History Main / HeKnowsAboutTimedHits

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'', FLUDD, your talking water pump, gives you a tutorial that mentions the L and R buttons.

* Several games in the ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series, most particularly the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'', had some grating early-game areas where people cryptically explained the interface; for example, a child tells Link, "Hey man! When you want to save, just push all the Buttons at once! ...Uh, don't ask me what that means, I'm just a kid!"
** Made especially confusing by the fact that the button combo in question - A+B+Select+Start - is used on most other Game Boy games to force a SoftReset.

* The TropeNamer is ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG: Legend of the Seven Stars'', where early in the game Toad offers to teach Mario how to use items and [[ActionCommands Timed Hits]]. If the player declines to listen to the (optional) tutorial, Toad tells TheGoomba that has shown up (for the sole purpose of being a teaching aid) that Mario already knows about Timed Hits, [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere causing it to run away in fear]].
** {{Lampshaded}} in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'': whenever one of these comes up, it becomes clear that Mario has no idea what the person is talking about, and they simply say something about how the "[[AGodIsYou great being]] who watches us from another dimension" will understand it. This game also has a character named Otto who professes to have hot tips on how to make your quest easier, but serves as another {{Lampshade}} when they turn out to be things like "You can press 2 to jump!" more than ''halfway through the game''. [[spoiler:It's really there to set up the guy in his place in [[AlternateUniverse Flopside]], who is much less confident in his much better advice about hidden areas and such.]]
** Played with in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''. In the third chapter of the game, Mario is given a tutorial on how to challenge opponents in the [[TournamentArc Glitz Pit]]. When Mario is signed up for the tournament, a Toad named Jolene gives Mario in-depth instructions, button commands and all. Later, one of the fighters in the tournament is force to retire, and a newcomer comes to take his place. Jolene takes the newcomer in and gives him the ''exact same instructions'' as she did to Mario, once again including button commands.
*** You're also asked to meet certain conditions in each match in order to advance. These usually include "Appeal three times," "Don't attack for three rounds" or "Only let your partner attack." The newcomer's instructions are to "do a triple flip and meow."
* The best example has to be from the modern update of ''VideoGame/TheBardsTale'' where an old man NPC appears out of nowhere in a basement to explain the game's basics- but to the Bard and not the player. The bard assumes the man completely insane and basically plays along while the man gives the tutorial.

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''VideoGame/Persona4'', where in one instance one of the [=NPCs=] tells you how to use the square button to fast-travel, and then follows up with something along the lines of "Do you think I'm weird for saying these things...?"
** Something similar occurs in ''VideoGame/Persona3 Portable'', where a character explains that you can fast travel by using the square button and says "...though I don't know where you'd find one of those."

* Monika in ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'' tells you about the save system early in the game. [[spoiler: This is {{Foreshadowing}} that she is MediumAware... and she is NOT happy with her role as a visual novel character, never mind one without a route. As a result, she turns the cutesy romance game into a PsychologicalHorror game by using her knowledge of and control over the game to stage a HostileShowTakeover and subject the other girls to MindRape, DrivenToSuicide and finally {{Unperson}}. She even {{Unperson}}s the player character to leave no one for [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou the actual player]] to interact with, [[MemeticMutation just Monika.]] In the end, this game turns out to be a brutal {{Deconstruction}} of this trope.]]

** What makes it funnier is that the controls have been changed in the XBLA version, yet Jamjars recites the same instructions with the new controls inserted. Obviously, it no longer rhymes.

* Throughout ''VideoGame/{{Rayman 2}}: The Great Escape'', characters occasionally tell you button commands in the usual throwaway manner (usually whenever you get a new power up). However, this particular exchange stands out:

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Otacon tends to talk about buttons and memory cards to Snake, who doesn't break character and assumes his fellow is just being nuts. Then again, in the MGS-verse, everyone does this, at least once, without batting an eyelid. Pressing buttons to hear Snake's thoughts on Otacon's button-ramblings usually results in a snappish, irritable "I know all this, I'm the main character!"
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', a torture minigame is introduced with a creepily cheerful button exposition sequence, culminating in the torturer looking straight at the screen with a growly, "Don't even think about using Auto-Fire, or I'll know."[[note]]His looking at the player only happens in ''[[VideoGameRemake The Twin Snakes]]''; in the original version, he's still looking at Snake. And it's a serious threat; even just pressing the button faster than the game expects can trigger Ocelot's wrath.[[/note]] The MGS series is probably the only one to actually implement this trope as character development as much as player tutorial, and its NoFourthWall instruction sequences are regarded very fondly by fans.
** After the Tanker chapter is finished, Raiden's introduction includes ''the exact same tutorial that Snake got''. For the record, that's a plot point.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' The Boss gives a complicated and difficult sounding explanation of how one would move silently in real life. However, Snake is speechless for a second and The Boss settles for saying "But all you need to do is press the directional button in the direction you wish to move," since the real life info is pretty much useless to the player.
** There's another conversation where The Boss goes into detail about using your sense of smell to your advantage, only for Snake to point out that he can't smell anything at all. While anosmia is a real condition, Snake's reaction is more likely due to the fact that the player can't smell anything through the game itself.
** And in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', where Miller describes how to 'stalk' over a 'noisy floor', giving a long description of how to adjust weight and move feet and so on, and then suggests he could wear his socks over his shoes as well. Snake complains that he can't do any of that, so Miller suggests he press X to crawl.

