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Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse is a 2012 Third-Person Shooter video game based on the animated sitcom, Family Guy. It is a sequel of sorts to the Road to The Multiverse episode of the TV show.

A Bertram from an alternate dimension arrives in the main Family Guy timeline, out on a mission to destroy any timeline where he doesn't exist. He builds a multiverse-traveling remote control and goes into another universe as part of his plan to lure Stewie into his trap. When Stewie and Brian decide to go find Bertram and kill him, Bertram hires henchmen to kill Stewie and Brian. A couple of these henchmen are characters from the TV show, such as Ernie the Giant Chicken, Long John Peter, and Santa's work-overwhelmed elves.

Stewie and Brian follow Bertram through 8 different universes, including an Evil Counterpart universe, the origin realm of Evil Stewie, a universe where progress has been frozen in The Golden Age of Piracy, and a universe ruled by the Giant Chickens.


This game provides examples of the following tropes:

  • Action Bomb: The North Pole level has elves with bags full of explosives, and explosive dolls.
  • And Now for Someone Completely Different: Peter and Ernie's grudge match gets another spotlight just before the fight with Bertram.
  • And Your Reward Is Clothes: Many of the secondary objectives unlock alternate costumes for purchase in the game's store.
  • Annoying Arrows: If hit with an arrow, it will stick out of Stewie or Brian's head for a little bit
  • Avenging the Villain: A Bertram from an alternate universe wants revenge on Stewie for killing their universe's Bertram.
  • Bad Santa: One of the universes visited is one in which everyone buys their Christmas presents online, so Santa has become an arms dealer.
  • Batman Gambit: Bertram's stated plan of traveling across different universes to build an army is just a ruse to distract Stewie while Bertram's assistant builds his real army, made up of clones of himself.
  • Beast of Battle: Bertram rides a T-Rex during the final boss fight. Said T-Rex ends up eating him after he's been defeated.
  • BFG: Long John Peter's main weapon is a cannon off his ship. That he lugs around as a personal firearm.
  • Borrowed Catchphrase: If you fail to stop the bomb in time, Bertram will say "Victory is mine!"
  • Boss-Only Level: The final two levels.
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: One of Stewie's quotes is something along the lines of "well, there's some loser moving his thumbs and pushing buttons, so that helps too."
    Brian: Ah. So we may not be hearing from Bertram again.
  • Cel Shading: The graphics consist of three-dimensional models with shading that gives the appearance of two-dimensional imagery.
  • Continuity Porn: The game is loaded with references and gags of the series.
  • Covers Always Lie: The character artwork on the back of the game cover suggests that the other Griffins are going to help Brian and Stewie in their battle with Bertram. Aside from Peter helping to fend off Ernie the Giant Chicken so that Brian and Stewie could catch up to Bertram in the penultimate level, they never do.
  • Damage-Sponge Boss: Evil Stewie takes a lot of hits to take down and deals heavy damage.
  • Dead Alternate Counterpart: The Big Bad is an alternate version of Bertram, who was killed by Stewie in the episode "The Big Bang Theory." Part of his motive for traveling The Multiverse to amass an army is because he "can't possibly allow a universe to exist without me in it."
  • Defeat Equals Friendship: In a sense. The head of Crippletron, the third boss of the game, is Joe Swanson. Joe is also an assist item in the game, which can be bought before this fight, but is not found within any actual levels until after you defeat Crippletron.
  • Dialog During Gameplay: Most of which is made up of recycled sound clips from the show.
  • Dramatic Gun Cock: At the start of Santa's workshop.
    Brian: Well, come on! (cocks gun) I'm dreaming of a (cocks gun again) red Christmas!
    Stewie: Okay, you only get one gun-cock per line, okay? And the lines should really be better than that.
  • Earth Is a Battlefield: The evil universe is one of these.
  • Earth-Shattering Kaboom: In the Bad Ending
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Brian is pretty willing to gun down just about everyone that comes in their path and has a disgusting sense of humor (such as ignoring a wounded Joe Swanson crying for help after the Crippletron fight). But he calls Stewie a sick person after the latter kills Santa Claus by dropping a TV on him. Stewie naturally just insults him.
    • Stewie also says "Stay away from [his] dad, bitch" when a giant alien chicken is holding Peter captive.
  • Everything Is Trying to Kill You
  • Evil Cripple: The "Handicapable" level is full of enemies who are physically disabled.
  • Evil Twin: An entire universe full of them, though sadly the only evil versions of the regular characters you get to see are Evil Stewie and Evil Mayor West.
