Line #229 VideoGame/AstralChain


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/25176929_b5a7_4ef9_a27c_16c562d3118d.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''"Today has been most revelatory."'']]
3
4	->''"My heart goes out to you two... All because of how you were born, you're doomed to be used by those idiots till you die. Chained to your fate, powerless."''
5
6	''Astral Chain'' is a StylishAction video game developed by Creator/PlatinumGames and published by Creator/{{Nintendo}} for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. The game was unveiled in February 2019 and was released on August 30th, 2019 in all regions.
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8	Set in a future {{Cyberpunk}} multicultural city known as the Ark, ''Astral Chain'' focuses on a BrotherSisterTeam who work for a special police task force called Neuron. Said task force was birthed in response to the formation of odd dimensional rifts that have been appearing in the world, unleashing monsters known as Chimeras who leave destruction in their wake. With normal equipment being just as ill-equipped for such a situation as standard police officers are, members of Neuron utilize a brand-new weapon known as Legion: bio-mechanical beings derived from Chimeras that acts as a partner and aids you both inside and outside of combat situations.
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10	''Astral Chain'' marks the directorial debut of Takahisa Taura, the chief designer of ''VideoGame/NierAutomata''. ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' series creator and Creator/PlatinumGames co-founder Creator/HidekiKamiya serves as the supervisor for the game, with manga artist Creator/MasakazuKatsura in charge of the character design.
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12	Trailers: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brmmV3g4qqo Announcement Trailer]], [[https://youtu.be/ckAZepoche4 Nintendo E3 2019 Trailer]]
13	Treehouse footage: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX5V9uOVD4k Part 1]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3WqG1-7Ogk Part 2]]
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15	For a game with similar Legion-based combat, compare and contrast to ''VideoGame/ChaosLegion''.
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17	----
18	!!Contains examples of:
19	* OneHundredPercentCompletion: While the game doesn't keep track of everything you've unlocked with a percentage value, there's a lot for completionists to tackle. Players have to manually take pictures of every last Chimera and Legion in the game and document them in the Subjects folder on your PC. There's also a giant list of Orders that rewards the player for completing certain tasks, and a lot of side missions that involve busywork as a police officer. The game even requires you to replay through earlier missions just to solve puzzles with Legion that you don't gain access to until later on. Some of the orders require gaining S+ rank in every mission on the Pt Ultimate difficulty.
20	* ATasteOfPower:
21	** During the climax of File 2, your Legion has infinite energy, cannot be dismissed, and sync actions trigger automatically.
22	** Much later, during File 10’s climax, [[spoiler:you unlock [[SuperMode Legion]] [[FusionDance Fusion]] in order to stop a berserk Legion Fused Akira. You have infinite resonance in this fight, meaning that you spend the entire battle in Fusion.]]
23	* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: In two flavours. First, there's G, which you require to purchase in-game items and equipment upgrades. You don't earn that much currency once you complete a File as you're encouraged to salvage whatever you can from [[ShopFodder crates and enemy drops to sell later]] with high-end "recyclable" rewards given as prizes for doing well in Red Cases (which is harder to do if you're underpowered). Then there are Gene Codes, which are necessary for advancing the [[SkillScoresAndPerks skill trees]] of your Legions. Their ''individual'' skill trees. You get these from defeating enemies, but they drop in meager quantities. Eventually, upgrade payments hit a formidable wall as the higher-end ones for both your gear and Legions need Premium Material Codes, which are incredibly rare quest rewards. It doesn't help that consumable combat and health items aren't exactly cheap either.
24	* AllThereInTheManual: Much of the finer details of the game's overarching plot can be found in the century-spanning timeline contained in the art book.
25	* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:File 12 shows that while things are looking up for humanity, Chimeras are still a threat to the Ark and its inhabitants, leaving plenty of work for you and the rebuilt Neuron to do.]]
26	* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Various outfits and accessories can be unlocked by completing in-game achievements and side quests. Numerous unlockable palette swaps for both you and your Legions allow for even more customization control.
27	* AnotherDimension: The Astral Plane is the source of all chimeras, who invade the Ark through dimensional rifts. [[spoiler: According to Jena Anderson, the Astral Plane is a giant computer whose purpose is to catalog all life on Earth, so the planet can be "reformatted" later.]]
28	* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
29	** The AutomaticNewGame is played on Casual difficulty, as you have to complete a [[HopelessBossFight survival segment]] where you can't see enemy telegraphs with none of your defensive options, followed by a boss fight before you get a Legion tutorial.
30	** If the player attempts to use an item from their highly limited personal stocks while having a temporary supply item of the same type, the supply stock is automatically used instead.
31	** Your Camera will highlight enemies that you haven't discovered/logged into the database yet with a translucent yellow dot in the reticle.
32	** Getting 100% Red Matter in all of the story files can be a pain, as they're often difficult to see and sometimes require obsessive re-checks in an area before proceeding. Luckily, to get 100% completion, the game only asks the player to get 80% Red Matter cleared in each File.
33	** The Axe Legion can be ordered to lend its shield to [=NPCs=] during an EscortMission. Additionally, these mission don't feature enemies that require specific Legions to defeat.
34	** Perhaps as an allowance for having to control two characters at once, the ranking system is ''much'' more forgiving than most StylishAction games. Damage doesn't factor into it,[[note]]you will get a huge score bonus if you take no damage, but unlike Platinum's other titles you don't ''need'' this to get the best rank [[/note]] time isn't as important as usual, and there is no combo count to keep up; just use many different Legion Abilities and get lots of Chain Binds, Sync Attacks and Finishing Moves and an S+ isn't too difficult.
35	* ApocalypseHow: Class 1. The chimeric invasion has destroyed 90% of all life on Earth, and the remaining 10% are only surviving thanks to a manmade island called TheArk. Still, life on the Ark is relatively normal and humans still have access to most comforts. So barring the constant attacks from chimeras and aberrations, it's not too bad.
36	* ArmorPiercingAttack: Your X-Baton's Gladius form can cut through enemy shields with ease.
37	* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Some of the bosses such as the Homunculi are the size of buildings.
38	* AwesomeButImpractical: [[spoiler: [[LimitBreak Legion]] [[FusionDance Fusion]] is this in spades. From a gameplay perspective, it turns you into a nigh-invincible juggernaut who'll completely obliterate regular enemies and do significant damage to bosses. However, you can only activate it when you max out the Synchronicity Gauge and it takes a ''long'' time fill it up, especially if you use up the entire gauge in one go. And it's really easy to do so by mistake, since the Fusion itself only last a couple of seconds. That's not even getting into the fact that using it deprives you of the majority of your moveset. Lore-wise, it causes the Protagonist severe fatigue and they run the risk of passing out if they use it for too long.]]
39	* TheBadGuysAreCops: The BigBad is [[spoiler:Yoseph Calvert, the director of the Neuron police unit that takes care of cases involving [[EldritchAbomination Chimeras]]. He only had the massive artificial island, the Hypermegafloat Ark, built as a sanctuary against Chimeras and founded the Neuron unit to combat them so that he can be hailed as a savior of humanity while merging Earth with the [[EldritchLocation Astral Plane]] where Chimeras come from, hoping to make humanity "become as gods" even if most of them will be killed. In fact, when he disposes of his [[ALighterShadeOfBlack slightly less evil]] nemesis Jena Anderson, he has Neuron dissolved, forms the Raven Corps consisting of clones of the protagonist's sibling Akira to do his bidding, and has everyone who was in Neuron either [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassigned to other precincts]] or [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness killed]].]]
