Line #35 VideoGame/PillarsOfDust


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pod_chapter_intermission.jpg]]
2	''Pillars of Dust'' is a 2020 RPG developed by Retreaux Games and [=SomethingClassic=].
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4	Prince Carlton and the blacksmith Gregg have completely different backgrounds, but somehow received the same quest: they must explore the ruined land of Alluriga to learn about their connection to its royal family. Along the way, they collect memory orbs, fight goofy bosses, and get involved in the schemes of the evil wizard Almorigga.
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6	The game can be downloaded from Steam [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1144140/ here]].
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8	!This game contains examples of:
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10	* AccidentalMurder: In Gregg's third chapter, he has to rescue a man who is frozen in a block of ice. If anything other than the basic Fireball spell is used, the man is killed and the party doesn't get the reward.
11	* BadBoss: Some of the bosses, such as [[spoiler:the High Priestess of Naev and the wvvern Jezos, are servants of Almorigga. Unfortunately for them, Almorigga has no problem directing the heroes to attack them as part of his plan to get the heroes into the Outer Plane. Played with in that he can resurrect them to act as minibosses in the final dungeon, meaning they most likely cannot permanently die until Almorigga is killed.]]
12	* TheBerserker: Helga is a hirable viking who is constantly in a berserk state, meaning she'll use nothing but physical attacks. The main characters and some other mercenaries can apply temporary berserk statuses to themselves.
13	* BigBad: Almorigga is initially pegged as a background villain who ruined the land of Alluriga. [[spoiler:It turns out he's still alive and is manipulating Carlton and Gregg into entering the Outer Plane. He plans to lure them to his castle so he can spill their blood, undoing the seal that King Karl placed on him.]]
14	* CardCarryingVillain: In the final dungeon, there's a book describing the "Top Ten Villains of All Time." Almorigga wrote a letter to the editor asking to be considered for the next edition of the book.
15	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: In Gregg's third chapter, the Crystal Caverns has a corporate headquarters where the wyvern, Jezos, lurks. Jezos is running a heating oil business while being the cause of the Bur region's eternal winter, forcing people to buy their products. [[spoiler:One soul orb reveals that Jezos is in cahoots with Almorigga, who wants the wyvern to punish Bur for their loyalty to the royal family.]]
16	* DemBones: Bones is an animated skeleton mercenary who can throw their own bones and play dead to avoid damage.
17	* EvilSorcerer: Almorigga is an evil wizard who overran the country of Alluriga with monsters, killed the goddess Naev, and cursed a village's residents to turn into dogs.
18	* {{Foil}}: Carlton and Gregg are both given missions to discover their blood ties to Alluriga. Carlton is a well-off prince with some combat training while Gregg is a poor blacksmith with little combat experience, which is reflected in Carlton having higher starting stats and more money events in his prologue. Carlton is suspicious of Almera's suggestion to explore Alluriga and has reservations about this quest while Gregg is eager to accept Elmer's request in order to improve his station in life and trusts his quest giver.
19	* ForcedTransformation: The evil wizard Almorigga transformed the survivors of Ghyrr into dogs and transformed a scholar into a scorpion with a human head.
20	* ForTheEvulz: Almorigga cursed the surviving villagers of Ghyrr by transforming them into dogs, all for his own amusement.
21	* IdenticalStranger: Both prologues show that Almera and Elmer, the advisors of the protagonists, have very similar facial structures and facial hair, but different clothes. This turns out to be subverted because [[spoiler:they are Almorigga's avatars in disguise, meaning they are actually the same person.]]
22	* MagicKnight:
23	** Carlton and Gregg start with physical attacks, but can learn spells from shops.
24	** Ibis is a Battlemage, meaning he has both magic spells and decent base attack.
25	* MightyGlacier: Buster is an armored knight with high attack and defense, but low agility.
26	* {{Ninja}}: Ichiro is a ninja-for-hire who has high strength and speed, low defense, and a Smoke skill that blinds enemies.
