History EleventhHourSuperpower / VideoGames

** ''VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries'': ''Sonic and the Secret Rings'' and ''Sonic and the Black Knight'' do things slightly differently, allowing Sonic to transform into Darkspine Sonic and Excalibur-Sonic to fight their respective final bosses.

* ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' has a strange example of this for its FinalBoss fight. The Queen Beast of the Grotesqueries begins to sing once it arrives in Tokyo, of "light and dark, good and evil." The mission is to silence its song. To do this, you emit the song back at the monstrosity so that the two cancel each other out. While being deeply [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic symbolic]] of the protagonist's [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil embodiment of humanity as a whole]], it is [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible mind-bogglingly impossible]] to describe how this conflict would take place in any world other than that of [[ThePhilosopher Plato]]nic Forms or similar realms of [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence higher existence]]. The symbolism is the reality, which leaves one clawing out their own eyes wondering where the reality is.

* In ''VideoGame/APlagueTaleInnocence'', Hugo gains the power [[spoiler:to control rats]] in the final part of the game. This changes the gameplay drastically for the last chapter.

* The ''[[VideoGame/SiN1998 SiN (1998)]]'' ExpansionPack ''Wages of Sin'' similarly gave you a nuclear rocket launcher at the end of the game, although you were free to use it on anything you wanted (but you were probably better off saving it for the final boss).

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* In ''VideoGame/{{Kinder}}'', Shunsuke obtains the White Rose Ring after going through the storybook area. The only thing left is to face off against the FinalBoss, and the battle becomes a joke because the White Rose Ring leaves Shunsuke immune to any status-effect the boss may hit him with.

* In ''VideoGame/StarControlII'', you receive a fleet of ridiculously powerful battleships free of charge just before you venture into the final battle.
** On the flip side, your main ship -- which you can build into an even more ridiculously powerful badass of a ship before that point -- gets neutered into near uselessness at the same time. Considering that the main ship, when fully specialized for combat, is more powerful than all twelve of your other ships put together, this is actually a downgrade if you ignore the one-shot plot weapon added to the main ship.
*** Contrary to general opinion, it is possible to unlock Chmmr Avatar ships before the final ship refit. And they will be sold for money, and not for free. On the other hand, the last leg of the plot consists of a grand total of a single run through hostile territory (where it's entirely possible to avoid anyone and everyone - as your movement isn't impaired), and a grand total of two battles (one of which is basically autocombat with 6 Chmmr Avatars, and the second one is a cakewalk by Pkunk Fury).

* In ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Battle of Aces'', Reinforce's FinalBoss fight against Material-D is greatly simplified by [[spoiler:Hayate acting as a [[FusionDance unison device]] for her (!), giving her all 18 {{Power Up}}s in the game.]]

* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift'', the Arcade Mode's final battle is against Hazama/Terumi. As Ragna, you get [[SuperMode Blood Kain]] always-on without [[DeadlyUpgrade its life-loss]] effects.
** Ragna's Azure Grimoire (the source of said powerup) in general. It's permanently grafted into his arm, but he seldom uses it. It's seen in action only in the aforementioned Terumi battle, his final battle with Unlimited Hakumen and Nu in Calamity Trigger's true ending, and as a probably non-canon BonusBoss in Calamity Trigger arcade mode. Why he dislikes using it is yet to be revealed.
*** ''Continuum Shift's'' story mode reveals why: [[spoiler:Ragna's Grimoire is actually what's left of the Black Beast. In his Bad Ending, its power consumes Ragna and turns him into another Black Beast that has to be put down by Jubei and Rachel.]]
** A villainous example occurs at the finale of ''Central Fiction'' [[spoiler:with [[BigBad Yuuki Terumi]] [[HeroKiller killing Hakumen]] and [[GrandTheftMe taking over the Susano'o Unit that his soul occupied]]. The twist is that said Unit is the body of the Japanese God of Storms Susanoo...[[GodOfEvil and it originally belonged to Terumi]]. He then proceeds to use the Unit's full power (Hakumen at his best only used up to 40% during the events of the series) and]] [[CurbStompBattle demolishes five of the strongest characters in the franchise without breaking a metaphorical sweat]]. It's pretty clear that he was only allowed to do this then [[TheBadGuyWins because the plot would have been over in minutes any time earlier]].

* If you get a new mecha in the last few stages of a ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' game, expect it to be a total gamebreaker. Here are a few: the [[spoiler:[[Anime/EurekaSevem Nirvash Spec 3]]]] from the last stage of SRW Z, [[spoiler:Alfimi]] in Impact and in OG 2, and in the good ending of Alpha 3, [[spoiler:you get reinforcements on the last stage in the form of the Nashim Gun Eden, the final boss of Alpha 2, WITH HER FINAL BOSS STATS INTACT. It's pretty much impossible for her to be killed because of that massive HP bar, but you only get her after the final boss is around half dead.]]
** At the second-to-last stage of OG Gaiden, Raul rescues his companions, who board the Excellence Lightning. ''And start acting as '''subpilots''' for the Lightning.'' It carries over into the final stage as well. Well-upgraded, Raul can practically solo the last two stages after this event.
** Alpha Gaiden offers [[spoiler:Sanger Zonvolt in his Thrudgelmir]]; although it is downgraded from [[spoiler:his]] self, it's pretty much the best unit in the game. It has high HP and Armor, not so bad mobility (which isn't really needed), a nice set of weapons, and EN and HP regeneration L, making it pretty much unkillable. Considering the game is pretty NintendoHard, it isn't enough to solo the remaining stages alone, but getting [[spoiler:him]] makes the TrueFinalBoss fight against [[spoiler:Shu Shirakawa]] MUCH more easier.
** In ''[[GaidenGame Dark Prison]]'' where Shu Shirakawa is the headlining protagonist, him acquiring [[spoiler: the Neo Granzon]] is treated as an EleventhHourSuperpower as he first has access to it [[spoiler: after conning Shiva Volkruss, who surprisingly is just a DiscOneFinalBoss as you still have 7 more stages to go]] and at the final stage of the game. He doesn't use it during the other stages because he treats it as his trump card.
** Thanks to a mandatory event in scenario 56 of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ: Tengoku-hen'', the entire cast attains the permanent status buff called "[[spoiler:Shinka]]"[[note]]Maximum Will +50, maximum Spirit Points +50, increase base damage to all unit weaponry by 2000.[[/note]]
** Several units in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsV'' have final attacks or upgrades that are only unlocked in the last five stages of the game, such as the [[OriginalGeneration VangNex/GranVang's final attack]], [[Anime/CrossAnge Vilkiss's True Ability Unlock]], [[Manga/GetterRobo the Shin Getter's/Shin Dragon's Shin Shine Spark]], [[Literature/MobileSuitGundamHathawaysFlash the Xi Gundam's Missile Pod]], [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ the Double Zeta's Full Armor Parts]] (though those can be obtained earlier through as a secret), [[Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico the Nadesico C's Phase Transition Cannon]] and [[Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato2199 the Yamato's Wave Motion Gun.]]



* ''VideoGame/{{Sudeki}}'' does this too. After collecting the people of your own realm and their darkness counterparts, you set our for the final boss battle. Before engaging him, each of the characters fuse with their darkness counterparts to become complete and overly powerful, but you only get to play one full character out of the remaining four. The others are parted by a barrier.

* ''Platypus'' has the Lightning power-up star, which is seen in the power-up list if you wait in the main menu long enough. The catch? This power-up never appears until the last phase of the final boss, where the power-up stars switch to Lightning, where you'll fire beams that pierce through enemies.

* In ''VideoGame/WildArms2'', the protagonist's SuperMode is powered by a demon sealed away hundreds of years ago combined with the holy sword used to seal it away. The final battle occurs after the demon breaks free, leaving only the sword that the protagonist was unable to draw at the beginning of the game. One NoMoreHoldingBackSpeech later, he's blasting the demon with [[CombinedEnergyAttack Combined Energy Attacks]] in his new "Hero of the Sword" form while the rest of humanity makes speeches about not leaving him to fight alone.

* In ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim's [[GrandFinale Finest Hour]]'', the title character gets one in the form of a sword called "the Power of Understanding", after realising that he and the BigBad Gideon aren't so different. Natural, due to the heavy video game influences.
** Not just that, but in the video game adaptation, you get the obscenely-powerful Power of Love Sword in the final stage of the game, and you only have it for fighting the penultimate boss. Luckilly, there's a cheat code that allows you to use it throughout the entire game.


* In ''VideoGame/WingCommander: Privateer'', as you're headed towards an ambush planned by the navy for the [[NeglectfulPrecursors Steltek]] drone that was following you the whole game, a Steltek ship appears and offers to upgrade the (already super-powerful) Steltek gun you've found earlier. You can decline, but it's unwise, since the upgrade is the only thing capable of even making a dent in the drone's shields.

* In the Wii version of ''VideoGame/ABoyAndHisBlob'', you get the InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha jellybean right after [[spoiler:Blob is brought back to life via the boy's SwissArmyTears]]. Because you can easily trample over all enemies with it, you only use it in the last two levels.

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', you gain the ability to call upon reinforcements during the [[spoiler:siege of Denerim.]] It helps even the odds in the FinalBattle, since the FinalBoss is summoning its ''own'' reinforcements too. In ''Awakening'', you can activate Tevinter Towers in the final dungeon that will grant you several one shot combat abilities such as mass healing, mass stun, and a damaging fire blast that are only available during the FinalBattle. [[spoiler:Siding with the Architect]] will also grant you an even more powerful fire attack aptly named "Cataclysm".

* Just before the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/BionicCommando: Rearmed'', you get the Bazooka upgrade, which allows you to freely control its shots. However, you can keep playing after beating the game and use this weapon everywhere else.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Purple}}'', you get Final Frisbee right before you fight the final boss's [[MakeMyMonsterGrow enlargened form]].

* In ''VideoGame/FableI'', you get an InfinityPlusOneSword -- two variations with the different flavor but same function depending on alignment -- at the end of the core story. It is pretty much guaranteed to be your main weapon throughout the short and brutal Lost Chapters.

* In ''VideoGame/RogueGalaxy'', the main character Jaster gets a glowy power aura of strength and a {{BFS}} with infinite reach to defeat the [[SequentialBoss final form]] of the TrueFinalBoss.
** He also gets this with his fight with Seed and another person in the desert town, only minus the BFS.

* In ''VideoGame/EverquestII'', this trope is in full force in the Vasty Deep: The Vestigal Cella zone. The boss of the zone can summon her elite guard, who can one-shot most people. If you burn her slowly, though, a dragon who you fought before will fly in and imbue you with the power of the seas, massively increasing your health and your damage to fight off the elite guard.

* ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic VII'' gives you blaster guns for your final two missions, the latter of which will upgrade you to {{BFG}}s. It's a considerable upgrade from the swords, daggers, and staves you'd been using up to that point.
** VI does something similar (the third mission from the end is all about ''getting'' blasters, but the second-to-last mission is non-combat and rather short), with the addition that blasters are actually ''necessary'' to win the game, rather than just very, very useful. Of course, in both games, you might want to go off and get a few more levels (for the skill points necessary to get better at hitting with your new 'superpower') before continuing with the main story, and it is entirely possible to have much of the game left after getting the blasters (the games do not end after the main quest does, and there are plenty of side-quests).

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' has the Tesla Cannon from the Broken Steel DLC, an incredibly powerful shoulder-fired electric cannon that uses only one Electron Charge Pack, one of the most common ammo types, per shot. The earliest you can obtain it is at the final battle against the Enclave at Adams Air Force Base. Where it will be incredibly useful, given the insane number of Power Armor-wearing Enclave personnel there. And unlike "Take It Back!" from the core game, you have to fight them by yourself, with no Liberty Prime or Lyons' Pride backing you up.
** Likewise on of the more powerful armors in the game, the Tesla armor is only found after you are kidnapped by the Enclave, who also tend to carry high end and hard to find guns.
* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' lets you get [[FinalBoss Legate Lanius's]] {{BFS}} the Blade of the East after killing him, but you can't use it for much since you're past the PointOfNoReturn at this point and ''New Vegas'' has no PlayableEpilogue. It works great on [[PostFinalBoss General Oliver and his Rangers]] in the Mr. House and WildCard endings, though.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** During the course of the ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' main quest, an event occurs which grants you IdealIllnessImmunity. Given that the setting is positively ''rife'' with Common and Blight diseases which lower your attributes and hinder progress, this is an extremely helpful power to gain.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' inverts this: Martin who [[BarrierMaiden is the only one who can fix the Oblivion Crisis]] has spent the whole game tagged as Quest-Essential, meaning he can't be killed. In the last two missions of the main quest (the Great Gate and the Seige on the Imperial City), he looses that tag meaning he can be killed, which gives you a game over. And seeing as friendly NPC's tend to have [[LeeroyJenkins suicidal]] [[ArtificialStupidity tactics]]...
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' gives you the "[[BrownNote Dragon Rend]]" shout, which makes dragon killing a LOT easier and is received towards the end of the main quest line. Bonus points as you often find or are taught shouts throughout the main quest line and receive Dragon Rend because you are actively ''trying'' to find out how [[BigBad Alduin]] was beaten [[SealedEvilInACan last time]].