40	* BadassNormal: [[spoiler:Jin, Max, Alicia, and Akira find themselves in this position when their Legions pull a FaceHeelTurn.]].
41	* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler: Yoseph Calvert, who wants to transcend himself and humanity; and Jena Anderson, who wants to merge the Astral Plane and Earth.]]
42	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Yoseph is dead and his insane plan is thwarted, but Akira has to sacrifice themself so you can deal the final blow to Noah. [[PlayableEpilogue A month later]], fewer and fewer gates are opening across the Ark, allowing people to consider leaving and repopulating the planet, and Alicia and Jin put Neuron back together with Olive as their new commander to handle any chimera attacks that are still happening. Hal doesn't return to Neuron, but he begins helping with reconstruction efforts in Zone 09 alongside [[HeelFaceTurn Kyle and the newly-reformed Hermits]]. Akira is revealed to have survived in some capacity thanks to Brenda transplanting memories from the original's Legion into one of the remaining clones, but it doesn't change the fact that the real Akira is dead. Max's final fate is also uncertain, but it's implied that he may have somehow [[FusionDance fused with the Axe Legion]].]]
43	* BlackAndGrayMorality:
44	** While many of the main characters are genuinely good people, that doesn't change the fact that their main weapon against chimeras is gained by torturing and enslaving other chimeras--and judging by the opening cutscene, the process is ''not'' painless. Comments from a minor NPC imply that the process of gaining Legions is common knowledge around Neuron, to say nothing of Yoseph and Brenda who actually take part in the process.
45	** Aberrations are some of the first enemies you encounter and are generally just common {{Mooks}}. However, File 2 reveals that they were previously humans who redshifted because of the mere presence of chimeras, and it's impossible to change them back. This understandably puts them in a more tragic light, but they're still mindless, homicidal monsters that have to be put down.
46	** The antagonists themselves. Jena is a terrorist fighting against Neuron and created the Homunculi that are undoubtedly some of the most dangerous enemies you'll encounter. However, [[spoiler: it's later revealed that she's a WellIntentionedExtremist who is doing what she thinks will save humanity. Meanwhile, Yoseph is a slightly, ''slightly'' DarkerShadeOfBlack who is only saving humanity to fuel his AGodAmI complex. Regardless of their motivations, they both want to merge Earth with the Astral Plane, believing that it will be saved when in actuality the process will kill practically everyone.]]
47	* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Sword Legion possesses blade arms.
48	* BlamedForBeingRailroaded: In File 06, [[spoiler:you are forced by the game to follow Hal into Zone 09, which is off-limits to police]], even though nothing in-universe says you ''have'' to go there. Hal even explicitly states that you don't have to come along with him, [[ButThouMust yet the only two responses that the game allows you to make both equal "yes"]]. [[spoiler:One unauthorized mission later, Yoseph has you arrested and thrown in jail for insubordination. Downplayed a bit, in that you ''only'' get provisonally detained while Hal gets fired entirely, suggesting that he got most of the blame as the one who led the mission while your crime is mainly being his accomplice, and although your superiors may be angry with you you're the still most competent Legion user around so they can't quite just throw you away (and sure enough, your skills come in handy when an extremely dangerous Homunculus strikes the Ark shortly thereafter).]]
49	* BloodlessCarnage: Justified as the chimeras don't have blood and the protagonist doesn't use lethal force on non-mutated humans.
50	* BombDisposal: One sidequest has you trying to disarm a time bomb by using the Sword Legion's ability to sever the electronic signals much the same as [[WireDilemma cutting the wires]] on a bomb. You're even guided through which one to cut in what order. [[spoiler:The bomb is fake, and failing to defuse it just results in a shower of confetti and a party horn sounding off]].
51	* BookEnds: The start of the game shows Yoseph watching the process of a chimera becoming a legion by being chained shortly after it manifested when it attempted to break the viewing glass standing between it and him. In File 11, [[spoiler:chains bind Noah Prime, a fusion of Yoseph himself and Legion-Fused Akira clones, in order to allow Akira's twin and their Legion deliver the final blow.]]
52	* BossBonanza: At the very end of the game, you must fight [[spoiler:Akira suffering an existential crisis and Yoseph's evil Legions before being immediately thrust into the final battle with Noah, which consists of a platforming segment and two distinct fights with the Core and Noah Prime, the latter of which has two distinct forms.]]
53	* BossSubtitles: Every new Chimera (and the few bosses that don't fit that descriptor) get an [[EnemyScan IRIS callout]] on their first appearance. Given the sheer amount of [[UndergroundMonkey unique Chimera subspecies]], these keep showing up well into the postgame.
54	* BreatherEpisode: File 08, [[MeaningfulName Peace]]. You're on cleanup duty after the second of two consecutive disasters played through, and most of the file is effectively a MinigameZone with no time or story pressure and very little straight combat. [[spoiler:The sole significant event in File 08 is its last chapter, the player and Akira finding the rogue Axe Legion, whom the player successfully captures, and Max's Legatus with it.]]
55	* BrotherSisterTeam: The main protagonists are a pair of twins. Overlaps with StaticRoleExchangeableCharacter; when given the choice to choose between the brother and sister, the player-controlled character is made into the HeroicMime older sibling that [[HelloInsertNameHere can be named]], whereas the unchosen one becomes their younger twin with the fixed name of Akira, along with hefty amounts of dialogue.
56	* BrutalBonusLevel: File 12's cases mainly comprise chimera-hunting objectives, and in addition to the enemies being quite punishing, you're given a fixed set of items and AED charges (starting with two, going down to one and later zero in later cases). The R3 cases in particular give you several waves consisting of multiple bosses.
57	* CanonIdentifier: Inverted, in that the twin you don't choose to play as is given the CanonName of Akira regardless of gender (making it easy to talk about the character), but the player character receives no specific title to distinguish them (even their brief stint as the only active Legion user, or Legiate, on the force is short lived [[spoiler: when Akira acquires a new one two Files later]]).
58	* CastingGag:
59	** Creator/CassandraLeeMorris [[VideoGame/Persona5 voicing]] Marie Wentz, a KindHeartedCatLover who also dons a mascot suit to cheer people up. Or alternatively, [[VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX voicing]] a young recruit on the force that protects the last bastion of humanity in a near future environment.
60	** Creator/KyleMcCarley played a hacker who spends a lot of the game as the player's companion in [=PlatinumGames=]' ''[[VideoGame/NierAutomata last]]'' [[VideoGame/NierAutomata game]], too. [[spoiler: Once you find out Hal is actually human, his hologram appearance even looks a little like 9S with longer hair, complete with blindfold.]]
61	* ChainPain: The titular Astral Chain. Your player uses it to control the Legion. They also use it to do things like trapping enemies or fugitives, or acting like a tripwire.
62	* CharacterCustomization: The player character's hair, eyes, and skin tone can be chosen at game's start, and all of these plus their outfit and color scheme can be edited at the HQ locker room later. The player can even switch which twin they're controlling by replaying File 01, which puts them through character creation again. The Legions can also be recolored.
63	* ChemicalMessiah: The Hermits of Zone 09 rely on [[FantasticDrug Blue Evolve]], said to prevent [[TheCorruption redshift]]. It also allows them to see and fight chimeras, unlike everyone else who doesn't have a Legion. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, the drug has some nasty side effects: it actually ''causes'' redshift, which leads to several users turning into chimeras themselves, and it also ''merges the real world and the Astral Plane together''.]]
64	* CityOfAdventure: The events that transpire in ''Astral Chain'' take place in the cyberpunk city called the Ark.
