History DamselInDistress / Videogames

** Princess Peach Toadstool has been kidnapped too many times to count, hence why she provides the page image. Yet she's [[PowerCreepPowerSeep perfectly capable of kicking some major butt]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'' (which is a famous inversion where Mario becomes the DistressedDude and Peach saves him single-handedly all by herself), ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', ''VideoGame/Super Mario Run'', ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', ''Mario + Rabbids : Kingdom Battle'', ''Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope'' and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. She is just as much of an athlete as everyone else in the sports games (the Mario Strikers series in particular make her a sassy and confident LadyOfWar) and is able to participate in the torture and chaos that is Mario Kart and Mario Party. One really does wonder why she gets kidnapped so easily when she can fend for herself so formidably. In some games however she does at least try to escape from her captors like in Super Mario RPG, Super Mario 3D Land and the first two Paper Mario games. In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', the tables have been turned and Bowser's kidnapping of Peach does more damage to him than her, as her being in Bowser's clutches leads him to be defeated again by Mario.

** Princess Peach Toadstool has been kidnapped too many times to count, hence why she provides the page image. Yet she's [[PowerCreepPowerSeep perfectly capable of kicking some major butt]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'', ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', Super Mario Run, ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', Mario + Rabbids : Kingdom Battle, Mario Plus Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. She is just as much of an athlete as everyone else in the sports games ( the Mario Strikers series in particular make her a sassy and confident LadyOfWar) and is able to participate in the torture and chaos that is Mario Kart and Mario Party . One really does wonder why she gets kidnapped so easily when she can fend for herself so formidably. In some games however she does at least try to escape from her captors like in Super Mario 3D Land and the first two Paper Mario games. In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', the tables have been turned and Bowser's kidnapping of Peach does more damage to him than her, as her being in Bowser's clutches leads him to be defeated again by Mario.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' plays with this a bit when the bad guys' plan to turn [[ItWasHisSled Soma into Dracula]] is to trick him into thinking that Mina is a DistressedDamsel again [[spoiler:and kill "Mina" in front of him]].

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': Peach's contemporary, Princess Zelda, fits the trope, but not in a way that plays the trope precisely straight. While finding/rescuing/protecting her is usually Link's ultimate or major goal in any game where she is present, she almost invariably cooks up some clever ideas whereby she can actively work against the EvilPlan of the BigBad who captures her. The classic DistressedDamsel, by contrast, is tactically of no use whatever.

** [[VideoGame/MegaManStarForce Star Force's]] Luna Platz becomes one whenever the evil villains attack in the games. There are three occasions in the first game where this happens. When Taurus turns Bud into a monster, then when she (along with Bud and Zack Temple) are forced into doing the swan dance on a trip to AMAKEN. Finally when the kids teacher merges with an evil FM-Ian and goes berserk. Her role as the DistressedDamsel continues into the second game, as she is kidnapped by Hyde-Phantom, then almost trapped in a alternate dimension by Solo-Rogue (along with Bud, Sonia and Zack), then kidnapped by Hyde-Phantom, again and then finally kidnapped by a giant bird monster.

* Flora Reinhold, ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'''s foster daughter, gets stuck in this role in his games. In the original game of the series, she's more of a BarrierMaiden than a DistressedDamsel, but in the other two games where she appears so far, she has great aptitude for being kidnapped. She also goes missing in ''Professor Layton's London Life'', the bonus RPG packaged with some releases of ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheLastSpecter'' [[spoiler:- but she hasn't been kidnapped. She's preparing to sacrifice herself to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Poor kid.]]

* At the end of ''VideoGame/TotalOverdose'', Ram has to save a DistressedDamsel in a sequence involving many [[DeadHorseTrope tropes so dead they don't even have entries]]. The Damsel is tied to the front of a runaway locomotive by the Villain, and Ram must run along boxcars, jumping into and out of boxcars, fighting mooks, and dodging explosives. The subversions could be that the Villain wears a White Hat with an antique emblem of the US Cavalry on it, and that instead of a horse, Ram gets a motorcycle to ultimately ride to the rescue on.

