Line #2 VideoGame/CreepyCastle


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a1251898586_10_1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:A conspiracy is welling deep within the stone walls of an ancient castle. The keep's master is leading its denizens to construct a revolutionary new device made to move the world forward onto a new path of evolution.]]
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4	''Creepy Castle'' is an ActionAdventure game developed by Creator/{{Dopterra}} and published by Creator/{{Nicalis}} that was released on October 31th, 2016. Its development was the result of a Website/{{Kickstarter}} [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2048202604/creepy-castle/description campaign]] that raised $8,485. The release date trailer can be seen [[https://youtu.be/Vj_lVOokdU0 here]].
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6	The first scenario's plot is about Moth investigating rumors of something suspicious going on at the eponymous creepy castle which will eventually cause him to face Darking and the Heartbreaker. Afterward more scenarios are unlocked where more challenges, playstyles and event awaits you as well as free modes where you can play as the characters you unlocked.
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8	The game aesthetic is inspired from the Platform/ZXSpectrum having a limited color palette but more details than what you would see on said system. A big focus is on exploration as the number of both treasure and enemies is limited and leveling up is instead done by finding certain treasures. When enemies are fought, both them and the player character attack, trading blows and losing [=HPs=]. Because that would be boring, mini-games will come up with the additional potential outcome of either the player or the enemy doing damage without being countered.
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10	Not to be confused with the 1991 game ''[[VideoGame/FrankiesDungeon Creepy Castle]]'' for the Platform/AppleMacintosh.
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12	%%
13	%% MOD NOTICE: The "Not to be confused with" line regarding Donkey Kong 64 was removed with consensus via a cleanup thread:
14	%% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=15942219880A83346600
15	%% Do not re-add it.
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17	----
18	!!Tropes found throughout the game include:
19	* ActionGirl: Ant Queen solves many of her problems by punching her opponents in the face.
20	* AlasPoorVillain: Ant Queen to [[spoiler:Possessor]], after realizing he was [[spoiler:an artificial being like her, but believed he had no freedom to choose his own path in life like she did]]. She thinks of it as tragic.
21	* AlliterativeTitle
22	* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Happens to Darking when Possessor... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin possesses]] him.]]
23	* ApologeticAttacker: Stickbug apologizes to Moth, as his new job as a boss requires him to fight him.
24	* BigBad: Darking [[spoiler:— at least until Possessor awakens.]]
25	* BigDamnHeroes:
26	** In Creepy Castle, when [[spoiler:Centipede is about to attack you, Arrow Ace]] will intervene so that you may freely face Darking.
27	** In the Final Fist, [[spoiler:when Ant Queen ends up being stuck alone on the meteor as it explodes, Stickbug teleports her back to her ship]].
28	* BossBanter:
29	** Darking has a couple of things to tell you as you fight him.
30	** The [[spoiler:Architect]] you fight will pause the fight a moment [[ThisCannotBe to realise he can actually be harmed]], with Ant Queen suggesting for him to go back to talking instead.
31	* BossRemix:
32	** The boss theme of Madam, "Persona Non Grata", is a remix of "Moonlight Sonata", which plays where you find her.
33	** The themes of [[spoiler:the shadow bosses]] in The Final Fist are remixes of previous boss themes.
34	** The Destroyer is a medley of various themes from the game, including "Welcome to Creepy Castle", "All That Remains Is To Fly", "Due Exaltation", "The Darkest Inflection", and "Wanting All The Things You'll Never Have".
35	** Inverted with the theme "Preludium for the Lost", which is based on the boss theme "Concerto for the Lost".
36	* BossRush: One can be found in The Depths scenario as well as in The Final Fist.
37	* ChekhovsGunman:
38	** Did you think that [[spoiler:Stickbug]] was just a character thrown in for a cute boss battle? Think again! [[spoiler:He ends up being one of Ant Queen's partners in her scenario.]]
39	** During the game, you may find Duel Manuals explaining the various battle minigames. They are signed by a certain 'BF'. [[spoiler:Butterfly is one of Darking's generals and the one writing the manuals. He gives you some info when you meet him. Then he becomes the main character of two scenarios, kicking butts left and right.]]
40	* ChekhovsSkill: Despite not being particularly smart, Stickbug has little difficulty handling [[spoiler:Ant Queen's ship while she's visiting various planets]], which ends up being a big deal at [[spoiler:the end of The Final Fist]].
41	* ColonyDrop: The final menace that Dopterra faces is [[spoiler:Possessor possessing a living mountain from another planet to crash it into Dopterra, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt effectively ending civilization as it currently exists.]]]]
42	* CombiningMecha: It's unclear if both [[spoiler:the Greeny Walker and Pinky Stomper]] were created with the function to combine or were remodeled into a single mecha, but the fact remains that either way they were made with the purpose to become together the [[spoiler:Megapunk]].
