History ScrewThisImOuttaHere / VideoGames

* Jess pulls this in ''[[VideoGame/AdvanceWars Advance Wars: Black Hole Rising]]'' in Mission 27, where you're tasked with obliterating 9 ammo-less Battleships in 17 days. When you complete your mission Jess gives the order to evacuate and not engage the enemy any longer, as their mission is complete and there's no sense taking extra casualties. Lash is ''furious''.
--> '''Lash:''' Attack with all of our strength! They've made me mad, and now they're gonna pay big time!
--> '''Black Hole {{Mook}}:''' Mistress Lash, that's... The enemy's gone. There's no sign of enemy units. It seems they've done what they set out to do and left.
--> '''Lash:''' You've got to be joking! They just sank my boats and took off? [[PunctuatedForEmphasis I... am... so... angry!!!]]
* In the fantasy/sci-fi RPG ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'', you can convince the spaceship's security chief and his men that the ship's goals are illegitimate; he and his men then retreat, allowing you to skip a very tough battle and go straight to the final fight against the MasterComputer.

* You can have Jennifer do this, albeit with some hesitation, in ''VideoGame/ClockTowerTheFirstFear''. The moment you've ditched Scissorman you can head straight to the garage, grab the car key, and on your third examination of the car effectively say "screw Anne, Laura, and Lotte" and take off. Of course, your "reward" for being such a DirtyCoward is you miss out on most of the game and get saddled with Ending G or Ending H (depending on whether you saw one or two friends die), the two worst in the game.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'':

** At one point in ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'', Ness faces off against Captain Strong and five of his fellow police officers. After taking out the first four cops, the fifth freaks out and high tails it out of there, leaving Strong to deal with you.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLifeBlueShift'': Contrary to his Lambda Team counterparts in the main game, Dr. Rosenberg states that he has no intention of fighting their losing battle to reverse the resonance cascade, and instead just wants to get out as soon as possible.

** In all ''Pokémon'' games, a wild Abra will flee immediately via Teleport if you encounter it. Justified, as Teleport is its only move until it evolves into Kadabra. Catching one usually requires a move like Mean Look or Block to prevent that avenue of escape.

* ''VideoGame/{{Kindergarten}}'':

** An attacking force of kobolds advanced on the settlement of LetsPlay/{{Boatmurdered}}, took a good look at it, and promptly left. "Come on guys, we have a nice settlement, why didn't you stick around? Was it the ashen wasteland? The bloodstained gates? Was it the screams of madmen or the stench of death? We've got awful nice engravings of some fucking cheese here, come the fuck on in!"

* The [[AllThereInTheManual canonical]] ending of ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters '97'' culminates in a brutal battle between the Japan Team and [[ThePsychoRangers their elemental counterparts]] from the New Faces[=/=]{{Orochi}} Team: [[PlayingWithFire Kyo faces Chris]], [[ShockAndAwe Benimaru fights against Shermie]], and [[DishingOutDirt Daimon tangles with Yashiro]]. When defeated, Yashiro and Shermie simply commit suicide to give their energy to Chris, prompting [[SealedEvilInACan Orochi's]] resurrection - and knowing full well that Orochi will probably kill them both, Benimaru and Daimon simultaneously cut their losses and run off, leaving Kyo to form the Sacred Treasures Team with Iori and Chizuru to seal Orochi once more.

** At one point in ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'', Ness faces off against Captain Strong and five of his fellow police officers. After taking out the first four cops, the fifth freaks out and high tails it out of there, leaving Strong to deal with you.
** Some of the Pigmasks in ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' do this randomly during a battle. "The Pigmask Major ran away while tossing DP!" "The [[PunnyName Navy SQUEAL]] decided it's time to go on a paid vacation!" They're also rather prone to it outside of battle as well, usually because you just got through with totaling one of their creations.

*** This is the M.O. of [[BonusBoss Kishuna]]. On his first two appearances, he will [[VillainTeleportation bail out]] if you attack him or unlock the room he's hiding in, respectively. Justified on account of him being a frail NonActionGuy who requires Mooks to defend himself [[spoiler:and that you're technically not supposed to kill him until the last gaiden chapter]].

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'': The series in general does this a lot of the time, especially with the bosses. If the player faces a RecurringBoss, then the villain will most likely retreat if you defeat them until the last battle against them, in which they're usually KilledOffForReal. Ever since ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' gave players the option to turn off the {{Permadeath}} mechanic, if a unit loses all of their HP with it turned off, then they will retreat instead (unless it's one of the protagonists, which results in a GameOver).

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'':

-->'''Narrator:'''Well, not ''that'' one.

* During the opening cinematic of ''VideoGame/MinecraftDungeons'', as the narrator (voiced by Jo Rideout) asks on who would stand against the terror caused by the Arch Illager, a man is shown to be fighting an army of monsters, only to flee right as a Redstone Monstrosity towers over him. While the narrator is initially disappointed by the man fleeing, she then turns her attention to [[AnAdventurerIsYou you]] in interest.

* During the opening cinematic of ''VideoGame/MinecraftDungeons'', as the narrator (voiced by Jo Rideout) asks on who would stand against the terror caused by the Arch Illager, a man is shown to be fighting an army of monsters, only to flee right as a giant monster towers over him. While the narrator is initially disappointed by the man fleeing, she then turns her attention to [[AnAdventurerIsYou you]] in interest.

* A ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'' mod crossing over with ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' has the Boyfriend squaring off against [[ShellShockedVeteran Flippy]], while [[LovableCoward Flaky]] and [[{{Pirate}} Russell]] spectate. During the second song of the mod, the sound of fireworks causes Flippy to turn into [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Fliqpy]]. Flaky, [[OhCrap knowing trouble when she sees it]], runs for the hills as soon as the song's over.

* A ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'' mod crossing over with ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' has the Boyfriend squaring off against [[ShellShockedVeteran Flippy]], while [[LovableCoward Flaky]] and [[{{Pirate}} Russell]] spectate. During the second song of the mod, "Mortar Song", the sound of fireworks causes Flippy to turn into [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Fliqpy]]. Flaky, [[OhCrap knowing trouble when she sees it]], runs for the hills as soon as the song's over.

** The Rampage in ''Rise'' happens because every monster (a) happens to pick up the vibrations that occur when [[spoiler:Ibushi seeks out Narwa to mate]] and (b) want absolutely nothing to do with it. Even Apex monsters show up in a rampage either to feed or to get away; Magnamalo in particular uses the Rampage to feed.
** Speaking of [[spoiler:Ibushi and Narwa]], any one of [[spoiler:Kushala Daora, Teostra or Magnamalo]] will show at the halfway point against [[spoiler:Narwa the Allmother]], as the former two seek a challenge and the last finds that [[spoiler:Narwa threatens its food supply]].

** Same with Coronal Taggart, who does this after you've defeated Mother. Once again, you catch up to him.