History VideoGame / Unreal

* '''VideoGame/{{Unreal|I}}'''
** '''Unreal: Return to Na Pali,''' an [[/index]]ExpansionPack[[index]]
* '''VideoGame/UnrealIITheAwakening'''

* '''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'''
* '''Unreal Tournament 2003''' (redirect to Unreal Tournament 2004)
* '''VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004'''
* '''VideoGame/UnrealTournamentIII'''
* '''VideoGame/UnrealTournament4''' (A reboot developed by Epic Games, alongside their own mapping/modding community, using the Unreal Engine 4)

* '''Unreal Championship''' (redirect to Unreal Tournament 2004)
* '''VideoGame/UnrealChampionship2TheLiandriConflict'''

Like many popular FPS series, [[GameMod modding]] potential is a large part of its appeal and success; both the single- and multiplayer parts of the series have seen many releases. Part of the dodgy reception of [=UT2003=] and Unreal 2 is the fact that their modding tools were half-broken. Of particular interest is the fact that all of the original Unreal's assets and textures are available in Unreal Tournament, so with the right mod (along with transferring the music and maps from the original game to the UT folders) it is essentially possible to turn UT into one big "super-game" with a full single ''and'' multiplayer component.

One of the most iconic FPS franchises, made by EpicGames. it started as a primarily single-player game, but its multi-player successor, ''Unreal Tournament'', saw such great success that the series has essentially split into three branches:

* '''Sandbox/UnrealTournament2015''' (A reboot developed by Epic Games, alongside their own mapping/modding community, using the Unreal Engine 4)

** '''Unreal: Return to Na Pali,''' an ExpansionPack

* [[ManOfAThousandVoices Girl of a Thousand Voices]]: ''Sioux "[=UnrealGrrl=]" Blue'', who does nearly ALL of the female voices of the Unreal series. May it be a female announcer or a female player, you'll always hear her.

* '''VideoGame/UnrealTournament2015''' (2015 reboot made by Epic Games alongside their own mapping/modding community, using the Unreal Engine 4)

* '''Unreal Tournament''' (2015 reboot made by Epic Games alongside their own mapping/modding community, using the Unreal Engine 4)

The Unreal series fell into obscurity near the end of the last decade, helped along by a number of factors: the rise of team-based / "tactical" shooters (starting with ''VideoGame/{{Counter-Strike}}'' and ending with the current ''VideoGame/{{Call of|Duty}} VideoGame/{{Modern|Warfare}} VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'' glut), the overwhelming popularity of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' (which combined the strategic elements of the former with Unreal's action-packed and over-the-top vibe), and EpicGames's recent focus on the ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' franchise. However, Epic president Mike Capps is quoted as saying that the franchise is due for a revival. Furthermore, the Unreal {{Game Engine}}s, one for each Tournament, have seen extremely widespread use throughout the gaming industry, with dozens of games, in just about every genre, released using Epic's code. (In comparison, only one game ''ever'' has used the ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' engine besides ''Halo'' itself and its [[VideoGameRemake Anniversary remake]]--the obscure ''StubbsTheZombie''.)

** '''Unreal: Return to Na Pali,''' a MissionPackSequel

* '''Unreal Tournament''' (2014 reboot made by Epic Games alongside their own mapping/modding community, using the Unreal Engine 4)

!!The series in general provides examples of:
* ArtEvolution: Comes with an evolving engine. Compare, for example, the [[http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4930/deck161.jpg Unreal]] and [[http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4930/deck161.jpg UT]] (both running on the Unreal Engine 1) versions of the Deck map with [[http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7615/deck17.jpg UT2004]] (running in Unreal Engine 2) and [[http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6318/deck1.jpg UT3]] (running in the Unreal Engine 3) versions of the same map.
* CompilationRerelease:
** ''Totally Unreal'': Unreal + Unreal Tournament
** ''Unreal Gold'': Unreal + Return To Na Pali
** ''Unreal Anthology'': Unreal Gold + Unreal Tournament GOTY Edition + Unreal II (plus the multiplayer expansion XMP) + Unreal Tournament 2004: ECE Edition. [[note]]Unfortunately, Midway couldn't get the rights to publish the mods.[[/note]]
** ''Unreal Deal Pack'': Unreal Gold + Unreal Tournament GOTY + Unreal II (without XMP this time) + Unreal Tournament 2004: ECE Edition (again without the mods, but with the community bonus pack maps) + Unreal Tournament III Black.

* [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack Universe]]: Well... let's just say that, across the series, the Unreal universe's setting it's the Earth extremely DarkerAndEdgier, and that's being generous.

