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{{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 ''[[
Just as a gamemaster in a [[Tabletop Games|tabletop game]] may create [[Broken Bridge|artificial rules, boundaries and obstacles]] to keep his players on the game track that he has designated (a procedure known as [[Railroading]]), so too a video game may employ such tactics in order to force the player down a [[The One True Sequence|specific path or method]] toward the goal. And one of the easiest ways to keep a player from wandering off is, quite simply, to give the player nowhere to wander to.
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]].
The most common incarnation is to simply have several rooms chained, each with a single entrance and a single exit, or to have long corridors with no side branches and few if any side rooms. The only options for progress are "forward" or "backward." This applies even when the rooms are tightly packed together and should have (you'd think) some degree of interconnectivity; imagine living in a New Orleans [[wikipedia:Shotgun house|shotgun house]], where you have to travel from the front porch into the living room, then through the kitchen, to the dining room, through the spare bedroom, and finally into the den, just to get to the bathroom. ''Every'' time you wanted to go to the bathroom. No shortcuts.
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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]].
See also [[Broken Bridge]], [[The Law of Conservation of Detail]], [[Space
{{examples}}
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* In ''[[Final Fantasy]]'', beginning with the first game it's traditional to start with a nearly linear path, and either ease up over the course of the game or just dump you into a 'sandbox with a story' after a few hours. Once you get the ship or airship, the world opens up and [[Sequence Breaking]] is sometimes possible.
** ''[[Final Fantasy II (Video Game)|Final Fantasy II]]'' is the only one that gives you total freedom of exploration at the start, and even then, [[Beef Gate|accomplishing that is a feat in itself.]]
** ''[[
** ''[[
*** Also, unlike FFX, the areas themselves aren't very linear. The plains are expansive (and believe me, you'll get to see a lot of plains), the dungeons are maze-y, and the cities (well, three of them) are complex enough to get lost in. So trope averted.
** The bulk of ''[[
*** [[Word of God]] states that the linearity was a story-writing decision and had nothing to do with fanbase opinion or development issues, but fans tend to think it had more to do with complaints over XII being [[Quicksand Box|"too open."]]
*** And even if there were no [[Word of God]], it should be pointed that XIII was in production well before XII hit the streets, let alone received ''any'' criticism.
* ''[[
* Every level in ''[[Soul Series|Soul Calibur Legends]]'' is one of two scenarios:
** '''Scenario 1:''' Start at Point A, then run to Point B while killing everything that gets in your way.
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* The ''[[Dark Forces Saga|Jedi Knight]]'' series often uses the [[Locked Door]] / [[Door to Before]] method of forcing you to take the long way around. Lampshaded in ''[[Jedi Academy]]''.
** ''Jedi Power Battles'', in classic platformer style.
** ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]]'' averts this, however, even though compared to previous Bioware titles like ''[[
** The somewhat dubious on-foot and in-walker sections of the ''[[Rogue Squadron]]'' sequels feature this - on levels like Jabba's sail barge, it's reasonably forgivable given that they're fairly limited environments. But on the various levels where you're progressing through large facilities or ships (like Hoth Station, or Yavin Base) or ''planets'' like Dagobah or the Hoth exterior level, it's a bit more irksome. Part of the walker sections become literal on-rails shooters, too. A few of the ship-based levels are similar.
* ''[[
* [[No More Heroes]] features a long, grey, linear corridor in one of the levels. However, that level and the following [[Bait and Switch Boss|boss]] are both like that just to screw with the player.
* This criticism has also been leveled at both ''[[Star Trek Elite Force]]'' games.
* ''[[Half Life]]'', like the ''Jedi Knight'' games, usually justifies this with such things as [[Space
** According to some [[Epileptic Trees]], the strictly linear gameplay of the game is an actual story theme, representing Gordon's powerlessness as he is forced to take the path the G-Man has planned for him. Also, note the ubiquity of [[Railroading|trains and other rail vehicles]] throughout the series.
*** Maybe not so epileptic, seeing as how it's lampshaded with varying degrees of subtlety and blatancy throughout the franchise.
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** Crow's Nest is somewhat this, but has an unusual amount of [[Back Tracking]].
** In a subversion, Cortana, the [[Scrappy Level]] of ''Halo 3'', is somewhat more maze-like, but still has one general path.
* The original ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', full-stop. You couldn't even [[Ratchet Scrolling|''backtrack'']]. At most there were the three maze levels, each one a total [[Guide Dang It]], where if you pass the point where the level registers that you took the wrong path (easy to do accidentally), you get forced along it even if you backtrack.
** [[
** ''[[
** Averted in nearly all sequels, other than ''[[Super Mario Bros the Lost Levels
* The Temple of Time from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
** This was done to accommodate the dungeon's "gimmick": you have to direct a giant statue all the way back down to the bottom of the dungeon from the top. So you have to go through every puzzle in the dungeon ''twice''. It was an interesting break in style, at least.
