The Guided Fate Paradox (released as The God and Fate Revolution Paradox in Japan) is a roguelike by Nippon Ichi (Team Disgaea, specifically) for the PS3 with character designs and artwork by Noizi Ito. It is first game in Nippon Ichi's Anniversary Project.
Renya Kagurazaka is a typical Unlucky Everydude who wins the position of God in a street raffle. As you do.
As God, Renya is now tasked with the duty of answering the prayers of His creations, may they be animals, humans, extraterrestrials or even fairy-tale characters. To do this, he must use the Fate Revolution Circuit: a mysterious machine of divine origins that creates an astral manifestation of the prayer to be fulfilled, allowing Renya to literally "defeat" the obstacles preventing it from coming true. And if Renya is unable (or unwilling) to answer the prayer, then he will be "consumed" on the spot!
With the aid of seven angels, a bewildered Renya eases into his new role as God and deeper into the mystery of who created the Fate Revolution Circuit and why he would need to be chosen to be The Almighty in the first place.
The gameplay is described as a unique mix of dungeon-crawler and SRPG and utilizes the high-resolution sprites previously seen in Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten. It can be seen as the Spiritual Successor of Zettai Hero Project, except Darker and Edgier with a protagonist who isn't kind of a pathetic loser.
The game was released in Japan in January 2013, with Western releases later that year (October for EU and November for NA).
A sequel titled The Awakened Fate Ultimatum (The God and Fate Cross-Thesis Awakening) was released in Japan in July 2014 and got a Western release in Spring 2015.
This game provides examples of:
- After the End: Lesson 9 takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the only known living human is the Lesson's believer, Fio.
- Angelic Beauty: All the angels look like either pretty girls in maid outfits or handsome men in butler outfits.
- Animated Actors: This is essentially what Cinderella and the Prince are, engaging in banter in between scenes or when their story isn't told.
- Bad Future: The setting of Lesson 6 is a future where Renya is killed by Varael, Liliel is killed by Frunetti shortly after, some of the strongest bases in Celestia are destroyed by Satanael, and Minamo becomes the next target of Varael and Frunetti.
- Battle Couple: Renya and Liliel grow to become this over the course of the story.
- Breakable Weapons: Subverted. Unlike in Zettai Hero Project, your equipment has a "Burst" meter. While reaching 100% Burst DOES reduce the item's effectiveness, it also gives a panel that you can use to upgrade your stats, and if you bring it outside of the dungeon you can upgrade them to more powerful forms with the blacksmith.
- Clothes Make The God: Renya and the other angels can equip a variety of clothes, armor, and weapons which bestow upon them stats and new abilities.
- Creator Cameo: Alongside being the voice of Mysiel and her band Yousei Teikoku doing the music, Yui Itsuki appears in the Celestia Hub Level as Music Store manager Lady Yui.
- Cryptic Conversation: The angels really love to do this while Renya and Liliel are out.
- Curse Cut Short: When Renya sees Lanael in schoolgirl uniform.
- Damn You, Muscle Memory!: Some of the changes made might throw off people who had played Zettai Hero Project to death.
- Even if you're using a ranged weapon, your standard attacks only hit the panel in front of you.
- The "Burst" meter in Guided Fate Paradox counts up, while the "Break" meter in Zettai Hero Project counted down.
- Dual Wielding no longer drains hunger. In fact, it even gives you a new technique if you're wielding two of the same weapon (though it doesn't allow you to attack twice).
- Abilities no longer drain hunger. Instead, there's a new SP meter that refills quite quickly.
- Darker and Edgier: While the game has no shortage of goofy moments, it takes itself a lot more seriously than Zettai Hero Project.
- Despair Event Horizon: Much like Zettai Hero Project, many of the prayers Renya has to answer come from those who have crossed it, Cinderella being a prime example.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: It could be argued that this was what Satanael wanted, by reading all the books about him, how he was created, and why.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?:
- The entire game is pretty much about making Renya, an ordinary human, powerful enough to take on Satanael, the game's closest thing to... well, Satan. Renya also gives the Creator, the closest thing to an actual god, one big punch to the face. The Creator even says it hurt more than he expected it to.
- On top of that, the Martial Dungeons give Renya quite a few divine figures to punch out. These include Buddha, Hades, Zeus, and Prince Yamato.
- The Dreaded: Satanael is this to the Celestia angels.
- Expy: Rakiel looks like an older Roxis. Similarly, he starts out as a jerk to the main character.
- First Girl Wins: Sorry, Kuroiel, but Liliel's the one getting Renya. Not that she'd know, considering both their lifesigns disappeared from Celestia's radar and made everyone think they died in a Mutual Kill with Satanael.
- Foreshadowing: In Lesson 5, Renya wonders if there is a higher God who is in charge of the angels and demons. While he doesn't necessarily control them, the Creator created the angels and demons and is certainly much higher on the divinity scale compared to Renya and even he says that there are many gods like him and above him.
- Forever War: The war between angels and demons has been going forever and even after removing Satanael, the war is far from over.
- Fractured Fairy Tale: In the first Lesson, Cinderella has turned into The Cynic and various parts of the story slightly changes when she attempts to not follow her role.
- From Bad to Worse: Renya's upgrade to a God basically means his life is put in peril in more ways than one. Arguably, he's still unlucky.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man:
- In Lesson 1, Renya gives a right uppercut to the Prince's face for not saying anything to Cinderella after revealing herself.