* [[ExcusePlot Excuse Universe]]
* GameMod: THE series for mods outside of ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life}}''. Both the Singleplayer and multiplayer side of the franchise have seen a large quantity of high-quality releases, due largely to the fact that it was the first game that didn't require knowledge of C programming to make a mod. Unreal 1 featured [=UnrealScript=], which was simpler and less complex than C, and the main game itself was written in [=UnrealScript=], which gave people a strong example to look at. In short, there will be at least one person using a custom model on your map.\\
\\
And if your mod is good enough, this goes even farther, since Epic Games has made in the past many {{Updated Rerelease}}s which included many community-made mods, and, starting from ''2003'', the ''1 Million Dollar Make Something Unreal'' modding contests that have spawned several commercial games like ''VideoGame/KillingFloor'' and ''VideoGame/RedOrchestra''.
* [[ManOfAThousandVoices Girl of a Thousand Voices]]: ''Sioux "[=UnrealGrrl=]" Blue'', who does nearly ALL of the female voices of the Unreal series. May it be a female announcer or a female player, you'll always hear her.
* GreyAndGrayMorality: A common topic on the franchise as a whole. There's no such thing as "100% good" or "100% evil" characters; all of them are guided by their own interests. For example, the Skaarj are militant bastards who enslave weaker species, but all have [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy a sense of honour]].
* LazyArtist: Many of the ''Unreal Tournament'' (and some of the few ''Unreal'') remakes for ''Unreal Tournament 2004'', excluding those from artists such as Yournan or the people behind the "Community Bonus Packs" or the two "Flag Packs", are just direct ports of their original versions, without any visible change in the scale or even the sounds and textures.
** Taken UpToEleven with ports of items from ''Unreal Tournament'' all the way to ''Unreal Tournament III''. They tend to look '''really''' ugly in comparison to the decade-younger graphics of UT3.
* LivingGasbag: The creatures called Gasbags and Giant Gasbags are basically balloons with tiny arms and big eyes, which float towards you slowly and shoot fireballs.
* [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters Loads And Loads Of]] [[strike:[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters Characters]]]] [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters Skins and Models]]: And how!
* PlanetTerra: The Skaarj call humans Terrans.

* WolverinePublicity: Starting from ''Unreal Tournament 2003'', expect to find Malcolm in any and every Unreal game, even if it's just a short cameo.

* GameMod: THE series for mods outside of ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life}}. Both the Singleplayer and multiplayer side of the franchise have seen a large quantity of high-quality releases, due largely to the fact that it was the first game that didn't require knowledge of C programming to make a mod. Unreal 1 featured [=UnrealScript=], which was simpler and less complex than C, and the main game itself was written in [=UnrealScript=], which gave people a strong example to look at. In short, there will be at least one person using a custom model on your map.\\

* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4930/deck161.jpg this]] and [[http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4930/deck161.jpg this]] with [[http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7615/deck17.jpg this]] and [[http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6318/deck1.jpg this]].[[note]]In case you didn't catch the difference, that's the Deck16/17 map in ''Unreal'', ''Unreal Tournament'', ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' and ''Unreal Tournament III''.[[/note]]

* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/4930/deck161.jpg this]] and [[http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4930/deck161.jpg this]] with [[http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7615/deck17.jpg this]] and [[http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6318/deck1.jpg this]].[[hottip:* :In case you didn't catch the difference, that's the Deck16/17 map in ''Unreal'', ''Unreal Tournament'', ''Unreal Tournament 2004'' and ''Unreal Tournament III''.]]

** ''Unreal Anthology'': Unreal Gold + Unreal Tournament GOTY Edition + Unreal II (plus the multiplayer expansion XMP) + Unreal Tournament 2004: ECE Edition. [[hottip:* :Unfortunately, Midway couldn't get the rights to publish the mods.]]

Like many popular FPS series, [[GameMod modding]] potential is a large part of its appeal and success; both the 1P and multi part of the series have seen many releases. Part of the dodgy reception of [=UT2003=] and Unreal 2 is the fact that their modding tools were half-broken. Of particular interest is the fact that all of the original Unreal's assets and textures are available in Unreal Tournament, so with the right mod (along with transferring the music and maps from the original game to the UT folders) it is essentially possible to turn UT into one big "super-game" with a full 1P ''and'' multi component.

The Unreal series fell into obscurity near the end of the last decade, helped along by a number of factors: the rise of team-based / "tactical" shooters (starting with ''VideoGame/{{Counter-Strike}}'' and ending with the current ''[[CallOfDuty Call of]] [[ModernWarfare Modern]] VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'' glut), the overwhelming popularity of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' (which combined the strategic elements of the former with Unreal's action-packed and over-the-top vibe), and EpicGames's recent focus on the ''GearsOfWar'' franchise. However, Epic president Mike Capps is quoted as saying that the franchise is due for a revival. Furthermore, the Unreal {{Game Engine}}s, one for each Tournament, have seen extremely widespread use throughout the gaming industry, with dozens of games, in just about every genre, released using Epic's code. (In comparison, only one game ''ever'' has used the ''HaloCombatEvolved'' engine besides Halo itself--the obscure ''StubbsTheZombie''.)

* [[ExcusePlot Excuse Universe]].
* GameMod: THE series for mods outside of HalfLife. Both the Singleplayer and multiplayer side of the franchise have seen a large quantity of high-quality releases, due largely to the fact that it was the first game that didn't require knowledge of C programming to make a mod. Unreal 1 featured [=UnrealScript=], which was simpler and less complex than C, and the main game itself was written in [=UnrealScript=], which gave people a strong example to look at. In short, there will be at least one person using a custom model on your map.\\

And if your mod is good enough, this goes even far, since Epic Games has done in the past many {{Updated Rerelease}}s which included many community-made mods, and, starting from ''2003'', the ''1 Million Dollar Make Something Unreal'' modding contests that have spawned several commercial games like ''VideoGame/KillingFloor'' and ''RedOrchestra''.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: A common topic on the franchise as a whole. There's no such thing as "100% good" or "100% evil" characters; all of them are guided by their own interests. For example, the Skaarj are bastards, but with [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy a sense of honour]].

* BlindIdiotTranslation: Pretty much any translation to any non-English language is bound to: bugs (which aren't even the game's faults!) inconsistency, (to the point of even translating names!) and non-translated stuff, among other things. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement Let's leave it at that]].

