One of the better looking images in this game.
Long time ago a world was made. A good world.
But later came a man who became a merciless Barbarian that brought death.
But there were also other people. People who paid pain with pain.
But later came a man who became a merciless Barbarian that brought death.
But there were also other people. People who paid pain with pain.
— The first lines of the game's narration.
Doman: Grzechy ArdanaTranslation - usually referred to as just Doman - is a sophomore effort by World Sotfware - the Polish mad men that previously graced us with Franko: The Crazy Revenge - released for the Amiga in 1995. Like Franko, it's also a Beat 'em Up, this time taking on a Sword and Sorcery setting, pitting the players as a Barbarian Hero (or two of them, as co-op is possible this time) on his bloody journey to liberate the realm from the crutches of tyrants named Ardan and his brother Gothar.
World Software's advancements to their craft compared to Franko include the aforementioned co-op, multiple weapon types for use, friendly NPCs that provide the players with said weapons (either that or mid-stage healing) and an increased amount of violence. With that said, their signature art style remains in force.
When you trope, he sees it:
- All There in the Manual: Copies of the game include a short story written by the game's artist Mariusz Pawluk, which is what this game started out its development as.
- Bag of Spilling: Whenever the player character(s) have to wade through a river or a swamp, they revert to their default weapons regardless of what they have used prior to that. World Software didn't intend this design choice, see the Trivia page.
- Barbarian Hero: Doman, being essentially World Software's variant of everybody's favourite Cimmerian. Baurus meanwhile has more of a Nordic flair with his blonde hair and beard, being only an absent helmet away from being a Horny Viking.
- The Brute: Ardan's leautanants - Slavo, Hector and Sandius - tower over Doman and Baurus in size.
- The Cameo: During the third cutscene set on Ardan's court, Franko of all people shows up, with a randomly selected line. He tends to be aware of how out of place he is.
- Copy Protection: Some of the NPCs encountered would ask you for runic symbols from specific pages of the short story that was included with the copies of the game.
- Darker and Edgier: This game goes for far more serious tone, ups the ante with the gore and has fewer (intentional) comedic moments compared to Franko.
- Defend Command: The player can block attacks by holding the fire button with no directional input. He still suffers a bit of chip damage while blocking, so it isn't viable to rely on it too much and asking for health refill from NPCs is unavoidable.
- The same command also allows you to evade arrow attacks, which doesn't come with health penalty.
- Everything Fades: After Franko that managed to avert it, this game plays it straight. This is due to the developers preference to have a more convincing display of corpses (as in they would have had obscured the feet of characters that are in back of them) rather than going for the "paint onto the background" approach.
- Gorn: The game does not shy away from it, with decapitations being a rather common way to die, and the backgrounds have penchant to contain corpses of the unfortunate victims of Ardan's regime that suffered particularly cruel methods of execution.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Helmets are primarirly worn by Ardan's low-to-mid ranking mooks. Even among Ardan's highest-ranking henchmen the only one to ever wear anything that covers most of the head is Hector.
- Hitscan: Incredribly, this game made bows and crossbows into this. There are no projectiles displayed as flying, the bow shots may as well be infinite range melee attacks.
- I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: The Valley of the Hanged is rather aptly named.
- The text prior to the scene inside Ardan's castle names the aforementioned place as "Satan's Claw".
- In the Hood: Some of the enemies Doman and/or Baurus encounter robed figures with faces completely obscured in shadow except for their Glowing Eyes of Doom. They tend to be the deadliest foes that aren't Ardan's leutanants.
- Infinity +1 Sword: Finishing the game provides you the Kalasznikov cheat code, which replaces the crossbow with a much faster firing modern rifle.
- Interface Screw: An unintentional example, but the enemy life bars do not update whenever you are doing grab attacks on them, at first making it look like the moves don't do that much damage until you'd hit the enemy.
- Invulnerable Attack: Your jump attack - done with the fire button while holding up - has i-frames and knocks enemies down on hit. It does not do a lot of damage however, and it can't be performed when wading through water.
- It's a Wonderful Failure: When you chose to not continue - either that or run out of credits - the game treats to the scene with Ardan in his court getting delighted at Doman's death before getting back to the main menu.
- Loads and Loads of Loading: Pawluk retained his philosophy for stages being large images like in Franko rather than being made with tiles, so this trope is still as present.
- Make an Example of Them: Every now and then the backgrounds depict corpses and remains of those that died trying to take down Ardan before. The aptly named Valley Of The Hanged level stands out in that regard.
- Multi-Melee Master: Doman and Baurus respectively start with a sword and axe, and can also make use of Spears, Halberds, Maces, Flails and even crossbows. The melee weapons primarily differ in special attacks done by holding fire with backwards direction.
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Nintendo Hard: You may start with seven lives, have few continues and it doesn't have the absence of Mercy Invincibility from the developers' previous game, but the world of Doman is still full of enemies that hit like a truck (and in few instances moreso) and even brings in few ranged enemies into the mix. - Off with His Head!: Right from it's intro cinematic, this game absolutely loves this trope. Few of your attacks can do this to your opponents on a lethal hit, and they are just as eager to do it on you.
- Orcus on His Throne: For most of the game Ardan sits on his throne and prefers to sic mercenaries and his favourite guardians on the protagonist and gets frustrated with the news that Doman/Baurus prove to be hard to be taken down. By the time Doman battles through the penultimate stage Ardan gets his ass off and pillages a nearby village to set up an ambush from there.
- Our Orcs Are Different: Ardan seemingly employs a handful of Orcs to his army. They tend to carry wooden sticks and typically attack by twirling them.
- Press X to Not Die: In between some of the levels, Ardan would send an assassin to murder the player character in his sleep. The player would have to waggle the joystick far enough to wake up and fend off the assailant.
- Protagonist Title: With the subtitle bringing up the sins of the antagonist.
- Recurring Boss: Ardan's lieutenants - Hector, Slavo and Sandius - attack the player plenty of times throrough the campaign as they flee whenever defeated. It's not until the penultimate level when Doman gets to slay Slavo for good, with the rest going down that way by the final level.
- Sequel Hook: You do slay Ardan alright, but then his brother Gothar flees and promises revenge.Gothar: There will be time when you will pay for the death of my brother, you dog!!!Doman: Gothar!!! Even though you have managed to escape, I promise that you will pay for all your sins!!!
- Slain in Their Sleep: At one point Ardan sics an Assassin on Doman to make an attempt on the latter's life during his sleep. This results in Unexpected Gameplay Change where the player has to waggle the joystick to wake up in time before the assassin would cost him a life stock, if not entire credit.
- Stab Them While They Are Down: You can do this to enemies provided you position correctly. It isn't as fast of a killer as Franko's similar move however.
- Suspicious Videogame Generosity: Encounters with friendly NPCs - that give you either a weapon of choice or healing - tend to be immediately followed up with a fight.
- Take That!: Mariusz Pawluk demonstrates his loyalty to the Amiga platform by dreaming about "PC class solutions vanishing from out little nice planet" as well as through the extra life cheat code: SRAMNAPC.Translation
- 0% Approval Rating: The second friendly NPC encountered in the first level states this about Ardan:I don't believe it you've made it man, but I'll give you my weapon.I'll wish you luck, as nobody here likes that vile tyrant.
- And then the shriek of your enemies will be heard... from hell!
