Line #61 VideoGame/PharaohRebirth


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pharaohrebirth.jpg]]
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3	''Pharaoh Rebirth'' is a {{Metroidvania}} game developed by Krobon Station (which actually is a mostly lone Japanese developer) for Windows and later ported to Platform/{{Steam}}, where [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/441280/ it was released]] on March 17, 2016. This version, called ''Pharaoh Rebirth+'', adds a whole new stage, a BossRush mode and achievements.
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5	Dr. Jonathan Banfield is an archaeologist who looks like a fluffy white humanoid rabbit: he WasOnceAMan, but an ancient curse has inflicted this status on him. However at the moment he has much bigger problems: thanks to his rival, treasure hunter Andre Betancourt (who was turned into an anthropomorphic animal - a turtle - as well), now they've been struck by the curse of pharaoh Sehur I, that will kill them in seven days. Their only hope appears to be going around Egypt to collect the seven Holy Grails, mystical artifacts that grant their owner immortality. Of course there are also other people interested in having the Grails at all costs, and at one point even the American government and other ancient beings will be involved in their adventures... Will Jonathan lift the curse with the help of his friend [[TheCracker Jack Davis]] and avoid Sehur I's wrath?
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7	This game is more or less the sequel to ''[[https://www.myabandonware.com/game/return-of-egypt-fvv Return of Egypt]]'', another Metroidvania made by the same developer (under the Psuedonym "Driven Phantom Soft" way back in 2003 and was published by Japanese Gaming Magazine, Romdia. The main character of Return of Egypt also stars in Pharaoh Rebirth as both an easter-egg and an NPC.
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10	!!''Pharaoh Rebirth'' contains examples of the following:
11	* OneHundredPercentCompletion: Finishing the game is not too difficult, but recovering all the myriad of treasures scattered everywhere is significantly harder. Some of these are actually useful (for example by raising the defense, attack or MP regeneration stats), but some do nothing other than count for completion of the collection.
12	* AbnormalAmmo: Andre's machine gun (which Jonathan grabs early on after Andre leaves it behind) shoots tennis balls instead of bullets. Finding a hidden collectible replaces them with higher-damage baseballs.
13	* AdventurerArchaeologist: Most of the game's cast are skilled archaeologists exploring Egypt, and are poerfectly capable of fending off the dangerous fauna and guardians in search of treasure.
14	* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: In Stage 4, the game shifts from Jonathan to [[spoiler:Andre]] and covers his exploration of Luxor. The character controls mostly the same, but has an aimable projectile attack instead of melee, only one subweapon (which Jonathan can later acquire for himself), and the ability to damage enemies while floating downwards. [[spoiler:Midway through the bonus stage, Andre permanently teams up with Jonathan, and can be switched to at any time via the subweapon menu.]]
15	* AndTheAdventureContinues: Following completion of the bonus stage, the U.S. Department of Defense attempts to honor Jonathan [[spoiler:and Andre]] for their service in defeating [[spoiler:Anubis]], only for Jonathan to be a no-show. Turns out that he's on the trail of Solomon's treasure in Palestine, and [[spoiler:Andre]] promptly ditches the ceremony to get a piece of the pie.
16	* {{Animorphism}}: Jonathan and Andre were cursed into becoming humanoid animals that retain all of their human intelligence and qualities. Among the enemies there are also several more, and thanks to a line said in the bonus level it's implied that they're all under the effect of Egyptian curses.
17	* AutoRevive: The Book of the Dead, a secret upgrade, causes Jonathan to regenerate 50 health after dying once, and refreshes at save points.
18	* BewareTheSillyOnes:
19	** When Jonathan faces the god Medjed, who looks like a goofy BedsheetGhost with eyeliner, he openly belittles him and assumes that the battle will be easy. However ''Medjed'' means "The Smiter" and he really should have known better...
20	** On the good guys' side we have Dent, who looks like a harmless crazy old man, but is actually a legendary treasure hunter who is more than 100 years old [[spoiler:and also the son of the legendary Egyptian hero Rania Qadesh]].
21	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Just before the final boss battle [[spoiler:Jonathan has to fight Andre, who was brainwashed by Sehur. Luckily, even if he's immortal by that point, that doesn't mean he can't be defeated]].
22	* BrokenPedestal: Jonathan and Jack are happy when their idol, [[spoiler:Spanish archaeologist Sir Fernando Belmonte]], accepts to help them in the search for the Grails. This changes totally when they discover he's a greedy, power-hungry madman who is not above killing in order to obtain what he wants.
