TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open
Tropes Media Reviews Popular Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Browse Tools
Cut List Image Fixer New Edits New Articles Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug Terms Of Service
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

Dress Up! Time Princess
Following

Go To

Dress Up! Time Princess (Video Game)

Time Princess (formerly Dress Up! Time Princess) is a mobile dress-up game with RPG Elements by IGG Inc. for iOS and Android devices.

Visiting her grandfather's house over the summer break, the player character finds a mysterious lectern in her mother's old room. Through the books upon the lectern, she finds herself transported into their stories, stepping into the shoes of each tale's heroine. Across tales ranging from Arabic folklore to 18th-century France to Prohibition-Era New York, she must find her way through the story and hope her choices will lead to a happy ending.

     Stories Available to Play In Game 
  • "Queen Marie" - The tale of the tragic French queen, Marie Antoinette, and the events leading up to the French Revolution.
    • "Figaro Fever" - A sub-story regarding the controversy surrounding The Marriage of Figaro.
    • "The Affair of the Necklace" - A sub-story about the infamous Diamond Necklace Affair.
    • "A Servant's Resolve" - A sub-story about the Marquis de Lafayette through the eyes of Alfred, a palace servant.
    • "The King's Mistress" - A sub-story focused on Marie's marriage with Louis.
    • "A Precious Friend" - A sub-story detailing the backstory of how Marie and Gabrielle became best friends.
    • "Fated Encounter" - A sub-story about Marie's first meeting with Fersen.
  • "Magic Lamp" - An "Arabian Nights" Days tale about a young woman who discovers a magic lamp and is tasked with finding a lost gem.
    • "The Western Wall" - Light and Gina try to resolve an old man's regrets by finding out what happened to the woman he loved and lost.
    • "Mysterious Island" - Gina joins Sinbad on one of his many adventures.
    • "The Poet" - Kahir meets a poet who he invites to the palace.
  • "Gotham Memoirs" - A mystery set at the tail end of The Roaring '20s. Intrepid reporter Elizabeth Colvin enters a world of conspiracy, corruption, and organized crime as she works to solve the mystery surrounding a dead woman and her missing child.
    • "For the Love of Flying" - Before her interview with Elizabeth, Charlotte Harris looks back on her journey to becoming a pilot.
  • "Swan Lake" - A gender-flipped twist on the classic ballet, in which a brave princess must endeavor to break the curse and save the swan prince.
  • "Helen of Sparta" - A story based on Greek myth, featuring the adventures of a princess, her bodyguard, and the god Apollo.
  • "Romy and Julius" - A gender-flipped adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
    • "The Red Rose" - While visiting her family country villa, Romy learns about the tragic story of the original Romeo and Juliet.
  • "Shadows of London" - A mystery set in Victorian London. Caroline Rayes arrives in the city to receive her introduction to polite society, just as an outbreak of a strange "disease" sparks rumors and stirs up memories of the strange deaths of her parents over a decade earlier.
    • "The Nightmare's End" - The story of how Edward first met Jesse.
  • "Little Women" - A loose adaptation of part of the classic novel, following Jo March as she attempts to make it as a writer in New York.
  • "Phantom of the Opera" - A loose adaptation of the legendary novel and musical.
  • "Taisho Adventures" - An original story set in Taisho Era Japan, an orphan turns to thievery to change her fortunes but gets caught up in a greater conspiracy.
  • "Saga of Viera" - An original story set in a fantasy universe, the protagonist is a con woman desperately searching for a way to break a curse that will end her life.
    • "Bottle of Blessings" - When Salvia's powers start weakening, she and Zoya head off to find a treasure said to grant wishes.
  • "Tang Dynasty Hunter" - An original story set in ancient China, the protagonist is a demon hunter looking for a way to save her master from a tragic fate.
    • "The Jade Pillow" - Years after the main story’s ending, Yujin is tasked with finding out what happened to a missing noble’s daughter.
  • "Si-Woo's Sight" - An supernatural adventure set in Korea. A hopeful K-Pop trainee discovers she has the ability to see ghosts.
    • "Wishful Wonderland" - Si-Woo and Jin-Hyuk team up to help a little girl's spirit in an amusement park.
  • "Princess Sissi" - The tale of the future Empress Elisabeth of Austria as she gets caught in the fight between Austrians and Hungarians.
  • "White Snake" - An adaptation of a Chinese legend about Bai Suzhen, a snake spirit seeking to become immortal by doing good deeds.
  • "Dancing on Ice" - The story of a figure skater trying to regain her glory after being accused of doping.
    • "Illusions of Ice" - A flashback of Honda's days in the Romani Club.
  • "Have You Seen Claudia?" - A mystery set during Chicago 1893 World Fair. A young architect begins a search for her missing friend.
  • "Whisper of The Rain" - Taking place during Japan's depression, a homeless girl finds an abandoned baby and soon discovers upon a deeper conspiracy.
  • "Cleopatra" - The tale of the famous Pharaoh of Egypt as she tries to take her throne back from her brother.
  • "The Sacred Beast" - An Persian inspired story where a girl befriends the fearsome manticore.
    • "Empire of Flames" - A look into the thoughts of Ezra during the story.
  • "Ancient Dreams" - The story of an antique restorer in China able to communicate with the spirits within them.
  • "Ghost Manor" - The story of a young app designer who inherits a haunted house and must help the ghosts that dwell in it to find peace.
  • "Kingdom of Beasts" - A fantasy story set in a world with half beasts and a girl caught in the middle of a brewing conflict.
    • "The Heir's Secret" - A look into Cyrus' childhood.
    • "Homecoming and Rebirth" - Aaron and Dahlia begin their efforts to help the other half-beasts.
  • "House of Horrors" - A woman wakes up in a old mansion with no memories of who she is. More worryingly, there's something very odd about the house...
    • "Wish" - A deeper look into Anson's backstory.
  • "Spring Sonata" - The story of a music prodigy enlisted into a prestigious academy.
  • "Trendy Times" - Taking place in the era before the Great Depression, an orphaned fashion designer dreams of one day making pants for women.
  • "Gourmet's Journey" - Set in Ancient China, a talented girl sets out to become Imperial Chef to find her father.
    • "General Meow" - Siqueing's cat grows jealous when Waizhou starts stealing his owner's attention.
  • "Miss Kitty's Antiques" - A supernatural story about a cat yokai crossing paths with a murderer.
    • "Timeless Love" - The story of Yuta and his lost love.
  • "Hela's Compass" - A science fiction tale about a voyage crew's encounters with the supernatural.
  • "Golden Age" - An art curator discovers a magic museum pamphlet that allows her to travel through time to the various art periods.
  • "The Perfect Storm" - Set during the Golden Age of Piracy, a young aristocrat runs away from home in pursuit of treasure and glory.
    • "The Requiem Lantern" - After Read is poisoned, Cordelia and Keats head out to the mysterious Ghost Island to find a cure, only to discover there's more to the Abyssal Lantern than they thought.
  • "Code: Whalefall" - A science fiction tale about an amnesiac girl looking to find her past and stop a war.
  • "Moving Mountains" - A nobleman's daughter tries to carve her own fate as the country struggles in the aftermath of a flood.
    • "Hearts of Gold" - The story of how Shen met Wen Rou.
  • "Sisters of the Sea" - Inspired by the legend of the Little Mermaid, a mermaid trades her tail for legs in order to find her sister.
  • "The Apothecary" - A young apothecary trying not to lose her shop discovers corruption in her own guild.
    • "The Fourth Story" - Tate and Emelia continue their adventures.
  • "Lunar Legend" - Set in a steampunk fantasy, a girl with no memories encounters a cursed werewolf.
    • "Where the Magic Leads" - A look into Baldwin's past.
  • "The Moravia Express" - A businesswoman sets out to find out the truth behind an actress' death.
    • "Survivor" - Chloe's story continues.
  • "Dominic's Disappearance" - A girl disguises as a boy at a prestigious academy to find out what really happened to her brother.
  • "Heartwood Mysteries" - Set in 1920s London, the story follows a private investigator investigating an attempted murder.
  • "Mysteries of Zentico" - The story of a police officer in the volcanic town of Zentico.
  • "Showdown at Glitter Rise" - A western tale.
  • "Magpie Tower" - The story of a girl helping out those cast out by society.
  • "Infinite Shimmer" - A sci-fi romance set in a post apocalyptic future where a heartbroken love psychologist is sent to study an AI that goes beyond their programming.
    • "The Algorithm to Happiness" - An epilogue set after Theos' ending.
  • "The Underground City: Stirring Shadows" - A dystopian tale set in an underground world.
  • "Twilight's Crown" - A newly crowned queen tries to rule her kingdom when a terrible beast appears.
  • "On The Run" - A ordinary woman is forced to become a fugitive after she becomes the lead suspect of a high profile murder case.
  • "Alice: Ideal Wonderland" - An adaptation of the classic novel, where Alice enters Wonderland to find her missing sister Lily.
  • "Vengeance of the Witch" - The sole survivor of a demonic clan sets out for revenge.
  • "A Cat and Dog Affair" - An animal psychologist develops the ability to speak to pets, and soon finds herself looking for what happened to her old friend.
  • "Mirror of Masks" - A murder mystery set in the glittering world of Hollywood.
  • "Coming Calamities" - A take on Norse Mythology, a young maiden finds herself entangled in the coming of Raganrok.

