Line #56 VideoGame/GibbousACthulhuAdventure


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gibbous_a_cthulhu_adventure_header.jpg]]
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3	->''Cattus est draconi in finem.''
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5	''Gibbous -- A Cthulhu Adventure'' is a Comedy {{Cosmic Horror\| Story}} PointAndClick AdventureGame from 2019, by the Transylvanian indie developer-team, Stuck In Attic. Best described as what happens when the Franchise/CthulhuMythos [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] Creator/{{Disney}}, this is indeed a somewhat unusual one.
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7	In the spooky city of Darkham, strange things are brewing. There are whispers of kooky cults popping up everywhere, and it is believed that this is connected to the reappearance of the classic TomeOfEldritchLore to rule them all, the ''Necronomicon''. Local PrivateDetective Don R. Ketype is asked by mysterious employers to track down a copy of the infamous book, but before he is able to get his hands on it, it ends up in the hands of the hapless and unsuspecting librarian Buzz Kerwan. Through more shenanigans, Buzz ends up accidentally using the book to give his cat, Kitteh, the ability to speak. To the poor cat, however, this is a terrible curse; for cats aren't supposed to be understood, so making them more human is both a horrible downgrade and perversion of nature, so she demands that Buzz finds some way to undo his mistake.
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9	Eventually, Don and Buzz link up their investigations and the three set off on a globe-trotting quest to turn Kitteh back to cathood, uncover greater conspiracies and darker forces at work, and try to figure out the secret behind the ''Necronomicon''[='s=] incommensurable power.
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11	In 2021, Stuck In Attic successfully crowdfunded another game set in the same universe: ''[[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stuckinattic/near-mage Near-Mage]]''. Its release date is "When the stars are right".
12	----
13	!!Tropes:
14	* AddedAlliterativeAppeal:
15	** ''All'' of [[Creator/DanBrown Daniel Maroon]]'s books. As Don will notice as he studies his section in the library.
16	--->"Daniel Maroon's ''Kryptic Kloisters''. Eh, he was reaching."\
17	"Daniel Maroon's ''Lengthy Litany''. [[{{Doorstopper}} 4,200 pages]]. Ouch."\
18	"Daniel Maroon's ''Queer Qlyphothic Quest''. Sounds exciting."\
19	"Daniel Maroon's ''Vinci's Vengeful Vigils''. That makes NO sense."\
20	"No entry for X or Y. [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Can't blame them.]]"
21	** Buzz can also engage in this. Kitteh is not impressed:
22	--->'''Buzz:''' Kitteh, we have gained access to Lemon's domain of degenerate debauchery.\
23	'''Kitteh:''' Easy on the hyperbole, buddy. It's just a bunch of hippie stuff.\
24	'''Buzz:''' It's a lascivious lair of laziness and languor.\
25	'''Kitteh:''' Alright, Shakespeare, enough.
26	* AddressingThePlayer: Downplayed. Aside from the cases of InformingTheFourthWall that are normally expected in an AdventureGame, Kitteh follows the cursor around with her eyes as it moves across the screen.
27	* AnotherStoryForAnotherTime: Buzz tries questioning Barnabras on how he came to know Bob Olmstein, but Barnabras merely replies that its a "story for another time", making Buzz groan in frustration.
28	* BlandNameProduct: Buzz can find a can of Dr. Fisher's cola in the fridge of his dorm room. He dryly comments that he prefers Poopsi cola.
29	* BrickJoke: Early on, Buzz helps perform a voodoo spell to make the taxi driver's brother's literally possessive wife leave him by metaphorically losing her head over a male model. Much later, during Fishmouth's Festival, the same model can be seen enjoying the festivities and gushing about how much he loves his wife.
30	* CatsAreMean: Kitteh is both extremely rude and snarky, though, granted, some of it is due because of her frustration over having to suffer the indignity of speaking like a human.
