History Main / PlatformBattle

* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' has six battles where all or part of the fight has no usable floor. Falling off does 1 point of damage.

If there are a large number of platforms to stand on at first, chances are good the boss will actively attack and destroy at least one of them when he TurnsRed. Alternatively, if the boss does this throughout the entire battle, it creates BossArenaUrgency.

* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
** Pictured above is the Mecha Dragon, the boss of the first Wily Castle stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan2''.
** The rematch against Serges in ''VideoGame/MegaManX2'' takes place above a bed of spikes, and the only footing is a set of three moving platforms (two after he TurnsRed).
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'' does this for the climatic battle against [[BigBad Gate]] combined with TennisBoss, with the battle taking place over a {{Bottomless Pit|s}} and the only points of support being several static small platforms in the room and the walls to cling to. Gate meanwhile is both [[FlyingFirepower flying]] and [[NighInvulnerable incapable of being damaged by any attacks]] save destroying his energy spheres to hit him with the remnants. Gate spends the fight firing these spheres, trying to ram X/Zero to deal CollisionDamage, or once he gets low enough on health creating an energy wave that can destroy the platforms (which will regenerate shortly afterwards).
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX8'': Gigabolt Man-o-War is fought over a floating platform that flies through the city during his main fight. This also occurs in the BossRush, though in the former scenario, the platform and Gigabolt himself bob up and down slowly aside from Gigabolt's "normal" movements.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'' does this for one of the sub-bosses in the second fortress stage... [[ThatOneBoss unfortunately]].
*** Burner Man fights in a room that has [[SpikesOfDoom spiked pits]] at the sides of his arena. [[BossArenaIdiocy However, he can get knocked into the pits himself upon taking a hit with the Ice Wall,]] seeing as he's not TooDumbToLive to jump onto them himself. The left pit opens up at the start of the fight, and opens up in the boss rush after Burner Man goes down so Rock can escape to continue his trek.
*** Tengu Man fights players on a platform suspended over a {{Bottomless Pit|s}}. The left pit is closed before he starts the fight. Once Tengu Man meets his demise in the BossRush, the right pit opens up so Rock can get away to continue his journey.
** ''VideoGame/Rockman4MinusInfinity'' combines the Serges boss battle with the [[CoresAndTurretsBoss Square Machine]] from ''VideoGame/MegaMan4'' to create the Serges Devil. It also turns the first half of the battle against Dr. Cossack into one.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero2'' has Hyleg Ourobockle, a Cobra type reploid that can control a larger serpent-like robot. This serpent is segmented and floating over a {{Bottomless Pit|s}}, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F02qixl1k9g he can control the pieces so they are always moving and Zero doesn't have solid ground to stand.]]
** Fanmade Games:
*** ''VideoGame/MegaManRockNRoll'': Drake Man is fought on a platform that is held over a pit of magma. This even applies in his rematch for the BossRush.
* ''VideoGame/CaveStory'': Three boss battles.
** The battle against The Core, although it isn't difficult to climb back up, the lower half of the room is filled with water, threatening to drown the player.
** The game's FinalBoss can only be attacked by standing on the boss's moving platforms (or using the jetpack), which is also right in line with the boss's own attacks.
** In the final phase of the game's TrueFinalBoss, the floor fills with (non [[SpikesOfDoom lethal]]) spikes, requiring the player to finish the boss off on a set of platforms that rotate around the boss himself, while fending off all sorts of flying flunkies.
* ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'': Several bosses:
** Mecha Birdo, where the only platforms are the large projectiles the boss shoots.
** Zangkried, after he TurnsRed, paying tribute to the Kraid battle from ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''.
** Late in the game the player encounters the "Dragon Devil" which combines the ''VideoGame/MegaMan2's'' Dragon boss with its original ''VideoGame/MegaMan1's'' ThatOneBoss, Yellow Devil.
* The battles against Big Boo in ''VideoGame/KaizoMarioWorld'', for both the original ROM hack and its official sequel.
* A few battles from ''VideoGame/LaMulana'':
** The battle against Bahamut takes place over water; the only safe footing is a boat that moves from one side of the room to another.
** The room guardian in the Confusion Gate occupies a room with extremely small platforms. Though the boss moves slowly and only fires an occasional projectile as its attack, falling lands the player in the room below, ending the battle and requiring a long trek from the Tower of the Goddess for another chance at the battle.