Dress Up! Time Princess contains examples of the following tropes:

    open/close all folders 

     Non-story specific tropes 
  • And Your Reward Is Clothes: As expected in a dress-up game, clothes or the blueprints to craft new clothes are the reward for many in-game tasks, such as clearing a story stage with a perfect score for the first time or increasing the favor level of a companion to a new rank.
  • Betty and Veronica: Most of the books have two main love interests that usually fit this role.
    • The most notable is Aldous (the Swan Prince and Signy's childhood friend) and Audwin (the Owl Sorcerer) from "Swan Lake".
    • "Gotham Memoirs" has Edmund Davis, fellow reporter and owner of the Gotham Times, and Vittorio, a Mafia member.
    • "Saga of Viera" gives us Reuel, a Light Elf priest, and Salvia, a Dark Elf assassin who's often seen with a weapon in hand.
    • "House of Horrors" plays with it. Anson is introduced as a friendly and honest man who helps Rae adjust to the house, while Zacharias' first appearance has him destroying things upstairs and wearing a dark trenchcoat. It then turns out Anson is an unstable Yandere who kidnapped Rae to the mansion in the first place, whereas Zacharias is actually Rae's childhood friend.
  • Darker and Edgier: Books like Shadows of London and Gotham Memoirs have warnings for that these are for much mature players.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness:
    • The first three books have five companion characters to raise goodwill for, each providing relics, keepsakes, and blueprints as rewards for increased goodwill ranks. Since some story stages require a specific companion to be at a certain minimum goodwill, these books require a lot of grinding for companion gift materials to unlock all of the stages. Beginning with "Swan Lake," the number of companions for each book was pared down to two or three - probably to reduce the grind, but some players weren't happy with the loss of the extra rewards and the ability to interact, even superficially, with more of the cast of each story.
    • The game's framing device of the player becoming different protagonists is always a major game mechanic. However, only "Queen Marie" makes heavy use of this as part of its narrative, with the protagonists awareness of Marie's fate being a major conflict. This story was the original starting book, hence its heavy emphasis on explaining the mechanic. Past this book, while a few stories such as "Magic Lamp" and "Gotham Memoirs" show a short introduction of the protagonist acclimating to the world of the book and the character they're inhabiting, there are no further references to the protagonist after this. The storybook introduction is absent starting with "Swan Lake" onward. As now three books are able to be accessed by new players, "Queen Marie" really stands out since its the only one of the three introductory stories that actually makes heavy use of the framing device.
    • Earlier books tended to have Lucky Jerry or side story exclusive sets that were recolours of ones obtainable by blueprint. Later books abandoned this and gave every set its own design and concept.
  • Gorgeous Period Dress: The main justification for the premise is to show off lots of fashions across a variety of different periods and themes.
  • Heroic Lineage: The player character's grandmother was a powerful Traveler.
  • Left Hanging: "Helen of Sparta" ends on a cliffhanger without happy ending routes, but to date has not had new chapters added to complete the storylines. Other 1-chapter books have seen releases in the time since these books were released.
  • Mental Time Travel: Each book causes the player character to occupy the role of the story's heroine, with some of the earlier books also showing that she goes through a period of adjustment to each new setting where she has to figure out who she is now and starts acquiring the personality and memories of the book's protagonist.
  • Multiple Endings: There are anywhere from three to twelve main endings possible for each story, as well as several more premature "minor" endings.
  • Palette Swap:
    • Several sets from "Queen Marie", "Gotham Memoirs", and "Swan Lake", as well as one from "Romy and Julius", have recoloured versions obtainable from Lucky Jerry, side stories, or in the case of Night Flight, as a purchase reward.
    • Every Society clothing set comes in two colour schemes.
    • Custom Couture runs on this. Most of the customizable clothes are blank white versions of existing pieces in the game, that the player can add colours and designs of their choosing onto.
  • Portal Book: The magic book transports the player character into a role within the story she reads, obliging her to live through the story and try to reach a happy ending through her choices.
  • Princess Protagonist: A rather common feature in the stories, probably because it allows for lots of pretty dresses, gloves, and crowns to collect. "Swan Lake", "Helen of Sparta", "Princess Sissi", and "Sisters of the Sea" all star princesses. "Miss Kitty's Antiques" has this as a reveal. One ending of "Magic Lamp" lets the protagonist become one by marrying Kahir. "Twilight's Crown" has a queen protagonist whose coronation takes place near the beginning of the story.
  • Rainbow Pimp Gear: Pressing the "Recommended" button to automatically throw together the highest scoring clothes for a stage can lead to ridiculous combinations.
  • Reward for Removal: Sending away a pet rewards you with Feed, although you do lose Kitty Fame points if the cat in question is not new. The reward depends on the age and rarity of the kitten.
  • The Scapegoat: Before Sasha was born, a mad witch prophesied that she would bring disaster. As a result, when her mother, a Traveler, went missing, and her father began to neglect his dyehouse and then left, people blamed her for it, and now they believe she brings misfortune everywhere she goes and are subsequently hostile towards her.
  • Sealed Good in a Can: The previous queen of the Story Kingdom sealed herself alongside the Regrets of Time.
  • Time-Travel Romance: Romance isn't quite the main focus in most books, but a good many story paths involve forming a close relationship with one or the other of each book's possible love interests all the same. It really hits this trope during the branches of "Queen Marie" that focus on the Marquis de Lafayette - unlike Fersen, whose star-crossed romance with Marie Antoinette was already established before the events of the story, the narration suggests that the player character's feelings for Lafayette are much more her own than Marie's, and Lafayette's "Sail into the Future" ending has Marie assuming the player character's own name for her new life together with him in America.

     Event Stories 
  • Christmas Episode: The Christmas Tales, Winter Wishes, and Saint Nicholas' Gift Of Redemption stories.
  • Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Carmen wants to be a flamenco dancer against her mother's wishes, who wants her to study medicine as a more stable job. As it turns out, so did her mother, who wanted her to inherit the family farm.
  • Internal Deconstruction: The Mauritshuis collaboration limited story canonizes that the game's protagonist has PTSD from the events of the storybooks she's entered, and brings up the identity issues that would result from her taking on the personality and memories of each character she shares a body and mind with.
  • Massive Multiplayer Crossover: Many of the event stories feature companions from multiple books meeting.
  • My Greatest Second Chance: Carmen's grandmother didn't support her own daughter's dreams which led them to being estranged. That's why she's supportive of Carmen's dreams, because she at least wants to be a good grandmother.
  • Precision F-Strike: Cortland says "ass" in the 2024 Christmas event story.
  • Valentine's Day Episode: The limited edition Valentine's Dance and Love Stories events.

    Queen Marie and sub-stories 
  • Artistic License – History: For a game that is surprisingly good about showing its work, there's almost zero mention of Marie's children. If you choose to Hesitate when Gabrielle offers the chance to run away with her and her family, the Player Character will mention having children, so they clearly do exist but their role is negligible.
    • In the game, Lafayette is a potential romantic interest for Marie. In real life, he and the queen hated each other's guts—he once threatened to send her to a convent—and also he was married with four children by the time of the diamond necklace scandal. The game does acknowledge their contentious relationship, implying that the romance path with Lafayette is entirely because the player character has largely replaced Marie and is deliberately trying to change her relationships to save her life. However, it definitely portrays him like he's single and falling in love for the first time.
    • Gabrielle is portrayed as something a shy, sweet, insecure waif but real-life Duchess de Polignac was a much more formidable presence and even ran Marie Antoinette's inner circle at the height of her influence, causing her to be an incredibly controversial figure in the lead up to the Revolution. The game does acknowledge some of the salacious rumors but presents them as false in the narrative.
  • Beam Me Up, Scotty!: A subversion with the "Let them eat cake" legend. In the storyline, if the player has not taken good care of the people then in chapter 1-15 a mob will rush the Queen and King and one of them declares they heard a rumor of Marie Antoinette making this infamous declaration.
  • Death of the Hypotenuse: Since Marie Antoinette is already married, to the King of France, proper pursuit of a romance with either Lafayette or Fersen is not technically possible. And if you successfully prevent the revolution, she stays loyal to her husband though her feelings for the other love interest remain. However, if you get on the path where the Revolution happens, Louis XIV will die sacrificing himself to protect Marie and whichever of the love interests is with her. This leaves her free to have an ending where she explicitly becomes a couple with her desired love interest without her seeming like a cold-hearted monster given that Louis is portrayed as an Adorkable pure-hearted person.
  • Giving Radio to the Romans: In the "Full of Hope" ending, it's mentioned that Marie helps Gabrielle at her job with modern day selling techniques.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: If you fail to prevent the Revolution, Louis XVI will always sacrifice himself to help his wife and Fersen/Lafayette escape.
  • Historical Domain Character: Many of the major characters in "Queen Marie" are real historical figures, as it's the story of Marie-Antoinette and the events leading up to The French Revolution. Key players aside from Marie herself include her husband Louis XVI, the Marquis de Lafayette, Hans Axel von Fersen, and d'Éon de Beaumont, though considerable liberties are taken with characterization for the sake of a more romantic story.
  • Historical Hero Upgrade: A rare in-universe example, as thanks to the Mental Time Travel, the protagonist is well aware of what happened to the real Marie Antoinette and deliberately tries to make her a better person so she doesn't meet the same fate. If the player makes the right choices, Marie Antoinette becomes one of the most beloved queens in France.
  • Set Right What Once Went Wrong: The player character is very much conscious of the impending French Revolution and Marie Antoinette's historical fate. Most of what she does concerns trying to find ways to avoid meeting the same end, and there are a few endings which manage to stave off the revolution completely by reforming the government into a constitutional monarchy or forcing the aristocracy to pay taxes before the class tensions hit their breaking point.
  • You Can't Fight Fate: Fail at preventing the Revolution and then fail at escaping France and Marie will face her fate on the execution block in spite of the protagonist's best efforts to change her fate.
  • Wholesome Crossdresser: Chevalier d'Eon always appears wearing a dress and asks to be called Madame Beaumont, and he's always unquestionably on Marie's side. One of his companion letters does have him explain why he wears women's clothing, which lines up with roughly his attitude towards his gender presentation at this point in history.

