Line #51 Main/AbilityRequiredToProceed


1	->''"Master, I have completed the design for base security; these doors only open when you hit them with the Flaming Sword!"''\
2	''"But no one in my army uses flaming swords."''\
3	''"'''That's what makes it secure!'''"''
4	-->-- A conversation between a constructor of a SupervillainLair and his boss in ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation,'' ''VideoGame/Strider2014''
5
6	One way to control the plot of a video game is to place [[BrokenBridge barriers]] in the hero's path. A destination may be unreachable without access to water transport because the main character has SuperDrowningSkills. You may need to become immune to fire before moving on because the next level is set in a FireAndBrimstoneHell environment. Perhaps you need to enlist the help of a specific NPC, or acquire a specific item, in order to get past the annoying guard. Or you may need to perform some special ability [[PlatformActivatedAbility while standing on a pad or marked floor]].
7
8	Sometimes, the item, ability, or skill isn't needed again. But, in other cases, it becomes a key part of the main character's inventory, and gets used all the time. Another example: you can't get to the other island without a ship, so any plot event that happens on the other island can ''assume'' you have a ship. Thus, the game developers suddenly start throwing quests at you that require you to hop back and forth between islands like a bored tourist, and continue to do so for the rest of the game. In extreme cases, the entire game dynamic may change after you obtain this one critical item or ability, because you are now well-equipped/powerful enough to handle challenges that would have been insurmountable before.
9
10	This is a subtrope of BrokenBridge. While Broken Bridges railroad you to the plot by requiring that you complete certain tasks before new areas open up, this trope is about railroading you to the plot by requiring that you have the necessary skills and abilities to move forward and open up new areas. This trope is a staple of the {{Metroidvania}} genre of video games, though it shows up in other genres as well.
11
12	See also ButThouMust. For something that requires you to be at a certain level to proceed before it kills you, see BeefGate. When this is combined with an offensive ability it's a UtilityWeapon.
13
14	----
15	!!Examples
16
17	[[foldercontrol]]
18
19	[[folder:Action-Adventure Games]]
20	* ''VideoGame/{{Afterimage}}'':
21	** Typical for a {{Metroidvania}}, you need to acquire new movement upgrades to reach new platforms or places you couldn't do so at first.
22	** Some Afterimage abilities lean more on the lore or story than a gameplay perspective, but still help you reach new areas, either directly or indirectly. For example, Renee can learn the ability to "invade Soulfields" of people or entities, which are then presented as additional stages, or even boss arenas.
23	* In the arcade game ''Bubbles'' you control a scrubbing bubble in a sink, and advance to the next level by sending your bubble down the drain. But you have to grow your bubble big enough before you can go down the drain; if the bubble is too small, it'll pop.
24	* The exploration gameplay of ''VideoGame/{{Aquaria}}'' is wholly built upon this. You spend most of the game collecting abilities and shapeshift forms that let you explore previously inaccessible areas, most of which are linked to the starting zone. This actually forces your progression into a more or less linear path. For example, near the beginning, you get a telekinesis-like ability, allowing you to explore passages blocked by boulders -- by pulling them away. In some other passages, your path is blocked by currents streaming towards you; you move on to explore them after learning a form in which you can swim against currents.
25	* The ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'' games use this to prevent sequence breaking. Notably in the first game, he left his Explosive Gel ''in the trunk of the Batmobile''.
26	* In ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'' there are locked doors and other obstacles that require a certain tool (or hovercraft equipment, or sidekick) to overcome. Sometimes, the item needed to escape from a room can be conveniently found in the same room.
27	* In ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'', the passage to each subsequent stage requires an upgrade earned by defeating the Mutant Boss of the current stage.
28	* As is normal for ''Castlevania''-styled games, ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'' has a couple of cases of this, such as an ability which allows you to move obstacles out of the way, or the ever-popular double jump. One which stands out as a GuideDangIt moment, however, is the [[MakingASplash Aqua Stream]] ability, which is [[RandomlyDrops dropped from]] a perfectly normal jellyfish enemy and is necessary to move through the Underground Waterway at first. Thankfully, its drop rate is exceedingly high when it comes to shards, at 10% base.
29	* In ''VideoGame/{{Carrion}}'', several entrances from the [[HubLevel Frontier area]] to other areas require abilities gained from earlier levels, such as [[InvisibilityCloak Photokinesis]] from the Botanical Gardens to bypass the door sensors that shut the entrance to the Leviathan Reef Base if tripped.
30	* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' games generally tend to give you the DoubleJump fairly early -- you'll need it constantly for the rest of the game. However, many of the upgrades are also used only once or twice.
31	* In ''VideoGame/{{Diablo\|1997}}''[='=]s ExpansionPack ''Hellfire'', you cannot reach the insect hive until the farmer character knows you well enough to talk to you about his problems (and then to give you the explosives you need to create an entrance to the hive).
32	* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'':
33	** In the PC version, you cannot get into some game areas until you are taught specific spells in class.
34	** You cannot use Spongify pads to jump until you are taught the Spongify spell, but various Spongify pads outside the castle are visible throughout the game.
35	* ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'' uses this heavily, as expected of a {{Metroidvania}}. One of its early manifestations is the path from the first area (Forgotten Crossroads) to the second (Greenpath) being blocked by an Elder Baldur which [[KungFuProofMook retreats into its invulnerable shell when you get within melee range]], forcing you to learn a magic attack to pick it off at a distance. There are also helpful visual cues for many of the spots which you will need the Desolate Dive or Crystal Heart abilities to get through: glass floors or ChunkyUpdraft for the former, bits of crystal stuck in walls for the latter. The black barriers which you need the Shade Cloak to get past provide the most obvious use for that late-game ability; annoyingly, one of the areas thus blocked off is the part of Fog Canyon where you can obtain the area map from Cornifer.
