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An often used plot device where the main character wakes up and has lost all their memories. The game usually centers around getting your memory back or uncovering the events that lead to your confusion.
A hybrid of the Amnesia and Immortality concepts, an Amnesiac Immortal is an immortal who has lost his/her past memories. This could mean that they've lived so long that they've forgotten about much of their past, or that they may not even be aware that they are in fact immortal.
In some games, usually RPGs, they have a boss of the game to be a angel or appearance of an angelic-like being.
Betrayal is when a person breaks the trust and faith that others have placed in them.
A character who is destined to save or destroy the world. Often seen in RPGs.
The Cobra Unit was a legendary team of soldiers that were assembled by The Boss in 1942 to combat the Axis Powers. They are the primary antagonists in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Their call signs are all emotions that they best personify when in battle.
A gameplay plot twist in the form of revealing non-human monsters to battle after fighting more realistic human enemies for the majority of the game.
In a franchise, it entails the second game that takes on a gritty and dark tone to distinguish it from the first.
Dead Cell was a former special U.S. Navy Seal's counter-terrorist training unit founded by President George Sears. They are the main antagonists in Metal Gear Solid 2.
A Latin phrase meaning "god from the machine", a deus ex machina is a contrived plot twist in the climax of a storyline designed to resolve difficult issues. The technique is often criticized because the resolution usually does not follow the logic of the story thus far.
A character working for an agency or organization who is, in reality, working in secret against the organization for a rival agency.
When a character appears to have died a horrible death, but is then eventually revealed to have somehow survived or was never really dead to begin with, often serving as a plot-twist.
Somewhat of a cross between Amnesia and Insanity, this is where a character replaces their own real original identity with a new false identity (i.e. a false reality/persona/memories), usually caused by either internal psychological trauma or external brainwashing.
You may think you know who you are playing as, but do you?
Literally meaning "black film," film noir is a term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas. This unique style of storytelling and cinematography is often incorporated into video games.
Games that feature an unexpected change to the core gameplay (not just a minigame).
A framing device for storytelling in which the main character is recounting the events of the game's plot (the actual gameplay) to someone as a flashback while they are being interrogated.
The mysterious organisms, or machines, that tend to the maintenance of The Citadel. Little is known about these aphid like workers.
This is when the events of a story are not in chronological order. Often, the end comes at the beginning, and the remaining story explains how things came to be the way they are.
Many games and stories involve a character usually the main protagonist having to kill their fathers. This device is used most frequently in RPGs
A cutscene or conversation that appears after, or during, the credits -- usually as a means to deliver a cliffhanger and/or plot twist.
When the character the player is controlling dies as part of the game's plotline.
A red herring is a plot device used to mislead or distract someone from what's really going on in the story. It could be a false clue or over-emphasis of another character. Red herrings can add a surprise or make a challenge tougher.
The act of killing a monarch. Generally characters involved are portrayed as traitors or revolutionaries.
Revenge is an act of violence, financial ruin, or emotional torment that one person or group carries out against another, in response to some perceived wrongdoing.
A private extracurricular club at Gekkoukan High School. Its members are individuals with the "potential," the ability to keep their consciousness during the Dark Hour, and call forth their Persona. Shuji Ikutsuki acts as their sponsor.
A series of seemingly unrelated events that are tied together in one way or another. The term originates from the anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
The Covenant Civil War was an event in Covenant history which began in October 2552, with the Separatists, led by the Elites, breaking away from the Loyalists.
A parasitic life form in the Halo universe, which serves as a secondary antagonist throughout the series. It has no known origin, though it is rumored to be extragalactic.
Not simply a plot twist, a Tomato Surprise is a narrative trope where a momentous plot detail, which is already known by the principle character(s), is kept from the audience until a critical point in the story. It is the opposite of Dramatic Irony, which is where the viewer knows something the characters do not.
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