Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: First Assault Online was an online free-to-play multiplayer First-Person Shooter developed by Nexon Entertainment. You took on the role of Section 9 members Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, Togusa, Saito, Pazu, Borma, Ishikawa, and newcomer operatives Maven and Kuro. Each character had their own unique ability, some of which could be shared to other players using the Skill Sync system.
The game launched in December 2015. On July 18th, 2017, the game entered into its "2.0" stage, adding three new characters (Azuma, Sitara, and Reiko) and assigned characters into three three different classes, each which their own playstyle and weapons.
On August 21st, 2017, just over a month after the release of "2.0", the decision was made to sunset the game and stop all development on it. Kodansha Publishing in Japan no longer felt the game was turning a profit, and the game shut down on December 6th, 2017.
Compare Blacklight Retribution, another free-to-play FPS with similar futuristic premise or NeoTokyo (2014), an old Source-based tactical shooter that is also inspired by Ghost in the Shell.
The game has the following tropes:
- A.K.A.-47: Many of the guns have modified names to fit with their updated redesigns. The Deathstalker EVO is actually a Scorpion EVO, both MP5 guns are advanced versions of the H&K MP5. Many guns in the game use their real name though. The M4A1, the SA-50, the SCAR, AK47, K22 assault rifle, the 93-SE automatic pistol, and many others.
- Allegedly Free Game: The developers have stated that there is no "Pay to Win" business model with this game. All in-game purchases are for cosmetic items, and XP or GP boosters. Leveling up in the game gives you no particular advantage. It just gives you more money to buy more guns and gun parts, and you have to unlock certain guns manually in the first place. It also lets you unlock more characters to play as beyond your initial choice.
- All There in the Manual: The cyber terrorists wear a red and black emblem that resembles an octopus with two legs. Preliminary information released before the game launched revealed that they're part of an organization known as "The Kraken", but there's no further information than that.
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: Ghost Assault mode involves terrorist cyborgs hunting after Section 9 in a hardcore game of hide and seek. One of the maps in the mode is Section 9's own headquarters, a different map from the "Public Security Section 9" map that appears in Team Death Match and Demolition modes.
- Artificial Stupidity: Pathfinding of NPC entities often falls into this trope. Togusa's Seeker Drones and the Think Tank you can summon in Terminal Conquest mode will chase a nearest foe and barely change their target, often blundering into opponent's midst or some place where they do little good. In the case of Think Tank however, this could be a blessing for the players considering how powerful it is.
- Attack Its Weak Point: The vulnerable parts of the enemy think tank are its eyes. Shooting at them enough times will momentarily disable it and drop its defenses. Hacking it outright will cause significant damage and lower defenses even further.
- Badass Adorable: The Tachicoma returns in all its adorable squeaky glory as the allied Think Tank.Tachicoma: "Online and ready for battle! Uhhh. What do I do?"
- Barrier Warrior: Azuma's skills deploys a tactical riot shield, allowing him to tank damage. His T2 deploys a bubble shield around the surrounding area. Anyone can walk into and out of the shield, but only a heavy barrage of concentrated fire or Batou's rockets can destroy it fast enough.
- Boom, Headshot!: Getting one will net you a view of your character's cyborg head exploding.
- Boring, but Practical:
- Compared to other characters with fancy cybernetic abilities, Borma's healing skill is a game changer in a FPS with no Regenerating Health.
- The starting M4 rifle is very capable of kicking as many asses as late-game unlockables or customized weapons.
- Canon Foreigner: Maven was created in order to balance out the roster at 8 characters and to give a second female character to play besides Motoko. Kuro, Sitara, and Reiko would later also be added.
- Colon Cancer: The full game title is Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex: First Assault Online. It suffers this trope just like the anime series does with it's 2nd season and movie.
- Combat Medic: Borma's skill is an unusual case in video game. Not only it heals the user (and those who skill-sync with him), it also temporary raise maximum hitpoints which allows him to stay in combat longer.
- Damn You, Muscle Memory!: Prior to 2.0, the Q key was used for activating your skills, the E key for hacking enemy think tanks, activating another player's Skill Sync, and planting/defusing bombs. After 2.0, the Q key is used for Tier 2 skills, while E is used for Tier 1 skills, and the F key is used for skill syncing, hacking, and planting/defusing bombs.
- Drone Deployer:
- Togusa's ability has him activating an Attack Drone that seeks out the nearest target and explodes. It's an instant kill if you get hit by it. At level 2, three drones are deployed, and they release an EMP effect to the surrounding area when they explode.
- Sitara can send out a hovering drone that can patrol a small area. Any enemies it detects will have their health slowly drained away. At tier 2, the drone has higher HP and can be reassigned a location with the E command.
- EMP: Kuro has the ability to deploy an EMP generator. It instantly destroys turrets, drones, and barriers (provided the turrets and barriers don't have reinforced hitpoints from the user's cyberchips), and any enemies caught in the blast will take some damage, aren't able to use any of their own skills, and will be slowed to a crawl for a few seconds. It also instantly stops any skill syncs.
- Everything Is Online: Every character in the game uses a full cyberbody, including flesh-and-blood Togusa. The matches start off with you initiating a net dive, you wait for the maps to load up, guns that are dropped on the ground have a digital field over them, and body parts digitally appear and disappear. Chief Aramaki occasionally makes mention of the network being too tough to secure when you lose, and the Tachikoma always says "Beginning Cyberbrain Protocol" when it is summoned onto the map. Everything seems to indicate that all the fighting takes place online, which isn't out of the question for this series.
- Eyepatch of Power: Saito's cybernetic Hawkeye, just like from the series. It activates his heat sensor.
- Excuse Plot: Game story material indicates that the enemy forces in the game are part of a terrorist group known as Kraken.
- Fighter, Mage, Thief: The characters are organized into "Assault, Disturb, and Support" classes.
- The Assault characters (Batou, Ishikawa, Borma, and Azuma) are the Fighters designed to tank. They have higher HP but a slower run speed, and are limited to Assault Rifles and Machine Guns— both of which have relatively high power but low accuracy.
- The Disturb characters (Motoko, Maven, Pazu, Kuro, and Reiko) are the Thief characters. They have low HP but high mobility, being able to slide around the map after sprinting. They're restricted to Submachine Guns and shotguns, as well as a smoke grenade for concealment. They're designed for quick kills and disorienting enemies.
- The Support characters (Saito, Togusa, and Sitara) are the Mage characters. They're restricted to sniper rifles and personal defense weapons, as well as a scrambler grenade for disrupting enemies. They're designed for picking targets off from a distance, locating them using Saito's heat sensor, flushing out enemies with Togusa's seeker drones, and controlling areas with Sitara's hover drone.
- Fragile Speedster: Pazu and Reiko are the fastest characters in the game, but have the least health. Reiko is only slightly slower, but has slightly more health.
- Gas Mask Mooks: Prior to 2.0, enemies on the District Ruins, Old Dejima, and Newport City maps appear as these. For Newport City and the Port maps in particular, they appeared as the Newport riot police that show up in the series.
- Have a Nice Death: Executing an enemy and vise versa with a knife or katar will show a small cutscene of the action. If you get killed from the front, you see a first person perspective of the enemy jamming the knife into your neck or slashing you with the blade.
- Infrared Xray Camera:
- Saito's Heat Sensor ability lets him and other players see the positions of the enemy. Far away on the map, they just show up as arrows indicating their general position, but closer up, you'll see a red silhouette through the surroundings. Enemy think tanks also show up as red silhouettes so that players know where it is at all times.
- Hacking enemy Think Tank slows it down and deals large amount of damage when the hack is complete, in exchange for revealing your location to the enemy team in this manner.
- Justified Tutorial: The game starts off with Batou helping Motoko adjust to her new prosthetic body. This serves as the tutorial before letting you get into the game proper.
- Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: When Motoko or Maven are wearing their "Full Dress" legendary skins, they take to the battlefiend in formal military outfits, showing a bit of skin in the process.
- Matrix Raining Code: Combined with Tron Lines. After initiating a net dive at the start of the match, players can run around the map while waiting for the match to begin. All objects and surfaces appear as green moving lines.
- The Medic: Borma's Nanogel Armor ability increases damage resistance and rapidly heals his health. At level two, this ability is given to other agents.
- Mission Control: Chief Aramaki and the Operator provide status updates during the match. Whenever an opposing player activates their ability, the Operator notifies your team.
- Mythology Gag: The randomized default names of Custom Match rooms are taken from the names of songs from the soundtrack of the Stand Alone Complex series.
- One-Way Visor: All members of Section 9 wear a combat visor in battle (although Borma's is more of a helmet). The enemies for the Public Security Section 9 map are wearing black sunglass visors as well.
- Play Every Day: The daily log-in system gives GP and XP boosters, or sometimes GP vouchers, which steadily increase over 10 days.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Enemy think tanks are completely black with red glowing eyes.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Post 2.0, Enemy players all have red helmets with noticeable glowing red eyes that make them stand out on the battlefield.
- Sadistic Choice: Let the enemy Think Tank decimates your team, or hack it at the risk of revealing your position. If you're playing as Batou, you can just blow it up with your arm launcher.
- Speed Lines: Digital speed lines appear behind anyone using the Hyper-Sprint ability.
- Spider Tank: The Tachikomas and the enemy Think Tanks.
- Spring Jump: Paz's Hyper-Sprint makes the user jump higher than normal while sprinting.
- Super-Speed: Paz's Hyper-Sprint ability lets him run at incredible speeds for a short time. At level two, the skill sync system allows 3 other players to use it as well.
- The Turret Master: Ishikawa fills this role. The turret can rotate 360 degrees, but doesn't target too fast. At level two, his turret begins firing rockets.
- V-Formation Team Shot: Your team is arranged in a V formation at the end of each match, with the highest scoring player front and center.
- Visible Invisibility: Motoko's ability is her Thermoptic Camouflage, which she can share with other teammates at level 2. It leaves a distorted outline of the environment, so they're not completely invisible.
- Your Head Asplode: Very common to see when you or someone else dies.