The Unreal series fell into obscurity near the end of the last decade, helped along by a number of factors: the rise of team-based / "tactical" shooters (starting with ''VideoGame/{{Counter-Strike}}'' and ending with the current ''[[CallOfDuty Call of]] [[ModernWarfare Modern]] [[BattlefieldSeries Battlefield]]'' glut), the overwhelming popularity of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' (which combined the strategic elements of the former with Unreal's action-packed and over-the-top vibe), and EpicGames's recent focus on the ''GearsOfWar'' franchise. However, Epic president Mike Capps is quoted as saying that the franchise is due for a revival. Furthermore, the Unreal {{Game Engine}}s, one for each Tournament, have seen extremely widespread use throughout the gaming industry, with dozens of games, in just about every genre, released using Epic's code. (In comparison, only one game ''ever'' has used the ''HaloCombatEvolved'' engine besides Halo itself--the obscure ''StubbsTheZombie''.)

* [[{{ExcusePlot}} Excuse]] [[{{ExcusePlot}} Universe]].

And if your mod is good enough, this goes even far, since Epic Games has done in the past many {{Updated Rerelease}}s which included many community-made mods, and, starting from ''2003'', the ''1 Million Dollar Make Something Unreal'' modding contests that have spawned several commercial games like KillingFloor and RedOrchestra.

* '''VideoGame/{{Unreal I}}'''

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unrealmp6_9197.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:The game which started it all]]

'''Unreal''' is a FirstPersonShooter game made by EpicGames and DigitalExtremes which was released in 1998. It's the first game in the ''{{Unreal}}'' series.

In the game, you are a prisoner being escorted to a planetary prison on a prison vessel, the Vortex Rikers. Then said ship crashes on an unknown planet. You wake up sometime later and escape from the wrecked vessel. However, the planet proves to be anything but safe as you find that the peaceful natives, the four-armed Nali, are subjugated by an extremely violent and technologically advanced insectoid-reptile race: the Skaarj. The Nali texts bring up various references to [[TheChosenOne a messiah]] finally ridding the planet of the Skaarj.

''Unreal'' stuck out from a lot of other FPS games at the time by being more like an adventure game, with less of a focus on combat and action set-pieces (although there are still plenty) and generally very non-linear levels with the onus on you to find out the backstory of the planet and various races on it, as well as having [[SceneryPorn groundbreaking graphics]] and [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome an excellent soundtrack.]] It saw a lot of critical acclaim, however, it was somewhat overshadowed by the release of ''HalfLife'' a few months later and the release of ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'' a year later.

''Unreal'' also had a subsequent ExpansionPack called '''Unreal: Return to Na Pali''', which starts after the events of the original game. You are recruited by the UMS, who gives you more equipment in order to go back to Na Pali and find a crashed ship.

As EpicGames decided to focus on the ''[[VideoGame/UnrealTournament Tournament]]'' side of the franchise, the rights for [[VideoGame/UnrealIITheAwakening a sequel]] were given to another company, LegendEntertainment. As one might expect, the game saw a large change from the original.

