History Main / UtilityWeapon

* ''Literature/RingWorld'': the starship which the Puppeteers outfitted for the mission had nothing that could be called a weapon ''per se''... but was so chock-full of Utility Weapons that Louis Wu christened it 'Lying Bastard' in recognition of its deceptive design.

Compare VideoGameTools.

The reason for this trope is often rooted in the constraints of a UsefulNotes/GameEngine. If the engine was originally designed for a purely combat-based game and the developer wanted to make it more puzzle based (as was the case in the '90s, when the FirstPersonShooter genre began experimenting with more story-based games as well as RPGElements) then they have to modify it. Since the original engine probably already allows the player to carry and use weapons, it makes sense (from both a technical and gameplay point of view) to create weapons that can be used in puzzle-solving. Another good reason is that doesn't force the player to fumble around switching from "puzzle-solving equipment" to "weapons" (thus averting a ScrappyMechanic). The Action/Adventure (especially the aforementioned Metroidvania games) genre also favours this trope (as well as AbilityRequiredToProceed), since it allows the player to both progress through the game and be more capable of fighting enemies at the same time.

* All [[UsefulNotes/GameEngine Build Engine]] games (''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', ''[[VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997 Shadow Warrior]]'', ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'', ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage'') have [[SuspiciouslyCrackedWall cracks in the walls]] that can be blown open with explosives. Explosives come in two varieties in these: a "rocket launcher" weapon a la Doom, and a ballistic thrown "grenade" or "dynamite" (''[[VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997 Shadow Warrior]]'' has a grenade launcher instead).

* ''VideoGame/ProjectZomboid'' allows you to explore this trope extensively, since there are more "[[ImprovisedWeapon weapons]]" that have mundane uses than don't. [[DropTheHammer Hammers]], [[KnifeFight knives]], [[FryingPanOfDoom frying pans]], are all usable both for their intended purposes and for dispatching zombies. Even [[ThePenIsMightier pens and pencils]] can be used as weapons, although they're atrocious at it and much better kept for making notes on maps and writing on notebooks and paper sheets.

* The UsefulNotes/AppleII game ''Aztec'' (1982). The dynamite you found could be used to blow up enemies. It could also be used to blow holes in the floor, which could not only prevent enemies from reaching you but could also allow you to drop down to lower levels.

* ''VideoGame/Gloomwood'': The Undertaker Pistol is a customized, [[HollywoodSilencer silenced]] pistol that can be used to fire three different kinds of ammunition: a slug that breaks lights and windows from a distance, an incendiary projectile that ignites enemies and objects, and a pellet that releases a cloud of gas that extinguishes fires and briefly stuns enemies.