43	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Moody's gimmick is that his color will dictate his attack. [[spoiler:Attacking him [[TurnRed while he's red]] will trigger a nasty counterattack.]] [[spoiler:Floral Stalker]] also follows Moody's gimmick, having different attacks from Moody's selection of attacks. [[spoiler:It can still do the counterattack on red.]]
44	* CriticalHit: There are two variants. [[DynamicDifficulty If you do well]], enemies will occasionally do two points of damage instead of one while trading blows. Meanwhile, the special attack item will allow you to do a special, uncounterable attack that also does two damage on regular enemies. Some bosses also used said type of attack.
45	* CurbStompBattle:
46	** The battle against [[spoiler:the possessed Darking]] doesn't go too well for Moth.
47	** [[spoiler:The Zylindarr's alien colonization of Dopterra that was attempted thousands of years ago pretty much ended when they fought the planet's protector.]] One of them describes it as [[PhysicalGod a creature that doesn't die]].
48	* DarkReprise: In The Final Fist, [[spoiler:each shadow you fight is accompanied by a song that's this, for the song associated with their original form]].
49	* DeadlyEuphemism: The Ancient Tablets talk about [[spoiler:the world being reset or the protector purifying the world under certain circumstances]]. While they don't elaborate on what that exactly means, the events in the game show that apparently [[spoiler:sending a meteor crashing onto the planet counts]].
50	* DemonicPossession: This is what [[spoiler:[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Possessor]]]] does.
51	* {{Determinator}}:
52	** Butterfly refuses to be taken by despair despite how bad things end up looking. Similarly, Ant Queen refuses to give up [[spoiler:on saving Dopterra from the Meteor]] despite being told that it's impossible to do so.
53	** [[spoiler:Due to a series of losses, Possessor ends up having his real body destroyed and has to resort to possessing a chunk of planet Florius to crash it on Dopterra to accomplish his purpose. Even that ultimately fails [[VillainousValor despite him trying his hardest against Ant Queen]].]]
54	* DodgeTheBullet: Some attacks make you literally dodge the bullets the enemy shoot at you.
55	* DumbMuscle: Despite not being particularly smart and having less than ten [=HPs=], Stickbug manages to be hired as a boss and is considered by Poindexter to be strong.
56	* EleventhHourSuperpower: During the final battle of 'The Final Fist', [[spoiler:items that allow you to recover health and make the boss vulnerable will regularly appear in your inventory]].
57	* EmotionSuppression: Darking intends to use a device called the Heartbreaker, which removes emotions, to achieve world peace.
58	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The goal of [[spoiler:Possessor]] is to [[spoiler:accelerate the end of the current civilisation so that a new one can take over]]. Things don't look too bad until it escalates into [[spoiler:a meteor being hurled toward Dopterra, which would end most life on the planet]].
59	* EpisodicGame: The titular Creepy Castle only makes up the first scenario of the game. The actual story continues into future scenarios that are added in game updates.
60	* FakeLongevity: invoked [[PlayedForLaughs for laughs]] in one of the song's description, claiming it will make the player asleep and thus increase the time spent on the game.
61	* TheFatalist: [[spoiler:Possessor, ironically. Despite his boasts to the contrary, the only reason he tries to end civilizations to make way for new ones is because [[ItsWhatIDo it's what he was made for]] and so he believes he's obligated to do it; the thought of having a life outside of his "divine duty" is alien and pointless to him. The Architects that created him aren't any better, viewing their own existence as little more than a cog in a universal machine.]]
62	* FightingYourFriend:
63	** Moth ends up fighting Stickbug due to him having taken a job as a boss.
64	** Moth [[spoiler:also fights Bee to find out who of them is worthy of taking down Darking. The two of them apparently do this regularly]].
65	** Butterfly ends up having to fight [[spoiler:a possessed Moth]].
66	* FiveSecondForeshadowing: You may encounter a room with ominous ambiance, some monitors in the center, and a switch that allows you to open or close a door to the left or right. [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys Cue Chica!]]]]
67	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
68	** In the original scenario, Stickbug will mention [[spoiler:how Monsoon is awesome]]. Guess [[spoiler:who Stickbug picks up in Due Exaltation?]]
69	** If you can decipher them early enough, the Ancient Tablets have info which [[spoiler:describes the intention and duty of certain characters you'll meet later]]. Similarly, the hieroglyphs in the Depths have some things to say about the plot of the game. On them, you can see [[spoiler: the Architects as well as the final form of Possessor]]. Also, a statue of [[spoiler:an Architect]] can be seen long before you realize its significance.
70	** In Due Exaltation, there's a place in Floria where there a giant statue where you're being told that the mountain you see in the distance is actually a living being. [[spoiler:Both end up being possessed.]]
71	* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:Molt was taken over by Possessor at some point in the past and destroyed the earlier reptilian civilization of Dopterra.]]
72	* FunnyAnimal: The game world is filled with them, a good portion being bugs like our hero Moth.
73	* AGlassOfChianti: In scenario 2, [[spoiler:Possessor]] is seen in cutscenes holding a glass.