* ''VideoGame/SecretOfEvermore'' has the Energize power, granted via Call Bead near the end of the game: It allows the use of {{Charged Attack}}s instantly, meaning your robot dog can rather effortlessly BeamSpam the final bosses to death. It's not very beneficial to the player character, due to his ultimate weapon of a bazooka lacking a charged attack (though it doesn't need it).

* In ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'', the Massacre, which is obtained after completing a successful pacifist run.

* ''VideoGame/InFamous'': the final karmic choice, just before the final boss has you decide to activate or destroy the Raysphere. Destroying it sets your karma to maximum whereas activating it sets your karma so low it will never rise, gives you an extra 6 health slots and gives you a damage boost and cool colour change.
** ''VideoGame/InFAMOUS2'' has this in the second-to-last story mission. A thunderstorm moves in when the mission begins, allowing Cole to draw power ''from the storm itself'', [[BottomlessMagazines allowing the player to recharge anywhere]].
** ''VideoGame/InfamousSecondSon'' plays with the trope: Delsin finally gets the Concrete power... [[spoiler:at its ''lowest'' strength, and can't change it to one of his better powersets. Luckily, Eugene brings in Core Relays to power it up]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Chorus}}'', [[spoiler:Nara and Forsa [[FusionDance merge into]] [[PhysicalGod the One]] during the final phase of the FinalBoss fight with the Great Prophet. Their minds become as one and their power becomes immeasurable. Forsa's hull is covered in glowing blue lines and flames, his weapons are replaced by rapid-fire energy blasts that tear through any small ship, and his [[RamingAlwaysWorks Rite of the Stars]] becomes so powerful he can smash through battleships in seconds.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'', the Plasma Rifle is only received after fighting the second-to-last boss. At which point there's an UnexpectedGameplayChange, and the weapon becomes almost useless, since you don't really have any heavy enemies to fight. It may become useful again when facing the FinalBoss, though.

* In ''VideoGame/SiN'', the experimental fusion pulse rifle can only be obtained three levels from the endgame, and requires the assembly of several different pieces (the first of which is obtained very early in the game). Somewhat toyed with; while it is a deadly weapon in its own right, and is capable of killing most enemies from that point on with a couple shots, it won't do much good against the final boss.

* The battering ram from ''VideoGame/{{Bastion}}'', although due to its limited range and slow attack speed, [[AwesomeButImpractical you might wish you could just use your normal weapons instead]].

* ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', of all possible games, gives you this in the Shrine of Storms, to avoid forcing an effective game restart for any melee-focused character. Against the [[GiantFlyer Storm King]], the final boss of this world, make a dash for the abandoned [[SuspiciousVideogameGenerosity Stormruler]] sword, and you'll be throwing RazorWind around like so much candy. It's strong enough to be superior to the innate damage potential of most ranged or magical characters, making it a weapon of choice for them as well, and to avoid balance issues, it loses most of its power outside of the Storm King's domain. Not, of course, that an InfinityPlusOneSword will make this boss ''easy''... it's still not that kind of game.

* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia'' gives you a glyph that allows ''unlimited flight''... halfway through the final area. To be fair, you ''can'' use it in one of the {{bonus dungeon}}s. The one that's entirely focused on combat.
** You also get three Dominus glyphs throughout the first half of the game, but using them together automatically kills you until the very end of the game where the combination is required to defeat the final boss.

* ''VideoGame/WarhammerOnline'' has the Lost Vale, one of the hardest PVE raid areas in the game. The final boss, N'Kari, is a terror -- but this is offset by colored orbs floating in the arena that increase your DPS, healing, or hitpoints to crazy levels for a short time. Just make sure they pick up the right ones -- having your ranged attackers gain a truckload of hitpoints, your healers get a buff to damage dealing, and your tanks become very good at healing is not good.

* ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' [[spoiler:has ''three''. The first one is at the end of Act 2 Episode 12, where Asura turns into Berserker Asura, where he gains massive glowing arms and can shoot down an entire space fleet with no effort, and it's never used again afterwards. The second time happens in Act 3, Episode 18, and it is a really extreme example of this trope, Asura gets powered up by Mithra's prayer combined with her mother's guidance. He gains not 4, not 6, but over 100 pairs of arms that fuse into humongous gauntlets called Mantra Asura for the final battle with Gohma Vlitra. The final and most extreme one is at the beginning of Act 4, Episode 22, where Asura uses the [[FullPotentialUpgrade newly-implanted Karma Fortress Reactor]] to absorb the massive planet-killing beam fired by [[TrueFinalBoss Chakravartin]], growing larger than the planet Gaea itself and gaining ''six'' humongous gauntlets known as Asura the Destructor or Six-Armed Mantra Asura. Notably, while this form ''does'' allow him to match and overpower Chakravartin, the enemy god manages to destroy all those arms by the time he goes OneWingedAngel and obstinately bringing Asura back down to just base form...but Asura has gotten ''so pissed off'' his power ''still'' surpasses Chakravartin even without any fancy abilities.]]

* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'': It's not in the last level, but the [=RCP-120=] comes at just the right moment in [[ThatOneLevel the hardest level in the game]] for Joanna Dark to grab it, activate the InvisibilityCloak, and sneak past a dozen guards to defuse a bomb before it destroys the Institute.

* In ''VideoGame/MSSagaANewDawn'', it's both [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack the Nu Gundam and the Sazabi]].


* In ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', you are given the Three Sacred Treasures to use in Chapter 9 and the ensuing fight against Medusa. [[spoiler:But it turns out Medusa is far from the final boss, and Hades, the real villain, outright destroys the Three Sacred Treasures when Pit tries to use them against him. This is followed by Pit obtaining the Great Sacred Treasure, a giant, all-powerful mech suit. However, Hades inflicts more and more damage to it throughout the battle, causing it to change into smaller and smaller forms; he outright destroys the Great Sacred Treasure near the battle's end, and (after some timely and completely unexpected [[MegatonPunch assistance]] from Medusa) you are forced to use the G.S.T's cannon to charge up the final strike that decimates Hades' body, defeating him.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DuelSaviorDestiny'', this happens multiple times by use of differing forms of various characters, but the most obvious of these is the one that takes place right before the final boss, where Taiga transforms into Super Taiga, which in terms of gameplay is Taiga with far better range, slightly better speed and damage, and the ability to autoblock like bosses do. In terms of story, [[spoiler:he's actually more powerful than God.]]

* The ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' remake has your squad StormingTheCastle in the form of a giant [[TheMothership Temple Ship]]. One member of the squad, the Volunteer, has reached a point in his or her psychic training that a new [[PsychicPowers psi-ability]] is unlocked -- the Rift, which creates a SwirlyEnergyThingy that persists for a few turns, dealing damage to anyone in its radius. Since you're constantly getting stormed by the aliens, the ability is useful, although not really a GameBreaker. In fact, the first time you use it, the BigBad will compliment the Volunteer on his or her achievement ([[spoiler:it turns out that the whole AlienInvasion was a SecretTest to turn humans into powerful warriors, combining strength, endurance, intelligence, and [[PsychicPowers the Gift]] for...something. Given that you destroy the aliens at the end of the game, the plan has GoneHorriblyRight. Also, the BigBad pretty much states that all the aliens you have been fighting were earlier failures to create the perfect soldiers]]).
** The sequel ''VideoGame/XCOM2'' also features this. The last mission gives you a very powerful psy-soldier with a unique gun to boot and very useful psi-abilities. The extra soldier also breaks the 6 team member limitation as the 7th soldier, which is a very helpful boost. [[NintendoHard You will need it.]]



* ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2013'': Upon re-forging the Nobitsura-Kage shortly before the final level, you are now able to perform your greatest crowd control technique WITH EVERY NORMAL SLICE (comparable to throwing chainsaws with the speed and skill of throwing shurikens). It is as awesome as it sounds.



* In ''VideoGame/{{Vanquish}}'', after destroying one of [[BigBad Zaitsev's]] suits, the other one starts moving much more quickly, so Sam has Elena [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique disable the limiters]] on the [[PoweredArmor ARS]] to even the odds. Gameplay-wise, this doubles the amount of time you can spend in [[BulletTime Augmented Reality.]]

* In ''Videogame/FarCry3BloodDragon'', Rex gains the Killstar in the penultimate mission of the game. It's essentially the glaive from Film/{{Krull}} if it fired a laser that insta-gibbed enemies. While it is CastFromHitpoints, the drain is slow enough to be largely inconsequential. However, doing the mission that nets you it automatically puts you in the endgame, forcing you into the final mission.

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2'', Ludger [[spoiler:unlocks the full power of his Chromatus]] during the final boss fight, which gives you a fancy new Mystic Arte to finish him off with. You can carry it over into a NewGamePlus, too.

* In ''VideoGame/SaintSeiyaOugonDensetsu Kanketsu Hen'', Seiya gets an inmense boost in "Sevensenses", a new really strong attack and the ability to refill his life and [[LifeEnergy Cosmo]] bar every turn after doing [[PuzzleBoss the right moves]] against the FinalBoss. This makes the player virtually invincible.
** The other three Saints (Shiryu, Hyoga and Shun) gain a new ultra-powerful attack (or two) during their respective boss battles in the previous three Temples. What makes them fit here is that these boss battles are their last, since (in concordance with the [[Manga/SaintSeiya manga/anime]] the game is based off) they each "die" (are removed from play, here) fighting their bosses.


* ''VideoGame/WithinADeepForest'' has the final ball form that allows you to fly. Speed runs tend to sequence break to get this power much sooner than intended in order to blitz through earlier sections of the game.

* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'', Shulk receives his InfinityPlusOneSword, [[spoiler:the Monado III]], right before the final phase of the FinalBoss. NewGamePlus allows the player to bring it over into the rest of the game.
** Shulk and the seventh party member both receive their ultimate arts, Monado Cyclone and Final Cross, towards the end of the game.

* In ''VideoGame/ThunderForce VI'', if you are playing as the Phoenix, your ship upgrades to the Syrinx for the final stage, which among other upgrades gets a completely overhauled Wave shot, changing it from a rapid-fire shot to a WaveMotionGun. This doesn't happen if you're playing as the Rynex-R (which gets no such upgrade) or if you've unlocked the Syrinx for entire-game use and picked it.

* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''

* The ''[[VideoGame/SiN1998 SiN (1998)]]'' ExpansionPack ''Wages of Sin'' similarly gave you a nuclear rocket launcher at the end of the game, although you were free to use it on anything you wanted (but you were probably better off saving it for the final boss).

* The final level of ''VideoGame/UnrealIITheAwakening'' gave you a gun that shoots black holes, which pretty much suck up and kill any enemy they even come close to. This weapon is the only thing that can kill the game's final boss monsters (whom it dispatches in one shot), but they're also armed with one, and can do the same to you. This weapon is so overpowered that a hit from an enemy will kill you ''[[NoFairCheating even if you have god mode turned on]]''. The kicker is that you first have to kill one of those creatures with only your regular weapons, while IT is armed with THE black hole gun you're going to be using the rest of the level.

* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'': The eponymous "Chrono Cross" is actually an optional Element you can only get near the end of the game. Although it does refill your used Elements under certain circumstances, its main use is to get the good ending when used against the final boss, which also completely bypasses the final boss fight. It's also used in a special spot to combine party members from other saves.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'': The final part of the final boss needs a special object in your inventory, the Wand of Nagamar. It takes the boss's powerful spells, and changes the way they work by turning them into anagrams. When you get this far, you can't lose.
** It should be noted that the Wand of Nagamar (Nagamar is an anagram of... well, Anagram, for those who hadn't figured it out yet) is practically useless outside of that particular fight due to its abysmal power; a mere 40 out of a possible 200. This can actually make it hard for non-combat classes such as the Sauceror and Pastamancer to progress in the initial two stages of the boss fight due to having to rely on their spells -- which may not always work -- and having no real melee power as backup with which to finish off the stages.
** This has been changed, though -- now you don't have to actually equip the wand, you just have to have it in your inventory.
** Facing your Nemesis' final form turns your Legendary Epic Weapon (which by this time is obsolete) into your Ultimate Legendary Epic Weapon, with its own Ultimate Special Attack. It's only 11th Hour in terms of that questline, though -- defeating the Nemesis leaves you with the weapon and special attack, both of which are [[GameBreaker gamebreakers]] for the remainder of the main questline.

* In ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'', you get Excalibur in Nepal. It's used only to break open a door to leave and to fight Amanda and the unknown creature.
** In ''Underworld'', you acquire Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, several levels before the end, and [[{{Gamebreaker}} get to use it to wreak godlike havoc on enemies]], be they simple gun-toting humans, sharks in water(!), or the various thralls emerging from the depths of Nifleheim, before ultimately planting it into the ''Big Bad'''s backside.

* In ''VideoGame/HomeworldCataclysm'', the manual says something easily forgettable about your fighter designs (which were traded to you) having their original weaponry replaced by standard guns, as the designs didn't work. In the last mission, you get the corrected plans -- and find out that your standard fighters now use [[WaveMotionGun ion cannons]], which are usually mounted on capital ships.
** In ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld 2}}'', the penultimate mission has you trade in your iconic mothership for Saijuuk, a {{Precursors}} ship that lacks the mothership's build capabilities (hopefully you still have a carrier and shipyard), but packs an epic WaveMotionGun. Said WaveMotionGun is the only thing that can harm the bombardment platforms the BigBad sics on your home planet. Had the BigBad not gone after Saijuuk, thereby giving you the opportunity to steal his hyperspace core, [[NiceJobFixingItVillain you would have been helpless against these platforms]].

* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' has a strange example of this occurring mid-game. Joshua gains a powered-up attack at the very end of the fifth day of his week. You get two days with his powered up form. This sounds longer than it is - a "day" is essentially a "chapter" in the game, and the final two days are relatively short and constrained to a relatively small area. After they're up, Joshua and his superpowered form leave until [[NewGamePlus after you complete the game]].
** There is another, straight version of this trope applied during the final boss battle. During this battle, you're forced to fight alone. However, at regular intervals throughout the fight, an ActionCommand will appear on the top of the screen, healing you and boosting your attack power. Once you get the boss's health low enough, a gigantic Fusion Pin appears on the screen, allowing you to use your [[LimitBreak Fusion Attack]] with ''all three partners at once''. While this "Quad Fusion Attack" merely serves as a flashy ending, it does reinforce the whole PowerOfFriendship theme.

* The final level of ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar2'' puts you in the pilot seat of a 40-foot tall Brumak, bustling with machine guns and rocket launchers. Suffice it to say, from that point on everything that gets in your way dies really quickly.

* Both ''VideoGame/SoulBlazer'' and ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'' have a Phoenix-based projectile, only unlocked in the last area, and the only way to damage the final boss. However, ''[=SoulBlazer=]'' does unlock it in the middle of the last zone, and you can leave and use it in previous areas.

* The last mission of ''VideoGame/HostileWatersAntaeusRising'' gives you the Vulture, a quick, cheap, heavily armed air unit. Unfortunately, it is utterly useless in that particular mission.

* At the end of Chelsea's part in ''VideoGame/BunnyMustDie'', Chelsea fights [[HopelessBossFight Dechronos's second form]]. The player then starts playing as Bunny wearing a new gold bunny suit, which makes her automatically parry any attack and gives an ability to [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throw]] [[{{BFS}} big fragging swords]].

* In the strategy game ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}: Mark of Chaos'' and its novelization, both playable sides get this: The chaos champion transforms into a Daemon Prince after obtaining the MacGuffin while the Empire protagonist is given back his family's title of Elector Count, which carries with it access to a cool rune sword and the imperial menagerie containing a rideable griffon. In the game, the placement of both are more SwordOfPlotAdvancement with a full chapter remaining, while the novel had them used only for the last battle (especially the griffon).

* Before the final mission of ''Superhero League of Hoboken'', Toastbuster and Zaniac join the party. Toastbuster has the highest Brawn in the game, and Zaniac comes with the insanely powerful Power of Confusion.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', your legendary dragon awakens right before you confront the FinalBoss, and you have to catch it to proceed. Unlike other instances of catching Pokémon in this game, you are then offered the option of putting the legendary dragon in your party -- and given that it's an [[OlympusMons Olympus Mon]] with very high stats, while your own companions are not likely to be fully evolved at the time, it's definitely a great addition. Doing so will lead to a CoolVersusAwesome showdown between both version legendaries in the ensuing battle. Of course, you can [[DefiedTrope defy this]] by opting to send the dragon to your box instead and proceed with your usual team.
** In the final mission of ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Shadows of Almia'', you are given the Vatonage Styler, which allows you to befriend any Pokémon, even if it has been hypnotized by Gigaremo Units. This is an Eleventh Hour Superpower because there are no Gigaremo Units in the game after this mission is completed. Also, you cannot even damage the final boss ([[OlympusMons Darkrai]], implied to be the King of Almia reincarnated) until said Vatonage Styler is further upgraded by fusing with the Tears of the Princes. There is no use for this gem power outside of the final boss fight, so enjoy the pretty animation while you can.


* There are many boss fights and quest-related events in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' that give your character a temporary (and occasionally massive) increase in power, which is generally required to overcome the challenge in question. Specific examples:
** One of the earliest examples occurs in Blackwing Lair with Vaelastrasz, a corrupted, fully-grown red dragon capable of [[CurbStompBattle wiping the floor]] with you and your friends. Fortunately, he [[DeathSeeker wants to be killed]] and so gives the raid a buff that enables everyone to go crazy with maximum damage output for three minutes.
** Kael'thas in Tempest keep (not to be confused with his weakened Magister's Terrace version) also does this -- the fight begins with him sending his four advisers at you one at a time. After killing them, their weapons spring to life, and killing them allows the entire raid to loot them to temporarily use as [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One Swords]], which are necessary in order to handle fighting all four of the aforementioned advisers at once and kill them before Kael'thas himself finally decides to start attacking you. The weapons in question fade after 15 minutes or when you leave the zone, but after the dungeon was changed to not require killing the first three bosses in order to fight Kael, a bored guild took these weapons to one of the earlier bosses and beat her down in record time.
** Kil'jaeden in Sunwell Plateau is another example -- at certain points in the fight, some of your characters can turn into dragons which can shield your group from his ultimate attack and breathe on them to drastically increase their attack and casting speed or regenerate large amounts of their health and mana.
** Towards the end of the Death Knight starting quest chain, when you are taking part in the assault on Light's Hope Chapel, your character is given higher health and damage output (among other things) in order to compete with the Elite mob enemies at the Chapel. Likewise when you have to defeat Patchwerk back in Acherus almost immediately afterwards.
** Much the same thing occurred during the now unavailable Battle for the Undercity quest -- if you were an Alliance player, you got to be escorted by Varian Wrynn, while if you were with the Horde, you got to run with Thrall -- in either case, you got a HUGE buff to your health, damage, and healing that turned you into an unstoppable one man army.
** The Ulduar raid dungeon features some bosses whose mechanics involve powering up the raid. The first is Hodir, a frost giant whose [[BossArenaIdiocy room comes prestocked]] with frozen allies that you can thaw out to get some nice buffs, which are necessary for most groups to kill him within the time limit. It's taken to the ultimate conclusion in the FinalBoss fight with Yogg-Saron, in which you can choose to be assisted by any or all of the four bosses you freed from its MindControl earlier. They buff the raid's health, damage, healing, and damage resistance; however, you will gain more loot and bragging rights for killing him with the help of fewer Keepers. "One light in the darkness" indeed.
** At the end of the final boss encounter in Throne of the Tides, Neptulon buffs the party with PURE WATER, giving ridiculously high health and power to everyone, which you need in order to defeat the kraken Ozumat.
** Other times, you are simply given control of a powerful vehicle, drake or other things that are much more powerful than your character would usually be at that level. For a time those mechanics prevented players from coming back from subsequent expansions packs as the vehicles were required for the fight mechanics but finding a proper group was difficult. After a patch, all vehicles now scale with players equipment levels, thus coming back after an expansion or two allows your one vehicle to do the job of the 5, 10 or 25 it took initially.
** During the final month of the ''Legion'' expansion, players could do a short questline that would unlock ''126'' traits for their [[InfinityPlusOneWeapon artifact]] until the pre-patch for ''Battle For Azeroth''.[[note]]Prior to the questline, the highest possible number of traits was 101 and, due to the massive cost of later traits, most players only had 80 at the most[[/note]]


* Each class has a special skill available for the fight against [[BigBad Shiro Tagachi]], final boss of ''VideoGame/GuildWars: Factions.'' The skill temporarily replaces one of your other 8 skills, is lost when you enter a town or outpost, and is ''very'' good. Also, you're gonna need it.
** At the start of the final mission of 'Path of Fire' the second expansion for ''VideoGame/GuildWars2,'' [[spoiler:your ally Rytlock Brimstone gives you his FlamingSword Sohothin, to wield against the forces of the rogue war god Balthazar. It's absurdly powerful, doing outrageous DPS to any enemy within your reach and possessing a pair of devastating super moves that take ages to cool down but will basically wipe out anything around you short of the mission bosses themselves.]] You have to give it back once you're done, of course.


* In ''VideoGame/{{Crystalis}}'', only seconds before the final boss do you merge your [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elemental swords]] together into the eponymous blade, which, amongst having the attack power needed to defeat the final boss, also allows you to shoot out giant orbs of power at any time, essentially turning the final boss [[UnexpectedGameplayChange into a shoot-em-up game]].


* The first two ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' games do this. In the first's [[MultipleEndings best ending]], Lenneth is the only one who can do any significant damage to the FinalBoss because she creates the sword Glance Reviver before the fight. This also gives her access to the full version of her LimitBreak. In ''[[VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile2Silmeria Silmeria]]'', this happens when [[spoiler:all three Valkyries and Alicia merge into one being, The Valkyrie, essentially a full-blown goddess]], and again, only she can do any significant damage to the final boss, though there is apparently a hidden scene only shown if you slog through the battle without her.
** ''[[VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume Covenant of the Plume]]'', however, only gives it to you for the [[ShootTheShaggyDog worst]] of the three normal endings. In the best ending, you don't get a special sword, but you do get a GuestStarPartyMember.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Vay}}'', right before you head to TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, all of the elemental orbs combine with the pieces of Vay Armor you've found to allow it to be used to its full potential. It's the only weapon capable of dealing significant damage to the FinalBoss (as even PJ's Megablast and Inferno spells will barely scratch him), and reduces all magical damage against the hero to 25%. Simply put, if he gets killed at any point during the battle and you don't have a Phoenix Heart or Lifestone handy, consider yourself boned.

* Unusually for the genre, the [[ShootEmUp shmup]] ''VideoGame/RefleX'' has one in the final two stages: when fighting the ZODIAC Virgo, a HumongousMecha that has been totally owning everything else in the game up to this point, your ship is destroyed when hit with MoreDakka than its shields and armor can handle. Then it is revealed that your ship is in fact powered by a ZODIAC core itself (ZODIAC Ophiuchus, to be precise), and it suddenly gains glowing wing things and a reflection shield with infinite power. The rest of the fight is you owning the Virgo, as only one of its super-powered attacks can even harm you now (so long as you keep the shield up). You keep this upgrade when fighting [[FinalBoss ZODIAC Libra]] and [[MeleeATrois two Kamui fighters]] in the [[VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Very Definitely Final Stage]]. \\
\\
Sadly, it does have a vicious twist. The NoHoldsBarredBeatdown delivered by the boss kills the [[TheHeroDies pilot]], and when she is dead the ship's AI (aka ZODIAC Ophiuchus) kicks in and activates the ship's full power. Also, the ship's armor is gone, meaning that one bullet that slips past your shields or one missile -- missiles [[ArmorPiercingAttack ignore shields]] -- [[OneHitPointWonder is all it takes to get a]] GameOver.

* ''VideoGame/BillyHatcherAndTheGiantEgg'' gives you the ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Light Ball]]' (which apprently stems from the [[PlotCoupon Courage Emblems]] you've been collecting), and allows Billy to turn the Shadow Balls that [[BigBad Dark Raven]] shoots at him into 'Light Balls', which can be used like regular eggs, and is the only thing that can make Dark Raven vulnerable to damage.

* ''VideoGame/CityOfVillains'' has one for each character class in the Barracuda Strike Force. [[ThoseWackyNazis The 5th Column's leader, Reichsman]], is completely and utterly invincible thanks to the effects of a machine that takes energy from others and siphons it into him. The heroes defeat him in the Dr. Kahn Task Force by making a gun to nullify the effects of the machine. The villains instead round up the four [[TheDragon Arachnos Patrons]] by lying to Lord Recluse, throw them in there, and siphon the power of the Patrons themselves into the team so they can stand against and strike down Reichsman. In addition to defense and damage buffs, [[TheBrute Brutes]] gain an immunity to the effect that causes Reichsman to be near lethal in close-quarters combat, [[GlassCannon Corruptors]] get the ability to summon devils, [[MindControl Dominators]] get the ability to keep the entire room bar the team and Reichsman still, [[{{Ninja}} Stalkers]] get access to the swith that kills all of Reichsman's minions, and [[TheMinionMaster Masterminds]] can switch off Reichsman's invincibility. If you lack any of them, you're in for a tough fight.

* In the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series:
** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', Aqua gets the game's best Keyblade in [[spoiler:the Final Episode, the semi-hidden true conclusion to the game's storyline.]] It also forces you to use it in the secret episode added in the final mix version.
** In the final battle of the prologue section of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', Roxas gets to dual wield keyblades for the final showdown with Axel. It plays like Sora's drive version, except there isn't a gauge, so it's basically unlimited.
** Upon entering the final world in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', Sora is given an ability called "Trinity Limit" which gives you the ability to decimate any enemies on the screen provided you obtain one Goofy and Donald card during the battle.
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'': Roxas gains the ability to [[DualWielding dual wield the Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades]] during the first part of Day 358 (the last mission). His attacking speed and power increase dramatically, letting him quickly kill the Neoshadows that spawn with only one or two hits.
* The second half of ''VideoGame/{{Nox}}'' is completely dedicated to assembling the ultra-powerful Staff of Oblivion, and yet you only get to use it against Hecubah and a few ''Mooks''.
** Ironically, although the Staff does effortlessly vacuum up Hecubah's mooks, it's actually only modestly effective against her (despite the whole point of assembling it being to have a weapon capable of defeating her). Instead, its best use seems to be stunning her for a second so you can hit her with a heavy spell like Fireball or Fist of Vengeance.

* ''Franchise/BioShock'':
** Late in the penultimate level of ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', you get the final plasmid, which is rightfully described as ''"It's Bring Your Daughter to Work Day"''. You're the strongest and most powerful thing in all of Rapture, and Eleanor is [[DaddysGirl just like Daddy]]. [[BadassFamily Together, you can just plow through about everything the city has to throw at you.]]
** The Gatherer's Garden in the final level has the Telekinesis 3 plasmid upgrade, which allows Delta to pick up and throw live splicers at each other.
* In ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'', your Eleventh Hour Superpower comes in the form of [[spoiler:being able to control Songbird]], just in time for the final battle. It proves to be extremely effective, being able to down gunships and large areas of enemies with ease.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fahrenheit}}'', Lucas Kane gains implausible martial arts skills just as he's being held up by several police officers. Granted, this happens at a point that's equivalent to the DiscOneFinalDungeon.

* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'':
** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' [[spoiler:you get the Apple of Eden, basically the tool of God, late in the game. Besides counterkilling, which only kills one person at a time, it also has a special attack in the form of an InstantDeathRadius and a wider, second radius that makes those within kill each other or kneel before you. With the Apple, you destroy the armies of main villain Cesare Borgia and get him arrested for his crimes]].
** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'', [[spoiler:the final Altair level has a 93-year old Altair use the Apple of Eden to fight the Mongol Horde sacking Masyaf. Unlike Ezio, the Apple is not CastFromHitPoints]]. Also, near the end of the game, Ezio leads the Assassins on an all-out assault upon the Arsenal. During the assault, he has infinite Assassin Signals, meaning that he can call upon assassins to rain down arrows as many times as he wants.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bioforge}}'': Near the end of the game, your character acquires the ability to fire a destructive beam out of his wrist.

* ''Videogame/DarkMessiah'':
** While not introduced in the finale, but certainly in the protagonist's darkest hour, Sareth learns he is [[spoiler:the titular Dark Messiah, and the son of what is essentially the deity of evil]]. His darkest hour? [[spoiler:He was impaled on a spike by Arantir. His son-of-a-god revelation brings him back from the dead]].
** Also at this point, Xana, the [[spoiler:succubus]] living in his head for most of the game, grants him a temporary [[spoiler:demon form which deals mass amounts of damage and moves extremely fast]]. Very useful considering you have to get back all of your equipment.

* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'':
** ''Dawn Of War II'' has the final mission against the Tyranids. You start with your four squads as usual while your strike cruiser is attacking the hive fleet in orbit. When the Armageddon is too heavily damaged, your other two squads come in via emergency drop-pod. Then [[spoiler:Gabriel Angelos shows up, and helps you fight the final boss.]] Who has a damage shield. Good thing [[strike:Gabriel]] comes with an ability that destroys shields and one that makes all squads invulnerable.
** In Retribution, the final battle against [[spoiler:Azariah Kyras]] gives you a free orbital bombardment to take him out.

* In ''VideoGame/LufiaCurseOfTheSinistrals'', Maxim gains the Dual Blade right before the FinalBoss battle, along with its ability to freeze time. [[spoiler:The TrueFinalBoss in NewGamePlus gives another Eleventh Hour Superpower in the form of {{Sword Beam}}s.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Hacknet}}'', [[spoiler: [=TraceKill.exe=]]] is this. As its name implies, [[spoiler:it completely suppresses any active trace while running.]]

* At the end of ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}: The Painful RPG'', just before the final battle Brad not only gives in to complete and total despair but also [[spoiler:begins to succumb to [[PsychoSerum Joy]] Mutation]], which causes his in-game class to change from "Nobody" to "Failure". This replaces any abilities he had with superpowered versions and he gains the ability to either [[ScreamingWarrior cry out in pain]] (which induces fear in enemies) or [[BerserkerTears shed tears for his sister]] (which restores his PP).

* Played with in ''VideoGame/DriverSanFrancisco''. Most of the game takes place in Tanner's coma dream, which allows him to [[BodySurf shift]] into any car on the road. In the penultimate chase, shifting is replaced with the ability to throw cars at Jericho. However, the ''final'' chase takes place in reality, after Tanner wakes up; all of his abilities like shifting and boosting are taken away, making you rely on pure driving skills.


* ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse'': While fighting the TrueFinalBoss Shantae manages to reclaim her genie magic [[spoiler:thanks to Risky's BatmanGambit with the Dark Magic]], allowing her to whip the Pirate Master for maximum damage. [[spoiler:Risky then provides a second dose of this trope by hijacking the Ammo Baron's Palace Disruptor Cannon, providing additional firepower to finish the Pirate Master off]].

* ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'': [[spoiler:Jesse gets an enchanted Diamond Weapon and a stronger suit of armor for the FinalBattle with the Wither Storm.]]

* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 3'' has a particularly weird example. The heroes have just waged and stopped World War 3, successfully prevented the conflict from going nuclear, and allowed a peace summit to take place. But just when the viewer is led to believe [[spoiler:Makarov is going to get away with starting the whole shebang, all of a sudden here come Price and Yuri with [[ImplacableMan Juggernaut Armor]], striding invincibly into every single wall of gunfire Makarov could possibly throw at them. For added weirdness, the "superpower" in question doesn't make it to the twelfth hour: the armor catches on fire from a crashing helicopter, forcing them to remove it and proceed normally for the rest of the level.]]

* In ''{{VideoGame/Fairune}}'', [[spoiler:the Mamono/Monster Slayer sword is used to give Hope Girl wings, a tail and a Sword Beam to fight the boss with. In 2, the new Fairune Sword and Photon Blade give more elaborate forms, until the combined power of all three swords gives her something like an open top fighter jet.]]

* Depending on your definition, there is one or two in the final level of ''VideoGame/TitanFall2''. For the on-foot section, you get the [=SMART=] Auto-Aim Pistol, allowing you to easily carve a path through the enemy troops. In your Titan, you get access to the Legion loadout, that gives your Titan a [[GatlingGood Predator Chaingun]], and allows it to temporarily activate its' own auto-aim abilities with its' core ability.

* ''[[VideoGame/ArmyMen Army Men II]]'' has a special infinite ammo bazooka that can be found on the last level.

* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'':
** The equipment ability Last-Ditch Effort provides buffs to ink recovery, ink efficiency, and respawn speed when the match is down to the last 30 seconds. [[CriticalStatusBuff It will also activate in Ranked/Anarchy or League modes if the opponent's remaining objective counter is down to 30 or less.]]
** The final battle of ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon 2}}'''s main campaign has Sheldon issue the player a Rainmaker (the overpowered signature weapon of the game mode of the same name) for the last phase of the fight.

* In ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero'', if you've fulfilled the conditions to enter TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, your SOPHIA III will be replaced with the SOPHIA [[TitleDrop ZERO]]. All of the ZERO's weapons and sub-weapons have improved attack power, and their {{charged attack}}s can be fired instantly, as long as it has enough energy to do so (except for the [[WaveMotionGun Acceleration Cannon]], which instead has its charge time cut in half), and it is immune to the blasting damage from the Cannon Shot's explosions.
** Happens again in ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero2''. This time though, [[spoiler:it's Eve who gets one]], and for the most of the last area [[spoiler:[[UnexpectedGameplayChange you're playing as Eve]] to rescue Jason with her new ability to purify mutants and a different vehicle]].

* ''VideoGame/RuinaFairyTaleOfTheForgottenRuins'': During the final battle, Overlord!Titus will cast a spell that drains the party's MP while reducing their stats and accuracy. However, the Iterio Fragment skill can be used to reverse that spell and regenerate MP each turn, allowing the party to spam their best skills.

* Because of how ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is structured, the game features two of these, with each possible route ending in one.
** During the final boss fight in the [[spoiler: True Pacifist route, if you run out of HP, your determination stops you from dying and you revive with full HP. The second phase starts off hopeless, with you unable to do anything. Even saving the game is impossible, but then you realize you can save something else. Your ACT command then turns into SAVE, with a new icon and flashing colors, which allows you to reach inside Asriel and "save" the souls he's absorbed and eventually Asriel himself.]]
** At the end of the [[spoiler: Genocide route]] the player finds the [[spoiler: Real Knife and The Locket, a weapon with 99 ATK and an armour piece with 99 DEF respectively. However, there's only one enemy left in the game at this point, and the items are completely useless as he dies in one hit anyway and all his attacks can only do one damage per hit. It’s even more useless because said enemy actually dodges attacks unlike everyone else and his attacks have a status ailment which ignores your invincibility frames, stacking damage in a poison like effect referred to as Karma.]]

* In ''VideoGame/PlanetAlcatraz'', when the final objective becomes clear, the orbital station will drop your squad state-of-the-art Imperial weaponry and armor.

* Right before the final confrontation in ''Videogame/DivinityOriginalSinII'', your allies will appear and pray for your success. Their prayers impart a powerful blessing upon your party that grants them unlimited Source.

* In ''VideoGame/APlagueTaleInnocence'', Hugo gains the power [[spoiler:to control rats]] in the final part of the game. This changes the gameplay drastically for the last chapter.

* ''VideoGame/JustShapesAndBeats'': At the end of Story Mode, [[spoiler:after the TrueFinalBoss smashes the player to bits and the normal self-resurrection stops working, your friends use two of the {{MacGuffin}}s to resurrect you into an invincible form that, unlike the rest of the game that you spent just dodging, ''can actually fight back''.]]

* ''VideoGame/NoOneHasToDie'': Throughout the game, you are put into levels with several doors you need to close to save people, but you only have the ability to close one door, leading to many {{Sadistic Choice}}s. [[spoiler:During the OmegaEnding, you get the ability to close up to four doors, [[EverybodyLives letting you save everyone]].]]

* At the end of Chapter 1 of ''{{VideoGame/Deltarune}}'', the player faces off against the King. During this fight, Kris can attempt to talk to him; however, the King will end up refusing to listen. This causes powerful new abilities to take the place of the talk action. Courage appears if Kris talks alone, and grants the party a defense boost; Red Buster appears if Kris and Susie talk, and it enables Kris to power up Susie's Rude Buster spell; and Dual Heal appears if Kris and Ralsei talk, and it combines their powers to heal the entire party. [[BagOfSpilling These abilities are then missing for most of Chapter 2]], until Red Buster and Dual Heal return during Queen's first fight.

* ''VideoGame/RadiantArc'': When Zardon is revived, he curbstomps the party and nearly kills Linky. However, his pride gets the better of him and he neglects to finish them off, allowing Linky to regenerate himself and unlock more angelic power. Gameplay-wise, this gives Linky a permanent buff that grants him an additional 100% of his base stats.

* ''VideoGame/{{Madagascar}}'': Alex's claw attack (which allows him to fight the fossa one-on-one) can only be unlocked in the final level (which fittingly is the eleventh level) of the console versions. As such, it can only be used during the FinalBoss.



* ''Videogame/TeamFortress2:'' Although there are no in-game mechanics to support this, in the last 20 seconds of an attack/defend map or a payload map, the attacking team will often rush onto the point in an chaotic swarm out of desperation. In public servers, even a rush of unorganized players is enough to tip the scales in favour of the attacking team.

* [[VisualNovel Not a traditional game per se]], but Avalon in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'''s "Fate" route works as such. Avalon is only returned to Saber before the final battle, who uses it when she was losing for a comeback victory (Shirou also Traces a copy, and does the same for ''his'' battle). Arguably, Unlimited Blade Works (in the route of the same name) and both the aptly-named Rule Breaker and Excalibur (in ''Heaven's Feel'') also perform the same function.




* In ''VideoGame/GodHand'', the player begins the game as Gene, having just had his dismembered arm replaced by the God Hand, an arm formerly belonging to a mythical fighter who originally defeated the Demon King Angra. [[spoiler:Just before the player throws down against Angra himself, Azel, his rival, who possesses the aforementioned mythical warrior's other arm, dismembers himself and gives the extra arm to Gene before being possessed by Angra, enabling Gene to fight Angra with both of the original God Hands. During the fight, Angra will occasionally summon the demonform enemies that used to be full fledged minibosses in their own rights -- you can now kill them with three moderately weak hits.]]) Finally, after that event, you learn (for the final fight only) the Double Shaolin technique. It's the most powerful attack in the ''entire game.''
* The ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' games seem fond of this:
** In ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKainSoulReaver2'', you happen to be awarded the game world's ultimate weapon just before the final boss rush. This weapon isn't just extrememly powerful, but also makes you invincible, thereby turning what you'd think would be a tough climactic battle into [[CurbStompBattle a series of one-sided smackdowns]] that's actually impossible to lose.
** ''VideoGame/BloodOmen2LegacyOfKain'' equipped you with the fully powered Soul Reaver for the final boss. It allows you to use the Soul Reaver in a New Game+, where its main advantage is that it's unbreakable.
** ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKainDefiance'' actually does it twice:
*** For the final mission as Raziel, you get the deadly Spirit Reaver upgrade, which rips through mooks in that level like wet tissue. It replaces the previous elemental Reaver upgrades you've obtained during the game, as the Spirit Reaver's power makes them obsolete (and you have no more elemental puzzles left to solve).
*** Kain, meanwhile, gets the restored Soul Reaver for use on the final boss. However, this is only for the story and not for the gameplay: using the developer's console to use the restored Soul Reaver outside of said boss reveal that it's only programmed for average strength.
* In ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', the Peach Beam, which you can't defeat Bowser without, is granted halfway through the final boss battle. What's more, the game doesn't allow you to keep playing after beating the boss, instead returning you to your last save point.
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'': Halfway through the battle with the Shadow Queen, Mario's Crystal Stars go out to all over the world, and the various people they've met all give their support to him, causing the Shadow Queen to lose her invincibility.
* In ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' (predecessor to ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}''), the final boss is toppled by singing a song comprised of the 8 melodies collected during the game. The player receives the actual song prior to entering the final boss battle.
** ''Earthbound'''s final boss was killed in a similar manner, where a character prays several times, using an ability that up to that point was almost useless. The only thing that prevents this from being a complete GuideDangIt is that Porky hints that you should use the command. Well, kind of...
--->'''Porky''': I know you have telepathy, or something. So just try and call for help, you pathetic so called heroes of justice!
** Ness gets a MASSIVE stat boost at the end of the Magicant level, and Poo automatically learns PK Starstorm Omega upon entering TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon.
** In ''VideoGame/MOTHER3'', you get PK Love Ω for pulling the sixth needle. There are ''seven'' needles.
* In ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'', you didn't get access to the true power of the sword until you fight the final boss. One thing that was interesting is that the game leaves a gap in the spell lists of the Girl and Sprite and also doesn't allow you to upgrade to tier nine sword with the orbs, meaning that one could figure out something was going to happen if they stopped and thought about it a little (Dryad explicitly says that [[BigBad Thanatos]] sealed her magic).
* In ''Franchise/TheChroniclesOfRiddick: VideoGame/EscapeFromButcherBay'', after spending the entire game using stealth and the occasional small-arms shootout to make your way through the prison, the final level grants you access to a [[HumongousMecha giant, heavily armored walking tank]].
* ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'':
** ''[[VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyI Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl]]'': In Story Mode, [[spoiler:Kupala of the Forest Folk pulls a HeroicSacrifice]] in order for the party to have their weapons become strong enough to defeat the final boss. That said, it does not make the boss easy for the unprepared.
** ''[[VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIIHeroesOfLagaard Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight]]'': At the climax of Story Mode, the protagonist uses the Holy Grail to become strong enough to beat the final boss ''on his own''.
* ''VideoGame/Halo3'''s final confrontation gives you an infinite-ammo Spartan Laser for use on the final enemy. Its infinite ammo drastically sets it apart from the previous Spartan Laser you used in a previous mission, who's ammunition was so limited that it made the weapon AwesomeButImpractical.
* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''' 11th-Hour Superpower is a crackling field of psychic energy that allows you to grow to [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever monstrous size]], given to you by your character's father, who was secretly [[SecretLegacy a psychic all along]].
* ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2'':
** Mental Projection is the final ability obtained in the game right after the cutoff point. Its primary usage is getting items that were previously unobtainable before.
** Just like in the first game, Nona gives Raz "everything she's got" to go toe-to-toe with a mental version of Maligula, which involves Raz growing to giant size to duke it out with her.
* ''VideoGame/Condemned2Bloodshot'' has The Voice, which lets you explode the heads of your enemies along with disabling their brain-damage-causing emanations long enough for you to apply the beatdown.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Aquaria}}'', the 11th-Hour Superpower was the character's final form, given just before the final boss: although, just as you were finally getting used to having a power that could kill nearly anything on screen, it was taken away after the first form of the final boss, until the LAST form, leaving you to have to figure out other methods for those in between.
** Interesting in that you can stop the boss fight between the second and third forms and go off to do other stuff - but Celia apparently doesn't feel like stopping time anywhere else.
* In ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy'', at the very tail end of the final battle with Gol and Maia's giant robot, all four benevolent forms of [[GreenRocks Eco]] combine to form ''Light'' Eco, the only substance that can completely negate the Dark Eco threatening to subsume the world. Once that happens, the entire remainder of the battle consists of simply ''getting to the stuff'' while the ground vanishes and the robot begins firing wildly at you and enemies attack from all directions. Since it seems to give you the abilities of all the other Eco combined and boosted, along with invincibility, the game just throws you into the end cutscene as the [[CurbStompBattle Curb Stomp]] [[OneHitKill Kill]] ensues. In short: once you grab it, you win.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', [[DemonicSpiders Harbinger-possessed]] [[EliteMooks Collectors]] start dropping heavy weapon ammo in the final fight, which makes the whole thing massively easier.
* The "anti-god" enhancements to your weapons in ''VideoGame/PennyArcadeAdventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 1'' deal ten times as much damage to everything. Would ''you'' want to be punched in the face with [[spoiler:''extremely concentrated urine''?]] Or be raked in the face with [[spoiler:''the soul of the evil leader of a mime cult''?]]
* The final boss of ''VideoGame/FreshlyPickedTinglesRosyRupeeland'' sees Tingle use all the rupees he has collected in the game to power himself up so he can fly and shoot rupees. If all the rupee goods have been collected in the game, another power up will also be activated, boosting Tingle's stats and turning his suit [[RealMenWearPink pink]].
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'': Appears in the form of an InfinityPlusOneElement during the Final Boss fights of the first two games in the trilogy. Naturally, you use their Fury attacks as your finishing move.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'':
** If by the very last battle you don't have the LimitBreak Omnislash yet, [[spoiler:you automatically get it, and it's the only command available. Unless you select 'Defend' or just sit there not choosing anything - then Sephiroth hits Cloud once, and Cloud counterattacks once, and the final cut scene plays as normal.]] Perhaps the coolest part about that battle is that, using the in-game explanation of Limit Break being the result of increasing anger, Cloud's limit break gauge slowly increases during the intro to the battle, showing him getting angrier and angrier until he devastates with Omni-Slash.
** You can get Cloud's InfinityPlusOneSword "Ultima Weapon'' before the end of Disk 2 fairly easily if you're smart about it. But on a first playthrough it's not unlikely that you triggered the second visit to Midgar by accident while you were flying around looking for the boss you need to fight to get it, at which point, you have no choice but to complete Disk 2. Once you begin Disk 3, all that's left to do with your fancy new sword is go and kill Sephiroth.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' has the High-Frequency Blade, a katana-like blade that slices enemies up and can even block bullets. The catch? You don't get it until almost at the end of the game, when Solid Snake gives Raiden his clothes back and also gives him the HF Blade, and it's only useful during the battle in the infamous FISSION MAILED chamber and in the very final battle with Solidus Snake.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' gives Raiden Sam's HF Murasama for the final boss which allows him to cut through his nanomachine-reinforced skin.
* ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter'' series:
** At the end of the operation against the final GUILT strain, your 'Healing Touch' (which seemingly slows down time) automatically activates, as it has in operations before. The twist? If you haven't used it yet, you can use your use-anytime HT as well ''on top of'' the scripted one, and stop time, which indicates that Derek is activating the healing touch with both hands. This is the only way to win. Things get stranger in the Wii remake, ''Second Opinion''. For the final postgame bonus level where you play as Nozomi, against this same GUILT, her Healing Touch doesn't normally slow time, but she inexplicably gets the ability to stop time too so that you can finish the level.
** In the sequel, ''New Blood'', your time-slow Healing Touch gets upgraded to stop time in the last part of the final operation (where it is again needed to win). This is not explained. Or mentioned. Or even noticeable most of the time, since the final boss spends most of the window you have to activate it standing still. But it happens.
* ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'':
** In the final level, your suit gains the (plot-dependent) ability to short out the alien drones, and you get a nuclear grenade launcher, both expressly for the purpose of taking down the final boss. You're not even allowed to use the cannon on anything else. It is available in Multi-player as a Doomsday Weapon, though.
** The Expansion Pack ''Crysis Warhead'' lets you grab an absolutely overpowered plasma rifle that can one shot a heavy tank, something nothing else can do except the demo charges. However, it's not required to kill the final boss (since the thing is vulnerable to other weapons), but it makes killing it both easier (because of its ridiculously high firepower) and harder (very limited range, it's not a sniper rifle), as well as extremely [[RuleOfFun fun]].
** In ''Crysis 2'', the last 3 levels have most of the MIKE maser guns found in the game, which is good news considering the fact that ''every alien in Manhattan is out to get you'' as you're heading straight for their HQ. The suit also gains the ability to re-purpose their supervirus into a weapon against them, which is how you win.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'': You can draw a magic called Apocalypse from the final boss's final form once she casts it herself. This magic isn't available anywhere else in the game (hence you can't Junction it; hacking it shows that it works better than practically anything) but can be used for some major damage due to its massive spell power.

* The five ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' games on the UsefulNotes/GameBoy each feature a weapon obtained from a unique boss who is only fought after the eight bosses, but before the final Wily stage. As such, the player doesn't have much opportunity to use them, though they're often the weakness of the FinalBoss, if not the only thing that can damage it:
** ''VideoGame/MegaManDrWilysRevenge'' has the Mirror Buster, an AttackReflector that absorbs enemy projectiles and fires them back.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManII'' has the Sakugarne, a PowerUpMount that can damage enemies by jumping on them. Unfortunately, [[ScrappyWeapon it's finnicky at the best of times]], though thankfully it's not necessary to beat the final boss.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManIII'' features the Screw Crusher, which is thrown in an upwards arc and has the most ammunition out of any weapon in the game.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManIV'' has the Ballade Cracker, an explosive projectile that can be thrown in eight directions.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManV'' has the Spark Chaser, a laser that homes in on enemies and damages them repeatedly.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'':
** The first ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'' has Zero give you his ArmCannon in the final stage, which upgrades your blaster significantly. Of course, experienced players will be well aware that you can find this upgrade (and several others) much earlier, but it's nice that the game gives you a freebie if you didn't find it before.
** In ''VideoGame/MegaManX3'', you can get the golden armor (upgrading all your armor parts at once) and Zero's saber near the end of the game.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' hides the Ultimate Armor for X and Black Armor for Zero in a wide pit in the third fortress stage, although you can technically start with them by using built-in cheat codes at the character select.
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'', Mega Man.EXE gets a special update just after losing to TheDragon in the end, making it possible to win. Technically, you probably could win without it, though.
* In ''VideoGame/Rockman4MinusInfinity'', if you find yourself losing the final battle against [[DualBoss the Petit Robot Masters]], Proto Man comes in to give you the Wily Buster and refill all your health. The Wily Buster shoots charged shots instantly and reduces all damage taken from the bosses.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendIII'', the only way to actually damage Xagor is to have the 4 Mystic Swords; magic helps, but the swords are the only weapons that will actually deal physical damage to him.

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', your legendary dragon awakens right before you confront the FinalBoss, and you have to catch it to proceed. Unlike other instances of catching Pokémon in this game, you are then offered the option of putting the legendary dragon in your party -- and given that it's an [[OlympusMons Olympus Mon]] with very high stats, while your own companions are not likely to be fully evolved at the time, it's definitely a great addition. Doing so will lead to a CoolVersusAwesome showdown between both version legendaries in the ensuing battle. Of course, you can [[DefiedTrope defy this]] by opting to send the dragon to your box instead and proceed with your usual team.
* In the final mission of ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Shadows of Almia'', you are given the Vatonage Styler, which allows you to befriend any Pokémon, even if it has been hypnotized by Gigaremo Units. This is an Eleventh Hour Superpower because there are no Gigaremo Units in the game after this mission is completed. Also, you cannot even damage the final boss ([[OlympusMons Darkrai]], implied to be the King of Almia reincarnated) until said Vatonage Styler is further upgraded by fusing with the Tears of the Princes. There is no use for this gem power outside of the final boss fight, so enjoy the pretty animation while you can.

* At the start of the final mission of 'Path of Fire' the second expansion for ''VideoGame/GuildWars2,'' [[spoiler:your ally Rytlock Brimstone gives you his FlamingSword Sohothin, to wield against the forces of the rogue war god Balthazar. It's absurdly powerful, doing outrageous DPS to any enemy within your reach and possessing a pair of devastating super moves that take ages to cool down but will basically wipe out anything around you short of the mission bosses themselves.]] You have to give it back once you're done, of course.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' does this with Ultracite. Only available during the very final boss, automatically casts Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, Curaga, or a brief period of Invincibility.
** ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyCrystalChroniclesTheCrystalBearers Crystal Bearers]]'' does it too. When BigBad [[spoiler:Jegran]] goes OneWingedAngel, it inadvertently activates a SuperMode for Layle, which lets him [[SkySurfing sky surf]] as well as greatly increases [[GravityMaster his powers]].

* Late in the penultimate level of ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', you get the final plasmid, which is rightfully described as ''"It's Bring Your Daughter to Work Day"''. You're the strongest and most powerful thing in all of Rapture, and Eleanor is [[DaddysGirl just like Daddy]]. [[BadassFamily Together, you can just plow through about everything the city has to throw at you.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Kinder}}'', Shunsuke obtains the White Rose Ring after going through the storybook area. The only thing left is to face off against the FinalBoss, and the battle becomes a joke because the White Rose Ring leaves Shunsuke immune to any status-effect the boss may hit him with.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendII'', your world's CrystalDragonJesus joins your party for the final dungeon. Her stats are completely maxed out and she's got the best attacks in the game. However, she leaves just before you fight the (very tough) final boss.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', after beating the final forms of [[spoiler:Braska's Final Aeon (Jecht)]], another series of battles starts up to eventually show the TrueFinalBoss. Because the Fayth as a whole want this to happen, they aid you by giving your characters a permanent Auto-Life - the only way to die is to suicide by stoning.

* In the sixth scenario of ''VisualNovel/RadicalDreamers'', a previously found jewel enables Serge to summon a giant to fight against Lynx's [[spoiler:giant mecha.]]

* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' [[spoiler:you get the Apple of Eden, basically the tool of God, late in the game. Besides counterkilling, which only kills one person at a time, it also has a special attack in the form of an InstantDeathRadius and a wider, second radius that makes those within kill each other or kneel before you. With the Apple, you destroy the armies of main villain Cesare Borgia and get him arrested for his crimes.]]
** In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'', [[spoiler:the final Altair level has a 93-year old Altair use the Apple of Eden to fight the Mongol Horde sacking Masyaf. Unlike Ezio, the Apple is not CastFromHitPoints.]] Also, near the end of the game, Ezio leads the Assassins on an all-out assault upon the Arsenal. During the assault, he has infinite Assassin Signals, meaning that he can call upon assassins to rain down arrows as many times as he wants.

* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'':
** ''Wrath of the Lamb'''s VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon starts you off with a room containing four locked chests. Better have four keys ready, because these chests are programmed to give you items normally found in the Treasure Room. And there's a pretty decent chance that one of these items will guarantee your survival.
** The TrueFinalBoss of ''Repentance'' silently gives the player an item after the boss right before it called Dogma. This gives flight, a Holy Mantle shield to block one hit, a slight stat boost, and it heals health/adds soul hearts up to six total hearts if the player character has less than that. This is to act as a breather for what is essentially two difficult bosses back-to-back, and the flight is all-but mandatory since [[spoiler:the fight is a side-scroller where all of the ground is magma.]] Dogma can only be obtained in-game otherwise by either using a special rerolling dice that rerolls items by their ID, or by using something that warps the player to a room with nearly every item in the game.
* In ''VideoGame/BladesOfTime'', you get access to Ayumi's Dragon Form, which enhances her dmg and attacks dramatically... Only for the final fight, and it doesn't carry over to a new game.

* ''VideoGame/ChaosRings'':
** In ''VideoGame/ChaosRingsIII'', the True Incarnatus -- a glowing giant with extremely high stats that acts as a replacement for the entire party and can use all of the active members' abilities -- can only be used against the final bosses. While the final ''final'' boss is more or less a CutsceneBoss, the one preceding it is tough enough that it's still a struggle to beat it even as the True Incarnatus.
** ''VideoGame/ChaosRingsII'' gives the main character his level 3 Awakening, Godslayer, in the middle of the TrueFinalBoss. You get to keep it for the PlayableEpilogue and BonusBoss fights.

* ''VideoGame/DeathRoadToCanada'' has a rather downplayed one that can still make a big difference. Characters with high morale before the last big siege gain a point in dexterity (running speed) for the rest of the run. There aren't a lot of opportunities to increase this stat otherwise.

* ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'' has a rather morbid version in the final boss, where [[spoiler:the various characters decide to start killing one another to drop health powerups for Hat Kid on the basis that defeating Mustache Girl will reset the timeline]]. This effectively renders Hat Girl invulnerable for the final phase.
* At the very end of ''VideoGame/CardShark'', the player learns a trick called The Expert Dealer, which gives them complete control over the aces in the deck, letting them guarantee a particular player wins any given hand. The trick is used during [[spoiler:the final game with Louis XV]], which determines the ending you get.
* Zigzagged in ''VideoGame/TIEFighter'', due in part to the game being released in installments.
** The base game teases the fearsome TIE Defender in the second to last campaign, before finally putting it in the player's hands in the penultimate mission.
** The ''Defender of the Empire'' expansion sees the player in the aforementioned TIE Defender for the balance of its first two campaigns, before taking it away for much of the third, ultimately replacing it with the even more powerful Missile Boat for the final few missions.
** The Collector's CD edition, which contained all of the above content plus the ''Enemies of the Empire'' expansion,[[note]]which finally concluded the game's storyline[[/note]] would end up subverting the trope. As in the previous expansion, the Missile Boat would be taken away from the player late in the game while at the same time yet another powerful new technology was teased - a cloaking device. However, not only would the player not get a cloaked ship to fly, it would actually be the cloaking device's flaws that factored into the story's conclusion.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', the reworked version of the Porta Decumana fight against the Ultima Weapon ends with it charging up Ultima, a TotalPartyKill if allowed to go off because the BigGood Hydaelyn doesn't have the strength to protect the Warrior of Light from it again. However the boss has enough health remaining that Ultima would cast before it can be defeated. Instead, Hydaelyn gives what power she has left directly to the Warrior, bestowing a massive damage increase buff and also allowing the party to use a level three LimitBreak for the first time despite only having four players (normally the third LimitBreak bar unlocks when eight players are in the party).
* ''Videogame/PizzaTower:'' Not so much an extra ability as it is a massive boost to an existing one, but when [[spoiler:Pizzahead]] decides to casually initiate a BossRush of every previous boss Peppino's faced on his trek up the tower, laughing all the while, Peppino [[RageBreakingPoint loses every remaining ounce of his shit]] so completely his regular attack turns into a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown that can rip through half a boss' health bar on impact.

* ''VisualNovel/{{Sunrider}}'':
** In the final mission of ''Sunrider: Mask of Arcadius'', Asaga taps into her dormant Sharr powers and unlocks the Awakening, a SuperMode that increases all her stats at an exponential rate for every turn that it remains active.
** In the antepenultimate phase of the final boss fight of ''Sunrider 4: The Captain's Return'', Sola gains the power to teleport anywhere on the map for a trifling Energy cost, letting what is normally your least mobile unit engage in extremely effective HitAndRunTactics. The game takes away this power in the final stage of the fight, but you won't need it by that point.

* ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsHitAndRun'': The final story mission forces the player to drive a vehicle that can be unlocked in Level 2, the World War II vehicle, but with a rocket strapped to the back, boosting the SPEED and ACCELERATION stats for it to 5 stars.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Resistance}} 2'', Hale defeats the BigBad and absorbs his psychic powers, which reduce chimeras to [[LudicrousGibs chunky salsa]]. After a brief rampage, however, it turns out it wasn't probably wasn't [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity for the best.]]
* ''VideoGame/ParasiteEve'': The [[SequentialBoss very-definitely-final boss]] is impervious to everything you use on it -- bullets, rockets, shotguns, ultimate techniques... and then the main character is given bullets laced with [[AppliedPhlebotinum her own DNA,]] lethal to the creature's own cellular structure. The resumed boss fight takes less than a minute to complete.
* ''VideoGame/PrayerOfTheFaithless'':
** During the FinalBoss fight, Aeyr and Mia gain the Perfect Partner passive, which gives them a total of six actions per round instead of the usual three.
** In the Tower of Sinners, Trill gains access to all of her Trance abilities rather than being limited to one element at a time.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** Most of the games from ''VideoGame/SonicAndKnuckles'' on end with a boss fight in SuperMode, though the ability was unlockable in normal gameplay as well up until ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''.
** ''VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries'': ''Sonic and the Secret Rings'' and ''Sonic and the Black Knight'' do things slightly differently, allowing Sonic to transform into Darkspine Sonic and Excalibur-Sonic to fight their respective final bosses.
** ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' has the final boss as both Super Sonics, and after that they are unlocked for use in normal stages, as an equippable skill that can only be used on its own.
** ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' has the Final Color Blaster (Final Prism Blaster in the Japanese translation), an AllYourPowersCombined attack Sonic uses to finish off the final boss by combining the power of all the Wisps in the game.
* ''VideoGame/SummonNight: Swordcraft Story'' and ''Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2'' gives you the ultimate weapon before fighting the final boss.
* ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'': Sly gains the ability to walk on laser beams mere moments before the final boss fight in ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves''.

%%* ''VideoGame/{{Silver}}'': Doing the fusion with Nemesis for the fight against Apocalypse.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'':
** In the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 first game]], the Sparda Devil Trigger and its abilities are only usable in the two-part fight against Mundus and nowhere else (without cheating the game using tools, of course). And even if the game lets you start a NewGamePlus playthrough with the Sparda sword, you'll have to wait until said Mundus fight in the near-end to access its Devil Trigger again.
** In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', Nero [[spoiler:unlocks his own Devil Trigger form while racing to intervene between Dante and Vergil killing each other during the penultimate mission. You then get to put this new power to the test in the final mission as Vergil challenges Nero, helped by a self-regenerating Devil Trigger meter and the return of the Devil Bringer and its "Buster" grab. On repeat playthroughs, Nero not only gets to keep his Devil Trigger and Devil Bringer abilities (meaning he has access to all the tools he lost from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'') but you still get to use all the Devil Breaker features as well (via the ability to dissipate his new human-looking arm back into energy, letting him reattach Devil Breakers to his stump), giving Nero a huge upgrade to his gameplay for NewGamePlus]].
* In ''VideoGame/RuneFactory2'', when you are near the end of the second generation, you gain a spellbook called "Dragon Break." This spellbook is only useful against the Final Boss. But, using it makes the final battle a CurbStompBattle in your favor.
** During the final fight against Ethelberd in ''VideoGame/RuneFactory4'',you reach a form where Ethelberd overtakes Ventuswill, becoming Ethelwill. You ''can'' technically beat this form, but it is deliberately extremely high in level, making it almost impossible. Ventuswill, with what mental control she has left, sends you her power, causing your level to skyrocket above 1,000 and refilling your HP after Lest/Frey gets knocked down..
* ''VideoGame/{{Gungrave}}: Overdose'': In the final battle, your character is filled with so much [[UnstoppableRage rage]] that his appearance changes slightly (Beyond the Grave's eye glows completely white and his hair goes [[Anime/DragonBallZ super-saiyan]]-ish, Rocketbilly suddenly becomes [[ShirtlessScene shirtless]], and Jyuji wears Bunji's shades and the flame on his back turns blue). The demolition shot gauge then begins to regenerate and fill up on its own, which lets you use your D. Shots more frequently.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', when after Kreia kills the Jedi Masters or talks to you after you kill them, you magically get either the dark side uberpower Force Crush or the Light Side uberpower Force Enlightenment, both of which are probably the best power for their respective alignments.

* For the final level in ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'', your awesome time-controlling dagger gets taken away, but you're given a sword that one-hit-kills any of the sand monsters, so fights generally go really fast. Then the sword gets taken away and the dagger is given back for the FinalBoss fight (although the boss was human, so the sword probably wouldn't have worked on him anyway).

** ''VideoGame/Persona5''

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'':
** In the original ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'', ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', you are thrown a rocket launcher with which you take out the final boss in the game. Meanwhile, ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'' ends with the player coincidentally finding the big boss in the same room as a giant stationary rail gun.
** In ''4'', you CAN beat Saddler without the rocket launcher, though this is VERY difficult and a lot less fun. There are also less powerful rocket launchers available throughout the game, which ''will'' kill every other boss with one shot.
** This trope is basically in every game. Including the Linear Launcher in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica''.
** While it wasn't used on the final boss, the {{Kill Sat}} from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' deserves a mention (imagine facing zombies with THAT).
** Or super heroes in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''.
** In ''Videogame/ResidentEvil6'', at the end of Chris's campaign, Piers gets an actual superpower. His EmergencyTransformation via C-Virus gives him HealingFactor and a LightningGun for an arm, but as it starts to affect his mind, he chooses to sacrifice himself in a supercharged attack that kills both him and the final boss. Also, Leon traditionally gets a rocket launcher to finish his final boss, and Ada steals a helicopter that makes her last level a lot more fun. Inverted with Jake, who gets in a FisticuffsBoss fight with Ustanak.