!New Translator Message:
[[folder:Gameplay tropes]]
* AbnormalAmmo:
** The Stinger uses shards of Tarydium crystals meant for mining rock.
** The Razorjack uses rotating spiked blades.
** The Biorifle uses the most abnormal ammo of all: toxic, unstable tarydium sludge that gets shot in big blobs.
* ArtificialGill: The SCUBA Gear, available whenever the player must proceed underwater. They have a limited air supply that runs out pretty quickly. The expansion pack features a new one that not only lasts longer, but also recharges whenever surfaced.
* BlatantItemPlacement: In general the game tries to keep this believable, with equipment found on dead bodies, in armouries, [[CargoCult put in boxes by confused Nali]], etc. It gets noticable in the rushed final levels however, where you get the (almost) {{infinite flashlight}} right before [[spoiler: you cut the ship's power, knocking out all the lights]], and a pair of infinite [[InASingleBound jump boots]] just as [[spoiler:you encounter the Skaarj Queen, who can teleport and is the last word in {{Lightning Bruiser}}]]. In ''Return To Na Pali'', the UMS weapons are inside of crates. Some of those crates were thrown with so little aim that they hit hard some of Nali villagers.
* BodyArmorAsHitPoints: Played almost completely straight. Most armour absorbs a constant, high percentage of damage, which is subtracted from the armour's strength instead. Dying with armour is possible only if you were already near death when picking it up; in all other cases it effectively acts as extra health. The shield belt is this trope completely played straight as always takes damage instead of your health.
* DeflectorShields: The player can use "shield belts" which absorb damage until depleted.
* DifficultButAwesome: The Razorjack; it is frequently dismissed as it seems slow (not to mention that the player can [[HoistByHisOwnPetard accidentally]] [[TooDumbToLive behead]] [[WhatAnIdiot himself]] with it, due to the blades' bouncing), and yet once landing headshots with it is mastered it can kill most non-boss enemies with little ammo expenditure, and each pack of ammo is worth a lot (and quite frequent), making it a borderline GameBreaker.
* EvolvingWeapon: The Dispersion Pistol, with many upgrades across the maps. At first, it's just an EmergencyWeapon, but damage increases massively with each upgrade, but so does ammo consumption, and the ammo regenerates '''very slowly.''' Better make your shots count on the higher levels.
* FlechetteStorm: The Stinger.
* GangstaStyle: The alt fire mode for the Automag, with a near 100% corresponding drop in accuracy. Most shots not in melee range will miss.
* GatlingGood: The Minigun, obviously, though its Gatling-ness is rather unusual compared to standard rotary cannons.
* HitScan: The Automag, the Sniper rifle, the Shock rifle and the Minigun. Also the Assault Rifle in ''RTNP''.
* MoreDakka: The Minigun.
* {{Nerf}}: In the earlier versions, when you paired the Dispersion Pistol (no matter its upgrade level) with an Energy Amplifier, the resulting bolt was a one-shot kill against anything but the boss - including the [[GiantMook stone titan]], whose inability to move fast made for ridiculously easy fights. The developers eventually figured out this was undesirable, and a patch vastly reduced the amplified Pistol's power.
* PainfullySlowProjectile:
** The Dispersion pistol. After a few upgrades you can charge a full-power bolt that would one-shot any non-boss enemy, but good luck hitting anything with it.
** The Bio rifle has this by design, as it's more of a toxic-substance vacuum switched to reverse than an actual weapon. It's actually more of a mine-layer than a rifle.
* QuadDamage: The Energy Amplifier.
* SecondaryFire: Every weapon, except the "Sniper" Rifle, which originally had one (mentioned in the manual, no less) but got changed to a poor man's zoom very late in the game's development process. In some cases (like the Flak Cannon) this mode is the more effective one.
* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Weapons fall into two categories - those that trigger the AI's auto dodge, and those that don't. The ones that don't are far more effective (depending on the enemy).
* UseItem
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Single-player tropes]]
* AirVentPassageway: How you get off the Vortex Rikers prison deck in the first level of the first game. If you look closely, [[ForeShadowing you can just about make out a Skaarj]] watching you through the fog from the other end of the tunnel, but he vanishes as an explosion rocks the corridor. The AirVentPassageway also turns up a couple more times in various levels throughout the series, such as ISV Kran, and in the ExpansionPack, the UMS Prometheus, and the Foundry Tarydium plant - in the latter, the vent nearly collapses into lava with you still inside!
* AlienSky: Some of the most breathtaking skies ever seen in a videogame, especially for the time.
* AllUpToYou: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]; your only goal is to survive.
--> ''"Your first priority is to keep your already-battered body in one piece. Failure to achieve this will render any secondary objectives somewhat irrelevant."''
* ArtificialBrilliance: The Skaarj will change their tactics depending on how much health they have left, how many allies they have backing them up, and what weapons are being used against them. For example, if you are using projectiles they will dodge the shots flying at them, whereas if you use a hitscan weapon they will jump out of the firing line before you can pull the trigger.
* ArtificialLimbs: The Mercenaries' [[ArmCannon arm cannons]].
* AlienBlood: The Mercenaries have green blood. Notably, this isn't a form of violence censorship - ''your'' blood, as well as that of other enemies, is quite red.
* ApocalypticLog: Many of the translator messages are these, especially the ones you find aboard the Vortex Rikers and the ISV Kran.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The Skaarj & Krall Elite, also [[spoiler:[[FlyingBrick the Warlords]] and the Skaarj Queen]].
* BadassArmy: The Skaarj.
* BeastOfBattle: The Titans.
* BeePeople: The Skaarj fit the description of the trope, sans the "Bee" aspect. Only the Pupae and the [[HiveQueen Queen]] have any insectoid traits.
* BiggerOnTheInside: For levels set inside the Vortex Rikers, ISV Kran, and Terraniux - done subtly though, as you rarely see the ''whole'' ship up close in any one level to gauge their true size, and they look suitably huge from outside. More blatant in the case of [[spoiler: the Skaarj mothership]], where the final core area consists of wide-open spaces. Averted with the UMS Prometheus, where you move in and out of the ship over the course of the same levels.
* BittersweetEnding:
** In the main game [[spoiler:your character has managed to defeat the baddies and escape, but is now drifting aimlessly in space in an out-of-fuel pod]].
** The expansion pack continues the plot [[spoiler:and gives your character a proper "positive" ending, but when you think about it, the overall situation remains bleak: the Skaarj are still alive and kicking, and though they have failed to defeat you there's a whole planet full of peaceful Nali still waiting to be exploited]]. And then, the remaining Unreal games [[ItGotWorse just made it all worse...]]
* BladeOnAStick: Wielded by the Krall. Their staffs can also [[BoomStick shoot energy bolts]], just for good measure.
* BossInMookClothing: Brute Behemoths, Skaarj Berserkers, and Skaarj Lords.
** DegradedBoss: After your first encounters, you'll start to see these more often.
--> ''"Access denied. The intruder must be eliminated. [[ThisIsGonnaSuck All Warmasters are being routed to this area]] upon arrival from the Source."''
* BreatherLevel: Serpent Canyon, which comes right after the enemy-infested labyrinth that is Cellars at Dasa.
* CallARabbitASmeerp: Nali names for many things - for example starships are "thunderbirds" or "metal chariots", Skaarj are "the demons from the stars" (or just "sky demons"), while [[HumansByAnyOtherName humans]] are "two-armed soft skins". [[CallASmeerpARabbit Inverted]] with the Nali Cow and, appropriately enough, the Nali Rabbit (which looks more like a kiwi). In the level "Temple of Chizra", they put an eightball gun on an altar and call it the [[CargoCult "stick of six fires"]].
* CargoCult: the Nali are a simple, agricultural race that can't quite figure out how the Skaarj could be doing what they do without magical assistance, and therefore immediately [[GodGuise label them as demons from the skies]]. The Nali do have some advanced technology, but it's implied they are [[LostTechnology relics from a long-past era]], whose scientific workings are impenetrable to the race's naive minds. They see such objects as holy relics, and put them on sacred pedestals, accessing which involves holy rituals.
* TheChosenOne: One of the Nali diaries specifically mentions a saviour ''princess'', which does raise questions if you're playing as a male character, although it should be noted that the original plan for the game contained only a female PC, with male options being added later. And not only does the Nali depiction of the lightning goddess Vandora look human (apart from the 4 arms), she has the exact same hair and face as Sonya, minus the respirator mask.
* CollapsingLair: As [[spoiler:Prisoner 849's escape pod flies out of the Skaarj mothership]]. Possibly justified by the damage that the escaped prisoners will be wreaking after 849 turned off all the force-fields.
* ConvectionSchmonvection
* ConveyorBeltODoom: Foundry Tarydium Plant, in ''Return To Na Pali''.
--> ''"It has been 0 days since our last accident"''
* CoolStarship: The Vortex Rikers prison vessel, the ISV-Kran, and, of course, the Skaarj Mothership. From ''RTNP'' there's also the UMS Bodega Bay and the UMS Prometheus.
* DeadlyRotaryFan: Found in the Deathmatch level [=DmDeathFan=].
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: Due to the ability of the AI to dodge nearly everything you throw at it (Skaarj especially), in many cases CherryTapping something to death with the Automag is the most effective solution.
* DefensiveFeintTrap: Injured Skaarj and Krall will sometimes retreat to lure you into an ambush.
* DeflectorShields: The Mercenaries have one which grants temporary invulnerability, and the Skaarj trooper class have an arm-mounted version.
* DoomedHometown: Many Nali villages on the first Unreal game as well. In fact, the entire planet Na Pali can count as a whole Doomed Planet, since even after the events of [=RTNP=] [[spoiler:there are still Skaarj on the planet]].
* DownerEnding: The level "Bluff Eversmoking" definitely ends badly. [[spoiler:you spend the entirety of it reading diary entries of a human woman who's running from the Skaarj, determined to survive whatever it takes, and it's subtly implied you might finally find an ally in her. You don't. When you find her at the end of the level, she's quite dead]].
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: Outpost 3J. Judging by the interior bearing no resemblance to the ship's external shape, and the length of the tunnel that [[spoiler: prisoner 849's escape pod flies through to get out in the closing cutscene]], there's also one of these under the Skaarj Mothership (the various teleporters presumably take you in and out of it). Well, either that or the Skaarj have [[BiggerOnTheInside TARDIS technology]].
* ElectronicSpeechImpediment: A good indication of just how screwed the Vortex Rikers is, the computer voice starts playing up.
* EliteMooks: The aptly-named Krall Elite and Mercenary Elite.
* EmpireWithADarkSecret: Locations such as Dark Arena, Velora Temple and Nali Castle, as well as some LostTechnology including very deadly weapons, suggest a darker, more violent side to the Nali's past, the effects of which possibly led them to become the spiritual, pacifist race they are.
* EnemyCivilWar: Can happen if a monster accidentally shoots another in the back.
** Skaarj Berserkers will fight with just about anybody.
** The Skaarj and the Mercenaries don't get on either, judging by the Skaarj scout standing over a dead Mercenary and trying to find a way into the Terraniux when you reach the ship.
** The Mercenary prisoners in the Skaarj mothership. One assumes that the Skaarj were looking to eliminate the Mercs along with everyone else who crashed on Na Pali to protect the secret of their presence on the planet.
** There's also "Cellars at Dasa", where a bunch of Krall (who normally have teamwork as their [[PlanetOfHats hat]]) jump out and start fighting a Titan.
** A Skaarj scientist finds out [[UnstoppableRage the downside]] of supercharging test subjects with tarydium in the Mothership Lab.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Mercenaries.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: One of the Skaarj melee moves is a SpinAttack. The Krall will sometimes twirl their staffs before firing, or when idle.
* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Some of the wildlife wandering around Na Pali is harmless, but if you look at their scripting in the LevelEditor, even they are set to "Attitude to Player: Hate." This is lampshaded by the [[AntiHero Prisoner 849]] in the intermission at the end of "Velora Pass" in ''[=RTNP=]'':
--> ''"I'm glad I made it out of there. I'm used to being bitten, hacked, shot, stabbed or blown up, but in there I could have been crushed, sliced, diced, or... skewered! Whoever built that place must have been a real sadist."''
* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:The UMS crew trying to kill the player]] in ''Return To Na Pali''.
* FacelessGoons: The Mercenaries, and the UMS space marines in ''RTNP''.
* FloatingContinent: Multiple floating islands, one of which ("Na Pali Haven") you actually get to visit.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: The translator messages often make reference to future levels, even ones some distance down the line.
** The Sunspire you visit about halfway through the game is also clearly visible in many other levels' skyboxes.
* FrictionlessIce:
** The multiplayer map DM-Tundra has an area, where you find the Shock Rifle in a frozen lake.
** The level "Gala's Peak", from ''RTNP'', features this in a bridge, though you can keep from accidentally falling off a ledge by crouching.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** In "Bluff Eversmoking", there's a log with one:
--> ''"Jailer Hrang of the Red Hand Tribe: We have captured a Terran girl. Some of my soldiers want to try and ''take liberties with her''. I guess that's OK as long as they watch those boots! She kicked my in the ''hrangos'' last time."''
** Later, by the same author:
--> ''"I am in DEEP SHIT. If captain [[BadBoss Duk'choroth]] comes and finds out [[spoiler: I let her escape]], I'll be de-hrango'd for sure!"''
*** And then subverted: later on a Nali diary describing the same incident reveals that "hrangos" are teeth, not testicles.[[hottip:* : Which kind of makes more sense, as this means that the jailer's name translates as "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Fang]]" and not "[[FailOSuckyName Balls]]"]]
** Another log, in "Dasa Mountain Pass", shows that even Kralls [[TeethClenchedTeamwork don't want to work together]]:
--> ''"Bridge Foreman Khan Vhranna: I've about had it with Grok Vhul'rath. He's such a pompous ''son-of-a-'''Bulrach''' ''. If he makes us fix the drawbridge one more time in the rain, I'm going to ''bust his face in''."''
* GrimyWater: The Terraniux levels had several areas full of greeny water.
* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: The Krall can occasionally be seen sleeping, talking or playing dice while on duty.
* HandCannon: The Brutes dual-wield ''rocket launchers'' as pistols.
* HiveQueen: [[spoiler:The Skaarj Queen]].
* ImprovisedWeapon: Many of the weapons in the game, like the Stinger, were not weapons to begin with and adapted into such.
* ItsPronouncedTroPAY: The "j" in Skaarj is silent, although we only find this out in the expansion pack as no-one in the original game says the word aloud.
* [[KickTheDog Kick The Nali]]: Every sentient enemy in the game, and even [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential the player]] if you so choose.
** There's a situation in Chizra's temple where you have the option of murdering a Nali priest to get the superhealth he's levitating over. [[spoiler:Although there is another solution - you can lure the Slith closer to scare him off the platform.]]
* KingMook: The large, psychotic Skaarjs with glowing "pseudoinvisibility" effects fought near the end. [[spoiler:There's a fourth (orange) one that escapes from the Mothership Lab, though you don't actually have to fight that one]]. They were all part of an [[GoneHorriblyRight experiment]] to mutate Skaarj with tarydium so they would have natural energy shields. Unfortunately it had the side effect of sending them into {{Unstoppable Rage}}, so they were locked up. [[spoiler:Of course, once Prisoner 849 [[NiceJobBreakingItHero destroys the generator]] powering the forcefields...]]
** ''Return To Na Pali'' has an unusually large, 15 foot tall Skaarj Lord with double the normal amount of health as a surprise boss at the end of the [[spoiler: "Bounds of Foundry"]] level.
* LastBreathBullet: The warlords ''attempt'' to do this to the player as part of their death animation. Similarly, if a Skaarj warrior is decapitated he will swipe blindly at the air with his claws before falling down.
* LateToTheParty: Happens repeatedly. Though you sometimes ''hear'' other survivors being killed, the closest thing you see to another living human is a body being thrown across a corridor by a Brute. Or possibly [[spoiler:the captain of the Vortex Rikers]], who spasms and dies as you approach.
* LethalLavaLand: The level where you fight against a Warlord for the first time.
* LightningBruiser: All types of Skaarj.
* LockedOutOfTheFight: In the first level - which is just as well as you have no weapon at the time.
* MegaCorp: Inuit, the company that owned the ISV Kran.
* MercyKill: Putting crucified Nali out of their misery is [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential occasionally rewarded]].
* MissionPackSequel: ''Return to Na Pali'' starts where ''Unreal'' left.
* MisguidedMissile: [[spoiler:The player pulls this on the UMS Bodega Bay in the closing cutscene of RTNP.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Nice job [[spoiler:killing the Skaarj Queen and starting the Human-Skaarj wars]].
* NonActionGuy: The Nali as an entire race are this. Although you find several dead Nali with weapons next to them, and some Skaarj logs make reference to "rebellious activity", which suggest that at least some of them are actively fighting back. The novel ''Prophet's Power'' based on the game develops this idea further.
* NoodleIncident: To this day, the reasons of his/her imprisonment are still unknown.
* NoOSHACompliance:
--> ''"It has been 0 days since our last accident."''
* NotQuiteDead: Possibly, [[spoiler: the Warlord]], assuming the one in RTNP is the same one you "killed" aboard the Skaarj Mothership.
* OffscreenTeleportation: Some of the enemy spawners indeed only spawn enemies when you're not looking into the particular spawner. Bodies of slain enemies only disappear when your back is turned.
* OhCrap: Your first encounter with a Skaarj. [[spoiler:You're happily walking along to get back to your objective, in a passage you've already crossed with no enemy activity whatsoever, and suddenly the lights start going out, one by one. You can't run, because the corridor is now blocked. You start to hear grunting noises. This is where you say the trope, right before a whirring mass of blades and hurt dives straight for your face.]]
* OneBulletClips: Notably averted by the Automag (oddly, the only gun in the game that needs to periodically stop firing to reload). You don't have a reload key, so the automag simply gets reloaded when it's out of bullets. If you hear the telltale "click" that signals the clip is down to five rounds, and you know there's a big fight coming, this forces you to change weapons to force a reload.
--> ''"Try to keep track of how many bullets are left in a clip. Attempting to change clips with a pissed off Skaarj in your face is not advised."''
* PainfullySlowProjectile: Gasbag fireballs and Titan rocks (just as well, because the latter is a {{one hit kill}}). Other weapons vary, but most can be dodged if your reflexes are fast enough. Averted by Mercenaries (with their machine gun alt fire) and by certain Skaarj troopers, who use the same hitscan weapons the player can use. Too bad for you...
** The Skaarj are also aware of this trope and will ''dodge'' your projectile weapons!
* PrisonShip: You start out on a crashed prison transport named "Vortex Rikers".
* PlayingPossum: Skaarj do this on occasion. However [[spoiler:the fact that they lie in a different position when faking makes it quite easy to tell if they are "really" dead or not]].