65	* CollectorOfTheStrange: The game is specifically designed to reward average police work should you choose to partake in it. The catch? One of the collectibles in the game is discarded soda cans, which you can dispose of in trash cans or utilize as distractions in stealth segments. The other type of in-game collectible is inspecting public toilets.
66	* TheCorruption: Chimera activity leaves behind a residue called Red Matter that can't be seen by normal people. If left unattended, people slowly undergo a process called redshifting, corrupting them before finally becoming Aberrations. This can be cured through blueshifting, which the Sword Legion is capable of; curing sick individuals in exploration-based areas can help boost the player character's reputation. Members of Neuron bonded with a Legion can withstand much larger doses without succumbing as easily; the Howard twins' own resistances have been theorized to be a byproduct of their birth, as their mother was redshifting while pregnant with them.
67	* CuteKitten: You can find one in every File to adopt, and collecting them is required for several Orders (achievements). Compared to human characters (especially generic [=NPCs=]), they are rendered in painstaking detail.
68	* {{Cyberpunk}}: The game takes major cues from various cyberpunk works (Takahisa Taura specifically credits Creator/ShirowMasamune's ''Manga/GhostInTheShell'' and ''Manga/{{Appleseed}}''), with transhuman characters mentally connected to the biomechanical legion weapons. The ''Ghost in the Shell'' influences can really be seen with Sector 5, a slum shantytown built upon industrial buildings inside the walled off Zone 09. The very aesthetic of the rusted corrugated metal roofs, Chinese neon signage lighting up the dimly lit alleyways, and people literally scrounging around for any old technology they can find just to make a meager living was clearly influenced by how Niihama is visually represented in [[Anime/GhostInTheShell the original 1995 movie]].
69	* CyberpunkForFlavor: The game has a cyberpunk setting of humanity's last survivors on a specialized {{Arcology}} that have to deal with constant never-ending monster attacks using magic.
70	* CrutchCharacter: Or rather, Crutch ''Ability''. The Auto Sync Attack ability, when equipped, grants the player the ability to fire off sync attacks without having to press the appropriate action button. This can be particularly useful for the Legions with multi-part sync attack combos and can ease newer players into the game's standard mode. Overtime, the ability becomes less effective as the player learns the timing for the sync attacks, learn that the ability slots can be occupied by an ability that adds new effects, and the fact that auto sync attacks can be a liability, as the only way to cancel out of them is to dodge.
71	* DeathWorld: The Astral Plane, the dimension that the chimeras come from. It's said to be so dangerous that ''only'' chimeras can survive in it. If the [[EverythingTryingToKillYou abundance of chimeras that will be after your life]] wasn't enough, merely being inside the Astral Plane will slowly but surely corrupt a person, causing them to "redshift" until they become an Aberration.
72	* DefeatEqualsExplosion: Defeated chimeras and abberations explode into cubes. Human enemies, however, simply fall down.
73	* DegradedBoss: Bosses that received a MookDebutCutscene often reappear later in the story in regular battles. Played completely straight in File 12 where virtually every boss monster encountered in the story is often just one of a dozen enemies to fight in a case.
74	* DictionaryOpening: Each chapter is given a one-word title. Accompanying each title is a definition for the word used on the title card.
75	* DoubleEdgedBuff: There are three drinks that heal the player in addition to providing a buff, but there's also a downside:
76	** Bone Potage raises your defense and armor but lowers your attack.
77	** Fishy Water raises your attack and critical chance, but lowers defense.
78	** Golden Tea raises attack and defense but lowers energy refill rate.
79	* DoWellButNotPerfect: Unlike ''Bayonetta'', the game does not require you to beat the time requirement or even avoid taking damage in order to achieve the highest rank, but they do give higher bonuses to the score. As long as your score is at least 10,000 or above, you can easily achieve an S+ rank by performing various other special techniques. In fact, the reward for achieving S+ rank on all files is purely cosmetic while a B rank will reward you with a Premium Material Code, which is much more useful since it can upgrade your character.
80	* DramaticChaseOpening: Platinum again manages to squeeze in a "ride your motorbike at breakneck speed" segment into the game. At the VERY START OF THE GAME.
81	* EarlyBirdBoss: You fight Enceladus in File 2 before you have access to most of the game's combat and upgrade options, meaning weaker weapons, low health, no Legion skills or abilities, one Legion to work with. With so many limitations, he throws first-time players for a loop. Returning to this fight later with your entire arsenal of tools makes the fight significantly easier.
82	* EarlyGameHell: The first two and a half Files of a new game tend to strain a player's health the most, as they don't have access to the FinishingMove yet. Once they do, healing items become a bit less precious.
83	* EasierThanEasy: Casual serves as the easy mode of this game, below Pt. Standard and Pt. Ultimate. Casual additionally has an Unchained options menu that serves as an adjustable version of this trope, offering options like automatic special attacks and infinite [[JustifiedExtraLives AED]] uses.
84	* EnemyScan: One of the many functions IRIS offers.
85	* EscortMission: There are a couple sprinkled through the game. Only the last one throws any substantial enemies at you, and by then you have the Axe Legion, who can be ordered to protect the escortee.
86	* ExperiencedProtagonist: Subverted. The Howard twins were respected cops, but still thoroughly out of their depth against the chimeras, even ''with'' Legions of their own.
87	* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Not to a large extent but the entire game from file 01 to file 11 takes place in only 16 days. This is best showcased with the very first day, June 21, which is the time frame for both file 01 and file 02. In order; the twins face off against a horde of aberrations, [[CurbStompBattle get their asses handed to them by chimeras]], get their own Legions, defeat [[WarmUpBoss Laius]], take a helicopter to Neuron HQ where they are officially promoted to the Neuron Task Force, train with Jin, take on their first case as Neuron officers, investigate two chimera attacks, defeat one of the larger chimeras who [[TransformationHorror redshifts some nearby civilians]], they pursue Enceladus who drags one of them to the Astral Plane, the rest of the team rescues the player character and kills Enceladus, they start saving some nearby civilians who have also been dragged to the Astral Plane, the team [[spoiler:loses control of each of their Legions and have to fight them, the player character tames the Sword Legion and Max performs a HeroicSacrifice to buy the team time to escape. Oh, and file 03 reveals, while all this was happening [[BigBad Jena]] bombed the ARI and stole some resources for her Homunculi]].
88	* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Yoseph, who presents himself as the BigGood, turns out to be the BigBad with a destructive case of a savior complex.]]
89	* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[spoiler: The Legions, after they undergo a FaceHeelTurn in the Astral Plane.]] Subverted with [[spoiler: Akira; they return from the ARI decked out in sinister black armor. However, they remain a good guy nonetheless.]] Played straight with [[spoiler:Akira's clones, who betray you and Akira proper after Yosef shows his true colors]].
90	* EvilVsEvil: [[spoiler:The nature of the conflict between Jena and Yosef is revealed to be this. They both have ill intentions for the human race under the guise of well-intentioned extremism. It's just that they have different ideas of where humanity should end up.]]
91	* EvolvingTitleScreen: The main menu is a shot of Akira looking out into the Ark. [[spoiler:When they're forced into a coma by Jena, they disappear from it. Similarly, when they return with the Raven armor, they're shown wearing it there too. By the time the player clears File 11, they disappear -- and it stays that way for the rest of the game.]]
92	* FaceHeelTurn: During the protagonists' first venture into the Astral Plane, the corruption becomes so deadly that [[spoiler: it causes their own Legions to turn against them. By the end of the chapter, every Legion, save for the player character's, has turned back to the side of the chimeras]].