31	-->'''Kitteh:''' You know how you humans always stereotype us cats as being selfish?\
32	'''Buzz:''' ''(embarrassed)'' Yeah, sorry about that.\
33	'''Kitteh:''' ''(completely unashamed)'' Don't be. In my case, it's entirely accurate.
34	* CatsAreSnarkers: Kitteh by light years once the Necronomicon gives her speech.
35	* {{Cliffhanger}}: At the end of the story, [[spoiler:Don, Buzz and Peace all jump into a portal to try to stop a Cosmic Horror after keeping it from invading their reality. Kitteh, who is left behind, ends up becoming a Cosmic Horror herself, the Beast]]. And then we cut to credits.
36	* CombinatorialExplosion: Clearly a lot of work went into giving unique responses for using inventory items on everything else. A few are recycled, but in places where it makes sense with the similarities between the objects involved.
37	* CreatorProvincialism: One chapter in the game takes place entirely in Transylvania. Stuck In Attic is Transylvanian.
38	* CrypticConversation: Barnabras runs on this trope, speaking in flowery metaphors, much to Buzz's annoyance.
39	-->'''Buzz:''' What's up with you people? Can't you talk normally for once?\
40	'''Barnabras:''' I'm not "normal" people.
41	* DecoyProtagonist: In the prologue, Don R. Ketype is set up to be a classical protagonist of a CosmicHorrorStory, as a PrivateDetective who stumbles upon something horrible he wish he hadn't (heck, his name even spells it out pretty clearly). But in short order, he is knocked out and abducted by members of the local cult, and the perspective switches over to Buzz instead. [[spoiler: Don becomes a {{Deuteragonist}} instead.]]
42	* ADogNamedDog: After Kitteh starts to talk, Buzz asks her if he should still call her "Kitteh", noticing that the name seems kind of stupid to say out loud now that she can talk back. Kitteh admits that the name is kind of dumb, but also points out he has been calling her that for years already, so they might as well stick with it.
43	* DontTryThisAtHome: In order to get some answers from the barkeepers in Transylvania, Buzz needs to be able to stomach some țuică and ask them while under its effects. Since he gets hammered immediately, Luca provides him some vegetable oil to swallow so he can withstand it. When Buzz brings this trope up, Luca notes that you shouldn't underestimate the audience's intelligence.
44	* GargleBlaster: The țuică the Transylvanian barkeeper shares with Buzz is ''60%'' alcohol, and one gulp is enough to cause him to become so sloshed that he can't say anything intelligible. He returns to normal shortly afterward, though.
45	* GlassShatteringSound: [[spoiler: Amidst a confrontation between the two cults in the game, Piscilla drops in, yelling at them to stop hurting the fishes. She's so loud that she breaks the glass holding back the various carnivorous fishes in the room they're in, causing both cults to be devoured.]]
46	* HorrorComedy: The game leans mostly to the comedic side, but make no mistake -- the CosmicHorrorStory's genre trappings when it comes to humanity's fragility in the face of inscrutable cosmic forces and the terrifying existential questions and implications that rises therefrom are very much kept intact.
47	* HopelessWithTech: True to the era his character-type is from, Don is rather confused and frighted by modern technology, having brought a laptop simply for show to assure prospective clients that he isn't hopelessly behind the times. When Buzz later borrows it to do research on the Internet, Don admits upfront to him he has ever actually used the laptop himself and that he doesn't even know what the Internet or a blog is.
48	* IncompatibleOrientation: Luca the coachman in Transylvania is interested in the local barmaid. Once the town's internet is restored, he finds out from her not!Tinder profile that she's only interested in women. He's fine with this, as he can always find another girl and it means that the hipster that's trying to pursue her also has no chance with her.
49	* InformingTheFourthWall: Lampshaded. It makes sense for Don to do this, seeing how he is a private eye; an occupation to which a penchant for flowery internal monologues aimed at no one in particular is pretty much a strict requirement. When the perspective switches to Buzz, however, he quickly notices that he is starting to talk to himself all of a sudden for seemingly no reason, and he fears it makes him sound crazy.
