History Main / UtilityWeapon

** ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'': Tornado Hold can be used to rapidly damage an enemy, as well as lift Mega Man to a higher platform. Thunder Claw can be used to grab onto bars.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManIV'': Although it lacked the ability in the original series, the Ring Boomerang could fetch items for Megaman.

* Like most huntsmen in ''{{WebAnimation/RWBY}}'', Professor Oobleck carries a customized and extremely powerful SwissArmyWeapon. In combat it serves as a combination club/flamethrower, but otherwise collapses into a fully functional thermos. Very fitting for a man who lives in a nearly constant state of CaffeineBulletTime.

* All [[UsefulNotes/GameEngine Build Engine]] games (''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior'', ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage'') have [[SuspiciouslyCrackedWall cracks in the walls]] that can be blown open with explosives. Explosives come in two varieties in these: a "rocket launcher" weapon a la Doom, and a ballistic thrown "grenade" or "dynamite" (VideoGame/ShadowWarrior has a grenade launcher instead).

*** Later on, his flamethrowers are given a patch that gives them a blast of compressed air as their SecondaryFire. Aside from knocking back foes far away, it can be used to extinguish a burning teammate, reflect projectiles (i.e not HitScan attacks) to where he points his weapon, and blast away {{sticky bomb}}s. Even its normal use (shooting flames) can be used for checking spies around or lighting your Sniper teammate's arrows.

* The ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' games run on this trope. The basic "Power Beam" doesn't do much outside of combat[[labelnote:NB]]Although in the very first game, it was upgraded from the short beam to the long beam, which made it possible to clear a few early obstacles (albeit it ones which later upgrades made a non-issue).[[/labelnote]], however all the later weapons in every game can be used to remove certain obstacles and open colour coded doors.

The reason for this trope is often rooted in the constraints of a UsefulNotes/GameEngine. If the engine was originally designed for a purely combat based game and the developer wanted to make it more puzzle based (as was the case in the '90s, when the FirstPersonShooter genre began experimenting with more story based games as well as RPGElements) then they have to modify it. Since the original engine probably already allows the player to carry and use weapons, it makes sense (from both a technical and gameplay point of view) to create weapons which can be used in puzzle solving. Another good reason is that doesn't force the player to fumble around switching from "puzzle solving equipment" to "weapons" (thus averting a ScrappyMechanic). The Action/Adventure (especially the aforementioned Metroidvania games) genre also favours this trope, since it allows the player to both progress through the game and be more capable of fighting enemies at the same time.

* ''Videogame/MegaManZx:'' Your acquired Biometals often has utility functions that your starting one (Models Z and X) lacks. Model H is good for mobility and its EnemyScan, its electric attack can be used to activate things while its tornado attack is used to lift some platforms, Model F can have its bullets' trajectory be manipulated to shoot through niches, its ChargedAttack can break blocks and burn things, Model L is used to traverse underwater and scan items in the area, its ChargedAttack creates an ice platform like charged Shotgun Ice above, and Model P gives you clearer look at blackout stages and has an EnemyDetectingRadar. The second game gives even more of this, due to the protagonists outright being able to [[DittoFighter transform into bosses]]; whenever they defeat a boss and acquire their form, there'll be a section right after the boss where Model A will teach you the form's uses with the obstacles of the section. E.g Chronoforce form is used for swimming underwater and protecting against spikes and some attacks with his shell, and Queenbee form is used to fly around and dock into heavy stuff/switches.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'': Ice Burst can give X a chunk of ice as a platform to stand on, and Hyoroga allows Zero to cling to ceilings and dash one time. Also, the Nightmare phenomena that occurs in other levels after you beat a certain boss can be destroyed/neutralized with said boss' weapon, i.e Ground Dash vs the colored blocks, Magma Blade vs the falling meteors, and Metal Anchor vs the moving iron blocks.

The reason for this trope is often rooted in the constraints of a GameEngine. If the engine was originally designed for a purely combat based game and the developer wanted to make it more puzzle based (as was the case in the '90s, when the FirstPersonShooter genre began experimenting with more story based games as well as RPGElements) then they have to modify it. Since the original engine probably already allows the player to carry and use weapons, it makes sense (from both a technical and gameplay point of view) to create weapons which can be used in puzzle solving. Another good reason is that doesn't force the player to fumble around switching from "puzzle solving equipment" to "weapons" (thus averting a ScrappyMechanic). The Action/Adventure (especially the aforementioned Metroidvania games) genre also favours this trope, since it allows the player to both progress through the game and be more capable of fighting enemies at the same time.

* All [[GameEngine Build Engine]] games (''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior'', ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage'') have [[SuspiciouslyCrackedWall cracks in the walls]] that can be blown open with explosives. Explosives come in two varieties in these: a "rocket launcher" weapon a la Doom, and a ballistic thrown "grenade" or "dynamite" (VideoGame/ShadowWarrior has a grenade launcher instead).

* In ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'', several of Lara's weapons allow her to traverse the environment in new ways. For example the axe is upgraded so it can be used to pry open obstacles, and is later replaced with the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin climbing axe]], the shotgun can be used to blast certain types of barricade out of the way and the bow eventually gets "rope arrows".

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' mid-range weaponry can be commonly referred to as this, especially VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved's Pistol, which is the best example of this trope in the series, given how powerful and useful it is an practically every scenario, though it's not the best in any scenario.

* The breaching shotgun in ''Videogame/SWAT4''.

The reason for this trope is often rooted in the constraints of a GameEngine. If the engine was originally designed for a purely combat based game and the developer wanted to make it more puzzle based (as was the case in the 90's, when the FirstPersonShooter genre began experimenting with more story based games as well as RPGElements) then they have to modify it. Since the original engine probably already allows the player to carry and use weapons, it makes sense (from both a technical and gameplay point of view) to create weapons which can be used in puzzle solving. Another good reason is that doesn't force the player to fumble around switching from "puzzle solving equipment" to "weapons" (thus averting a ScrappyMechanic). The Action/Adventure (especially the aforementioned Metroidvania games) genre also favours this trope, since it allows the player to both progress through the game and be more capable of fighting enemies at the same time.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'': Shotgun Ice can be charged to create a sled that X can ride to reach otherwise unaccessible places, charged Chameleon Sting gives X an invulnerability mode (but he's unable to damage the enemies as well) to traverse some dangerous sections or just speedrunning and Boomerang Cutter can be used to collect power-ups behind walls. Charged Rolling Shield gives him DeflectorShields.

** The underside-mounted Light Lancers cannot be used to target enemy ships, but will automatically fire upon incoming torpedoes, [[{{Space Mines}} mines]] and [[{{Asteroid Thicket}} asteroids]].

* ''RocksNDiamonds'' has a downloadable Zelda Level which has bombs destroy certain walls and objects