Line #31 VideoGame/CombatInstinct


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5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/combat_instinct.png]]
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7	''Combat Instinct'' is a UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash RailShooter trilogy made by [=McFretN=]. They are some of the oldest Flash games out there, with the [[https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/3516 first]] and [[https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/8777 second]] being uploaded to Website/{{Newgrounds}} in '''2000''', and [[https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/63199 the third]] following in 2002.
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9	The story has the player battle the Gnork race to defend humanity, in a series of battles that culminate with [[spoiler: a nuclear bombing of their world.]] The aftermath crashes your own ship, but also draws the attention of a seemingly friendly race, the Hrumians, who provide assistance to your cause. However, this only lasts until the defeat of the Gnork, at which point the Hrumians turn their attention on you.
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11	[=McFretN=] has also released [[https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/212047 CI:Unregulated]], a spin-off animated short taking place in the same setting
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13	!! Tropes present in the trilogy:
14	* ActionBomb: The fat Hrumian flamers can explode if you killed it by shooting its body instead of head. [[spoiler: It's also the only way to acquire its flamethrower.]]
15	* AlienBlood: Averted with the Gnork who bleed red, but played straight with the Hrumians who have bluish-purple blood.
16	%%* AlienInvasion: Twice.
17	* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: In Stage 2 of 1, a Gnork escape pod enters your destroyer and you must gun down the Gnork from within. Stage 3 of 3 pits you against the Hrumians in Hivezopolis.
18	%%* ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway
19	* AttackItsWeakPoint: In 1, shoot the first destroyer's window 50 times to destroy it. At the end of the the SnipingMission afterwards, shoot the second destroyer's pilot to one-shot the destroyer. Tear through 2's final boss' armor to expose his core. Destroy said core to weaken the boss enough for the Hrumians to land the final blow.
20	* BarrierWarrior: Ion Beasts in 1 start with a temporary shield.
21	* BerserkButton: Don't bomb the Hrumians' home planet. This is what causes them to turn on you after killing 2's final boss.
22	%%* BigBad: The Gnork in 1 and 2, and the Hrumians in 3.
23	* BoomHeadshot: Headshots do more damage than torso shots.
24	* CognizantLimbs: The final bosses of 2 and 3 have them. Before you can damage a bomber in 1, destroy its turrets. In 2, you can shoot off the boss' wings, rocket boosters, armor, and finally its core. You can shoot off the limbs of 3's final boss, but you only need to destroy his head and torso.
25	* CombinedEnergyAttack: At the end of 2, the four Hrumians all hit the final boss with their [[WaveMotionGun Wave-Motion Guns]] at the same time, causing it to explode.
26	* CueTheSun: The sun rises at the end of 3 after the final boss falls.
27	* DeathFromAbove:
28	** In 2, The Gnork bomb planets Hivez and Dead Ball.
29	** in 3, [[spoiler:The Hrumians use an orbital Ion Cannon to brute force their way into Hivezopolis]]
30	** The Airstrike Weapon in 3's Hivezopolis level calls in a friendly ship to bombard the area. Although this also includes you if you don't take cover.
31	** Both the Gnork and Hrumians have fighters to attack you from above.
32	* DefeatEqualsExplosion: It's a given for enemy ships exploding upon defeat. In 2, shoot a grenadier's belt, speeder bike's wheel, or rocket launcher's scope and they also explode.
33	* DegradedBoss: The first Gnork destroyer serves as 1's WarmUpBoss, the second is taken out in one hit by shooting its pilot, the third is just a normal enemy, and all the Gnork destroyers in 2 are taken out in the cutscene before the final boss fight.
34	* DistantReactionShot: The final boss of 2 dies in a huge explosion that can be seen from space. 1 ends with the nuclear reactor being bombed and crashing your fleet.
35	* DoubleWeapon: The combination [[GatlingGood Heavy Machine Gun]] and Rocket Launcher in 3. The cutscene shows that both can be used at more or less the same time
36	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: 1 does not feature a shotgun, you pilot a destroyer in stage 1, you have a "hits taken" counter instead of a life bar, and the final boss is a quartet of (armed) force field generators instead of a massive entity.
37	* EliteMooks: The aforementioned Ion Beasts, and the fat Hrumians in Stage 3 of 3. The latter wield flamethrowers and take far more damage than their kin.
38	* FireBreathingWeapon: The Fat Hrumian in Stage 3 of 3 are geared with two flamethrowers, [[spoiler: which you can acquire it as secret weapon by looting it from the corpse and pressing "[=/=]".]]
39	* FlunkyBoss: The final bosses of the first two games both have small ships fighting alongside them.
40	* GatlingGood: The red Gnork in 1 as well as the Hrumian Gunners in 3.
41	** Also available as a pickup in 2, and as another weapon option in 3.
42	** The one wielded by Hrumian Gunners can be acquired as secret weapon by [[spoiler:holding "Enter" while looting it and then equip it by pressing "*".]]
43	* GreenAndMean: While Gnork foot soldiers also come in other colors, their buildings, speeder bikes, and most of their ships are green. They're even referred to in-universe as "green freaks".
