History VideoGame / PocketMirror

%%* JumpScare: Definitely there.

A prequel game focusing on Elise's childhood, ''Little Goody Two Shoes'', was announced in December 2016.

*** Later on, when Lisette has captured the protagonist and Enjel, the latter gets angry and tells Lisette, among other things, that [[spoiler:if it wasn't for Lisette, Enjel would have 'gotten there' by now]]. Not only is what she meant by this unclear, but an attentive player may find it strange that [[spoiler:she never actually expresses concern for the protagonist, hinting that she is just using her to get 'there' ([[BecomeARealBoy the real world]])]].

* BilingualBonus: There's little bits of German littered ''everywhere'' in the game, and may offer insight into certain plot points.

*** [[spoiler:The setting, which was very vague previously, is shown to be [[PeriodPiece during the 19th century]], as Goldia was born on July 16th, 1862 in Linz, Austria and was admitted on 1878. It's implied that her parents either passed away or abandoned her.]]
** The Little Goody Two Shoes ending also reveals that [[spoiler:Goldia actually had a happy life when she was younger with a caring mother, implying that she was locked up in a mental hospital due to a tragic event that completely put her in HeroicBSOD (although the Little Goody Two Shoes ending can also imply that it's an alternate timeline where Goldia had a much happier life than the Dawn ending)]].

** [[spoiler:The Dawn ending also reveals most of the protagonist's backstory. If the player interacts with the desk (which contains a medical record), it is revealed that Goldia (full name: Goldia die Heilige) is a patient in a mental hospital in Austria and is diagnosed with dementia praecox[[note]]An old term for schizophrenia[[/note]], [[LiteralSplitPersonality dissociation]] (the other characters save the Strange Boy are her alters), and lunacy. The setting also takes place during the 19th century, as Goldia was born on July 16th, 1862 in Linz, Austria and was admitted on 1878. It's implied that her parents either passed away or abandoned her. The Little Goody Two Shoes ending also reveals that Goldia actually had a happy life when she was younger with a caring mother, implying that she was locked up in a mental hospital due to a tragic event that completely put her in HeroicBSOD (although the Little Goody Two Shoes ending can also imply that it's an alternate timeline where Goldia had a much happier life than the Dawn ending).]]

** The platinum ending is one for the ending of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', in which [[spoiler:Goldia transforms into a form reminiscent of Ultimate Madoka]]. The [[OneWingedAngel form]] that the FinalBoss [[spoiler:Enjel]] also resembles [[spoiler:Demon Homura]] from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion''. Also, [[spoiler:both of the two are pawns of a demonic, male-presenting BigBad]]. WordOfGod confirms that the series is one of their inspirations.

** Several players have had to resort to the guide in order to figure the first chase scene with [[spoiler:Lisette]] in the hall of mirrors. First came the InterfaceScrew that confused some players. If that wasn't effective, the next obstacle was figuring out where to go at all through sound only (the area gets dark and you can't tell if or when the protagonist stops moving). If a player ever figures that out, they may be really surprised when they're [[spoiler:[[OffscreenTeleportation intercepted]] by ''five'' Lisettes in front of them. This is a really brilliant move on the developer's part, as when most chase scenes have you focus on reaching the end of an area by focusing in front of you, the chase scenes in Pocket Mirror force you to solely focus on ''fleeing from your chaser'']].
** The only thing that tells you [[spoiler:which white dress murdered the 'ugly hag' is the French word 'laid', (ugly) on the murdered dress. The culprit will be the dress who says another French word, 'mademoiselle'. Despite the hint, many players didn't understand/take notes/remember which said what and]] it caused many a player outrage at an unfair death.

* MacGuffinTitle

* BigBad: [[spoiler:The Strange Boy]] is the one who trapped the protagonist in the mysterious world and stole her memories, and he is also responsible for creating the other villains to keep her trapped.

* SurrealHorror: The world of the game is a dream-like world that starts out more-or-less typical haunted-house horror but gets more and more bizarre and ''VideoGame/YumeNikki''-esque as the game progresses. Best exemplified in the fourth area, which is a CircusOfFear.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Not unexpected given the horror genre, but you can do things like [[spoiler:pluck an innocent painting girl's eye out to get your mirror back, or snitch on an innocent plush fox and have it ''shot to death by a firing squad'' to progress the story.

