History Main / PathOfMostResistance

* ''VideoGame/{{Braid}}'' does this in one level, which has [[InterchangeableAntimatterKeys one key and two locked exit doors]]; one of the doors breaks the key but does not open, forcing you to restart the level. The correct door is much harder to get to than the other one, which was apparently meant as a clue ([[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation some]] prefer to call it a "dick move.")
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManZero4'', you can manipulate the weather control systems for each stage to choose between conditions that are favorable to Zero or to the enemy. Picking the latter not only makes the stages harder but allows the bosses to unleash their ultimate attacks, and is required for Zero to learn his special moves from defeating them.

* In ''VideoGame/MegaManZero4'', you can manipulate the weather control systems for each stage to choose between conditions that are favorable to Zero or to the enemy. Picking the more difficult option is required to learn the special moves from the bosses.

* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' had an odd subversion of this trope in which the group had to choose between two paths one of which would take hours to complete the other of which would only take minutes. The catch was that in order to take the short path you needed to leave two of your teammates behind. Seeing as they only had 20 minutes or so left to finish the maze it seemed like leaving people behind was the only option. However, they were all able to make it to the end by taking the true path of most resistance. They entered the long path and then, because the two paths were right next to each other, punched through the stone wall so they could go down the short path instead.

* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' was, however, making a noble effort to avert the general RPG tendency to primarily reward fighting, and fighting harder foes more. That convention, in turn, gives all [=PCs=] a solid push to become {{Blood Knight}}s - combat with the biggest of badasses really is the only way to improve, and using perfectly reasonable means to avoid it really does make you weaker.

* In the eighth installment of ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'', completing a Hypothetical objective to save a character from PlotlineDeath is usually impossible when playing as that character. You have to choose someone else and head things off the hard way.
** In order to get the Hypothetical star in The Battle of Xinye (which allows you to recruit Xu Shu after you've captured him,) you need to rescue Cao Ren who's stuck surrounded by enemies in the middle of the Eight Gates, a complex maze that needs to be navigated in a specific way or all the doors in your current chamber will shut and you'll be trapped, wasting time. Naturally, the proper way through is nearly the most roundabout route possible, all while beating every enemy captain who's inside the gates. You also need to take a detour in the middle of this to fight and defeat Xu Shu before actually heading into the central chamber to actually resue Cao Ren; Do it in the wrong order and you won't get the star.

** In order to get the Hypothetical star in The Battle of Xinye, you need to rescue Cao Ren who's stuck surrounded by enemies in the middle of the Eight Gates, a complex maze that needs to be navigated in a specific way or all the doors in your current chamber will shut and you'll be trapped, wasting time. Naturally, the proper way through is nearly the most roundabout route possible, all while beating every enemy captain who's inside the gates. There's also a second star that requires you to take a detour in the middle of this to fight and defeat Xu Shu before actually heading into the central chamber to actually resue Cao Ren, or Xu Shu will flee when defeated instead of being captured and recruited.

** In order to get the Hypothetical star in The Battle of Xinye, you need to rescue Cao Ren who's stuck surrounded by enemies in the middle of the Eight Gates, a complex maze that needs to be navigated in a specific way or all the doors in your current chamber will shut and you'll be trapped, wasting time. Naturally, the proper way through is nearly the most roundabout route possible, all while beating every enemy captain who's inside the gates. You also have to take a detour to fight and defeat Xu Shu before actually heading into the central chamber to actually resue Cao Ren, or Xu Shu will flee when defeated instead of being captured and you won't get the star.

** One particularly brutal segment is getting the Hypothetical star for the Battle of Wuzhang Plains [[spoiler: which allows the Shu captains to have a final talk with Zhuge Liang before his death.]] At one point two messengers get sent out from opposite ends of the map, and to get the star you need to kill both of them before they can escape and get reinforcements. To do it, you not only need to kill both messengers yourself (the CPU captains won't do it for you,) but you have ''barely'' enough time if you make a mad dash to do that and ''only'' that, and in a specific order.

** A general rule in ''Franchise/{{Sonic|TheHedgehog}}'' games is that the highest route is the most difficult, but has the best power-ups, and is often the fastest route except for glitches.

* Averted in ''[[VideoGame/CustomRobo Custom Robo Arena]]''. You need to climb a mountain to meet an OldMaster who will teach you an AwesomeButImpractical skill needed to progress the story and are presented with 3 opponents, labeled easy, medium and hard. Given you are being tested, you'd expect you have to choose the "hard" foe to proceed. Regardless of you choice, the game moves on and all difficulties are as described. One interesting thing of note is the "hard" foe will have mixed words, telling you many people like you have died on battlefields, while also telling you the expected bravery stuff.

* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] in the comic strip ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot''. Jason (the video game fan) is having an impossible time getting past a certain boss, and Paige (who has very little interest in video games) discovers that if you [[SheatheYourSword don't attack]], you can just walk right past him with nothing to stop you. Jason finds this quite hard to believe, and when he does believe it, he remarks that doing things the easy way is extremely counterintuitive.

* RealLife:
** It's claimed to be the way to succeed - especially when you're entering a highly technical position or something that requires skill. However, it's subverted by those that bluff their way to gain a status position.
** Averted with the saying "work smarter, not harder", which emphasizes finding a smarter solution as opposed to brute-forcing your way through a job. Sure one person could half-kill himself by working hard enough to do a task, but if he can find an easier way to do it (getting help or using machinery, for example), he's far better off doing that: more often than not the effort you put into a task is completely irrelevant and people only care about how well the task itself was completed.