* ''Final Fantasy VII: VideoGame/DirgeOfCerberus'' features a pre-monsterized Vincent (still in the Turks) undergoing "simulation battles" for training purposes. The female computerized voice (if I recall correctly) doesn't reference buttons, but does ask you to do specific actions in order to pass to the next tutorial level.

* Training missions in ''VideoGame/XWing'', ''VideoGame/TIEFighter'', and ''VideoGame/XWingAlliance'' will sometimes make reference to the keyboard commands for whatever task or system the player is learning about. ''TIEFighter'' extended this practice to the ''[[{{Feelies}} Stele Chronicles]]'' as well, with characters being said to hit the F9 key when charging their lasers.

* In ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsHitAndRun'', the tutorial missions are narrated by an extremely bored Bart. (as well as commentary on unlocked achievements and any new item type).

** "Go ahead, just jump off that building. No worries, go ahead, do it. ...wow, you actually jumped off. Do you always do what people tell you? Well, in order to avoid you hitting the ground at terminal velocity, I suppose I should tell you how to keep from becoming road pizza."

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGear'', Otacon tends to talk about buttons and memory cards to Snake, who doesn't break character and assumes his fellow is just being nuts. Then again, in the MGS-verse, everyone does this, at least once, without batting an eyelid. Pressing buttons to hear Snake's thoughts on Otacon's button-ramblings usually results in a snappish, irritable "I know all this, I'm the main character!" and a torture minigame is introduced with a creepily cheerful button exposition sequence, culminating in the torturer looking straight at the screen with a growly, "Don't even think about using Auto-Fire, or I'll know."[[note]]His looking at the player only happens in ''[[VideoGameRemake The Twin Snakes]]''; in the original version, he's still looking at Snake.[[/note]] The MGS series is probably the only one to actually implement this trope as character development as much as player tutorial, and its NoFourthWall instruction sequences are regarded very fondly by fans.
** Would-be cheaters should be advised that Ocelot's warning against using a turbo controller is ''not'' an idle threat.

*** There's another conversation where The Boss goes into detail about using your sense of smell to your advantage, only for Snake to point out that he can't smell anything at all. While anosmia is a real condition, Snake's reaction is more likely due to the fact that the player can't smell anything through the game itself.

** Ironically enough, for the longest time, only the Generation 1 games gave the player the option of skipping the explanation on how to catch Pokémon, one of the central mechanics of the game; all of the other games until ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' did not, much to the irritation of returning players. ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' plays with the tutorial by assuming you already have the knowledge (since your character's in-story father is a Gym leader), but total newbie Wally doesn't, necessitating you to explain it to him.

** [[AntiPoopSocking There's an NPC in each game who'll tell you they're saving their game so they can take a break.]]
*** A variant of the "I'm saving my game" person has also been in both the second and third generations of Pokémon games, though in the fourth generation they do try to keep in-character by [[HandWave explaining it as writing down your data in a journal]]. This all makes more sense in the Japanese versions of the games, where the "Save" command has always been known as "Report".

** In most games, your mother teaches you how to run: at the start of the games, she gets you a pair of "running shoes" which… include their own manual! Naturally, your mom proceeds to "read the instructions".
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' the hero's martial arts teacher, who has been teaching him for years, goes over how to use the controller and attack. The concept of teaching him the very basics after years of training and practice is strange enough, but him naming the controller buttons to push sounds even sillier than you might think.

** Booster's instructions could be referring to buttons on the device he's showing you how to use.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' has this of course with the holographic woman giving you primers on basic actions and specifically mentioning button presses. Curiously, in the expansion pack ''Opposing Force'' you get to visit the wreckage of the training area and the hologram is playing, although the tutorials she recites are completely in-character and make no mention of button presses.
** And, oddly enough, her detached and vaguely smug personality was an influence on another Valve character, [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} GLaDOS]]. She was even made a ''playable character'' in ''Half-Life: Decay''.
** Averted in the sequel. Valve put heavy effort in making the tutorial sections as natural as possible, going for onscreen prompts and believable obstacles rather than actual dialogue.
** Played with in ''{{VideoGame/Portal 2}}'' where Wheatley asks you to say apple, and the usual onscreen prompt tells you that the space bar makes Chell speak. Instead, you jump, and Wheatley concludes that you've had massive brain damage.