* WithFriendsLikeThese: In the "Who've Done It"? puzzle, five girls are captured by a witch, accused of stealing a wand. Two of them, Maybell and Dorothy, are supposedly best friends and very close. But when they're interrogated, Dorothy quickly accused Maybell of stealing the wand. If you solve the puzzle correctly, (revealing it was another girl), Maybell is dissappointed that her friend tried to throw her under the bridge, while Dorothy reveals that she always hated Maybell.

* SurrealHorror: The world of the game is a dream-like world that starts out more-or-less typical haunted-house horror but gets more and more bizarre and ''VideoGame/YumeNikki''-esque as the game progresses. Best exemplified in the fourth area, which is a CircusOfFear with

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Not unexpected given the horror genre, but you can do things like [[spoiler:pluck an innocent painting girl's eye out to get your mirror back, or snitch on an innocent plush fox and have it ''shot to death by a firing squad'' to progress the story,]] this applies.
** Of course, if you don't tell the guards about [[spoiler:Mrs. Fox, you'll find out early she's not so innocent after all.]]

* AmnesiacHero: The protagonist can't remember what her name is at the start of the game.

* BishieSparkle: On ''Egliette'' of all people.

* CreepyDoll: ''Lots of them''. One of them is a main character.
* DamnYouMuscleMemory:
** When you play Musical Chairs with Fleta, the instructions tell you explicitly to press A, and the protagonist moves automatically around the chairs so you don't have to worry about staying far from a seat. Seems easy...unless you're used to console games. Pressing A is equivalent to pressing a confirm button for seasoned console gamers, ''but this is an RPG Maker game where Z is the default confirm button''. Some players took a little while to catch on that they had to press a different keyboard button. And ''again'' in the middle of musical chairs. Every time the music stops the screen goes black and it's easy to associate that with the cue to press A. However, one segment has the music stop but the screen remains, easily confusing the player momentarily enough to lose.
* DealWithTheDevil: Various with the BigBad, [[spoiler:the Strange Boy]]:
** The first book read in the game says that he has been granting wishes to people who seek it out and call it by name.
** [[spoiler:The protagonist's mother, Elise, made a pact with the demon when she was young to ascend from RagsToRiches. However, the Strange Boy decided he wanted her daughter's name as payment. The result was the protagonist losing her identity and provoking the events of the game.]]
** [[spoiler:Enjel is confirmed to have made a pact with him at the cost of her finger, but it's implied that it was more than what she bargained for.]]

%%* GlowingEyesOfDoom: '''Everyone'''.

* HandicappedBadass: [[spoiler:Harpae, if you consider all that she did in the path of a good end.]]
* IAmWhatIAm: [[spoiler:The main theme of the game is Goldia figuring out who she is and accepting the flaws of her own personality.]]

* IdentityAmnesia: Part of the plot is the protagonist trying to remember her name.
* InSeriesNickname: The protagonist is called Miss Goody Two Shoes by both Fleta and Lisette.

* JumpScare: Definitely there.
%%* KickTheDog: During a game of musical chairs, the screen delays in turning black to [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments show Fleta kicking away one of the plushes playing to secure a chair.]]

* LightsOffSomebodyDies: In Harpae’s world, during the party, the lights suddenly go off. The sound of clothes ripping is heard, and when the lights come on, one of the guests has been murdered.

** Ramped up in the mirror hall, where [[spoiler:Lisette stalks you, then later pops out of one and gives chase.]] Later on you have to find a pair of scissors in a similar hallway, and turning into a wrong corner will have you run into a Lisette chaser.
* MultipleEndings: There are many endings but the story as a whole had four endings.
** DownerEnding: The ??? Ending, Witching Hour. [[spoiler:The demon boy ties the protagonist up in the chair, stitched her mouth shut, and mocked her with a theater show highlighting several of the characters' backstories with a WhatTheHellHero moment on each show. He then kills Enjel. He teleports behind the protagonist, continues mocking her, and puts her in FateWorseThanDeath (implied to have turned her into a literal puppet for his theater shows).]]

** [[GoldenEnding Little Goody Two Shoes]]: The second good ending. [[spoiler:Goldia finally accepts herself. She wakes up in alternate timeline where Elise didn't contract with the Strange Boy and thus Goldia had a better life than the Dawn ending. While walking home, she finds Elise's shoes from the upcoming prequel, Little Goody Two Shoes.]]

* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:The appropriately named Enjel.]]

* PerilousPlay: In the bad ending of "The Witching Hour", the Strange Boy kidnaps Goldia, stitches her mouth shut, and forces her to watch a horrific stage play in which he brutally murders all of the characters, mocking them all the while. Each one of the girls is strung up like a puppet, and the Strange Boy speaks for them.
* PrecisionFStrike: While there are no swears in the dialog proper, when Lisette is trying to guilt trip [[spoiler: Goldia]] into giving the mirror to another Lisette who's hurt and on the ground, the latter gets a namebox with the name "Bitch".

