History Main / AutoScrollingLevel

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' features areas of Sonic's levels that have been dubbed by one speedrun as "Mach Speed Zones." Sonic is forced to run forward, jumping and dodging obstacles, and can not leave his assigned course by too much or get hit by too many objects unless he wants to [[ObviousBeta breakdance into oblivion]].

These levels can be [[ThatOneLevel a bit aggravating]] to play, particularly when combined with any number of ClassicVideoGameScrewYous.

* The Subwarine levels in ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' The Shake Dimension are these. The first Wario Land has one of these as the first level in the Oven Canyon zone.

* Many levels in ''[[Franchise/{{Kirby}} Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'' and ''3''. ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' had two sections like this in the "Revenge of Meta Knight" subgame, as well as one such section in "Dyna Blade", a hidden room in "The Great Cave Offensive", and the Nova Shootout section in "Milky Way Wishes". And then there was that horizontal section in Stage 1 of Rock Star in ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards''.

* In the obscure ''Creator/{{Toaplan}}'' game ''Demon's World'', every level is one of these. The screen only stops scrolling during boss battles.

Generally, the gameplay in these levels shifts from exploration towards a more "survivalist" task of avoiding a combination of fixed and moving obstacles. The player must choose between moving forward early, at the risk of running afoul of some not-yet-seen obstacles, or waiting to move later, where he runs the risk of being forced to move by the level's scrolling at a moment when the obstacles are more dangerous.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': Inverted in this case. Only a part of the level is manifested physically, meaning that stepping outside the solid area drops you in a bottomless pit. Since the ratio of the solid ground moves constantly, this gives the net effect the same as a fixed scrolling screen.

** Rocket barrel levels, mine cart segments and barrel cannon sequences in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze''. The second game offers a unique twist: certain segments will provide a Camera Perspective Switch.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'': The auto-scrolling levels are include 1-5, E-1, 6-5, 6-Secret and parts of 2-1 and 6-8. ''Yoshi's Island DS'' has these in 2-6, 2-Secret, 3-1,3-2, 4-1, 4-3, 5-1, 4-Secret and 5-5. In both games, the scrolling screen will go in all sorts of different directions, crossing the same part of the level more than once in more than one different direction, and there's no justification of any sort.
** Inverted in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''. Only a part of the level is manifested physically, meaning that stepping outside the solid area drops you in a bottomless pit. Since the ratio of the solid ground moves constantly, this gives the net effect the same as a fixed scrolling screen.

* ''VideoGame/DistortedTravesty 3'' has plenty of these segments. Always justified by being chased, or an AdvancingWallOfDoom or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F-5Kyz3JoQ riding something]]

** The [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog18Bit 8-bit version of]] ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog18Bit Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' on [[UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem Master System]] and [[UsefulNotes/GameGear Game Gear]] featured an auto-scrolling level in [[https://youtu.be/pNCtZbD-GEs?t=167 Bridge Zone Act 2]]. YMMV on whether this was a welcome variation to the regular gameplay or not.

* The boat level in ''VideoGame/TheFlintstonesTheRescueOfDinoAndHoppy''.

* ''VideoGame/EighthMan'' have the "Chase Levels", where you activates your [[SuperSpeed dash]] mode and starts speeding forward to pursue enemies in their getaway vehicles while avoiding obstacles in your way.

* The Jet Bike levels from the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series. [[ThatOneLevel Fans do not want to remember.]]
** In ''X6'', the hidden sub-stage of Metal Shark Player's recycling facility stage has a crushing ceiling AND forced scrolling! [[SarcasmMode Joy!]]
** Burn Rooster's stage from ''X8.'' [[NintendoHard Many had nightmares.]]
** The jetboard sections in ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'' are particularly irritating.
** The fixed scrolling in Stage 1 of Dr. Wily's Castle in ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' is brief, but very annoying the first time. 80% of the level scrolls normally, until the end when it suddenly begins to move on its own at a rate that's only slightly slower than the player's movement. The transition seemingly happens in the middle of a jump between two one-block-wide platforms and if the unprepared player doesn't simply miss and fall into the bottomless pit, he'll soon be knocked in anyway when a giant dragon that takes up 1/3 of the screen flies in behind him.
** In ''VideoGame/MegaMan4'', the third level of Dr. Cossack's fortress is one of these. It had a decent number of ways to slow you down to the screen's speed and was for the most part a pretty decent level. The SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlRGotA3Yzs&feature=related doesn't hurt, either]].
** In ''VideoGame/MegaMan5'', there is a section at the latter half of Gyro Man's stage that is exactly this, and you must dodge the spikes that you are approaching.
** The first section of Tengu Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'' auto-scrolls, and you must hop on fast-popping balloons to boot.

*** Wily Stage 2's second half. It has an {{Homage}} to the ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' series' High Speed Zone stages. It even comes with the shutting doors and a song from the NES ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} 2'' soundtrack.

[[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/auto_scrolling_level_0.png]]

[[caption-width-right:256:[[SoundEffectBleep Those F***ing cannons.]]]]

->''"There's a stage where the screen keeps scrolling up. If you're caught at the bottom, you die. In Trevor Belmont's world, what killed him? The T.V. Screen?"''
-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''' on ''Videogame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse''

* In ''VideoGame/{{Kolibri}}, autoscrolling levels take up around half of the game, usually acting as bookends between the different biomes Kolibri travels to in order to purge them of the [[AlienInvaders dark crystal's]] influence.

* ''VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster'' gave us House of Toys, a level that took place on the back of a moving toy train set where you had to survive divebombing toy airplanes, bombs dropped by toy hot air balloons and plenty of [[SpikesOfDoom instant death spikes]] on [[DescendingCeiling descending ceilings]]. [[BubblyClouds Cloud Ruins]] has a section where the screen suddenly starts scrolling up, and then where it goes back down again; in both cases the bottom of the screen becomes deadly.

** The ''Super Mario Bros.'' UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch from the 80s is fixed scrolling, the first example of this trope in the ''Mario'' series.

** The auto-scrolling levels in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' include 1-4, 3-6, 5-6, 5-9, 6-2, 6-7, 7-4 and all the airship, tank and navy levels. [[ThatOneLevel The air force level]] auto-scrolls ''significantly'' faster than any other level in the game.

** The autoscrolling levels in ''Super Mario World 2: VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' include 1-5, E-1, 6-5, 6-Secret and parts of 2-1 and 6-8. ''Yoshi's Island DS'' has these in 2-6, 2-Secret, 3-1,3-2, 4-1, 4-3, 5-1, 4-Secret and 5-5. In both games, the scrolling screen will go in all sorts of different directions, crossing the same part of the level more than once in more than one different direction, and there's no justification of any sort.

** Inverted in parts of ''Super Mario World'' and ''New Super Mario Bros.'' with some castle levels having crawling block platforms.
** Justified in level 7-3 of ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1'', where the entire level takes place on the back on a giant Wiggler.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'' lets you create these in its course creator. There are three speeds to choose from, represented by a tortoise, a hare, and a cheetah.
%%** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''

* In ''VideoGame/JumpjetRex'', the screen moves on its own in the level "Scrollway". Touching the back of the screen will kill Rex even if he isn't caught between it and an obstacle.

** The 8-bit version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog on [[UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem Master System]] and [[UsefulNotes/GameGear Game Gear]] featured an auto-scrolling level in [[https://youtu.be/pNCtZbD-GEs?t=167 Bridge Zone Act 2]]. YMMV on whether this was a welcome variation to the regular gameplay or not.