History VideoGame / ScurgeHive

''Scurge: Hive'' is a 2006 action-RPG {{platform game}} released simultaneously for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. The premise is quite similar some of to the 2D iterations of the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series, especially ''Videogame/MetroidFusion'', but unlike them uses IsometricProjection.

The player takes on the role of BountyHunter Jenosa Arma, on assignment from the [[TheFederation Confederation]]. Her mission is to seek out the high security Confederaton Research Lab 56, on planet Inos. 48 hours prior to the start of the game, the base sent out a [[DistressCall distress signal]]. No further contact could be established. Now here's the kicker: the base was designed for the containment and research of a [[TheVirus potent infectious life form]] called the [[TitleDrop Scurge]].

The Confeds are reasonably sure that the Scurge has escaped containment and likely infected or killed everyone on base. Therefore, it is stated in the game's introduction/Jenosa's briefing that her mission is one of ''data retrieval''. They've outfitted her with one of the [[PoweredArmor infection-resistant suits]] used at the base and special [[ArmCannon energy-projectile gauntlets]], as apparently ordinary firearms could be infected by the Scurge.

!!Scurge: Hive provides examples of:

* ArmCannon: Two, built into Jenosa's gauntlets, though she only ever appears to fire one of them.

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: The [[spoiler: final phase of the FinalBoss]] fight.

* BossRush: Beating the game on Hard Mode unlocks this mode. During a rush, your stats and weapons are fixed for each fight.

* DopplegangerAttack: [[SubvertedTrope Subversion]]: [[spoiler: [[HiveMind The Source's]] final form summons up to three duplicates to attack you, but these duplicates are of Jenosa rather then the boss. It is vital you destroy these duplicates quickly; if all three are left around long enough, The Source can use its most powerful attack and drain a significant portion of your health.]]
* DoubleJump: Possible, with the aid of an upgrade.

* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler: [[HiveMind The Source]] seems to increase in intelligence and maleficence as it absorbs everything around it. Allowing this thing to escape Inos would ''not'' be a good idea.]]

* ExpositionFairy: Magellan, Jenosa's ship's AI (and later the suit-based version she carries around after her ship is destroyed).
* {{Expy}}: Jenosa Arma to [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus Aran]]. Hell, the names are similar.
* FireIceLightning: Well, Combustion/Dissipator/EMP, but still.
* FieryRedhead: Jenosa, natch. One of her palette swaps even gives her auburn hair, and several more feature red hair.

* GrapplingHookPistol: The magnetic tether, the first upgrade in the game. Used to drag blocks and frozen enemies onto pressure plates, and eventually used to sling across gaps once you acquire the grapple upgrade.

* TheImmune: HaHaHaNo. Jenosa is infected by the first boss, and while [[SavePoint Decontamination Platforms]] can reset the progress of the Scurge infection, they can't ''cure'' it. Your viral mass increases by about 1% every two seconds; letting hit 100% imposes gradual HP drain.
* IsometricProjection: The game's viewpoint. Looks cool, but can make platforming a pain due to the lack of perspective shifting.

* KillItWithFire: Possible, once the Combustion upgrade is in your possession. Lethal against biological enemies, but only makes mechanical enemies stronger.

* ManEatingPlant: Mandragora, from the looks of it. Possibly Scylla, too.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Jenosa is on the receiving end of this attitude from Professor Derad when she reveals she has been restoring the nodes to the Yggdrasill Nexus in the Biocore facility. Justified in that she had no way of knowing this could allow the Scurge to escape Inos, but also ultimately subverted, as she uses it to get to The Source, destroy it, and then leave the planet herself.

** The infection meter, which rises by 1% every few seconds, and starts getting significantly faster over the course of the game. This makes the entire game one long {{Timed Mission}}, giving you a small handful of minutes before you face your HP plummeting like crazy and leading to a gruesome death if you can't find a [[SavePoint decontamination platform]] in time. Granted, the platforms aren't too spread out, and so long as you stay on the move, aren't in the habit of pointlessly wandering/wasting time, and avoid wading around in the Scurge goop, you don't have to worry too much about your infection. However, it can make boss battles pretty hectic, as you only have a very short amount of time to learn the boss's patterns and then kill it.

