Basic Trope: A Level Cap so absurdly low, that most players will reach it way before the end of the game.
- Straight:
- Exaggerated: The level cap is 10 and you'll get there by the time you're through the Noob Cave.
- Downplayed: The level cap is 50. If you speed through the game, you'll get there a little bit before the Final Boss, while if you do the sidequests you'll get there about 3/4 through the game.
- Justified:
- The programmers don't want high levels to be important.
- Levels allow the player to gain new bonuses like more ammo or remove the need to reload. Putting them at too high of a level would be too much of a hassle.
- There is Permadeath in place -it is designed to not be too frustrating while allowing the player to experiment with new build trajectories.
- The programmers want to prevent players from grinding, so they prevent the maximum level from being too high.
- The programmers wanted the game to be beatable, even if the player ignores side quests.
- Inverted:
- The characters in Alice's Titanic Attack max out at level 999, which can only be reached with hours and hours of grinding in a Brutal Bonus Level with extremely over-powered enemies.
- The game has an Absurdly High Level Cap, such as 999 or even 1999.
- Subverted:
- While the game says that the maximum level is 50, a plot-mandated powerup allows you to break that cap.
- While the level cap is only 20 you can change classes many times and retain the stat boosts granted.
- Double Subverted: You still get to the new cap with plenty of time to spare before the final boss.
- Parodied:
- The game has a level cap of 5 and can be reached right in the tutorial.
- The game has a level cap of 2 and each level is counted in decimals.
- Zig Zagged: The level cap is 50 but at with DLC raises it to 99 but a later patch returns it to 50 and a later patch drops it to 20 and then returns it back to 50. What the hell is wrong with these programmers?
- Averted: Alice's Titanic Attack doesn't use level-up system. Rather it uses a Point Build System.
- Enforced: Alice's Titanic Attack is meant to be a quick game. There's no need to go to go higher then level 50.
- Lampshaded: "What do you mean I hit the level cap? I'm only 3 hours in!"
- Invoked: The game's tutorial explicitly tells the player to aim for the level cap early on to gain a significant advantage.
- Exploited: A skilled player finds a way to maximize experience gains and reaches the level cap much faster than others.
- Defied: The developers tweak equipment, skills, enemies, and other game play attributes so that an extremely high-level party can still enjoy the game without having to deal with under powered foes and complain when the game's "too easy" and how they "beat it in 20 hours".
- Discussed: "I really thought we would need to be at a higher level, like 90 or so, when we got to the last boss..."
- Conversed: "Why did the developers put the cap so low? It hasn't been 30 hours and now were reaching the cap."
- Deconstructed: Some players complain that the low cap makes the game too quick.
- Reconstructed: The game's quick pace makes it a necessity to have the cap set low.
- The low level cap encourages players to focus on strategic gameplay, utilizing their limited resources and abilities to overcome challenges effectively.
- Played for Laughs: The game includes humorous dialogue and achievements for reaching the level cap in record time.
- Played for Drama: Reaching the level cap becomes a crucial plot point, with characters striving to attain it to gain a specific power or confront a formidable enemy.
- Played for Horror: The level cap serves as a metaphor for the limitations and constraints imposed on the characters' abilities, causing them to feel trapped and powerless.
- Implied: Although the game doesn't explicitly state the level cap, players speculate about it based on their progress and the increasing difficulty of enemies.
- Unparodied: The level cap remains the same throughout the game, without any subversions or parodies.
- Untwisted: Despite initial expectations of a higher level cap, the game maintains the low cap, surprising players who anticipated a change.
You must be at level 2 to return to Absurdly Low Level Cap