** The battle against Kraid in Super Metroid; at first Samus has only a ledge near the door to stand on, but once he [[TurnsRed reveals his full form]], the player must climb platforms (including the [[ProjectilePlatforms ones he shoots out]]) to get within range of his weak point. Falling off may land Samus in damaging spikes or cause her to receive CollisionDamage from Kraid.

* The rematch against Ludwig Von Koopa in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'' takes place on three moving platforms, with Ludwig occupying one of them.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' battles against the Reznor minibosses always end up on moving platforms... or in hot lava death.
* Several ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' games have this, especially the 3D ones. A notable example is the Egg Golem boss from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', where the boss is positioned in the center of a floating ring of platforms with quicksand below. Falling down there in Sonic's version of the boss isn't immediately fatal, but Eggman's mech will sink if it comes in contact with the sand instead of one of the lower platforms.
** The original ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'''s Spring Yard boss will harpoon straight down. If the harpoon doesn't hit Sonic, it will yank the chunk of ground it hits and destroy it. This means that the longer you take to beat this boss, the less ground Sonic can use.
*** The same game also has the boss of Labyrinth Zone, which technically you're not expected to actually land a full 8 hits on. The boss is "battled" in a vertical corridor with numerous short platforms, and the corridor is filled with spike and fireball traps; furthermore the water is constantly rising. You might be able to get away with one missed jump, but two errors will probably result in you drowning before reaching the top of the corridor.
** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdvance3'', the Twinkle Snow area boss is one of the game's [[ThatOneBoss toughest challenges]], as the player must constantly climb an array of [[TemporaryPlatform falling platforms]] while the boss [[RiseToTheChallenge relentlessly pursues from below]], hoping that the platforms will strike the mech and damage it. Without falling off in the process, of course.
** Lava Reef Zone from ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic and Knuckles]]''. After an [[AutoScrollingLevel auto scrolling segment]], you have to dodge Robotnik's bombs from rocks floating in a lava pit. While he's attacking, everything in the lava pit moves towards him, including you, [[TacticalSuicideBoss but also including the bombs]]. (However, once you find the fire shield--which allows you to walk on the lava unharmed--in the boss arena, the boss fight becomes much, much easier.)
** In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'', Wacky Workbench's boss causes four platforms to go flying as Eggman flees to the next floor up. The platform Sonic stands on will not travel as high as the other three, stopping short of a jump's height to the next floor, but the other three platforms will go all the way up to the ceiling, crushing Sonic and make him lose a life. Instead, Sonic has to jump from the platform he's on when they rise to another one, then leap to the next floor before it's too late. There is no bottomless pit below, but falling does set back Sonic considerably, even from the beginning if he falls all the way down to the ground floor.
* Most ''VideoGame/WarioLand 2'' and ''3'' bosses, because falling down and having to redo part of the level is the only punishment the game could give Wario due to his complete invincibility to any damage. Basically, each boss would have one attack which is basically to throw Wario out the arena and have him find his way back. Some more normal examples are the last real boss in Wario Land, fought on an invisible floor only the boss can stand on (so Wario has to jump on the boss repeatedly) as well as the Psycho Beaver and Mutant Mouse bosses in the sequel.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' has this in spades, especially {{final boss}}es. During the battle with Dark Fact, a piece of the platform disappears everytime you hit him.
* Fluffy XR-9 in ''VideoGame/AnUntitledStory'' is fought on three platforms that descend when stepped upon, all suspended over a {{Non Lethal Bottomless Pit|s}}. The second form of [=FinalBoss=] is the same, but replaces unstable platforms with double-jump clusters (yep, you will be continually jumping during the battle).

