History VideoGame / Shardlight

* FacialCompositeFailure: [[spoiler:The sketch of Amy on her WantedPosted depicts her with a protruding brow ridge. She complains aloud that it doesn't even look like her.]]

* LockedIntoStrangeness: [[spoiler:Jess is one of the few people who has had an encounter with the mysterious Reaper and lived to tell the tale. The encounter was so terrifying that her hair turned white over night.]]

* KarmaHoudini: In the ending where Amy [[spoiler:sides with him, Tiberius will go unpunished for everything he has done and all the people he has killed (both via the guards and the people he let die or Green Lung). He even becomes a VillainWithGoodPublicity when the people credit him for curing Green Lung.]]

** [[spoiler:Danton plans on doing this to Tiberius so she can bring down the Aristocracy from the inside. She'll do just that if you kill Tiberius at the end]].
** [[spoiler:If you kill both Tiberius and Danton, Amy will be the one who takes on the Tiberius persona]].

-->Some have given examples of extreme changes in people, driven by such motives as revenge, love, fear, or regret. However, it cannot be universally agreed upon which of these things can truly change the nature of man.
** The Rebellion's poster of rules lists [[FRule 1 as "Do not talk about the Rebellion", Rule 2 is "Do NOT talk about the Rebellion".

-->'''Amy:''' Nothing in there but ash.

* LaResistance: Turns out that there is one, and [[spoiler:Danton is their leader]].

* OmnicidalNeutral: Amy can choose to embrace this at the end of the game [[spoiler:by killing Tiberius and then backstabbing Dalton for good measure. Since they're both extremists, this can be considered a good thing.]]

* ShoutOut: One of the books you can read is ''[[VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment The Nature of Man]]'', by [[PunnyName T. N. Juan]].

* TakeAThirdOption: The ending. [[spoiler:Tiberius and Danton fight and, being mostly matched in skill, it comes to Amy to choose whom of the two to kill and how to end the game. But Amy can take the option to kill both - which in fact gives the best ending]].

* FaceHeelTurn: A [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] version in one of the endings. [[spoiler:If Amy choose to side with Tiberius, she will have ensured he and the Aristocracy will have complete control, breaking her promises to everyone she befriended on her journey. This is downplayed because Tiberius does keep his word by distributing a cure for Green Lung, but Amy is still rewarded for siding with the man who had her friends killed.]].

* IllGirl: Amy, who has Green Lung. Her illness drives her motivation to find a possible cure. [[spoiler:After Aquino successfully makes one, she's no longer this.]]

* TrustPassword: Members of LaResistance identify each other and their collaborators with the phrase "[[spoiler:I'd have the perfect life.]]"

* TrustPassword: LaResistance identify each other and their collaborators with the phrase "[[spoiler:I'd have the perfect life.]]"

Scared and resigned to doing dirty, difficult jobs for the government in the hope of surviving, Amy is assigned to fix one of the many reactors that power what's left of the city, but through an unexpected meeting she gets in touch with the Rebellion -- determined to end the authoritarian rule of the Aristocracy and give justice back to the people - and the [[ApocalypseCult Acolytes of the Reaper]], a cult with a [[DeathSeeker literal dying wish]]. Needless to say, not everything is as clear-cut as it seems, and Amy's in for more than one shock...

* KarmaHoudini: In the ending where Amy [[spoiler:sides with him, Tiberius will go unpunished for everything he has done and all the people he has killed (both via the guards and the people he let die or Green Lung). He even becomes a VillianWithGoodPublicity when the people credit him for curing Green Lung.]]

* KarmaHoudini: In the ending where Amy [[spoiler:sides with him, Tiberius will go unpunished for everything he has done and all the people he has kill (both via the guards and the people he let die or Green Lung). He even becomes a VillianWithGoodPublicity when the people credit him for curing Green Lung.]]

* FaceHeelTurn: A [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] version in one of the endings. [[spoiler:If Amy choose to side with Tiberius, she will have ensured he and the Aristocracy will have complete control, braking her promises to everyone she befriend on her journey. This is downplayed because Tiberius does keep his word by distributing a cure for Green Lung, but Amy is still rewarded for siding with the man who had her friends killed. Amy will somewhat acknowledge her status as that in that her and her remain loved ones don't talk about why the Aristocracy keeps them so well fed and that she prays every night that dad would still be proud of her]].