* PoweredArmour: The Mercenaries and Skaarj Troopers in ''Unreal'', and the UMS space marines in RTNP.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Arguably, the Skaarj:
--> ''"Vigilance is the guardian of honour."''
* SceneryPorn: The game that started it all. The first level fools you into thinking it's just another shooter in enclosed spaces with prettier graphics (for the time). The second level... doesn't. If you played the game without first reading reviews of it, the surprise was mindblowing. Lush vegetation, colourful moving skies, animals hopping and flying about, and the sheer ''size'' of all the scenery was something completely unseen for the day, along with some perfectly fitting music to set the mood. It remained exclusive to ''Unreal'' for a while, too.
* ShaggyDogStory: Despite the Prisoner 849 [[OneManArmy rampaging across the planet]] [[spoiler:twice]], and [[spoiler:killing a Skaarj Queen and [[NotQuiteDead two]] Warlord leaders]], along with various references to being [[TheChosenOne the Nali's Savior]], the ''Tournament'' games, which, according to WordOfGod, are set several years after, still reference the Skaarj hunting Nali. Not to mention that [[spoiler:the resultant declaration of war against humanity devastated their colonies, and Earth itself]].
* SpaceElevator: well... not really ''space'', more like high stratosphere. Then again, it's not perfectly clear how orbits work in Na Pali. An anti-gravitational one (no cables) carries people to the floating islands from the...
* StarScraper: the Sunspire is an incredibly tall building, so tall it's visible in the sky in other levels. Its purpose is to serve as a starting point for the SpaceElevator that brings people up to the floating islands.
* StockScream: In the first level, many screams sound like you've heard them numerous times. The air vent filled with green fog is especially flooded with them.
* StormingTheCastle: The last levels of the original game requires you to [[spoiler:do a raid on the Skaarj Mothership and terminate the Skaarj Queen]].
* SuperWindowJump: A Skaarj gets the drop on you this way in [[spoiler:the Sunspire]].
* TechFu: The Mercenaries, who wear {{powered armour}}, wield a rocket-launcher/minigun combo on [[ArmCannon one arm]] and sport personal {{deflector shields}}.
** Arguably, the player, who's helpless without the guns and pickups found within the game. Poor [[PunyEarthlings Prisoner 849]] isn't really going to get very far in a fist fight against [[MightyGlacier Brutes]], [[LightningBruiser Skaarj]], [[HollywoodCyborg Mercenaries]] or a [[TheJuggernaut Titan]]. Next to a sketch of a Brute in the ''Unreal'' manual:
--> ''"Franco tried to go toe-to-toe with this thing. At least he died quickly."''
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: The Kralls aren't happy of working alongside of the Skaarj, as a log shows up in the Bluff Eversmoking level:
--> ''"Shipping Log: Grorq of the Red Hand Tribe. I am really getting sick with the way the Skaarj are treating us. Constantly bossing us around and making us watch over their pathetic Nali Slaves. My troops are getting sick of this situation."''
* TeleFrag: The expansion features a level with no exit - until an enemy is teleported into a wall.
* ThereWasADoor: The [[MightyGlacier Brutes]] are fond of this. [[spoiler:In their first appearance in Nyleve's Falls, a Brute smashes its way through a door behind you (which is sneaky as you'll more likely be focused on the Brute ''in front'' of you that has just thrown a human survivor against the wall and [[LudicrousGibs annihilated him with a volley of rockets]]). In Foundry Tarydium Plant, a Brute bursts through a ROCK WALL to get at you.]]
* TheUnreveal: What exactly is the "Talon Project", the top-secret data you are sent to retrieve from the UMS Prometheus in RTNP? Who knows, because [[spoiler:Prisoner 849 flies off into the sunset with it, and s/he isn't telling.]]
* UselessUsefulStealth: Played straight and [[AvertedTrope averted]]. The invisibility power-up is great for sneaking past Titans (although some of the Titans you face in the game are part of unavoidable [[BossBattle boss battles]], natch) but never seems to work on more intelligent enemies like Skaarj.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: The Nali. The fact that keeping them alive usually results in them leading you a valuable item (or sometimes a shortcut) doesn't hurt either.
* WeWillMeetAgain: Your first encounter with [[spoiler:the Skaarj Warlord]], where [[spoiler: after being defeated, he just taunts you and teleports away. However, he appears to be KilledOffForReal aboard the Skaarj mothership.]] It's possible that he survived that too, though, as you fight another [[spoiler: Warlord]] on the final level in ''Return To Na Pali'', just before the end.
* WolverineClaws (with occasional {{Energy Ball}}s): The weapon of choice for the Skaarj warrior class.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Character tropes]]
* {{AFGNCAAP}}: In ''Return To Na Pali'', the intermission voice changes depending on the character you choose. You can choose to be:
--> [[WalkingShirtlessScene Shirtless]] guy with {{Bald of Awesome}} (Kurgan)
--> {{Tattooed Crook}} (Carter)
--> [[SmokingIsCool Smoker]] with {{Nice Hat}} (Ash)
--> {{Husky Russkie}} (Ivan)
--> Guy with {{Badass Mustache}} (Kristoph)
--> Roguish guy with [[BeardOfEvil badass beard]] (Dante)
--> {{Scary Black Man}} (Dregor)
--> [[RedHeadedHero Red-haired]] guy with celtic war paint (Krige)
--> Guy with [[EyepatchOfPower bionic eye]] (Bane)
--> {{Action Girl}} (Gina) [[hottip:* :In fact, due to her being the "default" player character, some might consider that she's the main character of the game.]]
--> Blonde {{Action Girl}} (Tamika)
--> {{Action Girl}} with [[PowerTattoo eye-framing tattoo]] (Nikita)
--> [[FieryRedhead Red-haired]] {{Badass Spaniard}} (Raquel)
--> {{Heroic Albino}} (Drace)
--> [[TallDarkAndBishoujo Dark-haired]] girl with [[CoolMask cool respirator]] (Sonya)
--> [[ManInTheIronMask Girl in the]] [[strike: iron]] [[HollywoodCyborg bionic]] [[ManInTheIronMask mask]] (Dimitra)
--> {{Pale Skinned Brunette}} (Katryn)
* ArtificialLimbs:
** Kurgan has a bionic leg.
** Dimitra seems to have most of her face covered in a bionic mask.
* CoolMask: Sonya wears a respirator.
* TheHero
** AntiHero
** HeroicMime: ''Return To Na Pali'' at least have the Intermission cutscenes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Misc tropes]]
* CaptainObvious: The first game holds the Guinness World Record for "First Game to be Created Using the Unreal Engine."
* LemonyNarrator: The manual, as several of the quotes on this page demonstrate.
* MuzzleFlashlight: Many projectiles glow, but the Dispersion Pistol is the weapon best suited to it because it regenerates its ammo.
* ShoutOut: Check [[ShoutOut/{{Unreal}} the page]].
* UpdatedRerelease: ''Unreal Gold'', which is basically the same game in the ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'' revision of Unreal Engine 1 and bundled with ''Return to Na Pali''.
[[/folder]]

