History Main / ButtonMashing

In a FightingGame, the idea is that random button-pressing will somehow unlock a super-powerful attack or result in a series of attacks that will overwhelm your opponent. As you may presume, this is the act of an amateur, and is derided by [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity serious players]]. There are many reasons someone may resort to this tactic, such as unfamiliarity with the game, desperation when on the disadvantage, or [[{{Angrish}} raw anger]], but most of the time it results from the [[SomeDexterityRequired complex button inputs]] required to play competently in traditional fighting games. Of course, it can be a bit infuriating when a more "skillful" opponent loses to someone who does this.

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* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', during one scene, the MC, Ryuuji, Ann and Morgana are on a train. Unfortunately, they haven't paid the pet fare, so in order to make sure that they don't get thrown off, when a passerby comes up to the group, they play Morgana off as a stuffed animal that makes a meowing sound when its head is pressed. One of the prompts (Which itself [[MemeticMutation became a meme]]), both [[DiscussedTrope mentions this trope by name]], and then promptly [[InvokedTrope invokes it]], much to Morgana's dismay.

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* A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpoBISQmu8M Nintendo Power]] ad shows button mashing on the NES Advantage controller without syncing to gameplay footage.

* In Ice Hockey, some fighters adopt a simple tactic known as "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_in_ice_hockey#Tactics going for it]]" where the player puts their head down (to avoid face blows) and in the words of Website/TheOtherWiki, "just throws as many punches as he can, as fast as he can".

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Many third-party controllers for video game consoles will have some sort of "auto-fire"/"turbo-fire" functionality to simulate mashing the same button repeatedly simply by holding down the desired button, so that the player does not have to wear out their fingers trying to wail on the button. Some first-party controllers, like the stock UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 controller and the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] Advantage arcade-style stick, have auto-fire functionality as well. Whether auto-fire is fair play or cheating can be a source of [[BrokenBase hot debate]] depending on the game or genre.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters'' falls afoul of this, especially the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] version as seen on ''Sonic Gems Collection''. Button Mashing is a lot easier when the buttons are labeled, like on an arcade game.

* In ''3 Count Bout'' for the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo, winning grapples is a matter of mashing the A button; the AttractMode tutorial gives fair warning of this.

* The ''Bishi Bashi'' series has you do this in several minigames. Good thing the buttons are pretty big.

* While ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' was no stranger to PressXToNotDie moments in some boss fights in both versions of the game, it only got really button mash-ey in the FinalBoss battle of the HD Version, where at one point the player has to [[PressXToNotDie Press X]] '''[[SerialEscalation 60 times]]''' [[PressXToNotDie to not die.]]
* ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' tosses out the PXTND mechanic of ''Unleashed'' and replaces it with "press A repeatedly to take the higher path", [[MundaneMadeAwesome while the announcer calls you "Good! Great! Awesome! Outstanding! AMAZING!" for it]].
* The fight against [[spoiler:Blaze the Cat (or Sonic if you're playing as her)]] in ''VideoGame/SonicRush'' has a QuickTimeEvent where you have to mash A and B as fast as possible.

SmashingSurvival is when you need to do this to break free of HarmlessFreezing, shake off a PersonalSpaceInvader or free yourself from some other trap. If Button Mashing proves more advantageous than reasonably forseeable, it can fall under NotTheIntendedUse.

* Eddy Gordo, the capoeirista from ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}} 3'', is one example of the single-character version of button-masher. However, randomly mashing buttons with any character other than Eddy (and sometimes even with) will result in a swift and merciless beating by anyone even vaguely decent with the Counter system.

* At the end of every level in ''VideoGame/MarsupilamiHoobadventure'', a giant fruit is located. Once you grab it, if you mash the attack button, the Marsupilami you're currently playing as will take more and more bites out of it, every bite being worth one fruit. A similar thing happens at the end with the boss fights with the game's antagonist. Once he stops to catch a breath, if you mash the attack button, the Marsupilami will attack him more and more until he gets knocked out.

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* ''VideoGame/StarGagnant'' has two types of shot: A regular shot fired by holding down the shot button, and a special shot fired by rapidly tapping the fire button and which is simply the normal shot but with more powerful ammo. The special shot gets stronger the faster you press the button. However, this isn't completely abusable, as special shots will drain the special gauge, which recharges over time or by picking up yellow "SP" items.

** Even with the patch, you still have to constantly press the attack button to engage your next target due to the speed of the game.

** Sadistically averted in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' which is the series' equivalent of a WakeUpCallBoss; if you try to spam X, you ''will'' die. For example, [[FragileSpeedster Ven's]] first boss easily qualifies as ThatOneBoss and he and [[SquishyWizard Aqua]] face [[WakeUpCallBoss Vanitas]] early on in their stories ([[MightyGlacier Terra]], on the other hand, instead gets to deal with [[GetBackHereBoss Braig]], but all three storylines are quite notorious). Almost every strategy that you may have utilized to systematically wipe out your foes in the previous games can and ''will'' be a liability here.

* In the game ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryStarfy'', after beating the final boss's two forms, he launches a meteor at you which you must button mash to repel; not doing this quickly enough kills you and sends you back to the boss's ''first'' form, making it something of a ''PressXToNotDie" as well. As the game is rather easy and not really hardcore, the game's target audience seems to find this quite difficult. A common method of beating this is taking a long, somewhat thin object like a pencil or the DS stylus and rub it against the edge of the button.

** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' is somewhat of a mix. On one hand, it is possible to defeat Sora's version ofthe first boss of Traverse Town by literally bouncing off the walls by mashing the Flowmotion command until it dies, and basic physical attacks are still the most important method of dealing damage in the game. However, Dream Eaters are much tougher than Heartless, and getting tunnel vision while fighting some of the later ones is a good way to get killed. Spells like Zero Graviza can turn vast hordes of superpowered Dream Eaters into immobile piles of floating enemies, and the silly looking Baloonga is one of the most effective ways of defeating the BonusBoss. If you just load up your ability deck with Cure spells and Drop Me Nots, you're not going to last long.

Unrelated to RapidFireTyping, or to a [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic certain]] [[WebAnimation/ButtonsAdventures bay colt]].