Line #78 Main/MuzzleFlashlight


1	[[quoteright:178:[[ComicBook/{{Doom}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MightMakesLight.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:178: Might makes light! And I feel ''mighty!'']]
3
4	Sometimes, games feature [[BlackoutBasement incredibly dark areas]] for you to traverse. Sometimes, the developers haven't given you an adequate flashlight, or perhaps [[TenSecondFlashlight you had one, but the batteries died a long time ago]]. How do you find your way now? [[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace Start blindly firing your weapons, of course!]] Your muzzle flash, glowing magic, or energy weapons are all you need to light the way, and can do so fairly well. Never mind that it could give away your position, since your enemies [[TheAllSeeingAI can probably all see in the dark anyway]].
5
6	Also shows up, rarely, in a non-video game context, although usually the bit about "giving away your position" isn't as overlooked.
7
8	Not to be confused with [[GunAccessories flashlights mounted to weapons]]. Likely to involve a DarkenedBuildingShootout.
9
10	----
11	!!Examples:
12
13	[[foldercontrol]]
14
15	[[folder:Action Adventure]]
16	* Older versions of ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' required this in the deep sector. The newest version made it less dark and thus unnecessary and firing the shotgun doesn't do anything to the light level anymore.
17	* ''VideoGame/InFamous'' pulls this one too: When you first pop into sewers, you generally have to go across a complicated platforming section in extreme low-light conditions... It's a good thing the main character glows in the dark whenever he uses his powers! ...Though it gets significantly harder if you're evil, since the red color just makes things harder to see.
18	* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', you can use your Ether medallion to temporarily show you where hidden paths are--you're ''supposed'' to light torches, but Ether is sometimes easier or more convenient, since you can use it anywhere.
19	* Pistols in ''Franchise/TombRaider'' can be fired in rapid succession when few or no flares remain. This is especially useful because most games in the series give pistols [[BottomlessMagazines infinite ammo]].
20	* ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'': In dark areas, Cal Kestis can [[MundaneUtility hold up his lightsaber]] to illuminate his path. [[spoiler:This leads to an effective shock moment in a NightmareSequence where he ignites his saber to reveal a red blade and an Inquisitor uniform...]]
21	[[/folder]]
22
23	[[folder:Action Games]]
24	* Part of a level in ''VideoGame/AlienSoldier''. Includes a boss fight and a rapid climbing section. Each gun illuminates the segment differently, which looks pretty neat.
25	* Particularly easy to do with Dante, Trish, Nero and Lady in the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series, as the game grants you infinite ammo as a core gameplay mechanic and your starting guns are always a pair of rapid-fire pistols or a revolver.
26	* In ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'', [[ShockAndAwe Force lightning]] can be used as a light source.
27	* ''VideoGame/TwinCaliber'' have plenty of shootouts in darkened areas, like basements or mine shafts, where your firearms are your sole source of illumination.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:First-Person Shooter]]
31	* The [[strike:lightsaber]] Dragon Tooth Sword in ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' glows in a small radius. It can be used as a poor man's lantern when your bio-energy is low.
32	* In ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', muzzle flash will (slightly) illuminate the entire visible area for a split second, letting the chaingun act almost like a short-length flare. This is invoked in the ''[[Comicbook/{{Doom}} Doom Comic]]'' when Doomguy encounters a dark room.
33	* In ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'', shooting is the only way to see in dark rooms other than the extremely rare {{night vision\|Goggles}} powerups.
34	* ''Videogame/LastRites'' takes place almost entirely in total darkness, with several levels indoors where the lights are out. Your only way to see the incoming zombies is by firing away at shapes in the dark.
35	* In ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', most weapons generate more light when fired than your actual flashlight. [=SMGs=] and assault rifles in particular are most useful for this, being full-auto.
36	* ''VideoGame/OperationMatriarchy'' have plenty of shootouts in dark environments, with your weapon's gunfire being your sole source of illumination.
37	* In ''VideoGame/QuakeII'', the player starts with the Blaster. This gun is very weak, but it doesn't use ammo and its projectiles are slow-moving and glow brightly. This combination makes it useful for lighting up the occasional dark corridor using the Blaster's shots as flares.
38	* Some ''Franchise/StarWars'' games, despite the prevalence of energy weapons AND lightsabers, still feature dark spots that are often best illuminated by firing a few blaster shots as flares to see by.
39	** In the earlier portion of the ''VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'', darkness was a fairly common obstacle with three solutions: burn your batteries to power the headlight or night vision goggles, bumble around in the dark, or start firing your blaster pistol at random and see who comes by while you navigate the darkness. Thanks to the pistol's BoringButPractical efficiency and the ubiquity of blaster ammo, this is not as stupid a suggestion as it might sound.
