History Main / BigDamnFireExit

* There's a hotel in ''SaintsRow2'' that consists of a bunch of rooms located around a central shaft. In the climax of one Ronin mission you end up [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome parachuting down this shaft while the hotel explodes around you.]]

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* ''StarFox64'': After you defeat [[TrueFinalBoss Andross]], you must fly through the maze you entered to reach him in reverse order. You must constantly boost throughout this or you will be consumed by the fire chasing you.

** The finale of ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians''[='s=] Meridian segment has you [[spoiler:running up a just-about-to-collapse space elevator to your Pelica; the structure holds together just long enough for you to make it to your bird]].

** Oh wait, you just set off a chain reaction that will obliterate the ring. And you need to reach the ''Pillar of Autumn'' 's Longsword hangar, while the station's blowing up all around you? Oh, how convenient that no matter how much shit blows up you will always have a clear and workable route. Not to mention the Warthog [[NoOneCouldHaveSurvivedThat conveniently not having been destroyed by oh, I don't know, a hundred thousand tons of starship crash-landing and being utterly gutted by fire, plasma and destruction]].
*** On the other hands, Warthogs are [[MadeOfIndestructium kinda built for that sort of thing.]]
** Also happens in the ending of the third game [[spoiler: the ring is blowing the fuck up, ''again'',]] and the ground breaks under your feet. This one is slightly more plausible, in that if you screw around too long, the ground ''will'' fall out from under your feet, sending you to your death. There is still a clear path to the extraction point though.
** Similar, but not so implausible - the first level aboard the ''Autumn''. You follow a guy down a corridor. He gets a bad case of dead when a doorway explodes in his face, but oh look - a passageway between the pipeways is there for you, so you can still reach TheBridge.
** In ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'', the Forward Unto Dawn is being torn apart as it's being pulled into Requiem, yet, while your path is highly unstable and racked with explosions, it's fairly simple to just sprint past as you run to the escape pods. [[spoiler: But ultimately {{Averted}}. A Covie cruiser also caught in the gravity well sheers through the ship mere yards away, and you take Chief's [[ItsRainingMen usual route to the surface]].]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life}}''
** ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life 1}}'' has this happen a number of times - things will collapse or stuff will fall apart, but you'll always be able to find the (only) way around.
** Arguably justified in ''VideoGame/{{Half-Life 2}}''. You're under the supervision of [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien the G-Man]] as he makes subtle "arrangements" to ensure you have everything you need to fulfill your "contract".

** ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' does this two times: first in the Brazilian favelas, where a conveniently placed series of corridors through the huts allows you to reach the helicopter and escape from the onslaught of a gazillion angry militiamen. The second time it's in the Russian prison, where after the exit is blocked out by debris, Captain [=MacTavish=] says "Go back go back! We'll find another way out!" (which could be considered LampshadeHanging, or being GenreSavvy to the point of LeaningOnTheFourthWall.. or simply being a kickass commander and motivator). And another way out is obviously found, allowing everyone to merrily head towards [[spoiler: World War 3]].

* In ''WorldOfWarcraft'', the final boss of the new Heroic Deadmines, Vanessa [=VanCleef=], begins to set off demolition charges aboard her (landbound) pirate ship when she senses her impending defeat. A conveniently placed set of ropes enables players to swing away from the explosion before landing back on the ship, shortly after which she detonates ''another'' set of charges. The players, once again, simply jump off the ship with the ropes and swing back. Rather than try this a third time (as she did in the initial release), after her hit points are depleted she instead pulls a TakingYouWithMe with a powder keg. Of course, there are conveniently a few safe places to hide from the blast amid the fires, after which you collect your loot.

