History Main / ItsAllUpstairsFromHere

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' makes a RunningGag of Po being too overweight to climb the stairs to the Jade Palace without getting winded. Even after all his training, the only improvement he gets in stair climbing is that he gets ''less'' winded, and is at least able to stand up after getting to the top. The gag is extended in the sequel, where he pronounces the stairs to Lord Shen's throne room "my old foe". In this case, he has to get carried half of the way up.

* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' has been described as "A bunch of guys running up some stairs for about a hundred episodes". To be fair, there's also a lot of fighting going on. And the stairs during the Hades saga actually lead down...
** The ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' version of this trope was actually parodied in one of the ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' movies, when Ranma and his companions (Ryoga, Shampoo, Mousse, etc) have to go through a similar settlement to rescue Akane from a prince who wanted to marry her.

* The [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Crystal Castle]] in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 the second part of the Season 3 premiere]] contains a seemingly never-ending staircase as a trap. Twilight Sparkle, in a moment of being CrazyPrepared, casts a gravity-inversion spell and slides up the underside of the spiral staircase, making this also an example of CuttingTheKnot and SurpriseSlideStaircase.

* The [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Crystal Castle]] in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 the second part of the Season 2 premiere]] contains a seemingly never-ending staircase as a trap. Twilight Sparkle, in a moment of being CrazyPrepared, casts a gravity-inversion spell and slides up the underside of the spiral staircase, making this also an example of CuttingTheKnot and SurpriseSlideStaircase.

** ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheMiracleMask'' has big hotel with a very high auditorium.

* In ''ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'', there's a creepy slapped-together-looking tower overlooking the village, noticed soon after the start of the game and mentioned by multiple characters. Guess what you have to do in the climax.
** ''ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture'' features [[spoiler: two of them!!]]

* You spend much of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' climbing upwards, first to reach the top of the Bionis for the sake of [[spoiler: unlocking the Monado's true power]], then later ascending the [[spoiler: Mechonis for the sake of stopping the Mechon invasion]].

** Both ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' titles require climbing a large tower before the final boss.
*** Actually, only the first game played this straight: the tower in the sequel is actually leading to the battle against the midway boss, and the ''real'' final level has you descending.

** Not sure if this counts, but in ''PhantomHourglass'', the Temple of the Ocean King goes something like 14 floors down. And you have to go through it 6 times, with increasing time limits, and depths.

* In ''VideoGame/Skyrim'', you have to accend the ''Seven Thousand Steps'', the path circling around the tallest mountain in all of Tamriel that can be seen in the distance from almost any point in Skyrim. Somewhat unusual as you have to climb the mountain near the beginning of the game to get your powers as TheChosenOne. You'll have to return to the peak later in the story, but that time you can simply skip most of the ascend by fast traveling to the monastery just below the top.

* A significant portion of the plot of ''MirrorMask'' involves the characters trying to get as high as they can, to the point that the phrase "Get higher" becomes a set of ArcWords.

* The first two games in the ''SaGa'' (''Final Fantasy Legend'' in America) series both revolve around climbing up worlds-spanning towers. Whatever the protagonists' initial motivation was, the ultimate purpose of the tower-climb ends up being essentially to [[RageAgainstTheHeavens punch the local deity in the face]] when you get there. Take that, Almighty!
** It's interesting to note that in the second game, after reaching the top of the tower, you must descend inside of it for the final battle.
** The third SaGa game has two tower dungeons, but without a God to punch at the top it's just... it's just not the same.
*** If you replace Master with [[ChthuluMythos Old Ones]] you'll feel better and understand FFL3 a whole lot more.
* ''PhantasyStar'' has the tower of Baya Malay, which the player must climb to the top floor, then descend into the basement, then ascend again via a separate route to reach the roof.
** Nido from Phantasy Star II
** ''Phantasy Star IV'' gives us Ladea Tower, Garuberk Tower, Strength Tower, Courage Tower, Anger Tower, and even an enemy called "Tower".
* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei''

* ''WorldOfMana'' loves towers: The tower in the City of Gold in ''SecretOfMana'' and the Luna Tower in ''SeikenDensetsu3''; the Tower of Leires in ''LegendOfMana'' isn't ''quite'' all going upstairs, but it may as well be. An entire chapter of DawnOfMana is dedicated to climbing the ruins of an ancient superweapon and trying to stop the bad guys from activating it.

* ''Shippu MahouDaisakusen'' has a rare {{shmup}} example: In one of the three possible final stages, you fly into a tower and fly out through the top, ''into space.''

* One part of ''{{Blood}} 2'' involves climbing the [=CabalCo=] tower, but you get to ride an elevator most of the way.

-->--''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}''

* ''BreathOfFireIII'' had several locations called 'towers' but due to the odd technical limitations the game had (seemingly no floors or even bridges/overpasses allowed) they were all actually ziggurats and pyramids. Why they didn't just call them that is the question...
* ''{{Castlevania}}: Curse of Darkness'' has two such towers, the Tower of Eternity and the Tower of Evermore. Both are optional bonus areas, the latter accessible only through the former (and a properly upgraded pet) and starts from the top, but contain uber-XP enemies with extremely rare crafting components. Knowing what to ''do'' with those components is [[GuideDangIt another matter entirely]]...

** ''CastlevaniaBloodlines'' gives us the Leaning Tower of Pisa. ... Yes, THE Leaning Tower of Pisa.
** ''DawnOfSorrow'' features the Condemned Tower, with a boss at the top. The boss shatters half of the floors, making you both plummet right to the bottom, and you have to climb it ''again'' to save and get the Tower Key that opens up the staple Clock Tower.
** ''CircleOfTheMoon'' actually lacks the staircase up to the throne room, but it has the staple machine tower, as well as a particularly tall chapel tower.

** One of the first dungeons in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'' is a tower where the Thief's key is found. A few more towers are found in the Main world [[spoilers:and the Rubiss Tower in the Dark world]].

* ''TheTowerOfDruaga''. Essentially the entire game is climbing up a 60-floor tower.

* The Spring of the Sky and Tower of the Goddess Areas in LaMulana

** Also, the Snowpeak Temple is like a tower, the puzzle being how to activate certain things in order to progress.
** And of course, there's also the last dungeon of the game which is not a tower, but is at the top of one: Stone Tower.

* The Playstation RPG Azure Dreams is a good example of this- all of the action in the game takes place in a giant tower, with the town below, the only other accessible location, consisting of shops and dating-sim style character interactions.

** No Mercy has the hospital climb as the last stage of the first episode. ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2's'' first episode "Price Chopper" ''starts'' with your team on the roof of a blazing hotel, having to fight your way down.

* The plot of Creator/StephenKing's ''DarkTower'' series is all about finding a tower in order to climb to the top.