Assault Spy

Override the system!

Assault Spy is a comedic hack and slash PC game developed by Wazen that was published worldwide by NIS America on Steam.

Corporate spy Asaru Vito has just botched his last job thanks to the antics of his rather troublesome new partner, Kanoko Yotsuba. His boss decides to give him one last chance to redeem himself: by infiltrating the robotics manufacturer Negabot. However, when they arrive, the corporation′s headquarters is already in the middle of a hostile takeover by the terrorist Mr. Showtime, and that the company′s own security robots have Turned Against Their Masters. Both Asaru and Kanoko soon wound up becoming Accidental Heroes, having been chosen by the company′s development manager, Professor Irene Yoneda, as "agents" that will save the company.

Or: Reckless CIA agent Amelia Smith and her narcissistic partner, Kazama, tries - and fails - to capture Irene, another agent who went rogue. Both were eventually given the task to also infiltrate Negabot. They soon find that the corporation has been taken over by the Battle Consultant Mr. Assault. But as they proceed with their mission, she will realize that things aren′t what they seem to be...

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This game features examples of

General

• AI Is a Crapshoot: Averted. The security robots are simply carrying out their programming; they′re just hijacked by the villains. The same can be said for the World Reenactment Engine.
• And Your Reward Is Clothes: Beating both stories unlocks masks for both characters.
• Attack Its Weak Point: Armored Cones have one in their backs.
• Big Bad: Mr. Showtime for Asaru′s story, Mr. Assault/Asaru for Amelia′s story... at first.
• Bond Villain Stupidity: When the Officers and Chidori/Mr. Assault finally corner the protagonists (after a boss fight), they chose to imprison rather than killing both Asaru/Amelia and Kanoko/Kazama. This allows Yoneda/Chidori to help them escape.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: When Kazama tries to flirt with Amelia in an optional conversation, the latter responds by saying that she wants to press the punch button, but is unable to attack him.
  • Apparently, the World Reenactment Engine functions on the law of entertainment.
• The Casanova: Kazama is this, though his charms didn′t work on Amelia at all.
• Dissonant Serenity/Machine Monotone: The robots all speak with a combination of both tropes, asking the players politely and monotonously to leave while trying to kill them.
• The Dragon: Chidori to Mr. Showtime, Kanako to Mr. Assault/Asaru.
• Eagle Land: Amelia is a mix of both types.
• Elite Mooks: Plenty of them, such as black Monitor Men.
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Monitor Men/moborobos, your basic Mook; a security robot resembling a monitor on legs. Same goes with the Cone Men; robotic and bipedal traffic cones.
• Evil Laugh: Always delivered hammily.
• The Faceless: Asaru′s Boss, Michael, and all of the Negabot employees.
• Final Boss: Mr. Showtime for Asaru, and Asaru himself for Amelia. And eventually, Officer Joker for both.
• Follow the Leader: The gameplay is clearly inspired by Devil May Cry and other similar titles.
• Foreshadowing:
  • Towards the end of his story, Asaru expresses a desire of becoming Mr. Showtime′s successor.
  • Amelia wears a mask in Asaru′s story, but doesn′t in her own. On top of that, she experiences a moment of déjà vu.
  • Kazama himself: Asaru defeats him three times. Also, he can call Kanoko, his partner to distract enemies, yet Amelia is unable to do the same to Kazama, who is her partner.
  • When Amelia rescues a trapped employee, the man asks her if she′s found a professor wearing a white apron, before wondering if said professor even exists to begin with.
• Genki Girl: Kanoko.
• Giant Mook: Plenty of them, such as giant Monitor Men are encountered in the later levels of the game; unsurprisingly enough they′re far more durable than the normal ones and are usually equipped with shields.
• The Guards Must Be Crazy: The Monitor Men in the Stealth Based Mission rely solely on their flashlights to locate intruders and won′t even bother checking for noises.
• Gratuitous English: Amelia, being a "Mamerican" in a Japanese game.
• His Name Really Is "Barkeep": Asaru′s boss is literally just called "Boss".
• Hyperactive Metabolism: All of the health powerups resemble food and beverages.
• The Lancer: Kanoko to Asaru, Kazama to Amelia.
• MacGuffin: The Final Code, which grants whoever that uses it complete control over all of Negabot′s products the world over.
• Mad Libs Dialogue: This is how the Officers talk. In combat, they seem to utter random phrases taken from multiplayer first-person shooter games.
• Mecha-Mooks: Virtually all of the enemies, aside from the bosses.
• Mega Corp: Negabot, which is mentioned to be one of the biggest robotics companies of the world.
• Multiple Life Bars: Five of them. Notably, all of the enemies′ attacks only deplete one bar at a time.
• Mundane Made Awesome: Literally with Asaru′s gadgets: his main weapons are shaped like a briefcase and an umbrella, and he also has business cards that are actually explosive throwing knives.
• Narcissist: Kazama, to the point that he intends to use the World Reenactment Engine to repeat the game′s story with him as the hero.
• Nice Hat: Worn by both Kazama and Mr. Showtime.
• Nintendo Hard: Especially if you play in Normal difficulty or above.
• Obviously Evil: Mr. Showtime. Let′s see: A menacing, grimacing face? Check. Prophet Eyes? Check. Only speaks with grunting, grumbling, and Evil Laughter? Check.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Mr. Showtime.
• Phenotype Stereotype: Amelia.
• Punny Name: To name a few:
  • Asaru Vito.
  • Cone Man.
  • Armored Cone, a Cone Man piloting a Mini-Mecha.
  • Overclock, a watch that grants its user Super Reflexes in the form of Bullet Time.
• Praetorian Guard: The Officers, all of whom have playing card motifs.
• Rewarding Vandalism: Destroying vending machines is the only way to get health powerups, aside from Guard Breaking enemies. The characters actually bring this trope up twice.
• Rule of Cool and Rule of Funny: This game is what happens if you combine both tropes.
• Salaryman: Asaru is basically a Combat Salaryman.
• Shout-Out:
  • After being given the Overclock, Asaru notes that the name reminds him of something. Professor Yoneda immediately responds by denying that she′s ever heard of a game with a similar title.
• The Stinger: Two of them.
  • Asaru: Shows an ominous silhouette of Professor Yoneda and the World Reenactment Engine.
  • Amelia: Kazama steals the credit from Asaru for saving Negabot only to be embarrassed by the entire cast, who decide to hold a party in his own home for surviving the Reenactment.
• Spell My Name with an "S": An in-universe example; instead of "Japan" and "America", we have "Japam" and "Mamerica".
• Stealth Based Mission: Happens after the player defeats the four Officers and Chidori/Mr. Assault.
• Super Prototype: The Officers are revealed to be these when the protagonists face off against their mass-produced and human-sized versions.
• Trash Talk: This is what Kanoko does best; insulting the villains, and often with profane fashion.
• Turned Against Their Masters: In this case, because the robots have been taken over by the villains.
• Video Game Caring Potential: Rescuing trapped Negabot employees gives you 100 points.
• World of Badass
• You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Asaru (blue), Kanoko (pink), and Kazama (light blonde).

