The Wizard and The Slug is a 2D Platform Game by Robin Velu / Silkworm Sweatshop
. A demo was published in 2016 on itch.io, with the full game released for PC in November 2020 and for consoles in 2022.
A cartoon worm-like creature lives quietly in the Valley of the Barries until an Immortal named Charm crash-lands there. Not having enough power to change the world by herself, she acts as a wizard mentor and possesses the slug so it can escort her to where she needs to be.
The Wizard and The Slug features the following tropes:
- Action Prologue: The first scene in the game is Charm being chased and shot by harpy priests.
- All There in the Script: Most characters' names are left in the credits, which also includes Enemy Roll Call, like the titular Slug being named Prölen.
- Ambiguous Gender: Since Immortals have No Biological Sex, who Charm is supposed to be is questioned even by other characters, though she leans on being feminine out of convenience. For others it's harder to tell.
- Ambiguously Evil: For a Deuteragonist, Charm is very self-entitled, "volunteers" Slug to assist her, complains about pretty much anything, and everyone claims to be cursed by her. As it goes on, it becomes apparent she doesn't like herself either, but she dodges the topics about her goals. Aello also says it's not the first time Charm has brought a mortal with her who didn't survive the journey, which causes Charm to show a Nightmare Face. It turns out she wants to give mortals the freedom of choice, but everyone thinks it's a bad idea due to creating disorder and she sees herself as completely justified.
- Ambiguous Situation:
- It's implied that Charm has gravely hurt Celaeno to escape from Root. Still, Celaeno shows up to defend Charm and they become girlfriends in one of the endings.
- How much will the Slug actually has isn't made clear, as the endings depend on if you side with Charm or Root, powerful beings with controlling presence.
- Animal Jingoism: The Kingdom of Cats just hates dogs or anyone associated with them. Petting is fine, however.
- Anthropomorphic Food: Aside from being a World of Funny Animals, a lot of mortals are talking fruits.
- Black Comedy: The game has mixed messages about the mortality. For example, Banana Man is visited by a ghost of his sidekick Cranberry Boy, who was actually just a random person Banana Man buried alive, and Banana Man interprets it as the call to become a superhero again.
- Blatant Lies: Orange Man invites Slug to his house, that looks like a banana. Banana Man shows up immediately to call him out.
- But Thou Must!: Refusing to help Charm suddenly changes the option so the Slug would love to oblige. Refusing again leads to Banana Man educating the player about the Call to Adventure convention, followed by a forced reload with the choices being replaced. When Charm finds it remarkable the Slug could go home any time if it wanted, doing so causes Beauty to reset time. Other times the options are similarly rejected or go on a loop. The Reveal explain it as Charm talking to herself the entire time.
- The Cameo: Slugcat and Napstablook attend Banana Man's concert.
- The Caligula: The Cat King sends people into the dungeon with the stated reason of "why does it matter". He's unpopular enough that Lavender has started a rebellion.
- Chain of Deals: While looking for plants, Charm stumbles upon a village where all sell things each other need. With just a few strands of hair, Charm can "scam" them into giving her more and more goods.
- Conlang: Books have own language that comes with a translation but has undecipherable writing.
- Conspiracy Theorist: One of the cats discusses a flat earth, the lizard people, and a simulation world.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Celaeno accuses Charm of cheating at games when they were younger, to which Charm replies that being creative with the rules isn't cheating. Celaeno isn't amused.
- Double Jump: The Slug can shoot parts of itself for extra mobility up to a triple-jump.
- Eldritch Ocean Abyss: The Depths level is set so deep underwater it's completely pitch black. And is filled with some incomprehensible enemies.
- The Evils of Free Will: Charm wants to give mortals more freedom, but Root only sees it as turning her paradise into the survival of the fittest. Charm still thinks it's preferable.
- Fire Stolen from the Gods: Quantum has granted mortals will, but Plasma and Root attacked her for bringing chaos to the world before Quantum was done, resulting in a state where mortals hate her for "the curse" of Conflicting Loyalty between Root and independence. One of Quantum's Literal Split Personality, Charm, intends to finish the job by merging with the others.
- Foreshadowing:
- But Thou Must! isn't a funny gag, slugs don't talk, so Charm is projecting and answering own questions. Podarge also calls Charm a slug baby because she can sense the main reason the Slug is following her is due to a misapplied parental instinct.
- The Myth Prologue says there are three titan gods, but one of them is missing. Charm's siblings are Quantum's Literal Split Personality, with Charm intending to reunite and break the status quo as initially intended.
