Basic Trope: Guide a CPU-controlled NPC to a destination, making sure they get there unharmed.
- Straight: In Amazing Adventure, you get to infiltrate the Big Bad's fortress. When you get to the end, you meet Spence, a helpless guy who you have to guide to the exit. Spence follows a set distance behind you, and if an enemy runs into him, you have to start over again.
- Exaggerated: Everyone in the city has their own personal heroes guiding them around.
- Downplayed:
- Spence is more of a Guest-Star Party Member. His name appears in the party menu during the escort mission. You still have to get him to safety, but if you bring him into battle, he'll hang around (although he doesn't have any attacks).
- Spence can defend himself, but he's very weak compared to the other party members.
- Justified: Spence doesn't have any combat training, and doesn't know the way out.
- Inverted:
- A CPU guides you through the level, fighting enemies for you, and you have to follow them.
- Once Spence starts following you, rather than getting him to safety, you have to get him killed.
- Subverted:
- Spence says that he needs help getting back, and starts following you. However, he's a full-on party member, with his own stats and set of skills.
- It seems like you'll have to escort Spence back to the start of the dungeon. However, there's a Door to Before you can use to get you both there instantly.
- Double Subverted: Spence loses all of his gear midway through the dungeon, leaving you to protect him again.
- Parodied: "Can you help me get back to the entrance? Sorry if I walk too slow, and if your running's too fast. If I see an enemy, I'll run back here. And I don't have anything to give you when we reach the entrance..."
- Zig-Zagged: Spence is a competent fighter against some enemies, but not others. At certain points, he'll split off and go another path, but then rejoin you.
- Averted: Nobody in the game needs to be escorted anywhere.
- Enforced: Spence is an important character in the story, but the developers didn't have enough time to give him a moveset and make him useful. Thus, he can't fight and you need to escort him for a level.
- Lampshaded: "Just fight ahead and I'll stick behind you until we're back at the entrance, okay?"
- Invoked: A party member suggests that they should take Spence back to the entrance.
- Exploited: A party member makes sure that Spence is able to reward them for guiding him, before taking on the mission.
- Defied: The hero gives Spence equipment so that he can fight and hold his own.
- Discussed: "I got lost at the end of this dungeon, and I need you to help me get out!"
- Conversed: "I just hope the new guy isn't going to be useless and drag down this section of the game."
- Deconstructed: Thanks to how the escort mission dramatically slows down the pace of Amazing Adventure and is incredibly frustrating thanks to Spence's Artificial Stupidity, the game is panned.
- Reconstructed: A patch improves Spence's AI so the mission is no longer so frustrating and the slower pace of the mission is seen as a pleasant counterpoint to the rest of the game's lightning fast pace.
Take me back to Escort Mission safely!
