Death Course: Difference between revisions
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{{quote|''Another day, another death course...''|'''Ratchet''', ''[[Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal]]''}}
The linear version of the [[Death Trap]], the
'''These can be found in:'''
* [[Temple of Doom|Ancient temples]], where they are driven by [[Durable Deathtrap|very durable]] [[Bamboo Technology]].
* [[Supervillain Lair
* [[Eternal Engine|Factories]], if they are damaged and were [[No OSHA Compliance|unsafe to start with]].
'''Any of the pitfalls included under [[Death Trap]] may be used in the
* The dart launchers, triggered by the passing of the hero (an automatic machine gun, in modern settings).
* The [[Indy Escape|giant rolling stone ball]], always an [[Indiana Jones]] [[Homage]].
* [[Trap Door
* [[Surprise Slide Staircase|Stairs that become slides]]
* Mines
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* [[Advancing Wall of Doom]]
* The [[Corridor Cubbyhole Run]].
* And, of course, [[Bottomless Pits]] and/or [[Pit Trap
The
{{examples}}
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== Film ==
* The ''[[Indiana Jones]]'' films, but most notably the opening sequence of ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', as noted above.
* In ''[[Galaxy Quest]]'', the characters are moving through a spaceship based on the one in the TV show they starred in. When there's a
{{quote|"Whoever wrote this episode should DIE!"}}
* The execrable ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (film)|Dungeons and Dragons]]'' movie from 2000 had a
* The opening of the "Weird Al" Yankovic movie ''[[UHF]]'' is a loving parody of the famous [[Indiana Jones]] sequence, right down to the giant rolling stone ball. However, this one can navigate and turn corners.
* Let's not forget the path into Alcatraz in ''[[The Rock]]''.
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* The entrance to Lex Luthor's lair in ''[[Superman (film)|Superman]]'', particularly in the extended cut of the movie that didn't make it into theaters.
* The tunnel network explored by ''[[The Goonies]]'' certainly qualifies; while it didn't kill anyone in the movie, its traps had caused the death of Mr. Copperpot some decades before.
* Inverted in the ''[[Home Alone]]'' series, in that it's the ''villains'' who are forced to negotiate a
* Shifu's temple from ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'' has one of these.
* One appears in the song [[Training Montage|"One Last Hope"]] from ''[[Hercules (Disney film)|Hercules]]''.
* In 1972's anthology ''Tales From The Crypt'', the abusive manager of a home for the blind gets his comeuppance when the visually-impaired men he's been mistreating lock him in his office and construct a
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* In the [[Alex Rider]] book ''Eagle Strike'', Alex is thrown into an exact replica of a Aztec level of a video game by the game's creator. This features darts, slippery surfaces, a robot snake which is a real snake in body armor and two Aztec gods (guards in costume).
* Near the end of ''Inheritance,'' (the last book of the ''[[Inheritance Cycle]]') Eragon, Saphira, Elva, Arya, and eleven other elves make their way through a hallway filled with traps to get to [[The Big Bad]].
* In [[Matthew Reilly]]'s books ''Seven Deadly Wonders'' and ''The Six Sacred Stones'' almost all the action sequences take place in
* In the ''[[Discworld]]'' books, it is heavily implied that Lord Vetinari has one of these set up in the passage that leads to Leonard of Quirm's cell. Or maybe that's just what he wants you to think.
** Leonard apologizes earnestly for designing it, so it is far more likely to be true.
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* ''[[Angel]]'' runs through one of these to save Darla's life, though it should be noted that this was set up for the explicit purpose of testing the mettle of applicants to a specific and quite powerful supernatural favor.
* British game show ''[[The Crystal Maze]]'' (hosted by Richard "Riff-Raff" O'Brien of ''[[Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'' fame) presented a much-toned down version as the central set piece of the program.
* ''[[MacGyver]]'' features several death courses, some linear, some (implicitly) not, typically they are associated with his arch-nemesis Murdoc. One particularly blatant episode (which has a rather "Man with the Golden Gun" feel) involved a reformed Murdoc enlisting Mac's help {{spoiler|to save Murdoc's sister}}, and being forced to traverse a linear
* The game shows ''[[Legends of the Hidden Temple]]'', ''Viking: The Ultimate Warrior'' and ''Sasuke'' (known as ''[[Ninja Warrior]]'' in North America) have these either as stages or take place within them entirely. (The games in ''[[Takeshi's Castle]]'', known in America as ''[[MXC]]'', are too separated to count.)
* The obstacles in ''[[Knightmare]]'' - the only children's game show where you could (virtually) die by being impaled on spikes, sawn in half by giant blades, having your head knocked off by flying bits of masonry, falling into bottomlessness after stepping on the wrong tile of an Indiana Jones-style causeway, and so on and so forth.
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== Tabletop Games ==
* In ''[[Robo Rally]]'', each of the players navigates a robot through a
* ''[[Tomb of Horrors]]''. Enough said.
== Videogames ==
* ''[[Baldur's Gate]]'', most particularly 2, where a
* ''[[Tomb Raider]]'', in which most of the tombs are equipped with diabolical anti-raider devices.
* ''[[Prince of Persia]]'', since day one, has had these in every castle of the ancient world. There are some paranoid sultans out there, apparently. (In ''Prince of Persia: Sands of Time'', it's slightly more
* Arguably, most parts of the ''[[God of War (series)|God of War]]'' series not concerning killing undead skeletons are Death Courses.
** However, the game has two areas that are intentional Death Courses, rather than being naturally inhospitable or dangerous due to damage: The Temple of Pandora (including the Cliffs of Madness), and Hades. The Temple of Pandora is [[Justified Trope|justified]], as it's explicitly designed for the sole purpose of killing anyone unworthy of obtaining Pandora's Box.
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*** {{spoiler|Taking a mysterious crystal from an inter-dimensional bureaucrat who comes from nowhere tells you to "prepare for unforeseen consequences" and bombarding said crystal with lasers is safe? I mean, I suppose such a thing is so ridiculous that OSHA hasn't covered it, but still. Come on.}} {{spoiler|1=Actually OSHA has a catchall regulation just for "You just did something so absolutely and clearly dangerous to your employees you blew our minds. We could never imagine somebody being so stupid. Here's your fine. You're not going to get off on 'well you didn't tell me [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|not to specifically do this]]'." It's called the [http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=OSHACT&p_id=3359 General Duty Clause.] }}
*** Well, they WERE worried about if something goes wrong. They just thought it was very unlikely. You get lines of dialog of arguing scientist before the test. Unfortunately, the person complaining is right.
* In ''[[Portal (series)|Portal]]'', the entire Aperture Science Enrichment Center appears expressly designed to murder its test subjects by exposure to vaporizing balls of energy, highly toxic liquids, fatal drops, hyperactive sentry
* In ''[[Portal 2]]'', it's turned [[Up to Eleven]]. Not only are the tests back, with some new elements like high energy lasers, but there are two sequences where the AI in charge resorts to the [[Malevolent Architecture]] of the Enrichment Center in an attempt to kill you directly, and you are forced to run for it through gauntlets of crushing walls and endless drops. Further, in the second act of the game, you descend into the abandoned test facilities beneath the modern ones, which make you contend not only with the tests but also all the broken catwalks and decaying environments between them.
* First two ''[[Max Payne (series)|Max Payne]]'' games have a level where you have to run through a building as it is burning down around you, escaping by finding the "safe route" out of the fire and generally straight into the arms of the baddies.
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* In ''[[Star Wars]]: [[The Force Unleashed]]'', the Death Star level consists of a series of Laser Hallways ''on steroids''
* Jack Vambrace, Treasure Hunter, is first introduced to the party in ''[[Wild Arms]]'' while he is escaping from one of these in an ancient ruin.
* ''[[N]]'' in all its incarnations is just a ninja [[Le Parkour
* Games with level editors can allow players to make Death Courses. Such as a [[Mega Man Powered Up]] level where the floor and every platform are made from [[Spikes of Doom]], or a [[Halo|Halo3]] multiplayer map where all the teleporters and spawn points are placed outside the map's border.
* The world of ''[[Jumper (video game)|Jumper]]'' [[Death World|is basically this]].
* Forgotten FPS/RPG ''[[Strife]]'' features the Training Facility.
* ''[[Fun Orb]]'' has "Tomb Racer", a
* About halfway through [[Dead Space 2]], Tiedemann seals Isaac in a section of the Sprawl meant for processing hazardous waste. This includes several large, sharp, spinning objects that will kill you if you get too close. Which must be navigated in Zero G. Arguably the most fun part of the game.
* [[Orcs Must Die]] runs on you creating these, [[Smashing Hallway Traps of Doom|pushing, crushing, smashing]] piercing, slicing, [[Kill It with Fire|burning]], [[Shock and Awe|electricuting]], bludgeoning, freezing and [[Impaled with Extreme Prejudice|impaling]] hapless orcs.. Then there's the catapult trap which, when placed correctly, can catapult the orcs all the way back to the beginning of said deathcourse.
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* In ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja]]'', the titular Dr. McNinja was hired to infiltrate an ancient temple full of these, blocking a tennis robot which supposedly destroys the world if it's not beaten in tennis.
* ''[[Darths and Droids]]'', Pete puts the party through the factory sequence from Attack of the Clones while subbing for the regular GM, all because of something that Jim and the others did in a previous RP. They eventually make it through by SHEER LUCK, as revealed in a review by the original GM, who remarks "Wow...I don't see how anyone could make it through this..."
** This becomes a [[Hoist by His Own Petard]] for Pete as, when the regular GM returns, Pete's character is forced to make his way back through his own
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* In ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'', The Green Goblin sets up one of these for Spider-Man and Tombstone in a refinery with [[No OSHA Compliance]], stuffed to the gills with bombs.
* In a episode of ''[[Mucha Lucha]]'', Rikochet ends up taking on soccer, and is doing a rather... challenging drill. As exemplified by his coach: "You must run the course like your life depends on it! Because, a matter of fact... it does!"
* In ''[[Danny Phantom]]'', Fright Knight's entire ''castle'' is a
* The ''[[Thundercats]]'' episode ''Tower of Traps'' is, well, exactly as it says. It features a octopus type monster, swinging blades, trick stairs, and more. Fun for everyone involved!
** The ''[[Thundercats 2011|ThunderCats (2011)]]'' episode "Journey to the Tower of Omens" features a spinning blade version, and several other [[Booby Trap]] rooms in a [[Temple of Doom]] that blocks the way to the Tower of Omens.
* In the direct to video sequel ''[[An American Tail]]: The Treasure of Manhattan Island'', Fievel and his friends pass through a
* [[Adventure Time|Gauntlet]] [[Awesome but Impractical|Dock!]]
* In the ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' episode "Read It and Weep", Daring Do faces two sets of these back to back, though we only ever see the first. Said course involves thrown axes, fire pits, crocodiles hanging from the ceiling, arrows, and spikes.
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== Web Original ==
* The ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'' villain Minos is obsessed with ancient Greece. His headquarters is ''always'' hidden at the center of a maze-like
== Real Life ==
* Castles, trench lines and other fortifications are typically designed to be a death course, at least for the attacking army. [[Storming the Castle|Storming a properly built fortification]] using a direct assault in practically any time period is an absolute suicide
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Video Game Difficulty Tropes]]
[[Category:This Index Is in The Way]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Death Course]]
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