36	* The metroidvania ''VideoGame/LaMulana'' has plenty of this, but also has a [[GuideDangIt particularly evil subversion]]: the [[spoiler: Scalesphere]] can only be obtained after passing through a [[spoiler: pool of water]] that [[StupidityIsTheOnlyOption drains your health due to you not having the item]]. This is actually ''more'' likely to trip up experienced metroidvania players, who will assume the item needs to be found elsewhere before proceeding (unless they're the type to attempt SequenceBreaking on the first run).
37	* Happens several times in the ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' series.
38	** In ''VideoGame/{{Blood Omen\|LegacyOfKain}}'', the Wolf and Mist forms could reach inaccessible areas, the Disguise and Beguile forms could be used to interact peacefully with humans, and the Energy Bolt and Control Mind spells could be used to press inaccessible switches.
39	** In ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKainSoulReaver Soul Reaver]]'', Raziel generally needed the ability gained from each of his brothers to reach the next one.
40	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
41	** As a series hallmark, almost every dungeon in the series from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' onward will have puzzles that can't be solved without the item found in their respective dungeon and bosses will probably need you to use that item to beat them. In addition, one dungeon's item may be required to enter the next dungeon (or even sometimes the section of TheOverworld it lies in).
42	** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'' averts this trope by having all key items in a store waiting to be purchased, while ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' averts it by giving you every essential puzzle-solving ability in the introductory area. The only exception in the latter is the Paraglider, which is needed to get off of said introduction area, as it is surrounded in all directions by a steep drop.
43	** A common design is to use this trope to hide a BrokenBridge. For example, in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleofAges Oracle of Ages]]'', the second dungeon gives Link Roc's Feather, which gives him the ability to jump. To get to the third dungeon, he is required to have an NPC build him a raft to access the island the dungeon is on. There are some pits Link must jump over to access raft-builder's house, requiring Roc's Feather. If Link leaves the second dungeon after obtaining Roc's Feather but without completing the rest of the dungeon, he will ''still'' be unable to obtain the raft, despite being able to talk to the NPC.
44	** Notably averted in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI''. All of Hyrule, save for two screens[[note]]screens in which you need to have the Raft to access[[/note]], can be explored from the start. [[BeefGate Doing so, however, is likely to get you killed.]]
45	** The trope is prominent in the remake, ''VideoGame/BSTheLegendOfZelda'', where it interestingly combines with BrokenBridge. Certain obstacle-clearing items or events only appear or occur during certain broadcast weeks (for example, the Candle is needed in order to access the western portion of the map, but is only sold after the first week). One could wait until a later week and try to sequence break, but this defeats the purpose anyways, and the player only having one hour a week, or certain items becoming [[PermanentlyMissableContent unobtainable]].
46	** The Master Sword in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'' is absolutely required for [[spoiler: fighting Ganondorf's dragon form]]. In the event that you managed to go that far without getting the sword, [[spoiler: Zelda in her Light Dragon form will have it for you and let you pull it out without a struggle]]. This is a big contrast to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' where the Master Sword was completely optional to obtain.
47	* The ''VideoGame/{{LEGO Adaptation Game}}s'' give you characters with the required abilities to beat each level of the story mode, but almost all of the hidden collectibles require an character with a different ability to be unlocked and this used in Free Play/roaming the hub world. For example, silver items generally require someone with an explosive to destroy and gold items require some form of rapid fire or laser to destroy.
48	* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
49	** ''VideoGame/Metroid1'': Samus can only do four things without items; run, jump, flip and shoot. You need the Morph Ball to even get past the first few screens, and the Missiles and Morph Ball Bombs to get anywhere. She also needs the Hi-Jump Boots and Ice Beam to access certain areas and attack the Metroids in Tourian.
50	** ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'':
51	*** You need various abilities and equipment to proceed, as par for the course of a Metroidvania-style game. The Morph Ball, Missiles and Bombs to get beyond Crateria, and the Super Missiles, Speed Booster (or the Ice Beam if you prefer—you at least need one or the other), Power Bombs and at minimum three energy tanks are absolutely required to finish the game.
52	*** There's one point where it's combined with Some Dexterity Required: if you wind up in the optional section where the Etecoons teach you the Wall Jump (and if you happen to save your game there), you must become at least familiar with the ability to escape. This isn't too difficult, but it's notably one of the few places where good control and execution is necessary to advance, as opposed to merely making the game easier and enabling Sequence Breaking.
53	** ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' puts icons on blocks which you need a specific ability to destroy.
54	** In ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'', certain abilities acquired from Chozo statues, like the Spider Ball, are needed to gain access to new areas and others that were previously inaccessible.
55	* ''VideoGame/{{Minit}}'': The player has to find different items in order to overcome various obstacles. As an example, the player starts with most routes past their house blocked by shrubbery, which can be cut and moved past once they acquire the sword.
56	* ''VideoGame/NobodySavesTheWorld'':
57	** The guards won't let you leave the very first area of the game until a messenger arrives. You need to unlock the Ranger form and talk to them while transformed to be able to pass.
58	** Only small forms, like Rat or Slug, can squeeze through narrow openings. Fortunately, Rat is the very first transformation you unlock.
59	** To cross over water, you must be in either aquatic (Turtle, Mermaid) or flying (Ghost, Killer Bee, Dragon) form.
60	* Used very frequently in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''. There are places very early on in the game that require some of the final Brush Techniques to enter.
61	* ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'':
62	** In the first game, some doors are locked by weird growths, requiring you to have upgraded the magic of the corresponding orb to a similar level to unlock them (two purple growths requires level 2 lightning magic, for example). Notably, the only concern is that you have the ''magic'' level; you can choose to ignore upgrading the actual ''blades'' if you're looking for a challenge.
