History Main / RiseToTheChallenge

* In most ''{{Worms}}'' games, one of the thigns that can happen after the [[StalkedByTheBell round timer expires]] is the land starting to slowly sink into the water.

* Played with: the last level of ''{{Trine}}'' (and the BonusDungeon) feature these, both with rising lava. Interestingly, the game gives you the option to change your Difficulty for these levels, and with good reason -- on Easy difficulty, you get to play the level without the rising lava threat.

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** The infamous Labyrinth Zone "boss" for the original ''Game/SonicTheHedgehog'' game was nothing more than you chasing Robotnik up one of these, water rising behind you with no air bubbles to save you if you lag behind. And lag you will, as the way is also lined with retracting spikes and fireball-throwing gargoyles. The game ''does'' show some mercy, however, as once you reach the top, Robotnik [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFaXI4jKKIk runs away]], leaving Sonic to hit the end-of-zone animal cage and head for Star Light Zone. You ARE able to defeat him if you're good, though.

* Played with: the last level of ''{{Trine}}'' (and the BonusDungeon) feature one of these, both with rising lava. Interestingly, the game gives you the option to change your Difficulty for these level, and with good reason -- on Easy difficulty, you get to play the level without the rising lava threat.

* A level in ''{{Kirby}} 64'' attempts to bury you in sand, while a level in ''Kirby Canvas Curse'' has you outrunning lava.

* A few levels in ''NewSuperMarioBros.''

* There is a lava one in ''SuperMarioGalaxy'', too. It's technically because of the ground sinking instead of the lava rising, but functionally it plays like any regular example. Then, you have to redo it [[OneHitPointWonder with only one HP...]]

** Possibly subverted in ''[[SonicAndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]'', where in Act Two of Sandopolis you have to get to the top of a chamber filling with sand. The catch: it's only possible to reach some of the ledges on route to the top when the sand is high enough to make the jump possible. Of course, the sand can still crush you against the ceiling if you dawdle.

** ''Sonic2'' had a twist on this, on the level where the megamac rises. Megamac doesn't instantly kill Sonic, but it's an intense drowning agent, so the further up you go, the worse it is when you fall, to the point where falling to places you could once survive is now your doom.

* ''{{Rayman}} 2: The Great Escape'' also employed the piranha justification.

** The original ''Rayman'' had a jungle level and a mountain level with plain old regular water that was rising, but there was also a mountain level where the hero was trapped between slowly ''descending'' water and a quicker DescendingCeiling. The idea was to use Rayman's hair-helicopter to cut through ropes tied to this ceiling so the weights attached to the ceiling would drop into the water, and the ceiling would stop descending before it pressed Rayman into the water and drowned him.
* ''{{Sonic}} Heroes'' did this with "energy."
** ''Sonic 2'' had a twist on this, on the level where the megamac rises. Megamac doesn't instantly kill Sonic, but it's an intense drowning agent, so the further up you go, the worse it is when you fall, to the point where falling to places you could once survive is now your doom.
** The infamous Labyrinth Zone "boss" for the original ''SonicTheHedgehog'' game was nothing more than you chasing Robotnik up one of these, water rising behind you with no air bubbles to save you if you lag behind. And lag you will, as the way is also lined with retracting spikes and fireball-throwing gargoyles. The game ''does'' show some mercy, however, as once you reach the top, Robotnik [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFaXI4jKKIk runs away]], leaving Sonic to hit the end-of-zone animal cage and head for Star Light Zone. You ARE able to defeat him if you're good, though.

** In Blackwater City in the first game, you have to outrun the rising water in a tunnel. Ratchet can both swim and hold his breath, but not for long, and gets realistically slowed down when swimming or wading. The only chance to get out before drowning is to keep ahead of the water. Annoyingly, not so long after this passage, [[spoiler: he gets scuba gear...]]
** The last of the Qwark vid-comics in ''Up your Arsenal'' justifies this as you're outrunning rising acid.

* In most ''{{Worms}}'' games, triggering [[StalkedByTheBell sudden death]] causes the land to sink and activates this game mode.

A videogame level where you have to keep ascending to avoid a hazard that rises from below the screen.

** "The Meat Circus", which features the rising water level, is one of the most frustrating levels in any game, ever. This is mainly due to the game engine's inability to deal with the precision platforming being demanded.

Compare DownTheDrain. The reverse is DescendingCeiling. Sideways you get an IndyEscape. See also AdvancingWallOfDoom, where the rising threat is solid rather than fluid, and the LiftOfDoom. A form of EscapeSequence.

* The first ''TheSmurfs'' game for the SNES had a volcano level with rising lava.

** In {{Donkey Kong Country}} 3, there's a ''saw''. [[FridgeLogic Cutting vertically up two standing trees at once. At a certain altitude, it continues moving back and forth but stops ascending.]]

The game level where you have to keep going up to avoid landing in water (usually due to SuperDrowningSkills) or [[LavaPit lava]] (with ConvectionShmonvection in effect) or [[GrimyWater toxic waste]], which rises from below the screen.

* ''{{Psychonauts}}''. Probably qualifies as justified due to the curse.

* The classic arcade platformer ''Rainbow Islands'' has you moving one of two ([[InvoluntaryShapeshifting previously]] [[OneHitPointWonder cursed]]) boys named Bub and Bob up a series of seven sinking islands, with a harsh time limit and some SuperDrowningSkills to speed you on your way.

** In {{Donkey Kong Country}} 3, there's a ''saw''.

* ''MegaMan'' often does this with magma.
** A segment of Flame Stag's stage in ''Mega Man X2'' immediately comes to mind.
** And the ''ending'' of ''Mega Man X3''.
** Blaze Heatnix's area in ''Mega Man X6'' combines this with yet another battle against a hovering donut-shaped miniboss, which you end up having to fight about four or five times throughout the entire stage.
** X8 did this both ways ([[InnocentInnuendo I mean up and down!]]) with fire.

** Notaby, this is [[FakeDifficulty one of the most difficult levels]] in the entire game, because there is a wire right behind the first ContextSensitiveButton which many players have difficulty to spot in the first playthrough, so they may think they're safe with cutting down the wires ahead of them, but as they try to get across to the next platform... the water zaps them to death. All because of that tricky wire right behind you.

* ''Mickey Mania'', a video game in which you play through the settings of several classic [[ClassicDisneyShorts Mickey Mouse]] cartoons, featured a memorable stage near the end (in the ''Prince and the Pauper'' world) with groundbreaking special effects in which you race up a spiral staircase to escape rising flames. (Why you're trying to get to the top of a tower while the rest of the building is on fire is anyone's guess.)

** The infamous Labyrinth Zone "boss" for the original ''SonicTheHedgehog'' game was nothing more than you chasing Robotnik up one of these, water rising behind you with no air bubbles to save you if you lag behind. And lag you will, as the way is also lined with retracting spikes and fireball-throwing gargoyles. The most offensive part of this boss, though: you ''still'' had to get in the requisite 8 hits to Eggman to get the points at the end; merely reaching the top won't net you anything extra.