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Abilitease is an aspect of game design wherein a game will provide a glimpse of your full skill-set at or near the start, only to remove most of these skills, stats, and abilities soon after.
An albino is an animal that was born with a random genetic disorder which causes them to have no pigment in their skin, hair or eyes. Human albinos typically have pale blue eyes, pale white skin and white/light blond hair (due to a lack of melanin).
When someone is androgynous, they have a mix of masculine and feminine aspects, or they have the appearance of being in between male and female. A common aesthetic in Japanese media and games.
Neglectful and/or abusive parents and parental figures.
A family of vampire hunters and the sworn enemies of Dracula. They are the main protagonists of the Castlevania franchise.
Whether it's a hero's turn to the dark side or a villain becoming a hero, it's usually unexpected and will bring a whole new moral dimension to the story. Sometimes, they change they sides more than once.
Allows the player to continue playing - even though they have finished the game. This allows the completion of unfinished side-quests or the results of the player's victory in the world to be seen.
It's all in the family.
A dhampir is the child of a vampire and a human. Dhampirs usually inherit the abilities of a vampire, but don't suffer from all the weaknesses.
A double jump is the ability to jump while already in mid-air to get some extra lift. In reality, double jumps are not possible and violate fundamental laws of physics.
The ability to create, shape, and control fire at will. This is a common and well known power in fiction, its appearance dating back to ancient literature.
A living being who is the product of the reproductive mating of two different species.
Video games developed in Japan but based on Western IPs.
It's arguably the one move that symbolizes the medium to those outside it. The ability to jump, be it onto a building, a platform, or a skull, is one of the all time most important abilities ever put in a video game.
These are the characters who prefer to walk through life without anyone by their side, even though many times they will still wind up as part of a team. They tend to be rough around the edges in order to try and push others away.
The concept of affecting the universe through supernatural methods, breaking the fundamental laws of science.
A game where you eventually receive a map of an area. Like in Metroid Prime you have map download stations to get a map outline of the area. This is the same concept in the exploring Castlevania games.
Multiple endings is a term used to describe different outcomes or conclusions to a game based on the previous actions of the player.
Characters that are initially portrayed as evil, but eventually turn out to be good or not as serious of a threat. This also includes villains who remain evil the entire game, but contain some sense of moral goodness or ambiguity.
A circumstance in video games where the player will defeat large numbers of enemies without any assistance from AI or other players. This may occur for part of a game or the entirety of it.
Many games and stories involve a character usually the main protagonist having to kill their fathers. This device is used most frequently in RPGs
Any character you can control in a game is a Player Character (PC), as opposed to a non-player character (NPC), which is a character that can only be controlled by the game.
Characters that have a Scottish accent.
A style of action-adventure gameplay revolving around exploring a labyrinth with the necessity of locating new items and equipment to progress beyond otherwise impassable obstacles. The concept is named for its common usage in the Metroid and Castlevania franchises. While the term most commonly refers to 2D games, it can also refer to 3D games.
The ability to change shape. Humans shifting into animals is the most common type of shape shifting.
Slashing weapons are designed to cut and slice rather than causing blunt trauma. Examples include swords, axes, claws, naginatas, or even whips.
When someone takes someone else's soul or life essence. They may do it to get more health, power-ups, or just because they are just plain evil!
Strength beyond normal human bounds, i.e. lifting cars, bending metals, shattering a street with one's fist.
The part in a story-based game where you become nigh indestructible and really powerful for as long as the game decides. Example: The Upgraded Gravity Gun section in Half-Life 2.
A tragic hero is a protagonist who makes several mistakes to fall from glory, or is affected by tragedy and seeks revenge or redemption.
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