*** And then subverted: later on a Nali diary describing the same incident reveals that [[AccidentalInnuendo "hrangos" are teeth, not testicles]].[[hottip:* : Which kind of makes more sense, as this means that the jailer's name translates as "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Fang]]" and not "[[FailOSuckyName Balls]]"]]

As EpicGames decided to focus on the "[[VideoGame/UnrealTournament Tournament]]" side of the franchise, the rights for [[VideoGame/UnrealIITheAwakening a sequel]] were given to another company, LegendEntertainment. As one might expect, the game saw a large change from the original.

'''Unreal''' is a FirstPersonShooter game made by EpicGames and DigitalExtremes which was released in 1998. It's the first game in the {{Unreal}} series.

In the game, you are a prisoner being escorted to a planetary prison on a prison vessel, the Vortex Rikers. Then, said ship crashes on an unknown planet. You wake up sometime later and escape from the wrecked vessel. (sometimes after various other survivors) However, the planet proves to be anything but safe as you find that the peaceful natives, the four-armed Nali, are subjugated by an extremely violent and technologically advanced insectoid-reptile race: the Skaarj. The Nali texts bring up various references to [[TheChosenOne a messiah]] finally ridding the planet of the Skaarj.

Unreal stuck out from a lot of other FPS games at the time by being more like an adventure game, with less of a focus on combat and action set-pieces (although there are still plenty) and generally very non-linear levels with the onus on you to find out the backstory of the planet and various races on it, as well as having groundbreaking graphics and an excellent soundtrack. It saw a lot of critical acclaim, however, it was somewhat overshadowed by the release of HalfLife a few months later and the release of VideoGame/UnrealTournament a year later.

Unreal also had a subsequent ExpansionPack called '''Unreal: Return to Na Pali''', which starts after the events of the original game. You are recruited by the UMS, who gives you more equipment in order to go back to Na Pali and find a crashed ship.

* PainfullySlowProjectile: Gasbag fireballs and Titan rocks (just as well because the latter is a {{one hit kill}}). Other weapons vary, but most can be dodged if your reflexes are fast enough. Averted by Mercenaries (with their machine gun alt fire) and by certain Skaarj troopers, who use the same hitscan weapons the player can use. Too bad for you...

* SceneryPorn: the game that started it all. The first level fools you into thinking it's just another shooter in enclosed spaces with prettier graphics (for the time). The second level... doesn't. If you played the game without first reading reviews of it, the surprise was mindblowing. Lush vegetation, colourful moving skies, animals hopping and flying about, and the sheer ''size'' of all the scenery was something completely unseen for the day. It remained exclusive to Unreal for a while, too.
* ShaggyDogStory: Despite the Prisoner 849 [[OneManArmy rampaging across the planet]] [[spoiler:twice]], and [[spoiler:killing a Skaarj Queen and [[NotQuiteDead two]] Warlord leaders]], along with various references to being [[TheChosenOne the Nali's Savior]], the Tournament games, which, according to WordOfGod, are set several years after, still reference the Skaarj hunting Nali. Not to mention that [[spoiler:the resultant declaration of war against humanity devastated their colonies, and Earth itself]].

* AirVentEscape: How you get off the Vortex Rikers prison deck in the first level of the first game. If you look closely, [[ForeShadowing you can just about make out a Skaarj]] watching you through the fog from the other end of the tunnel, but he vanishes as an explosion rocks the corridor. The AirVentEscape also turns up a couple more times in various levels throughout the series, such as ISV Kran, and in the ExpansionPack, the UMS Prometheus, and the Foundry Tarydium plant - in the latter, the vent nearly collapses into lava with you still inside!