Mind Your Manors is a Platform Game created by the author of the webcomic Sins that can be found on their website. The game takes place in the universe of the Sins spin-off, Mercynaries, but despite this does not tie into the plot of Sins or Mercynaries.
The story involves a young hiker finding an abandoned mansion, which he decides to stay in for the night. While asleep, he quickly finds his spirit has somehow separated from his body, and must find his way out of the mansion. Little does he know he's not the only wandering spirit in the house...
The gameplay consist of primarily platforming segments, in which the player must avoid various traps in order to keep their willpower high. Losing all of their will results in their spirit being "claimed by the shadows". In each segment, the player can find large "orbs" which affect how the story ends. Aside from the platforming segments, there are also bosses in which the player must dodge and duck to avoid their attacks while returning fire with attacks of their own.
The game can be played here
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Mind Your Manors has examples of the following tropes:
- Advancing Wall of Doom: A wall of perfume in the third platforming segment before the second boss, forcing the player to hurry to the top while dodging lipstick marks that speed up the perfume's movement. Unlike many examples, the perfume doesn't kill the player instantly; it does drain their will down to nothing but it still leaves the player alive. Facing the boss after having their willpower drained is the secret to getting that segment's white orb, though it leaves them with minimal will for the boss fight itself.
- Astral Projection: As mentioned, sleeping in the abandoned house somehow removes the protagonist's spirit from his body. The fourth ending implies that the bosses were the astral forms of the servants of the Manor.
- Big Word Shout: Upon encountering the first boss, a textbox reading "INTRUDER!" appears right as she attacks.
- Boss-Only Level: Sort of, while the previous segments alternated one or more platform sections with a boss fight, defeating the second boss will send you immediately to the third one (replenishing your health, thankfully).
- Collision Damage: The piles of clothing in the segment before the first boss, the first boss herself before the actual fight with her, and the spikes in the final segment.
- Defeat Means Friendship. Twisted example, in the secret ending: before the protagonist can leave, the purple orbs drags him back and make him into a woman, who's now loyally served by the human incarnations of the bosses he fought earlier.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Inverted. The good ending is the easiest to get.
- Everything Is Trying to Kill You: While at one point you encounter a plausible obstacle in the form of Spikes of Doom, stuff which can damage your willpower and "kill" you include pink ghostly appendages emerging from doors or drawers, haunted piles of lingerie, floating lipstick marks, perfume clouds, shade maids and other surreal obstacles.
- Eyeless Face: The second boss. In this case the "face" is either invisible or not there at all, but the effect is still achieved due to her visible makeup and earrings. You get to see her in the fourth ending.
- Fate Worse than Death: If your projection loses all its willpower to bosses or obstacles it's "claimed" by the shadows, presumably not a good thing.
- Finger Gun: Literally, the protagonist during bossfights can shoot fireballs from his fingertips to fight the bosses.
- Fog Feet: The protagonist during the game has no legs or feet to speak of, and so he floats around. He's still subjected to gravity though and cannot fly or such.
- Gag Lips: The obstacles in the third section are floating, plump, bright pink disembodied lips who will cling to the protagonist if he touches them. They do not drain Willpower, but they slow down movements and haste up the perfume mist.
- Gender Bender: As with Sins and Mercynaries, this is a major theme. Three endings end with the protagonist stuck as a woman.
- Golden Ending: Played with. The "good" ending is achieved by finishing with either one orb or no orbs in your possession at all. The "worst" ending is achieved by collecting four purple orbs, which are much harder to find than the white orbs and require more work. Despite this, due to the kind of game it is, the "good" ending is the most boring while the "worst" ending is the most entertaining.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: In the secret ending, the protagonist becomes the new mistress of the manor and is clad in purple. Possibly foreshadowed by the fact that you need to collect four purple orbs to unlock this ending.
- Haunted House: The entire game takes place inside of one.
- Hartman Hips: Weaponized by the third boss, who sometimes launches herself at you hip-first. In the secret ending, the protagonist grows a noticeable pair as the Madame.
- Humiliation Conga: The third ending: The protagonist leaves the manor, only to find himself turned into a buxom beauty clad in a skimpy outfit and high heels, and forced to return home in such a state, with a pair of passerbies mistaking her for a silly bimbo for being on a mountain track with such clothing.
- Impossible Hourglass Figure: The third boss, who attacks primarily with physical attacks that take advantage of her "assets".
- Kaizo Trap: Technically, the Purple Orbs: while all the previous three endings have the protagonist escape the place (genderswapped or not), the final one has the four purple orbs suddenly snatching the protagonist to turn him into the lady of the Manor, stuck there with her new servants.
- Life Meter: In this case, the life meter represents the protagonist's willpower and how long they can hold their spirit together.
- Maid: The first boss, appearing to be a featureless (aside from a large fanged mouth) shadow wearing a purple maid's uniform. Revealed in the secret ending to be an actual maid.
- More Teeth than the Osmond Family: The first boss. Become Cute Little Fangs when you see her in the secret ending.
- Multiple Endings: There are a total of four endings, depending on how many orbs the player finds by the end.
- Overly-Long Tongue: How the first boss fights in the actual battle with her.
- The Reveal: The secret ending. The manor was trying to make the protagonist into the new Madame of the Manor.
- Schmuck Bait: The final level opens with a congratulation message and a large present box which offers you a White Orb. Getting too many white orbs will cause the protagonist to swap gender once outside. The first stage also has shaking drawers and doors which will damage the player if he interacts with them.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In the "best" ending, the protagonist decides that his backpack can stay inside the mansion, as he's willing to run away as far as possible.
- Skippable Boss: Finding the second, hidden purple orb will skip the boss fight against the shadow maid and sent you directly to the next level. The same goes for the second boss: finding the third purple orb will make you jump directly towards the third boss.
- Spikes of Doom: The final section has you navigating a set of corridors with triangular spikes which drain your Willpower at great speed.
- Undying Loyalty: Presumably the reason why the three bosses attack the player, judging by the first one's cry of "INTRUDER!" upon encountering you. In the secret ending, you become their new mistress.
- Unwinnable by Design: As part of the challenge to obtain the secret ending, of course: breaking too many tiles on the lingerie-filled bridge in the second stage (or simply facing it with not enough willpower) means that you won't be able to make it to the chute leading to the purple orb. In the following stage, having all your willpower drained by the fog before you make it down the chute at the very right of the stage will teleport you to the boss and deny you the purple orb.
- Violation of Common Sense: Aside from the first area, getting the Dark Orbs usually requires platforming skills and a counter-intuitive path across the most difficult parts of the level which usually put the player's willpower bar at serious risk.
