History Main / CriticalEncumbranceFailure

* ''{{VideoGame/X-COM}}'' and ''VideoGame/UFOAfterBlank'' have something similar - soldiers who are overloaded suffer a Time Unit penalty. However, since [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower encumbrance is a function of improvable physical strength]], eventually that penalty will go away.

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' follows now-standard FPS procedure and limits you to two weapons, so it isn't an example, but the first game's novelization ''The Flood'' lampshades it; the Chief is trying to choose between a sniper rifle or a rocket launcher in addition to his assault rifle, reasoning that “Carrying all three of them would be impractical, not to mention damned heavy.”
** Although the game attempts to subvert this, a player could theoretically have three weapons available. However, to do this, they would have to constantly move towards their next objective, while at the same time constantly throwing away the second weapon to pick up the third weapon. Doing this repeatedly makes the player throw the current weapon forwards, while picking up the new one. So if you really want that rocket launcher to shoot at the Covenant tank in the next area, you'll have to keep throwing it forward. It's not very practical, however.

* Realistically downplayed in ''[[VideoGame/{{STALKER}} S.T.A.L.K.E.R.]]''. Your stamina varies slightly with weight, but the moment you're carrying a single gram over your max capacity, you can't run for more than a very short time, and endurance-increasing artifacts that would otherwise give you an infinite SprintMeter will hardly help you; even walking tires you out alarmingly quickly. At exactly [=10Kg=] over it, you can't move at all without a [[PowerArmor powered exoskeleton]], which can be bad if you're stuck in a firefight or a monster attacks you while you're busy looting that last corpse. Some artifacts can increase your weight capacity, though they're not present in the first game, ''Shadow of Chernobyl''.

* In ''{{GURPS}}'' progressively heavier loads make you slower and easier to hit (none, light, medium, heavy, extra-heavy). There's even one step beyond that but it costs fatigue every second.
* In the original ''HeavyGear'' game, the customization feature included the "load" limit, where the "load" was how heavy all the stuff you were tacking on the Gear was. The "maximum load" was determined by the Gear's parts, i.e. an Assault Gear like a Kodiak or a King Cobra would have a higher maximum load than a Scout Gear like a Cheetah or a Gila. One could approach the maximum load limit as close as they can without any consequences, but as soon as that limit is breached, even by a small amount, the top speed of the gear drops exponentially. You could have a Gear that can reach 72KPH suddenly have its speed reduced to 16KPH after you bolt on that machine gun. The manual also states that if the load exceeds the maximum by a substantial amount, the Gear would also incur stress on its internal structure, which probably means more damage if the armor is penetrated.

* Averted by ''VideoGame/Borderlands'': If you go over your inventory limit (only possible by getting equipment from completing quests) it doesn't affect you, but you won't be able to pick up new gear.

* In ''{{VideoGame/STALKER}}'', in the basic un-modded Shadow of Chernobyl game, you can carry up to 50kg with no problems. However, if you carry 50.1 to 59.9kg, while you can still move around, your endurance drains faster, which lessens how long you can run for. The instant you hit 60kg or higher, you'll be unable to move until lightening your load, which can be bad if you're stuck in a firefight or a monster attacks you while you're busy looting that last corpse.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{STALKER}} S.T.A.L.K.E.R.]]'' plays this trope kind of straight -- your agility varies with weight, but the moment you're carrying a single gram over 50 kilograms, you can't run for more than a very short time. At exactly [=60Kg=] you can't move at all without a [[PowerArmor powered exoskeleton]]. Some artifacts can increase your weight capacity, though they're not present in ''Shadow of Chernobyl''.

The weight-related version of CriticalExistenceFailure.

[[folder: Action Games]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Hydlide}} 3''/''Super Hydlide'' and ''Virtual Hydlide'' penalize your character for carrying more than a certain weight.

->''You '''can't carry''' any more! One more item to lug around and you might just collapse in a heap of swag.''

* Most games based from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' ruleset, such as ''Franchise/BaldursGate'', ''VideoGame/IcewindDale'' and ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''. But not the pen-and-paper game itself, where an increasingly large load slows you down more and more, and even a load of up to 5 times your encumbrance limit can still be dragged.

!!Non-Video Game Examples

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* {{Subverted|Trope}} during Chapter 5 of ''Super FanFic/PaperMarioX'', when the teams are trying to press a red button to go onward. Their combined weight isn't enough to do the job, but this turns into success when all they needed was the weight of a Cragnon.
[[/folder]]

* ''[[VideoGame/{{STALKER}} S.T.A.L.K.E.R.]]'' plays this trope kind of straight -- your agility varies with weight, but the moment you're carrying a single gram over 50.0 kilograms you can't run for more than a very short time. At exactly 60.0 Kg you can't move at all without a [[PowerArmor powered exoskeleton]].

