History Main / NPCRoadBlock

** Sometimes a stubborn Pokémon blocks your path in the same way. In Kanto, at least one Snorlax can be found sleeping in an inconvenient place, and won't budge until you play a Poké Flute at it (when it returns in ''Gold nd Silver'', you instead use a radio station playing the Poké Flute's song). Johto in ''Gold and Silver'' used Sudowoodo, an impassable "dancing tree" until you spray water at it [[CommonPlaceRare with a special water bottle]]. Sinnoh in ''Diamond and Pearl'' have a horde of Psyduck blocking a path until you bring them a special potion to cure their headaches (these ones don't need to be fought).

[[caption-width-right:350:Don't try to walk through those gaps either. Your footsteps will wake them up.]]

* In ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'' there is a particular NPC in Airyglyph who just seemed to not get the point that you need to get through that door, dammit!

** Sometimes a stubborn Pokémon blocks your path in the same way. In Kanto, the first games' world, at least one Snorlax can be found sleeping in an inconvenient place, and won't budge until you play a Poké Flute at it. Gold and Silver used Sudowoodo, an impassable "dancing tree" until you spray water at it, [[CommonPlaceRare with a special water bottle]]. Diamond and Pearl have a horde of Psyduck blocking a path until you bring them a special potion to cure their headaches.
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', a police officer in Kanto's Radio Tower (formerly Pokemon Tower) will not let you ascend to any floors above the first, no matter what else you do.

** In ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', there's an NPC in the very first town who won't let you leave to the west because he's sketching some rare Pokemon footprints and doesn't want you to step on them. Later on it turns out that they were actually his own.
** In the fourth generation games, there's a man that blocks access to Sunyshore City because... there's a blackout. Exactly ''why'' that would make it dangerous to go to the city is a mystery.

** In ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', an NPC in the library in Hometown tells you that there are some interesting books to read upstairs. Unfortunately, they're blocking the way to said stairs, so you can't go up there. In Chapter 2, you'll be able to go up there... only to find that same NPC now blocking the way to the rest of the room, so you can only read the books on 2 of the shelves.

** In ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', an NPC in the library in Hometown tells you that there are some interesting books to read upstairs. Unfortunately, they're blocking the way to said stairs, so you can't go up there.

** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', a group of guys are blocking off the northern path to Black City/White Forest, claiming to be dancing for no reason and that someday they will disappear for no reason. In the same game, there are several instances where the enemy is blocking the path, perfectly awake, yet you are unable to fight your way past, despite doing so throughout normal gameplay.

*** The two kids who block the exits to Kokiri Village at the beginning of the game. The passage they're blocking is pretty big, so they sidestep back and forth, always standing exactly in front of you. Mido does the same at various points: first to stop you from going to meet the Great Deku Tree unless you have a sword and shield on you (even though ''the Deku Tree himself summoned Link'', but then again, [[JerkassHasAPoint the Tree]] ''[[JerkassHasAPoint is]]'' [[JerkassHasAPoint infested with monsters]]), then after you finish the Deku Tree dungeon for some reason (you just need to talk to him to make him move, though), and finally when you venture into the Lost Woods to get to the Forest Temple as an adult (although again, he will move if you talk to him).

*** The two kids who block the exits to Kokiri Village at the beginning of the game. The passage they're blocking is pretty big, so they sidestep back and forth, always standing exactly in front of you.

** The Gerudo guards in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' keep Link from entering Gerudo Town unless he's DisguisedInDrag. You ''can'' climb the walls and try to jump into town anyway, but they'll still detect you and throw you out.

* ''VideoGame/AliceMadnessReturns'' has a lot of obstructive characters in the London areas, forcing you to go through scripted areas.
* Jack from ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' blocks the doorway to mimiga cemetery due to fungi outbreak out there. Telling him that Toroko has been kidnapped will make him move out of the way.

* ''VideoGame/EarthBound'':
** There is a maze made of NPC cultists. You have to shift certain ones aside by talking to them (though some of them get angry and battle you).
** It's {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the first town with the Onett Police Force, who are famous for their road blocks and proud of it. One cop even claims they're going for the record, while a number of other {{NPC}}s complain about how pointless and stupid the roadblocks are and wish the cops would actually do something worthwhile with their time.
* A RunningGag in the ''VideoGame/TouhouMother'' crossover are the "ants at your feet", which block paths for plot reasons. The player characters refuse to step on them because that would kill them (they don't seem to think of stepping ''over'' the ants... or [[ForgotICouldFly flying]]). This is {{Lampshaded}} repeatedly throughout the game, such as when they are found in a building ("What? Here? Get back to the forest!") or when they give you a gift near the end for being kind enough to never step on them. This is a direct reference to ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'', which often blocks off areas you aren't supposed to visit yet with the same message and for the same reasons.
* Done unintentionally in ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings''. In the town of Merrysville you can find an NPC walking in front of the Department store, and there's a chance that he might stop ''[[https://i.redd.it/vrqnszhl8o821.png right in front of its entrance]]'', preventing you from going inside, thus forcing you to wait until he moves again.

* Lampshaded by a guard in Arieda Village in the FanTranslation of ''VideoGame/{{Ys}} IV: The Dawn of Ys'':

* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', several hidden items and treasure chests are guarded by NPCs standing in front of doors. Nonetheless, you can actually do something about it: Either have Olberic challenge the NPC to a duel or have H'aanit sic one of her captured monsters on them. Regardless of the way, once the NPC is defeated, you'll gain access to the building they were blocking.