* [[OneManArmy One Woman Army]]: Jenosa is one tough cookie. She didn't have a full idea of what she was getting into, but that doesn't slow her down much.

* PersonalSpaceInvader: The titular parasites, as well as a [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} floating jellyfish-looking enemy that latches onto you and saps away your life]].
* PillarOfLight: Jenosa escapes the planet in one at the end of the game.

* PoweredArmor: Jenosa's suit is a combination of this (letting her survive the Scurge infestation) and LatexSpaceSuit (letting her [[MaleGaze show off her assets]]).

* ShoutOut: The entire game, to ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''.

* SwissArmyWeapon: Jenosa's gauntlets. They can also fire grenades in addition to the aforementioned beams and freeze blast. ([[HammerSpace Where do these grenades come from?]] Same place as [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus Aran's missiles,]] [[EpilepticTrees one might venture.]])

* ThemeNaming: Most of the bosses are named after [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek]] and [[Myth/NorseMythology Norse]] mythical beasts (or associated plants, in the case of the Mandragora).

* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Not the standard [[FireIceLightning fire/lightning/ice]] arrangement so much as fire/EMP/"dissipation". The mechanic is identical, however -- each type of enemy (biological, mechanical, or energy-based) is weak to one weapon, is strengthened and sped up by another, and takes damage equal to the basic shot from the third.

* FireIceLightning: Well, Fire/Dissipator/EMP, but still.

* TimedMission: The ''whole game'' minus the ship introduction and first boss fight (as well as [[spoiler:the very last phase of the final boss]]), due to your infection meter. Also, the timed shoot-the-targets challenges you must complete to obtain the upgrades.

* WhatTheHellHero: Professor Derad chews Jenosa out when she reveals she's been slowly reactivating the Yggdrasil Transport Nexus in the Biocore, claiming that The Source is planning to use it to escape Inos. Justified somewhat on Jenosa's behalf as she had no way of knowing this and it's also her only way off the planet.

* PaletteSwap: Many enemies have [[UndergroundMonkeys stronger versions of different colors]]. Jenosa herself unlocks different palettes after [[AndYourRewardIsClothes completing the game once.]]

* ActionGirl: Jenosa is a determined female hero in the vein of a certain other platforming bounty hunter.
* AfterBossRecovery: Upon defeating a boss, you are rewarded with a large purple blob that confers fully restored health and a generous portion of experience.

* ArmCannon: Two, built into Jenosa's gauntlets. Though she only ever appears to be firing one of them.
* AwesomeButImpractical: The three weapons that deal additional damage to one type of enemy are very useful, but they also increase the strength of an enemy of an opposing type when hit. This can make these weapons very impractical in rooms where you have several different enemy types attacking you at once.

* BodyHorror: Once the Scurge infection takes control, you lose all cognitive ability and become a slave to [[spoiler:[[HiveMind The Source]]]].
* BoringButPractical: The basic shot Jenosa starts with. Granted, it does pretty low damage comparatively to the other weapons, but it also is of neutral alignment and thus, doesn't strengthen an enemy of an opposing type, which can be important when the game makes a habit of tossing a bunch of enemies of different types at you, if not all three at once. It also fires at the same speed as the other weapons and does get stronger as you gain levels.
* BossRush: Beating the game on Hard Mode unlocks this mode. During it, your stats and weapons are fixed for each fight.

* BuildingSwing: Well, cliff swinging, really. Jenosa's magnetic tether receives a grappler upgrade, allowing her to use specific grapple points to slingshot across longer gaps.
* BulletTime: Courtesy of the Adrenaline Booster upgrade. Used to negotiate areas of falling rocks and to complete some of the timed challenges.

* CopyAndPasteEnvironments: Somewhat. There are a handful of scenery sets made up of predefined components. (Every area has the same doors) There's enough to appear somewhat samey, but not enough to annoy the average player.