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', one fight in Deepholm involves jumping among floating stones to lay a beatdown on the dragon Aeosera. Falling off isn't instantly lethal but it's quite possible to die during the struggle and a fall means jumping your way back up to the fight.
** You can also somewhat artificially {{invoke|dTrope}} this by dueling with someone who has a knockback on some ridiculously small rock floating above some abyss. There's even a mage talent that basically knocks back everything near them when you hit them.
* Most boss encounters in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' are like this for their first phases. Fortitudo has you fighting on a small platform held up by pillars and if you fall down into the arena, he can turn everything to lava and you'll have to walk along small rock platforms. Temperantia's fight takes place on small pieces of road in a tornado, and Iustitia has small rocks above a pool of acid.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Link has to fight Moldorm on a platform, which the dungeon boss can knock the hero off of.
** The battle against [[BigBad Ganondorf]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' takes place in the upper level of a room, and Ganondorf can destroy various parts of the flooringwith his version of a GroundPound attack -- the [[BossArenaUrgency more damage the arena takes]], the more difficult it is to approach the boss to attack him.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}}'', Chapter 12 "Claws For Alarm", Bubsy must fight a UFO boss while maintaining his footing on a log raft floating in the river, while -- one false step and the battle ends with SuperDrowningSkills. This is combined with BossArenaUrgency, as the boss's missiles damage the raft one log at a time.
* Final boss Nihilanth from ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' requires the use of platforms and alien springboards to get a shot at his brain.
* All the boss battles in the game ''VideoGame/TheCatInTheHat'' take place on floating platforms. In fact, in the final boss battle, the platforms ''disappear'' if you stand on them too long. Don't linger!

* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' has six battles where all or part of the fight has no usable floor. Falling off does 1 point of damage.
** Cagney Carnation's final form has a floor, but it's covered in thorns, making it just as useless as a {{Bottomless Pit|s}}. You need to hop from platform to platform to avoid his attacks.
** Grim Matchstick's boss fight has you jump on moving cloud platforms in the air.
** Rumor Honeybottoms' boss fight is a Rise to the Challenge scenario where the giant hive's apartment balconies serve as platforms.
** The Devil's second and later forms take place in an arena with no floor and an ever-decreasing number of floating platforms.
** For the dragonfly miniboss in Treetop Trouble, the boys jump from leaf to leaf being held up by friendly mosquitoes. The dragonfly breathes fire that can burn the platforms, making them unavailable until the mosquito for that leaf fetches another.
** The hot dog miniboss in Funfair Fever fires condiments at the boys, who must make their way across a series of platforms to get close enough and destroy it.
* Diablos in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' is fought on what looks like a big checker board. Certain attacks of his have the ability to remove squares from the board. If a player is standing on them or doesn't watch their step they are dropped into a room below. It's technically possible to get back up and rejoin the fight, but the room is full of Diremites, DemonicSpiders which in the original level capped version would near instantly slaughter anyone who fell, or if you did manage to run like there was no tomorrow, would give chase and then slaughter the whole group.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has Titan. His platform isn't floating, but is a very tall stone pillar. Early in the fight he removes its edges opening it up for an instant KO with no chance of being raised. The bulk of the fight is dodging his various knockbacks that attempt to send you plummeting.
** Similarly, Leviathan is fought on a small platform barge at sea. It starts with railings, but the first time he uses his super attack they're destroyed. He proceeds to slam himself onto the barge causing it to tip violently to the point that players slide 2/3s of its length, and adds use a fear attack which if not interrupted is almost certain to make players run off the edge. Falling in the water is an instant KO with no chance of being raised.

* The fight with [[spoiler: Badeline]] in ''VideoGame/{{Celeste}}'' is fought in a cave with a ton of pitfalls, spikes, and tricky platforming. To deal a hit to her, you have to make your way through a platforming section while avoiding her attacks.
* The final fight with Queen Sectonia in ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'' mostly plays like a regular boss fight, but the platforms continously get smaller until falling becomes a serious possibility.
* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has this in the "End" realm. The black stuff around and on the bottom is the Void found below the bedrock in other realms, so one has to stay on the land islands.

A videogame battle (or BossBattle) that occurs with the player's footing restricted to a set of FloatingPlatforms above some hazard. The opponent's attacks may or may not be much of a threat were the player to face them on level ground, but the real challenge to meet here is simply to avoid falling off in the process: One false step, or the slightest {{knockback}} at the wrong moment can quickly send you down off the screen into whatever awaits below (usually a BottomlessPit or SpikesOfDoom). Thus, victory all but requires a NoDamageRun, regardless of whether your protagonist would otherwise be a OneHitPointWonder.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'' does this for the climatic battle against [[BigBad Gate]] combined with TennisBoss, with the battle taking place over a BottomlessPit and the only points of support being several static small platforms in the room and the walls to cling to. Gate meanwhile is both [[FlyingFirepower flying]] and [[NighInvulnerable incapable of being damaged by any attacks]] save destroying his energy spheres to hit him with the remnants. Gate spends the fight firing these spheres, trying to ram X/Zero to deal CollisionDamage, or once he gets low enough on health creating an energy wave that can destroy the platforms (which will regenerate shortly afterwards).