** Possibly justified though, Fox is flying his Arwing and we never see it's controls. He may have buttons labeled Z and R in his cockpit that cause his starfighter to automatically do a barrel roll when pressed twice.

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' Playstation game: the children giving control instructions have no idea exactly what they're talking about ("I can't find my square button...") and the main character repeatedly wonders how the kids keep [[TookAShortcut beating him to wherever he's going]], among other things. (Which they simply answer by admitting that they're tutorial characters.)

** Ironically enough, only the Generation 1 games give the player the option of skipping the explanation on how to catch Pokémon, one of the central mechanics of the game; all of the other games do not, much to the irritation of returning players. ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' plays with the tutorial by assuming you already have the knowledge (since your character's in-story father is a Gym leader), but total newbie Wally doesn't, necessitating you to explain it to him.

* In the French [[ChooseYourOwnAdventure Game Book]] series ''Literature/LesMessagersDuTemps'', the protagonists' mother Chronada will explain to them and the reader about how to use their dice to roll for their statistic points and fighting.

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has a few minor {{NPC}}s, mostly Froggits in the tutorial area, that try to explain some of the finer points of the game's controls, without necessarily understanding what they're talking about. More JustForFun/{{egregious}}ly, Papyrus explains the special action controls for his BossBattle while you fight him. And of course, there's Flowey, the first character you meet, who knows far more about the game mechanics than those other characters combined, but happens to be more than a bit of a lying bastard.
* Potentially justified in ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm''. It’s a game set inside [[{{Cyberspace}} the internet]], so hearing the characters yammer on about keyboard controls really isn’t that strange. [[/folder]]

--->'''Training NPC:''' Push the triangle button.
--->'''The Bard:''' What? What're you on about? What button? You're completely insane, aren't you? [[ContinuityNod ...Y'know, I ran into this other guy once. He kept talking about mice I couldn't see!]]
* {{Lampshaded}} in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', where in one instance one of the [=NPCs=] tells you how to use the square button to fast-travel, and then follows up with something along the lines of "Do you think I'm weird for saying these things...?"
** Something similar occurs in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}} Portable'', where a character explains that you can fast travel by using the square button and says "...though I don't know where you'd find one of those."

-->'''Chocoboy''': Ok, now that the theme song is playing, here's an explanation of 'Chocobo World'. It's real easy!!! Insert the [=PocketStation=](tm) in slot 1 or 2. From the menu's [Save], select 'Chocobo World'. Then, 'Chocobo World' will start, and your chicobo 'Boko' will begin its journey.

* In the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series of games, especially the newer, three-dimensional incarnations, there is often a helper character who explains basic controls in a somewhat grating fashion. In ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' and ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'', it's a helper character or a non-active member of the team. This is usually grating and irritating, especially in ''Heroes''' tutorial mode, but ''Shadow'' used the trope to help characterize Sonic and Knuckles. Sonic and Knuckles explain guns to Shadow but remark about how [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism they wouldn't use them]].

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'' the tutorial is a dream sequence where an otherworldly narrator ([[AllThereInTheManual actually Mickey Mouse]]) explains the controls to Sora.

** Averted in the sequel. Valve put heavy effort in making the tutorial sections as natural as possible, going for onscreen prompts and naturally obstacles rather than actual dialogue.

** The remake of ''Link's Awakening'' has the same kid get much more specific, [[https://youtu.be/3XlbhzcygDw?t=85 telling you]] to press the + button and then the R button to get to the "system screen," but he still doesn't know what any of it means. Another kid explains the proper inputs for accessing and manipulating the ingame map.

* Several games in the ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series, most particularly the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'', had some grating early-game areas where people cryptically explained the interface (for example, a child tells Link, "Hey man! When you want to save, just push all the Buttons at once! ...Uh, don't ask me what that means, I'm just a kid!").

* In the French GameBook series ''Literature/LesMessagersDuTemps'', the protagonists' mother Chronada will explain to them and the reader about how to use their dice to roll for their statistic points and fighting.

* The tutorials from the ''Franchise/SlyCooper'' series mention button names in-character, and no one bats an eye. It's gotten to the point that the oft repeated "Jump and press the Circle Button," tutorial has achieved something of a memetic position with both the creators and the fandom. During a podcast with the three main actors doing an ad-lib heist, Bentley says the plan is that he'll be in the van while Murray will head in front and Sly will "Jump and press the Circle Button".

[[/folder]]