* DopplegangerAttack: [[SubvertedTrope Subversion]]: [[spoiler: [[HiveMind The Source's]] final form summons up to three duplicates to attack you, but these duplicates are of Jenosa rather then the boss. It is vital you destroy these duplicates quickly, if all three are around long enough The Source can use its most powerful attack and drain a significant portion of your health.]]

* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Not the standard fire/ice/lightning arrangement so much as fire/EMP/"dissipation". The mechanic is identical, however. Each type of enemy (biological, mechanical or energy-based) is weak to one weapon, is strengthened and sped up by another, and takes damage equal to the basic shot from the third.
* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler: [[HiveMind The Source]] seems to increase in intelligence and maleficence as it absorbs everything around it. Allowing this thing to escape Inos would not be a good idea.]]
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The title.
* ExpositionFairy: Jenosa's suit's onboard AI, Magellan.

* FireIceLightning: Well, Fire/EMP/Dissapator, but still.
* FieryRedhead: Jenosa, natch. One of her palette swaps even gives her auburn hair and several more with red hair.
* FinalExamBoss: Well, not the final, but the second-to-last boss requires you to constantly change beams to keep dealing maximum damage to him.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: When you complete the Ransol Industrial Facility and turn the power back on, Megellan tells Jenosa that it has to be activated and deactivated manually, which Jenosa remarks that must mean someone intentionally shut off power to the station. [[spoiler: You later learn this was done to prevent The Source from escaping the planet]].
* FreezeRay: Though less of a ray then an area-of-effect attack. A purely defensive measure, as the frozen enemies become impervious to attack. They can be dragged onto pressure plates to activate devices in the environment, however.
* FromASingleCell: All it takes for the Scurge to become a problem.
* FungusHumongous: The Scurge infests whole areas of walls and ground throughout the base. Touching this red [[VideoGame/StarCraft Creep-like]] substance slows you down and causes your infection meter to tick far more rapidly.
* GhostPlanet: Not once do you ever encounter a researcher face-to-face. [[spoiler:[[NightmareFuel Well, uninfected, at any rate.]]]]
* GrapplingHookPistol: The magnetic tether, the first upgrade in the game. Used to drag blocks and frozen enemies onto pressure plates and to sling across gaps once you acquire that upgrade.
* HarderThanHard: Did you think Hard mode was challenging? Try Insane. Completing it, ''if'' you complete it unlocks Ultra Mode

* TheImmune: HaHaHaNo. Jenosa is infected by the first boss, and you can only treat the infection, but never cure it. Your viral mass increases by about 1% every two seconds.

* ItCanThink: Professor Derad comments that originally, the Scurge didn't seem to exhibit any kind of sentient thought, but during his discussions with Jenosa, she points out that it seems to understand what it's doing as it's trying to escape Inos and he remarks that the creatures began to develop a collective mind as a result of absorbing other intelligent life, leading to it planning its escape.
* LateToTheTragedy: Jenosa arrives after communication was lost and the Scurge has infected most of the base. Notably, this was expected by the Confederation who assigned this mission to her, who rightly assumed the base losing contact was because of the failure to contain the Scurge.

* KillItWithFire: Possible, once the Combustion upgrade is in your possession. Lethal against biological enemies, but only makes mechanicals stronger.

* ManEatingPlant: Mandragora, from the looks of it. Possibly Scylla too.
* MeatMoss: Patches of Scurge biomatter litter the base, often filling pits or covering most of the floor aside from small gaps in the biomatter. When Jenosa stands on the patches, her infection rate rapidly increases, and her speed is greatly slowed down.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Jenosa is on the receiving end of this attitude from Professor Derad when she reveals she has been restoring the nodes to the Yggdrasill Nexus in the Biocore facility. Justified in that she had no way of knowing this, but also ultimately subverted, as she uses it to get to The Source, destroy it, and then leave the planet.