63	** The [[VideoGame/Onimusha2SamuraisDestiny second]] and [[VideoGame/Onimusha3DemonSiege third]] games have certain doors protected by a colored, tumor-like Genma called Mozun. In order to unlock said areas, you have to find the right Oni Weapon and use it (examining the Mozun will always tell you what kind of elemental Oni Weapon you need).
64	** The fourth game, ''[[VideoGame/OnimushaDawnOfDreams Dawn of Dreams]]'' has certain levels containing special locks or iron doors or walkways that can only be used by one of your party members.
65	* Applies not to you, but to your minions, in ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}''. Can't pass fire without red minions, or poison without green ones! You can go through water, but only blue minions can safely follow you, and if there's a gate-opening wheel on the other side you're just too lazy to turn it yourself.
66	* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'': A standard feature of the games has the player encounter obstacles and hazards barring access to collectibles, PlotCoupons, new areas or other forms of progression, which require the use of specific pikmin types' abilities to cross. Specifically, blue pikmin can swim and are needed to explore flooded areas, red pikmin are fireproof and are needed to navigate fire hazards, yellow pikmin are immune to electricity and are needed to tear down electrified gates, white pikmin are immune poison and are needed to cross areas laced with toxic gas, rock pikmin are needed to break apart glass walls and crystals and flying pikmin are needed to access objects on high ledges. The ability barriers go further in some cases; one boss in the game can only be damaged after getting hit by a purple pikmin.
67	* ''VideoGame/{{Rakuen}}'': The paths to the later areas of the game are blocked by bamboo and boulders in Morizora's Forest and barricaded wooden doors in the hospital. The Axe is required to chop past the bamboo and the doors while the Pickaxe is needed to break the boulders down.
68	* ''VideoGame/ShantaeRiskysRevenge'': After the second Magic Seal, the jug lady at the top of the second layer of Scuttle Town implies that the shop's wares, what are usually optional in most games, are needed to win the game:
69	--> Make sure you have the three basic magic types. You never know when they will come in handy!
70	* The Music/{{Vocaloid}} fan game ''VideoGame/SingularStone'' has certain areas that required a specific character's ability or a copy of the Air Ball item for a specific character:
71	** Most of South Coast requires Rin's flight to access, her ability which unlocked at Level 9 and requires her Level 2 Skill Stone.
72	** Luka's Level 3 Skill Stone is only reachable from a blocked gate that's located underwater in North Lake, which only accessible to Len to bomb after finding a copy of Air Ball for him.
73	** To fight the [[EldritchAbomination D.O.P.E]], the Old Relics must be in snowing mode, but the platform where Miku can transform into Snow Miku to [[WeatherManipulation change the weather]] is accessed via an underwater portal, which requires her copy of the Air Ball item. She also must be at least Level 16 to create the ice platform required to access one of the portals.
74	* ''VideoGame/{{Strider}}'':
75	** The [[Manga/{{Strider}} NES game]]: Flashing red wall? You need the Magnetic Boots to walk up it. [[GrimyWater HP-draining water]]? Requires the Aqua Boots, which you must WallJump to reach. Uncrossable spike pit? Jumping upgrade required to proceed. Low passageway? You need to acquire the sliding ability.
76	** Returns with a vengeance in the [[VideoGame/Strider2014 2014]] remake. Closed-off vents? Get that SlideAttack! Icy-blue spinning doors? Need the [[AnIcePerson Ultra-Cold Cypher]] to freeze them. Yellow-glowing doors? Must use the [[FlamingSword Explosive Cypher]] to burn through. Suspiciously weak grates in the ground? Gotta pound 'em with [[DeathFromAbove Downstrike]]! Purple magnetically-locked doors? Guess this Magnetic Cypher will come in handy!
77	* ''VideoGame/{{Subnautica}}'' accomplishes this by making several areas impossible or at least severely impractical to access without the right equipment. For example most obviously, extensive exploration of deep underwater biomes becomes easier after you craft an air tank, then a bigger tank, then a rebreather and then finally submersibles. Another example is the wreck of the ''Aurora'', which requires a lead-lined diving suit to protect from the radiation leaking from the ship's damaged fusion reactor.
78	* ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'' was set on one big island location. However, Lara was unable to explore new areas until she acquired the required gear to proceed. As these were found as the story went on, they could also count as PlotCoupons
79	* In ''VideoGame/TombRaiderAngelOfDarkness'', Lara periodically has to receive skill upgrades (grip strength, running speed, etc.) to overcome obstacles as the game progresses.
80	* ''VideoGame/TreasureHunterMan1'': The ability to damage enemies for KillEnemiesToOpen doors is achieved by finding the StarterWeapon of a sword.
81	* ''VideoGame/TribalHunter'' has a couple of skills that are needed, along side getting the first weight level upgrade. The WallJump is used a lot in later stages and is granted pretty early on, while the [[GroundPound Ground Slam]] skill is mostly seen use in the caves but still has use as a combat skill. The weight level upgrade is required due to a door that's tied to a pressure switch in the Crystal Mines that requires Munch to have over 450 pounds of fullness, but his base full capacity can only go up to 440 until he fights the Slime King and gets the weight level upgrade from them.
82	* ''VideoGame/ZanZarahTheHiddenPortal'': There are several types of obstacles blocking the main character's path. Getting through them requires a fairy of that element and a magic elemental card to boost its powers.
83	** Nature fairies can remove thorny bushes.
84	** Stone fairies can destroy giant boulders.
85	** Air fairies can use swirly air currents to let you walk on air.
