History VideoGame / KnightsInTheNightmare

* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler:Capehorn, Yelma, Zolgonark and Melissa. [[TeethClenchedTeamwork None of them particularly like each other]].]]

* SociopathicHero: Mellia. She's just so over-the-top that you can't help but cheer for whatever insane thing she's doing. [[spoiler:There is also the fact that she [[RageAgainstTheHeavens can pull a successful Nessiah]] without manipulating several countries first...]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Meria/Melia/Mellia, which has been officially and unofficially written ''all three ways.'' A lot of the knights' names suffered from this, too, until they were given official spellings by Sting. When the game was translated by Atlus, however, a lot of these romanizations were discarded, some due to being too long (i.e. Willemgard becoming Wilmgard), others for unknown reasons.

* GenreBusting: You are unlikely to be able to classify what, exactly, this game ''is.'' You may even struggle to properly describe what its ''components'' are. Let's try: A little bit of BulletHell mixed with InterfaceScrew (the enemy is shooting at the wisp, YOUR CURSOR, rather than the soldiers you animate), some RealTimeStrategy with TurnBasedStrategy hybrid elements... and some RPG elements for the various ghosts you control. That's not even getting into the ''really'' weird stuff like hitting the switch between "Law" and "Chaos" to switch modes for characters' hitboxes across the map.
** You want a shorter description that includes comparable games? Here it is: ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}'' meets ''VideoGame/Persona3'' meets ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''. Put it in a blender, add the InterfaceScrew, subtract "Bullet Absorb" from ''Ikaruga'', and you got this game. [[MindScrew Don't think too hard on it.]]
* GlassCannon: Maria has incredibly low VIT (7.77), despite her physical strength. She's the only character that recovers it between chapters, though.

* GratuitousEnglish: Atlus's English release cleaned up a lot of this throughout the game's menus and interface. But for just ''one'' example of it... compare this [[http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z22/jcdietz03/KitN_Jap.png Japanese]] screen to the one used for the [[http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z22/jcdietz03/KitN_English.png English]] version.
* GuideDangIt: In order to get the good ending for the first campaign, you have to recruit a certain character...in a hidden level. Yeah, good luck figuring that one out on your first play through.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: English PSP version, which even causes a little bit of lag on scenes and sprite animations.

* MacGuffinDeliveryService: Couldn't we, I don't know, wait to fight [[spoiler:Alier]] until [[spoiler:Yelma is ''NOT'' standing right next to the king's crystal-encased body]]?!

* NintendoHard: Playing on just the normal difficulty is an exercise in badness, as the screen can quickly be blanketed in projectiles.

* OptionalPartyMember: Everyone, technically. Most stages have a default group of knights the Wisp can use; to permanently recruit any character, the player has to find an item connected to them hidden in a previous stage, with the exception of the first, of course.

* PsychoticSmirk: Mellia goes around with a face that proudly proclaims "I eat babies".
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: [[spoiler:Mellia doesn't rage so much as gleefully charge on at the prospect of making Asgard (among other things) go asplode.]]

* SadisticChoice: At the end of Mellia's route, as long as you didn't defeat Scoppio. Which is more important to you -- order or friendship? And no, you can't TakeAThirdOption.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Meria/Melia/Mellia, which has been officially and unofficially written ''all three ways.'' A lot of the knights' names suffered from this, too, until they were given official spellings by Sting. When the game was translated by Atlus, however, a lot of these romanizations were discarded, some due to being too long (i.e. Willemgard becoming Wilmgard), others for unknown reasons. Naturally, this causes a lot of difficulty between longtime Dept. Heaven fans that use Sting's translations and newer/foreign fans going off of Atlus's names, especially if the same character had a dramatically different name.

-->''Knights really isn't too different from [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative the other]] [[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS stylus-driven]] [[BulletHell bullet hell]] [[TurnBasedStrategy strategy RPGs]] out there.''

* ButNotTooBlack: One dark-skinned NPC girl in armor is called "Tanned Knight".

* KansaiRegionalAccent: In the Japanese version, all the Lemonoug people have a slight Kyoto-ben dialect. Not noticeable in the English script, obviously, where standard English was used to render every character's speech.

%% * SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: The voice acting, if not the text.

%% * TriangRelations: Piche, Nordich, and Alier.

%% * NiceHat: Most wizards and priestesses wear one.

The game was localized in North America by Creator/{{Atlus}} and released on June 2nd. Keeping with ST!NG's habits, a PSP version of this game was recently released, with a bonus [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion Yggdra]] mode available.

%% * LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters

%% * GuideDangIt: Try to find [[spoiler:Marietta's staff]] without any help.

* SelfImposedChallenge: Many. The most popular are "Get all the knights" and "continually NewGamePlus from Easy Mode to Nightmare Mode [[NoCasualtiesRun without ever using Transoul]]". ...Also, [[MeaningfulName Nightmare Mode]] is ''in itself'' a SelfImposedChallenge.

* SugarAndIcePersonality: Maria.
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: The voice acting, if not the text.
* TakingTheBullet: Poor [[spoiler:Maria and Mellia]].

* AfterTheEnd

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: This seems to have been the idea behind everyone's names.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Wilmgard. [[spoiler:Not even death stops him from kicking ass.]]
* AxCrazy: Mellia.
* {{BFS}}: Leonil's sword.
* BigEater: Lucia.
* BloodKnight: Leonil.
* BodyHorror: So. Many. Examples. The most tragic is hands-down [[spoiler:Piche]], though. Poor baby.
* BoobsOfSteel: Good God, Melissa, you're going to put somebody's eye out with those!
** Subverted with Mellia, who despite being the smallest-chested of [[spoiler:the different versions of Marietta]], is also the most destruction-happy.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:Gunther]].
* BreakTheCutie: [[spoiler:Algiery and Piche]].
* BreakableWeapons: Each and every one. Even ''upgrading'' can make them break.
* BulletHell: The main challenge of the game.
* ButNotTooBlack: One dark-skinned NPC girl in armor is called "Tanned Knight."
* CallingYourAttacks: you will hear a lot of these; hi-skill ones are especially nice to hear.
* CelestialBureaucracy: Asgard.