50	* ItIsDehumanizing: A RunningGag sees Kitteh getting quite offended whenever someone refers to her as "it" or "that".
51	-->'''Don:''' Right. I keep forgetting it can talk.\
52	'''Kitteh:''' "It"? Rude!
53	* LovecraftCountry: Seeing how this uses the Franchise/CthulhuMythos as a basis, it is inevitable. Especially the town of Darkham, which is an obvious pastiche of Creator/HPLovecraft's dark and crooked New England towns. Just, with a "D" at the front of it.
54	* MurderIsTheBestSolution: When Buzz discusses with Kitteh how to get past the unfriendly proprietor of the Finman Hotel:
55	-->'''Kitteh:''' He's a more... intense guy. I think we need to apply more ''intense'' measures.\
56	'''Buzz:''' ''Murder?''\
57	'''Kitteh:''' And he jumps straight to murder. That's telling, ya know. Dial it back a little, killer.
58	* OldCopYoungCop: Well, they are {{Occult Detective}}s rather than cops, but once they team up, Don and Buzz fall into this dynamic, with the experienced gumshoe Don being the old one and the tech-savvy student Buzz being the young one.
59	* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: If you try invoking the TropeNamer, at a doorman of a Voodoo club, he will wave you off by noting that it is "too classic" to be the actual password.
60	* PermaStubble: Both Don and Buzz. Don because it comes with his character-type. Buzz because he is somewhat of a slacker.
61	* PrivateEyeMonologue: Don often speaks in these. It comes with the job.
62	-->'''Don:''' Darkham. Horrible hellhole. Never thought I'd stick around when I came here, 23 years ago. She was local, young, and unstable, and I was probably too much to handle. Then she left me with an empty bottle of 81 Proof and a broken heart.
63	* SequelHook: [[spoiler: Hints are repeatedly dropped that imply that Buzz is the story's equivalent to [[Literature/TheCaseOfCharlesDexterWard Charles Dexter Ward]], as well as implying that Corvinus is his ancestor, who might be unleashed at some point. The heroes also pursue Bob Olmstein to the moon, and Kitteh resurrects as The Beast.]]
64	* ShoutOut:
65	** Darkham has an asylum. Examining it leads to Buzz commenting the asylum's leader is "[[ComicBook/TheJoker a real Joker]]".
66	** There are a literal ton of ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' references in the game, from a book in Buzz's room having a puzzle solution from ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', to the Voodoo Gentleman (referencing recurring ''Monkey Island'' character the Voodoo Lady).
67	** Examine the view of Paris enough times while playing as Don, and he will wistfully say "[[Film/{{Casablanca}} We will always have Paris.]]"
68	* SnarkyNonhumanSidekick: Kitteh, once she begins talking.
69	* ThatCameOutWrong: A possible comment if the player tries to have Buzz show the ''Necronomicon'' to random people:
70	-->'''Buzz:''' I'm so afraid to pull it out in front of this guy.\
71	'''Kitteh:''' About that...\
72	'''Buzz:''' I heard it as soon as I said it.
73	* ThisIsMyHuman: Kitteh is not happy with Buzz's claims of ownership over her.
74	-->'''Buzz:''' This is Kitteh, my cat. She talks now.\
75	'''Kitteh:''' ...''Your'' cat?\
76	'''Buzz:''' Erm, just a figure of speech.
77	* TranslationYes: In Transylvania, Buzz asking a local man for directions. While said local man's spoken dialogue lines lasts between 10 and 15 second each, the subtitles are much more laconic, translating his responses as "Hello", "Yes", "No", "Try the inn", and "Indeed".
78	* YouShouldntKnowThisAlready: [[spoiler:Played with. You can give the can of Dr. Fisher's soda to Milton before he asks for it, and before you even know his name. Doing so even nets you an achievement, and a a Creator/TellTaleGames-style prompt of "Buzz will remember that."]]

Context VideoGame / GibbousACthulhuAdventure