93	* FailedASpotCheck: In a world where everything related to the Astral Plane and its corruption is visibly {{red\|AndBlackAndEvilAllOver}}, and everything related to Earth and humanity's attempts to counter it seems to be {{blue\|IsHeroic}}, [[spoiler:both Jena and the Hermits somehow fail to notice that a liquid drug called Blue Evolve, with color-tinted pictures of past vials suggesting that it actually is blue, simply [[TechnicolorToxin shouldn't be bright purple]]. Jena becomes first a {{Humanoid\|Abomination}}, then a full-on EldritchAbomination after indulging on the tainted Blue Evolve, while the Hermits quickly start to redshift after one dose and have to be knocked out by the Player]].
94	* FinalDungeonPreview: In File 05, you head to the ARI to [[spoiler: see Akira recovering from their encounter with Jena]] and can even do some cases here while visiting though you are restricted to only one floor and you are a temporary exception in being able to visit the restricted district. [[spoiler: In File 11, you storm the ARI to find Yoseph and put an end to his Project Noah all while climbing the ARI and fighting hordes of Chimeras and even Akira's clones all culminating in the climactic showdown on the top of the tower]].
95	* FinalExamBoss: [[spoiler:Noah Prime is the final form of [[EldritchAbomination Noah]]]], and forces the player to make use of each Legion's special abilities, use up all their healing items, and will utterly decimate you if you haven't mastered the gameplay and combat system.
96	* FirstPersonSnapshooter: Unlocking profile data for people and locations is achieved by taking a photo of them. An in-universe photo, mind, and don't expect a Chimera to stop attacking you in the meantime. Fortunately, it doesn't have to be a good photo, just of the right thing.
97	* FlamingSword: Chimera HUM-C-158B8-00 codename "Diomedes" wields a large flaming sword, and has considerable reach when attacking with it.
98	* FlawedPrototype: The Protolegions. Similar to the Sword Legion, they were born from altering basic humanoid chimera for the sake of specialization. However, the bunch of them were ultimately shelved due to incompatibilities with their enhancements. For example, the large-handed Glove Protolegion had difficulties balancing thanks to its engorged limbs, and the Archer Legion's aim was infamously inaccurate compared to a true Arrow chimera's.
99	* ForbiddenZone: Zone 09 is off-limits to the rest of the Ark's population, and especially for UNION. [[spoiler:It's a district that's indefinitely quarantined off from the rest of the Ark due to a redshift incident GoneHorriblyWrong a few decades back. The place can basically be described as the Ark's version of the Kowloon Walled City, being a hopeless WretchedHive with the Hermits gang being the closest Zone 09 has to any sort of government. Going there on an unauthorized mission with Hal gets you arrested, only to be released in the following File due to your assistance being needed for an extremely dangerous Homunculus, while Hal just straight up gets fired.]]
100	* FunWithAcronyms: IRIS: '''I'''ntegrated '''R'''eality '''I'''nformation '''S'''ystem.
101	* FusionDance: [[spoiler:You gain the ability to fuse with your Legion in the last couple of levels. In addition, this is how the FinalBoss ends up being created.]]
102	* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: [[spoiler: When Akira suffers a seemingly mortal blow, it's mentioned offhand that their AED (the device that acts as your JustifiedExtraLives) might have been damaged in the fall.]]
103	* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
104	** At the end of every level, you get graded on your performance, receive your pay, and may even receive a promotion based on how many accolades you collect. [[spoiler: This even happens in files 10 and 11, where you're a wanted fugitive who has been kicked out of Neuron.]]
105	** When you complete a Red Case and then dismiss the results screen, [[FlavorText "Case Reported" appears on the screen briefly, the idea being that you're logging the events and submitting them to police command]]. [[spoiler:This happens even in File 06, where you're on an unauthorized mission and thus shouldn't be communicating with the rest of police at all, and in Files 10 and 11 due to again being terminated from Neuron.]]
106	* GameplayGrading: If playing red cases on PT Standard or Ultimate, you'll receive a letter grade for your performance from D to S+. A good number of the Orders in the game involve getting S+ on files so it's in a player's best interest to do well.
107	* GenderedOutfit: The main female character's uniform has a few differences, the most prominent being the short shorts.
108	* GottaCatchThemAll:
109	** [[spoiler:Recapturing the four Legions that go berserk during a mission gone wrong]] is the main narrative hook for the first few hours of the game.
110	** You're also encouraged to take pictures of Chimeras in order to fill out the database, and you get rewarded if you do so.
111	** Each level has three hidden collectables: a stray cat to rescue, a public toilet to inspect, and an almost-literal MetalSlime to hunt.
112	** There are six Lappy-related items obtained by doing Lappy-related cases.
113	* GuideDangIt:
114	** The game doesn't provide any hints to the passcode locking some of the Duty Reports in File 6 and 10. [[spoiler: The player has to know that the reports were written by Max (which isn't known until you open them) and that he'd pick a number significant to him, in this case, the twins' birth date.]]
115	** The tutorial for [[GameWithinAGame Lappy's Balloon Bash]] neglects to mention that the player character in it (Lappy) can run if the left analogue stick is pressed down. It's also possible to dodge in the game, but that's not nearly as useful for getting balloons in the hands of the right folks.
116	** One particularly obscure hidden quest was only discovered and completed weeks after the game's release, and only after some players dug around through some game files. [[spoiler: To get the Stylish Helmet, the player has to first interact with the broken armbot, SA-R036, in File 3 until its ''long'' chain of dialogue is exhausted. This is the only real instance in the game where the [=NPCs=] have more than a couple lines of dialogue for repeated interaction. Afterwards, the player must then locate this same robot, in sequence, in four other files and again exhaust all new dialogue. It's very easy to miss the first leg of the quest, it doesn't indicate that it starts a quest line, and all of its future triggers are in out-of-the-way locations that players normally wouldn't revisit. Even worse, after the second leg of the quest, the robot completely disappears from its location after it's said all of its dialogue, without any real indication that it's moved to its next spot.]]
117	* HalfIdenticalTwins: The player character and their younger sibling Akira. The game actually alters Akira's skin and eye colors based on what you put into the character select screen at the start, so whatever choices you made, they will avert the usual anime sibling stereotypes and ALWAYS actually share your traits. Averted otherwise, as their hairstyle and color remain the same in any other capacity.
118	* HelloInsertNameHere: The sibling you pick has no official name, and you are asked to name that person. Your younger twin is named Akira Howard. Despite the lack of a proper CanonName, the "random" option when naming grants each sibling 4 unique names: Ryo, Kazuma, Yamato and Hayato for the brother, and Akane, Miki, Misaki and Kaede for the sister. If the player character is addressed directly, it's usually by [[LastNameBasis "Howard"]].
119	* HeroicMime: Whichever sibling the player chooses becomes this. Conversely, whoever ends up becoming Akira engages in normal conversations a lot. [[spoiler: File 12's introduction has the player character deliver a monologue detailing what happened during the month after File 11.]]
120	* HighSpeedBattle: The very first segment of gameplay has the PlayerCharacter riding their police motorcycle through a tunnel to get to the scene of an emergency, only for enemies to show up, requiring them to use their bike's mounted machinegun and later their rapid-fire pistol to take them out.
121	* HongKongDub: The English dub doesn't seem to bother with mouth flaps during advanceable cutscenes with dialogue boxes. It's particularly noticeable during Jena's monologue about [[spoiler:the true nature of the Astral Plane]].