40	** One of ''Dark Forces''' sequels, ''VideoGame/JediKnightIIJediOutcast'', has the same problem, compounded by night vision batteries being rather precious.
41	* In ''VideoGame/{{Unreal\|I}}'', just about every projectile weapon has some sort of glow around its shots. The Bio Rifle's sticky projectiles can act as short-term glowsticks, rockets can illuminate a large area for a brief moment, and the Dispersion Pistol can fire flare-like projectiles almost non-stop, as it recharges on its own. The ''Nali Chronicles'' fan-made campaign takes it one step further with ''spell'' flashlights: spells like lightning and fireball can produce considerable light that doesn't depend on how charged the spell is (so you can use as little charge as necessary to make it count as a spell and not a failed casting), and your ManaMeter recharges on its own given a bit of time.
42	* This could be done in the ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'', although it's not awfully necessary, especially after getting certain visors. Charging your weapon also provides light.
43	* Bit of a twist on it in ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' with the Plasma Pistol -- the flashlight [[TenSecondFlashlight has a habit of running flat]] even when they supposedly made it an InfiniteFlashlight in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'', so [[ChargedAttack charging up]] the plasma pistol to get the muzzle glow can solve the problem (except in ''3'', where this slowly consumes ammo to counter the previous game's "Noob Combo"). This is especially helpful in ''2'''s Arbiter levels, as he lacks a flashlight in place of active camouflage. From ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' and onward, the Energy Sword emits a blue light that can act as a lantern as long as the sword has power.
44	* Only three weapons in ''VideoGame/KillingFloor'' have an attached flashlight, and most of the default maps are rather dark, so this trope is common. Taken to the extreme with the Firebug's weapons, all of which can set specimens on fire to both continuously damage them and light them up for other teammates to see them better.
45	* In ''VideoGame/HalfLife1: Opposing Force'', the [[MoreDakka M249 Squad Automatic Weapon]] provides a shitload of illumination, which is especially useful in the Voltigore tunnels.
46	* ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'''s second expansion, ''Perseus Mandate'', houses an interesting variant of the trope in the [=LP4=] [[LightningGun Lightning Arc Weapon]]. You don't need to fire it to have light ([[TooAwesomeToUse not that you'll be firing it much even for a good reason]]); its muzzle glows a faint blue light when you have it equipped, and while it doesn't reach very far, it ''is'' enough to find your way around, and unlike [[TenSecondFlashlight the Sergeant's headlamp]], [[InfiniteFlashlight it'll never go out]], even when you're out of ammo for it. The effect is generally not very useful outside of the scary setpieces that temporarily rob you of your light.
47	* ''VideoGame/{{Blood}} II: The Chosen'' is pretty good at this, especially with its FlareGun; while hitting a wall or floor with one doesn't do much, embedding one in an enemy makes for a good lantern for as long as the flare (and the enemy it's attached to) lasts.
48	[[/folder]]
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50	[[folder:Hack-and-Slash]]
51	* The official guide for ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' suggests using [[ArrowsOnFire fire arrows]] or spells to scout ahead in dark areas.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:[=MMORPGs=]]]
55	* Some of the jump puzzles in ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' contain darkened areas that are only very occasionally lit by brief, random flashes, making progression difficult. However, engineers armed with bombs can spam their attack skill to provide a near-constant light source.
56	* Doable if less practical (due to greater cooldowns) in ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' presuming you've got a suitable loadout prepared, for the rare missions when you're navigating in darkness and want to conserve things like flares (regular permanent light sources become available once you no longer need them). A shade further away from this trope but still close to it, the projected targeting mechanism for some spells, while technically shedding no light before actually casting said spells, can be used to provide a sort of visual "sonar" suitable for fairly easy blind travel.
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Platform Games]]
60	* This is utilized in one of Eggman's stages in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2''.
61	* In ''[[VideoGame/BanjoKazooie Banjo-Tooie]]'', you can use Fire Eggs to light up a dark maze over a BottomlessPit instead of splitting up the characters so one keeps the light on, which you're supposed to do.
62	* ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'': This is a secondary function of Grenade Man's weapon, the Flash Bomb. One of the puzzle areas in Sword Man's stage requires the use of the Flash Bomb to temporarily light the room, revealing colored tiles hidden in the background and the order in which Mega Man must press a row of corresponding switches at the end.
63	* ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'' has annoying dark stages where you have to carry a box of flares to see. Or if you have a shotgun or a pistol you can just keep firing it to light the place up.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Role-Playing Games]]
67	* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' you could turn practically any weapon into this; magical weapons glowed, plus any spell or enchanted armour could include the "light" effect which made the target give off light.
68	* ''VideoGame/DarkMessiah'' has a "see in the dark" spell, but for those who don't like seeing in blue all the time, most spells and a few magical swords can be used as lights too. Lightning bolt is especially good at this.