    Magic Lamp 

  • Aerith and Bob: Everyone has names inspired by Arabian Nights tales... except for Gina. Justified with Light, who has amnesia and is named by Gina.
  • Ambiguously Brown: As expected from a story set in the Middle East, most characters (including Gina) have tanned skin of various tones and reside in a fictional country named Full Moon Kingdom. The only subversion is Scheherazade, who is told to be a foreign country's princess and whose clothing implies she's from Egypt (perhaps of Ptolomean descent, which would explain her lighter skin color)
  • Benevolent Genie: Light is kind of a jerk, but he does actually try to use his powers to help Gina out. Though as they're currently greatly reduced, he misfires a lot. He also promises that if she helps him in recovering his abilities, he'll grant her a wish of anything she wants.
  • Big Bad: Chapur, being the one who started the coup in revenge for his father.
  • Evil Chancellor: The Prime Minister is immediately set up as a very power-hungry man with no respect for life who has manipulated events in the kingdom to make him the true political power. It goes as far as poisoning the King and framing Sinbad for the crime, sending all the male refugees into the desert to die seeking the lamp, and bulldozing the homes of the poor to make room for a shopping district.
  • Gender Flip: The protagonist, who is a girl, is one of Aladdin.
  • Genie in a Bottle: Light, who lives in a magic oil lamp and needs Gina's help to recover his full power.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Light performs one at the climax of the story to stop Chapur. Whether it sticks or not depends on the player's choices.
  • Lotus-Eater Machine: One ending has either Light or Kahir (depending on player choices) witness a mirage showing a bad future, and react by allowing the spirits of the dead and the local Genius Loci to transport himself and Gina to an illusion that feels like paradise, where time doesn't flow and no one is suffering or in danger. They don't break out of it.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: Kahir takes great interest in the needs of his kingdom and people, to the point where he poses as a scribe to go out into the kingdom anonymously, mentor with Sinbad, and keep an eye on problems on the ground.
  • Shrine to the Fallen: If Light isn't revived at the end of the story, a shrine is made dedicated to his real identity as Prince Arslan.
  • Slave Liberation: One of Gina's main motivations is to liberate every other person who was made a slave.

    Gotham Memoirs 
  • Bedlam House: The Metropolitan Hospital for the mentally ill is a filthy hellhole where the inmates are routinely abused by the staff. Elizabeth writes an exposé on the conditions there at the beginning of the story, kicking off the plot when her article touches a little too close to secrets that some powerful people would prefer stay buried.
  • Big Bad: Councilman Harris for the Edmund and Diane routes, Juliano for the Vittorio route.
  • The Big Rotten Apple: Prohibition-Era New York is shown as rife with crime and corruption. The Mafia has influence within the city government and the nascent worker's rights movement, the authorities who aren't working with the mob are mostly incompetent, and the journalists of the time are more concerned with sensationalizing the news to sell papers than with reporting the truth. Meanwhile, decent people struggle to make ends meet and rarely manage to obtain justice for the wrongs done to them by the more powerful.
  • Bittersweet Ending: The good ending for Diane's route. While Harris is brought to justice, the fallout from the case ultimately costs Elizabeth her friendship with Charlotte, who admits herself into an insane asylum soon after.
  • Corrupt Politician: City councilman Steven Harris, whose philanthropic public image conceals ties to the nastier end of the Mafia and use of his charitable foundation as a front for very bad things.
  • Da Editor: Elizabeth's first boss at the Sun is one of these, valuing sensationalism over facts, constantly berating his staff give him good sales and turning on his star reporters the second they're no longer useful to the paper. Her second boss, Mr. Kane, is the exact opposite of this, committing deeply to ethical reporting and supporting his staff.
  • Den of Iniquity: The Sparrow Room, a Mafia-run nightclub where Elizabeth can go undercover as a dancer to try and get close to Juliano. Many of the dancers are forced to work there to pay off debts incurred by boyfriends, with the threat of worse hanging over them if they don't cooperate.
  • Golden Ending: If players obtains all good endings from the three routes, a bonus ending can be obtained where Elizabeth and Edmund ultimately takes down the entire human trafficking ring together, earning them a Pulitzer Prize.
  • Go Seduce My Archnemesis: On Vittorio's route, Elizabeth goes undercover as a dancer at the Sparrow Room to seduce Juliano for information, and ends up sleeping with him in order to gain his trust.
  • Greater-Scope Villain: Tommany Hall, the organization behind the human trafficking ring.
  • He Knows Too Much: Before Councilman Harris could stand trial, his associates kill him for what he knows.
  • Hidden Weapons: Late in Vittorio's path, Elizabeth resorts to smuggling a gun to Juliano's birthday dinner by hiding it in her garter. She's doing it again in the "Mafia Couple" ending CG.
  • Intrepid Reporter: Elizabeth Colvin, the heroine of "Gotham Memoirs." Most of the story is driven by Liz's inability to back down once she realizes she's on the trail of a story someone's been trying to cover up.
  • The Mafia: As one might expect from the period setting, the cosa nostra is all over the dirt that Elizabeth uncovers when she starts digging into Councilman Harris and the Taylors. Several major characters are either made men or in bed with the Mafia, and one possible story branch sees Liz teaming up with principled mob boss Vittorio Puzo to take down Vittorio's rival Francesco Juliano and his human trafficking business.
  • Neighborhood-Friendly Gangsters: Vittorio Puzo, described in his companion profile as "a man of integrity," and his crew. Vittorio stands in direct opposition to Francesco Juliano, who seeks to expand the drug trade in New York and makes his biggest profits off of forced prostitution and human trafficking - aside from a couple of gunfights instigated by Juliano and his men, the only illegal activity Vittorio's people are shown engaging in on-screen appears to involve bootleg alcohol.
  • Never Suicide: After Councilman Harris supposedly commits suicide before his trial, Elizabeth immediately suspects foul play involved. She's right.
  • Non-Idle Rich: Edmund Davis is wealthy enough to indulge in a playboy lifestyle, but not only does he own the Gotham Times and keep it running with his personal funds so that it can maintain a higher standard of journalistic integrity instead of resorting to sensationalism to drive sales like most of the rest of New York's newspapers, he works for his own newspaper as a reporter.
  • Story Branching: While present in other stories, this book has the most elaborate one as it has three different branches of story if Elizabeth asks either Vittorio, Edmund, or Diane for help in pursuing the truth.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: No explanation is provided for why Vittorio's sister Stella is an inmate at the mental hospital, or whether or not she's still there after Elizabeth's article exposing the hospital's abuses is published.
  • World of Bad Cops: The police are impotent or just plain incompetent where they're not actively corrupt. The most helpful officer Elizabeth encounters works as an information broker on the side, and the assistance he provides is entirely through this side gig rather than in any official police capacity.