** The final scene that leads up to one of the good endings not only involves an EscapeSequence, but extended ButtonMashing to rapidly ascend a flight of stairs.
* RedEyesTakeWarning:
** The protagonist is said to have cherry-red eyes.
** Every girl the protagonist meets gives this off, with Fleta also glowing [[GreenEyedMonster green]]. Only Enjel subverts this, since her eyes glow [[spoiler:gold]]. These are all coupled with GlowingEyesOfDoom.
* RedHerring: The purple doll at the library appears to have some importance to the plot, and even speaks to the player at the end of the demo, but only appears two more times without saying a word. WordOfGod confirms that [[http://astralshiftpro.tumblr.com/post/148802789449/hello-i-recently-beat-pocket-mirror-and-i-loved the doll was a meaningless extra that has no importance to the story at large.]]

** The two final endings give away the protagonist's name. [[spoiler:It is Goldia.]]
** [[spoiler:The Dawn ending also reveals most of the protagonist's backstory. If the player interacts with the desk (which contains a medical record), it is revealed that Goldia (full name: Goldia die Heilige) is a patient in a mental hospital in Austria and is diagnosed with dementia praecox[[note]]An old term for schizophrenia[[/note]], dissociation, and lunacy. The setting also takes place during the 19th century, as Goldia was born on July 16th, 1862 in Linz, Austria and was admitted on 1878. It's implied that her parents either passed away or abandoned her. The Little Goody Two Shoes ending also reveals that Goldia actually had a happy life when she was younger with a caring mother, implying that she was locked up in a mental hospital due to a tragic event that completely put her in HeroicBSOD (although the Little Goody Two Shoes ending can also imply that it's an alternate timeline where Goldia had a much happier life than the Dawn ending).]]
** Near the end, the player learns that the decapitated finger from the very beginning of the game was [[spoiler:Enjel's]].

** At Queen Egliette's dinner party, you have to take a guess as to what Egliette will have. If the game's riddles have already gotten to the player, they will probably spend the time to investigate the dinner table and figure out that the Secret Dessert is missing. All the other food on the menu was next to the guests, so it's natural by process of elimination to assume Egliette will have the outlier right? Except that special happens to be '''you.''' [[note]]It was the literally obvious choice.[[/note]]
** While you're walking around the Dance Party's mansion, you can eavesdrop on a bunch of [[RichBitch Rich Snobs]] gossiping about the Countess and a Widow, who is rumored to be a [[WidowWitch ghost that steal souls after midnight]]. You can later see the said Widow in the courtyard, who is just about [[NiceGuy the nicest, most polite person at the party]]. If you talk to her again, she'll sadly mention she's missing her [[FetchQuest handkerchief]] and she just looked about everywhere. But wait! Is that it in the river? ''[[NonstandardGameOver Now to just pick it up and...]]''
* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:Fleta.]]
* {{Shoutout}}:
** Literature/AliceInWonderland:
*** For one, there was the small bottle that shrinks the protagonist's size and the cake that makes the protagonist grow larger.
*** The tea party scene is reminiscent of Alice meeting the Mad Hatter.
*** You will later find an NPC whose gimmicks will remind you of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

** The backstory about [[spoiler:Elise making a contract with the Strange Boy as a child, only for him to return back when she was an adult in order to have Elise's daughter as payment for her wish is reminiscent of {{Literature/Rumpelstiltskin}}.]]

** The second bad end, in which [[spoiler:Harpae combs the protagonist's hair and convinces her to "let go",]] is very reminiscent of the original Literature/SnowWhite fairytale, in which the evil queen, dressed as a peddler, attempts to kill Snow White for the second time [[spoiler:via poisoned hair comb.]]
** The first ending for the game as a whole, the platinum ending is one for Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the developers also said that it's one of their inspirations for Pocket Mirror.
** The time spent with Enjel is probably one for {{Ib}}.
*** In Ib, [[spoiler:the titular red-eyed protagonist is brought into a limbo world from an art gallery, where she obtains a red rose (representing her life), makes a friend, and then unknowingly meets the antagonist (with a fake yellow rose), whom she also befriends. The antagonist seems to be very nice and cheerful but also desperately wants to exist by exchanging places with someone real. Towards the end of the game, the protagonist and her friend are trapped with antagonist in a child's crayon drawing, which they may or may not escape from, depending on the ending.]]
*** In Pocket Mirror, [[spoiler:the red-eyed protagonist with a pocket mirror (representing her name and identity) discovers and befriends a gold-eyed antagonist (who had a pocket mirror that broke). The antagonist is very nice but desperately wants the protagonist's pocket mirror so that she can once again have life. Towards the end of the game, the protagonist willingly follows the antagonist into a limbo, which could very well have been drawn in crayon by a child. The protagonist may or may not escape, depending on the ending.]]