Asaru′s Story

• Accidental Hero: From Asaru′s perspective, at least.
• Bullet Time/Super Reflexes: What Overclock pretty much does. The game world slows down, but you can still move and attack at normal speed. Asaru ends up breaking it during his fight against Mr. Showtime, but eventually Professor Yoneda gives him a second Overclock watch, becoming an Eleventh-Hour Superpower.
• Character Development: Asaru goes from despising Kanoko and wanting nothing to do with her, to respecting her after the latter saved his life. And during The Stinger of Amelia′s story, he becomes her mentor.
• Cyborg: Professor Yoneda, who uploaded herself onto cybernetic copies.
• Gang Up on the Human: In the last fight against Kazama, not one of the robots that′d eventually spawn will attack him, and vice versa.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Yoneda seemingly self-destructs herself to stop Chidori from taking the Final Code. This is immediately subverted a few moments later.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kanoko. Rude and incompetent she maybe, she′s ultimately still on Asaru′s side, and really wants to help him. She even saves him from being killed after being surrounded by Monitor Men.
• Klingon Promotion: Mr. Showtime′s ultimate scheme; he takes over Negabot to attract potential successors. When Asaru finally defeats him he chose not to retire all along, having regained his fighting spirit from the experience.
• The Rival: Kazama.
• Suddenly Voiced: Or in Mr. Showtime′s case, Suddenly Laughing.
• Too Dumb to Live: Kanoko. Though surprisingly enough, she manages to not die.
• Turns Red: Mr. Showtime completely rejuvenates himself once you′ve done enough damage.

Amelia′s Story

• Alien Invasion: According to Kazama, these were averted, and covered up by the CIA. It then turns out the aliens were bringing in ambassadors, not an invasion force.
• Alternate Universe: The entire story is one, created by the World Reenactment Engine, with everyone′s roles being switched around.
• A God Am I: Professor Yoneda proclaims herself as a god in the Final Boss fight.
• Anti-Villain: Agent Irene, who ultimately sides with Amelia after being defeated twice.
• BFG: The GM Blast Burster.
• Bigger Bad: Professor Yoneda.
• Evil Counterpart: Inverted with Agent Irene, but for reasons that are far less obvious.
• Face Heel Double Turn: Irene, Kanoko, and Asaru (called Mr. Assault) are the villains, with Chidori and Kazama as the supporting protagonists. This is then inverted when Kazama ends up becoming a villain once he discovers the World Reenactment Engine, and Asaru and Kanoko′s personality reverts back to normal.
• For the Evulz: The reason why Kanoko and Mr. Assault took over Negabot? "Because it′s fun!"
• I Just Want to Be Badass: Kazama′s raison d′etre for trying to take control of the World Reenactment Engine.
• No Indoor Voice: Michael always speaks loudly and excitedly.
• Rouge Angles of Satin: There are two instances in the cutscenes: "Key" becomes "Kay" and "Center" becomes "Senter".
• Sound Effect Bleep: Happens whenever Amelia does a Precision F-Strike.
• Swiss Army Weapon: Amelia′s Galaxlayer, which can fire basic shots that stun enemies, a charged shot that can inflict heavy damage, and even a sword mode called the Galaxlasher.
• Theme Music Power-Up: During the second phase of the True Final Boss fight.
• True Final Boss: Officer Joker.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: A random Negabot employee that can be rescued at the start of the executive hallway fight reveals himself to be this; he allowed Kanoko into Negabot′s security control room and hacking the robots with a virus; to paraphrase the man himself, "I thought she was just joking..."