History Main / CollapsingCeilingBoss

!!Examples

* ''[[VideoGame/ExtrapowerGiantFist EXTRAPOWER Giant Fist]]'': Final boss Zett is this on top of being a LoadBearingBoss. He'll occasionally pound the earth with his fist, raining rocks onto the stage from above. Of course, for [[WorldsStrongestMan hero Zophy]], he can simply grab one and chuck it back at Zett. Every other player character will have to settle for defensive or evasive maneuvers.

* Tutankhamenattack, the boss of the TempleOfDoom stage in ''[[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Life Force]]'', uses falling blocks as an attack.

** The Segmented Crawbster in the Cavern of Chaos can only be harmed by striking its soft belly, which can only be exposed by goading it into hitting the walls of its cave with its RollingAttack. However, doing this will also cause a shower of rocks to fall from the ceiling. Gather your Pikmin. ''Fast.''
* ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'': A very common setup.
** Guts Man from ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'' would jump around, and catch the falling boulder to throw at you. [[spoiler:And he does it again as the first Fortress Boss in ''VideoGame/MegaMan7''.]]
** Junk Man would also GroundPound, making debris fall randomly.
** The Power Piston, the second boss of Mr. X's castle in ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'', pounds the wall to cause a constant rain of rocks.
** Grenade Man in ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'' would fire a bomb at the wall, causing the place to shake and make rubble fall from the ceiling. Frost Man from the same game could pound the floor and cause the ice blocks above to fall all over the arena.
** Stone Head, a miniboss in Jewel Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' shakes the ground to cause boulders to fall.

* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series, Stone Man, Knight Man, Laser Man, Ground Man, and Gregar all have attacks that cause this to happen, though it's exemplified by the last, as it causes rocks to fall every time it moves on top of having an attack that rains down a ton more.
* Played with in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero2'', Burble Hekelot will shake the room for tiny worm-like mooks to appear, which he, being based on a frog, can eat to become larger.

* Plant 42 in the original 1996 ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil''. Since it can't reach you with its tendrils if you stand far enough away, the plant's movement will shake the ceiling and drop large chunks of plaster on your head while you shoot at it, forcing you to use stick-and-move tactics.

* Lord Vanaduke in ''VideoGame/SpiralKnights''.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' is by no means a stranger to this attack.

* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series, Knight Man, Laser Man, Ground Man, and Gregar all have attacks that cause this to happen, though it's exemplified by the latter of the four, as it causes rocks to fall every time it moves on top of having an attack that rains down a ton more.

* The Omega Metroids in ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' can slap their tails on the ground, causing boulders to rain from the ceiling. In later stages they combine this with an attack that ignites the floor, dealing damage if Samus lands.
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' has Rawk Hawk, who can climb onto the steel bars and shake it, causing things to rain down on you.
** In the original ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', Tutankoopa does something similar to Mario and his partner. At one point in the fight, it will backfire against him and he gets hit with a fallen piece of limestone from the ceiling.

* Rayquaza is a variation on this in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald]]''. After you awaken him, he flies out of Sky Pillar, half destroys the place, and you wonder when you're riding through it the next time in order to catch him why it's still standing. As it is, you fall through the floor if you don't get things just right.
** The moves Rock Throw and Rock Slide also seem to be based on this trope.

** Surtr, from La-Mulana 2, will make blocks fall from the ceiling with every step, as well as deliberately cause an avalanche by smashing the wall. These blocks are your only platforms over a lava pit. (In earlier versions of the game, it was a BottomlessPit, leading to [[ThatOneBoss much frustration]] at the numerous cheap deaths.)
* The Old Man from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' does this as a boss in ''VideoGame/AbobosBigAdventure'': after drinking a potion and [[MakeMyMonsterGrow having turned into a giant]], he often stomps on the ground causing debris to fall from the ceiling. Since the stage is in a top-down view, Abobo must stay away from [[CrosshairAware the crosshairs that appear]] to avoid being crushed by the stone chunks.
* Volvagia from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' can do the same with boulders. The sides of the lava dragon's arena can be climbed on, however, providing a generally safe place to hide when not attacking.
* ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'': The Segmented Crawbster in the Cavern of Chaos has an attack like this. It rams the wall and makes rocks fall down. Gather your Pikmin. ''Fast.''
* A very common setup in ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic''.

* ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'': The Segmented Crawbster in the Caervn of Chaos has an attack like this. It rams the wall and makes rocks fall down. Gather your Pikmin. ''Fast.''

