A comic book based on a video game about a comic book who's actually a video game in disguise is probably the best idea ever.
- I had that dream again...
The one with the rabbits... and their Molotov Cocktails.
Damn killer rabbits. I try to pet them, and they try to kill me.Rick Ajax
Unbound Saga is a 2010 side-scrolling Beat 'em Up action game developed by Vogster Entertaiment.
Rick Ajax is an ex-military enforcer-turned-bartender and a fictional character from a graphic novel called Toxopolis, and is actually aware he's living in a fictional world, created by a comic artist whom is referred to as "The Maker" by the book's inhabitants. But Rick is tired of being The Maker's plaything and after a run-in with Lori Machete, a character from a different graphic novel created by The Maker during a Crossover event, Lori managed to convince Rick to work together so they may escape the graphic novel's universe to the world outside.
Along the way, Rick and Lori comes across Tian Razorbone, a third comic character from another different novel (one set in a post-apocalyptic universe), also attempting his own escape, who decides to tag alongside Rick and Lori.
Of course, The Maker soon finds out about their attempts to break free off the graphic novel, and starts taking steps to stop Rick and Lori... by sketching new enemies and assorted mooks in their way.
Compare Comix Zone, an earlier game with a similar premise of being set in a comic-book world.
"I'm a comic book tough guy. Trapped in a world of endless trouble. That's what I was created to do."
- 2xFore: One of the obtainable weapons Rick can use, after smashing mooks through benches and crates. Sometimes a plank will pop out from the wreckage, which can be picked up and used like a baseball bat.
- Absurdly Spacious Sewer: Lori and Rick crosses one early in the game, infested by thugs as well as mutant enemies.
- Assist Character:
- On single-player mode, Rick is the default playable character, while Lori provides the backup. She's no slouch at kicking ass, either.
- Tian Razorbone isn't playable in levels where he partners up with Rick and Lori, but he can help them slice up enemies.
- Back for the Finale: Tian Razorbone shows up to help Rick and Lori, before departing on his own. He returns in the final stage to help fight the last boss, and is present in the scene where Rick and Lori - and Tian - finds out they're actually video game characters.
- Badass Longcoat: Tian wears a long, black leather overcoat and is no slouch when it comes to slicing up mooks.
- Bait-and-Switch Credits: The opening credits (a Dream Intro by Rick) shows a sunny meadow full of cute, cuddly rabbits... who immediately grows fangs and tries to kill Rick as soon as he approaches them, with the screen turning blood-red. Then Rick wakes up and we get into the gritty world of Toxopolis.
- Balance, Speed, Strength Trio: In levels containing Rick, Lori and Tian. Ironically the protagonist Rick isn't the balanced one (unlike other examples), with Lori fulfiling this role, while Rick is the strength and Tian the on-off supporting character being the speed.
- Battle Couple: Rick and Lori kicks ass side-by-side in each and every level (Lori being controlled by an AI if you're playing alone) though they're closer to Like Brother and Sister.
- Battle in the Rain: Level 1 of the game where Rick first meets Lori is set within a rain-drenched alleyway, with her being harassed by some punks. Rick then opens up a can of whoop-ass, and both of them decide to work together from that point.
- Beast Man: Some of the enemies are beast-people, mostly wolf-men, bear-people, leopard-men, gigantic horned feral humanoids of unidentified species, and so on. It seems kind of random after spending the first few levels fighting human enemies, until you realize the comic's artist is a sentient rabbit person.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Tian Razorbone have retractable blades attached to his wrists, which allows him to slice up assorted enemies.
- Crate Expectations: Crates of assorted sizes can be found throughout the game, and used either as a throwing weapon, or be smashed up for points. More often than not they'll produce a power-up or a health item.
- Damsel in Distress: Lori, as revealed in her backstory, was frequently cast in this role by the The Maker, and after multiple kidnappings and assorted danger, wants to rebel against her creators, thereby forming a deal with Rick so they both can escape.Lori: For as long as I can remember, I've been nothing but a disposable damsel, trussed up for someone else's glory. One month I'm being tied to the nose of a cruise missile, the next month I'm being sacrificed to the zombie gods...
- Deadly Gas: Two areas in the game are clouded by "Radiation Vapor", which drains the oxygen level within the area. Mooks are somehow not affected by it (probably because they're beastmen or mutants - those stages don't have human enemies) but Rick and Lori must clear the area before the oxygen indicator at the bottom runs out, which costs them a life.
- Deadly Rotary Fan: Present in the area where Rick and Lori fights the mutant boss, and one of the obstacles is finding a way to stop said fan so they could access the next area. Throwing mooks into the fan will shred a huge chunk of their health away.
- Down in the Dumps: The landfill stage, which comes right after the Absurdly Spacious Sewer. No wonder Rick hates being a comic book character.Rick: Out of the sewer stink, into the landfill. The Maker must be laughing his butt off.
- Everything Trying to Kill You: Everything. Justified because The Maker is actively preventing Rick and Lori, his creations, from escaping the graphic novel-verse, and thus creates every enemy to be hostile by default.
- Fake-Out Fade-Out: You might be convinced that Rick and Lori uncovering The Maker's true identity would lead to the game's ending. Nope - confronting The Maker, who turns out to be a sentient, talking Rabbit, The Maker then tells them to follow him to find out the actual truth. The game then continues with another lengthy stage, culminating in a Final Boss fight at which point Rick and Lori finds out they're no longer stuck inside a comic book, they're trapped in a video game.
- Foreshadowing: Rick's nightmares in the opening scene where he's attacked by killer rabbits is a subtle one towards who The Maker actually is.