** In order to achieve the [[EarnYourHappyEnding best ending]], according to the secret message in the manual, you need to: [[spoiler: Acquire the Booster v2.0 from Arthur's House (see above). Find the Tow Rope to save Curly after you finish the Core, put Curly on the bed in the cabin in the Waterway so that you can drain her of water and save her life, be sure to read the book and not to forget Curly. Talk to Curly and the Cthulhu in the Plantation to learn about the Ma Pignon. Get a Badge from the Storage Room in Mimiga Village Cemetery and examine the Badge. Talk to Ma Pignon, defeat it and feed it to Curly in the Plantation to restore her memories and get the Iron Bond. After defeating the Undead Core, instead of making your way to the aircraft for the Good Ending, use the trap door in the prefab building to enter the [[BrutalBonusLevel Sacred Grounds/Blood Stained Sanctuary]], finally, you have to make your way through the Sacred Grounds/Blood Stained Sanctuary and defeat the SuperBoss Balrog]].

* In ''Fanfic/WaitingIsWorthIt'', Izuku is given the option to get into [=UA=] on Toshinori's recommendation, allowing him to skip the entrance exam all together. Feeling like this would be unfair to all of the other applicants, he decides to forgo this and take the exam instead. Not only does he get in anyway, but this allows him to show off his raw power and save Uraraka

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ Gokuu Gekitouden, the only way to get the "true" ending (the one where Goku goes Super Saiyan and finishes Frieza in a secret ultimate optional final boss fight instead of the game ending when Goku drops the Spirit Bomb on Frieza) is to have everyone at around the power levels they were in the anime when you fight Frieza. This means fighting Frieza, at least up until Goku shows up, is EXTREMELY painful.

* In RealLife, it's claimed to be the way to succeed - especially when you're entering a highly technical position or something that requires skill. However, it's subverted by those that bluff their way to gain a status position.

* Required multiple times in''VideoGame/CaveStory'' in order to get the best equipment and the best ending:

* ''VideoGame/CaveStory''. You get the chance to get an upgrade of your single-shot, puny gun two times in the game. If you refuse both times you can later get a super gun which can deal upwards of 100 damage in one shot. Similarly, if you skip getting the jetpack 0.8, you get the 2.0 version later on.
** It’s not entirely obvious during the booster scene that there even is another way to do things. The only real clue is an obscure hint in one character's diary that is called out with mysterious music. Or [[GuideDangIt a FAQ]].
** In another example, the gap that lets you skip getting the Booster is juuuust not wide enough by pixels… unless you noticed the red bar, left by the creator of the game, showing you what pixel you need to jump from in order to cleanly make it across to the next room.

* Typically in the ShinMegamiTensei games the Neutral or "True" route is the hardest to obtain, due to the route's nature of being OmnicidalNeutral and/or TakeTheThirdOption.

When a video game presents you with multiple paths or options, you should ''always'' take the most difficult looking one. Don't know where to go? Look for the door with the most SpikesOfDoom near it. Need a {{Pokemon}} that can actually [[ScratchDamage hurt something]]? Start leveling your [[MagikarpPower Magikarp]]. Want the super powerful, [[PowerGlows glowing]] InfinityPlusOneSword? It'll be at the bottom of a three thousand floor BonusDungeon, guarded by the BonusBoss that takes [[MarathonBoss three hours to kill]]. In the video game world, doing it the hard way is the only way to get the best rewards.

* ''VideoGame/{{Braid}}'' does this in one level, which has [[InterchangeableAntimatterKeys one key and two locked exit doors]]; one of the doors breaks the key but does not open, forcing you to restart the level. The correct door is much harder to get to than the other one, which was apparently meant as a clue for the GenreSavvy ([[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation some]] prefer to call it a "dick move.")

** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne'': There is the True Demon route. Not only does it require you to essentially fight all three of the faction leaders and the final boss but it also requires you to fully explore the BrutalBonusLevel, which is full of very challenging puzzles and bosses is addition to a TrueFinalBoss battle against [[spoiler: Lucifer himself]]. If you do complete it however [[spoiler: Lucifer is so impressed with you that he decides to make you his top general in his war against YHVH]].

* ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' challenges the player to follow hard routes which lets them finish the levels faster as opposed to the safer routes, and maybe earn an S-rank as a result. One notable example is Planet Wisp Act 3 where you have to know exactly when to jump and then double jump to avoid the Egg Chasers shooting lasers at you and when to boost to smash the Egg Pawns on the path and prey you don't fall down to the road below before you grab the Cyan Wisp on the upper road, then attempt to stay on the road all the way to the end so you can boost up the ramp at the end and grab the Red Ring in the air. If pulled off correctly you'll be able to use the Cyan Wisp on the prisms ahead when you land to rack up an enormous Color Bonus.

->''"You know, normally, following a trail of bodies covered in blood is a sign you're going the wrong way.\\

* ''HunterXHunter'' had an odd subversion of this trope in which the group had to choose between two paths one of which would take hours to complete the other of which would only take minutes. The catch was that in order to take the short path you needed to leave two of your teammates behind. Seeing as they only had 20 minutes or so left to finish the maze it seemed like leaving people behind was the only option. However, they were all able to make it to the end by taking the true path of most resistance. They entered the long path and then, because the two paths were right next to each other, punched through the stone wall so they could go down the short path instead.

* The ''GliderPRO'' manual suggested that users of the LevelEditor should strive to create the "Ultimate Room," which would have three possible ways for the player to cross it: