History Main / KaizoTrap

* In ''Creator/ProZD'''s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONt_ajHfSiw sketch]] about rhythm games:

* It's the original ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' for the [[NintendoHard NES]]! You've ''finally'' managed to beat the Technodrome boss, although it took you down to your last square of health! The game takes control and you relax and bask in the warm glow of the victory walk! Your turtle curls up and dies during the cutscene because the tank tracks of the Boss still deal contact damage after it's dead! You've got to do the whole level again.

* Despite not generally being too difficult, ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' has this a few times, mostly related to fiddly circumstances surrounding boss battles.
** Some levels in the 16-bit ''Sonic'' games feature boss fights over BottomlessPits, where the player can fall in and die, even after landing the final hit on the level boss. This includes Chemical Plant Zone from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', Angel Island Zone Act 2 in ''{{VideoGame/Sonic 3|AndKnuckles}}'', and the final boss of Death Egg Zone in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]''. One of the challenge stages in ''[[CompilationRerelease Sonic Origins]]'' adds one of these to the boss of Star Light Zone from ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog1''.

** In the original ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', after you defeat Big Boo, you have to land on solid ground before the victory registers. Some hacks use this to make the fight much harder by only giving the player 3 blocks, or just one throwable object that doesn't break (such as a key). This not only forces them to score a hit with every block while flying with the cape, but they also have to run into either wall in a way that would allow them to [[GoodBadBugs wall jump]] after the last hit, since there won't be any solid ground left, but the wall jump glitch works by making the game register as Mario being on solid ground for a split-second.

** The original ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'' whenever Mario touches the flagpole, Mario is invulnerable to every enemy except by the hammers thrown by the Hammer Bros and Bowser or the fire bars which can hurt Super Mario and kill small Mario. If Mario falls a hole while finishing the level, the level scroll slowly for a while before the level scrolling fast and the level became unwinnable.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'': In Chocolate Island 3, touching the goal gate from the bottom (such as with a Winged Yoshi) can cause you to fall off the lower platform during the victory walk and die.

** Some levels in the 16-bit ''Sonic'' games feature boss fights over BottomlessPits, where the player can fall in and die, even after landing the final hit on the level boss. This includes Chemical Plant Zone from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', Angel Island Zone Act 2 in ''{{VideoGame/Sonic 3|AndKnuckles}}'', and the final boss of Death Egg Zone in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]''. One of the challenge stages in ''[[CompilationRerelease Sonic Origins]]'' adds one of these to the boss of Star Light Zone from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1''.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' allows the player to drop themselves into the pit surrounding the FinalBoss' arena even after said boss has been defeated. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]], since this doesn't kill the player, and they would have to [[InvokedTrope deliberately throw themselves into the pit]] in order to activate the "trap"; however, this does force them to replay the final boss battle if they wish to see the ending.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'' has an infamous one in the final battle. When you defeat the final boss' last form, before the boss explodes, the arms can still deal damage, even though its host is dead. [[CycleOfHurting This often results in death if Link does not have or used up the potion if you're low on health, because contact with the arms deal one full heart with no]] MercyInvincibility. Also, if you are unlucky enough to still be in contact with the boss while it is giving its FinalSpeech, then it is a race between your hearts and the game's letter-writing.
** The Fire Temple's mini-boss in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' self-destructs when it's defeated. And since the self-destruct act doesn't happen in a cutscene, it can lower Link's HP.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', all the Garos and the first Garo Master will talk to Link after he beats them. The other Garo Masters will crouch down in the same pose, prompting the player to walk over to them for the conversation -- then whip out a bomb and self-detonate.
** The second boss in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages]]'', the Head Thwomp, floats in the middle of the room and crashes to the ground when you defeat it. [[CollisionDamage This can hurt you]]. Did it fall on your head when you only had one or two hearts left, and you didn't think to bring a potion? Do the whole fight over again!

* The entire point of the spikes in ''VideoGame/{{Tempest}}''; if you touch them during the between-level space warp, you die.

** Some levels in the 16-bit ''Sonic'' games feature boss fights over {{bottomless pit}}s, where the player can fall in and die, even after landing the final hit on the level boss. This includes Chemical Plant Zone from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', Angel Island Zone Act 2 in ''{{VideoGame/Sonic 3|AndKnuckles}}'', and the final boss of Death Egg Zone in ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]''. One of the challenge stages in ''[[CompilationRerelease Sonic Origins]]'' adds one of these to the boss of Star Light Zone from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1''.