This trope basically relates to the necessity in video games (and other media) for an escape route to exist, no matter how [[ThisIsReality improbable that might be in real life]]. When the building around you is [[CollapsingLair exploding, collapsing, on fire, in the process of being destroyed or ''has already been'' destroyed]], there will invariably be ''[[RailRoading one]]'' surviving path you can use to make good your escape. If the building's on fire, there will be ''one'' [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation (und precisely von)]] [[ConvectionSchmonvection non-burning walkway]]. [[BlatantLies Because fire is nice and sporting like that]]; [[ILetYouWin it lets you win]]. Collapsing tunnels, [[StuffBlowingUp building-demolition traps]], [[SelfDestructMechanism self-destruct devices]], etc can all fall under this trope. Whatever the cause of the destruction, it may have happened before you got there, or it may be a ScriptedEvent. Regardless, it's just asking for the player to execute a dramatic IndyEscape.

* An escape route becomes available in ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' once Mount Lalava starts erupting.

* Even when not going on during a race, earthquakes in video games tend to leave ramps in the road right in front of gaps. The track would be all sorts of impossible in the other direction and all other routes are blocked off, but the actual racecourse is still viable. Examples include just about every track in MotorStorm Apocalypse and Spilskinanke in ''VideoGame/{{Wipeout}}''.

* ''VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines''

* ''{{Persona2}}'' dumps the heroes inside an aerospace museum with a bunch of visiting schoolchildren...plus a TimeBomb. Not only do you have to weave between the nonsensically-placed stairwells and get to the roof, but you have to rescue the kids stranded in various rooms. And then you get to do it all over again in the sequel!

* Averted in the {{NES}} port of ''UltimaIII''; after defeating the final boss, the castle starts to collapse, and it's entirely possible to have your only escape route cut off, making the game {{Unwinnable}}.

** ''ModernWarfare 1'' subverts this when escaping from a sinking ship. While there is a route back to the waiting escape chopper, the boat's not going to stop sinking to let you take your merry time. The path WILL collapse at certain places leaving you to drown.
** ''ModernWarfare 2'' does this two times: first in the Brazilian favelas, where a conveniently placed series of corridors through the huts allows you to reach the helicopter and escape from the onslaught of a gazillion angry militiamen. The second time it's in the Russian prison, where after the exit is blocked out by debris, Captain [=MacTavish=] says "Go back go back! We'll find another way out!" (which could be considered LampshadeHanging, or being GenreSavvy to the point of LeaningOnTheFourthWall.. or simply being a kickass commander and motivator). And another way out is obviously found, allowing everyone to merrily head towards [[spoiler: World War 3]].
** ''ModernWarfare 3'' also has a moment where this occurs. The mission "Scorched Earth" starts with an ambush in which [[spoiler: a burning building is dropped on the convoy]]. Later in the mission, Frost and the rest of his team make their way through the [[spoiler: collapsed building]], finding a way through. Could be [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade Hanging]], since the exit is literally a fire exit door.

* In the last level of ''MedalOfHonor: Allied Assault'', you have to escape from the [[CollapsingLair exploding and collapsing]] Fort Schmerzen, with the fireball chasing you all the way.

This trope basically relates to the necessity in video games (and other media) for an escape route to exist, no matter how [[ThisIsReality improbable that might be in real life]]. When the building around you is exploding, collapsing, on fire, in the process of being destroyed or ''has already been'' destroyed, there will invariably be ''[[RailRoading one]]'' surviving path you can use to make good your escape. If the building's on fire, there will be ''one'' [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation (und precisely von)]] [[ConvectionSchmonvection non-burning walkway]]. [[BlatantLies Because fire is nice and sporting like that]]; [[ILetYouWin it lets you win]]. Collapsing tunnels, [[StuffBlowingUp building-demolition traps]], [[SelfDestructMechanism self-destruct devices]], etc can all fall under this trope. Whatever the cause of the destruction, it may have happened before you got there, or it may be a ScriptedEvent. Regardless, it's just asking for the player to execute a dramatic IndyEscape.