- From Beyond the Fourth Wall: Inverted - Rick and Lori are aware they're comic book characters, and wants to get out and oppose the comic artist who puts them in. The stages are even shaped like comic book panels, with Rick and Lori jumping out of one panel and land in another.
- Gainax Ending: The final level - Rick finally confronts The Maker - or rather, the old guy he met in the jungle stage, who turns out to be The Maker's mouthpiece. When Rick demands to be let out of the graphic novel, he's then informed he already left the world of comic books, long time ago. Why? Because he's now inside a video game. The game then ends with Rick threatening the player before the credits roll.Rick: Well don't get any funny ideas, player. Or I'll be coming after you next!
- Grievous Bottley Harm: Beer bottles can be collected for smashing heads.
- Grievous Harm with a Body: Rick can grab enemy mooks and hurl them into each other, dealing extra damage.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Rick is a head taller and several times larger than Lori.
- Improvised Weapon: Rick can kick ass with anything. From planks and floorboard to road signs, wet floor signs, shovels, telephone poles...
- Kung-Shui: Every indoor level allows Rick to destroy everything he can get his hands on. Actually lampshaded in-game:Rick: [bursting into a small room with mooks and destroyable objects] Nice Feng Shui... let's rearrange their furniture!
- Medium Awareness: Rick is well aware he's a character in a comic book, and the entire game's plot revolves around his attempts at escaping the comic world to enter ours.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: The mutant boss have an extra arm growing from his right armpit, and he's a lot stronger than regular mooks.
- Mutant: There's a muscular three-armed mutant as a boss, and a recurring skinny, naked mutated humanoid mook with a Skull for a Head.
- Neck Lift: Rick does this on the old man who seemingly leads them to an area full of radiation vapor. And does it again in the final cutscene, on the same person.Rick: So what were you doing, playing both sides of the fence like that?
Old guy: It's uh, rather complicated...
Rick: [grabs the old guy by the throat on one hand and hoists him upwards] Un-complicate it! - Non-Indicative Name: Lori "Machete" fights with... her bare hands. And occasionally a pair of knives. At no point in the game does she get to use a machete.
- Killer Rabbit: In Rick's backstory, he's constantly plagued by nightmares involving cute, cuddly rabbits... who would attack him with petrol bombs (!!!). Also, in the final scene, it turns out the graphic artist behind Toxopolis, The Maker, is a sentient rabbit.
- The Klan: The cultist enemies who worships The Maker are dressed like typical Klan members, wearing red, pointed, face-obscuring masks and long robes, for... reasons. The first Klan mook even exclaims, "For the Maker!" before he attacks.
- Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: As the game progresses, the enemies starts becoming increasingly outlandish and ridiculous, going a long way from the human-based enemies in the first few stages. Also lampshaded:Rick: Mutant zombie bear cannibals. Yeah, we're a looooong way from Kansas...
- Reduced to Dust: As the game is set inside a comic book, defeated enemies all fades away into what appears to be eraser dust.
- Shovel Strike: Another weapon Rick can use to smash heads, available in the city stages near roadwork sites.
- Show Within a Show: Toxopolis is a fictional graphic novel universe existing in a World of Funny Animals. With The Maker being an andromorphic rabbit, who's writing a series of comic books featuring human characters. Wat.
- Sickly Green Glow: The health-draining Radiation Vapor is colored neon green for this very reason.
- Spider Tank: One of the game's only mechanical enemy, a tank on spider-legs, several times larger than Rick and Lori, carrying a turret on it's back serves as a boss. It also has pincers for backup.
- Stewed Alive: Rick and Lori suffers this fate after their capture by some cannibals in the jungle stage. But they managed to break free and leap out the pot in due time, since the cannibals somehow forgot to restrain either of them.Lori: Rick! Wake up!
Rick: Huh? What the...
Lori: They're cooking us for dinner!
Rick: I thought I smelled something tasty. [escapes the pot and start punching cannibals] - Suplex Finisher: Rick has a special move that allows him to grab and lift enemies, before suplex-ing them down causing extra damage.
- Talking Animal: The Maker revealing himself.The Maker: Well done, my children! [Rick and Lori turns around, and realize The Maker is a sentient, talking rabbit]
- Talk to the Fist:
- Rick's favourite method of communication. Here's how his first encounter with Tian plays out...
Tian: I believe that's all of them. [sheathes blades after helping Rick and Lori slice up some mutants]
Rick: Good. [suddenly performs an Angry Collar Grab on Tian while slamming him on a wall] — Now start talking! Who are you and what are you doing down here?- And then turned around in another cutscene, when Rick inexplicably decide to ask a Beast Man mook question.
Rick: Lemme ask this guy for directions. ["This guy" is a hulking feralmonster, btw] Hey pal! We're a little lost. Think you can maybe...
[cue Rick getting a kick to the jaw]
Rick: Guess not. [starts punching stuff] - Throw a Barrel at It: Rick can pick up steel drums and hurl them into mooks for extra damage. Also the area where it's only exit is blocked by a Deadly Rotary Fan is resolved when Rick hurls a huge red gas canister into it, blowing the fan apart.
- Two Guys and a Girl: Rick, Lori and Tian, though it's downplayed that Tian, the second of the guys, isn't as prominent as the other two and only shows up periodically.
- Wham Shot: The cutscene when Rick and Lori finally meets The Maker. Who's revealed to be a sentient, andromorphic talking rabbit.
- Wolf Man: The game will throw wolf-men enemies in the landfill stage. They are misidentified as werewolves though.Lori: Hey, it's raining werewolves!
- Written Sound Effect: Sound effects are portrayed by written words with every hit scored, with punches and kicks accompanied by a THWACK or BLAM. Justified given the setting being inside a comic book.