[[folder:Web Games]]
* ''Habbo Hotel'' has suffered serious amounts of roadblock as a result of regular raids by hacktivist groups.
--> [[MemeticMutation POOL'S CLOSED]]. DUE TO AIDS, [[Manga/RozenMaiden DESU DESU DESU DESU DESU]].
[[/folder]]

* Done unintenionally in ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings''. In the town of Merrysville you can find an NPC walking in front of the Department store, and there's a chance that he might stop ''[[https://i.redd.it/vrqnszhl8o821.png right in front of it's entrance]]'', preventing you from going inside, thus forcing you to wait until he moves again.

** During Chapter 4, there is a guard blocking the gate out of Twilight Town who will not let you pass without the mayor's permission. Your partner will [[LampshadeHanging even make a remark on the situation]]. When you go to ask the mayor for permission, he will have turned into a pig, and be unable to help you. Fortunately for you, the gatekeeper will then ''also'' turn into a pig, and will be unable to stop you from passing through the gate.

** The police of the first town, Onett, is world famous for their road blocks.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': The two kids who block the exits to Kokiri Village at the beginning of the game. The passage they're blocking is pretty big, so they sidestep back and forth, always standing exactly in front of you. Also of note: the ridiculously fat King Zora who blocks the entrance to Zora's Fountain, and takes an extremely long time to move out of the way once you free him. Other characters in the game pull off the same living BrokenBridge stunt, but none with quite the elan of King Zora. [[GoodBadBugs Fortunately, most can be bypassed by various glitches]].

* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', you can actually do something about this trope. You can have two options: Either have Olberic challenge the NPC to a duel or have H'aanit sic one of her captured monsters on them. Regardless of the way, once the NPC is defeated, you'll gain access to the building they were blocking.

[[quoteright:240:[[VideoGame/PokemonFireRedAndLeafGreen https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/silph_block.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:240:[[ConservationOfCompetence Just wait until he falls asleep...]]]]

A SubTrope of BrokenBridge. A favorite tactic of the CityGuards. See also InsurmountableWaistHeightFence. Can lead to a {{Chain of Deals}}. Compare and contrast BeefGate, where the character will simply kill you instead of just stopping you, until you can kill it.

* ''Banjo-Tooie'':

** Similarly, there is a NPC at the south exit of Violet City who will not let you pass until you defeat Faulkner, Violet City's Gym Leader. Fortunately, he will give you a free item, Miracle Seed, once you do.

* AffectionateParody VideoGame/RPGMaker game ''VideoGame/JaysJourney'' has a guard that is rigged to only walk back and forth through a narrow corridor (which is a shortcut out of the area that was accessible earlier in the game). When Jay speaks to this guard, he tells the guard to move... but is only met with [[WelcomeToCorneria a single useless phrase over and over again]].

*** One shrine in the desert is blocked off by a dehydrated Gerudo who has decided to drape herself over the Slate reader, forcing you to return to the city to get her a cocktail so she'll move out of the way

* ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'' still has the tile-based variant, as of ''Avernum 6'' released last year. There are few roadblocks by design, many more occur from NPC roaming.

** When you first enter Hotland, a duo of Royal Guards are blocking the way to a side path which [[DoorToBefore turns into a shortcut after you explore further]]. You can't fight the guards here, even though you do later reencounter them in battle. In the Genocide route, which transforms your character into a fearless killer, the guards' temporary presence here is replaced with SomeKindOfForceField.

** A very obnoxious one in ''Black and White'' involves a policeman standing at the entrance to a post-game route who refuses to let you past. His reason for not doing so? "There's something up ahead and you can't go through here." Nothing in the entire Pokemon canon hints as to what this mysterious "something" is.
** In ''Black and White 2'', a group of guys are blocking off the northern path to Black City/White Forest, claiming to be dancing for no reason and that someday they will disappear for no reason. In the same game, there are several instances where the enemy is blocking the path, perfectly awake, yet you are unable to fight your way past, despite doing so throughout normal gameplay.
** In Lumiose City in ''X and Y'', when you first enter there will be all these mechanics stopping you from accessing a good bit of the town because of a blackout (which you won't be fixing until after you get your fourth badge). With the wonky camera angles in the town, it's safe to say you'll want to punch them in the face after the 9000th time they get to you. It doesn't help that the lights in the buildings just behind them are clearly working just fine, and [=NPCs=] pass between the open and closed zones freely.

** In ''Sun and Moon'' along with the sequels, an NPC in Heahea City keeps you from accessing half of the city because he's searching for items and refuses to let you pass until he's done. Later, Hau blocks the fastest route to Professor Kukui by standing on a bridge and looking around for the professor (who's maybe thirty feet away), forcing you to walk around the entire outer edge of the park to reach him.

** Red in LetsPlay/TwitchPlaysPokemonRed walks in just the right place when the Burglar sees him and approaches him, so after the Burglar is defeated he just stands there, blocking the way out, as Red was in between the wall and a table. This is very problematic, since in Pokemon [=NPCs=] don't move after they are defeated...

-->'''Guard:''' We're renovating the tower!
-->'''Jay:''' That's nice. Could you move? The shortcut's over there.
-->'''Guard:''' [[WelcomeToCorneria We're renovating the tower!]]
-->'''Jay:''' ...stupid NPC.
--> And later, if you decide to take the staircase at the other end of the shortcut up...
-->'''Guard:''' We're renovating the tower!
-->'''Jay:''' Are you STILL here?!

** Early in ''VideoGame/ShiningForceIII'' a bomb goes off and you're expected to rush back to your HQ. There are two routes but the first one is blocked by a civilian who when talked to comments on being too shocked to move, apologizing, and asking you to take the long way around. This is so you'll trigger a cutscene with the [[HeroesOfAnotherStory main characters from Scenario 2]].