* In ''VideoGame/Splatoon2''[='=]s Octo Expansion, it is entirely possible for you to complete a timed course within the allotted time but because the goal animation did not finish playing before the clock run out C.Q. Cumber still kills you for running out of time.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'': At the end of the final level, because of the huge hole [[BigBad Bowser]] makes in the floor after being defeated (unless you use fireballs or hammers), it's actually possible to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5XgvU9ffFE fall in it and die]]. This was fixed in the GBA remake, however.

*** It's possible to end up going [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcIZryqkU44 ''too fast'' for the game to handle]] and kill yourself once you're out of range of the camera, because the speed cap doesn't apply to rolling, only running.

*** There is the Chemical Plant Zone Act II boss, which has the "fake" platforms that flip to the bottom at regular intervals. Beating Dr. Robotnik here does NOT disable these platforms, which means that you CAN still fall or be dumped into the Mega Mack and lose a life.

*** The player is teleported to within eyesight of the exit portal... on a series of narrow beams suspended over inescapable toxic waste. And the player will be bombarded by flying Lost Souls, likely knocking them off for a slow death.

* In ''Chiki Chiki Boys''/''Mega Twins'' for arcade and Mega Drive, there is a boss who will drop his pants after he is defeated. If the player character is hit by the pants, the player will lose control and then be forced to exit the stage without collecting the bonus money for clearing the stage.

* ''VideoGame/MechWarrior 4'' ran cutscenes in-engine and realtime, and didn't confer a invincibility tag on any [[HumongousMecha battlemechs]], meaning it's possible for the player or his lancemates to take heavy damage or die in cutscenes. Thankfully, most missions have a "kill everyone" objective and the cutscenes are short, making it very rare to actually die in a cutscene. This is most likely in the final mission, since when you're confronted by the TrueFinalBoss the cutscene maneuvers you both into a classic ShowdownAtHighNoon position and he has a lot of long-range weapons. If your torso armor is sufficiently banged up he'll one-shot you the instant the cutscene ends.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' inverts the trope: It has Bowser throw his hat at you during the cutscene before fighting him. The hat speeds towards you after the scene ends, so if you're not careful you'll take damage or even die.

*** The boss of Spring Yard Zone [[BossArenaUrgency will destroy parts of the battlefield over time]]. Along with the peril that this causes in the battle, if he destroys the blocks to the right, it can be made impossible to make the jump to the capsule after Robotnik is defeated.

* ''VideoGame/{{Hexen:BeyondHeretic}}'': There are TWO (potential) Kaizo Trap situations that the player can fall victim to:

* ''VideoGame/{{HexenBeyondHeretic}}'': There are TWO (potential) Kaizo Trap situations that the player can fall victim to:

* ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone:'' Big Dog, Li'l Hunter, [[BigBad the Throne]], [[spoiler:[[TrueFinalBoss Throne 2]], [[NewGamePlus Mom]], and the [[BonusBoss IDPD Captain]]]] all [[DefeatEqualsExplosion explode on death]]. Barring [[spoiler:Mom]], their explosions can all [[OneHitKill shred through player health like paper without Boiling Veins,]] while [[spoiler:Mom]] only explodes into a ring of venom bullets. And half of these bosses start exploding ''before'' death.

** Opening an exit room door often reveals one last enemy waiting to take a bite out of any player who thinks they're in the clear.
** Episode 3's secret level was an exact duplicate of the first map in the episode, until you stepped on the exit tile and the walls dropped to reveal the [[DegradedBoss boss]] of the previous episode. You had to go back the way you came (every room now filled with more enemies) looking for a key for the actual exit in the first room.
** There's a similar trick in the ''first map'' of ''VideoGame/FinalDoom'', but only had [[{{Mook}} basic enemies]] in the pit you get lowered into when you try to exit the level.
** ''VideoGame/DoomIIHellOnEarth'' had a nasty section in the aptly named 'Tricks and Traps' map - the final corridor to the exit lowers into an [[{{Unwinnable}} inescapable lava pool]] unless you know to run full pelt along it. [[SaveScumming The first time you play it, expect to reload.]]
** Also from ''II'', the player is teleported to within eyesight of the exit portal... on a series of narrow beams suspended over inescapable toxic waste. And the player will be bombarded by flying Lost Souls, likely knocking them off for a slow death.

** The ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]'' final boss will actually kill you with your final hit if you attack from the rear and bounce back just as the screen stops scrolling forward.

** In the first NES game, after defeating the FinalBoss's first phase, its head flies off at you, and there's ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R12g8HbeHtc almost]'' no way to avoid taking a hit.