Line #15 VideoGame/Koudelka


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/koudelka_cover.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Tagline}} The Journey. The Horror. The Will to Survive.]]]]
3	''Koudelka'' is a hybrid SurvivalHorror[=/=]EasternRPG video game, released in 1999 for the Platform/PlayStation. The game was followed by a StealthSequel in the form of ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts1'', which in turn spun off into [[VideoGame/ShadowHearts the eponymous series]].
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5	The game is set in Wales in 1898, and follows Koudelka Iasant, a young gypsy girl with magic powers, who investigates the mysterious Nemeton Monastery after experiencing visions about it. She's later joined by an unlucky thief [[Creator/LordDunsany Edward Plunkett]] and Vatican bishop James O'Flaherty, who searches for a certain TomeOfEldritchLore.
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8	!!This game provides examples of:
9	* AntiFrustrationFeatures: You need to find Koudelka's Pendant to get any ending besides NonStandardGameOver. However, if you fail to collect it or discard it, it will be added as a random drop for the game's final area.
10	* BlatantItemPlacement: ''Koudelka'' follows this [[BreakableWeapons out of necessity]], but it's made slightly jarring by the fact that the game is, by comparison, extremely stingy about armor.
11	* BreakableWeapons: The gist of combat system. Every melee weapon will eventually break, forcing the character to fall back on their fists. Most weapons break randomly between 15 and 30 strikes, while secret weapons will last somewhere between 100 and 255 uses. Guns and crossbows do not break, but hold limited amounts of ammo, forcing the character to waste a turn to reload.
12	* CallARabbitASmeerp: A [[PaintingTheMedium fourth-wall-breaching]] example. The player can rename ''any'' item in the game, be it equipment or consumables. Want the cast to be healed by vials of crystal meth, or attack enemies with the Creator/ChuckNorris Gun? Have at it.
13	* CharacterTitle: ''Koudelka'', natch.
14	* ChekhovsGun: Koudelka's amulet that she loses while scaling the monastery's roof. [[spoiler:Finding it is vital to being able to actually challenge the FinalBoss.]]
15	* ChessMotifs: The "Formation" screen depicts the three main characters as chess pieces. Koudelka is a Queen, Edward is a Knight, and James is (of course) a Bishop.
16	* EmergencyWeapon: Bare fists, what else. It's the only "weapon" that will never break, but most attempts to fight off man-eating horrors with your bare hands will go as well as you'd expect.
17	* {{Fanservice}}: For a game set at the end of the 19th century, Koudelka's outfit (an extremely low-cut top, very short tube skirt and thigh-high stockings) is ridiculously anachronistic, but it's also sexy. Which was obviously the higher priority.
18	* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: While most firearm drops appear in your inventory fully loaded, one specific rifle can be picked up that is missing two bullets. [[spoiler: Specifically, Bessy's rifle, which she used in the cutscene prior to kill her husband and herself with one bullet each.]]
19	* GuideDangIt:
20	** The game has several secret items, which can be obtained only by having a specific number of items in your inventory, and saving the game with second-perfect timing. For example, saving game exactly at playtime of 22:22:22 with 10 items in your inventory nets you Roger's Cane, the most powerful weapon in the game. That's over twice the amount of time needed to finish the game normally, by the way.
21	** To get any ending besides a NonStandardGameOver you need to fish a key item out of a fountain ''three discs'' after it fell in. If you miss it, you can still receive it as a RandomDrop, but finding out about ''that'' is another instance of this trope.
22	* MeaningfulName: "Koudelka" is a Czech name (originally a nickname) meaning "tow-headed," or blonde. It's not unreasonable for it to have migrated west among her Roma forebears. In game, she tells Edward that her nickname as a gypsy was "Szlato", meaning "treasure".
23	* MultipleEndings: Three endings, with bad ending being canonical.
24	** NonStandardGameOver: Fail to collect [[spoiler:Koudelka's Pendant]] before the FinalBoss, and [[spoiler:it will immediately [[ImMelting kill the party in the most gruesome manner possible]]]].
25	** Bad[=/=]Canon ending: Collect [[spoiler:Koudelka's Pendant]], but lose to the final form of the final boss: The party is beaten, but [[spoiler:James sacrifices himself to kill the monster, saving Elaine's soul going to the afterlife with her.]].
26	** Good ending: Collect [[spoiler:Koudelka's Pendant]], and win against the final form of the final boss: The boss dies, and [[spoiler:Elaine's soul appears to [[DyingAsYourself reunite with her body]] before she dies, while Koudelka and Edward leave James to grieve]].
27	* PlayEveryDay: To a degree it shows up in Koudelka, only the game goes by hours played rather than days. Increasingly more useful equipment is automatically given to the party the longer the player keeps playing the game, until it finally ends with getting the Gargoyle's Claw, the most powerful weapon in the game.
28	* ProtagonistTitle: "Koudelka" is the first name of the game's main character.
29	* SoundtrackDissonance: ''Koudelka'' had some... very curious ideas of what a battle sequence song should sound like. See [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj_sgpk8g9o here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHlqledKmls here]].
30	* StatSticks: This is how Koudelka treated non-missile weapons, the best method is to boost someone's stats. For instance, play long enough and you get Gargoyle's Claw. Using it on the hidden boss Gargoyle, equip it on someone and arrange the formation so that wielder is in front. The Gargoyle's Claw will increase the wielder's stats by huge numbers, and since the Claw is breakable, just have the wielder defend. The Gargoyle will keep attacking the wielder for weak damage while your other heroes keep hitting the beast until it dies.
31	* TeethClenchedTeamwork: The main trio doesn't get along very well at first. Koudelka sees Edward as too naive, while Father O'Flaherty initially believes them both to be thieves. They start travelling together only for safety before they start getting along.
32	* TwoGuysAndAGirl: The main trio is Koudelka, Edward, and James; notably, the girl is TheHero.

Context VideoGame / Koudelka