** The Medieval chapter starts out like a typical SaveThePrincess scenario. You play as the knight Oersted whose fiance, Princess Alethea, was kidnapped by the seemingly resurrected demon king and so he sets out to save her. Joining him are his longtime friend Streibough and the retired heroes Uranus and Hasshe. [[spoiler:Things... don't end too well]].

** The Medieval chapter starts out like a typical SaveThePrincess scenario. You play as the knight Oersted whose fiance, Princess Alethea, was kidnapped by the seemingly resurrected demon king and so he sets out to save her. Joining him are his longtime friend Streibough and the retired heroes Uranus and Hasshe. [[spoiler:Things do ''not'' end well for any of the aforementioned characters]].

* ''VideoGame/PilgrimRPGMaker'': Inago, Akemi's little sister- the entire goal of the game is for Akemi to rescue Inago from Alice, who [[YourSoulIsMine wants her soul]] and has brought her to her castle in the [[EldritchLocation Other World]] for this purpose.

* The Heroine of the original [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI Shin Megami Tensei]] twice. The first time, [[ClingyJealousGirl Yuriko]] (Aka [[spoiler:[[LouisCypher Lilith]]]]) kidnaps and nearly executes her via firing squad, both to make an example of her for leading a resistance against [[ArcVillain Gotou]]'s coup and [[MurderTheHypotenuse to remove any competition for the Hero's attention]]. The second time, her mind is invaded by the demon Arachne, whom the Hero needs to defeat in order to save her. In spite of this, the Heroine is still very much an ActionGirl and is entirely capable of saving the Hero as well. [[spoiler:Even doing so at the cost of her own life]].

* The Heroine of the original [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI Shin Megami Tensei]] twice. The first time, [[StalkerWithACrush Yuriko]] (Aka [[spoiler:[[LouisCypher Lilith]]]]) kidnaps and nearly executes her via firing squad, both to make an example of her for leading a resistance against [[ArcVillain Gotou]]'s coup and [[MurderTheHypotenuse to remove any competition for the Hero's attention]]. The second time, her mind is invaded by the demon Arachne, whom the Hero needs to defeat in order to save her. In spite of this, the Heroine is still very much an ActionGirl and is entirely capable of saving the Hero as well. [[spoiler:Even doing so at the cost of her own life]].

* The Heroine of the original [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI Shin Megami Tensei]] twice. The first time, [[StalkerWithACrush Yuriko]] (Aka [[spoiler:[[LouisCypher Lilith]]]]) kidnaps and nearly executes her via firing squad, both to make an example of her for leading a resistance against Gotou's coup and [[MurderTheHypotenuse to remove any competition for the Hero's attention]]. The second time, her mind is invaded by the demon Arachne, whom the Hero needs to defeat in order to save her. In spite of this, the Heroine is still very much an ActionGirl and is entirely capable of saving the Hero as well. [[spoiler:Even doing so at the cost of her own life]].

* In the first [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI Shin Megami Tensei]] game, the Heroine is kidnapped and nearly executed via firing squad by [[StalkerWithACrush Yuriko]] ([[spoiler:Aka [[LouisCypher Lilith]]]]), but the Hero and his party manages to save her. Though the Heroine is still a strong fighter and is entirely capable of saving the Hero as well. [[spoiler:Even at the cost of her own life]].

* In the first [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTensei1 Shin Megami Tensei]] game, the Heroine is kidnapped and nearly executed via firing squad by [[StalkerWithACrush Yuriko]] ([[spoiler:Aka [[LouisCypher Lilith]]]]), but the Hero and his party manages to save her. Though the Heroine is still a strong fighter and is entirely capable of saving the Hero as well. [[spoiler:Even at the cost of her own life]].

* In the 1988 ShootEmUp ''[[Creator/Capcom Last Duel]]'', the [[ExcusePlot goal]] of the game is to rescue Queen Sheeta, the ruler of the planet Mu.