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** While some games partially avert this by making some legendary weapons available early on, they still qualify by not making TheHero's available until the final few chapters. In addition, most games in the series feature a [[EleventhHourRanger super-powerful recruit]] who only joins for the final chapter. This character archetype is so common that it's got a nickname among the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' community: the "Gotoh", after its first example. Others include Karel from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', Athos from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', and two Laguz kings and a third's top general from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance''.
** The Naga tome from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', as you get it nearly right before fighting the final boss, and it has 30 Might (though all holy weapons are that powerful) and adds a grand total of '''''80''''' points in stat bonuses (Most legendary weapons in ''4'' provide a total of 30 bonus stat points... while in other entries in the series, legendaries rarely provide over ''5'' bonus stat points) and negates the final boss's ability to halve attack power. [[RuleOfCool It also summons a giant glowing dragon to attack.]]
** A notable example is the titular "Binding Blade" in ''Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade'', since it allows you to dominate the remaining chapter (chapters if you had all of the other legendary weapons) with almost complete ease. The only real problem with it is that only the main character can use it. Which wouldn't be a problem normally (Roy's a decent character), but Roy doesn't class change until he gets the sword. What this means is that you're going up against basically level 36 enemies with someone at max level 21. Oh, that and the whole only 20 uses thing.
** Ragnell in ''Path of Radiance''. It's only usable for two-and-a-half chapters (out of more than thirty) in the entire game, but it's by far the best usable sword, being one of only two UnbreakableWeapons in the entire game, with good attack power and a ranged attack to boot. It allows the main character -- who's arguably the best playable character in the game even with normal weapons -- to rip through enemy hordes damn near single-handedly, and is the only equippable weapon that can damage the final boss. Ragnell goes to plot-defying lengths to conform to this trope. Ike presumably gets Ragnell much earlier in the storyline, but it doesn't appear in-game until the 3rd-to-last chapter. Even then, the sword waits until the end of that chapter to magically appear in Ike's inventory, at which point it becomes vital to use.
** The sequel, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', kicks this up another notch.
*** In one of the last five chapters, you obtain Alondite, Ragnell's counterpart, except that ''any sword user'' can equip it. You also get every laguz king except Dheginsea before those final five chapters. Add to that that after 2 chapters you can make a weapon unbreakable for every character, you get a lot of these this game. On a second playthrough on, you can get Lehran; look at his [[http://serenesforest.net/fe10/char_base.html stats]] -- the cap in general is 40 and he has that in FIVE STATS to start. Granted, Lehran takes more work than any character ever in any ''Fire Emblem'' game to unlock, but he will make the fight easier.
*** While it's only the [=11th-Hour Superpower=] of Part 1 (of four), you also get the Black Knight, who literally cannot be killed by any enemy units, but he still has a death speech.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', two chapters away from the end, Chrom's Falchion is upgraded to the Exalted Falchion, which is the most effective weapon to use against Grima.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'':
*** Corrin gets more powerful versions of his/her Yato as the game progresses, but the 'final' upgrade always comes at the penultimate chapter, after Yato's current form fails to leave a scratch on the penultimate boss. Which form it takes depends on the route Corrin takes, (Shadow, Blazing, or Omega) but the form that truly embodies this trope is Omega Yato, only possible on the ''Revelations'' route after all five divine weapons are reunited, the most effective weapon against the final boss, and this game's Fire Emblem.
*** In the final chapter of the "Heirs of Fate" DLC, the two Kanas combine their Shadow and Blazing Yatos to turn them both into Omega Yatos to defeat Anankos.
* In both ''VideoGame/{{Fairune}} 1'' and ''2''. In ''1'' the Mamono/Monster Slayer sword is used to give Hope Girl wings, a tail and a SwordBeam to fight the boss with. In ''2'', the new Fairune Sword and Photon Blade give more elaborate forms, until the combined power of all three swords gives her something like an open top fighter jet.
* Frequently used in the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series.
** In ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', the all-powerful Hyper Beam is granted to Samus halfway through the final boss battle for use there and during the LoadBearingBoss escape sequence.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' is unique in that the boss-killing superweapon is the Ice Beam, a series staple which is typically gained midway through the game.
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', the Phazon Beam serves a similar purpose (your HUD even reads "Hyper Mode"). In fact, since ''Super Metroid'', every game in the series has had an anti-final-boss weapon of this sort.
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', the Fully Powered Suit is rewarded for beating the penultimate boss. You also get the Power Bombs shortly after that, but by that point, very little game time is left unless you want to collect all expansions and this seems to be the only reason the Power Bombs are even in the game.
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'', Samus gets the Light Suit, which allows her to navigate Dark Aether unharmed (previously, the poisonous atmosphere of Dark Aether would make Samus take constant damage) and to travel across Aether through beams of light; however, she only gets this shortly before going to the SupervillainLair.
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball'', the Force Ball is acquired at the start of the final boss fight.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters'' features the Omega Cannon, which can later be unlocked for multiplayer (where it's an outright OneHitKill).
** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' also put a twist on it by [[SecondHourSuperpower giving you access to the uber-weapon only a few hours in]] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique but limiting]] [[CastFromHitPoints its usage]]; when the endgame hits, you lose access to all weapons ''but'' that one. Putting you in constant danger of death in the process.
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', the [[BigBulkyBomb Power Bombs]] function as the ultimate boss-killing weapon (in previous games their main use was making navigation/collecting easier). [[GuideDangIt Too bad the game doesn't tell you they have been enabled.]] You keep them in the PlayableEpilogue, which allows you to obtain all the items.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'': After you [[spoiler:defeat the penultimate boss, the Queen Metroid, the baby Metroid will follow you and destroy crystal formations that block your way]], which is the only way to obtain certain upgrades if you backtrack to previous areas before returning to Samus's gunship.
** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' technically has two.
*** The first is the Omega Cannon, obtained temporarily at different points throughout the game by destroying and siphioning the data from the Central Units of each region of ZDR. It’s the only weapon capable of vanquishing the otherwise invincible E.M.M.I. robots prowling certain areas, but deactivates soon after you land the killing blow.
*** The second is the Metroid Suit, activated after the FinalBoss fight with [[BigBad Raven Beak]]. Samus is so consumed with rage over Raven Beak's past deeds and future plans, that her Metroid DNA takes over completely. She is absolutely unstoppable in this form, with her basic beam now being the Hyper Beam (previously seen in ''Super''), which is ''far'' stronger than even the Omega Cannon, and her Metroid energy-sucking abilities are boosted to have an area of effect. Unfortunately, she can't fully control said powers.
* Dart's Divine Dragoon transformation and Rose's Dragon Buster sword in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon''. Although you can backtrack through the last dungeon (but [[PointOfNoReturn not out of it]]), you receive it literally just before the final boss.
* Pandora's Box in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarI'', and the Blade of Olympus in [[VideoGame/GodOfWarII the sequel]] (although you could also use the Blade [[ATasteOfPower for a little while in the beginning of the game]]). Pandora's Box is interesting in that it doesn't actually make Kratos more powerful game-wise, but story-wise, it's what grants him the power to defeat Ares.
* Knack receives a special move from Ava for him to defeat Xander in ''[[VideoGame/{{Knack}} Knack II]]''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' games love to give you a special power for the final boss. These include the Star Rod in ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'', the Rainbow Sword in ''Kirby's Dream Land 2'', the Love-Love Stick in ''Kirby's Dream Land 3'', the Crystal + Ribbon combo in ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'', the Master sword in ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror'', and the Triple Star in ''VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad''. The latter two can be used in regular levels after beating the game (and, in the case of Triple Star, unlocking the ability room), and can take care of ''all'' otherwise ability-specific obstacles.
** The Starship in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' and [[PowerUpMount Landia]] in ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' may count as well, except for the fact that they are used for {{Unexpected Shmup Level}}s found late in the game and not against the actual final bosses.
** ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'' grants you the Hypernova ability you've been using all game at specified points, except ''this'' time you get it during the final phase of the final boss, and it causes Kirby to basically be able to negate anything she can throw at him by being able to inhale everything she has ''including laser beams''.
** Robobot Halberd Mode from ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' is another UnexpectedShmupLevel, albeit a ''VideoGame/StarFox''-based one, but it actually is used against the final boss.
** The Star Allies Sparkler in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'' is a fusion between the Friend Star and four Heart Spears, giving it the power to defeat the final bosses outer phases.
** ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'' allows Mouthful Mode on a BigBadassRig to finish off the final boss before it can [[ColonyDrop pull Popstar through a portal to destroy the world]].
* ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier'' does this no less than three times -- In Blue's game, after mastering magic after the battle with Rouge, finding T260's Omega Model body in the penultimate dungeon, and Red only gets learns Re-Al-Phoenix after he uses Al-Phoenix on [[spoiler:TheDragon [=MBlackIII=]]].
* At the end of ''VideoGame/StarTrekEliteForce'', you encounter a recharge station that increases both of your ammunition types (Federation energy and dilithium-based) to far beyond the previously imposed limits, just before the climactic battle.
* ''Videogame/DirgeOfCerberus'' has Vincent Valentine transform into Chaos and pull his ultimate weapon, Death Penalty, out of thin air for the final level.
* ''VideoGame/LostPlanet: Extreme Condition'' gives you an incredibly agile, flight-capable Vital Suit very near the end of the game; prior only to a short corridor of enemies (to learn the controls) and the final boss. The suit controls so differently than any other that it might be considered an UnexpectedGameplayChange.
* ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders: the 2nd Runner'' has two of these. The first is Jehuty Version 2, gained just before the final dungeon, which is twice as strong as normal Jehuty. The second is Naked Jehuty, gained just before the final boss, which is ten times stronger than version 2 and can tear through former bosses like wet tissue paper. Playing with Naked Jehuty from the start on New Game Plus reveals that DegradedBoss was ''not'' in effect.
* In ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei: VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga 2'', Serph fuses with Sera into the superbeing Seraph, whose demon form has no weaknesses in TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon (also a PointOfNoReturn).
* Despite being a fighting game, ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' manages to work this into its main story- Kilik, the main story's main protagonist, has a SuperPoweredEvilSide for his Soul Charge that is insanely overpowered, but [[CastFromHitPoints causes him to steadily bleed out.]] The final boss fight of the story features a Kilik who is in his soul charge state permanently, without the bleed.
* In final part of ''VideoGame/TheDarkness'', an attack on the BigBad's mansion, takes place during a solar eclipse which massively augments your darkness-based powers. Might not sound all that impressive until you actually ''see'' what you're capable of (which is mostly made up of [[CutscenePowerToTheMax cutscenes that showcase your newfound power]]). Darklings, goblin-like minions spawned in small numbers to help you out, are spawning of their own accord by the dozen and swarm all over the place. The Black Hole ability, which...well...creates small black holes, is powerful enough to rip walls to pieces and pull in enemies from dozens of metres away. The Darkness Shield, which protects you from attacks, is strong enough to withstand a minigun barrage from a ''helicopter gunship''. The Demon Arm, a spiked tendril used to impale enemies and throw them about, is used by the protagonist to pluck said gunship out of the sky and smash it to pieces. The only ability that doesn't demonstrate any obvious increase in power is Creeping Dark, a wall-crawling demon head used to scout distant areas and attack from safety, but it still puts the fear of God into the mooks you're fighting to the point where one of them throws himself through an upper-story window to escape from it.
* Either Lei, Yun, or Hong from the Inheritance chapter of ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', depending on who the Earthen Heart Shifu's Inheritor is, is granted one shot of their level 16 attack, Heavenly Peaks Descent, for the last boss battle of their chapter. This attack usually knocks off 1/3 to 1/2 of the boss' health. Since it's unlikely, verging on impossible for any of these characters to hit level 16 during their chapter, this counts as an Eleventh Hour Superpower. Of course, in the game's FINAL chapter, it's entirely possible, if not exceptionally easy, for these characters to hit level 16 and become gods of death, seeing as this is the only level 16 technique, save for Pogo's (which causes sizable stat debuffs on him after use), that fires off as soon as you select it.
* [[VisualNovel Not a traditional game per se]], but Avalon in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'''s "Fate" route works as such. Avalon is only returned to Saber before the final battle, who uses it when she was losing for a comeback victory (Shirou also Traces a copy, and does the same for ''his'' battle). Arguably, Unlimited Blade Works (in the route of the same name) and both the aptly-named Rule Breaker and Excalibur (in ''Heaven's Feel'') also perform the same function.
* In ''VideoGame/XMenLegends II: The Rise of Apocalypse,'' you get to try out the powers of the Four long enough to trash Apocalypse's powering-up device (it's the only way to do it, and if you don't, Apocalypse simply revives there the instant you defeat him).

* ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' has a strange example of this for its FinalBoss fight. The Queen Beast of the Grotesqueries begins to sing once it arrives in Tokyo, of "light and dark, good and evil." The mission is to silence its song. To do this, you emit the song back at the monstrosity so that the two cancel each other out. While being deeply [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic symbolic]] of the protagonist's [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil embodiment of humanity as a whole]], it is [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible mind-bogglingly impossible]] to describe how this conflict would take place in any world other than that of [[ThePhilosopher Plato]]nic Forms or similar realms of [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence higher existence]]. The symbolism is the reality, which leaves one clawing out their own eyes wondering where the reality is.
** Although it becomes clearer when other Yoko Taro games' lore, like ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}''. [[spoiler:Caim, Angelus and the Queen-Beast really did end up in 2003 Tokyo.]]
* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'', the ever-withholding Zeus finally hands down a blessing to Arkantos that makes him a demigod in, yes, the FinalBoss scenario. Seems a lot more could have been accomplished by doing this earlier. Comes with free strange godly garb and [[PowerEchoes echoey voice]].

* ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'':
** At the end of ''Sanity's Requiem'', you have to defeat the main enemy, Pious the Lich, as well as the dark god that the player chose at the beginning of the game while playing as Pious. You, as Alex Roivas, defeat them by summoning the dark god that directly opposes the one Pious summons. To summon it, you have to place the proper runes in a nine-rune "Circle of Power" which happens to be the largest circle in the game, in terms of having the most runes, in addition to spanning an ''entire city''.
** Another Eleventh Hour Superpower is essentially an InfinityPlusOneSword that can only be obtained by collecting and placing various figures at certain chapters throughout the game. Alex Roivas collects it at the beginning of the final chapter. It's permanently enchanted, plus it can be thrown at enemies (making it an infinite-ammo ranged weapon, since it reappears in her hands shortly after).

* In ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm'', Catie draws on [[spoiler:Virtua’s]] power as a last resort, just before her final climactic duel with [[spoiler:Boxxyfan]]. This fully maxes out her HP and RP at 9999, and upgrades [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Hollow Wave]] into Hallow Wave, an even stronger version of the skill that doesn’t require Catie to sacrifice herself upon use.

* In the very last event of ''VideoGame/DragaliaLost'', “Advent of the Origin,” [[spoiler: Euden, Zethia, and friends are fighting a losing battle against True Bahamut. All hope seems lost, but Euden is still not going to give up. This ultimate resistance to back down and willingness to fight regardless of the odds is what awakens his [[ThePowerOfFriendship Bondforged Form]]. This also awakens a Bondforged Form for Zethia, after she becomes willing to fight alongside her brother no matter what. With their new forms, not only do Euden and Zethia use to defeat Bahamut, but use them in the final chapter to defeat [[BigBad Xenos]].]]

* The ''VideoGame/{{SIN}}'' ExpansionPack ''Wages of Sin'' similarly gave you a nuclear rocket launcher at the end of the game, although you were free to use it on anything you wanted (but you were probably better off saving it for the final boss).

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* The ''VideoGame/SIN'' ExpansionPack ''Wages of Sin'' similarly gave you a nuclear rocket launcher at the end of the game, although you were free to use it on anything you wanted (but you were probably better off saving it for the final boss).

* Knack receives a special move from Ava for him to defeat Xander in ''Knack II''.

** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'', Samus gets the Light Suit, which allows her to navigate Dark Aether unharmed (previously, the poisonous atmosphere of Dark Aether would make Samus take constant damage)and to travel across Aether through beams of light; however, she only gets this shortly before going to the SupervillainLair.

* ''VideoGame/SaGaFrontier'' does this no less than three times -- In Blue's game, after mastering magic after the battle with Rouge, finding T260's Omega Model body in the penultimate dungeon, and Red only gets learns Re-Al-Phoenix after he uses Al-Phoenix on [[spoiler:TheDragon [=MBlackIII=]]].

** Earthbound's final boss was killed in a similar manner, where a character prays several times, using an ability that up to that point was almost useless. The only thing that prevents this from being a complete GuideDangIt is that Porky hints that you should use the command. Well, kind of...

** In ''VideoGame/MOTHER3'' you get PK Love Ω for pulling the sixth needle. There are ''seven'' needles.

* The ''VideoGame/SiN'' ExpansionPack ''Wages of Sin'' similarly gave you a nuclear rocket launcher at the end of the game, although you were free to use it on anything you wanted (but you were probably better off saving it for the final boss).

* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''.
** Halfway through the battle with the Shadow Queen, Mario's Crystal Stars go out to all over the world, and the various people they've met all give their support to him, causing the Shadow Queen to lose her invincibility.

** Of course, using a glitch, the player is entirely able to get an extra orb for the sword and create the Mana Sword, which then becomes a GameBreaker in and of itself.

** In ''Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2'', you happen to be awarded the game world's ultimate weapon just before the final boss rush. This weapon isn't just extrememly powerful, but also makes you invincible, thereby turning what you'd think would be a tough climactic battle into [[CurbStompBattle a series of one-sided smackdowns]] that's actually impossible to lose.
** ''Blood Omen 2'' equipped you with the fully powered Soul Reaver for the final boss. It allows you to use the Soul Reaver in a New Game+, where its main advantage is that it's unbreakable.
** ''Defiance'' actually does it twice:

* In ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' (predecessor to ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994''), the final boss is toppled by singing a song comprised of the 8 melodies collected during the game. The player receives the actual song prior to entering the final boss battle.

-->'''Porky''': I know you have telepathy, or something. So just try and call for help, you pathetic so called heroes of justice!

** In ''[[VideoGame/GaidenGame Dark Prison]]'' where Shu Shirakawa is the headlining protagonist, him acquiring [[spoiler: the Neo Granzon]] is treated as an EleventhHourSuperpower as he first has access to it [[spoiler: after conning Shiva Volkruss, who surprisingly is just a DiscOneFinalBoss as you still have 7 more stages to go]] and at the final stage of the game. He doesn't use it during the other stages because he treats it as his trump card.

* ''Videogame/DawnOfWar'':

* At the end of ''Videogame/{{Lisa}}: The Painful RPG'', just before the final battle Brad not only gives in to complete and total despair but also [[spoiler:begins to succumb to [[PsychoSerum Joy]] Mutation]], which causes his in-game class to change from "Nobody" to "Failure". This replaces any abilities he had with superpowered versions and he gains the ability to either [[ScreamingWarrior cry out in pain]] (which induces fear in enemies) or [[BerserkerTears shed tears for his sister]] (which restores his PP).

* ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse': While fighting the TrueFinalBoss Shantae manages to reclaim her genie magic [[spoiler:thanks to Risky's BatmanGambit with the Dark Magic]], allowing her to whip the Pirate Master for maximum damage. [[spoiler:Risky then provides a second dose of this trope by hijacking the Ammo Baron's Palace Disruptor Cannon, providing additional firepower to finish the Pirate Master off]].

* In ''{{VideoGames/Fairune}}'', [[spoiler:the Mamono/Monster Slayer sword is used to give Hope Girl wings, a tail and a Sword Beam to fight the boss with. In 2, the new Fairune Sword and Photon Blade give more elaborate forms, until the combined power of all three swords gives her something like an open top fighter jet.]]

* ''[[Videogame/ArmyMen Army Men II]]'' has a special infinite ammo bazooka that can be found on the last level.

* ''VideoGame/JustShapesAndBeats'': At the end of Story Mode, [[spoiler:after the TrueFinalBoss smashes the player to bits and the normal self-resurrection stops working, your friends use two of the MacGuffins to resurrect you into an invincible form that, unlike the rest of the game that you spent just dodging, ''can actually fight back''.]]

* ''Videogame/AHatInTime'' has a rather morbid version in the final boss, where [[spoiler:the various characters decide to start killing one another to drop health powerups for Hat Kid on the basis that defeating Mustache Girl will reset the timeline]]. This effectively renders Hat Girl invulnerable for the final phase.

* ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' has a strange example of this for its FinalBoss fight. [[UltimateEvil The Queen Beast of the Grotesqueries begins to sing once it arrives in Tokyo, of "light and dark, good and evil." The mission is to silence its song. To do this, you emit the song back at the monstrosity so that the two cancel each other out.]] While being deeply [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic symbolic]] of the protagonist's [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil embodiment of humanity as a whole]], it is [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible mind-bogglingly impossible]] to describe how this conflict would take place in any world other than that of [[ThePhilosopher Plato]]nic Forms or similar realms of [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence higher existence]]. The symbolism is the reality, which leaves one clawing out their own eyes wondering where the reality is.

* ''VideoGame/CityOfVillains'' has one for each character class in the Barracuda Strike Force. [[ThoseWackyNazis The 5th Column's leader, Reichsman]], is completely and utterly invincible thanks to the effects of a machine that takes energy from others and siphons it into him. The heroes defeat him in the Dr. Kahn Task Force by making a gun to nullify the effects of the machine. The villains instead round up the four [[TheDragon Arachnos Patrons]] by lying to Lord Recluse, throw them in there, and siphon the power of the Patrons themselves into the team so they can stand against and strike down Reichsman. In addition to defense and damage buffs, [[TheBrute Brutes]] gain an immunity to the effect that causes Reichsman to be near lethal in close-quarters combat, [[GlassCannon Corruptors]] get the ability to summon devils, [[MindControl Dominators]] get the ability to keep the entire room bar the team and Reichsman still, [[{{Ninja}} Stalkers]] get access to the swith that [[KillEmAll kills all of Reichsman's minions]], and [[TheMinionMaster Masterminds]] can switch off Reichsman's invincibility. If you lack any of them, you're in for a tough fight.

** ''VideoGame/BlackMesa'' gives some love to the [[AwesomeButImpractical Gluon gun]] from the original ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'' during its late game. Within the alien factory featured in the penultimate chapter are green crystals that provide an infinite ammo source for Gordon's energy weapons. They allow for the Gluon gun to be used indefinitely provided you stay in their vicinity, leveling the playing field against the insanely powerful aliens in the factory.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'': The Dark Energy Gravity Gun that appears in the penultimate level. Different only in that it's available for the last several levels instead of merely the final boss fight. It's also [[FisticuffsBoss the only weapon you can use for these sections]], requiring a bit of extra work; its range is still limited, but since it was rather good to begin with, and it now causes ''instant death'' of a bone-breaking, muscle-dislocating nature in all humanoid enemies (the only kind you'll face until the strider halfway through and the two gunships at the ''very'' end) and can [[ShutUpHannibal rip bolted-down wall monitors with Breen on them ranting at you off the wall with a simple yank]], this hardly matters. It is also very, ''[[VideogameCrueltyPotential very]]'' fun. Since Word of God says we won't ever see the Dark Energy Gravity Gun again, ''Episode Two'' gave us the Magnusson Device, which is an instant kill if mounted on a Strider and detonated.

** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' also put a twist on it by [[SecondHourSuperpower giving you access to the uber-weapon only a few hours in]] [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique but limiting its usage]]; when the endgame hits, you lose access to all weapons ''but'' that one. Putting you in constant danger of death in the process.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'':
** The equipment ability Last-Ditch Effort provides buffs to ink recovery, ink efficiency, and respawn speed when the match is down to the last 30 seconds. [[CriticalStatusBuff It will also activate in Ranked or League modes if the opponent's remaining objective counter is down to 30 or less.]]
** The final battle of ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon 2}}'' has [[spoiler: the player face off against Callie and DJ Octavio with assistance from Marie and Sheldon. Once Callie's shaken off the hypnoshades' lingering effects after Marie shoots them off, she jumps off of the Octobot King II, and]] Sheldon issues a non-exploding Rainmaker [[spoiler:with which to finish Octavio off]].

* Either Li, Yuan, or Sammo from the Inheritance chapter of ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', depending on who the Earthen Heart Shifu's Inheritor is, is granted one shot of their level 16 attack, Heavenly Peaks Descent, for the last boss battle of their chapter. This attack usually knocks off 1/3 to 1/2 of the boss' health. Since it's unlikely, verging on impossible for any of these characters to hit level 16 during their chapter, this counts as an Eleventh Hour Superpower. Of course, in the game's FINAL chapter, it's entirely possible, if not exceptionally easy, for these characters to hit level 16 and become gods of death, seeing as this is the only level 16 technique, save for Pogo's (which causes sizable stat debuffs on him after use), that fires off as soon as you select it.

* Either Li, Yuan, or Sammo from the Inheritance chapter of ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', depending on who the Xin Shan Quan Master's Inheritor is, is granted one shot of their level 16 attack, Xuan Ya Lian Shan Quan, for the last boss battle of their chapter. This attack usually knocks off 1/3 to 1/2 of the boss' health. Since it's unlikely, verging on impossible for any of these characters to hit level 16 during their chapter, this counts as an Eleventh Hour Superpower. Of course, in the game's FINAL chapter, it's entirely possible, if not exceptionally easy, for these characters to hit level 16 and become gods of death, seeing as this is the only level 16 technique, save for Pogo's (which causes sizable stat debuffs on him after use), that fires off as soon as you select it.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', if by the very last battle you don't have the LimitBreak Omnislash yet, [[spoiler:you automatically get it, and it's the only command available. Unless you select 'Defend' or just sit there not choosing anything - then Sephiroth hits Cloud once, and Cloud counterattacks once, and the final cut scene plays as normal.]] Perhaps the coolest part about that battle is that, using the in-game explanation of Limit Break being the result of increasing anger, Cloud's limit break gauge slowly increases during the intro to the battle, showing him getting angrier and angrier until he devastates with Omni-Slash.