No Sidepaths, No Exploration, No Freedom: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"What's that? You still have the illusion of freedom? Nope! Go take a long walk down a straight hallway for forty hours!"''|[[VG Cats]] #[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=293 281]: ''Subtlety'', as a reference to ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]''}}

 

 

Technically, [[No Sidepaths, No Exploration, No Freedom]] is the polar opposite of the [[Quicksand Box]]; it describes level architecture which forces the player down a singular path. This trope is most common in [[First-Person Shooter|First-]] or [[Third-Person Shooter|Third Person Shooters]] (except, usually, tactical shooters) and platform games, wherein the challenge is generally supposed to be the enemies and/or [[Malevolent Architecture|obstacles]], not in figuring out which way to go. It can also crop up in RPGs as a very visual form of [[Railroading]]. The trope is forgivable in 2D [[Platform Game|Platform Games]] such as ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', which allow only forward progression due entirely to the limitations of the geometry; not everything is a [[Metroidvania]]. It only applies in situations where, intuitively, you'd ''think'' there might be other areas of a place to explore, but these are [[The Law of Conservation of Detail|not implemented because they are not plot-important]].

In the 3D shooter genre, games that prominently feature this kind of architecture are sometimes called "Corridor Shooters".

 

 

Please keep in mind that this trope is about level architecture, ''not'' [[Sliding Scale of Video Game Objectives|the linearity or specificity of objectives]].

Not to be confused with scripted games such as [[Adventure Game|Adventure Games]] or [[Action Adventure]] which use more subtle techniques to keep the player from going [[Off the Rails]] of the game's plot. Some of them do have levels that resemble this -- Compare [[Maze]] -- or a [[Closed Circle]] series of rooms; but it's generally frowned upon in [[Interactive Fiction]] unless it's essentially a [[Cutscene]].

 

 

{{examples}}

** The Library. A series of long, identical, Flood-infested, albeit spacious, hallways.

** ''Halo 3'': In the final battle against the Prophet, you have one long hallway to the battle, one long hallway back.

** Sacred Icon/Quarantine Zone, especially the vehicle sections, is one big gauntlet, ie sticking around to fight the enemies will just get you killed repeatedly.

** Crow's Nest is somewhat this, but has an unusual amount of [[Back Tracking]].

** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass]]'' has mostly extremely linear dungeons that fit to a T, although the world is a little less linear.

** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks|The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks]]'' literally railroaded you through the overworld, giving you almost no ability to explore anything. Even the sidequests that unlock parts of the map are themselves linear, and the only thing that they allow you to explore are a handful of bonus dungeons (which are again very linear). It's kind of hard to avoid restriction when you're driving a train, but it's still one of the biggest complaints about the game.

* Most games made by Treasure, to name one entire company, follow the trope.

* The demo game that used to come with the [[Game Maker|RPG Toolkit]] [[Lampshaded]] this; doors were noted to be locked, and then commented that it was probably because the programmer was too lazy to make another room.

* The regrettably forgettable ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' FPS ''Fire Warrior''.

* ''[[Dungeon Siege]]'' is one of the worst offenders, mainly because the required path is very, ''very'' long. The game also has only one [[Door to Before]], meaning that backtracking from the end of the game back to the very beginning could easily take over half an hour ''real time''.

* The ''[[Medal of Honor]]'' series, except for ''European Assault'', ''Vanguard'' and ''Airborne'', which occasionally let you pick your way through many of the levels. Mind you, they're still often rather structured.

* [[Call of Duty]] from [[Modern Warfare]] onwards. The original Call of Duty, United Offensive, Call of Duty 2 and Call of Duty 3 actually averted this. On many missions, objectives could be completed in any order the player desired, and there were often many alternate paths to an objective, each with their own pros and cons.

*** Neatly summarized by [http://i.imgur.com/BITmX.jpg this sad-but-true picture.]

** This actually extends annoyingly into the multiplayer of ''Call of Duty 4''. There are many areas that look like they would make for a great alternate route through the map, but as soon as you try to go there yourself you'll find that, at best, there's only one entrance or, at worst, there's more than one and ''none of them lead anywhere else''. This is less of a problem in the multiplayer of later games, which is rather ironic considering Raven Software, the same team behind the later ''Jedi Knight'' games above, helps with creating the multiplayer levels.

* ''[[Red Faction]]'', made even more tragic by [[Everything Breaks|the primary feature of its engine]]. The game allows backtracking, but this is rarely necessary.

** Inverted by ''[[Red Faction Guerrilla]]''. One guy with a sledgehammer <ref>And guns that can dissolve matter</ref> laying waste to an entire ''planet.''

* Many levels in the ''[[Soldier of Fortune]]'' series, including Siberia, Sudan, Colombia, the Hospital, and the entirety of ''Payback'''s levels.

* Most levels of ''[[Doom]] 3''. A few levels, such as Alpha Labs 4, have branching paths.

** ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' has more than a few levels like this or close to it (i.e. not a lot of exploration). The most [[Egregious]] examples would probably be {{spoiler|The World That Never Was}} and Disney Castle.

** Allegedly done because [[Kingdom Hearts (video game)|the original]] was more in the opposite direction, to the consternation of many players. Arrgh, [[Quicksand Box|Deep Jungle]]!

* In an extreme case of [[Tropes Are Not Bad]], ''[[Painkiller]]: [[Obvious Beta|Resurrection]]'' attempted to avert this by giving a more open-ended level design compared to previous installments. This being ''[[Sequelitis|Resurrection]]'', it didn't work out that well.

* The linearity of ''[[Tomb Raider]]: Legend'' was a frequent complaint amongst both reviewers and fans. While frequently linear the earlier games tended to at least provide a couple of choices of where to go at a given point, whereas all but a couple of Legend's levels were almost a straight line, which drew several complaints and some attempt at averting it in Anniversary and Underworld.

* [[Electronic Arts]]' [[PlayStation 2]] [[Third-Person Shooter]] ''X-Squad''.

* Most of ''Winback'', which often combines this with [[Space-Filling Path|space filling paths]] for [[Fake Longevity]].

* ''[[Descent]] 3''. Gone are the vertigo-inducing maze maps of the first two games, replaced by [[Rail Shooter]]-style corridors. The outdoor sections only make it more jarring.

* Many sub-levels of ''[[Turok (series)|Turok]] 2'' are like this, eg most of the Port of Adia. On the other end of the spectrum, some areas can be [[The Maze|maze-like]] (:cough: Level 2 :cough:).

* ''[[Enslaved: Odyssey to the West]]'' couples a really pretty looking world that you would like to explore with the only path you can take highlighted for the player.

* ''[[Rayman|Rayman 2]]'', despite not being completely linear, is a notable example since it was one of the first 3D games that deliberately aimed to recreate the fast-paced, single-direction feel of 2D platformers from earlier times (in contrast with [[Super Mario 64]] and its [[Follow the Leader|multitude of clones]]).

* [[Tales of Legendia]] has, for the most part, very linear dungeons. Almost any time there is a fork in the path, one way will lead to a dead end, so there is really only one path to the end of the dungeon. Even the world map tends to have constricted, corridor-like paths instead of allowing more open exploration. The first half of the game especially gives the impression of being ushered through a very pretty tunnel.

* The first Xbox-[[PlayStation 3]] Ninja Gaiden, while mostly linear, still allows for a bit of exploration and you can return in previously visited areas for hidden items or challenges. Its sequel however, plays this trope totally straight: don't think, just go forward and slaughter everything that crosses your path! [[Point of No Return|Points Of No Return]] are frequent not only between but also inside the chapters, and exploration elements are kept to the very minimum. Even the puzzles are never more complicated than opening a door with a key that you can find effortlessly. The first half of the last but one chapter consists litteraly in going through a straight line corridor; the [[PlayStation 3]] port Sigma 2 takes it [[Up to Eleven]]: not only are the already petty puzzles outright removed, but the doors [[A Wizard Did It|open by themselves]], so combat is pretty much the only thing you have to do.