    Swan Lake 

  • Can't Live Without You: Aldous and Audwin are revealed to have this when Aldous tries to kill himself in order to kill Audwin by proxy.
  • Composite Character: Given the genderflip at the center of the story, there's no need for Odile now so she and Rothbart are combined into the Owl Sorcerer, Audwin, who both lays the swan curse on Aldous and later impersonates him to interfere with Signy's attempt to break the curse.
  • Curse Escape Clause: Similar to the original story, the swan curse can only be broken if a woman pledges to marry him. And exactly like the original story, Princess Signy is tricked by the sorcerer into pledging to marry the wrong person, making Aldous' curse unbreakable.
  • Dump Them All: At the end of the story, Signy can ditch both of the guys, declare it is insane for her to get married in that short of a time, and just become a Queen without rushing into marriage too.
  • Evil Twin: This is how Audwin is initially presented to the player, but things become a lot more complicated than that.
  • Forced Transformation: The Swan Prince, Aldous and his servants turns into swans by day, only returning to human form at night. Later Aldous gets a second curse dropped on him that will turn him into a swan full time if he comes into contact with Signy.
  • Friend to All Living Things: Princess Signy really loves her woodland animal friends, even going so far as to deliberately interfere with a royal hunt to stop her suitors from shooting them all dead. This is reciprocated by the animals as well, though the swans are all actually humans under a curse.
  • Idiot Ball: Signy has been waiting all night for Aldous to show up. When he does, he's replaced his white suit with a black one, behaves completely differently from him, and tells her his name is actually Audwin, not Aldous. While she's only known Aldous as a person for a few days and doesn't have a reason to think the sorceror would disguise himself as the Swan Prince, this many odd behaviors and changes should really have made her a lot more suspicious of the guy she was about to propose marriage to. While Audwin also stole her ribbon away from Aldous to try and further the ruse, he doesn't actually show it to her until after the marriage proposal is already done. In some fairness, Signy actually admits in the aftermath that she should have noticed all these red flags.
  • I Gave My Word: Audwin drops this on Signy since she did in fact propose to him using his actual name. She drops this on him to protect Aldous, threatening to refuse to go through with the marriage even on pain of death if he doesn't leave Aldous alone.
  • Light/Darkness Juxtaposition: Played completely straight with Aldous and Audwin in both their costuming and the way they present themselves to Signy, so it is little surprise when it's revealed to Signy that they're twins.
  • Mistaken Declaration of Love: Signy needs to propose to marry Aldous to break his curse. So naturally, the Owl Sorceror Audwin beats him up, takes her ribbon, uses magic to disguise himself as him, and then gets Signy to propose to him, by name, instead. Aldous arrives too late to stop the proposal.
  • Night and Day Duo: Aldous and Audwin play this straight, with Aldous being the diurnal swan and Audwin being the nocturnal Owl Sorceror.
  • Princess Protagonist: Princess Signy is the protagonist in this story instead of the Damsel in Distress.
  • Rebellious Princess: Signy constantly sneaks out of the castle to play in the forest with her animal friends and really does not want to get married. Depending on player choices, she can also refuse to accept her royal duty and even run off into the woods forever, leaving the kingdom to someone else to run.
  • Spot the Imposter: When confronted with seemingly two people claiming to be The Swan Prince, Signy has to figure out who is who. She works it out by asking a question that only the person who actually knew her for the last few years would be able to answer correctly.
  • The Un-Favorite: Audwin's family locked him up in a tower because of his powers, letting his twin Aldous have a charmed life at his expense. This is pretty much his motivation for the actions he takes in the story.
    • In a less dramatic sense, one of Signy's suitors, Ferdinand, is literally the last in line in his family and was banking on marrying Signy to boost his status to stop being this.

    Helen of Sparta 
  • Bodyguard Crush: Achilles has been Helen's bodyguard since childhood and immediately perceives Apollo as a romantic rival.
  • In Name Only: Despite the protagonist being Helen of Sparta, this story barely borrows anything from the Illiad other than a couple of characters.

    Romy and Julius 
  • Age Lift: Friar Laurence is much younger in this version.
  • Big Bad: The demon.
  • Gender Flip: Romy and Julius instead of Romeo and Juliet.
  • Poor Communication Kills: The fate of the original Romeo and Juliet. He had believed Juliet had agreed to an arranged marriage, but her family had forged the note instead.

    Shadows of London 
  • And Then John Was a Zombie: By Chapter 2 Jesse is revealed to have been turned into a vampire. One potential ending also has Caroline become a vampire herself.
  • Big Bad: The Elder.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Vincent's route has two endings where Jesse dies for good.
  • Bookends: If Edward's route is chosen, his ending has him and Caroline recreating their first meeting on the train.
  • Cult: The Scarlet Rose Club, of which Priscilla is revealed to be a member and Caroline briefly joins. Members worship the "High God", believing that he can banish the ongoing epidemic, that only they will be saved from an impending disaster, and that they will suffer divine punishment if they leave the cult or miss a ceremony. Meetings take place in a hidden location and require passcodes to get into, members are required to drink "prayer water" that essentially drugs them, and some of them are shown to be terrified of the upcoming ritual but more afraid of leaving. The climax of Chapter 1 takes place at a ritual conducted by the cult, where the Baroness kills a member for trying to leave.
  • Dhampyr: Caroline is the child of a vampire and a living human.
  • Elegant Gothic Lolita: Priscilla's style owes more to the gothic lolita subculture than it does to strictly period-accurate Victorian fashion, particularly her dark makeup, bat-shaped purse, and different-colored shoes and stockings.
  • Emergency Transformation: In one ending, Caroline gets bitten by Jesse, who's unable to control himself and begs Vincent to save her afterwards. Caroline's only two options left at this point are to die or become a vampire herself. She chooses the latter and Vincent converts her.
  • Evil All Along: Edward was behind the mysterious epidemic, fully willing to sacrifice innocents if it means killing vampires.
  • Flower Motifs:
    • Lilacs, especially five-petaled ones, show up a lot in relation to Edward.
    • The cult is called the Scarlet Rose Club, named for one of the warring vampire factions, the others of which are called the Blue Rose and Yellow Rose. Several of the collectable sets from this story also have rose motifs.
  • Romantic Vampire Boy: Oliver, aka Vincent Savile, is a vampire and a prospective love interest for Caroline.
  • Sacrificial Lion: Jesse Lindvall is built up as a major character and becomes a good friend of Caroline's. Then he dies near the end of Chapter 1 by unknown but clearly supernatural means, signaling that the threat isn't defeated. It's later revealed he became a vampire.
  • Vampire Hunter: Edward Grey comes from a line of vampire hunters.
  • Vegetarian Vampire: The Blue Rose vampire faction only drinks animal blood. Vincent also refuses to feed on humans, although he breaks this in one ending to save Caroline via Emergency Transformation.

    Little Women 
  • Adapted Out: The only characters from the novel that appear other than Jo are Professor Bhaer, Amy and Laurie. Every other character is excluded.
  • Age Lift: Professor Bhaer looks only a few years older than Jo at most, when in the novel he was explicitly described as an older gentleman.
  • Beta Couple: Just like in the novel, Amy and Laurie become engaged halfway through the plot.
  • Canon Foreigner: Franklin Lee is a stage director who suggests to Jo to become his playwriter, but he never existed in the novel.
  • Love Triangle: The main plot in this story is the relationship between Jo, Professor Bhaer and Franklin Lee.

    Phantom of the Opera 
  • I Will Wait for You: If Christine chooses to wait for the Phantom to be forgiven for his sins.

    Taisho Adventures 
  • Big Bad: Semi Suwa.
  • Lovable Rogue: Suzuki is a con artist that exclusively targets the rich due to the harsh discrimination he's experienced. He has a soft spot for the needy and distributes the wealth he acquires to the poor.
  • Meaningful Name: Kuroko is named after the stagehands in Japanese theatre, referring to her role as an often overlooked helper to Yuko in their heists.
  • Meido: Kuroko plays to this character trope in her costume design, though she's more realistic of a depiction than the anime-inspired types.
  • Really Royalty Reveal: Yuko finds out she's the lost heir to the Miyagawa family.