** The Wacky Workbench boss in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'' is an interesting case. Robotnik's machine blasts through the ceiling above, dropping debris down that you ride up to the next floor - which has a hole in it from where Robotnik broke through. The third time he does this, he doesn't actually make it through the ceiling, but his drill breaks and the spikes rain down along with debris, and riding up to the ceiling reveals his machine stuck in it.
** Eggman's Machine in Ice Mountain Zone in ''VideoGame/SonicAdvance'' remains on the ceiling, pounding it to rain stalactites down on you. Since you're stuck in water too deep to jump out of, you have to [[BossArenaIdiocy jump on the sinking stalactites to be able to reach Eggman, and get a breath.]]

* The Segmented Crawbster in ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} 2'' has an attack like this. It rams the wall and makes rocks fall down. Gather your Pikmin. ''Fast.''

** Guts Man from ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'' would jump around, and catch the falling boulder to throw at you.
*** [[spoiler:And he does it again as the first Fortress Boss in ''VideoGame/MegaMan7''.]]

* A very common setup in ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic''.
** Guts Man from ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'' would jump around, and catch the falling boulder to throw at you.
*** [[spoiler:And he does it again as the first Fortress Boss in ''VideoGame/MegaMan7''.]]
** Junk Man would also GroundPound, making debris fall randomly.
** The Power Piston, the second boss of Mr. X's castle in ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'', pounds the wall to cause a constant rain of rocks.
** Grenade Man in ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'' would fire a bomb at the wall, causing the place to shake and make rubble fall from the ceiling. Frost Man from the same game could pound the floor and cause the ice blocks above to fall all over the arena.
** Stone Head, a miniboss in Jewel Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' shakes the ground to cause boulders to fall.
** Drill Man in ''VideoGame/Rockman4MinusInfinity'' does this during his desperation attack.
* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series, Knight Man, Laser Man, Ground Man, and Gregar all have attacks that cause this to happen, though it's exemplified by the latter of the four, as it causes rocks to fall every time it moves on top of having an attack that rains down a ton more.
* Played with in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero2'', Burble Hekelot will shake the room for tiny worm-like mooks to appear, which he, being based on a frog, can eat to become larger.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' is by no means a stranger to this attack.
** The spiked pig robot boss from ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog28Bit Sonic 2]]'' for the Master System/Game Gear would charge at you. If he hit the wall, stalactites would rain down.
** Robotnik's machine in Mystic Cave Zone from [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 the Genesis version]] would burrow in and out of the ceiling, causing a rain of stone. The rocks were harmless, but the stalactites would hurt you.
** You face off with a drill bot with a very similar pattern in Marble Garden Zone in ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles''.
** The Wacky Workbench boss in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'' is an interesting case. Robotnik's machine blasts through the ceiling above, dropping debris down that you ride up to the next floor - which has a hole in it from where Robotnik broke through. The third time he does this, he doesn't actually make it through the ceiling, but his drill breaks and the spikes rain down along with debris, and riding up to the ceiling reveals his machine stuck in it.
** Eggman's Machine in Ice Mountain Zone in ''VideoGame/SonicAdvance'' remains on the ceiling, pounding it to rain stalactites down on you. Since you're stuck in water too deep to jump out of, you have to [[BossArenaIdiocy jump on the sinking stalactites to be able to reach Eggman, and get a breath.]]

* Crush from ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'' will perform a GroundPound attack every time he's attacked by Spyro; dodge it and rocks will rain down, at which point he'll look up at the boulders bouncing off his head. This process is repeated ''seven'' times, despite the fact that you should have run out of ceiling a while back.
* ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'':
** [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland The original game]] and ''VideoGame/YoshisIslandDS'' both have this for the FinalBoss... except neither battle has a ceiling, and the castle itself had collapsed before then. For the first game, the debris comes from Giant Baby Bowser's roaring causing a ChunkyUpdraft.
** Don Bongo from ''VideoGame/YoshisStory'' is an odd version. His stomping around causes dishes to drop from the ceiling.
* The Segmented Crawbster in ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} 2'' has an attack like this. It rams the wall and makes rocks fall down. Gather your Pikmin. ''Fast.''
* In ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'', whenever Kraidgief stomps, spikes and debris from the ceiling fall down towards you.

* The giant yeti in ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'' can knock ice blocks loose from the ceiling simply by ''roaring.''
* Volvagia from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' can do the same with boulders. The sides of the lava dragon's arena can be climbed on, however, providing a generally safe place to hide when not attacking.

