History Main / SelectiveGravity

* In ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]''[='s=] Death Egg levels, there are switches that reverse gravity and let the player walk on the ceiling; yet they only affect the player and one boss, not any other enemies.

** ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]'' have a bizarre, possibly unintentional variation: if you go to a place where the screen loops vertically and there aren't any slopes or obstructions, it's possible to keep falling endlessly, and you keep constantly accelerating as you do - but because of the way falling is coded, if you fall too fast, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbqkjN_M-zw you get integer overflow and start rocketing ''upwards,'']] decelerating rather than accelerating, until you stop completely and it starts all over again.

'''A:''' "They're more like giant cherries..."

* In the platforming game ''{{N}}'', the player character is pretty much the only element in the game that gravity applies to - the enemies, terminals, and even [[FollowTheMoney the gold]] all float regardless of gravity.

Simply put, in just about [[OmnipresentTropes every video game ever created]], most notably {{platformer}}s, gravity is applied only to some things whilst everything else is completely immune to it.

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' contains one of the most startling examples: paintbrushes can be picked up, placed into and removed from containers, and so on, but aren't affected by physics. A dropped paintbrush will remain hovering in midair wherever you placed it. This bug leads to some entertaining possibilities for the canny player, such as building stairways to otherwise inaccessible locations and setting up sniper's nests where melee attackers can't reach you.
** All items work this way in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]''. Simply stack them on top of each other, then remove the support to leave them hovering in midair.
** The paintbrushes are particularly dangerous as they are cheap and can be used to sequence break the whole plot.
** Interestingly, this [[GoodBadBug paintbrush bug]] unintentionally makes up for the fact that the player-levitation spell was not carried over from ''Morrowind''. Naturally, both the spell removal and the inclusion of physics effects for all objects were intended specifically to avert different aspects of this trope.

* In ''EverQuest'' all computer controlled characters are immune to falling damage. This is to prevent players from exploiting it to kill monsters. Casting levitation on yourself and leading a monster chasing you off a cliff would be too easy.
* In ''WorldOfWarcraft'', some game objects, like ore deposits and treasure chests, have collision properties (you can stand on them), but [[EverythingFades despawn]] after being consumed or after a period of time. This leaves a character who ''was'' standing on them apparently hovering in midair until they make any movement, at which point gravity notices them and they fall normally. Similarly, in older versions of the game, corpses became instantly immobile upon death. If a player died while airborne, their corpse (and later skeleton) would hover at that exact spot in calm defiance of gravity. This can still be observed under certain circumstances.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', only certain types of blocks (sand, gravel; partially, fluid blocks) are affected by gravity. Other block types are not, allowing them to float in midair.

'''A:''' "[[ComicallyMissingThePoint They're more like giant cherries....]]"

* Averted most of the time in ''LittleBigPlanet'': All collectibles (Score and Prize Bubbles, and Player Enhancements) obey the physics engine (though a level creator can simulate this trope by attaching String to a bubble; used frequently), as well as nearly all Materials, Decorations, Gameplay Elements, and of course Sackboy... except for one single material: Dark Matter. No, not the stuff science tells you about. This kind of Dark Matter is easily visible, fully touchable, and ''floats''. Not just regular old floating (you're thinking Floaty Materials there), Dark Matter is literally anchored in place. It just doesn't move. It can't be destroyed, it won't move if attached to something (though things attached to ''it'' do move if it's like a Piston or something as the connector), and no amount of force can change its position. The only thing that can move it? Sackboy's Popit Cursor (and only in Create Mode). Before patch 1.07 was released, it was possible to change the texture of a material ''without changing its properties'' (though the glitch is now fixed). [[spoiler:You would have to make an object the size you want with the desired properties, use the Horrible Gas Tool on it, then Material Changer it to the desired texture (the material you wanted to show), then delethalize it.]] Grabbable Wood, a piece of Dark Matter that responded to a Motor Bolt, you name it. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vOiitrHSpo This video]] of a level appropriately named "[[MeaningfulName What's the Matter?]]" takes the glitch to its fullest. Now, the only way to make regular Materials float this way is to glue them to Dark Matter. Still works, but not as [[RuleOfCool cool-looking]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' pieces descend into the well and lock into place once they've remained motionless for a half second. A row of the well full of blocks empties out, and then the blocks above it move down by exactly one row. It turns out that there are ways to clear lines and [[http://harddrop.com/wiki/index.php?title=Tetromino_art#All_six_single_floaters leave blocks completely unsupported]]. Only a few games have [[http://harddrop.com/wiki/index.php?title=Line_clear#Sticky "recursive" or "cascade" modes]] that allow groups of such blocks to fall into gaps below them, which allows the sort of chain reaction seen in other games like ''VideoGame/DrMario'' and ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo''.

You, on the other hand, can rest assured that you will always plunge to your death if you step off the edge of a cliff. The player is ''always'' gravity's bitch. (Except if you happen to be playing ''BoulderDash''; then it works the other way around entirely.)

* ''RickDangerous'' has a variation. In certain areas, if you place a bomb next to a movable block, then the explosion will cause the block to fly away ''towards the bomb''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' pieces descend into the well and lock into place once they've remained motionless for a half second. A row of the well full of blocks empties out, and then the blocks above it move down by exactly one row. It turns out that there are ways to clear lines and [[http://harddrop.com/wiki/index.php?title=Tetromino_art#All_six_single_floaters leave blocks completely unsupported]]. Only a few games have [[http://harddrop.com/wiki/index.php?title=Line_clear#Sticky "recursive" or "cascade" modes]] that allow groups of such blocks to fall into gaps below them, which allows the sort of chain reaction seen in other games like ''VideoGame/DrMario'' and ''PuyoPuyo''.