*** Tengu Man fights players on a platform suspended over a BottomlessPit. The left pit is closed before he starts the fight. Once Tengu Man meets his demise in the BossRush, the right pit opens up so Rock can get away to continue his journey.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManZero2'' has Hyleg Ourobockle, a Cobra type reploid that can control a larger serpent-like robot. This serpent is segmented and floating over a BottomlessPit, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F02qixl1k9g he can control the pieces so they are always moving and Zero doesn't have solid ground to stand.]]

** In the final phase of the game's TrueFinalBoss, the floor fills with (non [[SpikesOfDoom lethal]]) spikes, requiring the player to finish the boss off on a set of platforms that rotate around the boss himself, while fending off all sorts of flying flunkies. Not quite. Since the spikes don't cause instant death, one common (and [[SpeedRun fast]]) strategy is to achieve a near-NoDamageRun of the stage and his other three forms and then stand in the spikes below him and fire Super Missiles upwards until he dies.

* The final boss of ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' takes place on a series of increasingly smaller platforms. The player progresses through the level as damage is dealt to the boss.

* Three boss battles in ''VideoGame/CaveStory''.

** In the final phase of the game's TrueFinalBoss, the floor fills with (non [[SpikesOfDoom lethal]]) spikes, requiring the player to finish the boss off on a set of platforms that rotate around the boss himself, while fending off all sorts of flying flunkies.
*** Not quite. Since the spikes don't cause instant death, one common (and [[SpeedRun fast]]) strategy is to achieve a near-NoDamageRun of the stage and his other three forms and then stand in the spikes below him and fire Super Missiles upwards until he dies.
* Several bosses in ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'':

*** ''VideoGame/MegaManRockAndRoll'': Drake Man is fought on a platform that is held over a pit of magma. This even applies in his rematch for the BossRush.

*** ''VideoGame/MegaManMegaManRockAndRoll'': Drake Man is fought on a platform that is held over a pit of magma. This even applies in his rematch for the BossRush.

* Minecraft has this in the "End" realm. The black stuff around and on the bottom is the Void found below the bedrock in other realms, so one has to stay on the land islands.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'' does this for the climatic battle against [[BigBad Gate]] combined with TennisBoss, with the battle taking place over a BottomlessPit and the only points of support being several static small platforms in the room and the walls to cling to. Gate meanwhile is both [[FlyingFirepower flying]] and [[NighInvulnerable incapable of being damaged by any attacks]] save destroying his energy spheres to hit him with the remnants. Gate spends the fight firing these spheres, trying to ram X/Zero to deal CollisonDamage, or once he gets low enough on health creating an energy wave that can destroy the platforms (which will regenerate shortly afterwards).

* The battle against [[BigBad Ganondorf]] in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' takes place in the upper level of a room, and Ganondorf can destroy various parts of the flooringwith his version of a GroundPound attack -- the [[BossArenaUrgency more damage the arena takes]], the more difficult it is to approach the boss to attack him.

* Several ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games have this, especially the 3D ones. A notable example is the Egg Golem boss from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', where the boss is positioned in the center of a floating ring of platforms with quicksand below. Falling down there in Sonic's version of the boss isn't immediately fatal, but Eggman's mech will sink if it comes in contact with the sand instead of one of the lower platforms.

Alternatively, instead of causing an instant death some games may provide a NonLethalBottomlessPit instead, or falling down may simply drop you into a room below where you have to find a way to climb back up before you can resume fighting. However, falling off must still occur a penalty: Perhaps you receive damage from the fall; maybe the boss will taunt your lack of platforming prowess by hurling long-range attacks at you while you're scrambling to get back up within range. Sometimes it's simply a ''long'' and tedious climb just to get back up there at all. Or, at the most NintendoHard extreme of the spectrum, sometimes falling down exits the battle entirely, causing it to start over from the top (with the boss's HP ''fully replenished'') once you're back onto the platforms to fight the boss on.

* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' has four battles where all or part of the fight has no usable floor. Falling off does 1 point of damage.
** Cagney Carnation's final form has a floor, but it's covered in thorns, making it just as useless as a BottomlessPit. You need to hop from platform to platform to avoid his attacks.

* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'' has three battles with no floor: