History Main / EmptyRoomUntilTheTrap

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* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'', the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon of the ''Automatron'' DLC has a long hallway lined with apparently empty jail cells. However, if you hit the circuit breaker on the wall, which happens to be inconveniently placed next to an elevator switch, a dozen [[DemonicSpiders high-level Feral Ghouls]] emerge from the cells.

** The infamous "closing wall" room (just before the throne room) in the Baron Castle from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', which has no significance until you try to walk back through it after you beat Cagnazzo, and requires the [[spoiler:death of two of your party members in order to proceed]].

** Take the dagger out of the fridge in ''SilentHill1'' without first locking the door with the Ring of Contract, [[NonstandardGameOver and an unknown monster comes out of the fridge and eats you]].

** This can be avoided with a bit of [[GenreSavvy Genre Savviness]] though - the ghouls ARE in the rooms before you flip the switch, but they will be inactive as seemingly-dead bodies. Nothing is stopping you from picking the locks of the cells individually and shooting/bludgeoning the "dead" bodies one-by-one rather than taking them all on at once at the end.

** Even later, you have to come in there with the voodoo doll and shock him. After this the room is really empty.
** These scenes are echoed in the last act of the game. You are in an underground building where you have to search several empty rooms to gather various items to build a voodoo doll of LeChuck. However, at any given point, LeChuck can enter the room and electrocute you. You therefore have to build the voodoo doll and be able to immediately use it on him when he walks in.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', the one room in the Lakebed Temple appears to be empty at first. Then you realize that small tadpole-like enemies are dropping down from the ceiling, and you look up to see their mother, a giant frog, who drops down to fight you.

* Parodied in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'''s Daily Dungeon. The protagonist recognizes the trap rooms instantly (and with some weariness), and can either trigger them (which does enormous damage but removs the obstacle)) or set them off at a distance with an item.

* {{VideoGame/Doom}} 3 was notorious because of this to the point it didn't shock or surprise the player. They just knew as soon as they entered the empty room and touched the item they'd immediately have to turn around and blast all the monsters that teleported into the room.

** Also at the beginning of secret episode 4 in Explorers Of Sky (Here Comes Team Charm), a Graveler walks into a room with a treasure chest and statues of Lopunny, Gardevoir and Medicham, long story short the statues come to life and take the treasure for themselves, (info can be found [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Here_Comes_Team_Charm! here]]).

* In VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl there are a couple of occasions like this. The first is the ghosts in the Old Chateau which will appear out of nowhere even if the rooms look empty. The second is a small room in a cave, where the room seems empty until you leave and go back in, at which point Heatran has appeared from nowhere.

** In ''TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast,'' the dungeon beneath the Village of Outcasts has a room like this. The compass tells you that it is the boss's room, but there is no boss... until you bomb its ceiling and lead a certain prisoner into the light...

* All over the damn place in ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' games.

* Many side rooms in the ''MedalOfHonor'' series only serve [[TeleportingKeycardSquad to trigger ambushes]].

* Virtually every room in ''Film/{{Cube}}'', although the characters soon catch on to this.

** Take the dagger out of the fridge in ''SilentHill1'' without first locking the door with the Ring of Contract, and an unknown monster comes out of the fridge and eats you.

--> '''[[MissionControl Burroughs]]:''' "[[JumpScare I'm detecting a very dangerous demon nearby.]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck You should consider]] [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere getting out of here]]."

--> '''Burroughs:''' "[[JumpScare I'm detecting a very dangerous demon nearby.]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck You should consider]] [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere getting out of here]]."

* ''VideoGame/BioShock'' had a few of these. Examine a certain item placed in the corner of a room, and when you turn around -- surprise! There's a splicer right behind you that wasn't there a second ago! "Hello, beautiful!"

** The Doom games before it reveled in this as well. First rule of Doom: Everything is a trap. ''EVERYTHING''.

* Virtually every room in ''{{Cube}}'', although the characters soon catch on to this.

* ''DungeonsAndDragons'' has a monster that pretends to be a ceiling, and a monster that pretends to be the floor, monsters that cover the walls ''and'' almost invisible jelly monsters in the size of a usual Empty Room. Combine them all to create the infamous Room of Death, which appears empty until all of it tries to eat you.

* The bathroom in ''SilentHill3''.