86	** Fire fairies can protect you from burning alive in underground lava tunnels.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Eastern RPG]]
90	* ''VideoGame/BugFables'' locks access to areas in later chapters from abilities that are gained through the story. Most noteworthy, Snakemouth Den cannot be returned to until after learning Kabbu's Dig ability, and Vi's Fly is needed to access the Termite Capitol and a host of other areas. In the case of Fly, Vi had this skill the entire time and just refused to use it until [[spoiler:Queen Elizant II orders her to]]. It is possible to reach the spot where Fly is normally first used before advancing the story to that point, and Vi will simply refuse to fly Kabbu across the gap to continue.
91	* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' requires you to get the Epoch, a time machine that allows you to travel to a time period that has been otherwise sealed off from you. Once you have it, and especially after it is later upgraded, it allows you to clean up the remaining {{Side Quest}}s and {{Bonus Dungeon}}s much more quickly.
92	* In ''VideoGame/DragonBallZTheLegacyOfGoku 2'' and ''Buu's Fury'', certain areas can only be entered by certain characters having reached certain levels. This is evidenced by the number they must be at, bearing a color associated with the proper character (blue for Vegeta, green for Piccolo, orange for Goku, etc.).
93	* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'': Used in ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy4'' and ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy5''. The axe, torch, hammer, ladder, and three kinds of boots will be obtained throughout the games. Deliberately patterned after ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
94	** ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy4'': You even get achievements called "Used Cut", "Used Flash", "Used Rock Smash", and "Used ...Ladder?". Non-player characters at Goldenbrick Resort in ''[=EBF4=]'' call the stepladder "legendary" since there is only one in the entire world.
95	** ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy5'': This installment adds an additional number of items such as the shovel and a second type of hammer, but also the items that are necessary only for extra loot, like the Cloud Boots.
96	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' has a `you must be this short to enter' feature -- certain areas are accessibly only through tiny doorways, only available once a member of the party has the 'mini' spell.
97	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight'' has a similar routine using the Transform Staff.
98	* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' features various psynergy (psychic-magic) powers that are required to solve puzzles or remove barriers. Most notable is Grind from [[VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge the second game]], which is almost never used after its first use to break the rock barriers that separate the oceans.
99	** Similarly, Lift is used maybe once or twice to get into Magma Rock, which [[VideoGame/GoldenSun1 the first]] used quite a bit more.
100	* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', your Gummi Ship must have a sufficient Speed Stat in order to challenge the {{superboss}} battles in the first two areas. Attempting to access them with a slower Ship causes the Gummi Ship to turn around.
101	* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'':
102	** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' also has some areas that are blocked off or otherwise inaccessible until the brothers have learned some ability.
103	** This gets particularly annoying in later game ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'', where the Bros are simply [[BagOfSpilling remembering moves they knew in previous games but mysteriously forgot]]. They don't remember the first time you find an appropriate obstacle, oh no; you have to wait until the plot gets to the right point, and then backtrack later.
104	** In Toad Town there's a ''shop'' which won't sell the Bros gear until their rank (based on experience level) is high enough. Leaving aside the usual question of [[NoHeroDiscount why you're being charged for equipment when you're on a mission to save the Princess]], let's think about that for a second. If Mario and Luigi aren't high enough level to shop here, ''who the hell in the Mushroom Kingdom is''?
105	* ''[[VideoGame/PaperMario64 Paper Mario]]'', ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' and ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' has this with the obstacles cleared by partners' abilities.
106	** The first two ''Paper Mario'' games also have upgrades for Mario's Boots and Hammer. The Boot upgrades enable Mario to perform a GroundPound, as well as jump higher. The Hammer upgrades allow Mario to break sturdy blocks in his path.
107	* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIII'' makes use of caverns to transport your party between various worlds. To keep you from [[SequenceBreaking advancing too far too soon]], several of them are locked and require specific gemstones to enter; you acquire those either from InexplicableTreasureChests or from recruited party members.
108	* During the first six generations of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games, HM moves were {{Utility Weapon}}s necessary to reach plot-specific areas. Each game has certain cities and localities you can only reach once you have taught one of your Pokémon a certain HM and gained the Gym badge that allows you to use it outside of battle. Every entry that requires [=HMs=] has Cut as mandatory for the main story[[note]]in ''Black and White'', every other HM is only used to reach optional items or locations[[/note]], with Surf and Strength being close behind. However, you can obtain Pokémon that know the HM moves by trading instead of finding the HM, allowing for some minor SequenceBreaking, such as skipping the S.S. Anne in Gen I. Many players use a designated HM slave or two to carry the required moves, as while some are powerful attacks you'd want on your Pokémon (Surf is one of the most powerful Water-type moves in the game), others are near worthless (in battle, Flash was a 70% accuracy status move during Gens I-III, with much better moves being able to do the exact same thing). On top of that, you can't just overwrite them with another move; you need to talk to a special NPC you generally meet late in the game in order to delete any HM moves.[[note]]Said NPC didn't even ''exist'' in Gen I, meaning whoever you taught the HM move in those games was forever stuck with it.[[/note]]
109	** From the seventh generation onwards, you no longer need to teach your Pokémon HM moves. This trope still remains in play, however, as you now receive separate items or abilities (such as Ride Pokémon) that accomplish the same goals without using up moveslots. Meanwhile, former HM moves became TM moves that can be freely taught and removed from a Pokémon's moveset.
110	** ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' limits what creatures you are allowed to capture in the [[BeefGate Wild Area]] depending on the amount of badges you have.