69	* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' had some dark places where muzzle flashes could provide illumination (though Shepard and company would activate flashlights built into their guns if things got ''really'' dark). However, you wouldn't encounter any enemies until you got into areas with better illumination.
70	* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the now out-of-control Anchor could be used as a light source in some really dark areas in the ''Trespasser'' DLC. You had to keep discharging it anyway, since otherwise the energy buildup would start damaging you.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Shoot 'Em Ups]]
74	* In ''[[VideoGame/DesertStrike Jungle Strike]]''[='s=] night level, pretty much the only lighting comes from weapon fire.
75	* ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' has an underwater level that has little light, and your bombs are replaced by an unlimited supply of glowing torpedoes.
76	* In ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'', projectiles from bullet and shell weapons (assault rifles, shotguns, etc.) as well as explosions and fire-based projectiles can help to light up the Sewer and Crystal Cave areas, both of which restrict visibility with a FogOfWar,[[note]]Unless you're playing as Eyes[[/note]] Ironically, energy projectiles and explosions don't cause this effect at all.
77	[[/folder]]
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79	[[folder:Stealth Based Games]]
80	* At one point, ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' dumps the player in the middle of a pitch-black cave. Though more traditional light sources are available, NewGamePlus provides you with an infinite-ammo machine gun...
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Survival Horror]]
84	* The Toy Sword in ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' emits a red-pink glow at night, which is supposedly extremely useful for SDTV players because the game was designed to play on an HDTV and it becomes very difficult to see anything at night on an SDTV.
85	* Seeing all four endings in ''VideoGame/AfraidOfMonsters: Director's Cut'' unlocks an assault rifle with infinite ammo. Consider how dark the game normally is, and one can imagine its primary use. Its SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/CryOfFear'' features a similar unlockable for beating [[HarderThanHard Nightmare mode]], with a similar ability to light things up.
86	* In ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'', the burning rag of a Molotov cocktail or the pilot light of the flamethrower can substitute reasonably well for the flashlight, being shorter-ranged but less conspicuous and needing no resources to work like the flashlight needs batteries.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Turn-Based Tactics]]
90	* ''VideoGame/XCOMUFODefense'' has incendiary grenades and rounds for some weapons, that spray fire over a wide radius and provide much better illumination than the hand-thrown "electro-flares" intended for the job. Thanks to the hitscan mechanics, this ended up being their primary use.
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92
93	[[folder:Wide-Open Sandbox]]
94	* Guns in ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'' provide small amounts of light when shot, as do the bullets. Granted, there are melee weapons which do the same thing better for no ammo. Using the early-game 'Meteor' armor set and the 'Space Gun' weapon results in a SlowLaser pistol with BottomlessMagazines, just the thing to light up dark underground corridors and perhaps get a few early shots on enemies.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	!!Non-video game examples:
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99	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
100	* In ''Franchise/YuGiOh'', the first time Yugi sees Panik's monsters is when his dragon fireballs them.
101	* ''Anime/MacrossDoYouRememberLove'': The climax of the duel between Max Jenius and Miriya Fallyna has them fly into a ship's corridor, and all of the lights get shot out by stray bullets. The rest of the battle is in complete darkness save for muzzle flashes briefly illuminating the two mechs, in one of the most visually striking sequences in the film.
102	[[/folder]]
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104	[[folder:Comedy]]
105	* The Dead Alewives comedy group has a famous sketch featuring ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' players. One of them casts Magic Missile at the darkness ahead of him, which reveals an elf.
106	[[/folder]]
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108	[[folder:Comic Books]]
109	* A scene in the infamous ''ComicBook/{{Doom}}'' comic has Doomguy using the muzzle flare of his shotgun to illuminate the Chemical Plant area. When he finds the light switch, it turns out he accidentally shot all the Pinkies guarding the area.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
113	* Brief strobelight-esque illumination occurs when Clarice kills Buffalo Bill at the end of ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs''.
114	* One scene in ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}'' is lit entirely by muzzle flashes. Although the characters [[GunKata don't really need to see in order to fight.]]
115	* A variant in ''Film/SawI''. In a flashback, Adam has to use his camera flash to try and see if there's an intruder in his apartment when the power gets cut. Said intruder captures him.
116	* Used in ''Film/AloneInTheDark2005'' for a scene where they're fighting shadow monsters in a darkened sewer/abandoned gold mine.
117	* The initial shootout of ''Film/TheRaid'' starts when a SWAT officer fires a shotgun into an opening while the group was stacked up, revealing their position to a patrol of heavily-armed gangsters on the opposite hallway, who proceed to [[MoreDakka riddle them with bullets]] while they're out in the open.
