...at least until I.R.I.S. suddenly wakes up, notices a commercial for a motorcycle rally in [SCOTTSBURG, INDIANA] , and immediately takes off with Pablo caught in her back wheel. Completely unaware of the language barrier between them, I.R.I.S. sets off on a lengthy road trip to the rally, and won't let something petty like the military or indeed S.P.I.K.E. stop her.
LocoCycle is a third-person action driving game developed by Twisted Pixel, and released in November 2013 for the Xbox One, and then for the PC and 360 in February 2014. Not only does it combine third-person highway driving with beat-'em-up elements, but is also notable for featuring full-motion video for its cutscenes, featuring roles filled by Lisa Foiles, Freddy Rodriguez, Robert Patrick, Tom Savini and James Gunn.
LocoCycle contains examples of:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: The events of the game are kicked off by I.R.I.S. gaining newfound sentience through being struck by lightning, then escaping on a whim of ambition.
- Bottomless Fuel Tanks: Averted. I.R.I.S says in the second stage of Bi-Polar Offroads that her energy cells need to recharge, leading to her and Pablo hijacking a Big Arms truck with an energy cell.
- Comedic Sociopathy: Yes, Pablo does spend the majority of the game being dragged behind I.R.I.S. and occasionally used as a melee weapon. No, I.R.I.S. doesn't seem to care.
- Contrived Coincidence: I.R.I.S and Pablo are going to Scottsburg to participate in the Freedom Rally. Stumbling onto the dastardly plan of Holt Ryeman and his Hell Riders to hit Janesville, Wisconsin with Big Arms missiles wasn't on their itinerary.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Holt launches missiles from Big Arms at Janesville, Wisconsin because their "Honeybugs" biker gang refused to join up with his Hell Riders.
- Eating Machine: S.P.I.K.E is shown eating ice cream, and barely considers eating a Star-Spangled Burger in 10 minutes a challenge.
- Eye Colour Change: Before I.R.I.S is struck by lightning, her visor is red. Afterwards, as she innocently rides for Scottsburg, the visor is blue.
- Heroic RRoD: After defeating Holt, I.R.I.S begins to reboot, leaving Pablo with the climactic duty of disarming the final missile (and when technological methods fail, tearing into it until he finds a convenient button inside.)
- High-Altitude Battle: The melee combat primarily consists of this.
- High-Speed Hijack: The final section of 4-2 has I.R.I.S commandeer a Big Arms truck to use its energy cell to recharge. The truck's main (and only, considering it's not armed and can't be boosted) attack consists of sideswiping the S.U.Vs and avoiding everything else coming down the road.
- Language Barrier: A lot of the jokes during the gameplay segments are at the expense of I.R.I.S. deluding herself into trying to understand Pablo.
- Live-Action Cutscene: The cinematic cutscenes between the stages are done in this style.
- Mad Libs Dialogue: I.R.I.S.' speech pattern occasionally gives this.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The sleek and clueless I.R.I.S. spends the entire game cutting swaths through Big Arms forces to get to the Freedom Rally in Scottsburg, Indiana. The sinister and duty-bound S.P.I.K.E., while initially sent to stop her, eventually takes more pleasure in the journey with Ella Mae, and saves I.R.I.S and Pablo from Holt to protect a quilting festival in Janesville.
- Midair Repair: Not done in a fall, but in the middle of Hidden Canyons, I.R.I.S. spontaneously malfunctions. With a trailer truck bearing down on her location, Pablo (still being stuck to her axle) has to weld, rewire, re-screw, and hammer I.R.I.S back into working order before they both get slammed.
- This situation occurs again with a train in Neighborly Farmlands.
- Morph Weapon: By default, I.R.I.S. uses machine guns to fight off cars, but can switch to a vaguely-humanoid form during aerial fistfights.
- Only Sane Man: When Holt reveals his plan to bomb Janesville, the one woman at the rally makes an impassioned speech about biker spirit, fist to fist, man to man. It gets her tied to one of the missiles.
- Prehensile Hair: Prehensile chains, actually. While not shown in the cutscenes, the dragging chains on S.P.I.K.E.'s front wheel are used to commandeer (and likely pilot) the helicopter in the Keys.
- Spikes of Villainy: S.P.I.K.E., funnily enough.
- Translator Microbes: Subverted in the case of I.R.I.S. trying to understand Pablo - one of the systems the lightning fried was her translation circuit, meaning she only thinks she understands Pablo.