    Saga of Viera 
  • Armor-Piercing Question: When Salvia finds out Zoya was planning to restore the Sacred Tree and gets mad at her for lying about it, Zoya asks if Salvia would still have helped her had she known. She freezes in place and can't find an answer.
  • Asleep for Days: After saving Alaric in the climax, Zoya loses consciousness and wakes up several days later.
  • Barred from the Afterlife: In the bad ending of 1-13, Alexei claims this will happen to Zoya. It's never shown if he's right or not, especially given that he doesn't know the whole truth of her actions.
  • Breakout Character: Emilio started as a relatively minor character. His popularity in the fandom caused him to become a Companion in Part 2.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: The real Holy Maiden returns in Part 2, having disguised as a friar to get to Aurethel and hear the Oracle from Zoya. During their conversation, she tells Zoya the proverb that ultimately clues her in as to where the divine power is.
  • Con Man: Zoya starts out as fake divinator from a long line of con artists.
  • Curse Escape Clause: Zoya's motive is to find one before her time runs out. She needs to drip her blood on the heart of a dragon on the solar eclipse. This appears to be a No Man of Woman Born situation as dragons are presumed extinct, but Reuel turns out to be one and be hiding one. Ultimately, however, the only endings in which the curse is broken are ones where it disappears after Zoya gives the divine power in her blood to let Alaric be reborn.
  • False Prophet: It's possible to become one by making up a fake Oracle instead of revealing the real one.
  • Foreshadowing:
    • Zoya's curse mark is shaped like a dragon with outstretched wings, because her ancestor was cursed by the Dragon King.
    • Reuel's ears aren't pointy like the other elves'. Turns out he's not really an elf.
    • The Oracle contains the line "At last, a long, dark night will fall, and the vanished race will emerge once more". In the good endings, dragons are returned to the world during a solar eclipse.
    • When Zoya's blood touches the dragon egg, it begins to glow gold. It turns out the key to reviving it is in her blood.
  • Hereditary Curse: As it turns out, Zoya is descended from the trickster who deceived Alaric with a fake peace treaty and killed him long ago. From there, he cursed their descendants to die at a young age.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Zoya can choose to give the divine power in her blood to save the dragons, at the potential cost of her own life. Whether she dies or not depends on the player's choices in previous stages.
  • Lotus-Eater Machine: The lake in side story "The Bottle of Blessings" shows people illusions based on their deepest desires.
  • Mayfly–December Romance: Zoya is a human, while both her potential love interests are elves and one of them is actually a dragon. According to the lore bits in the game's loading screens, light elves live up to 1300 years while dark elves live up to 700. Reuel's ending has him lose his longevity and become a mortal like Zoya, while Salvia's side story addresses this by having her start wishing she was human so she could grow old with Zoya, although it doesn't end up happening.
  • Not So Extinct: Dragons are thought to have gone extinct in the fallout of the war, until Reuel turns out to be hiding a dragon egg. It's then revealed that Reuel is a dragon himself, made an elf priest by the god of light to protect him.
  • Our Elves Are Different
  • Total Eclipse of the Plot: One of the ways to break Zoya's curse is to drip her blood on the heart of a dragon during a solar eclipse, the next of which is coming right as Zoya turns 25. The climax of the story is at the sacrificial ceremony meant to revive the Sacred Tree, which takes place during said solar eclipse.
  • Weakened by the Light: Dark Elves will start to burn if they go into sunlight. Salvia has undergone special training to withstand it with only minor injuries, but a dark elf who hasn't done this could be seriously injured. This becomes a major plot point in spinoff story "The Bottle of Blessings" as Salvia starts wishing she could walk in the sun with Zoya.
  • The Worsening Curse Mark: Zoya has a mark on her wrist shaped like a dragon because of the curse on her bloodline. The mark is gradually turning red; when it becomes entirely red on her 25th birthday is when she will die. Eventually as the day draws closer, the mark starts to hurt and Zoya starts to collapse with darkened vision every now and then. When the curse is broken, the mark disappears.
  • Wham Episode: 1-17, The Sacred Tree Ritual. The Sacred Tree is destroyed, plunging Aurethel into chaos and destruction.
  • Your Days Are Numbered: Zoya is cursed to die when she turns 25, and so she snuck off to the land of elves in a race to break it.

    Tang Dynasty Hunter 
  • Arranged Marriage: Pei learns that her master, while drunk, made her the fiance of a Mer Prince.

    Si-Woo's Sight 
  • I See Dead People: Si-Woo is an ordinary girl who discovers her eyes have the ability to see ghosts.
  • Korean Pop Music: Si-Woo's dream is to become a K-pop singer.
  • Set Right What Once Went Wrong: The ultimate truth behind Hyun-Woo. As it turns out, the events of the book happened before. However, Si-Woo was unable to stop Chang-Hui's harassment of her and committed suicide after he tarnished her reputation. In his grief, Hyun-Woo sent her spirit back to before her audition, hoping he could stop her from becoming an idol in the first place.
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Chang-Hui is this, as uses his position as a top executive in the company to have his way with trainees.
  • Unfinished Business: All ghosts that Si-Woo met have these:
    • The cat faced granny is simply to reunite with her cat's spirit.
    • Kang Yeon-Seo originally thought hers was to get revenge on her ex, but in actuality it was a chance to debut on stage.
    • The white haired ghost is to make peace with his wife.
    • A-ram's wish is to help her father move on from her death.

    Princess Sissi 
  • Artistic License – History: Count Ryszard didn't exist in real life, but his character may be inspired by Gyula Andrassy, who was famously rumored to be Empress Sissi's longtime lover and father to at least one of her children.
    • Ida may be inspired by Ida Ferenczy, a Hungarian noblewoman who became Sissi's lady-in-waiting, although in the game she's a commoner.
  • Disguised in Drag: Sissi and Ida dress up as men to sneak out in 2-7. Later, Sissi and Andrássy disguise themselves as a groom and bride respectively so as to get out of the city without being recognized.
  • Every Man Has His Price: Sissi repeatedly bribes guards and soldiers using money and gold.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Sissi is a stubborn free spirit who doesn't care for etiquette or formality, which often gets her scolded by her mother, her aunt, and the Countess. Helene is much more disciplined and dutiful, brushing off Pauline's insults and gaining Sophie's approval. By the emperor's birthday celebration, everyone expects her to marry him.
  • Foreshadowing: For Ryszard's true identity:
    • When Sissi asks Karl about Ryszard, he says "I know him better than most. After all, he is my... adjutant", pausing right before that last word. They're actually brothers.
    • The way Ryszard talks about the emperor in 1-13 also hints towards it.
  • Historical Domain Character: Helene is one of the companions in the story.
  • Interclass Friendship: Sissi and Ida.
  • Kissing Cousins: Helene has feelings for Emperor Franz, her cousin, who ends up falling in love with Sissi like in real life. Karl also shows attraction to Sissi, although it's unrequited.
  • Shipper on Deck: Both Sissi and her mother agree Helene should be the one to marry the emperor.
  • Sibling Triangle: Count Ryszard, Sissi's love interest, and the Emperor, who Helene is in love with, turn out to be the same person.
  • Tomboy: Sissi is constantly referred as one due to her horse-riding and lack of attention for parties. She considers her sister Nené; is much girlier than her. Ida could also qualify as one.
  • Twin Switch: Pauline impersonates Julie as part of a ploy to assassinate Sissi, although Julie isn't aware of it.

    White Snake 

    Dancing on Ice 
  • Big Bad: Marowit, head of the Rachmani Club and the one who orchestrated Alina's frame up and Honda's injury.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Valeria seems like a supporting friend at first, but it later turns out she was the one who framed Alina for doping.
  • Career-Ending Injury: Honda used to be a champion skater, until he was beaten by thugs and got a leg injury.
  • Good All Along: Alina's mother initially appears to have betrayed her by publicly claiming that Alina admitted to doping, but reveals later on that she did it in order to shorten Alina's competition ban by several years.
  • Red Herring: Initially, Alina believes rival skater Shaykh was the one who set her up. It later turns out to be Valeria.
  • Secretly Dying: Nastia's mother hides the severity of her illness from Nastia so as not to distract her from chasing her dreams. She eventually dies while Nastia is competing.

    Have You Seen Claudia? 
  • Evil All Along: Joshua is revealed to be Claudia's kidnapper.
  • Historical Domain Character: H.H. Holmes, the famous serial killer, is encountered during the story.
  • Interface Spoiler: Joshua is absent from the Lantern and companion photo mode despite having a Relic and a 3D model. Since the only other character to have these things without being a Companion is Holmes, this can easily clue in a reader that Joshua will turn out to be a villain.
  • Orwellian Retcon: Upon the original release, all the clothing sets were named after famous serial killers/cases, such as the Green River Killer, Jack The Ripper, John Wayne Gacy, etc. Due to audience outcry, the book received an update that changed the names of most of the clothing sets.

    Whispers of The Rain 

    Cleopatra 

    The Sacred Beast 
  • All Just a Dream: "Empire of Flames" is entirely Reza's coma dream
  • A Boy and His X: A girl and her manticore friend named Corey.
  • Big Bad: Reza, manipulating the king and Javid so he can use the manticore to destroy the kingdom to avenge his teacher, the Mad King.
  • Bittersweet Ending: All three main endings are this.
    • Yazdan: Corey sacrifices himself to stop the volcano eruption, much to Asha's sorrow. Yazdan ascends to the throne shortly after, and implies that maybe Corey is still alive, which is made more possible when Asha hears some familiar wing flaps above the palace.
    • Reza: Asha manages to convince Reza to stand down, and manages to lead the villagers to the old palace to be safe from the volcano. Months later, Corey is helping with rebuilding while the royal family is still missing. Also, Asha is hiding Reza in secret, who is revealed to have survived thanks to her but is now in a coma.
    • Yasmin: The kingdom is saved, but Corey sacrifices his heart in order to heal Asha. Months later, Reza is revealed to be missing, raising the possibility he might still be out there plotting revenge. Meanwhile, Asha and Yasmin stumble upon a baby manticore in Corey's old cave, which Asha greets warmly.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: Reza brainwashes Corey into attacking everyone else in the room, leading to the king's death, before attempting to use him to force the volcano to erupt.
  • Broken Pedestal: Yasmin doesn't take well to the reveal that the King was behind the disappearance of villagers.
  • Evil All Along: King Darius turns out be the one behind the villager disappearances hoping to find the Philosopher's Stone needed to create the Elixir of Immortality.
  • Living Lie Detector: Yasmin's powers work like this.
  • Stealth Sequel: "Empire of Flames" is revealed to take place after Reza's ending, reliving the events of the book over and over again as he remains in his coma. At the end, he finally wakes up.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Yazdan turns out to be the assassin, but only because his visions foretold him that Corey would eventually destroy the empire.

