History VideoGame / RakenzarnTales

* InUniverseGameClock: Time only passes on the world map, not in towns or dungeons.

* NintendoHard: Version 1.1 was quite difficult with unforgiving bosses and even some tricky regular encounters. Version 1.2 toned them down while rebalancing stats and lowering shop prices. Version 2 strikes a happy balance in enemy difficulty. "Relentless" difficulty in v4.1.1 puts closer to this level.

* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Kyros certainly suffers from this when he tries to fight a more physically-imposing Kyo. Kyo returns the favor by punching Kyros back. The sound effect and Kyros' facial reaction imply that it hurts like hell.

** We have girls tied up and female OCs done by bondage artists. ''VideoGame/DIDNapper'' in particular gets an increased amount of importance each version with everyone of its party members appearing in the game and several different sidequests.

Simultaneously, Dark Kyu is working on a SpinOff called ''VideoGame/RakenzarnFrontierStory'', starring [[Franchise/DanganRonpa Makoto Naegi]]. However, this is a different, self-contained story with no links to the main game. A second SpinOff has been announced called Rakenzarn Seigi. It will focus on the HenshinHero genre.

* EvilVsEvil: In Chapter 3, the heroes must protect the [[MacGuffin Water Orb]] in [=BlueLake=] Town. Three sides of baddies are trying to steal it, and are fighting each other for it: a group of bandits led by Boron (who are the reason the heroes were recruited in the first place); [[spoiler:WesternAnimation/{{Pete}}, helped by [[Franchise/SpiderMan Max Dillon]]; and [[Anime/OnePiece Buggy the Clown]]]].

* XanatosGambit: Of all people, [[spoiler:PETE]] manages to pull out one of those in the end of Chapter 3, cementing his status of NotSoHarmlessVillain. To elaborate, he takes advantage of a bandit attack on [=BlueLake Town=] to cause havoc in the city with the help of [[Franchise/SpiderMan Electro]]. During the chaos, he tries to steal the Water Orb, a magical artifact necessary to stop the effects of the plague. However, he doesn't even care if he succeeds or not. Because his real plan was to force the Knights to call reinforcements, leaving the other towns defenseless so that he can release monsters hidden in pockets dimensions in them. Ingenious. [[spoiler:The only reason it fails was because [[BigGood Goku]] [[OutGambitted knew this tactic and acted accordingly to counter it]]]].

Warning! Of course, there are spoilers below and on the other pages of this wiki. If you are interested and want to try it, it's best to play it before reading, [[ItWasHisSled as a lot of the tropes discussed here spoil one of the game's early twists]].

* AbandonedHospital: You explore one of those in Chapter 10.

* AdaptationalBadass: Most of the playable cast. For example, Kyuu goes from ordinary detective to skilled warrior, [[VideoGame/DragonsLair Dirk the Daring]] can take more than one hit before croaking, WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy prove their worth as fighters and even [[WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan the Shocker]] packs more of a punch.

* AFriendInNeed: A recurring theme. A particularly awesome and heartwarming example in Chapter 5 back in version 2, [[spoiler:if the player makes Kyuu choose to go back to Rakenzarn after being back in his world. He explicitly says that he goes back because he promised his friends to help them restore Rakenzarn]]. In general, he makes several times clear that he will stick with his friends until they manage to save Rakenzarn from the plague.

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Green is a surprisingly common skin tone color.

* AttractiveBentGender: Kyuu jokingly comments that Kanon dressed as a girl (looking suspiciously like [[Franchise/TouhouProject Reimu Hakurei]]) is hot.
* AuthorAppeal:
** Dark Kyu is obviously a fan of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' and ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', considering several Negima characters join the party and there's a sidequest taking place in Rakenzarn's version of Equestria.
** Deadpool also quips that Kyuu is Dark Kyu's "super favorite protagonist", which was probably a factor in his being the protagonist.

* AxCrazy: The Assassin. Childerich.