* CloudCuckooLander / ChildrenAreInnocent: Primea is sometimes an example of both tropes.
* ColorCodedElements: [[color:green:Sanctity]], [[color:purple:Darkness]], [[color:red:Fire]], [[color:blue:Ice]], [[color:yellow:Lightning]], Neutral.
* CuteWitch: Vienna and [[spoiler:Pamela]]. Many of the Priestesses also qualify.

* DemBones: One of the possible monsters.
* DemonicPossession

* EarnYourHappyEnding

* EmotionlessGirl: Vishnah.

* {{Expy}}: Many. Aquina is one of [[VideoGame/RivieraThePromisedLand Malice]], Leonil of [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion Leon]], Primea of [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion #367]], Bonita of [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion Gulcasa]], Vishna of [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion Zilva]]...
* TheFaceless: Vienna.

%%* GenericCuteness%%

* GottaCatchEmAll: Getting all the knights.

* GuideDangIt: Try to find [[spoiler:Marietta's staff]] without any help.
** How about [[spoiler:Zolgonark's Soul Crucible]]?! How the hell is anybody supposed to realize that [[spoiler:the item is actually in the first scene after the breakable object resets]]?!

* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: ''Everyone'', especially the main heroine(s). How do they move around in that getup?
* TheIngenue: Piche.
* InterspeciesRomance: [[spoiler:Wilmgard and Algiery.]]
* ItHasBeenAnHonor: Gunther.

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Yelma.]]

* LadyOfWar: Maria and Mellia, [[spoiler:who are technically the same entity]]. Many of Wilmgard's knights are this, as well.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia
* LegionsOfHell: The main force of opposition.
* LightIsNotGood
* LimitBreak: Sort of.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, LoveDodecahedron, ''and'' CastOfSnowflakes '''[[LogicalExtreme in spades]]''', all of which are important to normal gameplay and the storyline. This is because Transsoul-ing is affected by relationships, races, classes, and several other in-game mechanics, and these can all affect the Knight being given the soul.

* MacGuffin: Marietta's staff Ancardia.

* ManipulativeBastard: Yelma.

* MindScrew: In the artbook, [[WordOfGod one of the game designers]] admitted that even they had trouble keeping track of the plot.
** Also, do NOT try to classify the gameplay into a genre. It is an exercise in futility. See GenreBusting above.
* MoreDakka: There's reason why this game is considered "a bullet-hell RPG."
* MsFanservice: Melissa and Mellia were designed for this role, according to the character designer. To a lesser extent, Marietta and [[spoiler:[[FullFrontalAssault Melad Margus]].]]

* NeverGrewUp: [[spoiler:Pamela]] and, according to the World Guide, [[spoiler:Yggdra]].
* NiceHat: Most wizards and priestesses wear one.

* NoblewomansLaugh: Yelma.
* ObviouslyEvil: Guess which side of [[spoiler:Marietta]] Mellia and Melissa represent.
** Also, Yelma.
* OmnicidalManiac: Zolgonark and [[spoiler:Melad Margus]].

* OrcusOnHisThrone: ''Every'' villain is guilty of this.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent
* OurSoulsAreDifferent: Look no further than the Wisp.

* RedOniBlueOni: Subverted; Marietta and Maria have red and gold coloring and blue-oni personalities, while Melissa and Mellia wear blue and purple and act more like they're red oni.
* ResetButton: What happens in the good endings.
** [[spoiler:Arguably, those endings where Melad Margus is allowed to go on her destruction spree are a ''literal'' ResetButton for the entire universe -- this is implied in a Marietta flashback at the end of Mellia's route.]]

* SealedEvilInACan: Zolgonark.

* ShelteredAristocrat: Nordich, who first appears to be little more than a spoiled brat.
* ShipperOnDeck: A handful of female and male knights get gossipy and humorous over who the prince is marrying.
* SmugSnake: Capehorn and Yelma.

* SpoilerOpening: PSP version, [[VideoGame/YggdraUnion as]] [[VideoGame/BlazeUnion usual]].
* StarcrossedLovers: [[spoiler:Wilmgard and Algiery. Also, Piche and Nordich.]]

* ThemeNaming: A number of the bosses' names seem to be derived, to one degree or another, from the zodiac, particularly when the Japanese spellings are taken into account:
** [[spoiler:Jamie - Gemini]]
** [[spoiler:Rivulia - Libra]]
** [[spoiler:Gunther - Cancer]]
** [[spoiler:Dotaurus - Taurus]]
** [[spoiler:Scoppio - Scorpio]]
** [[spoiler:Leonil - Leo]]
** [[spoiler:Aquina/Aquiline - Aquarius]]
** [[spoiler:Capehorn - Capricorn]]
** [[spoiler:Vilgo - Virgo]]
** [[spoiler:Piche - Pisces]]
** [[spoiler:Sacchito - Sagittarius]]
** [[spoiler:Alier - Aries]]
* TomatoSurprise: [[spoiler:Algiery, who is eventually revealed to be one of the Tiamat.]]
* TragicMonster: [[spoiler: Piche, Nordich, and Gunther]].

* TriangRelations: Piche, Nordich, and Alier.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Mellia's route.
* VisualNovel: In the cases where it's not a strategy bullet hell game, it's firmly this for half of the time.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: The Mehse sure don't. [[spoiler:Freaking Asgard.]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: The cutscene after Scene 30.