122	* HopelessBossFight: The battles with the [[spoiler:Neuron Legion Nemeses]] during File 02 and the clash with the [[spoiler:RAVEN Corps]] in File 10.
123	* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels: Called "playstyles" by the game, since they also change some of the rules:
124	** Casual gives the player more defense and extra revives per File. The optional [[EasierThanEasy "Unchained"]] modifier also automates most ActionCommands to make combat simpler, and grants unlimited revives to the player, making it impossible to actually get a "game over".
125	** Pt Standard gives the player fewer revives and more powerful enemies. It's also the minimum difficulty that qualifies for GameplayGrading.
126	** Pt Ultimate is only available when replaying a File after clearing it once. The player cannot revive after death (even if they have Legatus upgrades that would otherwise increase the limit), enemies are even stronger, and damage taken by Legions [[{{Synchronization}} comes out of your health instead of energy]].
127	* InterfaceSpoiler: None of the orders detail any major spoilers of the story, but reading through them early on in the game tells you of certain things to expect to happen in specific files.
128	* InvisibleToNormals: Chimeras are invisible to normal folks. Only those with Legions can see them. In fact, if a regular person can see chimeras, [[OhCrap it means they're redshifting]] into a chimeric lifeform (an aberration) themselves--possibly too far-gone to be saved via blueshifting.
129	* JokeLevel: In File 12, having all six Lappy items unlocks a special case called "Deskwork...?" [[spoiler:You are switched into the Lappy suit and you fight off an angry mob and Hermits in Harmony Square, before taking on some Chimeras in the Astral Plane...all to a cheerful looping jingle.]]
130	* JumpScare: PlayedForLaughs when Lappy gives you a tour around the station. Every time you go to a new area, Lappy shows up behind you without warning. You're always startled, with the Joy Cons rumbling from the mini-heart attack he gives your character.
131	* JurisdictionFriction: The Arc police forces hate it when Neuron show up to an investigation, since they take over the case with no ceremony and it always seems to end with them linking it to a gate incident, cutting off the [[WasOnceAMan Aberrations]], and taking all the glory. There's not exactly anyone they can complain to either as Neuron is nominally part of the police force themselves. In truth, if Neuron show up it's because a Chimera is expected, the existence of which is classified - being InvisibleToNormals and immune to conventional weapons is bad enough without their existence causing mass panic. The problems with this are shown during the first investigation, as two PO'ed cops refuse to say much of anything; eavesdropping reveals witnesses reported large, shadowy hands dragging people through gates, which they dismissed as hysteria and therefore didn't report, but is vital information to Neuron.
132	* JustFrameBonus: Comes in three flavors:
133	** Perfect Dodge, when you evade an enemy attack at the last possible moment. This can be followed up with a Sync Attack if your Legion has learned Perfect Dodge + Sync.
134	** Your Legions can learn Perfect Call, in which calling your Legion right as you're about to get hit results in your Legion knocking the enemy away. They can also learn Perfect Call + Sync which lets you follow up with a Sync Attack. The Axe Legion's Perfect Call is a direct parry akin to previous Platinum titles.
135	** Parry is an equippable Legion Ability that is executed by pushing the left stick in the direction of the enemy attack, similar to the Moon of Mahaa-Kalaa accessory from ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''.
136	* JustifiedExtraLives: You're equipped with a portable AED, which can bring you back from the brink of death a limited number of times. Gaining higher ranks nets you even more revives.
137	* KeystoneArmy: It doesn't matter how many chimeras you kill, thanks to the Astral Plane they'll keep coming back to murder and/or kidnap humans. [[spoiler: It's only when you kill Noah, a being that has merged with the Astral Plane, that chimera attacks lessen.]]
138	* KindheartedCatLover: The twins' father, Max, used to come to Maison Forest to help tend to some stray cats. He made Akira keep it a secret from everyone, lest it ruin his tough-guy reputation. His kids seemed to take after him in this regard; one of the collectible side missions throughout the game is finding stray cats in each file, which are then placed in a safe haven that the player can visit.
139	* LastLousyPoint: Completing the enemy list is systematic enough, just snap every Chimera you fight at least once, but filling in all the different Aberrations is a nightmare. These have thirty-something entries alone, one for every combination of Redshift victim (civilian male, civilian female, nomad, officer, scientist) and weapon (blade, large blade, sword and shield, gladius, bow) with several having [[AirborneMook Filthwing]] variants as well. You're all but guaranteed to have to replay half the game obsessively photographing every one of these complete non-threats to find the one type you're missing.
140	* LawmanBaton: Your character uses a transforming futuristic one which sometimes emit energy.
141	* LevelInReverse: File 2 and File 7 for the Rayleigh Plaza sections of each File have you traverse the three-story area in opposite directions.
142	* LimitBreak: After chapter 10, you get access to [[spoiler: [[FusionDance Legionic Fusion]]]], which grants you a massive boost to your strength and speed. However, it requires you to fill up a gauge by doing a multitude of sync attacks first (or using a Resomax, which fills the gauge up instantly).
143	* MadnessMantra: Before their fight, [[spoiler: Akira repeatedly says "The only one."]]
144	* MagicalDefibrillator: Your extra lives come in the form of an AED that shocks you back to life after a mortal blow, although it can only do it so many times (6 on Casual, 2 on Pt Standard, 0 on Pt Ultimate even with Legatus upgrades) unless the appropriate Unchained toggle is on. Yep, a shock to the heart is all you need after a chimera cuts through your chest like butter. You can make it even more "magical" by upgrading your Legatus, not only increasing your number of charges but also restoring more of your health, even beyond your maximum HP with enough upgrades.
145	* MaleGaze: The female character's pose on the promotional art blatantly showcases her rear end. If you play as her, it gets some choice closeups during cutscenes as well.
146	* MarathonLevel: File 6 is a relatively long level compared to the others in the game's main story. It takes the player through roughly seven different sections and often takes a few hours to complete, more if the player chooses to be meticulous about exploration.
147	* MeleeATrois: In the chapters involving Jena, the main conflict will typically be Neuron vs. the chimeras vs. the homunculi.
148	* MetalSlime: Inspired by the trope's namesake, the [=GEL-C-A070C-00=] appears once in each File, and will quickly run away and eventually flee if you don't deal with it fast enough. Defeating it rewards you with extremely rare Legion abilities.
149	* MickeyMousing: Very subtle but while walking in Neuron HQ, your character's footsteps will sync to the beat of the music, almost as if they're practicing for a runway gig.
150	* MightyGlacier: The main role of the Axe Legion. It's by far the slowest Legion, but it makes up for it with an invaluable defensive barrier that it can envelop the PC with at any time.
151	* MiniBoss: Minibosses are plentiful in the game, and serve as unexpected opponents that aim to ambush the hero during action sequences (especially those taking place in the Chimeras' dimension). The main bosses are the Homunculus monsters, the corrupted Legion forms and certain plot-critical characters.
152	* MonTech: Legatus are devices that connect a Neuron officer with their Legion. They tether Legions to their human controllers to combat Chimeras on the Astral Plane. As they fight with each other, they will become more in [[{{Synchronization}} sync to the point where they can act like a single being]].
153	* MonsterCompendium: You can unlock database entries for the chimeras by taking photographs of them.
154	* MookDebutCutscene: [[CreatorThumbprint In proud Platinum Games fashion]]. Any enemy larger than rank-and-file {{Mooks}} gets a cutscene and an intro splash that reads their name out. Unlike most examples, these don't peter out later on - thanks to the sheer variety of [[UndergroundMonkey unique Chimera subspecies]], you'll see new ones well into the postgame.
