Our precioussss...
Midnight Rogue is the 29th entry in the Fighting Fantasy series of gamebooks, written by Greame Davis.
Port Blacksand is infamous for, among other things, the abnormal number of crafty rogues living in it. Well, you're one of them — or, at least, about to join their ranks. As an apprentice of the Thieves' Guild, you're ready to undertake the final test which will allow you to become a proper guild member: Rannik, the guild leader, orders you to find the Eye of the Basilisk, a priceless gemstone bought by the merchant Brass and hidden somewhere in the city. In just a single night, you must find the location of this treasure and get your hands on it. However, Port Blacksand is a treacherous and dangerous place, even for a skilled rogue such as you. There's no guarantee that you will survive the mundane and magical perils on your quest for the Eye.
Midnight Rogue features the return of Port Blacksand after City of Thieves, and this time, rather than a heroic swordsman or mage, you play the role of a thief who can count on a sharp sword, items and a list of skills, including Lockpicking, Climbing and other roguish abilities. Also, the adventure takes entirely place in an urban environment, having you exploring buildings, rooftops and dungeons across Port Blacksand, solving riddles and finding both items and clues in order to proceed on your quest. Also unusual in the fact that it's one of the few books lacking a Big Bad figure of sorts.
Midnight Rogue provides examples of:
- All for Nothing: Subverted. The Eye of the Basilisk is a fake, but by finding the clues and reaching the end of the dungeon alive, you've proven your worth and thus have passed the test.
- Anti-Hero: Not to the levels of Seas of Blood, but you're still a rogue who steals, bribes and breaks into houses. Then again, in order to actually live comfortably in Port Blacksand, you really have no choice.
- Bait-and-Switch: In the very end, you find out that the Eye of the Basilisk is fake, and you've seemingly failed... except that Rannik reveals that while the gem was fake, the dangers were real, and you've passed the test after all.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Two of the paragraphs in the book address you, the reader, directly — in both cases, to accuse you of cheating, as there's no legitimate way to reach either paragraph.
- Chekhov's Gun: You can only pick a limited number of skills when you create your character, but you can also find items that allow you to use skills you didn't initially choose. For example, finding a set of lockpicks allows you to use the Lock Picking skill, while finding a set of special rags to tie around your feet will let you use the Move Silently skill.
- Chest Monster: One of the monsters is a Mimic-like creature which resembles a large, fanged chest with legs growing under it.
- Conservation of Ninjutsu: The only time you can fight multiple opponents is a fight against some thugs. At one point, trying to take on a massive number of guards results in you being subdued and defeated.
- Continuity Nod: You will see a lot of familiar places from City of Thieves, though mostly just as a cameo.
- If you reach the bridge, you can meet Nicodemus the sage, who, however, this time isn't helpful.
- You can also meet, again, a Shapechanger disguised as a Dwarf.
- Covers Always Lie: The Eye of the Basilisk is described as yellow in the text, but is colored red on the cover.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Nicodemus will turn you into a newt and throw you into the river if you try to burst into his home to steal from him. And no, you will NOT get better.
- Dungeon Crawling: The second half of the game involves venturing inside the cave where the Eye of the Basilisk is kept.
- Giant Spider: One of the obstacles in the dungeon section: first it tries to pounce on you from the ceiling, then you have to fight it while avoiding its venomous bite.
- Golem:
- Taking a page from Phantoms of Fear, a door in the dungeon is actually a Wood Golem disguised as one.
- The game also has Crystal Warriors that can only be harmed by blunt weapons, such as the Stone Axe.
- Gotta Catch Them All: The clues on where to find the hideout of the Eye of the Basilisk, which you must obtain from the working place and house of Brass.
- Importation Expansion: Oddly, the French localization adds a 401th reference, describing what happens if the player decides to angrily throw away the fake Eye of the Basilisk. However, the protagonist will quickly change their mind, pick it up again as a souvenir, and turn to reference 400.
- Inconsistent Dub: In the French localization, the Jib-Jib retained the "Jib-Jib" name in Sorcery! but in Midnight Rogue, it is called "Ouin-Ouin".
- Jerkass: Bald Morri, the Innkeeper of the Noose. If you pay him to get information about Brass (the merchant) but he feels it isn't enough, he will tell you that "brass is a yellow metal, an alloy of copper and zinc" and refuses to help you any further.
- Kill It with Fire: One hit from a torch is enough to dispatch the Wood Golem.
- MacGuffin: The Eye of the Basilisk, a priceless gemstone bought by a wealthy merchant that you must obtain to become a member of the Guild.
- MacGuffin Guardian: A good portion of the enemies you can encounter guard something you may need. A good example are the Crystal Warriors guarding a chest: one of them attacks you, while the other one stays still and kills you if you fail to unlock the chest in the right way.
- Night of the Living Mooks: Enemies inside the dungeon include living skeletons along with a Skeleton Lord, and a Possessor Spirit that infested an Animated Corpse.
- No Fair Cheating:
- When you fight the Gargoyle, your normal weapon does no damage, and one of the choices given is to use a magical weapon instead. If you follow this option, the next paragraph explains that it's not possible for you to have acquired a magical weapon at this point and ends with a Non-Standard Game Over, telling you to start again "honestly this time".
- Paragraph 260 tells you that you've found the Eye of the Basilisk and reach out your hand... only to redirect you to paragraph 275, which states that it's impossible to reach paragraph 260 without cheating and sends you right back to paragraph 1.
- No-Sell: Gargoyles are immune to non-magical weapons. The Wood Golem is immune to magical weapons, which negates any advantage they may give.
- Non-Standard Game Over: If you fail to find the hidden location of the Eye of the Basilisk in time, you have no choice but to return to the Thieves' Guild and report your failure.
- Optional Stealth: You can choose Sneak as one of your skills, which usually allows you to successfully move unnoticed when required.
- Our Gargoyles Rock: You can meet a magically-empowered Gargoyle if you try to climb the rooftop of a certain building. * Puzzle Boss: The gargoyle can only be killed by magical weapons, and you have none, forcing you to rely on your wits and items to defeat it.
- Schmuck Bait: Weaponized by the Scitalis, a serpent-like monster who can cast an illusory hoard of gold to attract prey into its maw.
- Useless Useful Non-Combat Abilities:
- The "Pick Pocket" skill, while befitting a rogue, offers very few benefits, and you're only given a handful of opportunities to use it in the first place.
- The "Secret Signs" skill ostensibly allows you to understand coded symbols left behind by other rogues as clues. Although more frequently called upon than other skills, it is even less useful, as it turns out that you haven't been paying attention in your study of the secret signs and don't even recognize most of the ones you find.
- Violence is the Only Option: Subverted in this book. Unless you're fighting mindless or hungry beasts, you can often find alternatives to fighting, usually through stealth or quick thinking.
- Wretched Hive: It's Port Blacksand again, though this time you play as a resident instead of a visitor, so you're already accustomed to the city's most reviled aspects.