111	* Constantly in ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria''. Need to defuse magically-hidden bombs? Swap timelines and learn to see invisible things. Need to sneak into a heavily-guarded area unnoticed? Swap timelines and trick a villain into showing off his TeleportSpam so you can [[PowerCopying copy it]]. Need to find a way to bypass an enemy's ability to paralyze you? Swap timelines again and talk someone who's beaten him into teaching you how they did it.
112	* A mainstay of the ''VideoGame/WildArms'' series where characters use tools to pass certain obstacles. The location where they are introduced often requires extensive use of the tool which was never required before that point.
113	* in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' the field skills from blades are mostly used for side quests and hidden items , but there are a few spots in the story that require it , and may require you to upgrade the skills by doing certain tasks or get more blades.
114	* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'', there are two abilities that can only be unlocked after completing the required Hero quest that are required for story completion: climbing vined walls, rail grinding. Two others are gained during their required Hero quest, but are not necessary for story completion: walking up flowing sand dunes, and crossing poisonous areas without taking damage.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Fighting Game]]
118	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'':
119	** Getting around the map in World of Light requires specific spirits to bypass some roadblocks, such as rocks that need to be blown up or bridges that need repairing. This can get a bit strange when you have five different spirits clearly identifiable as magicians, but not the specific one that can enlarge some mushrooms for you. Fortunately, the game automatically informs you an obstacle can be disabled once you obtain the appropriate spirit.
120	** Downplayed with the challenge battles themselves. Certain stage hazards and conditions can be neutralized by the right support spirits to make the fight much easier, which the party screen draws your attention to. For example, a battle in fierce winds with water you drown in almost instantly is much easier if you first get the nearby supports that grant wind resistance and immunity to drowning, but the fight is winnable without them.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:First-Person Shooter]]
124	* ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' has specific obstacles in the game that require you to find a certain plasmid in order to progress to another area, like the block of ice that needs to be melted by finding the Incinerate plasmid.
125	* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2: Episode One'' used this relatively early. To make sure you have a gun, the door has a padlock and you don't have a crowbar. Mainly done to ensure people picked up the gun right by the door, since it is a bit dark in there, and it could go unseen. The commentary reveals that the dev team calls this a "gate". And, ironically enough, there's an achievement in the game for grabbing that gun, hitting the padlock with it, and then ''never using it or any other bullet-shooting gun for the rest of the game'' -- it's called "The One Free Bullet" and literally everything else that happens can be taken care of with controlled application of a crowbar, [[WreakingHavok gravity gun]], or explosives.
126	* Shortly after acquiring the Leichenfaust 44[[note]]a combination BFG and Gravity Gun[[/note]] in ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein2009'', the player must use it to lift a gate they need to pass through to get to the rest of the level. The game earlier uses this trope to introduce the player to each of their new Veil powers:
127	** The only exit to the room in which the player acquires the Thule Medallion[[note]]grants Veil powers, including access to supernatural doors and ladders[[/note]] is through a Veil Door.
128	** Shortly after acquiring Mire[[note]]super speed/time slowing[[/note]] the player must navigate through a series of hallways with deadly projectiles flying down them. Doors that open only for brief periods, often in the form of force fields that temporarily short out, become relatively common obstacles from this point forward.
129	** As soon as the player acquires the Shield[[note]]allows the player to project a damage-absorbing [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin shield]][[/note]] crystal, the ability activates as they are swarmed by gun-toting enemies. Shield is also needed to exit the level, as the player must get past environmental hazards like arcing electricity and jets of steam that the power blocks.
130	** The exit to the room in which the player acquires the Empower[[note]]increased weapon damage and the ability to shoot through obstacles[[/note]] crystal is blocked by a force field - a force field which the player can now shoot through to destroy the controls on the other side. As with Mire, blocked doors like this one also become common after this point.
131	* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'' has a wide variety of chains, metal plates, and fences that must be cut through with the Laserkraftwork, and only start appearing after you get your hands on it.
132	* The second to last level of ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheOldBlood'' requires the player to use the Laderoboter, a utility walker found at the beginning of the level, to smash through various gates. The player abandons the vehicle immediately after completing the level.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Hack-And-Slash]]
136	* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'':
137	** In Mission 9 of the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 first game]], one gate can only be opened by striking a torch on fire using Ifrit.
138	** In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'', some paths can only be traversed after you obtain specific Movement Devil Hearts for your Amulet and [[SuperMode Devil Trigger]] form.
139	** In Mission 14 of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'', a white-flamed Combat Adjudicator blocks your way to the main path, ensuring the player to pick up and use the Beowulf nearby to destroy it.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:MMORPG]]
143	* ''VideoGame/LEGOLegendsOfChimaOnline'': Various overworld obstacles require the usage of special tools in order to overcome them.
144	** Disassembled bridges need to have the Builder used on them so they can be rebuilt.
145	** Blocker gates can be destroyed with the Sonic Boomer.
146	** Zapplers can shut off the power sources keeping large walls up.
147	** The Grappling Hook is used to traverse elevated terrain by either pulling the player to a different terrain level or moving across platforms.
148	** Some obstacles are deactivated by using a ranged weapon to shoot a nearby target board.
149	** Plants in the Outlands can be repulsed by launching stink bombs at them.
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:Platformer]]
153	* In ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfRadGravity'', [[NewWorldTease Volcania is accessible after completing Cyberia]], but you can't progress there until you have the Teleport Beacon from much later in the game. Sauria and Turvia can be completed in either order, but the boss of Vernia can only be defeated with the Crystals from Sauria.
154	* In ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'', you cannot so much as get into Gruntilda's Lair without knowing all of Bottles' moves from Spiral Mountain. Not that they're needed to actually get inside; [[NPCRoadblock Bottles himself simply will not let you enter the lair if you don't know them]]. This is really for your own good, as you wouldn't be able to accomplish very much without them. Played straight with the Talon Trot, which you need to get beyond the first section of Gruntilda's Lair. You also need the Shock Spring Jump in order to open Clanker's Cavern.