* TheBadGuyWins: If Amy [[spoiler: spares Tiberius and kills Danton, the rebellion will be crushed once and for all and Tiberius will have [[KarmaHoudini gotten away with everything he did]]. Slightly [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]], as Tiberius' HeelRealization means that things won't be as bad as they were before, but even so.

* TheBadGuyWins: If Amy [[spoiler:spares Tiberius and kills Danton, the rebellion will be crushed once and for all and Tiberius will have [[KarmaHoudini gotten away with everything he did]]. Slightly [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]], as Tiberius' HeelRealization means that things won't be as bad as they were before, but even so.

* KillAndReplace: [[spoiler:Danton plans on doing this to Tiberius so she can bring down the Aristocracy from the inside]].

* LastSecondEndingChoice: Two minutes before the credits roll, [[spoiler:you choose to kill Tiberius, Danton, or both and get an ending base on your choice]].

WorldWarThree happened sometime in the early two thousands. When the [[NukeEm bombs fell]] society as we know it [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt was destroyed]], and the few survivors [[AfterTheEnd eke out a bleak existence]] in the [[CrapsackWorld ruined remains of the old world's cities]]. Amy Wellard, a young girl who was barely five when the world ended, has a repair shop where she fixes vehicles and technological items [[ScavengerWorld with whatever still-usable junk she can find]], but she starts feeling symptoms of [[ThePlague Green Lung]], a terrible sickness that's been infecting lots of people and has everybody scared witless. The [[TheGovernment Aristocracy]] is trying to deal with it by distributing a vaccine, but there isn't nearly enough to go around, so a daily lottery is held where people who have a ticket - given as compensation for government jobs - are given a chance at winning a dose.

Scared and resigned to doing dirty, difficult jobs for the government in the hope of surviving, Amy is assigned to fix one of the many reactors that power what's left of the city, but through an unexpected meeting she gets in touch with the Rebellion - determined to end the authoritarian rule of the Aristocracy and give justice back to the people - and the [[ApocalypseCult Acolytes of the Reaper]], a cult with a [[DeathSeeker literal dying wish]]. Needless to say, not everything is as clear-cut as it seems, and Amy's in for more than one shock...

WorldWarThree happened sometime in the early two thousands. When the [[NukeEm bombs fell]] society as we know it [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt was destroyed]], and the few survivors [[AfterTheEnd eke out a bleak existence]] in the [[CrapsackWorld ruined remains of the old world's cities]]. Amy Wellard, a young girl who was barely five when the world ended, has a repair shop where she fixes vehicles and technological items [[ScavengerWorld with whatever still-usable junk she can find]], but she starts feeling symptoms of [[ThePlague Green Lung]], a terrible sickness that's been infecting lots of people and has everybody scared witless. The [[TheGovernment Aristocracy]] is trying to deal with it by distributing a vaccine, but there isn't nearly enough to go around, so a daily lottery is held where people who have a ticket - given as compensation for government jobs - are given a chance at winning a dose. Scared and resigned to doing dirty, difficult jobs for the government in the hope of surviving, Amy is assigned to fix one of the many reactors that power what's left of the city, but through an unexpected meeting she gets in touch with the Rebellion - determined to end the authoritarian rule of the Aristocracy and give justice back to the people - and the [[ApocalypseCult Acolytes of the Reaper]], a cult with a [[DeathSeeker literal dying wish]]. Needless to say, not everything is as clear-cut as it seems, and Amy's in for more than one shock...

* WhatMeasureIsAMook: Several puzzles involve killing members of the Aristocracy's guards, who are mostly shown to be decent guys just doing their jobs. The narrative doesn't comment on this, which stands out because it ''does'' comment on her being shaken up even over mercy kills.

* WhatMeasureIsAMook: Several puzzles involve killing members of the Aristocracy's guards, who are mostly shown to be decent guys just doing their jobs. The narrative doesn't comment on this.