155	* MorphWeapon: The X-Baton has three different modules which suit different needs. The default baton configuration is a well-balanced melee weapon, the pistol is the only ranged form of attack the player has outside of summoning their Legion and can fire fast yet individually weak bursts, and the gladius is a slow juggernaut that deals the most damage and can stun enemies.
156	* MundaneUtility: Incredibly powerful, Chimera-slaying, last-hope-for-humanity Legions are frequently used for mundane police work, which is lampshaded by Akira when you use the Astral Chain to restrain a couple of brawling civilians and they forlornly admit they thought the days of breaking up petty squabbles were behind them. At one point, your AugmentedReality eyepiece, meant to be used for investigative work and profiling suspects, can be used to cheat at a shell game. Also, due to the Legions being invisible to normal people, they're often used as a way to eavesdrop on conversations from far away.
157	* {{Nerf}}: In the original version of the game, players could get away with having AED batteries on Platinum Ultimate difficulty by upgrading their Legatus, as certain upgrade levels increase how many batteries are available across all difficulties. However, an update patch changed this behavior so that playing on Pt Ultimate disables revives completely, regardless of Legatus upgrades.
158	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: By listening to what Jena had to say in file 5, Hal and the player character set off a chain of events that [[spoiler: causes a chimeric outbreak in file 6 as well as causes them to either be arrested or become wanted fugitives.]]
159	* ObviouslyEvil: With dirty, disheveled blonde hair and red eyes, it's pretty obvious from her character design that Jena Anderson is a villain. The footage of her from the opening introduction certainly doesn't help her case. [[spoiler:Yosef doesn't fare much better in this regard with all his speeches of TheGreaterGood and humanity's need to transcend, made worse by the fact that his reveal as a villain is presented as a twist.]]
160	* ObviousRulePatch: When a game update disabled revives completely on Pt Ultimate difficulty, this is why. Previously, you were allowed to revive in line with your upgrades, which made things much easier than intended since with some MoneyGrinding the player could carry about a dozen revives' worth of items.
161	* OminousCube: To further emphasize the otherworldly-ness of the [[EldritchLocation Astral Plane]], nearly its ''entire geography'' is made up of [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red and black]] cubes. Many things that come from it subtly incorporate cubes in their designs as well; Chimeras and Aberrations disintegrate into cube-like pixels when killed, and Legions warp the ground below them into cube-like deformations when released.
162	* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler: Jena Anderson. After downing a few vials of Blue Evolve, she turns into a valkyrie with C-Scale (the game's way of tracking power) CX. Given that most previous bosses have usually had C-Scale C3, she's, you know, ''pretty powerful.'']]
163	* OnlySixFaces: With the exception of important story characters, most [=NPCs=] have the same face dressed up with different hair styles and accessories. In most cases, you can copy the exact look of these [=NPCs=].
164	* OpenSecret: Everyone at Neuron knows that Marie wears the Lappy costume, but she thinks she's keeping it secret from everyone. She even makes a huge confession about it, even though your first encounter with her was trying to find Lappy's head while she was getting into costume. Most people play along and try not to namedrop her when talking to Lappy because it makes everyone feel better. The key word is "try", as some members of the office staff end up slipping and using her actual name on several occasions, which can be best experienced in the side quest where the player-controlled twin dons the Lappy costume to take over for Marie.
165	* OptionalStealth:
166	** Downplayed. File 06 has a mandatory stealth section, and while you ''can'' just brute-force your way through if you don't care for your rank, you are strongly encouraged to slip through undetected because the big stealth bonuses are the only way to get S+.
167	** Averted with stealth sidequests. If you are caught, you will be kicked back to the previous checkpoint to try again.
168	* PlayableEpilogue: File 12 ends up being this, consisting mostly of a series of "cases" that you can tackle in any order after beating the game.
169	* PlayerNudge: An unusual example of game design consciously nudging players away from something. File 2 is littered with various forms of AbilityRequiredToProceed, to the point it's impossible to get all red cases, all blue cases, or 80% red matter cleanup on your first run. The game seems to encourage simply completing the plot at a steady pace first, then coming back to scour everything from HundredPercentCompletion.
170	* PoliceAreUseless: Justified. The reason that Neuron was formed was because regular law enforcement was ill-equipped for the monster threat. There ARE sidequests involving regular police officers TRYING to be useful, like in apprehending normal criminals, however. Unfortunately, most of Neuron is also ill-equipped to fight Chimeras. Prior to the game's main story, Max, Jin and Alicia are the only known users of Legions, with Max having had the longest experience with one for about 2 years. This doesn't last shortly after the game begins. [[spoiler: The protagonist becomes the only living Legion user for a good portion of the game, made worse by Jena stealing Legion cores from the ARI in File 4, preventing new ones from being made. The missions involving many of the minor characters from Neuron HQ require you to save them from Chimeras and Jena's monsters, giving the impression that Neuron is essentially a group of glorified policeman with a bit more knowledge about what they're up against.]] This is finally addressed by the ending, [[spoiler:exploring the HQ in File 12 will show that with Yoseph no longer siphoning resources for his own designs, everyone at Neuron is equipped with a new Legion within a month.]]
171	* PopQuiz: In some of the chapters, a supporting character (usually your sibling Akira) will ask you questions about your findings on the current case. The pool of answers is derived from the information you gather by helping characters who surround the crime/event scene.
172	* PostEndGameContent: Once you defeat the final boss, a new File opens up where Olive tasks you with a whopping 71 cases to complete, each featuring their own separate rules about what items to use and hordes of enemies far more numerous than what was encountered during the story.
173	* PowerDyesYourHair: Calling out the Legions dyes the player character's hair a bright blue, regardless of what their original hair color was. [[spoiler: Later, when Akira becomes a part of Raven, their hair turns a bright shade of red when their Legion is out.]]
174	* ProductDeliveryOrdeal: A sidequest available early on in File 06 consists of buying a tall ice cream to a girl in Harmony Square. The girl is located in a walkway reached upstairs, while the ice cream stand is located past a crosswalk to the other side of the street. The player's character has to buy the tallest version of the ice cream (Avalanche Special) and carefully carry it across the street and then walk upstairs to give it to the girl in the walkway. The ice cream will frequently lean between sides, thus requiring a lot of balance while moving; and the character also has to avoid clashing against any person passing by, especially when going upstairs to the girl's location.
175	* PuppetFighter: The core of the gameplay revolves around this. The protagonists fight alongside the [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Stand-esque]] Legions, which are controlled with giant chains. The gameplay requires you to manually move your Legion both in and out of combat to help you reach new areas, bind up and counterattack enemies, and solve puzzles.
176	* ReassignedToAntarctica: [[spoiler:Once Raven Squad is activated, the existing members of Neuron are neutered by basing them all out of separate precincts. This is mostly undone in the post-game, where they're all back together and with new Legions, to boot.]]
177	* RedEyesTakeWarning:
178	** Jena Anderson, a terrorist who can take advantage of the Astral Plane, has solid red eyes, along with other marks of evil, like TaintedVeins.
179	** The Legions adopt these when becoming more [[BloodKnight excited during combat]]. Also [[spoiler: when they end up being corrupted by the Astral Plane and turn against Neuron]].
180	** After File 06, [[spoiler: Akira gets these whenever they activate their new Legion, but this is a {{Subversion}}; they're ultimately still on your side, and the eyes are just a PaletteSwap of your own powers. [[DoubleSubversion The rest of the Raven Corps, on the other hand...]]]]
181	* RedHerring:
182	** At the start of File 04, [[spoiler:Yoseph can be seen having a meeting with three prophets, all of which are ashamed of him due to four of the five Legions [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters going rogue]] and potentially dooming what's left of humanity as a result. You'd think they factor significantly into the ongoing plot, but they disappear entirely from the game afterwards.]]
183	** After a BigDamnHeroes moment, [[spoiler:Akira shows up in an all-black uniform, with black Legions that even surprise Jena. Then when they visit you in prison, and for some time after, they sound noticeably cocky and distant. This is right after you get warned not to trust "the crows", and sure enough Akria's uniform has RAVEN emblazoned all over it.]] Of course, given this is the trope, [[spoiler:they never betray you. Akira's just on a power high now they can finally help again, and they're completely oblivious to the reality of the RAVEN program.]]
184	* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: The artificial island holding the last of humanity is called the [[Literature/TheBible Ark]]. [[spoiler:Fittingly, the FinalBoss is named Noah. In other words, Noah's Ark.]]
185	* RestrainingBolt: The eponymous Astral Chain acts as this for Neuron, serving as binding chains for captured chimeras and turn them into Legions, enabling them to use them to fight chimeras. After being assigned their own Legion, the Player Character and the team moves into action, and due to circumstances, the team gets thrown into the Astral Plane, their Legatuses malfunction, disabling the chains, and their Legions break free until the Player Character recaptures theirs. While the Player Character manages to hold their own for a while, the rest of the team doesn't, and Max, the Player Character and their twin's adoptive father and Captain, orders them to escape while he holds back the escaped Legions. Knowing the danger of staying in the Astral Plane on top of fighting off chimeras, the twins refuse and had to be carried and forced to escape. [[spoiler:Later in the story, upon returning to the Astral Plane, the Axe Legion, Max's former Legion, is encountered. While it may not be a surprise, as all Legions has been recaptured at this point in time, Max's Legatus is shown to be attached to it, showing that Max never stopped attempting to recapture it.]]
186	* RewardingVandalism: Subverted. It is indeed possible to smash items in civilian areas or crime scenes, but in doing so, one of your allies will [[WhatTheHellPlayer call you out]] and some of your Duty Points will be docked. A small amount, but you have to remember that you're playing as an arm of the police force.
187	* RingMenu: The support items (power-ups, healers, etc.) are selected directly from an 8-slot ring. The player can pause the game to decide what items are given direct access for use whenever necessary.
188	* RPGElements: The game has damage numbers, features sidequests, and allows you to "level up" through Duty Ranks, but is primarily a chapter-based action game.
189	* SceneryGorn: Zone 09 is quite detailed in how grimy and run-down it looks [[spoiler:due to a quarantine that's been in effect for decades]]. You get some gorgeous views of buildings that look like they haven't been properly maintained since before the quarantine walls came up complete with retro-looking neon signs and bustling corrugated-roof shantytowns.
190	* SceneryPorn: The game offers some ''amazing'' views of the Ark's many districts. The more urban areas in particular look like a beautiful blend of New York and Tokyo.
191	* SequelHook: During the PlayerCharacter narration at the end, [[spoiler:they mention the mainland might be habitable again, but clearing out the Chimeras will be a lot of work]]. See also WhatHappenedToTheMouse
192	* SequentialBoss: Two major examples:
193	** [[spoiler:Jena Anderson has three forms, though you get access to HQ and a motorcycle segment between the first and second forms.]]
194	** [[spoiler:The FinalBoss, Noah, starts with a platforming segment reminiscent of those from Jena's final form, then pits you against its core. After its defeat, its berserk remains attack you as Noah Prime, who becomes Final Noah Prime when it's down to roughly 40% health.]]
195	* SetSwordsToStun: No matter how much damage you deal in gameplay, you never cause lethal harm to any unaltered humans you encounter, at worst [[NonLethalKO knocking them out]]. {{Justified}} with the X-Baton, which is... well, a police baton that's been enhanced with dimension-altering tech to be able to seal gates and damage chimeras, but most likely has a "stun" setting for dealing with humans non-lethally. Less so with your Legions and their abilities, which are quite lethal [[spoiler: when they're used against you as Nemesis bosses]].
196	* ShopFodder: Salvage items, all manner of broken and damaged detritus that exist only to be sold for cash. The item in that category with any purpose is cat food, but said uses are optional and it's easily acquired in quantity (naturally, this means it also sells for a pittance).
197	* ShoutOut:
198	%%
199	%% Some entries here are commented out until someone can show that they are intentional nods to other works.
200	%%
201	%% ** The Legion themselves operate like [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Stands]]. They're InvisibleToNormals, which results in people wondering quite frequently how you managed to help them out so effortlessly with a problem. The ARM Legion even has an attack that is RapidFireFisticuffs, much like Star Platinum and The World.
202	** Color Set 20 for the Legions is a dead ringer for [[Franchise/NeonGenesisEvangelion Eva Unit 01]].
203	%% ** File 4 begins with Yoseph talking to TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness about [[spoiler:the possibility of ascending humanity]], much the same as [[Franchise/NeonGenesisEvangelion Gendo Ikari has done with SEELE]].
204	** In File 04, Yoseph gives a nod to [[VideoGame/NierAutomata Platinum's last game]] by suggesting that humanity [[spoiler:"Become as Gods"]].
205	%% ** In terms of character design, the Hermits can best be described as a cyberpunk [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Yiga Clan]]. They're dressed mostly in black garb with a few tribalistic designs mixed with a healthy dose of digital neon imagery all over their clothes.
206	** The Sword Legion's cutting mode takes much of its inspiration from Blade Mode in ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''. In addition, the finisher prompt the player obtains after the first few files has their Legion tear out their enemies' cores and crush them in their hands, fully restoring the player's health as a nod to the Zandatsu mechanic.
207	** The X-Baton takes some of its cues from the [[MorphWeapon BLADE]] from VideoGame/{{Vanquish}}, another Creator/PlatinumGames title.
208	%% ** [[spoiler:Jena Anderson's AngelicAbomination form]] takes design cues from and wouldn't be out of place in a ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' or ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' game.
209	** Hal Clark's name is a direct nod to another dorky hacker-turned mission guru, [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Hal "Otacon" Emmerich]].
210	** And of course your character's sibling is named after one of the cornerstones of the Japanese cyberpunk genre, ''Manga/{{Akira}}''.
211	* SomeDexterityRequired: Getting the most out of Legions and the Astral Chain means effectively controlling two characters at once in a fast-paced action game. The player is eased into this as the first few Files introduce more complex commands in steps.
212	* SpeakInUnison: The player character and sibling both talk at the same time during the announcement trailer. The [=E3=] trailer also showcases this at its climax. While still kinda creepy, it's a more hopeful usage of the trope, as it's used to emphasize their unity, especially as uplifting music plays when they say "He's still alive out there. I know he is." Averted in the game itself, as Akira talks normally but the player doesn't. [[spoiler: Towards the end of the game, Yoseph and Jena end up saying "Only I can save humanity!" simultaneously, demonstrating how they're not that different.]]
213	* StaticRoleExchangeableCharacter: The twin you select as the PlayerCharacter will always be the older sibling and TheHero. The other twin henceforth named Akira is delegated to a support role as another member of Neuron.
214	* StarScraper: The ARI is headquartered in a tower that has over ''400 floors''.
215	* StealthBasedMission: A good portion of File 6 involves sneaking your way past guards in order to infiltrate Section V. Your IRIS gives a detailed map of where the guards are and their field of vision. You can easily chain bind them unconscious with your legion, and the missions give a good reputation bonus for not being spotted.