155	* ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie''
156	** The game does this to limit progress through the HubLevel. You need to have learned Grip Grab to get into Plateau, Fire Eggs to get into Pine Grove, Split Up to get into Cliff Top, Talon Torpedo to get into Wasteland, Springy Step Shoes to get into Quagmire, and Claw Clamber Boots to enter the Cauldron Keep. Even the in-game cheats don't get around these requirements.
157	** The Zubba hive in Cloud Cuckooland presents a variation. You're not allowed in unless you demonstrate you can shoot a target 20 times in 10 seconds, which effectively means You Must Be A Bee To Enter.
158	* In ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'', different groups of Areas require specific Communicators (which you must select at the beginning of a level in the NES version, unlike in the remake, where they are automatically equipped) to unlock their doors, you need the Flares to illuminate [[BlackoutBasement Area 4]], Area 14 requires a passcard to enter, Areas 6 and 7 are blocked by barriers that require the Rocket Launcher and 3-Way Gun, respectively, to pass, and Area 3 in the remake requires that you have the Power Claw [[AnachronicOrder from Area 6]].
159	* In the second level of ''VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster'', Oompi says, "You're going to need the lizard's help to get through this next area." This alludes to a passage that is otherwise too narrow for Nemo to enter.
160	* In ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'', you don't need to pick up the Magnet Beam in Elec Man's stage to beat Elec Man, but you do need it to finish the first Dr. Wily stage. And since it's stuck behind some blocks that can only be broken with Elec Man's or Guts Man's powers, you either need to beat Guts Man first, or play through Elec Man's stage twice.
161	** From ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' on, any required item is earned by beating a Robot Master, thus ensuring the player has all the tools necessary to complete the game. Later games featured additional items the player can find or purchase, but they're not strictly required.
162	** In ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'', the room leading to Area F is locked by a ceiling switch that you must hit with Model ZX's or HX's Saber attack or by shooting upwards with Model FX.
163	** ''VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent'' has three instances of this, with entrance to the plot-important levels gated by acquiring the transformations of the available Pseudoroids before new ones can be unlocked. First, you need Model A's WallJump to reach the areas above the Train area. Second is the Oil Field, which has a gate locked by three switches [[PlotTailoredToTheParty conveniently blocked with obstacles matching each of your forms]]. Third is the Quarry area, which is hidden behind contraptions that the forms acquired since the last gate are needed to overcome.
164	* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''VideoGame/TheMessenger'': When you first reach the catacombs, you will inevitably fall down a deep hole with a shop at the bottom and no way up. The shopkeeper will give you a story about finding the power within you, [[BaitAndSwitch and then give you some climbing claws]] so you can scale walls. Later, you reach a new area and learn about how some people use magic to fly, and then [[MundaneSolution the shopkeeper gives you a wingsuit]]. The third and final time, you make it to the volcanic ruins, and the shopkeeper gives you a rope dart. When asked, the shopkeeper makes it clear that you'll need it, so you're getting it, end of story.
165	* In ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdgeCatalyst'', certain parts of the map are inaccessible until you unlock the MAG Rope's abilities to pull you upwards or dislodge debris blocking the way.
166	* ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest'' uses this trope in typical Metroidvania style. For sheer-walled shafts you need the WallJump or Wall Climb; to break the blue barriers you need [[ChargedAttack Charge Flame]]; other-colored barriers need to be destroyed by a like-colored enemy or their projectile, sometimes via the Bash ability; to cross large spike pits or gaps you need DoubleJump, Bash, Glide, or a combination of all three; and for the wooden post switches and certain breakable floors you need the GroundPound. Furthermore, in the UpdatedRerelease, certain secrets in the main game are locked until you have the new Dash and Light Burst abilities acquired in the BonusDungeon.
167	* Certain stages of ''VideoGame/PhineasAndFerbQuestForCoolStuff'' have areas that cannot be accessed until Phineas and Ferb have obtained a specific upgrade for their A.T.T. If the player tries to enter these areas without the right upgrade, Phineas will refuse to go any further and turn around. If a stage requires an upgrade they don't have, the player won't even be allowed to enter the stage at all until they've built it.
168	* Happens fairly often in ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' via Gadgets that are required to beat certain level paths, especially in the first three games. Players who are thorough with level exploration however never encounter this as they find the required gadgets and Infobots well beforehand through the course of normal play.
169	** [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2002 The first game]] in particular has a chain that can stretch across half the games levels if you didn't play them thoroughly. To get to planet Hoven, you need to find the Infobot on Orxon as Ratchet. To do that, he needs to pick up the O2 Mask on Pokitaru via a minigame. That minigame needs the Pilot's Helmet, which is found on planet Gaspar. The Infobot with the co-ordinates to Gaspar is on Batalia, but you need the Grind Boots to get to it. The Grind Boots are bought from a scientist who is found on the Blarg Tactical Research Station.
170	** Also in the original game, players will have a 50/50 chance of running into this early in the game. Novalis has two paths which unlock new worlds, one to Metropolis and one to Aridia. However to complete all of Aridia's three paths, you need the Swingshot, which is found on Metropolis. To make the issue worse, Metropolis unlocks Eudora at the end of one of its paths, which requires the Trespasser to beat. Where do you find that? Why, at the end of the path on Aridia that needs the Swingshot, of course! Needless to say, unless you've memorized the level order and logistics perfectly (or just play through all of the paths), there's a high chance you'll run into this issue.