- Fourth-Wall Observer: Beauty is an enigmatic Immortal In the Hood who can talk to the player.
- Freak Out: When Charm realizes the Slug is just an animal following her out of instinct and not of own choice, she starts to reconsider the point of giving mortals free will and goes hysterical with Nightmare Face until she literally implodes. The Slug puts her together.
- Game Face: Charm knows how to turn intimidating when needed.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Slug occasionally can be accompanied by various assist buddies for a short while to help clearing out enemies.
- Hypocrite: Charm's main goal is to gift freedom to mortals, yet goes into full denial upon realization that Slug is following her not out of its choice. When you take an option to side with Root, Charm takes back her promises and tries to kill you.
- Immortal Immaturity:
- As The Ageless, Charm presents herself as powerful and wise, calls everyone kids, but keeps ranting how virtually everything annoys her and knows absolutely nothing about the Morals or even about basic concepts like time measurements. She also has some hard time understanding her friend Celaeno, who she thinks is the same as when she left her and even tries to continue their small talk from back then, but Celaeno had a whole life of experiences and is very bitter about being left. Charm also forgets mortals need food. When confronted by Truth, Charm doesn't see the point of talking when she can brute-force things her way.
- Other immortals are under the impression that dying is something mortals regularly do, which is statistically true when all of them are taken, but not as one's experience.
- Immortal Procreation Clause: The Gift of Immortality doesn't allow the Immortals to have children.
- Incredibly Obvious Trap: A sign notes that an easy to jump over Bottomless Pit is the only one in the game. Jumping into it gives an achievement, temporarily gets rid of a Guest-Star Party Member Banana Man as he ends up being found by pirates, and changes the sign to mock the player.
- Justified Save Point: The checkpoints are explained as the Slug sharing Charm's Gift of Immortality, thought she neither has Resurrective Immortality nor time powers.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: At the start of the race with Podarge, she points to the finish and the camera pans there. Charm replies that she can't see the end through rocks.
- Lethal Lava Land: Act 2 starts with a volcano level.
- Mirror Boss: At three points in the game, you have to fight other Slugs to hammer down how the Regenerating Health works and to collect Pieces of Hope. Having all pieces leads to an Optional Boss with Beauty summoning a stronger slug.
- Mood Whiplash: After Charm kidnaps Strange, Root goes into an Unstoppable Rage... Then Podarge comes in and asks for milk and ice cream, and Root calls it a day. When Root goes to Plasma, she's clearly unstable.Plasma: First you threaten me, and now you invite me to a birthday party?
- Mother Nature: Root is a dryad titan who has created all known mortals and is referred to as the Mother. She sees everyone as children, but can be a Control Freak.
- Multiple Endings: The game splits into three endings at the Last-Second Ending Choice point, Black, Gray and White:
- After the battle with Root, Charm asks to finish her off. You can fight Charm instead, after which Celaeno escapes with her.
- Assist Charm with the Hopeless Boss Fight against Root, after which Celaeno takes the shot for Charm, then heartbroken Root tears apart heartbroken Charm.
- Follow instructions till the end. Charm escapes with Strange and the Slug and plans her next move.
- Myth Prologue: The game starts with a narration regarding Titan Gods creating the world and the races.
- Nay-Theist: Charm is often offended by the religion, while also opposing titans gods, complaining that mortals delegate their problems to other entities and can't see the errors in their lives until it's ending.
- Nobody Loves the Bassist: Banana Man mentions that bass players get no respect.
- No Mouth: Immortals doesn't have a mouth and talk telepathically. Charm temporarily adds one to be closer to the Slug, but Celaeno tells she looks too weird with it.
- Non-Human Non-Binary: The Immortals don't have a sex or gender, but some have preferences for the sake of mortals' culture.
- Only a Flesh Wound: The Immortals use bodies that can break apart, so Charm casually asks the Slug to pick up her limbs after crashing, since she can't move by herself until then.
- Order Versus Chaos: Root is a Control Freak, but she tries to be a loving mother even if she doesn't know what to do when mortals behave unexpectedly. In contrast, Charm/Quantum wants to grant mortals free will, but she doesn't care who gets hurt for or after the world would become chaotic. Both show great care for others, but can't reconcile.
- Otaku: Otacatu is a self-proclaimed Japanese cat who speaks in a very Gratuitous Japanese, intentionally adds a Verbal Tic, lives with mom, and calls the country "original do not steal".
- Pieces of God: Charm wants to reunite with her siblings to become the titan god Quantum, the one who was removed from history for trying to make mortals independent. Truth and Strange are imprisoned by Root, Up and Down are in Plasma's custody, and Beauty has gone missing.
- Pineapple Ruins Pizza: Trying to find an excuse to punch someone, Cactus Galaxus asks what the player thinks about pineapple on pizza. The first option is calling it unforgivable.
- Pink Means Feminine: Charm is a pink girl-looking energy being whose magic uses Heart Symbols.
- Playable Menu: The title screen is also a platformer level.
- Pun:
- The narration calls a jealous Barry a Tsunbarry.
- When Banana Man and Orange Man quarrel, the narration calls it a food fight.
- If you ask for something hard at the bar, you get a literal rock. With a cocktail umbrella.
- Recurring Extra: Banana Man keeps showing up trying to befriend Slug, but either doesn't end up helpful, is treated like food, or is otherwise disrespected by others. Despite having many scenes, none of them connect to the main plot or even to each other.
- Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue...: An immortal library visitor offers the Slug a poem they've just made up.[sic] Rubies are red,
saphires are blue,
emirals are green
but what about you?
I just cannot pin down,
your definite "hue"
perhaps you are purple
or a shade of rouge? - Running Gag:
- Charm often boasts about her capabilities, only to backpedal with I Lied immediately.
- Charm often uses expressions involving biological features she doesn't have and comments on it.
- Charms keeps mistaking everyone for a crab due to not knowing much about mortals and wanting to meet one after hearing about it from Celaeno. When she finally meets a Giant Enemy Crab, she suddenly forgets how to call it.
- Charm is called many things, like "fairy", "demon", "djinn", and she questions why she even bothered to come up with "wizard".
- Sequel Hook: The ending pitches "The Wizard and The Comet", the Act 4 that shifts focus to Plasma's side.
- Shout-Out:
- Lavender's The Mighty Dust Mite Gang (of Extraordinary Freedom Fighters) does a motto in a style of Team Rocket.
- Cactus Galaxus forms a Punch Club, with himself and technically the Slug as only members.Let's just make that the first rule of our club: Thou mayest not orally express thyself regarding Punch Club.
- One of the chapters is called "Pod Race", short for Podarge.
- When asked why can't Charm just fly to her destination, she replies that it'd be a boring adventure if they've relied on eagles from the beginning.
- Society of Immortals: The Immortals live in villages fairly close to mortals and feed on titan god's blessing, but despite having visitors still can't understand them. Some even think petting one so hard they break is fine, since mortals are replaceable.
- Story Difficulty Setting: Inverted, the Arcade Mode removes all dialogue from the game.
- Theme Naming: A group of Immortals are named Charm, Truth, Beauty, Up, Down, Strange, after quarks in physics, who are the Pieces of God Quantum. Truth and Beauty are old names for Top and Bottom. Their alternative names are Passion, Reason, Hope, Joy, Sorrow, Fear, respectively, matching their personalities.
- Thinking Out Loud: In the tower of Root, Charm has to face the fact that the Slug can't talk and she made a random animal a convenient yes-man for her insecurities.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After acting openly condescending to the Slug throughout Act 1, Charm admits that it's nice someone is helping her, and she should try to understand mortals better. It's ambiguous how well she's been trying since she also shows being The Unfettered more openly and doesn't take "no" for an answer.
- Video Game Dashing: At the end of Act 1, the Slug gains the Dash ability.
- Under the Sea: Dank Passage mostly takes place underwater.
- Wham Line: Podarge tells that she was only playing pretend when meeting the Slug the first time, meaning it has no will of its own and Charm has been obliviously puppeteering it the entire time.
- Wham Shot: Charm regularly has dreams about her mortal friend from the time when Charm was about to escape, which she refuses to acknowledge. Then in Act 3 Charm remembers apologetically beating Celaeno to cover her escape.
- What You Are in the Dark: When encountering a burnt chick, Charm offers to Mercy Kill it, citing that mortals die regularly anyway, and asks the Slug to leave. She stops at the last moment, heals it and teleports it to a family of penguins.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Getting an ending shows what some minor characters are doing, along with a Sequel Hook.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: Charm notes that living ages with no conflict is actually a lot difficult for her, and is a bit envious of those with short lifespan.
- A Wizard Did It: Sensing confusion from the Slug, Charm feels the need to explain that Floating Platforms work by magic and there's no need to overthink it.
- World of Snark: Most of the dialogue consists of everyone trying to comically outsmart each other. When Charm is pushed to explain how her heart platforms work, she draws a Venn diagram on a paper that also includes some childish doodles.
- Your Mom: The bickering between Orange Man and Banana Man devolves to petty insults like calling moms old and wrinkly.