44	* GunsAkimbo: Stage 2 of 1 is the only on-foot level where you have two handguns.
45	* HoldTheLine: In Stage 1 of 3, you have to survive for three minutes against the Hrumian ships.
46	* KarmicDeath: The Gnork's leader, the final boss of 2, is softened up with the ship of his you stole, then the Hrumians, whose planet the Gnork bombed and conquered, finish him off.
47	* {{Kevlard}}: The fat Hrumians in 3 are the sturdiest non-boss enemies.
48	%%* {{Mordor}}: Planet Dead Ball.
49	* LudicrousGibs: In 2, shooting a grenadier's grenade belt or rocket trooper's scope will blow them apart. You can also do this to Hrumians in 3 with the rocket launcher and plasma cannon.
50	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Bombing the Gnork's planet detonates a nuclear reactor, crashing your ship and kicking off the events of 2. The Hrumians, original inhabitants of the aforementioned planet also uses this as an excuse to take over Hivez, resulting in the events of 3.
51	* NoFairCheating: In the third game, if you use Flash's playback controls in an attempt to gain an advantage, "Nice try!" appears on the screen and your health will deplete rapidly.
52	%%* NuclearWeaponsTaboo:
53	* OneWingedAngel: Upon landing on Hivez, the Hrumians can no longer float and have to assume their combat forms. [[spoiler:Their last survivor [[FusionDance fuses with his kin's corpses]] to become the FinalBoss]].
54	* PlasmaCannon: A weapon pickup in Stage 3 of 3, although it shoots [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]] instead.
55	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: 2's FinalBoss tries to escape through a warpgate after a laser beam destroys three destroyers, but the Hrumians destroy it while you shoot him down.
56	* ShootTheBullet: Shoot at energy shots to stop them from hitting you in the first two games.
57	* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Your go-to weapon in 2 and 3.
58	* ShowsDamage: In 1, shooting bombers and the shield generators serving as the final boss blows holes in them, and machine gunners and Ion Beasts have dots on their heads that change color depending on how many hit points they have left. In 2, you can shoot aliens in the gut to make them bleed and both the armored aliens and the final boss have BodyArmorAsHitPoints. In 3, you can shoot holes in aliens.
59	* SnipingMission: Stage 2 in both 1 and 2 have you [[SniperDuel clearing out enemy snipers]] from a destroyer and spaceport respectively. In the former, you also shoot the destroyer's pilot, causing it to crash and burn.
60	* SpiritualSuccessor: [[https://www.y8.com/games/project_x_the_first_strike Project X: The First Strike.]] The alien foot soldiers are an {{Expy}} of the Gnork (which also bleed red), defeated mechanical enemies explode, and bosses both have weak points and weapons to shoot to stop them from hitting you.
61	* StockSoundEffects: HECU grunts from the ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' series are heard in cutscenes. [[PunctuatedForEmphasis "LET'S! KICK! SOME! ASS!"]]
62	* TakeCover: You can hit the dirt in 2 and 3 to avoid enemy fire. This will not dissuade melee enemies, who will simply [[YouWillNotEvadeMe drag you out of cover and then wail on you]].
63	* TakingYouWithMe: After being decapitated and/or completely disarmed, the final boss of 3 starts to self-destruct for an instant kill. The fat Hrumians also occasionally explode upon defeat, which hurts you too.
64	* TankGoodness: You fight 3's final boss in a tank empowered with weapons stolen from the Hrumians.
65	* TimedMission: In Stage 1 from 2, you've been exposed to radiation and must reach one of your fleet's damaged destroyers to be decontaminated.
66	* TimeLimitBoss: 2's final boss is the only one fought with a time limit. Destroying the boss' rocket boosters grants you bonus time.
67	* TurnsRed: 2's final boss pulls out ion cannons after its armor is destroyed.
68	* UngratefulBastard: After helping you defeat the Gnork, the Hrumians become the main antagonists of 3.
69	* WalkingSpoiler: The Hrumians, introduced in the cutscene preceding Stage 2 of 2, were the original rulers of the Gnork's home planet until the Gnork arrived and turned it into Planet Dead Ball. After you defeat 2's final boss, four Hrumian ion beamers blow up his warpgate and then land the final blow on him. Your bombing of Planet Dead Ball in 1 and detonating its nuclear reactor serves as the Hrumians' excuse to attack Hivez in 3 after the Gnork are destroyed. In 3, they assume combat forms upon reaching Hivez and their last survivor fuses with all their corpses to become the final final boss.
70	* WaveMotionGun: The Gnork and Hrumians both have ion beamers. For the former, you shoot them to stop them from hitting you. The latter can one-shot both Gnork and Hivez destroyers, and you have to get out of the way.
71	%%* WhatTheHellHero: Don't shoot an ally in 1 or 2.
72	* YouWillNotEvadeMe: Lampshaded in Stage 2 of 3:
73	-->'''Warning: Aliens with melee weapons can drag you out of your hiding place and attack you afterwards. It's advised that you should take out all melee enemies before hitting the dirt.'''

Context VideoGame / CombatInstinct