* BadassBookworm: Dark Magician Girl. Kyuu becomes one as the story goes along.
* BadBoss: Averted. For the moment, the Saint Lords have avoided the {{You Have Failed Me}} and {{You Have Outlived Your Usefulness}} tropes. Even [[spoiler:WesternAnimation/{{Pete}}]], after his fiasco in the [[spoiler:Cyril]] Region, is given a second chance.
* BagOfSharing: Items are sharing between party members whenever there's a split. Most notably is the Extra Scenario in which Mayu can use everything the main party has before she even starts on her adventure.

* BigBad: [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]], the [[CrossoverVillainInChief leader]] of the Saint Lords, is the one responsible for the plagues afflicting Rakenzarn in his plot to create a new world, with the other Saint Lords serving under him.

* BigGood: [[Anime/DragonBallZ Goku]] seems to this. Doubles as SupportingLeader.

* BloodKnight: The Assassin. Zazz. [[VideoGame/SuikodenV Childerich]].

** The combined use of attack debuffs and party healing spells. Basically, as long as the boss is affected by attack reducers, a decently-leveled team has approximately no chance to die.

*** Any healing spell on its own will probably be one of the most used spells of the game.
* BossRush: The climbing of the Lost Tower in Chapter 8 is basically a succession of bosses and stairs until you reach the Plague Core.
* BossInMookClothing:
** The first you'll come across is the Allosaurus, which is mentioned to have assaulted Sivurd Town a week prior to Kyuu's arrival. Woe to those who come across this beast in the world map unprepared.
** Next in line is the Goblin Zombie, which appears in Galimus Plains at night as a wandering enemy. Similar to the Allosaurus, it deals a ''lot'' of damage with each attack, cutting even [[MightyGlacier Ed]] and [[MasterOfAll Kyuu]] down to half their health with one hit.
** Heading further in is the Spiritus Grond, encountered in Zairu forest in Chapter 8 after you [[spoiler:rescue Elder Arafin]]. This thing has [[{{Cap}} 999]] Physical Defense, 235 Magical Defense, and 100% evasion rating, meaning that you have no chance of beating it without magic, and ''strong'' magic at that. [[FromBadToWorse Did we mention that they completely flood the forest when they show up]]?
* BoundAndGagged: With ''VideoGame/DIDNapper'' and ''Fantasy Frontier'' characters involved, this was an inevitability in their sidequests. True to her character, Carol even asks for it at one point.

* BroadStrokes: Whenever a character references one of their past adventures in Rakenzarn Tales, it's usually done in this manner, as the characters in this setting have lived in Rakenzarn all their life instead of the fictional worlds they're from. For example, Sonic did fight the Deadly Six at one point, but it took place in the Cyril Region of the Phantasma Continent instead of the Lost Hex.
* BrokenBridge: You just happen to start off in the one region sealed off from the others until the Plague is dispelled.

** Deadpool will only join Kyuu if he proves himself to be one.

* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Referred to by name if you tell [[VideoGame/WarioWare Ashley]] that you're saving the world.

* CombatSadomasochist: The Assassin, a {{Blood Knight}} who loves killing her targets but also enjoys her own pain.
* TheComicallySerious: Kanon, when he witnesses the antics of the Nutsy Guild. In a more [[MoodWhiplash moodwhiplashing]] example, in the end of Chapter 9, [[spoiler:Deathstroke]] is turned into one when [[spoiler:Deadpool]] arrives.

* ContrivedCoincidence:
** There's no real indication that Pete, Buggy or the Boron Bandits were working together when trying to get the Water Orb in Chapter 3. Buggy just happened to stumble up on it and Pete was taking advantage of the situation.
** Essentially how the sidequest involving Lyra got started. [[spoiler:Lyra just ''happened'' to be touching a painting that just ''happened'' to be the same a wizard used as a portal to a miniature world at the same time as another pony called out to her crush, who just ''happened'' to have a name similar enough to the spell word to access the mini world while they just ''happened'' to be close enough to the wizard's lab to activate it.]]
* CowardlyLion: Luigi.