* ''RagnarokOnline'' plays it completely straight; picking up one tiny item can completely shut down all health and mana regen if it bumps you over half your maximum weight, or prevent you from attacking at all if it bumps you over 90%.
* In ''ShatteredGalaxy'', which doesn't have random drops (being a RealTimeStrategy game,) units are equipped at the Factory and sent into battle. You have to meet ''two'' CriticalEncumbranceFailure limits, “Weight” and “Space,” and a “Complexity” limit that is determined by which onboard computer you give the unit (which, of course, adds to Weight).
* TricksterOnline has this, as well as an annoying 300 item limit on your inventory. Once you hit 90% weight capacity, you are reduced to walking. Reaching 300 items merely prevents picking up more items, unless they stack on a single slot, like {{Healing Potion}}s. There is also a [[PointBuildSystem character stat]] made specificly to increase weight capacity.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' averts this with a vengeance. If your currently-equipped gear goes over your Equip Load stat, you can only walk slowly and can't roll. However, your character's mobility also changes depending on whether their equipment takes up less than 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of their Equip Load stat, from being able to sprint at full speed and make rapid consecutive rolls for as long as you have stamina, to clomping around and flopping ineffectually when you try to roll (also known as [[FanNickname fat rolling]].)

* Averted (but notably straddling) with Payday2: you're not crawling at a slow pace because you picked up that one piece of jewelery, you're crawling because you're carrying about seventy pounds of solid gold while holding a gun in your hands. If you're even slower than usual, it's probably because of all that heavy armor. However, the weight of the gun you are carrying (from a Chinamo compact pistol to a FREAKING TURRET-GUN LMG) is negligible to movement speed. All non-boxed jeweleries / single-stacks of cash are treated like zero-weight pickups. They're also not worth that much.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' averts this with a vengeance. If your currently-equipped gear goes over your Equip Load stat, you can only walk slowly and can't roll. However, your character's mobility also changes depending on whether their equipment takes up 25%, 50% or 75% of their Equip Load stat, from being able to sprint at full speed and make rapid consecutive rolls for as long as you have stamina, to clomping around and flopping ineffectually when you try to roll (also known as [[FanNickname fat rolling]].)

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' averts this with a vengeance. Aside from the usual encumbrance concerns, your character's mobility changes depending on whether their equipment takes up 25%, 50% or 75% of your Equip Load stat, from being able to sprint at full speed and roll rapidly for as long as you have stamina, to clomping around and flopping ineffectually when you try to roll (also known as [[FanNickname fat rolling]].)

* Most games based from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' ruleset, such as ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', ''VideoGame/IcewindDale'' and ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''. But not the pen-and-paper game itself, where an increasingly large load slows you down more and more, and even a load of up to 5 times your encumbrance limit can still be dragged.

* In ''LostInBlue'', each character has a twenty-slot inventory. This leads to bizarre occasions where the characters can somehow [[GameFAQs shove twenty logs down their ass]], but only be able to carry twenty leaves.

* Most games based from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' ruleset, such as ''BaldursGate'', ''IcewindDale'' and ''PlanescapeTorment''. But not the pen-and-paper game itself, where an increasingly large load slows you down more and more, and even a load of up to 5 times your encumbrance limit can still be dragged.

* ''[[JaggedAlliance Jagged Alliance 2]]'' subverts this trope, by increasing the "fatigue" cost of actions proportionally to the character's total carried weight. Having 134% weight means losing 34% fatigue points more than normal. However, you don't get a bonus for carrying less than 100%... On the other hand, carrying more than 100% also trains the character's Strength. It is not uncommon for people to load up weak characters with over 200% carry weight and have them move back and forth through empty road sectors.
* ''{{X-COM}}'' and ''UFOAfterBlank'' have something similar - soldiers who are overloaded suffer a Time Unit penalty. However, since [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower encumbrance is a function of improvable physical strength]], eventually that penalty will go away.
* In ''MakaiKingdom'', some equipment (such as heavy armor, large rocks and oversized weapons) reduce your movement. If it reaches 0, the unit can't move. Curiously, the reduction only takes place when you're carrying the item in an appropriate slot - carrying a boulder in your weapon slot doesn't weigh you down at all, while a merchant can carry five gatling guns with no hindrance as long as she keeps them in her equipment slots and not the weapon slot.