  • Exploding Barrels: Many in the "Something's Amish" level
  • Exposition Fairy: Bruce functions as one.
  • Flunky Boss: A lot of the bosses are accompanied by regular enemies.
  • Force and Finesse: Stewie's weapons have less accuracy than Brian's but make up for being more powerful, while Brian's weapons do less than damage than Stewie's but they have better accuracy to compensate.
  • Go for the Eye: The second boss is made vulnerable by shooting it in the eyes.
  • The Golden Age of Piracy: One universe is frozen in this era, as a result of piracy becoming far, FAR more widespread than in the main timeline.
  • Grievous Bottley Harm: Brian's default melee weapon is a smashed Pawtucket Pat beer bottle.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Bertram rides a T-Rex during his boss fight, which ends up eating him after he's been defeated.
  • Humongous Mecha: One serves as the second boss. Also, there's Crippletron returning from the show in the handicapped universe.
  • Late-Arrival Spoiler: Those who haven't watched the episode "The Big Bang Theory" may be confused by how the Betram ingame is an alternate version.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Brian's guns shoot rather quickly as well as hits hard, his Alcohol makes his attacks stronger. Stewie's weapons are powerful and his Energy Drink increases his firing rate and reload rate.
  • Lone Wolf Boss: Ernie the Giant Chicken is the one boss not affiliated with Bertram.
  • Long John Shout-Out: One of the bosses is a pirate version of Peter Griffin named Long John Peter.
  • Recycled Soundtrack: The pause menu plays every variation of the show's end credits theme that has ever appeared in the show.
  • Sadist Game: The trademark humour of the TV show is present and correct in the game, the best example for this trope being the Handicapped Universe, a level where all the enemies use crutches or wheelchairs, ending in a boss fight against Crippletron. That's the joke, they're handicapped, killing them is funny.
  • Self-Deprecation: In the ending cutscene, after Brian raises the possibility of other versions of Betram from other universes showing up, Stewie comments that this is likely to happen depending on how much money this game makes. After Brian replies that it's unlikely the game will sell that well, Stewie remarks that it's likely they've seen the last of Bertram for sure.
  • Send in the Clones: Clones of Bertram assist the real one during the final boss fight.
  • Shout-Out: One of the enemies in the space chicken level is a literal robot chicken. Becomes a Double Shout-Out in that it responds with Seth Green's voice when Stewie comments "I hate Robot Chicken".
    • "Brian, [Peter] can't hear you scream, remember? We're in space."
  • Smooch of Victory: Lampshaded as after saving Peter in the space chicken level, he'll ask if his thanks "require kisses" and notes that he wasn't wanting to but would do it anyway.
  • Stock Audio Clip: Much of the Dialog During Gameplay is made up of recycled sound clips from the show.
  • Super Drowning Skills: If Stewie or Brian fall into the water, they instantly die. Justified in Stewie's case since he's a baby, but Brian should be able to swim.
  • Tag Team: Brian and Stewie are one in the story mode.
  • Talk Like a Pirate: Naturally in the Long John Peter level, including a rehash of Peter's shin gag with "Argh" in place of the usual wince.
  • Tempting Fate: Ironically, it's Death that does it. In the level where you assassinate Mayor McCheese, Death can be found lounging on a rooftop saying things like "boy am I glad no one's going to die today!"
  • This Is Gonna Suck: Stewie and Brian regularly brace themselves for a rough time whenever enemy-spawning vehicles or buildings arrive.
  • Three-Person Pool Party: In the first level, Cleveland can be found in a hot tub with two women.
  • Unique Enemy: Early in the North Pole level, there is an "Employee of the Month" style picture of an elf who is wearing a red outfit, instead of the standard green outfit that every other elf wears. Later on, you actually see this elf, and killing him prompts Stewie to make a comment about him.
  • Unorthodox Reload:
  • Verbal Tic: Stewie and Brian continuously pepper their dialogue with the insult "dick" in this manner.
  • Visual Pun: One of the pirate ships to be destroyed during the Long John Peter level has a mast featuring a parody of the FBI anti-piracy logo.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Yeah, Stewie constantly insults Brian throughout this game.
  • Wacky Fratboy Hijinx: An entire universe entirerly ruled by fratboys serve as the first level. Its surprisingly well maintained, except everyone wears letter sweaters.
  • Wake-Up Call Boss: The final boss is actually one of these, mostly because it's the only one whose health regenerates when you die.
  • Weaponized Animal: Bertram's T-Rex serves as his main means of attack in the final boss fight.
  • We Can Rule Together: Bertram unsuccessfully tries to offer parternship to Stewie right before he is eaten by his T-Rex.

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