Malevolent Architecture: Difference between revisions

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** So much so that there's an entire club dedicated to exploring it. A member of the club actually becomes a full-fledged treasure hunter in a later arc. Library Island is apparently comparable to the most dangerous dungeons the Magic World has to offer.

* The Twelve Temples Stairs from the ''[[Saint Seiya]]'' Sanctuary Arc. An endless staircase on a mountain, with twelve temples to cross for everyone without using their superhuman speed or teleportation ([[Fridge Logic|though dimension warps do work, strangely]]), invader or non-invader. The kicker? The heroes have to go through these to save their Goddess, who would normally be owning the place if not for the [[Big Bad]], and to add insult to injury, it even has this giant fire clock (12 flames, 1 hour for each flame) whose only purpose is to give a sense of time running out to the heroes. Architecture bearing ill-malice towards the legitimate owner of the place (and her warriors) on this level HAS to be this.

** Subverted in that the Anime seems to imply that several people know secret passages and shortcuts (but of course not the heroes). Which leads us into serious [[Fridge Logic]] territory, or in [[~~Screw the~~ Rules I ~~Have~~ Plot]] territory.

** Subverted in that the Anime seems to imply that several people know secret passages and shortcuts (but of course not the heroes). Which leads us into serious [[Fridge Logic]] territory, or in [[New Rules as the Plot Demands]] territory.

** And let's not even get into how Sagittarius Aiolos greets visitors in his Temple in the anime. {{spoiler|The whole temple is full of tests of determination/character disguised as booby-traps.}}

** To be fair, though, in the Hades Sanctuary Arc since the endless staircase + fire clock deadline is turned on the villains who are {{spoiler|renegade Saints who came [[Back from the Dead]]}}. It still serves no real actual purpose, besides making it harder for heroes and enemies altogether (and this is used as a plot point to justify that some characters can't come to help in time). This is a recurring argument point in fandom and lots of speculations are made as to how the restrictions and such works, since [[Word of God]] said virtually nothing on this.

** Also, Hades' Castle and the endless spiral staircase leading to Hell. With no security ramps. And every character has to jump in the [[Bottomless Pits|pit]] anyway, with a very likely risk to die in the process.

* Sayoko's castle in ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]''.

== Comic Books ==

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* In [[The Rock]], John Mason gets in and out of the cistern room underneath the furnace by way of crawling through a tight space with turning gears and belching fire. Mason: "I memorized the timing. I just hope it hasn't been changed..."

* [[1408]]: It's an ''evil'' fucking room.

== Literature ==

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* The Mile-High Tower in ''[[Glory Road (novel)|Glory Road]]'' by [[Robert A. Heinlein]] is a cube-shaped structure a mile on an edge, located in a [[Pocket Dimension]] that is (slowly) fatal to humans, whose entire internal structure consists of mazes and [[Death Trap]]s, and is home to [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|The Neverborn, the Eater of Souls]]. Its sole reason for existence is to hold an artifact called the "Egg of the Phoenix" (stolen by the tower's builders, who couldn't figure out how to use it) and keep it out of the hands of the people who actually own and need it.

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== Live-Action TV ==

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== Live Action TV ==

* Subverted in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' comedy special "The Curse of Fatal Death", where the Doctor reveals he popped back in time to have a word with the architect, so the Master's would-be death trap dungeon turns out instead to contain only a Sofa of Reasonable Comfort.

** In fact, the Master bribed the architect to install death-traps, but the Doctor anticipated that he'd do this, and bribed the architect to allow for escape from said death-traps, but the Master anticipated this bribery, and bribed the architect to install more death-traps, but the Doctor anticipated this too, and bribed the architect in defense. Eventually, the Master decides that after meeting the Doctor, he'll [[Retroactive Preparation|go back and buy the architect an expensive dinner.]] However, {{spoiler|the Doctor already had dinner with him.}}

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** Of course, the next design tips over and then spontaneously combusts while the architect is explaining how safe it is - but the architect gets the contract anyway, because he and the city gents are Masons.

* This trope was the entire premise of the [[Syfy]] game show ''Estate Of Panic''.

* British CITV series [[Knightmare]] invoked this trope on a regular basis - rooms filled with tiles which would send you plummeting into an abyss were common puzzles for the dungeoneers. The most literal examples were Wall Monsters; creatures who would appear in clue rooms and give hints as to which items would be most useful... assuming you could answer their questions correctly, that is. Later seasons sped up proceedings by introducing Blockers, mobile walls who would simply ask for a password... and devour any dungeoneer who didn't possess it.

* British CITV series ''[[Knightmare]]'' invoked this trope on a regular basis - rooms filled with tiles which would send you plummeting into an abyss were common puzzles for the dungeoneers. The most literal examples were Wall Monsters; creatures who would appear in clue rooms and give hints as to which items would be most useful... assuming you could answer their questions correctly, that is. Later seasons sped up proceedings by introducing Blockers, mobile walls who would simply ask for a password... and devour any dungeoneer who didn't possess it.

* In ''[[The Prisoner]]'' episode ''The Girl Who Was Death'', she lures him into a ghost town, to a block of shops for a butcher, baker, and candlestick maker, each equipped with lethal booby traps inspired by their trade.

== [[Tabletop Games]] ==

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* A number of cards in ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'''s Stronghold set seem to be derived directly from this trope. Particularly malevolent examples include [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5124 Ensnaring Bridge], [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5113 Bottomless Pit], [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5222 Shifting Wall], and [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5268 Wall of Razors]. As if those features weren't hazardous enough, the backstory has the eponymous Stronghold seated inside a [[Convection, Schmonvection|volcano]].

** In fact, most of the plane of Rath was made out of flowstone, an intelligent, malevolent substance that's keyed directly to the ruler of Rath.

== Video Games ==

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== Web Comics ==

* In ''[[Girl Genius]]'' [[Steampunk]], old Castle Heterodyne is not only extremely malevolent, but also [[Genius Loci|sentient]], with a ''nasty'' sense of humor. This is somewhat justified by the fact that it was built by the Old Heterodynes, who were extremely powerful [[Mad Scientist]]s, combining fantastic talent at building ~~ANYTHING~~ with sheer insanity. It especially likes to test [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080709 possible heirs]. The place [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100924 was said] to deserve extensive mentions in an encyclopedy named ''Les Abominations Dangereuses de L'Architecture'' - apparently, the trend is common, the Castle Heterodyne is just a particularly infamous specimen.

* In ''[[Girl Genius]]'' [[Steampunk]], old Castle Heterodyne is not only extremely malevolent, but also [[Genius Loci|sentient]], with a ''nasty'' sense of humor. This is somewhat justified by the fact that it was built by the Old Heterodynes, who were extremely powerful [[Mad Scientist]]s, combining fantastic talent at building ''anything'' with sheer insanity. It especially likes to test [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080709 possible heirs]. The place [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100924 was said] to deserve extensive mentions in an encyclopedy named ''Les Abominations Dangereuses de L'Architecture'' - apparently, the trend is common, the Castle Heterodyne is just a particularly infamous specimen.

** On top of this, it ended up insane and fractured after a mysterious attack. Fractured personality core controls everything that goes on inside and is luring explorers (and repair crews of convicts) into death traps that make every Grimtooth dungeon look tame. Hell, the place KNOWS it's screwed up. When Agatha tries to get the kitchen in line by telling it she's the latest Heterodyne and already proved such to the mausoleum, the kitchen calls shenanigans and claims it hasn't heard from the mausoleum in decades.

** The impostor Heterodyne instructs the hired help with a [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070725 lengthy lecture] about what things are to be avoided - in "safe" areas. One of her staff who tried to pick a coin triggers a trap door.

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* ''[[Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff]]''... and ''stairs''.

* The Temple of Fiends in ''[[8-~~Bit Theater|Eight~~ Bit Theater]]'' is like this... well, until it, like every other trope in the comic, is turned right on its head.

* The Temple of Fiends in ''[[8-Bit Theater]]'' is like this... well, until it, like every other trope in the comic, is turned right on its head.

* ''[[Brawl in the Family]]'': [https://web.archive.org/web/20101229153806/http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/?p=978 "Who designed] [[No OSHA Compliance|this castle?!"]]

* ''[[Pictures for Sad Children]]'': [http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/index.php?comicID=379 "Why did I ever move into this house of glass shards at all?"]{{Dead link}}

* The dungeon crawls in ''[[Goblins]]'', being true to "classical" [[Dungeons & Dragons]] dungeon crawls. There is also a [http://www.goblinscomic.com/12172007/ similarly hilarious scene] as in the ''[[Girl Genius]]'' example above.

== Web Original ==

* The Empty City in ''[[The Fear Mythos]]'' is a [[Genius Loci|sentient city]] that likes to...play with its food. Its food being people who enter one of its Doors and then proceed to wander the City until they die. However, if you piss off the City (like interfering with one of its meals), it will find...creative ways of [[And I Must Scream|keeping you alive]].

== Western Animation ==

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* ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars|Star Wars the Clone Wars]]'' did this with the titular "Box" of the episode "The Box". It is a death trap maze that is meant to lethally weed out bounty hunters {{spoiler|to find those skilled and hardy enough to participate in a plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine.}} It helps that it is also being run by a [[Killer Game Master]] who wants to kill his closest rivals to prove he's the number 1 bounty hunter.

* An early episode of ''[[The Penguins of Madagascar]]'' did this with a toy factory with tanks of molten metal and a conveyor belt with pendulums and other things that have no earthly business being in a toy factory, prompting Skipper's lampshading of the situation with the question "What kind of sick and twisted toy factory is this?!".

== Real Life ==

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* Old-school kid's playgrounds were often like this, unintentionally. Jagged, possibly rusty, metal slides that can burn you? Check. Potentially deadly fall hazards with no cushioning? Check. Ziplines prone to breaking? Check. Wood that splinters and gets chewed up by termites and dryrot? Check. If you think that's bad, check out [http://failblog.org/2009/02/19/playground-fail-4/ this photo from FAIL Blog]. And now they complain about playgrounds being ''too safe''.

* As seen on TV, the Man Trap.

* The [[Berlin Wall]].

* The [[Berlin Wall]].{{context}}

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[[Category:Architecture Tropes]]

[[Category:Video Game Difficulty Tropes]]

[[Category:This Index Is in The Way]]

[[Category:~~Malevolent~~ ~~Architecture~~]]

[[Category:Video Game Difficulty Tropes]]