    Ancient Dreams 

    Ghost Manor 

    Kingdom of Beasts 

    House of Horrors 
  • The Alcoholic: Hampus.
  • Big Bad: The Cursed Spirit.
  • Closed Circle: All the house's doors and windows are unable to be opened, trapping the characters inside. Every time someone dies, another room is unlocked.
  • The Corruptor: The Book of Curses and the Invisible Man, aka the Cursed Spirit.
  • "Groundhog Day" Loop: Every day at midnight, the house resets to the state it was in at the beginning of the day. The people, however, do not, as evidenced by the murders being permanent. The loop begins changing when the murders begin, with a new door in the house unlocking every time.
  • How We Got Here: The second half of Chapter 2 is dedicated to to how Rae ended up in the mansion in the first place.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: Unlike most books, the player character wakes up with no prior memories. Nobody else in the house remembers anything from before either, except for the Invisible Man.

    Spring Sonata 

    Trendy Times 
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: Marguerite's dream of making pants for women a regular thing is able to flourish during the second half of the book, but she secretly wishes that the stock market crash shouldn't be the cause for it.
  • Broken Pedestal: Alain is heartbroken to learn his father was the one stringing Isadora along, even when he was still married to his mother.
  • Drowning My Sorrows: Both Mr. Pan and Marguerite's former boss are found drinking after the stock market crash.
  • Identical Stranger: Marguerite and Marissa.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: No matter what love interest Maguerite chooses, the other will be happy to let her be with who she chooses.
  • Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: Marguerite's two love interests are a struggling artist named Alain and a successful stock investor named Gary. Ironically, their roles are reversed late in the story after Alain is able to sell his paintings while Gary loses everything in the stock market crash.

    Gourmet's Journey 
  • Big Bad: Empress Dowager, who is currently plotting to take over the Dynasty.
  • Foreshadowing:
    • Earlier, Waizhou overhears rumors about the prince being overweight, despite Laisheng being very much thin. With it's revealed Siqueng is actually the emperor, Lai realizes the fat "emperor" she met earlier must've been the prince instead.
    • After the fire, Waizhou notices the empress was quite insistent on taking her shoes with her. That's because she hid the Tiger Tally in them.
    • When Waizhou is about to kill the emperor for supposedly being behind her father's death, his eunuch Zhou Xian is able to spot the almond in the food despite her trying her best to hide it. It's revealed in the final episode that Zhou is her father, and was able to taste it since he came up with the technique.
  • Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: The stage names are named all after food that appear in it.
  • Supreme Chef: Lai Waizhou and her father Liesheng are both this.

    Miss Kitty’s Antiques 
  • Big Bad: Yuga is the mastermind of the murders, hoping to retrieve the Origin Pearl inside Mangetsu.
  • Childhood Friend Romance: It's revealed before Mangetsu became part yokai, she, or rather Princess Kiki, was very close to Tenho when they were young. He had feelings for her ever since.
  • Clear My Name: Chapter 1 is focused on Mangetsu trying to clear her name after she's accused of murdering the blacksmith.
  • Emergency Transformation: When Princess Kiki was dying, Yuta gave her the Origin Pearl and fused her life with a cat's, turning her into a cat yokai.
  • Fantastic Racism: Most yokai are subjected to this. Two possible main endings see this gradually being overcome.
  • Freudian Excuse: Tenho is highly racist against yokai, but only because he lost his childhood friend to the great yokai Orochi.
  • Human All Along: The twist of the story. Mangetsu is actually Princess Kiki, a human and reincarnation of Yuta's lover from a hundred years ago. However, Yuta's enemies discovered her and hypnotized her into unleashing Orochi, gravely injuring her in the process. As she was dying, Yuta gave her his Origin Pearl, making her part yokai but with no magic abilities.
  • It Was with You All Along: Yuta's Origin Pearl was inside Mangetsu the entire time.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: Mangetsu doesn't remember anything from ten years ago.
  • Really Royalty Reveal: Mangetsu is actually Princess Kiki.
  • Reincarnation Romance: Yuta and Mangetsu are this.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: Yuta had a lover a century ago, but was killed by other yokai since she was a human. He then waited for her to reincarnated so they'll reunite.

    Hela's Compass 

    Golden Age 
  • Have We Met?: While time traveling, Anasi meets a man named Leopald and Candide that reminds her of a man named Felix she met in the modern day. That's because they are the same person: Felix has found the same magic pamphlet as her and was traveling through time as well.
  • Historical Domain Character: Two companions are Marie de Merrci and Madame Geoffrin.
  • Sequel Hook: If Anasi is able to recognize Candide's true identity, he promises that they'll be meeting again quite soon.
  • Spotting the Thread: Anasi can realize Candide, Leopald, and Felix are the same person if she spots enough things about his behavior that make her realize he knows about the future.

    The Perfect Storm 
  • And the Adventure Continues: Vane's ending has him present a new treasure map to Cordelia as they prepare to set out for new adventures.
  • Archnemesis Dad: Hawke for Vane.
  • Arc Words: "You are the captain of your destiny."
  • Belligerent Sexual Tension: Cordelia's relationship with Vane certainly swings this way.
  • Big Bad: The Navy, but in particular Thomas, Cordelia's ex-fiance.
  • Black Cat Luck: Cordelia invokes the belief among sailors that black cats are good luck when she adopts Captain Cuddles to be the ship's mouser.
  • Cool Old Lady: Cordelia's grandmother, Miranda, was a pirate was told stories of her adventures when Cordelia was young. She has since disappeared, but the tale of the Abyssal Lantern she told is what drove Cordelia to become a pirate. It's later revealed that was secretly ill, which was part of why she's gone.
  • Dismantled MacGuffin: Cordelia is on the hunt for the missing pieces of the map that will lead her to the Abyssal Lantern.
  • The Dreaded: Captain Vane, the most successful pirate on the Caribbean and rival for Cordelia.
  • Drowning My Sorrows: Cordelia first finds Read drinking herself half to death in a downward spiral caused by the death of her lover.
  • Due to the Dead: Cordelia later stumbles upon her grandma's old ship, and in honor of her, she restores it to their former glory before sending it off to the mists.
  • Famed in Story: Cordelia's grandmother, Miranda Delamare, was once known as the legendary Pirate Queen. By the side story, Cordelia has inherited her title.
  • Foreshadowing: Yukihime from "The Requiem Lantern" warns Cordelia she'll face a betrayal according to her divinations. Said betrayal comes from Shimotsuki.
  • For Science!: Keats, the Heatbreaker's navigator, loves to study the world in the hopes that he'll join the Royal Society of London one day.
  • Historical Domain Character: Legendary pirates Charles Vane and Mary Read serve as companions in this book, the former as a potential love interest and the latter as Cordelia's First Mate aboard the Heartbreaker. Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, Calico Jack, and Read's partner in crime Anne Bonny can also make cameo appearances depending on the player's choices.
  • It's the Journey That Counts: The true secret of the Abyssal Lantern.
  • Lethal Chef: Walrus Pete.
  • MacGuffin: Cordelia is in search of the Abyssal Lantern, a treasure that is said to grant great power.
  • Meaningful Name:
    • Cordelia claims that her name means "daughter of the sea." The actual etymology of the name is unclear, but "jewel of the sea" is one possible meaning. More straightforwardly, her family name "Delamare" is French for "of the sea," which is no surprise when you learn that Miranda chose it for herself.
    • Lady Shadow comments that the name "Miranda" means "marvelous/worthy of admiration," and that the name perfectly suited Miranda Delamare, a woman of considerable charisma and ability.
  • Not-So-Safe Harbor: Port Royal, like in real life, is a hub for pirates, where most problems are solved with a gun and the taverns are full of gambling and brawling.
  • Ocean of Adventure: Huge storms, pirate hunters, the Kraken, mermaids that kill anyone who fails their riddles, rival pirate crews...
  • Offing the Offspring: Captain Vane eventually tells Cordelia that his own father, then-Captain Hawke, tried to kill him by pushing him overboard during a nighttime storm rather than acknowledge the illegitimate boy as his child.
  • Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The crew Cordelia gathers can be described as people other crews have rejected. To wit, there's herself (a runaway bride with ambitions and no firsthand experience), a first mate who's on a path of slow self-destruction, a navigator who's only interested in academic discovery, a cook who admits to sucking at his job, two twins who love explosives too much, a musician named Moondog because her music makes dogs howl, and a few more people that no other crew has accepted.
  • Runaway Bride: Cordelia runs away from home the night before her marriage and uses her dowry to buy a pirate ship.
  • Sadistic Choice: When Cordelia is eventually captured by Thomas, he gives her a choice: either marry him so they'll find the Lantern together, or be hanged.
  • Secretly Dying: The reason Miranda vanished was because she was ill and unable to find a cure.
  • Secret Test of Character: Governor Hamilton is eventually revealed to be Miranda's lover, and his tests for Cordelia were for looking for a worthy inheritor to the Abyssal Lantern.
  • True Companions: The Heartbreaker pirates eventually become this.
  • Video Game Cruelty Punishment: Being needlessly aggressive when robbing the silk ship will eventually lead to a bad ending.