** Enemies can be pretty tough, but for the most part aren't TOO difficult to handle...until the game starts throwing multiple types at you at once, such as throwing biological enemies in addition to mechanicals, who will gain increased attack strength from the Combustion projectiles used to deal with biological enemies easier. This amounts to you either having to run around like a maniac, trying to be perfect in your shots, or use the weaker, but neutral basic shot in order to kill everything.
** The isometric perspective makes it very difficult to judge where you are in relation to other elevations on the current screen. This can make it pretty obnoxious when you have to do some pretty difficult platforming later on and keep falling due to the unusual angles.
** The infection meter, which rises by 1% every few seconds, and starts getting significantly faster over the course of the game. This makes the entire game one long {{Timed Mission}}, giving you a small handful of minutes before you face your HP plummeting like crazy and leading to a gruesome death if you can't find a decontamination room in time. Granted, they aren't too spread out, and short of wading around in red goop purposefully, you don't have to worry too much so long as you keep on the move and don't hang around wasting time. However, this can make boss battles pretty hectic as you only have a very short amount of time to learn the boss's patterns and kill it.
* [[OneManArmy One Woman Army]]: Jenosa is one tough cookie, but she probably had little real idea what she was getting into. Didn't stop her, of course.
* PaletteSwap: Many enemies, as well as Jenosa herself, as an option after [[AndYourRewardIsClothes completing the game once.]]
* PersonalSpaceInvader: The titular parasites, as well as a floating jellyfish-looking enemy that latches onto you and saps away your life.
* PoweredArmor: Jenosa's suit.
* PowerCrystal: ''Literature/{{Lensman}}''-like hand crystals on both of Jenosa's gauntlets. Serve as the emitters for her beam weapons.
* SavePoint: Triply vital, as in addition to saving your game, [[HealingCheckpoint they refill your health]] and reset your infection meter. Referred to as sick bays or decontamination platforms in the map and by Magellan, respectively. The first thing to be marked on your map upon entering a new area.
%%* SequelHook

* StatusEffects: Jenosa can be poisoned by several biological-type enemies, turning her a pulsating green. But she takes only trivial damage from this.
* SwissArmyWeapon: Jenosa's gauntlets. They can also fire grenades in addition to the aforementioned beams and freeze blast. [[HammerSpace Where do these grenades come from?]] Same place as [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus Aran's missiles,]] [[EpilepticTrees one might venture.]]
* TimedMission: The ''whole game'' minus the ship introduction and first boss fight, due to your infection meter. Also, the timed shoot-the-targets challenges you must complete to obtain the upgrades.

* TheVirus: The eponymous Scurge, capable of infecting and taking control of not only organic lifeforms, but robots and energy-based beings as well. Controlled by a HiveMind and capable of [[ItCanThink learning.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Professor Derad chews Jenosa out when she reveals she's been slowly reactivating the Yggdrasil Transport Nexus in the Biocore, claiming that The Source is planning to use it to escape Inos. Justified somewhat on Jenosa's behalf as she had no way of knowing this.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Jenosa flips when she jumps in any direction save straight up, sending her impressively-long ponytail into a [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog spindash]]-like swirl.

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: For completing the game once, you are rewarded with the ability to choose from a variety of [[PaletteSwap recolors]] for Jenosa.

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: The [[spoiler:FinalBoss]] fight.

* FieryRedhead: Jenosa, natch.

* HarderThanHard: Did you think Hard mode was challenging? Try Insane.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Jenosa flips when she jumps in any direction save straight up, sending her [[RapunzelHair impressively-long ponytail]] into a [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog spindash]]-like swirl.

* RapunzelHair: How ''does'' Jenosa avoid tripping over that impressive ponytail of hers?

%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Possible, using the PaletteSwap feature.

-> "You can't escape the invasion from within."

%%* LateToTheTragedy

* LateToTheTragedy

* SequelHook

* StandardStatusEffects: Jenosa can be poisoned by several biological-type enemies, turning her a pulsating green. But she takes only trivial damage from this.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Possible, using the PaletteSwap feature.