171	** In ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando Going Commando]]'', to get access to Planet Siberius, you need to do a lot. On Oozla, you need to go right for the Tractor Beam, and left for the coordinates to the Maktar Resort. On Maktar Resort, you can go right and use the Tractor Beam to solve some puzzles and get to the Jamming Array, which gives you the coordinates to Barlow, while going left and doing the tournament will give you the Electrolyzer, as well as the coordinates to Endako. On Endako, the right path takes you to Clank's apartment, where you can find the [[GrapplingHookPistol Swingshot]] and GrindBoots, while the left path, which requires the Electrolyzer, will allow you to rescue Clank. On Barlow, going up the ramp will take you to a section where you need the Swingshot, and continuing that path will allow you to buy the Thermanator, while the cave path ends in a DoorToBefore next to a gap that you need Clank to jump over. Completing the Hoverbike race that's across the gap will give you the coordinates to the Feltzin System, and completing that will give you the coordinates to Notak. On Notak, going across the bridge and following the path will take you to a room that you need the Thermanator to complete, and it will eventually continue to a chemical factory that you also need the Thermanator to complete. At the end of the factory, you can finally buy the coordinates to Siberius.
172	** In ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016'', you need to find the Hydrodisplacer on Aridia to get through the sewers in Blackwater City and get the Trespasser, which you need to get through a door on the Blarg Tactical Station. You'll also need the Thruster-Pack to get through Kalebo III, due to a Thrusterbolt that requires it.
173	* While levels that ''require'' an ability to clear always give you the ability right before you need it, ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games since ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' have generally had bonuses hidden behind gates and platforms that need clever applications of the games' various Color Powers use to breach. Since they're single-use, this often requires picking up the power and then finding a way hold onto it instead of using it when you're otherwise supposed to. In Colors, this would also mean passing by paths you can't access the first time you play a stage, and then replaying it again after unlocking that ability in a later stage.
174	* ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'' had this in the form of swimming, climbing, and the headbash move. The abilities had to be purchased from Moneybags in order to complete each hub area, and some orb sidequests also required them, meaning you may occasionally need to backtrack to previous areas for 100% completion.
175	[[/folder]]
176
177	[[folder:Puzzle Games]]
178	* In ''VideoGame/{{Antichamber}}'', it is mostly played straight with the different block guns. SequenceBreaking is possible, but it tends to require considerably more ingenuity and dexterity than the intended solution.
179	* Humorous example in ''[[VideoGame/DeadlyRoomsOfDeath DROD: Gunthro and the Epic Blunder]]''. In this {{Prequel}}, the player controls Beethro's grandfather Gunthro, within a FramingDevice of Beethro narrating Gunthro's adventures to his nephews. At one point Gunthro needs to cross shallow water, and Beethro suddenly remembers he could do this all along. In the next chapter, Gunthro needs to return to his homeland and deal with some infiltrators. The entrance to their hideout is in a room he passed through before, blocked off by shallow water.
180	* This is literally the case in the ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy'' series; the larger your katamari becomes, the larger the stuff you can roll up. Levels frequently have barriers with signs on it stating a size number, which you can't roll up (or thus explore beyond them) until your katamari crosses that threshold.
181	* In each game of the ''VideoGame/UncleAlbertsAdventures'' series, you need to collect permanent tools to access some places.
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	[[folder:Roguelike]]
185	* To descend into the deepest parts of the main dungeon in ''VideoGame/AncientDomainsOfMystery'', the player needs to pass a wall of fire blocking the down staircase, which requires an artifact called the Chaos Orb of Elemental Fire that is also required in the endgame. And it's just as well that the wall forces the player to [[strike: be that tall]] get the Orb, because otherwise no sane person would enter the Tower of Eternal Flames where the Orb, massive equipment destruction, and rapid immolation for the newbie player resides.
186	* Earlier versions of ''VideoGame/NetHack'' had an endgame set in Hell, and if you entered it without Fire Resistance you were instantly burnt to a crisp. There are many ways to obtain said fire resistance, but any means will work. (These days, getting anywhere near the endgame without a bucketload of resistances is merely ''mostly'' suicidal.)
187	* Sometimes in ''VideoGame/WatersFine'', when diving, you will be met with a collection of rocks that completely block your path. In such instances, which get more and more likely the deeper you dive, you need bombs/bomb shells to break through and advance.
188	[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:Simulation]]
191	* In ''VideoGame/RootsOfPacha'', some rooms in the cave system are blocked off until you receive the totem powers or acquire the tools needed to enter them.
192	[[/folder]]
193
194	[[folder:Survival Horror]]
195	* ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' will allow you to proceed beyond certain doors (some plot-related, others only for collectibles) after you upgrade your access tuner. The same for some sealed passages, you will require to upgrade your gas torch to an ion torch and then a plasma torch before being able to cut them open.
196	* ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'' occasionally puts force fields emblazoned with a rune in your way. Acquiring the rune pictured and approaching the barrier dissolves it. Most of the game's puzzles then become about finding the correct spell and the power level necessary to bypass or eliminate obstacles that are put in your path.
197	* This happens all the time in various ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' games (most notably in the earlier games), often with either a crank or valve handle.
198	* The service elevator in ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'''s hotel only allows one person to enter without baggage.
199	** You can't even take a few ''pieces of paper'' onto it with you.
200	* ''VideoGame/SweetHome1989'' gives each member of your party a unique item that is used to solve the many puzzles in the game: Kazuo's lighter to burn certain objects, Asuka's vacuum to restore frescoes, Taguchi's camera to reveal hidden clues on said frescoes, Akiko's first aid kit to cure status ailments, and Emi's key to unlock doors. With PermaDeath in place in this game, the loss of even one party member can make some puzzles unsolvable, forcing you to either find an item that can replicate the dead party member's function (taking up your very limited inventory space in so doing) or find another way to proceed.