216	* {{Superboss}}: Completing 69 of the cases assigned by Olive in Chapter 12 unlocks a final case, in which you battle [[spoiler: Aether, who is essentially the equivalent of Final Noah Prime turned up.]]
217	* ThemeNaming: Every type of Chimera that gets a MookDebutCutscene is named after something related to Myth/GreekMythology. Zeus, Tartarus, Diomedes, etc.
218	* ThemeTwinNaming: This can be chosen by the player for the female protagonist, as one of the default names for her is "Akane", which begins with ''Ak'' just like the name of the other twin, "Akira".
219	* TomTheDarkLord: Two of the drug lords you're sent to hunt down are named [[spoiler: ''Kyle and Douglas'']].
220	* TooAwesomeToUse: Defied. The lion's share of items the player finds are "field supply items" marked with a trailing ! in the item name. These are lost at the end of the File under the pretense of turning them into the station, encouraging players to actually use them. File 6 has a quest that can reward you with 5 extremely expensive Missile Drones for use in combat. You'd be crazy to not use that kind of power.
221	* TotalitarianGangsterism: Sector 5 is controlled by a group of hackers known as the Hermits. A gang-like organization that brings some semblance of order to a lawless shantytown whose existence has been completely written off by the UNION as not worth acknowledging. They give its citizens the opportunity to work for them if they can prove themselves to be strong enough, and the citizens themselves admit that as long as you don't bother them, they largely won't bother you.
222	* ToiletHumour: In every File, there's a toilet you can find, and locating it will give you a unique item. Donating these items to the toilet faerie in Neuron HQ will result in rewards. File 06 notably has you peeking into a toilet through a vent grate for the associated item...only to find someone sitting on it mumbling about how sick they feel due to a bad bowl of Sweet Peach Soup that's been keeping them relieving themselves in the bathroom for the last ''three hours''.
223	* {{Tsundere}}: Vendor-3 units the game's camera mode indicates as (Rude) behave like this.
224	-->'''Vendor-3:''' It's not like I care what drink you want or anything!
225	* TwoKeyedLock: Some Astral Plane puzzles have you stand on one switch while your Legion stands on the other.
226	* UndergroundMonkey: There are only so many Chimera body types, but each has numerous variations, each with visual differences and changes in moveset.
227	* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay:
228	** The game is more than glad to remind you that police officers don't go around doing stuff you'd do in any other video game. [[DieChairDie Smash some nearby boxes]] while you're tracking down a Chimera? Your sibling ''will'' call you out, and you'll suffer a score penalty as well.
229	** PlayedForLaughs with the ice cream shop in Harmony Square. Instead of the ice cream being an inventory item, you hold it in your hand upon purchase and you have to balance it with your controller's motion sensor (if it has one) and the right analog stick, and either eat it or deliver it to a child as part of a Red Case before the stack of scoops falls apart.
230	* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler: Akira somehow manages to survive Noah's destruction, though they lose a good chunk of their memories. Documentation on the PC reveals that Akira's Legion, who serves as an extension of Akira themselves after they merged, transferred Akira's consciousness to one of the surviving clones from the REI lab, albeit with the nasty events of what went down in REI erased. Probably for the best, given what Akira's mental state was at the time.]]
231	* UniqueEnemy: Oodles of them. Plenty of larger Chimeras only show up in a single battle all game long. The game's MetalSlime is one of the more ''common'' enemy types by dint of appearing OnceAnEpisode.
232	* VagueHitPoints: Although enemy health bars can be viewed with the IRIS, their exact HP is impossible to determine without looking up a guide or hacking the game.
233	* VariableLengthChain: The Astral Chain itself is as long as convenient. During several cutscenes new links can be seen stretching into existence. One possible move even relies on the chain extending and then stopping at an arbitrary point. Justified since it's not an object made of physical links.
234	* VideoGameCaringPotential:
235	** One of the optional "collectibles" in the Files are Blueshifting civilians. They are oftentimes visibly ill, suffering, and even bedridden, and to see them back to full health thanks to your actions is always heartwarming, even if they never realize it's you. More generally, Blue Cases involve you going out of your way for all manner of menial tasks like procuring a Lappy toy for an ill child in the ARI.
236	** The player can also partake in maintenance for their Legion by removing the hidden Red Matter attached to their body at HQ. This does have a slight benefit to gameplay, as cleaner Legions act more responsively.
237	** So long as you don't have anything for it to track, you can actually ''pet'' Beast Legion by pressing A next to it. Unlike Legion Maintanence, this has absolutely no impact on gameplay and exists simply to show your Legion a little love. Unfortunately, there's no similar interaction with the other Legion types though.
238	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: To complete the ''Persons of Interest'' part of your database, you need a photo of Officer Carlos Kajioka in his civilian clothing since he won't register on the camera while he's in uniform. How do you accomplish this? Late in the game, he's on the cusp of capturing the leader of a terrorist organisation, but the chase leads both him and the perp to the Astral Plane. After the requisite chimera are dealt with, the criminal manages to break free and runs deeper into the hellish dimension to escape both the superpowered protagonist and the freakishly persistent (and highly virtuous) Carlos. An exhausted Kajioka asks the protagonist whether they should bother recapturing the fugitive or if they should just leave him to die in the Astral Plane. If the player chooses the former, they and Carlos bring the mastermind to justice. Unfortunately, Carlos stays a cop in this route. If the player encourages him to do the latter, the act shatters Carlos' faith in both the law and himself, causing him to retire and [[spoiler:exile himself to the Zone 09 building that Hal uses as a hideout]].
239	* VirtualPaperDoll: The player character's appearance can be extensively customized at their Neuron HQ locker.
240	* VoiceGrunting: And boy howdy is it jarring in an otherwise fully voiced game. [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] at least had the decency to ''shut up'' during cutscenes for [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild his first fully dubbed adventure]], but your HeroicMime here will gleefully attempt to communicate despite his/her total inability to use proper words.
241	* WakeUpCall: File 2 serves as this. It serves to show the twins just how much more dangerous working for Neuron is than working for criminal affairs. In an act of arrogance, they take on a chimera thought to be the culprit of a case by themselves. Though they are victorious, they fail to prevent some civilians from redshifting into Aberrations. Then they find out that the main chimera they're after is an entirely different chimera so they chase after that. The protagonist gets sucked into the Astral Plane, which Olive warned them to ''not'' go into. On top of that, they nearly die against it. The rest of the team pulls a BigDamnHeroes moment and ends up [[spoiler:losing four out of five of their Legions as a result and Max needs to perform a HeroicSacrifice just to make sure they get out alive]].
242	* WhamEpisode: File 4: Siege. It introduces a threat more dangerous than Chimeras as well as goes more in depth into the [[HeroicSelfDeprecation feelings of worthlessness that Jin]] is feeling [[spoiler: since Max sacrificed himself to allow the team to escape. It's also the level to introduce [[KnightOfCerebus Jena Anderson]] who easily negates your Legion and nearly kills Akira.]] The file perfectly illustrates how much of an uphill battle the protagonists will be faced with, with ''everyone'' on the team, including the player character, needing to be saved in one way or another.
243	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The council Joseph reports to during an early cutscene is never mentioned again. [[spoiler:It can be inferred he ultimately betrayed them, just like everyone else, but there's no indication they're out of the picture either.]]
244	* {{Zonk}}: Several end-of-case bonuses, such as Faulty Footwork and Sloppy Strikes, are in fact ''penalties'' in that they replace mutually-exclusive bonuses that are worth more points, if you don't meet their conditions.

Context VideoGame / AstralChain