74	* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming: A major theme in the game. Several characters are given clear designations as TheHero and the BigBad and everything in between, but things quickly turn out to be more complicated than that and the story explores who these characters are behind their titles.
75	* GuestFighter: Five characters from other indie games show up as characters who can be unlocked: [[VideoGame/ShovelKnight Plague Knight]], [[VideoGame/SuperMeatBoy Dr. Fetus]], [[VideoGame/CaveStory Balrog]], [[VideoGame/OneThousandAndOneSpikes Alan Hawkins]], and probably the most surprising, [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys Chica]].
76	* HeroicBSOD:
77	** Due to the influence of [[spoiler:Possessor, Moth]] goes through one and has to both [[spoiler:fight his shadow]] and receive help from Butterfly to regain some composure.
78	** Described as a virtuous hero by the game, [[spoiler:Storm]] got lost to despair as he learned [[AwfulTruth the message]] of the ruins he visited. It's implied that similarly [[spoiler:Possessor]] had a hand in this and he too had to be helped by Butterfly to come back to normal.
79	* HeroicSelfDeprecation: [[spoiler:Moth (who was the protagonist of Creepy Castle and was as competent as Butterfly in scenario 2)]] describes himself not as a hero, but a person who ended up with the responsibility to be one. Due to this, he falls easily to [[spoiler:Possessor's [[MoreThanMindControl influence]]]] and ends up having to [[spoiler:face his shadow]].
80	* HisNameReallyIsBarkeep: Several characters are named based on [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin what they are]], such as Moth and Butterfly.
81	* LaserGuidedKarma: In Due Exaltation, despite not having any obligation to do so, Ant Queen decides to [[spoiler:let Stickbug stay on her ship]]. In The Final Fist, [[spoiler:Stickbug is the one who gets Ant Queen out of the exploding meteor]].
82	* MoreThanMindControl: A big part of why [[spoiler:Moth falls victim to Possessor]] is his own personal issues.
83	* ObliviouslyEvil: [[spoiler:Possessor honestly believes that his purpose of ending civilizations to accelerate the birth of a new one is very important and laments that it won't be carried out anymore when he's defeated.]] Ant Queen disagrees with him.
84	* OutsideContextProblem: The original scenario has you dealing with Darking. The next problem you have to deal with [[spoiler:a few moments afterward is a mysterious powerful entity that suddenly awakened without any warning, possessed Darking, and intends to destroy the world]]. There are actually a few sources that tell of said thing, but they are rare due to [[spoiler:said entity having ended entire civilizations several times in the past]].
85	* SadBattleMusic: At first, the battle against [[spoiler:Darking]] is your standard climatic battle against the BigBad, but then [[spoiler:Darking asks to what extent we know pain and if we have ever felt the loss of love]], and Heart Heist starts to play as the tone of the battle changes.
86	* SpinAttack: This is Moth's SignatureMove.
87	* ThisCannotBe:
88	** In scenario 2, [[spoiler:Possessor]] can't believe Butterfly somehow beat him up and questions how [[spoiler:Moth ultimately escaped [[MindControl his influence]]]] (the implication being that he shouldn't have been able to do so), [[VillainousBreakdown losing smugness]] in the process. [[{{Determinator}} It doesn't stop him]] from resorting to more drastic measures to accomplish his purpose.
89	** The [[spoiler:Architect]] you fight at first finds the idea of Ant Queen fighting him amusing, but later [[BossBanter will pause the fight to realise he can actually be harmed, with Ant Queen suggesting to go back to talking instead]].
90	* ThisIsGonnaSuck: While technically nothing is said, before the FinalBattle of scenario 2, the face [[spoiler:Possessor]] makes tells that he's in a unpleasant situation and is about to [[spoiler:fight with his real body only because his initial plan failed]].
91	* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Possessor]] is smug at first in scenario 2, but starts losing his cool when first beaten by Butterfly (which he counters by [[spoiler:[[DemonicPossession taking control]] of Moth]]) and then gets extremely worked up by [[spoiler:Moth escaping his control]]. Despite all of that, he keeps resorting to more and more extreme measures to accomplish his purpose.
92	* VillainousRescue: In Due Exaltation, Ant Queen is saved by [[spoiler:Pinky Punk on the meteor due to her needing Ant Queen's body to create an obedient clone]].
93	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Darking intends to achieve peace by using the Heartbreaker to remove the emotions of people. Also, [[spoiler:despite knowing that it's wrong, he believes that using the Heartbreaker to prevent people's suffering from the painful events of life is worth it]]. This is made worse by the fact that [[spoiler:the Possessor's words after Darking's defeat seem to imply that Darking's plan was the only thing that could save the world.]] It's unknown how true this is, however.
94	* WhatTheHellHero: Madam calls out Ant Queen for [[spoiler:beating up her men and breaking into her house]] instead of just telling her that the operation on Floria [[spoiler:was draining the life of the planet]].

Context VideoGame / CreepyCastle