splitter, Guardian, and [[spoiler:Tetron]].
*** Plasma Hydra is a variation of this. Blow off one head, out pops the next! Fortunately, at most 3 heads in a row pop up (in Normal mode, that is). So, not quite sequential boss, but a case of sequential boss targets.
** ShieldedCoreBoss: The Liquid Metal Processor.

* BigBad: Cruiser Tetron. [[spoiler: Obtaining all computers reveals that the reason why Tetron tries to destroy Earth is because he thinks the war still exists due to his programming.]]

* BigBad: Cruiser Tetron.

** Doubly so since [[spoiler:the question of whether Cruiser Tetron created Flip Hero to try and kill himself for good or Flip Hero went rogue]] is never answered directly. If it's the former, [[spoiler:then the ending is bittersweet for both Flip Hero and Tetron!]]

* GenreThrowback: To late-70s, early-80s video games.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:In the good ending.]]

* {{Retraux}}: Up to two colors simultaneously!

*** Speaking of ''Gradius'', the first boss (Silence Maker) borrows the core battleship design philosophy, including the feeble barriers that protect the core itself. Flip Hero's trail also resembles the Vic Viper's Options in a way.

* UselessUsefulSpell: Both the Expel ability and the Blade are pretty much useless in combat. However, both have a specific function in speedrunning, and the Blade can slaughter certain enemies and bosses. [[spoiler:Also, Shapeshift is mostly for fun]]

* ShoutOut: "Cruiser Tetron" was originally the name of a dragon-like boss enemy from the ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' sequel ''Life Force''.

* SoundOfNoDamage: A high-pitched "ding", which also fell under MostAnnoyingSound before its volume was reduced in an update.

* [[UnwinnableJokeGame Unwinnable Joke]] {{Difficulty Level|s}}: The highest difficulty level, called "Reallyjoel's Dad", which is less a difficulty level and more a special BossRush where you fight all eight bosses at once; it's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfM3vtVlCTw almost]] impossible.

** BonusBoss: [[spoiler:The Living Warmachine.]] [[white:(As well as Zero, the level 0 specialist)]]

* EasterEgg: Oh so many. [[color:white:The Best Times room, Expel, Shapeshift, the Zero Specialist, reallyjoel's dad mode, Trollis' grave...]]

* HarderThanHard: Annihilation (although it's easier than hard mode, really). [[white:Parodied with Reallyjoel's Dad mode.]]

* DevelopersForesight: Remar had programmed in ranks pertaining to finishing BossRush in less than 4 minutes (literally called "Seriously") and in less than 3 minutes (called "[[MemeticBadass Reallyjoel's Dad]]"). These ranks are supposed to normally be impossible to obtain... but [[http://youtu.be/FkRSMCGVSWU at least one player managed genuinely to get the rank of Reallyjoel's Dad]], even if only via cheating.

* UselessUsefulSpell: Both the Expel ability and the Blade are pretty much useless in combat. However, both have a specific function in speedrunning, and the Blade can slaughter certain enemies and bosses. [[color:white:Also, Shapeshift is mostly for fun]]
* WallMaster: The ''VideoGame/{{Eversion}}''-like hands suddenly coming out of walls in Hero Forever. They don't damage you, but "just" steal your flags (that's bad already, though, since collecting flags is the point of Hero Forever) and will really creep you out the first time you encounter them.

* GoodBadTranslation: The "retro" language [[IntentionalEngrishForFunny imitates this]].

--> [[CrowningMomentOfFunny This upgrade has increase my "level" 1. Remember eat vegetables also to grow strong.]]

* PowersOfTwoMinusOne:
--> [[AC:REALLY]]\\
[[AC:THREAT LEVEL [[HarderThanHard 255]]]]

** ''Iji'' itself contained an homage to ''Hero'', the game to which ''HeroCore'' is a sequel.

* InterfaceSpoiler: Various questionmark items in the menu.

[[http://www.remar.se/daniel/herocore.php Hero Core]] is a {{Metroidvania}} ShootEmUp game by DanielRemar, the creator of VideoGame/{{Iji}}. It uses old-school [[DeliberatelyMonochrome black and white graphics]] and 8-bit music to relate the never-ending war between Flip Hero and the Warmachine Cruiser Tetron. Though [[NintendoHard quite hard]], it's a high-quality game with numerous bosses and endings.

* {{Speedrun}}: DanielRemar [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CcVj3-xnls made one for the Normal and Normal Boss Rush modes]], as he did for VideoGame/{{Iji}}.

* WallMaster: The {{Eversion}}-like hands suddenly coming out of walls in Hero Forever. They don't damage you, but "just" steal your flags (that's bad already, though, since collecting flags is the point of Hero Forever) and will really creep you out the first time you encounter them.

* CutSong: Both the Core theme and the boss music have completely different alternate versions. Neither are used throughout the game.

* [[UnwinnableJokeGame Unwinnable Joke]] {{Difficulty Level|s}}: The highest difficulty level, called "Reallyjoel's Dad", that is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfM3vtVlCTw almost]] impossible.

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: Remar had programmed in ranks pertaining to finishing BossRush in less than 4 minutes (literally called "Seriously") and in less than 3 minutes (called "[[MemeticBadass Reallyjoel's Dad]]"). These ranks are supposed to normally be impossible to obtain... but [[http://youtu.be/FkRSMCGVSWU at least one player managed genuinely to get the rank of Reallyjoel's Dad]], even if only via cheating.