* Casandra starts doing this midway through the final showdown of ''[[VideoGame/{{Pico}} Pico's School]]'', and you have to shoot the debris out of the air so that you don't lose health.
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' has Rawk Hawk, who can climb onto the steel bars and shake it, causing things to rain down on you.
** In the original ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', Tutankoopa does something similar to Mario and his partner. At one point in the fight, it will backfire against him and he gets hit with a fallen piece of limestone from the ceiling.
* The final boss of ''VideoGame/{{Purple}}'', as one of his attacks, can DropTheHammer and cause blocks to fall from the ceiling.
* Plant 42 in the original 1996 ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil''. Since it can't reach you with its tendrils if you stand far enough away, the plant's movement will shake the ceiling and drop large chunks of plaster on your head while you shoot at it, forcing you to use stick-and-move tactics.

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' Magtheridon causes debris to fall onto players during his third stage, when he breaks the walls of his prison.
** Prior to the fight itself Scourgelord Tyrannus forces players to run through an ice tunnel and uses his dragon to try to collapse the roof, dropping giant chunks of ice that hurl players around the tunnel if they connect.
** During the encounter with Tortos, a massive dragon turtle that's fused with the caverns below the Throne of Thunder, stalactites rain down from the ceiling, causing severe damage if they hit players directly and comparatively mild raid-wide damage for players who are close to them.

* The ''very first boss'' of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' can do this. Despite all logic, it does as much damage as his regular attack.
* Happens in ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline'' when you and Nightwing/Killer Croc face Bane.
* The very first boss of ''VideoGame/WarioLand Shake It'', Rollenratl does this by shaking the ceiling. Then again, he is holding up the roof... He also eventually kind of realizes the downfall of this tactic when he's defeated and crushed by the ceiling.
* Tutankhamenattack, the boss of the TempleOfDoom stage in ''[[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Life Force]]'', uses falling blocks as an attack.
* In the SNES remake of ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1'', the [[MultiArmedAndDangerous multi-armed]] GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere in Level 17 causes skulls to fall from the ceiling when landing.

* The Himalayas Boss (a yeti) from ''VideoGame/DuckTales'' punches the walls and causes large snowballs to fall around the arena.
* Rayquaza is a variation on this in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald]]''. After you awaken him, he flies out of Sky Pillar, half destroys the place, and you wonder when you're riding through it the next time in order to catch him why it's still standing. As it is, you fall through the floor if you don't get things just right.
** The moves Rock Throw and Rock Slide also seem to be based on this trope.

* ''VideoGame/LaMulana''.
** The Giant's Mausoleum boss, Sakit, causes rubble to fall from the ceiling whenever he takes a step, since he's a giant hundred-foot tall statue. Rubble also falls when he shoots his fist out at you.
** Ellmac, the boss of the Sun Temple, can roar to make stalactites fall from the ceiling in the original MSX styled version of the game. He loses this attack in the HD Remake.
** Surtr, from La-Mulana 2, will make blocks fall from the ceiling with every step, as well as deliberately cause an avalanche by smashing the wall. These blocks are your only platforms over a lava pit. (In earlier versions of the game, it was a BottomlessPit, leading to [[ThatOneBoss much frustration]] at the numerous cheap deaths.)
* In ''VideoGame/ChimeraBeast'', the fifth boss (a lion-boar thing fought in a volcano) makes the place shake whenever it jumps on the wall, causing lava rocks to rain from the ceiling.
* In ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventuresBustersHiddenTreasure'', the first battle against Plucky Duck involves Plucky using a hammer to bring stalactites down from the ceiling. During this time, [[TacticalSuicideBoss Dr. Gene Splicer will lower his plane]] so Buster can jump on it.
* ''Videogame/DarkestDungeon'': The Gibbering Prophet and variations, though rather than cause the cave-in himself, he's just fought in a severely decayed building, and he'll "predict" collapsing masonry right on top of your heroes.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Quackshot}}'', during the final battle with King Garuzia, King Garuzia will throw his sword at either the left or the right walls, creating a quake that causes blocks to fall on Donald from above.
* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', when you fight the recently-freed [[spoiler:Darth Revan]] in an Imperial flashpoint mission, he will periodically use the Force to drop large boulders onto you from the ceiling of the cavern you find him in.
* The Omega Metroids in ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' can slap their tails on the ground, causing boulders to rain from the ceiling. In later stages they combine this with an attack that ignites the floor, dealing damage if Samus lands.
* In ''VideoGame/AkaneTheKunoichi'', one of the bosses causes spikes to fall from the ceiling in addition to more normal attacks. Dodging is made a little more difficult by the fact that the fight occurs in running water (which carries you along if you aren't moving, meaning that it's harder to just stand in the safe spots).
* The Nasty Judge, a rather...nasty representation of the Addamses' cranky neighbor Womack, the FinalBoss of the ''VideoGame/TheAddamsFamily'' LicensedGame makes gavels rain down from the ceiling, thankfully maintaining that justice is blind indeed.
* ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'': Zoltun Kulle uses a spell called "Cave-In" to make rocks fall on the player. If he's not [[TimeLimitBoss defeated in 3 minutes]], he uses this non-stop until they're dead.
* ''VideoGame/VoodooVince:'' This is actually the way to defeat the third boss. Because the protagonist is a voodoo doll, the player needs to position themselves under the falling rubble to get struck by it and transfer the harm to the boss. Sounds easy until you account for the fact you're riding a rat that never stops while trying to avoid numerous bottomless pits and shockwaves generated by the boss.
* ''VideoGame/HollowKnight:'' The False Knight. After you smack it enough, it slams its mace on the floor, causing debris to fall.