* Happens in ''[[BackyardSports Backyard Basketball]]''. But with a cheat.

* ''TheIncredibleMachine'' series is made of this trope. Every item is basically either affected as normal by gravity, or floats immobile in the air. Whether an item floats or sinks is based far more on [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality gameplay considerations than logic]]: for instance, paint buckets, cats, baseballs, and candles fall; baskets, alligators, 8-balls and lava lamps don't.

* In ''{{Minecraft}}'', only certain types of blocks (sand, gravel; partially, fluid blocks) are affected by gravity. Other block types are not, allowing them to float in midair.

-->'''Q:''' "APPLES DO NOT FALL UP"
-->'''A:''' "[[ComicallyMissingThePoint They're more like giant cherries....]]"

* Gravity Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan V'' for NES has barriers that change the direction of gravity when Mega Man crosses them, affecting Mega Man and some enemies but not others.

* In ''{{Metroid}} Fusion'', you fight a boss (appropriately) named [[NightmareFuel Nightmare]] who changes gravity on you partway through the fight, changing your jump and movement speed and effectively rendering your missiles useless.
** Unless you get really, really close.
** This boss returns ([[{{Prequel}} or rather first appears]]) in ''MetroidOtherM''. Leading up to it are areas where gravity is flipped upside down or increased. Samus' gravity suit nullifies these effects.

* Flavour text from HeroicArmiesMarching reveals that the Daevas are immune to gravity because of their magic.

* ''{{Kirby}}'' controls his density, ranging from slightly lighter than air (so he can stay airborne by flapping his flippers) to granite-like (when he uses the Stone power).

* Similar to the ''Super Mario Galaxy'' example above, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' has Cocoon, a giant rock that sits in one place (while being inside the atmosphere of Pulse, the main world) with a civilization on the hollowed out inner walls. The source of light and heat comes from a fal'Cie floating in the center, though there's also big chunk of the shell that was blown off during a war. (Information can be seen [[http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Cocoon_%28Final_Fantasy_XIII%29 here]]) Somehow, water is visibly falling from Cocoon on to Pulse. Considering this is ''Final Fantasy'', it's best to say [[AWizardDidIt a fal-Cie did it]].

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[[folder: Comics]]
* In DonRosa's Scrooge [=McDuck=] story ''A Matter of Some Gravity'', Magica De Spell uses a magic wand to change gravity for Scrooge and DonaldDuck, causing them to fall sideways, and later upside down.
* Taken to extremes in a very old Xmen comic. Scarlet Witch was able to levitate by ''altering the probability that gravity would affect her''.
* During ''BlackestNight'' the living planet Mogo increased his mass in order to pull all organic matter closer to him. Just organic matter.
** Take note that Mogo is a Green Lantern, and thusly capable of screwing with natural forces quite a bit.
* An arc in ''CalvinAndHobbes'' concerned Calvin suddenly having his "personal gravity" ReversePolarity. His mom walked in the room just as he managed to climb to floor level and into a position that looked like nothing odd had ever happened. And then the effect instantly wore off.
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[[folder:{{Film}}]]
* In ''{{Ultraviolet}}'', Violet possesses a device that adjusts gravity based on her current orientation. Not only does she use it to attack agents of the Arch-Ministry from ceilings, she also ''falls'' towards a glass ceiling and break through it to land right side up on the roof of the building, she also uses it on her motorcycle in a CrowningMomentOfAwesome [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxhQHFSOGnI to try and escape pursuit horizontally through the city]].
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[[folder:VideoGames]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original]]
* Straight from the Wiki/SCPFoundation, we have [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-283 SCP-283]]. It is essentially an ordinary rock in every regard, apart from the simple fact that it falls sideways, all the time.
--> '''Dr. Wood''': ''It has come to the attention of the higher level personnel that someone has been stealing SCP-283 for use as a [[MundaneUtility paperweight]]. I don't care how 'zen' it looks, any further misdemeanors will be dealt with severely.''

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics]]
* Webcomic/{{xkcd}} plays with this [[http://xkcd.com/417/ here]].

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[[folder: Western Animation]]
* As of Season 3, [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Twilight Sparkle]] can do this on herself when casting a gravity spell.
** She's the apprentice, but Pinkie Pie's the master. Through a combination of RuleOfFunny and [[RealityWarper Borderline Reality Warping]], she can walk on air and slow her descent into water so she doesn't make a loud splash.
--> '''Rainbow Dash:''' How did you ''do'' that?
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Other]]
* Fantasy artist Robin Wood's "Theory of Cat Gravity" posits that cats use SelectiveGravity as a means to assert control over their owners. When a cat is happily lying on top of you, it increases the localized effects of gravity, making it physically impossible for you to dislodge the animal until it chooses to depart.
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* Strangely done in VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam with gravity changing abilities. You can flip the gravity in four directions with Luiginary Gravity and even turn it off altogether with the Luiginary Nebula... but only Mario and a couple of things in the environment are affected. Enemies? They just keep mulling along on what was previously the ground without seemingly noticing that they should either be flying off into space or floating in mid air about now.

-->'''Q:''' "APPLES DO NOT FALL UP!"
-->'''A:''' "[[ComicallyMissingThePoint They're more like giant cherries.]]"

-->-- ''IWannaBeTheGuy'', [[http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/faq.php official FAQ]]

* In Irem's classic NES game ''Metal Storm'', your HumongousMecha possesses the power of Gravity Shifting, which enables it to switch gravitic orientation between right-side up, upside down and vice versa at will. This is an important mechanic to get through many levels of the game, and one power up enables you to use Gravity Shifting as a charging fireball attack.