** Twilight Princess as a whole can fit here. It departs from its predecessors by enforcing linearity with the plot and [[Broken Bridge|broken Bridges]] rather than through implication and [[Cardboard Obstacle|obstacles]], and making [[Sequence Breaking]] nearly impossible.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
* 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.
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* 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.
** This is what befell many current-generation FPS, as opposed to first-generation FPS (such as ''[[Doom (
*** 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.''
* ''[[Clive
* 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.
* ''[[Killer 7]]'' lives and breathes this trope. There are only two directions you can move: forward and backwards. This is on purpose. Granted, there ''are'' forks.
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'':
** ''[[
** Allegedly done because [[Kingdom Hearts (
** ''[[Kingdom Hearts: 358 Days Over 2
* 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.
* The earlier ''[[Crash Bandicoot]]'' games were notorious enough for this that ''Crash Bandicoot: The RPG'' is the alternate title for this trope in [[The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches]] ([[Console RPG Cliches 73 to 96|number 78]]).
** A good definition of Naughty Dog's ''Crash Bandicoot'' games (and possibly ''The Wrath of Cortex'' too) is that they're a mixture of forward and side scrolling.
* ''[[
* ''[[
* While ''[[Portal (
** Which [[Wild Mass Guessing|some may consider]] a hint that [[The Game Never Stopped]].
** Massive [[Lampshade Hanging]] in [[
{{quote| '''Wheatley:''' ''Look at this! No rail to tell us where to go! OH, this is brilliant. We can go where ever we want! Hold on, though, where are we going? Seriously. Hang on, let me just get my bearings. Hm. Just follow the rail actually."}}
* ''[[Breath of Fire]]: Dragon Quarter'' is extremely linear in comparison to the rest of the series, with no sidequests to be had and very limited chances to backtrack. [[Fridge Brilliance]] sets in once you remember that 2/3 of your party members ''will die'' if you don't reach {{spoiler|the surface}} in time. You do not have time to mess about.
* ''[[Max Payne (
* ''[[The Conduit]]'' is guilty of this in its single-player campaign. It's all the more noticeable because the first two-thirds of the game are set in locations with lots of corridors (office buildings, underground bunkers, etc.). The last few levels of the game offer significantly larger areas, but progression is still very linear.
** Averted in ''[[Conduit 2]]''; most of the levels are set in exotic outdoor environments such as the Himalayas and the Atlantic Ocean, and multiple paths are provided to reach the end of each stage.
* The Xbox game ''Breakdown'' had one single path and instead focuses on immersing you into its [[Mind Screw]] storyline rather than exploration. You get a few dialogue choices from time to time, and get to make a big decision to determine which of the two ending sequences you get to see, but that's the extent of it.
* [[Electronic Arts]]' [[
* Most of ''Winback'', which often combines this with [[Space
* In the [[Blades Of Avernum]] community, anything designed by Terror's Martyr. The [[Avernum]] series is known for its huge outdoors and nonlinear approach to play... meanwhile, Terror's Martyr designs tiny, tiny outdoor sections, and scripted blocks to your path everywhere, so that you don't wander off the correct order of completing his scenarios.
* ''[[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 (
* All the Blizzard RTSes are prone to this trope in the single-player campaigns, mainly on "expedition" missions where you are controlling a small group of units without a base. Less common in missions where you have a base to work from, and entirely averted on skirmish maps.
* ''[[
** And [[It Got Worse]] in ''[[Metroid
* [[Sonic Storybook Series|The]] [[Sonic Unleashed
** [[
* [[Live Powerful Pro Baseball|Power Pro Kun Pocket 7 (GBA)]] has its second success mode as a parody of RPG genre. All dungeons in it are narrow paths that you can only walk stright to bosses, or backward to retreat the missions.
* ''[[Prince of Persia]]: The Sands of Time'' and ''The Forgotten Sands'', for most of the arcade sequences. One ledge, one ladder, one column to climb.
** Justified somewhat in that the game is a story being told by the prince and he can't talk about hidden rooms he never found.
* ''[[Enslaved:
* ''[[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 [[
* A variant is present in ''[[Silent Hill]]'', which the protagonists themselves will usually attempt to justify with "I don't need to go that way" or something similar; however, since the town itself is (at least in ''2'') a proven [[Genius Loci]], it's possible that the protagonists are being purposely railroaded into going where the town wants them to go, whether they're aware of it or not. You ''can'' backtrack to areas you've visited before (minus any plot-important ones, for obvious reasons), but there's usually no point in doing so.
* [[
* The first Xbox-[[
* Several levels in ''[[Dawn of War]] 2: Retribution''. You notice this very quickly if you add Jump Infantry or teleport infantry to your squads, as they will magically -- and for no reason whatsoever -- be unable to use their abilities outside the one true path through the level. This gets especially bad during the {{spoiler|Exterminatus}} level, which teases you with multiple alternate paths that all get blown up immediately when you get close to them.
** ''Space Marine'' follows through with linearity on par with the original Super Mario Bros (i.e. you can only go forward).
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