* The very first boss of ''VideoGame/WarioLand Shake It'', Rollenratl does this by shaking the ceiling. Then again, he is holding up the roof... He also eventually kind of realises the downfall of this tactic when he's defeated and crushed by the ceiling.

** Surtr, from La-Mulana 2, will make blocks fall from the ceiling with every step, as well as deliberately cause an avalance by smashing the wall. These blocks are your only platforms over a lava pit. (In earlier versions of the game, it was a BottomlessPit, leading to [[ThatOneBoss much frustration]] at the numerous cheap deaths.)

** Robotnik's machine in Mystic Cave Zone from [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog 2 the Genesis version]] would burrow in and out of the ceiling, causing a rain of stone. The rocks were harmless, but the stalactites would hurt you.

** Robotnik's machine in Mystic Cave Zone from the Genesis version would burrow in and out of the ceiling, causing a rain of stone. The rocks were harmless, but the stalactites would hurt you.

** Surtr, from La-Mulana 2, will make blocks fall from the ceiling with every step, as well as deliberately cause an avalance by smashing the wall. These blocks are your only platforms over a lava pit. (In earlier versions of the game, it was a bottomless pit, leading to [[ThatOneBoss much frustration.]]

An extreme form of GroundShatteringLanding performed by various game bosses. Usually (But not always) through a GroundPound, they shake the very foundations of the room you fight them in, causing boulders, support girders, or other debris to fall from the ceiling. Some are so skilled at this that they can aim the debris either at the hero, or right on top of themselves so they can throw it.

** Fairly often, this attack is given to the Frankenstein's Monster boss. They don't usually jump, instead either stomping the ground, or pounding the wall with their fists.

* Used twice in ''VideoGame/LaMulana''.

** Ellmac, the boss of the Sun Temple, can roar to make stalactites fall from the ceiling.

* The Nasty Judge, the FinalBoss of the ''VideoGame/TheAddamsFamily'' LicensedGame makes gavels rain down from the ceiling.

** The spiked pig robot boss from ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' for the Master System/Game Gear would charge at you. If he hit the wall, stalactites would rain down.

* Happens twice in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Flintstones]] - Surprise at Dinosaur Peak''. One time with caveman boss and second time when during the final boss battle.

* This is one of Ralph's tactics in both the ''Disney/WreckItRalph'' movie and [[{{Defictionalization}} defictionalized]] video game.

* Donkey Kong does this in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' for the GBA, and the ''VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong'' series, stomping on the ground causing junk to fall from the ceiling. Very odd in the final boss battle in Donkey Kong, since you're at the top of a tower, and there is no ceiling.

** Robotnik's machine in Mystic Cave Zone would burrow in and out of the ceiling, causing a rain of stone. The rocks were harmless, but the stalactites would hurt you.
*** You face off with a drill bot with a very similar pattern in Marble Garden Zone in ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles''.

* ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' and ''Yoshi's Island DS'' both have this for the FinalBoss... except neither battle has a ceiling, and the castle itself had collapsed before then. For the first game, the debris comes from Giant Baby Bowser's roaring causing a ChunkyUpdraft.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' is by no means a stranger to this attack.

* Volvagia from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' can do the same with boulders. The sides of the lava dragon's arena can be climbed on, however, providing a generally safe place to hide when not attacking.

* The Old Man from ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZelda'' does this as a boss in ''VideoGame/AbobosBigAdventure'': after drinking a potion and [[MakeMyMonsterGrow having turned into a giant]], he often stomps on the ground causing debris to fall from the ceiling. Since the stage is in a top-down view, Abobo must stay away from [[CrosshairAware the crosshairs that appear]] to avoid being crushed by the stone chunks.

* The Omega Metroid in ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' can slap their tails on the ground, causing boulders to rain from the ceiling. In later stages they combine this with an attack that ignites the floor, dealing damage if Samus lands.