* CrutchCharacter: Kanon is one of the most useful characters in the beginning of the game. During the first few chapters, when your choices are limited, he's one of the powerhouses of the team (only [[GlassCannon Dark Magician Girl]] hits harder) and is the most durable, since he has the most HP at the time. However, as the story progresses, you can recruit other fighters that will fill his role much better like Axel, with his [[GameBreaker game breaking]] powers, or the more versatile [[MagicKnight Cain]] who can heal and buff his own or his teammates' strength.

* DarkActionGirl: [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Tayuya]].
* DarkerAndEdgier: The Kandur Arc. The tragic effects of the plague in this region (people becoming paranoid, violent and mad) are explicitly shown. The infected village is covered with fog, while an unnerving music is playing. The villains are more serious and the threat of death for the main characters is more explicit.
* DeadpanSnarker: Kanon. Axel and (depending on his alignment) Kyuu have their moments too.

* DifficultButAwesome: The NeutralGood[[invoked]] alignment, which requires to carefully manage the alignment choices. So far, keeping Kyuu in this alignment allows him to recruit the most optional characters: [[Videogame/SuikodenIV Mitsuba]] won't join him if he's LawfulGood[[invoked]] and Cain won't join him if he's ChaoticGood. However, both will join him if he's NeutralGood[[invoked]]. And [[Videogame/TalesOfVesperia Yuri Lowell]] only joins him if he's NeutralGood[[invoked]].

* DirtyCoward:
** Samuel.
** [[MetalSlime Oviraptors]] will flee if you get their health low enough without killing them.

* ElementalAbsorption: Several foes, usually bosses, can regain health if hit with the element they're naturally affiliated with. Starting with Version 2, this also applies to party members.

* EnemyScan: This ability is given to Kyuu by Nodoka.

* EpisodicGame: Version 2 was designed in this manner, with a single base game that the additional chapters could easily be downloaded to without losing the save file.
* EvilVsEvil: In Chapter 3, the heroes must protect the [[MacGuffin Water Orb]] in [=BlueLake=] Town. Three sides of baddies are trying to steal it, and are fighting each other for it: a group of bandits led by Boron (who are the reason the heroes were recruited in the first place); [[spoiler:WesternAnimation/{{Pete}}, helped by [[Franchise/SpiderMan Max Dillon]]; and [[Anime/OnePiece Buggy the Clown]]]].
* ExperienceMeter: Added in Version 2, but later removed due to menu changes.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: The bulk of the playable characters have gone through most - if not all - their previous adventures before you meet them. Of course, they're still level-appropriate for the point in the game where you meet them.
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: You ain't completing that first quest no matter how quickly it's done.

* FireForgedFriends: Kyuu and his brigade progressively become this.
* FirstTown: Densel Town is home to your guild and the brigade's living quarters, so you'll be returning here frequently.

* FreezeFrameBonus: When Deadpool pulls up his stats for the Rival Battle, take a look at the list of enemies on the side.

* GambitPileup: The end of Chapter 3 is basically this between [=BlueLake=] Town's authorities, the Boron bandits, Kyuu's brigade, [[Anime/OnePiece Buggy the Clown]], [[spoiler:WesternAnimation/{{Pete}} and [[Anime/DragonBallZ Goku]]]]. See also XanatosGambit. (WARNING : Spoilers).
* TheGhost: In spite of his important role in the climax of Chapter 3, Boron (leader of the Boron bandits) never appears on-screen.
* GiveMeYourInventoryItem: Two party members and one support member are recruited by handing over some items they need.

* GoodVersusGood: Kyuu's brigade VS [[Anime/QueensBlade Alleyne and Nowa]], when Kyuu and his friends [[spoiler:infiltrate the Elf Village]] in Chapter 6.

* TheGunslinger: [[VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger Noel]], [[Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi Mana]] and Samuel. Kyuu can be one if you equip him with guns.

* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: Some fights won't matter if you win or lose, but winning at least gets you EXP or even a stat boost.
* HealerSignsOnEarly: Nina is one of the first party members and two other healers (Donald and Edd) can join in the third chapter.
* HealthDamageAsymmetry: Played pretty straight. Lampshaded by Deadpool, who wonders just why the bad guys always have so much health.
* HelloInsertNameHere: Once the brigade is officially made, you can name it however you please.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Played with. Swords are considered the JackOfAllStats among the equipable weapons, but Kyuu can pick whichever weapon he likes. Swords are still a pretty common weapon among the party, though.
** The Tinechor Sword is given to Kyuu near the end of Chapter 8, and is essentially perfect for any MagicKnight.

* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:Kyuu]] has a brief one in the beginning of Chapter 10, after [[spoiler:Noel has been gravely wounded by Deathstroke]]. Luckily, Nina and Kite manage to talk him out of it. Although, some of his dialogs show that he's still deeply affected by his failure.

* InUniverseGameClock: Time only passes on the world map, not in towns or dungeons.
* InevitableTournament: The aptly-named Veryl Tournament Arc.
* InexplicableTreasureChests: It is an RPG in a fantasy setting after all. This is lampshaded if you examine the treasure chests in the Suiseki pathway, as Kyuu is actually surprised to discover them empty before Kite reminds him other people would snatch those up.

* {{Introdump}}: The earliest version of game had one of these at the start of Chapter 1 when introducing the new party members. This was phased out in favor of a more gradual introduction when the plot was rewritten.

* JumpScare: After you open the door during the nightmare sequence.
* KarmaMeter: It's between LawfulGood[[invoked]], NeutralGood[[invoked]] and ChaoticGood[[invoked]] rather than good and evil.

** Kite, Kanon and Axel may all three qualify for Kyuu.
* LateToTheTragedy: The inn sidequest involving missing people.

* LeakedExperience: Back-up party members got 50% EXP in 1.1, which was increased to 100% in 1.2.

* LevelUpFillUp: Introduced in Version 1.2, removed in Version 4.

* MagicKnight: Some LightningBruiser and JackOfAllTrades types are this too. Notable examples are: Axel, Kanon, Kanata and Cain. With the proper training, the protagonist can become one as well.

* MetalSlime: Oviraptors are {{Fragile Speedster}}s that flee from combat when their health is low. They appear in Blackwood Forest during Chapter 2, and drop a whopping 100 gold for each one you kill. To put things in perspective, Velocipreys and the like will only drop 15-20 gold.
** Later on, Raksas become this. The only reason they're not a BossInMookClothing is because they don't require anything special to defeat them, other than being faster than their affinity to flee combat.

* MistakenForGay: One optional scene has Kyuu and Kite go have lunch together, which some of the Negima girls mistake for a date.

* MonsterCompendium: You gain access to it when you get the EnemyScan function.
* MoodWhiplash:
** Bad Endings start off with the horrible consequences of whatever just happened before jumping into a ''VideoGame/BlazBlue''-style Game Over screen where Kokonoe criticizes how you screwed up.
** The end of Chapter 9. The situation is critical. [[spoiler:Noel]] has been gravely wounded and Kyuu has to [[spoiler:fight alone a [[HopelessBossFight hopless battle]] against Deathstroke]]. Then, suddenly, [[spoiler:Deadpool [[BigDamnHeroes arrives]], turns [[KnightOfCerebus Deathstroke]] into TheComicallySerious, spouts some of the funniest lines of the game and [[BreakingTheFourthWall pulls down the fourth wall]]]].
* MultipleLifeBars: In Version 3, major bosses had shields which function as such. Hack off their first set of HP and they'll get a second set, usually changing up their tactics, moves and weaknesses. This was dropped in Version 4.
* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: Depending on your path choices in Chapter 9, you can pick two of four possible party members.

* NightmareSequence: Early in Chapter 1 up to Version 3, Kyuu gets stuck in a nightmare world and wonders if he's in Franchise/SilentHill.
* NintendoHard: Version 1.1 was quite difficult with unforgiving bosses and even some tricky regular encounters. Version 1.2 toned them down while rebalancing stats and lowering shop prices. Version 2 strikes a happy balance in enemy difficulty.

* NonstandardSkillLearning: Your main character can't learn skills by leveling up, so he has to train with others, read hidden scrolls or other information sources, equip certain weapons or even hit a certain relationship level. Other party members can also learn new methods via this method.

* NoPointsForNeutrality: Before being replaced with the Critical Choice system, early versions averted this trope. Playing a Neutral Good route was not only just as viable as a Lawful or Chaotic route, it was also the only way to get all possible party members since none of them could be missed on that route compared to the other two.

** Pete, in the Prologue, seems to be nothing more than a mere thug. In the end of Chapter 3, the heroes learn the hard way that they shouldn't underestimate him and that he poses a far bigger threat.
** Bowser, [[LaughablyEvil while sometimes comedic]], is also a surprisingly competent ArcVillain.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: In the end of Chapter 3, [[spoiler:Pete releases groups of monsters in Densel and [=BlueLake=] Towns.]] So, our heroes must prepare themselves for an awesome battle, right ? Actually no. [[spoiler:The implied BigBadassBattleSequence happens off-screen without the heroes being involved. [[Franchise/DragonBall Goku]] and The Knights took care of the monsters in [=BlueLake=] and the Striking Star Guild and the other members of the Nutsy Guild took care of the monsters in Densel.]]

* OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: Prepare to use your noggin to solve puzzles both in the main game and in the sidequests. Befitting his nature, Kyuu's route contains a higher number of puzzles that Kyros'.

* OptionalPartyMember: At first, only about half was planned to join automatically during the course of the game and you'd have to seek out the rest. Starting with Version 4, only the nine main party members will join as part of the story and the other 81 have to be sought out.

* ParanoiaFuel: InUniverse. Kandur's plague increases people's paranoia until they go mad and attack anyone on sight.
* PartyInMyPocket: Justified for characters not in the active battle party, due to Kyuu's book having a page in it that [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration allows him to teleport his allies in and out at his discretion]].
* PassThePopcorn: If you view Nina's optional scene in Chapter 9, Axel does this during her flashback. He'll also engage in this just before the final boss fight of the "Beneath the Facade" quest 'cause he stole it from the mansion's kitchen.
* PermanentlyMissableContent: Invoked. One of the themes of the game is choices and consequences. As a result, it's impossible to get everything on one run.
* PersuasionMinigame: You have to beat one to recruit [[Franchise/{{Darkstalkers}} Felicia]].
* PlayerPersonalityQuiz: One at the start of the game determines your base stats, your initial weapon and your default Alignment.

* PowerUpFood: Eating a dish at a restaurant for the first time grants Kyuu a stat increase.
* PreExistingEncounters: As glowing balls of light. Ones of a different color indicate a special foe.
* PressXToDie: In Version 2, if you take the Knight's HQ route into Kandur, it will eventually climax in a standoff with Wild Dog. Kyuu realizes he's a dead man if he takes even one step. If you take said step before talking to the others and getting an idea, Wild Dog will shoot Kyuu dead for a game over.

** CompanionSpecificSidequest: You can also gain sidequests by talking to your party members as well. This is very important for original character party members, who can't gain new weapons otherwise.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
** In Nesfor, you can encounter a citizen trying to pitch a bad TV plot idea. You can reason him out of it or give him one of these (or beat him up). And yes, that's actually the name of the conversation option.
** Deathstroke gives a mean one to Kyuu during their fight in Chapter 9.
* RedArmbandOfLeadership: Guild members wears black armbands to identify themselves to others.
* RedemptionDemotion: Don't expect anyone who joins the party after you've fought them to still have that five-digit HP. One training fight at least attempts to handwave it with Alleyne explaining she used forest magic to give Nowa and Kanon an edge for the battle.

* TheRival: Kyuu has two: Chizuko and Raku.

** ChildhoodFriendRomance: If you go with Megumi.

* SchmuckBait: Let's be honest, if you haven't read the walkthrough, you've probably used every Stat-boosting seed you could find on Kyuu the first time round, only to find out how overpowered he can become under normal circumstances.

** ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is briefly mentioned as a cartoon a girl watched in Chapter 10. Although, for now, the game isn't clear on wether she's from Rakenzarn or from the real world.

** Since [[ChildhoodFriends Megumi Minami]] is also a possible interest for Kyuu, and even though she lives in the "real world", it was a given that she would be transported to Rakenzarn. [[spoiler:As of Chapter 10, she is.]]
* StatisticallySpeaking: Averted in one side quest where Kyuu must catch a chicken. You need your AGI stat above 200 in order to catch her.

* StrategyGuide: One written by Geminidrake is included in the download, as well as specific guides on the game's wiki.

** In Chapter 2, Assist Cards can be equipped in their specific slot to allow for this.
** In-universe, Kyuu's book grants him the power to summon party members at will, thus justifying the ability to change the party at any time, even with people who shouldn't be there.
* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: Justified in that the plague is a global crisis, meaning all the other good guys who can't join your party are off dealing with the crisis in their own turf. It's also indicated that Rakenzarn is a bigger world than what is visitable in-game, so it's also a matter of help not being able to arrive that quickly to begin with.

* SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity: If there's a Healing Crystal towards the end of an area, you can expect a boss.
* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: The Tinechor Sword, obtained in Chapter 8 to destroy a barrier around the Lost Tower.

* TraumaInn: These have the option of having Kyuu awaken during day or night to skip to a certain time of day for events.

* TheUnfought: [[spoiler:Boron, the leader of the Boron Bandits]] in Chapter 3.

** Played straight for the player for once. Kyuu is immune to all negative status conditions and stat reductions, something that is commented on in-game.
** {{Averted}} with the stat-reducing spells and status conditions. No boss seems to be immune against all of them and they almost always work (with a few exceptions). They are very useful to make the battles easier (or even winnable). Sometimes, they're the only way to keep your mages alive (other than praying that the boss won't target them).
* UseYourHead: During a sidequest in Equestria, Daffy and Donald use Dirk in this manner in an allusion to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2''.
* VictoryQuote: The beta test of Version 4 had these, but they were dropped from the official release as a result of modifications to the battle results screen.

* VitriolicBestBuds: [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Daffy Duck]], WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck and [[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy Eddy]].

** In Version 1-3, we have Buggy the Clown can be one, as he's the first boss Kyuu fights solo. It's not so much that he's naturally difficult in that how hard he is depends on the effort you've spent building up Kyuu thus far.

* WarpWhistle: At the start of Chapter 6, Tails gives you a teleportation device to return to places you've already been.

* WhamEpisode: The end of the Cyril Story Arc. The heroes discover the Plague Core, fight WesternAnimation/{{Pete}} [[spoiler:who transforms into a dragon and find out that only Kyuu has the power to destroy the source of the plague. Then, when he destroys it, Kyuu is teleported back home and has to choose between staying or going back to help his friends. We also learn that Pete, whom we saw as a main antagonist (perhaps even the BigBad) is in reality nothing more than a glorified henchman working for the real villains: the Saint Lords]]. It can be a big twist in a first playthrough.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: [[spoiler:In Chapter 5, Kyuu is back home and has the choice of staying or going back and seeing it through to the end.]]

* XanatosGambit: Of all people, [[spoiler:PETE]] manages to pull out one of those in the end of Chapter 3, cementing his status of NotSoHarmlessVillain. To elaborate, he takes advantage of a bandit attack on [=BlueLake Town=] to cause havoc in the city with the help of [[Franchise/SpiderMan Electro]]. During the chaos, he tries to steal the Water Orb, a magical artifact necessary to stop the effects of the plague. However, he doesn't even care if he succeeds or not. Because his real plan was to force the Knights to call reinforcements, leaving the other towns defenseless so that he can release monsters hidden in pockets dimensions in them. Ingenious. [[spoiler:The only reason it fails was because [[BigGood Goku]] [[OutGambitted knew this tactic and acted accordingly to counter it]]]].
* YearInsideHourOutside: While the time difference isn't exact, it's certainly this trope. In Chapter 5, Kyuu returns to his world from Rakenzarn and discovers from Megumi that three days have passed while it felt like weeks to him. When he chooses to go back, after not much more than a few minutes in his world, three days also passed in Rakenzarn. [[spoiler:And if you set things up to have Megumi come into Rakenzarn after you, however long it took her to find the book and get sucked in is long enough for the rest of Chapter 5 to about a quarter of the way through Chapter 10 to have played out.]]