- Mysiel's wish in Lesson 8 is for someone to get a slap in the face, but she doesn't specify who. That person turns out to be Galtion for trying so hard to see her again. In the end, it's Neliel who delivers the slap.
- God and Satan Are Both Jerks: The Creator, who is more or less a real god, is kinda of a jerk. Satanael is a mass-murderer, but is at least Affably Evil.
- Hikikomori: Neliel
- Hime Cut: Lilliel
- Image Song: An entire CD known as The Guided Fate Paradox Character Song Album feat. µ's (Love Live!).
- The Lost Lenore: Two examples.
- Rakiel loved a woman who previously was God but was consumed when she failed her duties.
- Galtion loved Mysiel, who sacrificed her life to complete the Fate Revolution Circuit.
- Mayfly–December Romance: 17-year-old former-human Renya and 1,609-year-old angel Lilliel, in the ending. Hopefully Renya still has that immortality in effect.
- Metal Slime: Gold Crabs, which always run away from you and have ridiculous evade; however, if you manage to kill it, you gain a buttload of experience and money. There are also versions that drop Apples upon defeat.
- Mind Screw: Neliel has warned Renya that the entire chapter 6 was going to be one. She wasn't kidding. For starters, the wish belongs to Minamo one year later in the future, her Renya has been dead since then, and Minamo is a sorceress and made a deal with the devil.
- Minion Shipping: Varael and Frunetti.
- Multiple Endings: Surprisingly averted. Guided Fate Paradox is one of the few Nippon Ichi games to lack any alternate endings whatsoever.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Rakiel tells Galtion that his inability to get over the former God is really no different from Galtion being obsessed with trying to reach Mysiel. Galtion does not disagree.
- Number of the Beast: Satanael was the 666th black wing creation, not demon.
- Ominous Latin Chanting: All throughout much of the soundtrack starting with the opening theme.
- Ordinary High-School Student: Who becomes God. Yup, Renya definitely fits the bill.
- Our Angels Are Different:It turns out that the only difference between Angels and Demons are the names they call themselves and the color of their wings. The Creator created the "Black Wings" (demons), but some Black Wings gave birth to "White Wings" (angels) and others were able to change of the color of their wings.
- Peninsula Of Powerleveling:
- At least, in terms of money, bursting equipment, and future levelling. Chapter 8 boss has you fighting against Mysiel's clones who respawn every time the floor moves. With a Paw Paw weapon, use the "Lucky Lure" skillnote and keep on one-hit killing the infinitely spawning boss. This trick disappears if you finish the chapter.
- Any floor with zombies can yield a lot of EXP as they never truly disappear like other enemies unless killed with certain weapons. With the right setup, you can simply stand around and watch as Renya and his partner rakes in EXP, zombie gear, burst equipment, and money.
- Really 700 Years Old: In the ending, Lilliel reveals that she's 1,609 years old.
- Roguelike: Has elements of it, several of which seem to be lifted right out of Zettai Hero Project.
- Screw Destiny: The entire plot of the game. Heck, it's pretty much Renya's Catchphrase.I will guide your fate to a revolution.
- Second Love: Thanks to Renya's efforts, Galtion realizes that he shouldn't be chasing after Mysiel's shadow, and hooks up with Neliel.
- Series Mascot: Misery, some kinda bird thing with cryptic dialogue who will apparently devour Renya if he doesn't live up to his duty as God.
- Sesquipedalian Smith: Most of the angels' first names follow traditional angelic theme naming, but their last names are Japanese. Renya even lampshades it, wondering how angels have last names, and Japanese ones at that.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Seems to be a requirement whether you're on the side of the angels or the devils, even the beastly ones like Varael.
- Shout-Out:
- In the Japanese script, the Fairy Godmother's spell is based on the transformation phrase from Sailor Moon.
- So who is the God of Zombies? Why, who else but George A. Romero.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: When Lilliel asks Renya if he's ever kissed anyone, "Fight!!!" starts playing in the background, a song usually reserved for a badass or serious moment.
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Spiritual Successor: To Zettai Hero Project, for the most part... - Super Mode: Appropriately named God-mode.
- Theme Naming:
- As with traditional angels, all angel names end with "-el" (aside from Galtion).
- This also hints at Varael's backstory.
- Wham Line: Angels cannot be called as "angels" but rather white wings, and that angels were born from the whitening of wings from demons. Which means that Renya cannot really be called "God", either.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- In Lesson 1, Renya punches the Prince for not responding at all to Cinderella when the magic fades after midnight and gives him an earful.
- Calling My Sister Out: Eleanor in Lesson 3 calls out her sister Thelma for being so unable to get over her break-up with her lover and trying to take it out on the entire human male population.
- After completing Minamo's wish, Renya calls out the angels for dragging humans into their war, all of whom died before Renya was chosen. After this, Renya chooses to continue his duties only so that he can return to his normal life and is bitter towards most of the angels except Liliel and Kuroiel.
- Renya calls out the Young Man's irresponsibility with his power of creation, especially the creation of Satanael. At the end of Lesson 7, Renya even punches him.
- Wolverine Publicity: This game is best known for casting all nine members of μ's from the Love Live! series for the majority of the female cast, which was played up in promotional material.