23	* BuildingSwing: One of the treasures gives Jonathan the ability to turn his ears into a chain and grapple certain rings to pass over gaps and such.
24	* CigarChomper: Andre is always seen with a cigar in his mouth. It adds to his "cultured badass" image.
25	* TheCracker: Jack Davis, Jonathan's MissionControl, was one according to what little we know about his backstory. When the USA Secretary of Defense enlists Jonathan's help, Jack takes advantage of this to get his record cleaned.
26	* CursedWithAwesome: If Jonathan and Andre hadn't been transformed into humanoid animals before this adventure, they most likely couldn't traverse the hazardous temples and areas where the Grails are located.
27	* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:Sir Fernando]], in his attempt to stop Jonathan from reaching him in the Cairo-Stewart Hotel, [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill goes excessive]] and buys a KillSat to fry him with orbital lasers. Even the Fiction500 can't buy such a dangerous weapon and have it go unnoticed; once Jonathan gets in the hotel, he gets contacted by the U.S. Department of Defense, who reveal that [[spoiler:Fernando]] hijacked one of their satellites through a black market deal and is now a wanted man because Egypt has understandably taken the satellite attack as a declaration of war (Jack suggests that [[spoiler:Fernando]] expected this, but the plan still backfires on him anyway).
28	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: From the third stage on, the bosses are several Egyptian deities and beings of comparable power. The boss of the bonus level is [[spoiler:none other than Anubis himself.]]
29	* EasilyForgiven: Andre spends the first couple chapters trying to kill you, and is the one that unleashes the titular pharaoh. Later, [[spoiler:he offers to work with you, and the main characters instantly accept that with no hard feelings. Also a case of DefeatMeansFriendship]].
30	* EnemyRollCall: During the end credits' song. Interestingly, since in the Steam version the bonus level is unlocked when you finish the game (and even then only when you have found a certain item), the enemies appearing in that level are listed but with their pictures replaced by a "'''?'''".
31	* EverythingIsOnline: Spoofed when Jonathan asks Jack to hack an ancient out-of-order elevator, and outright mocked when later on Jonathan asks Jack to ''hack a gap in the floor''.
32	* EvilKnockoff: The grey bunnymen in the Nile temple (stage 3) are listed in the ending roll call as "False Jonathan".
33	* EyeBeams: Medjed's primary form of attack. Interestingly they come from the actual myth, and are one of the very few things historians know about this very mysterious god.
34	* FullMoonSilhouette: Stage 5, the Sinai Mines, is almost entirely comprised of a segment where Jonathan and Jack are driving a jeep and have to jump over chasms/obstacles and shoot enemies. At the end of the first part they make a huge jump and suddenly the mountain background is replaced with a night sky with a big full moon, and the jeep for a moment is right in front of it. There are even fireworks! (But be careful of the [[KaizoTrap small chasm]] just after, right before the segment's end.)
35	* GameBreakingBug:
36	** It's possible to die and tether yourself to an anchor at the same time. The game doesn't register it as a Game Over since your body doesn't touch the ground, but it still locks you out of moving or even accessing your menu, meaning you have to restart the game.
37	** The BossRush has a bad habit of [[KaizoTrap instantly killing you right as the results screen displays]]; your time won't be saved and the [[SpeedRunReward Sickle of Anubis]] won't remain in your inventory. Thankfully it doesn't happen every time, so you can do more runs to make sure everything saves.
38	* GameplayAndStorySegregation: [[spoiler:Andre becomes an immortal at the end of the game.]] However, he's playable in the added bonus level that is set three months after the end of the story, and he still loses his life if defeated. Sure, it would have made the game too easy, but it directly contradicts the game's ending. [[spoiler:Then again this particular level is under the domain of Anubis and he's in charge of life and death, so it kind of makes sense.]]
39	* GhostTrain: The train Jonathan boards at the start of Stage 2 is actually a decommissioned ghost train (a steam train, in fact) full of spirits, and Jonathan has to fight the ghostly conductor as a mid-boss. It takes them to an abandoned station.
40	* {{Golem}}: The first boss is a sand golem that looks goofy but will become a WakeUpCallBoss if you're not careful.
41	* GuideDangIt: It's not always easy to figure out where the collectible items could be or how to make them appear. For example, beating bosses without getting hit grants an item, but nobody tells you this.
42	* HackingMinigame: There's a couple of very simple ones when Jack and Jonathan try to restore the power in the abandoned train station in stage 2.