     Code: Whalefall 

     Moving Mountains 
  • Cool Old Lady: Wen Rou's nanny.
  • Corrupt Bureaucrat: Lord Huang is this. It's for this reason that Wen Rou decides to become an official herself in Gu Yin's ending.
  • Sadistic Choice: Early in the story, Wang Yao has Rou's father arrested on false charges and will only let him go if she agrees to marry Yao.
  • Stay in the Kitchen: Due to the time period, women have little opportunities in being anything but a housewife, much to Wen Rou's displeasure. In Luo Jiuhua's ending, Wen Rou uses her reward from the emperor to open a school for women to grow beyond this mindset.
  • Too Dumb to Live: After a civilian steals Rou's belongings, Lord Huang's response is to have the mother paraded in a cage, which infuriates the already starving population even more, causing a riot.

     Sisters of the Sea 
  • Arranged Marriage: The Council is trying to set this between Princess Slyph and Lucas.
  • Fantastic Racism: Humans don't think nicely of mermaids and vice versa.
  • Gilded Cage: Princess Linore is bound to her duty as Azuron's envoy and can never leave her tower except during the festival. It's the reason why Lucas wants the Sacred Pact broken.
  • Our Mermaids Are Different: It's established that mermaids could originally have legs if they wanted to, but they no longer have the ability due to the Sacred Pact.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: Slyph and Morray, aka the Sea Wizard. In all main endings, they both disappear into the sea, leaving their ultimate fates ambiguous.

     The Apothecary 
  • Big Bad: Charon, the head of the Apothecary Guild with ambitions to take over the royal court.
  • Big Good: Greta, Emelie's former mentor and leader of the rebellion.
  • Dreadful Musician: Tate is a bard with an awful voice.
  • Lie Detector: Drasil has one called the Mirror of Truth, which sucks in anyone who lies in front of it.
  • Sole Survivor: Morgana is the only survivor of the Omeras Disaster than turned the entire town into stone.
  • You Killed My Father: Morgana's father was framed by Charon for the Omeras Disaster and killed for it. It's why she is plotting against him.

     Lunar Legend 
  • Amnesiac Lover: Hannah was Arnold's wife before she lost her memories.

     The Moravia Express 
  • Animal Theme Naming: Bianca Finch, Chloe Swann, and Sienna Dove all have bird-themed surnames.
  • Canon Welding: The side story "Survivor" reveals that TME and "Gotham Memoirs" take place in the same universe, and the mafia that Cortland has ties with is the same one Vittorio runs.
  • Celebrity is Overrated: Chloe Swann was an A-list movie star whose life was far from glamorous. Not only did she lose most of her privacy, but her family used her for money, and her backer Mr. Sidney, who arranged her rise to stardom, exploited their dependence on her to coerce her into having sex with him, knowing that if she refused her family would lose everything and she might get blacklisted from the industry. This combined with her father abandoning her and Cortland never standing by her when things got hard eventually led to her committing suicide. Or rather, trying to. As it turns out, her mind fractured, and she survived her suicide attempt but ended up in the asylum.
  • Foreshadowing: Plenty for the true ending:
    • If the player clicks the "outfit tips" icon during dress up stages, the character giving the advice is always Chloe.
    • The interface refers to Eirene and Renard by name before they introduce themselves, and both are described as seeming familiar.
    • Several times, the narration mentions that Bianca's limbs feel heavy. This turns out to be because of the sedatives.
    • Renard at one point brings up studies of people who create dream worlds or alternate personalities when their mind needs additional support or a temporary shield from the world, something which can appear as psychosis to an outsider.
    • Bianca at one point has a dream sequence where she's strapped down in a blinding white room, surrounded by people in white coats. It's actually a glimpse into the real world.
    • Eirene and Cortland both remark that Bianca reminds them of Chloe.
  • Freudian Trio: Chloe's alters fit the bill quite nicely.
    • Bianca, a successful businesswoman who was taught by her mother to weigh things logically and rationally, is the Superego.
    • Natasha, the impulsive, emotionally unstable, violent persecutornote  who's confirmed by Word of God to be the angry part of Chloe, is the Id.
    • And finally, the Ego, Chloe Swann herself, who the other two are essentially facets of. The side story shows her negotiating with Natasha and having implicitly merged with Bianca.
  • Set Right What Once Went Wrong: After Cortland's murder and the explosion, Bianca eventually meets a man who claims to have invented time travel, and travels into the past to try to prevent it from happening.
  • Twist Ending: The true ending. Bianca is actually Chloe all along and the entire thing is all in her head: she has been in an insane asylum the entire time since her suicide attempt. What's more, the real versions of her companions couldn't care less about her.

     Dominic's Disappearance 
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Roderick, Sandra's old family friend, is revealed to be a serial killer and the one behind Dominic's death.

     Heartwood Mysteries 
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: The true culprits are Charlie Ives and Sally Davis, who were the ones having an affair and plotted this murder to take out both their lovers, inheriting everything they have in the process.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Sally Davis, Jonathan's crying wife, is later revealed to be one of the masterminds of the plot.
  • Catchphrase: Evie has "My little wooden heart and cogs" in her thought process.
  • Clear My Name:
    • Evie's dream is to one day prove her deceased dad wasn't involved in the mob.
    • The main point of this story is to prove Jonathan didn't try to kill Lauren.
  • Dirty Cop: Miller paid off some cops to let him shoot Jonathan, and they're more than willing to chase down Evie's team to keep them from uncovering the truth.
  • The Dragon: Steve Miller, being the one who shot Jonathan and bribed the cops to do the dirty work.
  • Due to the Dead: "A Cold November" has Evie visiting the graves of the Ives and Davis couples after Steve is finally caught, closing the case.
  • Foreshadowing: Damian has a very aggressive attitude about the case, which makes sense when it's revealed he's actually old friends with Jonathan, so he's very mad about how everyone think Jonathan did it.
  • Gentle Touch vs. Firm Hand: Allen and Damian's approaches to case solving are this. Allen prefers to be more personal by using social charms, while Damian prefers procedures and rules.
  • Golden Ending: "Case Closed" is the only Major Ending where the case is solved and Everyone Lives. The others are all a Bittersweet Ending at best.
  • Heroic BSoD: Evie has a brief one after a lead went cold and Jonathan ends up getting shot.
  • Friend on the Force: Damian acts as this.
  • Oblivious to Love: It's clear that both Allen and Damian have crushes on Evie, but she seems oblivious to their feelings.
  • Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: After it's revealed Damian tampered with the crime scene, Allen and Damian's strained relationship breaks and they force Evie to pick a side. Whoever she chose will divulge the path of the story.
  • Rank Up: One ending has Damian promoted to commissioner.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Sally completely loses it in the routes where she is arrested. In Damian's, she goes on a murder spree, killing both her lover and husband for what they did to her. In Allen's, she's left ranting as police take her away, screaming she was supposed to be London's biggest star.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Allen lays it in to Damian for keeping his personal connection to the case a secret, along with hiding evidence.

     Magpie Tower 
  • All of the Other Reindeer: Ha-yeon's super strength made her an outcast in school.
  • Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Seon-Woo's father hates his interest in ballet due to it being a more feminine hobby. It only got worst when he got breast cancer since it usually occurs in females. Most of this stems from him being unable to pursue his dreams thanks to an injury, and he worries Seon-Woo would face that same disappointment.
  • Insecure Love Interest: Gae-eun to Yeon-seok, out of fear that her OCD will make things difficult for their relationship to work.
  • My Greatest Failure: Ha-jun's failure to save a little girl as a surgeon is the reason for his aversion to metal.

