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Can you guess which one is The Big Bad?
Deep Labyrinth is a 3D Hack and Slash RPG originally released on the Japanese Vodafone in 2004, the Japanese FOMA phone in 2005, and the Nintendo DS in Japan, North America and Europe in 2006. It features an elaborate game maze, and a...plot. While not the most impressive of video games, it did have the notability of having a story by Masato Kato and music by Yasunori Mitsuda, who had also worked together on Chrono Trigger, Xenogears and Chrono Cross. The music alone may make the game worth playing—see the Yasunori Mitsuda page for links to music samples for this game.
The DS release was two games in one:
- The original cell phone game is the "adult" storyline: A young man is trapped in a mysterious labyrinth with only a new-found sword to aid him, and is trying to find a way out. Plot and Character Development ensue building upon the Backstory of his late girlfriend's untimely death. Yasunori Mitsuda composed the original music.
- A new "child" storyline game was written by Masato Kato with additional music by Yasunori Mitsuda. It is about a boy named Shawn who finds himself trapped in a Wonderland, separated from his mother, father and his dog Ace. As with the original adult storyline, this storyline builds Character Development of the characters involved, coming to suggest that his family was already beginning to crumble before the story began.
- Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: In the child storyline, the save spots are all attended by the same talking purple platypus.
- The Big Bad: In the adult storyline, it turns out to be your own sword, combining this trope with Evil All Along and It Was with You All Along. The entire labyrinth itself is also revealed to be part of the sword, making them both the same Eldritch Abomination/Eldritch Location, and making this a particularly Troperiffic Big Bad.
- But Thou Must!: The fight with the White Dragon in the adult story: he says he will kill you if you don't help the girl in the crystal, which you were going to do anyways thanks to Character Development.
- Crowning Music of Awesome by Yasunori Mitsuda.
- Guide Dang It: There are a LOT of hidden areas in the labyrinth, including a whole effing AREA that the red (random) teleports in the adult story will rarely take you to. And some areas in plain sight have this, particularly the Rainbow key doors (you're warned there's only one key, hope you saved it! Special mention goes to the Dragon Armor (best in the game) in the adult story, where you have to keep the first key you ever get.
- Hack and Slash: The primary style of gameplay while navigating the labyrinth.
- Infinity+1 Sword: Child story only, you can have different swords. The absolute best ones fall under the aforementioned Guide Dang It...except for THE best, which is an ultra-rare drop from enemies that have one-shot kill spells and is initially seven and a half times as powerful as the second best is (no, seriously - Falcon Sword is 400% attack bonus, Redstone Sword is 3000%)
- As overall equipment goes, the Dragon Equipment and Falcon equipment fit the trope nicely. But yes, the Redstone sword is also part of a set including one other item for each equipment slot. Finding them all takes FOREVER, but they remove all challenge from the game and you'll be level 99 by the time you have all four.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: As explained by The FaceLess Woman in the child story.
- Scenery Porn: Parts of it kinda grow on you after a while.
- Tear Jerker: A few. But especially when Ace gets killed.
- The Maze