118	* The Creator/FritzLang movie ''Film/MinistryOfFear'' (1944) has a climactic shootout with Nazi spies on a stairwell lit only by their muzzle flashes. The scene where Carla shoots Willi is another example -- Willi slams a door shut, followed by Carla pulling the trigger inside a darkened room, with light shining through the sudden hole in the door. Willi is dead on the other side.
119	* ''Film/Apollo18'': One of the astronauts ventures into a pitch-black crater to search for a Russian cosmonaut who he believes to be in danger. He doesn't have a torch and has to make do with a camera flash, which adds extra drama to the moment when he stumbles upon the cosmonaut's dead body.
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Literature]]
123	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Harry Dresden resorts to this in ''Literature/BloodRites'' after Lord Raith turns off the lights. It works better than Harry expected — he manages to shoot Raith through the gut, stopping the vampire king for a full minute [[spoiler:and depleting the last of his non-renewable energy reserves and leaving him helpless before his long-abused daughter Lara]].
124	* A ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' novel had Liu Kang using his ''[[MundaneUtility fireballs]]'' as a means of lighting the area in the dark.
125	* Jedi in the ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' and ''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]]'' occasionally use their lightsabers for this.
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
129	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E5FleshAndStone "Flesh and Stone"]], a squad of soldiers use this against attacking [[CantMoveWhileBeingWatched Weeping Angels]] when the lights of the corridor they're in ''must'' be turned off for several seconds in order for the Doctor and River to get a door open, and the group had earlier lost their flashlights, leaving no other way to observe the enemy.
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
133	* A few flaming weapons in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}: Dungeon Fantasy'' have the effect of a torch when active.
134	** And in ''Tactical Shooting'' firing guns in the dark can cause temporary blindness.
135	* Quite a few magic weapons in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' have a visible glow equal to or greater than that of a torch or lantern, like [[FlamingSword Flameblades]], the Mace of Disruption, and the Sun Blade.
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Webcomics]]
139	* In ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', Dellyn Goblinslayer uses the Magic Fang spell in this way - he's trapped in a lightless sewer, and the spell makes the sword glow.
140	* Referenced and taken to extremes in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': the crew are exploring a planet-sized space station where even the docking bay is so huge that the ship's exterior lights provide no illumination of consequence. The ship's AI notes that only their high-yield missiles would be of any help for looking around, a theory which the crew are... all too enthusiastic to try out.
141	[[/folder]]
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143	[[folder:Web Original]]
144	* In ''WebVideo/FreemansMind'' Gordon at one point muses on how lucky he is that he doesn't have a TenSecondFlashlight, as otherwise he'd have to navigate via this trope which has its own problems.
145	* This trope as used by ''Film/AloneInTheDark2005'' has been parodied by both ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' and ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall''. Nostalgia Critic parodied it when ''reviewing'' the movie with Linkara and Spoony, and Linkara parodies it when review ''ComicBook/{{Doom}}''. Both parodies have themselves and other Channel Awesome contributors firing randomly in a dark space, often killing random characters and contributors in the process, such as Todd in the Shadows, Mati, and Chester A. Bum, perfectly lampshading how the very concept is inherently stupid and impractical.
146	* ''{{WebAnimation/Astartes}}'': Used to great effect during the Astartes' boarding due to the omnipresent dim lighting. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMGRa4_UjE4#t=36 One notable instance]] has a Space Marine stopping just before the target zone of an anti-tank gun and shows up next to the gunner, DoubleTapping him.
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Western Animation]]
150	* In the first SeasonFinale of ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'', Wolverine battles a squad of Sentinels in a dark cave, with nothing to see with except the flashes from the Sentinels' [[SlowLaser laser blasts]].
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:Real Life]]
154	* TruthInTelevision: The muzzle flash of a good number of weapons is just plain [[RealityIsUnrealistic ludicrous]]. A Mosin-Nagant's flash can leave burn marks, if you are stupid close. The Mini-14 sans flash suppressor can produce a flash as long as the rifle itself.
155	* This trope can be a disadvantage in combat, particularly at night, since large muzzle flashes can potentially blind the shooter and/or give away their position. Some ammunition makers try to avert this by offering rounds with powder that is specifically designed to minimize flash.
156	** Dragon's Breath shotgun shells are designed to weaponize the muzzle flash itself by turning it into "muzzle 12-foot-gouts-of-flame". As one might imagine, this [[AwesomeButImpractical looks awesome, but is worse than useless in any kind of firefight situation and will quickly ruin your shotgun]]. For reference, a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnA9yyE2ma8 Youtube user tested the round]] and managed to accidentally create a grass fire behind the target that (thankfully) burned out on its own before it spread too much.
157	* It is said famous brazilian cangaço outlaw Lampião got his [[RedBaron nom-de-guerre]] (which means "Oil Lamp") from his fame as a rapid-fire shooter, who always lit up the night with his shots.
158	[[/folder]]

Context Main / MuzzleFlashlight