* YouMeddlingKids: You get this line if you fight and beat [[spoiler:the Phantom Blot]].

''Rakenzarn Tales'' is a fan game made with UsefulNotes/RPGMaker made by Dark Kyu.

The game is notable for being a massive MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover between several unrelated anime, game and cartoon series.

Simultaneously, Dark Kyu is working on a SpinOff called ''VideoGame/RakenzarnFrontierStory'', starring [[Franchise/DanganRonpa Makoto Naegi]]. However, this is a different, self-contained story with no links to the main game.

A second SpinOff has been announced called Rakenzarn Seigi. It will focus on the HenshinHero genre.

** For the Kyros'/Kyuu's party, Axel is the biggest contender, being talented in plenty of fields, ranging from sword fighting to cooking. Kanon may also qualify.

** Each of the main eight party members is planned to be the focus of an arc over the course of the game, discussing their life story and future.

* AFriendInNeed: A recurring theme with Kyuu. A particularly awesome and heartwarming example in Chapter 5, [[spoiler:if the player makes him choose to go back to Rakenzarn after being back in his world. He explicitly says that he goes back because he promised his friends to help them restore Rakenzarn]]. In general, he makes several times clear that he will stick with his friends until they manage to save Rakenzarn from the plague.

** Some attacks, like Setsuna's support move, will also specifically say if they ignore an opponent's ability to evade.

** We have girls tied up and female OCs done by bondage artists. ''VideoGame/DIDNapper'' in particular gets an increased amount of importance with everyone of its party members appearing in the game and several different sidequests across the various versions.

* BackgroundMusicOverride: Character themes sometimes play during battles, usually during ones centered around original character party members.

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: The aptly-named "Deep Mind" side quest.

* BroadStrokes: Whenever a character references one of their past adventures in Rakenzarn Tales, it's usually done in this manner, as the characters in this setting have lived in Rakenzarn all their life instead of the fictional worlds Kyuu knows them from. For example, Sonic did fight the Deadly Six at one point, but it took place in the Cyril Region of the Phantasma Continent instead of the Lost Hex.
* BrokenBridge: Kyuu just happens to start off in the one region sealed off from the others until the Plague is dispelled.

* DefeatMeansPlayable: Several party members and Support characters join up after you've fought them as a boss once. Don't expect them to be packing the same stats and moves when they do, though.
* DevelopersForesight:

* BonusBoss:
** Fulfilling certain conditions - always requiring fighting a boss with a certain party member - earns you a fight with an Ultra Boss, who's extra hard. Winning gets you stat boosts, a level-up for the required member and new equipment for the party member with an exclusive move.
** Version 1.2 included version-exclusive fights with [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Sol Badguy]] and [[VideoGame/SuikodenV Richard]].]]
** Version 2.1.1's exclusive boss was [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Laharl.]]]]
** Some sidequests also end with a boss fight.

* MasterOfAll[=/=]MasterOfNone: Depending on how you train him and build up his strengths, Kyuu may become the former or the latter.

* OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: Prepare to use your noggin to solve puzzles both in the main game and in the sidequests.

** In Version 1-3:
*** Buggy the Clown can be one, as he's the first boss Kyuu fights solo. It's not so much that he's naturally difficult in that how hard he is depends on the effort you've spent building up Kyuu thus far.
*** The Blizzard Dragon, who's very strong and requires pattern exploitation.
*** One of the earliest Ultra Bosses is [[spoiler:Asmodeous and Beelezebub.]] Pretty nasty and give you a good idea of what to expect from the Ultra Bosses.
** In Version 4.1.1. and above:
*** Double-Head in Kyros' Route is one. Not only this snake has high HP and hits like a truck, it can attack twice and use 3 elements! This is the point where the game stops pulling its punches. You have to properly manage your party, switch party members at the right time, give them proper RK-0s, use buffs and debuffs, and exploit enemy patterns and weaknesses. If you haven't learned how the game works and play by its rules, Double-Head is going to decimate you in seconds.