     Infinite Shimmer 
  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Shadow AIDA.
  • After the End: The story takes place in a world where much of life was destroyed by an asteroid and the chain of disasters that followed it, leaving the remainder of humanity to live in a dome powered by holograms and technology.
  • Big Bad: Shadow AIDA aka Commander Joy, who wants to control Novi to control the world.
  • Bonding over Missing Parents: Aurora and Selene became friends this way in elementary school.
  • Broken Pedestal: As it turns out, OMNI Corp has created their own version of AIDA named Shadow AIDA to secretly steal power from AIDA to power a secret moon colony meant for only the rich and noble while everyone else was stuck on Earth as it was destroyed. OMNI had also been stealing resources from Earth, and Aurora is heartbroken to learn her father was in on the secret moon colony.
  • Dead All Along: Selene's mother, an explorer searching for signs of other surviving humans outside the city, died years before the story began when she ran out of oxygen and OMNI ignored her desperate call for help, saying that it was impossible for any human to reach the location she'd sent them. It's implied that OMNI actually did believe her, but let her die to prevent anyone from finding out what the outpost was for.
  • "Dear John" Letter: How Aurora's ex, Nathan, left her.
  • False Utopia: The holographic world.
  • Hit So Hard, the Calendar Felt It: The story takes place in 30 A.A., short for "After the Asteroid". The one that destroyed 99.7% of all life on Earth.
  • Irony: Aurora is a well known love psychologist, but she's unable to find it herself after her last boyfriend left him.
  • Meaningful Name: Novi means ninth, as in Theos' ninth creation.
  • Mythical Motifs: The story of Pygmalion and Galatea is referenced a lot.
  • Robo Romance: If Aurora chooses to pursue Novi.
  • Robot Dog: Sort of, but Aurora keeps around a robot cat named KAITO who had a dog AI installed into him by mistake. In Theos' ending, he gifts KAITO a love interest in the form of PAWLINA, a robot collie dog with a cat AI installed into her.
  • The Un-Favourite: Theos' mother disregards him in favor of her daughter, whom she created using AI to be her perfect child and who was eventually taken by OMNI Corp and destroyed. This led him to make Novi as a better version of himself.

     Twilight's Crown 
  • Animorphism: Members of House Knightsworn have the ability to turn into lions to help members of House Majestus. The House's heirloom ring is what allows them to speak with the lions, hence Eleanor's dreams of her father being good friends with a lion.
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: To ensure a good ending, Eleanor must gain Christian's trust. Only then would he reveal his true lineage and his father's plans for the throne, no longer wanting to be a part of it.
  • Covered in Scars: Casting the curse left Arabella's face deeply scarred.
  • Forced Transformation: Albert was cursed into becoming the Liontaur by his fiance Sylvia as she believed he killer her fiance Ian.
  • Forgotten First Meeting: The Liontaur's true identity is Albert of House Knightsworn, who met Elenaor once four years ago.
  • Heroic Bastard: Christian is later revealed to be the illegitimate son of House Tacticus, and is being forced by father to work with his plans. If the right choices are made, he turns his back on Marshall.
  • Greater-Scope Villain: Marshall, the head of House Tacticus, is revealed to be plotting to take the throne himself. He has masterminded the fire on House Magicae, framed Albert for Ian's death, and killed Andre to make the other Houses weaker. He then used the Liontaur rumors and broke the barrier on the Foggy Forest to incite panic among the commoners. Once Eleanor was disposed of, Marshall could seize the throne for himself.
  • I Will Wait for You: In Albert's ending, he asks Elenaor to wait for him so he could propose to her after he's done in the north. She accepts.
  • Love at First Sight: Albert has had a crush on Eleanor ever since they met.
  • Memento MacGuffin: The four Heirloom Rings of the houses are the key to obtaining the Golden Apple.
  • Meaningful Name: The four houses all have this. Majestus is the main ruling house, Knightsworn has loyal knight warriors, Magicae has powerful mages, and Tacticus has cunning schemers, like how the current head is plotting for the throne.
  • Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Eleanor once snuck out of the castle and teamed up with a friend (later revealed to be Albert) to take down the ringleader of a gang of thieves. We never find out how they pulled this off.
  • Queen Incognito: Eleanor invokes this by disguising as a commoner named Ellen to investigate the Liontaur.
  • Real Name as an Alias: Eleanor uses the name Ellen when disguising herself as a commoner.
  • Stay in the Kitchen: Most women in the Calvert Kingdom are treated this way, with Elenaor being judged for inheriting the throne and having had to learn swordsmanship in secret as a child, and Ophelia and her sister being forbidden to practice magic.
  • Two Aliases, One Character: Sylvia, the woman who cursed Albert, is revealed to be Octavia's sister Arabella.
  • Unexpected Successor: Eleanor is seen as this due to her father's passing and the loss of her brother Andre leaving her as the only successor to the throne.

     On The Run 
  • And the Adventure Continues: In all the Good Endings, Yang-Cheol remains out there and Yi-san vows to one day take him down. How she does it depends on the route:
    • Kwang-hyeon: Yi-san joins Kwang-hyeon's detective agency and the two go undercover together at an underground casino.
    • Joon-hoo: Yi-san goes undercover at the Serena Group.
    • Eun-joo: Yi-san decides to join the police force and is set to become co-workers with Eun-joo later on.
  • Big Bad Ensemble: Two: Ga He-jin, the true murderer, and Lee Yang-Cheol, who manipulated the evidence so he could made CEO of the Serena Group.
  • Clear My Name: The premise of this book.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: Lee Sang-Heon, who's been trying to cover up his son's various misdeeds. Yang-Cheol turns out to be this as well.
  • Dirty Cop: The police willing take bribes from the Serena Group to keep their dirty secrets under wraps.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: Eun-joo is treated with no respect on the force due to her status as a girl.
  • Faking the Dead: He-Jin, or rather Seon-ing, escaped Tae-suk's attempt to kill her, and pretended to be dead to escape his wrath.
  • Good All Along: Officer Ham. While he's tough to Eun-Joo, it's revealed he was the partner of her late mother, and only treats her that way to be better.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: He-jin never planned to frame Yi-san, but hearing how everyone was praising her at the reunion drove her mad.
  • It's All My Fault: Joon-ho blames himself for his mother's death. His father does as well.
  • The Scapegoat: It's made clear due to the pressure from their higher ups Jung-min is getting is why he's trying to make Yi-san and Joon-ho take the fall despite not having any real evidence against them.
  • Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Despite knowing how much trouble this could get her in, Eun-joo decides to help Yi-san when she realizes she might be truly innocent.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Joon-ho is revealed to look like his late mother, and it's the reason his father refuses to face her.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: Lee Tae-uk was secretly an arms dealer, but Lee Sae-Hoon kept him quiet by paying off the right people.
  • You Killed My Father:
    • Kwang-hyeon's real purpose in the investigation is to get revenge on the Serena Group for killing his parents.
    • Seon-ing's real motive was how Tae-suk had her sister killed.

     Alice: Ideal Wonderland 
  • Foreshadowing: During Alice's flashback to Lily's disappearance, she tries asking some of the other adults about her, but they have no idea who Lily is. In reality, Alice never had a sister: Lily was the manifestation of her childhood desires and dreams.
  • Hidden in Plain Sight: The White Rabbit Alice had been following was Lily all along.
  • Little Bit Beastly: The Chesire Cat was once fully human, but an accident with a potion made him grow cat ears and a tail.

     A Cat and Dog Affair 
  • Golden Ending: If the player has unlocked the Good Endings for both routes, a new stage will unlock where Roimata meets the Cat Goddess. She explains Amelie's soul was in Miles all along and as a reward for Roimata's actions, the goddess allows the spirit to remain in the forest with the animals she loves so much.
  • She Knows Too Much: It's revealed Mr. X killed Amelie for investigating his conspiracy.

     Coming Calamities 
  • Amazonian Beauty: Brynhildr.
  • Apocalypse Maiden: At the beginning of the story, the priestess states that the battle will bring forth a child of prophecy equal to the greatest gods. Odin later says that the prophesied one is destined to bring about Ragnarok in fire. He believes that it's Loki. It's actually Kaiya.
  • Braids of Action: Every set available from the story incorporates braids somewhere in the hair, and Kaiya is a sword-wielding warrior who becomes an Einherjar by defeating the "Immortal Toch" and, in one route, kills a god in the final battle.
  • Clap Your Hands If You Believe: During the final battle in Loki's route, the warriors' faith in him as the new God of Fire allows him to defeat Surtr.
  • Cool Sword: Kaiya gets one from the Elf Queen. It's made from a dragon tooth and the wounds it leaves are unable to heal.
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: In 4-11, Kaiya manages to defeat Surtr himself and send him back underground.
  • Died in Your Arms Tonight: When Kaiya kills Loki in the final battle in 4-11, he asks her to embrace him one last time, in honor of their former friendship. If Kaiya obliges, he dies in her arms.
  • Dreaming of Things to Come: Kaiya has a dream about a warrior standing before a giant, surrounded by fire. It's a vision of Surtr's return.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: Long ago, Loki when he was Lodur, sealed Surtr away with the Primordial Fire, saving the world. Despite this, he still wasn't accepted.
  • Gods Need Prayer Badly: Without any followers, a god will vanish and die.
  • Karmic Death: When the dead start rising in Midgard, you encounter the mother and daughter from a family with a physically abusive father who raised his son to be as bad as him, and is revealed to have killed his wife and daughter with the help of his son. Once you learn this, you have the option to barricade the two men inside to be torn apart by their reanimated victims.
  • My Nayme Is: Kaiya, meaning "jackdaw", which is usually spelled Kaja (Swedish) or Kaie (Norwegian).
  • Shout-Out: Some of Kaiya's allies in Midgard have the surname Targaryen.
  • Take Me Instead: How Kaiya arrives in Asgard. When she and her brother are mortally wounded in battle, she pleads for the Valkyrie who's come for him to let him live and bring her in his place.

Previous

Index

Next

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Browse Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top
Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.