History Main / FallingDamage

* ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}}'' had falling damage as well. This particular example is where the page quote comes from; falling damage in a ''2D'' game.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' includes fall damage, which is a concern when RocketJumping, since you also take damage from your rocket as well, so you better not be too low on health. One of the Scout's unlockable weapons, the Pretty Boy's Pocket Pistol, negates all fall damage, but you'll take 50% more damage from fire.

Most video game characters seem to have incredibly durable legs; they can survive just about any fall that isn't into a BottomlessPit.

* The player does not take fall damage in ''{{VideoGame/Halo 2}}'' and ''{{VideoGame/Halo 3}}'', but do in ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'', ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'', and ''VideoGame/HaloReach''. There are still BottomlessPits in the former games, though.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' includes fall damage, which is a concern when RocketJumping, since you also take damage from your rocket as well, so you better not be too low on health. The Scout's unlockable shotgun, the Baby Facy Blaster, negates all fall damage, in exchange for the Scout losing all his speed boost if he jumps.

-> ''Falling damage?'' They put ''falling damage'' in their motherfucking 2D ''platformer?'' *''SpinningNewspaper saying "JONTRON QUITS" appears''*

* ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}}'' had falling damage as well.

* Parodied in an ''Creator/AchievementHunter'' LetsPlay of "Trouble in Terrorist Town" when Ray, hunting for the last terrorist, idly wonders if there's fall damage in the game just after he jumps off the roof. [[spoiler:There is, he dies and the terrorists win the round.]]
-->'''Ray:''' "I wonder if there's fall damage..." [Falls, dies] "Yep."

* Creator/{{Sierra}}'s ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' series had three descent scenarios: descending steps or something similar garnered no damage. A minor tumble totaling no more than the player character's height yielded some circling stars, but only nominal damage. A fall greater than the characters height, however, was always fatal. Princess Rosella was especially vulnerable to serious falls.

* In many ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games, you can lose hearts if you fall/ jump too far, but none more than Skyward Sword, where you're given a magical sailcloth that acts like a parachute right near the start. If you don't use it on high enough drops then the Wii controller shakes to tell you ouch, as if Link clutching his chest wasn't enough. BonusPoints for disregarding Falling Damage when you fall off the FloatingContinent of Skyloft and can't call your Loftwing, though justified as someone else will catch you. Every single time. [-[[note]]This, however, is plot-specific; usually bottomless pits in the series are [[NonLethalBottomlessPits non-lethal.]][[/note]]-]
* In ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'', player characters take a variable amount of fall damage based on how far they fell. A short fall leaves the character uninjured. A longer fall leaves the character limping and with most of their defensive skills disabled; the length this debuff lasts depends on the length of the fall. A fallover a great enough distance renders the character "incapacitated by misadventure" upon impact. The game averts SoftWater, so the character gets just as injured (or killed) from falling into water as from falling onto land.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' includes fall damage, which is a concern when RocketJumping, since you also take damage from your rocket as well, so you better not be too low on health. The Scout's unlockable shotgun the Baby Facy Blaster negates all fall damage, in exchange for the Scout losing all his speed boost if he jumps.

** Skyrim does away with the Acrobatics skill but has a heavy armor perk that reduces fall damage, there is also the shout "become ethereal" which temporary makes you immune to all damage, allowing you take short cuts by jumping of mountains.

* [[TombRaider Laura Croft]] and broken bones seems to go hand and hand.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'', player characters take a variable amount of fall damage based on how far they fell. A short fall leaves the character uninjured. A longer fall leaves the character limping and with most of their defensive skills disabled; the length this debuff lasts depends on the length of the fall. A fall over a great enough distance renders the character "incapacitated by misadventure" upon impact. The game averts SoftWater, so the character gets just as injured (or killed) from falling into water as from falling onto land.

* ''VideoGame/{{Spelunker}}'' took this to [[ExaggeratedTrope ridiculous levels.]] If you fall less than your own height, you die.

** Creator/{{Blizzard|Entertainment}} even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s] the unrealistic sides of this mechanic (like the CriticalExistenceFailure) with [[CosmeticAward achievements]] like "Going Down?" and "Almost Blind Luck" in which you have to [[SchmuckBait fall at least 65 yards without dying.]]

* Falling long distances in ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'' not only damages the player but also stuns him, unless he manages to grab a ledge (or ladder, or rope), [[GoombaStomp bounce off an enemy]] or land into SoftWater or spider web.

* Used weirdly in ''VideoGame/ZanZarahTheHiddenPortal''; Amy doesn't have HitPoints, so she can fall from crazy heights and act like nothing happened; however, if the fall takes too long, the game thinks you fell into a Bottomless Pit and resets Amy's position back to the location entrance.

* Used weirdly in ''VideoGame/ZanZarahTheHiddenPortal''; Amy doesn't have Hit Points, so she can fall from crazy heights and act like nothing happened; however, if the fall takes too long, the game thinks you fell into a Bottomless Pit and resets Amy's position back to the location entrance.