201	[[/folder]]
202
203	[[folder:Tabletop Game]]
204	* In ''TabletopGame/CastlevaniaNocturneOfTheTabletop'', some events will require you to jump high, cross gaps, or even turn into mist to proceed. If you can’t complete the event, it’s left on the board to be completed later.
205	[[/folder]]
206
207	[[folder:Western RPG]]
208	* In ''Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun'', your party is unable to explore a particularly volcano-y cave without every member wearing Rings of Fire Resistance. Aside from their obvious advantages involving the resistance of fire, these items are only really necessary for this part. Take a ring off and your character will slowly burn to death.
209	* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'': as a druid, before you can get your stronghold and its related quests, you also have to be a level 13 character to attempt to challenge the rite of passage. It may take a lot of time because the druid xp requirements for levels 13 and 14 are higher compared to other classes.
210	* Different obstacles in the Fade during ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' each require different [[VoluntaryShapeshifting alternate forms]], which are obtained from lost souls somewhere in the dreamscape. The rat can go through rat holes, the spirit can go through portals, the golem can smash large doors, and the, er, burning corpse can walk through fire.
211	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
212	** Downplayed in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', where you must levitate to reach the upper levels of Telvanni mage towers. If you haven't bothered to train your Alteration skill, this can be a hindrance to advancing in many quests. Luckily, potions of levitation are found in abundance and several items enchanted with levitation spells are given to you through quests. (Including one given to you as part of the main quest ''right'' before you're required to enter Telvanni towers for the first time.) You can also brew your own potions or make your own enchanted items.
213	** To access the summit of the Throat of the World in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', you need to learn a specific Shout in order to part the blizzard that will otherwise rapidly drain your health. Said Shout is only learned as part of the main questline, barring you from the area until you make a certain amount of progress.
214	* To enter the ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' DLC ''Honest Hearts'', you need to be carrying an inventory load of 75 pounds or less, while it's 100 pounds if you have Speech and Barter skills of 50 or more or have the Strong Back perk. In ''Lonesome Road'', you need a Science skill of 75 to access the Hopeville silo mainframe and unlock the way forward.
215	** In both cases, any progress-blocking effect is dulled by the fact that skill magazines and chems are quite plentiful in game.
216	* ''VideoGame/LandsOfLore 2: Guardians of Destiny'' contains lots of areas that can only be accessed if the hero is in the form of a giant beast (allowing him to shove obstacles out of his way) or a tiny lizard (allowing him to slip through cracks). The hard part about this is that, for a good chunk of the game, you have ''absolutely no control'' over when he transforms or which form he changes into if and when he does.
217	* ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' had, throughout the series, the need to learn a skill to be able to cross water (or, in some games, to cross water ''without taking damage'' -- not much of a problem with a stream, insurmountable for an island some distance from the coast). In I-V and X, this was specifically waterwalking, and in I-V you also had skills to cross forest and mountain regions. In VI-IX, the different map structure meant that ''flying'' worked equally as well as waterwalking (which meant that VIII had ''four'' separate abilities that all allowed it, thanks to keeping the spells while also having racial abilities that could be honed) -- generally, by the time you needed to cross water chances were you already knew a fitting spell.
218	** The straight example would be Perception in VI. There was one plot-critical dungeon which doors could be opened only by someone with Expert Perception - otherwise the doors not only wouldn't open, but also damage you. This could be easily rectified by learning the skill and training it, but unfortunately the skill was pretty useless outside this moment.
219	* ''VideoGame/SporeCreatures'': At regular intervals, the player will be stopped by a long stretch of hazardous ground that cannot be crossed until the player obtains a certain pair of legs that will provide immunity to the given hazard. The earliest example of this is in the third region of Tapti, where the Bushley legs are required to cross a path of thorns.
220	[[/folder]]
221
222	[[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]]
223	* ''VideoGame/AlbaAWildlifeAdventure'': You can't get into the main part of the reserve until you talk to the carpenter and gain the toolkit, to fix the literal BrokenBridge.
224	* Zigzagged in ''{{VideoGame/Valheim}}'': Most items dropped by bosses aren't needed to progress so much as to attain the materials for the next tier of gear, greatly reducing the time and randomness in obtaining them. Actually getting those materials involves foraying into new biomes and slowly crafting better gear until you can not just survive the biome but thrive in it:
225	** Killing Eikthyr lets you craft a pickaxe with which to start mining copper and stone in the Black Forest biome, leading to bronze gear. It's possible, if time-consuming, to get trolls to destroy rocky outcrops, letting you collect the ore.
226	** Killing the Elder gets you the Swamp Key, which gives you access to the main source of iron in the game. Iron can be found outside the crypts in much lower quantities and entirely based on luck as the deposits are few, far between and only occasionally above ground.
227	** Killing Bonemass gives you the Wishbone, which makes a noise when near buried treasure. Silver veins in the mountains can be detected by whacking the ground with a Stagbreaker, but once again is entirely dependent on luck. Silver is also necessary to craft cold-resistant gear, which leaves the player dependent on temporary potions to explore the mountains.
228	** Killing Moder gives you access to the next tier of material refining stations, without which most of the Plains' resources cannot be refined.
229	** Killing Yagluth lets you find wisps to partially clear away the otherwise ever-present fog in the Mistlands. Going in the Mists without a wisp is technically possible but very much a SelfImposedChallenge.
230	[[/folder]]
231
232	[[folder:Non-Video Game Media]]
233	* In ''Fanfic/AGameForTheFool'', the System locks Wei Wuxian out of going near the Burial Mounds as he is neither strong enough or near the plot to survive it.
234	[[/folder]]
235

Context Main / AbilityRequiredToProceed