27	* NonStandardGameOver: There are humorous non-combat game overs, though the player will always spawn in the same map.
28	** The talking wells often try to tempt the party to jump into them. This sometimes results in a secret treasure room, but can also result in the party falling to their deaths.
29	** In Carlton's Chapter 1, he can be killed by a bandit with a Pickle Stabber if he refuses to give up a key item.
30	** In the Tower of Pain, Gregg can be killed if he falls down a hole in the floor or if he gets hit by a pendulum blade.
31	* OneWingedAngel: The FinalBoss, [[spoiler:Almorigga, turns into a floating head with an exposed brain. This is because his previous weaker form made the heroes bleed enough that their blood can be used to undo the seal on his powers.]]
32	* OptionalBoss: In the final chapter, the party can find a key that unlocks a secret room underneath a tomb. [[spoiler:This contains a portal to the world in ''VideoGame/ShadowsOfAdam'', resulting in a fight against Kellan, Asrael, Curtis, and Talon.]]
33	* PermanentlyMissableContent: Old areas cannot be returned to, which is why each chapter has a checklist of secrets the player needs to find before starting the next chapter.
34	* RocketTagGameplay: Each battle has a countdown of how many ATB ticks have to pass before the enemies get stronger. To mitigate this, the party is fully healed after every battle, encouraging them to try to wipe out the enemy as quickly as possible rather than conserving AP. For tankier enemies, it becomes necessary to use the Magic Star consumable to forcibly increase the countdown for the phase timer.
35	* RunningGag: Many [=NPCs=] question Carlton's strength because of his small hands and lack of facial hair.
36	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The mercenaries refuse to follow either protagonist [[spoiler:into the portal at the end of Chapter 3, forcing them to survive the final chapter without any hired help.]]
37	* SiblingTeam: [[spoiler:Carlton is the son of King Karl and Mara while Gregg is the son of Mara and Iqbal, making them half-brothers on their mother's side. While they spend the majority of the game on separate journeys, they meet in the Outer Plane and team up in order to defeat Almorigga.]]
38	* SkillSlotSystem: Carlton and Gregg can only equip four skills at a time, but can reassign skills outside of battle.
39	* SpamAttack: The pirate mercenary, Lubber, has the Sword Fight skill, which deals 4-6 random inaccurate attacks.
40	* SquishyWizard: Angela and Igorim are mercenaries with high special stats, but low health and defense.
41	* StatGrinding: After battle, there's a chance a stat will increase. For offensive stats, this is dependent on whether the characters mainly use physical or magic skills. The chances go up if the enemies go through a phase increase, creating a risky way to eke out a few more stat points.
42	* SupportPartyMember: Bobby has low offensive stats, but has three debuff skills and one buff skill.
43	* TreacherousAdvisor: Almera and Elmer give Carlton and Gregg the mission of exploring Alluriga and learning about their heritage. [[spoiler:Almer and Elmer turn out to be Almorigga in disguise, who wants to kill Carlton and Gregg in order to use their royal blood to undo the seal on his powers.]]
44	* TwoLinesNoWaiting: The game features two protagonists, Carlton and Gregg, who start their journey at around the same time, but in different locations. Their paths will occasionally intersect, but they won't team up until the final chapter.
45	* UnskilledButStrong: The mercenary, Ewan, has high base attack, but terrible accuracy.
46	* UnwittingPawn:
47	** Carlton and Gregg [[spoiler:are tricked by Almera and Elmer to venture into the Outer Plane, giving Almorigga a chance to kill them and return to full power.]]
48	** The Cult of Naev [[spoiler:have no idea that their goddess is dead and that their high priestess is working for Almorigga.]]
49	* WhiteMage: Ruben is a healer who has an anti-undead spell and a silence spell.
50	* WolfpackBoss: The OptionalBoss, [[spoiler:Kellan, Asrael, Curtis, and Talon, attack the party all at once. The party lampshades how unfair it is for them to be outnumbered four-to-two.]]

Context VideoGame / PillarsOfDust