43	* HeartContainer: Green and purple heart powerups raise HP and MP by 20, respectively.
44	* HellHotel: Stage 6, the Cairo-Stewart Hotel. There are lots of [[SpikesOfDoom spikes]], [[FallingChandelierOfDoom falling chandeliers]], a haunted elevator and [[spoiler:Sir Fernando]] has turned everyone inside against you. Oh, and he's also using a KillSat to blow you up before you can get inside! The bonus stage exclusive to the Steam version, [[spoiler:Las Vegas' Luxor Hotel]], counts as well.
45	* HonorBeforeReason: Jonathan absolutely refuses to give up the grails he and Andre collected to the saboteur who has them at gunpoint, and yet due to CutsceneIncompetence doesn't try fighting back and [[spoiler:Andre ends up taking a bullet to protect him]]. Thankfully, Dent arrives to bail them out by effortlessly deflecting every gunshot from the villain.
46	* InfinityPlusOneSword: Collecting all four golden pieces in every level of the game unlocks the ability to perform the Fist of Village Destruction special move. By inputting a command input and consuming 50 MP, Jonathan unleashes a SmartBomb explosion that deals enough damage to kill every enemy in one use and most bosses in two.
47	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Andre is somehow able to throw his own shell as if it were a boomerang flying disc! One of Jonathan's subweapons is a gun that shoots tennis balls (baseballs if you pick up a certain item).
48	* InformedSpecies: Andre was turned into a humanoid turtle, but moreso resembles a lizardman of sorts. He's likely supposed to be a snapping turtle, but even that doesn't explain how his shell is removable.
49	* InvincibleMinorMinion: Mummies can't be permanently destroyed, they always reform themselves after being killed.
50	* LivingForeverIsAwesome: This seems to be [[spoiler:Andre's opinion. Mahone doesn't seem to agree]].
51	* {{Metroidvania}}: The game is split up into distinct levels, but each one has its own miniature explorable map, and power-ups can be brought to earlier stages to search for more collectibles.
52	* MissionControl: Jack acts as this for Jonathan and, as such, he's always in his van (that also acts as a save point between stages) and communicates with video messages. Sometimes his hacking abilities are needed and he once flies a drone to provide Jonathan with an useful tool.
53	* ObviousRulePatch: In order to stop the Fist of Village Destruction, a sort of subweapon only available after gathering all puzzle pieces, from being completely gamebreaking in the finishing stretches of the game, it has special properties in two specific situations:
54	** When fighting the {{Superboss}} [[spoiler:Anubis]], its damage is cut in half. That doesn't make the move completely useless, but in terms of dealing damage quickly, there's better options in that fight.
55	** You can only use it a set number of times across the entire BossRush, meaning you can't just spam in every fight and get an easy S Rank.
56	* PartsUnknown: Andre is French, Jack is American, Sir Fernando Belmonte is Spanish, Dr. Mahone and Dent are Egyptian [[spoiler:being respectively the legendary hero Rania Qadesh and his son]], but Jonathan's nationality is never stated. He's probably British.
57	* PermanentlyMissableContent: One of the items is [[spoiler:Andre's shell]], obtained by [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential continuously whaling on him]] after the first boss fight when he's defeated. He disappears once the stage is completed and his fight is one of the few that can't be redone. If you want to get 100% of items and missed it, you might as well restart the game.
58	* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: [[spoiler: Rania Qadesh or Gadishu]] is the [[spoiler: Middle Eastern savior and Hero of Egypt]] after it falls under attack by a powerful demon, in the previous game, Return of Egypt. Rania makes a return as a Cameo and [[spoiler:hidden boss]].
59	* PublicDomainArtifact: The Holy Grail (only this time it's in Egypt and there's seven of them, most likely as a ''Manga/DragonBall'' homage) and the Egyptian Book of the Dead, that here acts as an AutoRevive that resurrects Jonathan with 50 HP and looks like an actual book, so not at all like the actual artifact (scrolls with a series of spells that helped the soul through its voyage in the afterlife). Then again it's not like this is an educational game.
60	* ScaryScorpions: The second boss is a giant scorpion, which used to be a regular one that was turned huge by magic powers.
61	* SelflessWish: [[spoiler:Andre is shot and killed by Sir Fernando while trying to protect Jonathan and Jonathan, who wanted to become immortal to escape Sehur's curse, decides to use the wish granted by the Grails to make his ArchEnemy Andre immortal and thus cancel his own death. What makes it even more selfless is that ''not even the will of the Grails'' knew if the wish could be applied to a dead body, meaning that Doctor Banfield could have given away the only way to overcome the curse for nothing. The wish works and Andre is resurrected as an immortal, but now the only way to remove the curse is to go to Sehur himself and kick his undead ass before the end of the seventh day!]]
