Break a Story Cliché: sample result

Featured cliché: “Silly Squall, bringing a sword to a gunfight…”

No matter what timeframe the game is set in — past, present, or future — the main hero and his antagonist will both use a sword for a weapon. (Therefore, you can identify your antagonist pretty easily right from the start of the game just by looking for the other guy who uses a sword.) These swords will be far more powerful than any gun and often capable of distance attacks. — Console RPG Clichés

Counterexample: Raiders of the Lost Ark

In this scene, Indiana Jones is looking for his friend who has been abducted by enemies. When faced with a perilous sword fight, Indy finds a quick way out of the predicament.

A crowd throngs chaotically in a middle eastern bazaar.

The crowd clears and Indiana Jones looks up.

A fearsome assassin armed with a large sword faces Indy.

The assassin flaunts his skill by deftly brandishing the scimitar.

A disdainful Indy nonchalantly pulls out his revolver.

Indy shoots the assassin from a distance, who falls to the ground.

Indy moves on without a second thought.

Background

According to lore, an elaborate fight had been choreographed but Harrison Ford wasn’t feeling well that day and improvised this solution on the spot. Director Steven Spielberg liked it enough to keep the scene in the final edit.