** Buggy the Clown can be one, as he's the first boss Kyuu fights solo. It's not so much that he's naturally difficult in that how hard he is depends on the effort you've spent building up Kyuu thus far.
** The Blizzard Dragon, who's very strong and requires pattern exploitation.
** One of the earliest Ultra Bosses is [[spoiler:Asmodeous and Beelezebub.]] Pretty nasty and give you a good idea of what to expect from the Ultra Bosses.

* NightmareSequence: Early in Chapter 1, Kyuu gets stuck in a nightmare world and wonders if he's in Franchise/SilentHill.

** We have girls tied up and female OCs done by bondage artists.

* ClimaxBoss: Each Arc Villain, when he's fought in the Plague Core. See also OneWingedAngel.

* ConstructedWorld: Rakenzarn.

Our hero finds himself in the world of Rakenzarn, where all fictional characters live. Just as they begin to take in the enormity of this situation, it turns out Rakenzarn is in the midst of a crisis as various plagues have been unleashed upon the land by [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]] and his [[LegionOfDoom Saint Lords]]. Unable to go home and equally unable to ignore this problem, they soon find themselves joining a brigade to learn the reason behind these attacks and about the mysterious book which brought them there.

** [[BigGood Goku]]. Powerful fighter, good leader and clever strategist. His only weakness is paperwork.
** For Kyuu's brigade, Axel is the biggest contender, being talented in plenty of fields, ranging from swordfighting to cooking. Kanon may also qualify.

* BadassAdorable: Dark Magician Girl, Noel, Neji, Setsuna, Asuna, Nanael... The list goes on.

''Note:'' As the older versions are different from the newer versions, the tropes mentioned on this page are those of the definitive version.

The story begins with [[Manga/DetectiveSchoolQ Kyuu Renjo]][=/=][[OriginalCharacter Kyros Tanazuki]], minding the home while their folks is away on business. After a series of odd events, he comes across a book labeled [[TitleDrop Rakenzarn Tales]]. Though he finds this book freaky, his curiosity causes him to give it a glance and he soon finds himself teleported within the book.

Our hero finds himself in the world of Rakenzarn, where all fictional characters live. Just as they begin to take in the enormity of this situation, it turns out Rakenzarn is in the midst of a crisis as various plagues have been unleashed upon the land by [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]] and his [[LegionOfDoom Saint Lords]]. Unable to go home and equally unable to ignore this problem, they soon finds themselves joining a brigade to learn the reason behind these attacks and about the mysterious book which brought them there.

Warning! Of course, there are spoilers below and in the other pages of this wiki. If you are interested and want to try it, it's best to play it before reading, [[ItWasHisSled as a lot of the tropes discussed here spoil one of the game's early twists]].

* LoveTriangle: Considering there are ''[[UpToEleven seven]]'' [[UpToEleven different romance options]] for each lead, and no restriction on who you can and can't go on dates with, [[DevelopersForesight there's bound to be some alternate dialogue for romanced characters]], especially when ''other'' romanced characters are involved... and they are fully aware of their competition.

* DifficultButAwesome: The NeutralGood alignment, which requires to carefully manage the alignment choices. So far, keeping Kyuu in this alignment allows him to recruit the most optional characters: [[Videogame/SuikodenIV Mitsuba]] won't join him if he's LawfulGood and Cain won't join him if he's ChaoticGood. However, both will join him if he's NeutralGood. And [[Videogame/TalesOfVesperia Yuri Lowell]] only joins him if he's NeutralGood.

* KarmaMeter: It's between LawfulGood, NeutralGood and ChaoticGood rather than good and evil.