-->--'''Creator/MitchHedberg'''

** In {{Halo 4}}, the Forward Unto Dawn is being torn apart as it's being pulled into Requiem, yet, while your path is highly unstable and racked with explosions, it's fairly simple to just sprint past as you run to the escape pods. [[spoiler: But ultimately {{Averted}}. A Covie cruiser also caught in the gravity well sheers through the ship mere yards away, and you take Chief's [[ItsRainingMen usual route to the surface]].]]

* In the MMO ''CityOfHeroes'', the last mission of the "Hess Task Force" is set inside a volcano with a LoadBearingBoss. There is an emergency exit that leads out, and 30 seconds to take it after the boss goes down. This is generally more than enough, unless a player gets lost or stuck. The real danger is that the message informing players of the time limit has a lower priority than message like 'mission complete', 'level up', and other messages that stick around for a few seconds--so a player who doesn't know about the mission's little trick may get the 30 second warning when there's actually less than 10.
* ''GuildWars'' has a couple in ''Prophecies'', both also GetOnTheBoat moments. In the Sanctum Cay mission, your character's original boat off the island is captured, but conveniently, there is a powerful mage on the island to [[SummonMagic summon]] [[DeusExMachina another one]]. In the [[PlanetHeck Hell's Precipice]] mission, your characters escape an erupting volcano by running to a boat that is conveniently available at an empty enemy dock.

* ''EnterTheMatrix'': The post office explodes but there's a way through. Of course, this being the Matrix, reality is a bit funky.

* Subverted in ''{{Warcraft}} III: The Frozen Throne'', where Maiev and her allies are fleeing the collapsing temple that held the [[ArtifactOfDoom Eye of Sargeras]]. While they get a decent way despite the falling ceiling, demons, and native monsters, eventually they find their escape entirely blocked. Maiev has the ability to teleport short distances and uses it to escape, but everyone else dies.

* ''{{Descent}}'' is possibly the ur-example from 1995. On each level you have to destroy a reactor, then escape through an emergency exit before being caught in the explosion. No matter how much time is left on the clock, the escape sequences always have the fire chasing right behind you through the escape.

->''"I was standing in the lobby of this hotel just minding my own business, and this guy came up to me and said, 'Sir, could you please move? You're blocking the fire exit.' As though if there was a fire, I wasn't going to run. If you are flammable and have legs, you are never 'blocking' a fire exit. Unless you're a table."
-->--MitchHedberg

* In the MMO ''CityOfHeroes'', the last mission of the "Hess Task Force" is set inside a volcano with a LoadBearingBoss. There is an emergency exit that leads out, and 30 seconds to take it after the boss goes down. This is generally more than enough, unless a player gets lost or stuck.

* Even when not going on during a race, earthquakes in video games tend to leave ramps in the road right in front of gaps. The track would be all sorts of impossible in the other direction and all other routes are blocked off, but the actual racecourse is still viable. Examples include just about every track in MotorStorm Apocalypse and Spilskinanke in {{Wipeout}}.

* ''{{Mafia II}}'' - The third mission takes place in a distillery that gets set ablaze; yet there is still one non-burning convenient path to the back entrance of the building, so all Vito need worry about are explosions and people shooting at him instead of avoiding flames.

'''Note''' - this shouldn't be due to the game [[GhostButler locking the door behind you or in front of you]]. It applies specifically to (apparently) random destruction of the environment. Almost as if the 'right' way to go is made out of the same material as the [[EmpathyDollShot Empathy Doll]], the escape route will in most cases never actually catch fire or disintegrate itself, allowing you to TakeYourTime.

* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' has "escape from a burning building" sequences in all three games. ThatOneLevel for some as straying just a bit from the intended path or being too slow results in instant death. The first game actually has ''three'', though only the first one really plays it straight; Max is [[MushroomSamba tripping balls on Valkyr]] during the second one and only notices the building's on fire when he comes to outside, and the third actually involves replaying most of the first half of the level in reverse with added StuffBlowingUp.