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{{trope}}
One way to control the plot of an RPG is to place [[Broken Bridge|barriers]] in the hero's path. A destination may be unreachable without access to water transport because the main character has [[Super Drowning Skills]]. You may need to become immune to fire before moving on because the next level is set in a [[Fire and Brimstone Hell]] environment. Perhaps you need to enlist the help of a specific NPC, or acquire a specific item, in order to get past the annoying guard.
Sometimes, the item
Sometimes, the item or ability or whatever isn't needed again. But in other cases, it becomes a key part of the main character's inventory, and gets used all the time.
'''Ability Required to Proceed''' is a subtrope of [[Broken Bridge]]. While Broken Bridges railroad you to the plot by requiring that you complete certain tasks before new areas open up, this trope is about railroading you to the plot by requiring that you have the necessary skills and abilities to move forward and open up new areas. This trope is a staple of the [[Metroidvania]] genre of video games, though it shows up in other genres as well.
See also: [[Broken Bridge]], [[But Thou Must!]]. For something that requires you to be at a certain level to proceed before it kills you, see [[Beef Gate]]. When used carelessly, this can result in [[Cardboard Obstacle]]s.
{{examples}}
== [[Video Games]] ==
==
* In the PC version of ''[[Harry Potter (video game)|Harry Potter]] and the Chamber of Secrets'', you cannot get into some game areas until you are taught specific spells in class.
** You cannot use Spongify pads to jump until you are taught the Spongify spell, but various Spongify pads outside the castle are visible throughout the game.
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* ''[[Castlevania]]'' games generally tend to give you the double jump fairly early - you'll need it constantly for the rest of the game. However, many of the upgrades are also used only once or twice.
==
* In the ''[[Dragon Ball]] Z Legacy of Goku 2'' and ''Buu's Fury'' games for the [[Game Boy Advance]], certain areas can only be entered by certain characters having reached certain levels. This is evidenced by the number they must be at, bearing a color associated with the proper character (blue for Vegeta, green for Piccolo, orange for Goku, etc.).
* ''[[Final Fantasy III]]'' has a `you must be this short to enter' feature—certain areas are accessibly only through tiny doorways, only available once a member of the party has the `mini' spell.
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* ''[[Phantasy Star]] [[Phantasy Star III|III]]'' makes use of caverns to transport your party between various worlds. To keep you from advancing too far too soon, several of them are locked and require specific gemstones to enter; you acquire those either from [[Inexplicable Treasure Chests]] or from recruited party members.
▲== First Person Shooter ==
* ''[[Half Life]] 2: Episode One'' used this relatively early. To make sure you have a gun, the door has a padlock just out of reach. Mainly done to ensure people picked up the gun right by the door, since it is a bit dark in there, and it could go unseen. The commentary reveals that the dev team calls this a "gate".
* In ''Hellfire'' (an expansion pack to the original ''Diablo''), you cannot reach the insect hive until the farmer character knows you well enough to talk to you about his problems (and then to give you the explosives you need to create an entrance to the hive).
▲== Platformer ==
* ''[[Banjo-Kazooie|Banjo-Tooie]]'' does this to limit progress through the [[Hub Level]]. You need to have learned Grip Grab to get into Plateau, Fire Eggs to get into Pine Grove, Split Up to get into Cliff Top, Talon Torpedo to get into Wasteland, Springy Step Shoes to get into Quagmire, and Claw Clamber Boots to enter the Cauldron Keep. Even the in-game cheats don't get around these requirements.
** The Zubba hive in Cloud Cuckooland presents a variation. You're not allowed in unless you demonstrate you can shoot a target 20 times in 10 seconds, which effectively means You Must Be A Bee To Enter.
* In the second level of ''[[Little Nemo the Dream Master]]'', Oompi says, "You're going to need the lizard's help to get through this next area." This alludes to a passage that is otherwise too narrow for Nemo to enter.
▲== Puzzle Game ==
* This is literally the case in the ''[[Katamari Damacy]]'' series; the larger your katamari becomes, the larger the stuff you can roll up. Levels frequently have barriers with signs on it stating a size number, which you can't roll up (or thus explore beyond them) until your katamari crosses that threshold.
▲== Roguelike ==
* To descend into the deepest parts of the main dungeon in ''Ancient Domains of Mystery'', the player needs to pass a wall of fire blocking the down staircase, which requires an artifact called the Chaos Orb of Elemental Fire that is also required in the endgame. And it's just as well that the wall forces the player to <s> be that tall</s> get the Orb, because otherwise no sane person would enter the Tower of Eternal Flames where the Orb, massive equipment destruction, and rapid immolation for the newbie player resides.
* Earlier versions of ''[[Nethack]]'' had an endgame set in Hell, and if you entered it without Fire Resistance you were instantly burnt to a crisp. (These days, getting anywhere near the endgame without a bucketload of resistances is merely ''mostly'' suicidal.) Somewhat subverted in that there are plenty of ways to get fire resistance before this point.
▲== Survival Horror ==
* This happens all the time in various [[Resident Evil]] games, often with either a crank or valve handle.
* The service elevator in ''[[Silent Hill 2]]'''s hotel only allows one person, not including baggage.
▲== Western RPG ==
* Different obstacles in the Dreaming in ''[[Dragon Age]]'' each require different [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|alternate forms]], obtained from lost souls somewhere in the dreamscape. The rat can go through rat holes, the spirit can go through portals, the golem can smash large doors, and the, er, burning corpse can walk through fire.
* In ''Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun'', your party are unable to explore a particularly volcano-y cave without every member wearing Rings of Fire Resistance. Aside from their obvious advantages involving the resistance of fire, these items are only really necessary for this part. Take a ring off and your character will slowly burn to death.
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[[Category:Video Game Tropes]]▼
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▲[[Category:Video Game Tropes]]
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