* The objective of ''VideoGame/RollingThunder'' is to rescue Leila, [[PlayerCharacter Albatross']] female partner, from the secret society GELDRA. She's PromotedToPlayable in the sequel, however.

** Pauline (Aka "Lady" is one of the most iconic examples in gaming, needing Mario to rescue her from the Donkey Kong in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong94'', and the [[VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong Mario vs Donkey Kong series]]. She's pictured above for a reason.

** Pauline (aka "Lady") in the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong''.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', Lilina is captured by Ostian rebels before you free her and she becomes a BlackMagicianGirl, Princess Guinivere is briefly taken prisoner in Chapter 13, and BadassBookworm Cecilia (in her defense, she was injured by [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Zephiel]]) and MysteriousWaif Sophia are found imprisoned and also join your group.

** Princess Peach Toadstool has been kidnapped too many times to count, hence why she provides the page image. Yet she's [[PowerCreepPowerSeep perfectly capable of kicking some major butt]] in such games as ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'', ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', Super Mario Run, ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'',Mario + Rabbids : Kingdom Battle, Mario Plus Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. She is just as much of an athlete as everyone else in the sports games ( the Mario Strikers series in particular make her a sassy and confident LadyOfWar) and is able to participate in the torture and chaos that is Mario Kart and Mario Party. Adaptations sometimes try to avert it, but her tendency to get kidnapped is such a major part of the ''Mario'' tradition that it becomes very hard to omit or work around. In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', the tables have been turned and Bowser's kidnapping of Peach does more damage to him than her, as her being in Bowser's clutches leads him to be defeated again by Mario.

** Princess Peach Toadstool has been kidnapped too many times to count, hence why she provides the page image. Yet she's [[PowerCreepPowerSeep perfectly capable of kicking butt]] in such games as ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'', ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DLand'', ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', and the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series. Adaptations sometimes try to avert it, but her tendency to get kidnapped is such a major part of the ''Mario'' tradition that it becomes very hard to omit or work around. In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', the tables have been turned and Bowser's kidnapping of Peach does more damage to him than her, as her being in Bowser's clutches leads him to be defeated again by Mario.

* In the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series, most female assistants fall under this at some point: Ema Skye, Trucy Wright, Athena Cykes, and Kay Faraday are all accused of murder at some point, Pearl Fey goes missing in the third game, and Kay Faraday is kidnapped in Investigations 2. Phoenix's main assistant Maya Fey, however, takes the cake. First meeting? Save her in a court case. Reunited in game 2? Save her in a court case. End of game 2? Kidnapped, must save someone else in a court case in order to get her back. Final case third game? Nearly murdered and then trapped in an icy cave. Meet her again in game 6? Save her in a court case. End of game 6? Kidnapped, must settle ownership claims to an artifact in court to get her back. The Layton crossover? Accused of witchcraft. Thankfully, she also spends just as much time out of distress and she's even rescues Phoenix on a few occasions, and she never lets herself be defined by the trouble she gets into.

* The MC's love interest, Elly, in [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/Xenogears Xenogears]] gets kidnapped by the antagonists near the end of the game. Fei and his friends worked together in the climax final battle to rescue her. The ending shows Fei finally succeeded in rescuing his lover after 3 past lives of losing her to tragedy.

* The MC's love interest, Elly, in [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/Xenogears Xenogears]] gets kidnapped by the antagonists near the end of the game. Fei and his friends worked together to rescue her. The ending shows Fei finally succeeded in rescuing his lover after 3 past lives of losing her to tragedy.

* Elly in [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/Xenogears Xenogears]] gets kidnapped by the antagonists near the end of the game. Fei and his friends worked together to rescue her. The ending shows Fei finally succeeded in rescuing his lover after 3 past lives of losing her to tragedy.

* Elly in ''VideoGame/Xenogears'' gets kidnapped by the antagonists near the end of the game. Fei and his friends worked together to rescue her. The ending shows Fei finally succeeded in rescuing his lover after 3 past lives of losing her to tragedy.