62	* SinisterScythe: The subweapon Anubis is this. [[spoiler:The actual god Anubis carries one too.]]
63	* StatusEffects: There's just one, Petrified, that works like in the ''Castlevania'' games. But there's quite a lot of enemies that cause it.
64	* StealthSequel: The game is one to ''Return of Egypt'', as that game's plot ties into the backstory of ''Pharaoh Rebirth''. [[spoiler:Eventually, all of its characters show up in the game as well.]]
65	* SuperDrowningSkills: Jonathan can't swim and will drown until he is given the breathing apparatus by Jack.
66	* SpikesOfDoom: As the game goes on, more and more rooms start getting covered in red-tipped spikes. These are the only things that can [[OneHitKill instantly kill Jonathan regardless of his health]].
67	* {{Superboss}}:
68	** [[spoiler:Anubis]], the boss of the [[BrutalBonusLevel Las Vegas extra stage]] in ''Pharaoh Rebirth+'', is much harder than any of the story's bosses.
69	** [[spoiler:Rania Qadesh]], the toughest boss by far, is hidden away in Stage 1 and is only accessible after you've achieved OneHundredPercentCompletion. It's an extremely secret fight at that; the unlock method is obscure and winning the fight doesn't unlock anything (not even a Steam achievement) other than an icon on the collection screen.
70	* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:Sir Belmonte reveals himself as a bad guy obsessed with immortality and shoots Jonathan to take away the Grails he previously discovered. However Andre jumps in front of his rival and shields him. Only Dent's intervention ensures that Belmonte escapes without hurting anyone else.]]
71	* TooAwesomeToUse: There are a limited amount of usable powerups in the game. One in particular grants [[InvincibilityPowerUp invincibility]] for a [[PurposefullyOverpowered long while]] while also boosting attack power, and naturally you'll want to stock them for the final and bonus bosses.
72	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Subverted. Even if Jonathan turned into a rabbit, he hates carrots. He still eats them, however, because they make him stronger and invincible for a while.
73	* TurnsRed: Some bosses gain new attack patterns when their life bar drops below 50%.
74	* TheUnreveal: At no point we see Andre's former human appearance. As for Jonathan, though, [[spoiler:completing the bonus stage gives a new ending sequence where we see, among other things, him looking at a mirror and [[TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf seeing his former face]]: some guy with a PornStache]].
75	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: You can continue to beat up Andre when he's lying on the ground after defeating him (and get rewarded for it), [[spoiler:even after the two of you are allies]]. You can also destroy Jack's drone after it drops off the Crystallized Oxygen in Stage 3, leading to an extra cutscene where Jack berates Jonathan for being so destructive.
76	* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The second set of ending credits, shown when the bonus stage is completed, shows several humorous images of protagonists and enemies alike, among which some that show what happened to some of them. For example, [[spoiler:Jonathan and Jack were decorated by the US government, Sehur is seen groveling at Anubis' feet and Sir Fernando is surrounded by [[ScaryBlackMan hulking inmates]] [[PrisonRape in prison]]]].
77	* WhoWantsToLiveForever: The fate of some characters is directly linked to the previous game, ''Return of Egypt''. [[spoiler:It turns out that Rania Qadesh, the hero of that game, was cursed by Sehur I to become immortal just before the pharaoh was defeated. This was part of the pharaoh's plan: keeping Qadesh alive and waiting until someone discovered his resting place again, in order to face a still alive but depowered Qadesh and finally get his revenge.]] He is not happy about being immortal, especially since when he saw all the people he knew grow old and die, but [[spoiler:Qadesh, under the guise of archaeologist Dr. Mahone, helped Jonathan to ensure Sehur I wouldn't have regained his full power]].
78	* AWildRapperAppears: The ending credits song is sung by a couple of Western artists, and the male one starts rapping at one point!
79	* YouCantThwartStageOne: Downplayed, as [[spoiler:Jonathan manages to gather up every Holy Grail with two days to spare before his sacrifice, but he still has to fight Sehur I because he uses his wish of immortality on someone else]].
80	* YourDaysAreNumbered: This is what Sehur's curse does. In-game, time advances only when you complete a new stage, so you can revisit a previous stage as many times as you want.

Context VideoGame / PharaohRebirth