* The player does not take fall damage in ''{{VideoGame/Halo 2}}'' and ''{{VideoGame/Halo 3}}'', but do in ''''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'', ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'', and ''VideoGame/HaloReach''. There are still BottomlessPits in the former games, though.

* The player does not take fall damage in ''{{VideoGame/Halo 2}}'' and ''{{VideoGame/Halo 3}}'', but do in ''''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'', ''VideoGame/Halo3ODST'', and ''VideoGame/HaloReach''.

Most video game character seem to have incredibly durable legs; they can survive just about any fall that isn't into a BottomlessPit.

* ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' had this. In this case, you could GroundPound before impact to avoid this.

* 3DRealms games ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', ''Blood'', ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior'', ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage'' all had falling damage induced hazards and death, complete with the player character screaming their lungs out when falling from great heights.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Driver}} Driv3r]]'' implements this. Jumping off of, say, an elevated train track in Miami will damage you, if not outright kill you.

* [[OlderThanTheNES This goes at least as far back as the original]] ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' arcade game (1981). If Mario fell through a hole in the floor, went over the edge of a platform, or fell too far before hitting a surface while jumping onto or off of an elevator in Screen 3, he died on impact.

* In many ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games you can lose hearts if you fall/ jump too far, but none more than Skyward Sword, where you're given a magical sailcloth that acts like a parachute right near the start. If you don't use it on high enough drops then the Wii controller shakes to tell you ouch, as if Link clutching his chest wasn't enough. BonusPoints for disregarding Falling Damage when you fall off the FloatingContinent of Skyloft and can't call your Loftwing, though justified as someone else will catch you. Every single time. [-[[note]]This, however, is plot-specific; usually bottomless pits in the series are [[NonLethalBottomlessPits non-lethal.]][[/note]]-]

* Averted in the ''VideoGame/BloodRayne'' series: regardless how ridiculous a height Rayne falls from, she never takes any damage at all. This is implied to be one of the perks of being a half-vampire.

* Falling long distances in ''{{VideoGame/Spelunky}}'' not only damages the player but also stuns him, unless he manages to grab a ledge (or ladder, or rope), [[GoombaStomp bounce off an enemy]] or land into SoftWater or spider web.

Most video game character seem to have incredibly durable legs; they can survive just about any fall that isn't into a BottomlessPit.

This trope is about the ones that can't.

In some video games, characters will get hurt when falling from great heights. Granted, [[MajorInjuryUnderreaction the damage they take is closer to having their foot stepped on than shattering all the bones in their legs]], but regardless, it hurts them.

A SubTrope of JumpPhysics.

Contrast NotTheFallThatKillsYou.

!Straight examples:

* ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' had this. In this case, you could GroundPound before impact to avoid this.
* In ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'', falling from too high will damage you.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', falls deal 1 point of damage for block (meter) fallen after the third, so a 23-block fall will kill you. However, landing in [[SoftWater water]], vines or spiderweb cancels the damage, and Feather Falling-enchanted boots will reduce it.

* Creator/LucasArts game ''Outlaws'' also featured death by falling.
* Falling long distances in ''{{VideoGame/Spelunky}}'' not only damages the player but also stuns him. Very inconvenient if they fall into a snake pit.
* ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' predictably has this in effect. However, once you learn the knee drop and time it properly, you can negate all the fall damage.
* ''[[VideoGame/{{Driver}} Driv3r]]'' implements this. Jumping off of, say, an elevated train track in Miami will damage you, if not outright kill you.
* The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series has this as well.
* [[OlderThanTheNES This goes at least as far back as the original]] ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' arcade game (1981). If Mario fell through a hole in the floor, went over the edge of a platform, or fell too far before hitting a surface while jumping onto or off of an elevator in Screen 3, he died on impact.
* Creator/{{Sierra}}'s ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'' series had three descent scenarios: descending steps or something similar garnered no damage. A minor tumble totaling no more than the player character's height yielded some circling stars, but only nominal damage. A fall greater than the characters height, however, was always fatal. Princess Rosella was especially vulnerable to serious falls.
* In the video game based on ''Film/SpyKids 3D: Game Over'', Juni falls several feet when he enters the virtual reality world he was assigned to infiltrate. Upon regaining consciousness, he loses a life.
* Played straight in ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution''... unless you unlock the Icarus Landing System perk, which essentially grants you immunity to Falling Damage with some [[RuleOfCool flashy special effects.]]
* In many ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games you can lose hearts if you fall/ jump too far, but none more than Skyward Sword, where you're given a magical sailcloth that acts like a parachute right near the start. If you don't use it on high enough drops then the Wii controller shakes to tell you ouch, as if Link clutching his chest wasn't enough. BonusPoints for disregarding Falling Damage when you fall off the FloatingContinent of Skyloft and can't call your Loftwing, though justified as someone else will catch you. Every single time. [-[[note]]This, however, is plot-specific; usually bottomless pits in the series are [[NonLethalBottomlessPits non-lethal.]][[/note]]-]
* In ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'', player characters take a variable amount of fall damage based on how far they fell. A short fall leaves the character uninjured. A longer fall leaves the character limping and with most of their defensive skills disabled; the length this debuff lasts depends on the length of the fall. A fall over a great enough distance renders the character "incapacitated by misadventure" upon impact. The game averts SoftWater, so the character gets just as injured (or killed) from falling into water as from falling onto land.
* In ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'', players who fall a comparably high distance (about 12-15 feet at the lowest) will suffer a small but negligible amount of damage.
* In ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1'', falling two levels will subtract one from your LifeMeter, and falling three levels will kill you outright. The former becomes necessary in some levels of ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}}'' had falling damage as well.
* ''VideoGame/{{Spelunker}}'' took this to [[ExaggeratedTrope ridiculous levels.]] If you fall less than your own height, you die.
* ''[[VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc Rayman 3]]'' is the first game in the series to implement this; if the main character falls for too long, he gets squished into a pancake for a brief period of time. The first two games avert this.
* ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}'' has two thresholds based on falling speed: one where the player takes damage and one where the player automatically dies regardless of health. A fall between these two values can't kill but will reduce health to 1.
* Many of the platform games of ''VideoGame/{{Action 52}}'' [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerate]] this to an absurd degree where the OneHitPointWonder characters die '''in midair'''. This even happens in ''Cheetahmen'' and its sequel despite providing a LifeMeter.
* RealLife plays it straight. Usually.
!Non-straight examples:
* Averted in the ''VideoGame/BloodRayne'' series: regardless how ridiculous a height Rayne falls from, she never takes any damage at all. This is implied to be one of the perks of being a half-vampire.
* Used weirdly in ''VideoGame/ZanZarahTheHiddenPortal''; Amy doesn't have Hit Points, so she can fall from crazy heights and act like nothing happened; however, if the fall takes too long, the game thinks you fell into a Bottomless Pit and resets Amy's position back to the location entrance.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' has some fun [[PlayingWithATrope playing with this trope.]]
** Classes like Rogue and Druid (when in [[{{Shapeshifting}} Cat Form]]) take less falling damage than other classes. Also, Priests and Mages have spells like [[NotQuiteFlight Levitate and Slow Fall]], that turn the fall into a soft glide.
** Falling in water [[SoftWater completely negates the damage]]... unless you have a spell that grants the ability to WalkOnWater [[RealityEnsues active at the time of impact]]. Some abilities, like the Paladin's Divine Shield, [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou can also be used to]] [[BlockingStopsAllDamage negate the damage]].
** [[Creator/BlizzardEntertainment Blizzard]] even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the unrealistic sides of this mechanic (like the CriticalExistenceFailure) with [[CosmeticAward achievements]] like "Going Down?" and "Almost Blind Luck" in which you have to [[SchmuckBait fall at least 65 yards without dying.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' and its sequel avert this trope, but some mods add it back in.
* Non-video game example: in the opening action sequence of ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', Bond gets shot twice before falling about a thousand feet off a moving train on a bridge into a river, then down an equally high waterfall. He's Bond so this is [[AvertedTrope averted.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' plays with this trope in the final Thieves Guild quest. Usually, you take damage proportional to the length of the fall upon landing, which is mitigated by your Acrobatics SkillScore. In the end of said quest, you are supposed to leap off an insane height that would kill you--had it not been for a pair of magic shoes you acquired earlier and are supposed to put on before the jump. Too bad they are [[SingleUseShield destroyed upon landing.]]
* Parodied in an ''Creator/AchievementHunter'' LetsPlay of "Trouble in Terrorist Town" when Ray, hunting for the last terrorist, idly wonders if there's fall damage in the game just after he jumps off the roof. [[spoiler:There is, he dies and the terrorists win the round.]]
-->'''Ray:''' "I wonder if there's fall damage..." [Falls, dies] "Yep."
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' and its sequel have no falling damage. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that Chell is wearing "long fall boots" designed to cushion her against any such damage.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged]] in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'': You normally take damage after falling from significant heights—unless you got your parachute out in time. Otherwise, there are still special {{perk}}s that allow you to reduce the damage you take from falling—and, at the highest respect levels, ignore falling damage entirely, ''no matter how far you fell.''
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' has [[AvertedTrope no falling damage]], but provides no justification.

* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands2}}'' has no falling damage, but provides no justification.

* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged]] in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'': You normally take damage after falling from significant heights—unless you got your parachute out in time. Otherwise, there are still special {{perk}}s that allow you to reduce the damage you take from falling—and, at the highest respect levels, ignore falling damage entirely, ''no matter how far you fell.''