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Inverted. Of all the characters worthy of having sprites, you're left with a cast of girls and a boy, [[spoiler:though it's heavily implied he's a demon and the BiggerBad]].
* SpoiledBrat: Fleta is this in spades. [[spoiler:Also, the papers scattered through the game reveal that the protagonist used to be one before losing her identity.]]
* TokenMiniMoe: Arguably Egliette.
* {{Tsundere}}: Fleta.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:The Strange Boy]] is the one who trapped the protagonist in the mysterious world and stole her memories, and is responsible for creating the other villains to keep her trapped.

* ColorMotif: Each of the girls had one and they correspond with their eyes. The protagonist's is cherry red, Fleta's is green, Harpae's is blue, Lisette's is purple [[spoiler:and Enjel's is gold.]]

** When you play Musical Chairs with Fleta, the instructions tell you explicitly to press A, and the protagonist moves automatically around the chairs so you don't have to worry about staying far from a seat. Seems easy...unless you're used to console games. Pressing A is equivalent to pressing a confirm button for seasoned console gamers, ''but this is an RPG Maker game where Z is the default confirm button.'' Some players took a little while to catch on that they had to press a different keyboard button.
** And ''again'' in the middle of musical chairs. Every time the music stops the screen goes black and it's easy to associate that with the cue to press A. However, one segment has the music stop but the screen remains, easily confusing the player momentarily enough to lose.
* DealWithTheDevil:
** The first book read in the game implies that a demonic character has been granting wishes to people who seek it out and call it by name. [[spoiler:It seems that the demon is still playing a role with the wishes, but it's not entirely clear if he granted the protagonist's wish, Enjel's, or generally everyone's. It's generally accepted that the events in the game are a result of those wishes.]]

* EyeScream: One of the first puzzles has you pluck out a girl's eyeball. Then you're handed another one [[BlackComedy just because someone could see light in their life again briefly.]]

* GlowingEyesOfDoom: '''Everyone'''.
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:The demon who hosts the theater sessions is implied to have played a vital role in what set off the events of the game.]]

* IAmWhatIAm: [[spoiler:The main theme of the game is the protagonist figuring out who she is and accepting the flaws of her own personality.]]

* KickTheDog: During a game of musical chairs, the screen delays in turning black to [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments show Fleta kicking away one of the plushes playing to secure a chair.]]

* WithFriendsLikeThese: In the "Who've Done It"? puzzle, five girls are captured by a witch, accused of stealing a wand. Two of them, Maybell and Dorothy, are supposedly best friends and very close. But when they're interrogated, Dorothy quickly accused Maybell of stealing the wand. If you solve the puzzle correctly, (revealing it was another girl), Maybell is dissappointed that her friend tried to throw her under the bridge, while Dorothy reveals that she always hated Maybell and wanted her to be the culprit.

** [[BittersweetEnding Dawn]]: The first good ending. [[spoiler:Goldia finally manages to escape from her nightmares and wake up in reality. She finally remembers she was locked up in a mental hospital in 19th century Austria and the whole adventure was a dream. While she's still hospotalized, at least she has regained her sanity by accepting all the parts of herself, so the story ends on a hopeful note.]]

** The final area is quite reminiscent of a Dive to Heart from {{VideoGame/KingdomHearts}}.

* KickTheDog: During a game of musical chairs, the screen delays in turning black to [[CrowningMomentofFunny show Fleta kicking away one of the plushes playing to secure a chair.]]

* PressXToNotDie: Now and then, especially when escaping from pursuers, you may encounter jammed doors which need you to mash Z for a few seconds to force open. If you don't have enough of a lead on your pursuers, they can use these few seconds to close in on you.

** [[BittersweetEnding Dawn]]: The first good ending. [[spoiler:Goldia finally manages to escape from her nightmares and wake up in reality. She is locked up in a mental hospital in 19th century Austria, but she at least finally accepts who she is and faces reality.]]

A prequel game focused on Elise's childhood, ''Little Goody Two Shoes'', was announced in December 2016.