History Main / BlackoutBasement

[[AC:MMORPGs]]

''([[SelfDemonstratingArticle For the proper effect, open and close your eyes repeatedly as you read this.]])''

* Towards the end of ''MonkeyIsland2'', Guybrush falls into a dark room, and you have to [[spoiler: search the darkness ''pixel by pixel'']] to turn on the light. [[spoiler: Of course, when you do, turns out the BigBad is standing right in front of you.]]

** Actually, it was ''really'' first done in Quick Man's stage in ''MegaMan2'', where the lights go out and are relit by a fire-pit type enemy...which you have to destroy (and thus blackout the stage again) to continue.

* ''[[{{Metroid}} Super Metroid]]'' features a firefly-like alien creature that inhabits dark areas. Trigger-happy players can shoot them if they want to, but doing so will significantly decrease the light in the room.
** Likewise in ''Metroid Prime'', in a few rooms of the Chozo Ruins. Not a major inconvenience there, though.

* Common in the ''CrashBandicoot'' series: The first game features the levels ''Lights Out'' and the hidden level ''Fumbling in the Dark'', where the player has to pick up an Aku Aku mask for illumination. Get hit once or dilly-dally around too long without picking up a new mask, and you lose your light source. The sequels swapped these out for glowing insects, keeping the time limit but removing the one-hit penalty. The second game includes the levels ''Night Flight'' and the secret ''Totally Fly'', while the third only features one such level, named ''Bug Lite''

** ''Donkey Kong Country 2'' and ''Donkey Kong 64'' have stages called "Glimmer's Galleon" and "Gloomy Galleon" respectively, both of which feature areas set in sunken pirate ships where you must use a passing anglerfish for lighting.

* The TropeNamer is a stage from the original ''DonkeyKongCountry'' set in a factory basement wherein the lights flicker on and off every few seconds. When the lights are off, your characters are still visible, but the enemies, obstacles and pitfalls are all obscured in total darkness.
** And to properly crown ''Donkey Kong Country'' as the king of this trope, three other stages used similar gimmicks. To wit: "Loopy Lights" requires you to find light switches through the stage in order to light your way, "Torchlight Trouble" has you following a parrot with a lantern strapped to his foot for lighting, and [[NintendoHard "Stop & Go Station"]] is infested with [[InvincibleMinorMinion Rock-Crocs]], enemies that sit still in the light but [[DarknessEqualsDeath attack mercilessly in darkness.]]
** ''Donkey Kong Country 2'' and ''Donkey Kong 64'' have stages called "Glimmer's Galleon" and "Gloomy Galleon" respectively, both of which feature areas set in sunken pirate ships where you must use a passing anglerfish for lighting.
* And in the ''SuperMario'' games:
** The original ''[=~Yoshi's Island~=]'' on the SuperNintendo features several rooms where a bubble of light surrounds Yoshi in a dark room, so you can't see any enemies or hazards until they're very close to you. A more frustrating variation is an early fort stage, where lighting is provided by [[InvincibleMinorMinion fireball-like enemies]] that turn on and off at will.
*** ''Yoshi's Island DS'' has a few more examples, including the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin aptly named A Light in the Dark]] and a section of Yoshi's Island Easter Eggs with light switches that go off only a few seconds after hitting them, appropriately noted as 'Panic in the Dark!'
** The final castle in ''SuperMarioWorld'' is a dark place, but Mario can light it up somewhat by hitting a red block found in the second half of the stage.
** A one-versus-three mini-game called "Candlelight Flight" in ''MarioParty 4'' features one player carrying a candle and the three others carrying squirt guns. The three players must extinguish the one player's candle, but the wetter the candle gets, the harder it is for the three players to see it.
*** A similar game in ''Mario Party 2'' has three characters carrying huge light bulbs being menaced by the one carrying a huge mallet.
** In ''MarioAndLuigi Partners in Time'', there are areas where the babies navigate dangerous mazes in dark zones with special lightblocks that keep going out. The safe rails are so narrow that even if you memorise the layout, you probably won't get far without the lights on.
** Underwhere Road in ''SuperPaperMario''.
** Some levels in NewSuperMarioBrosWii are in the dark. The players get a little spotlight, and fireballs can light an area around them, while players under the effect of a Super Star light up the entire room.
** Even ''HotelMario'' features this kind of setting in two separate hotels. The second hotel of the game, Roy's [=HardBrick=] Hotel, has you deal with flickering lights that go out at regular intervals in parts of the level. Only by finding the toaster room (marked by lightning bolts flying from a door) can you correct this problem (by overloading toasters with surplus sourpuss toast, no less). The game's third hotel, Larry's Chillton Hotel, is a different story. Here, the entire level is dark except for the floor you're currently on. But did Mario bring a light? '''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SX3JnUhTaE "No?"]]'''
** The Flash Black Galaxy in SuperMarioGalaxy2. You can't see any ground or walls at all except for about a second long glimpse every time the music beats.
*** There's also a variation on the 'spotlight' example: When Yoshi eats a Bulb Berry, he generates an aura of light which reveals hidden platforms. This gradually wears off over time, and unless you make it to one of the safe zones, or eat another fruit, there will be ''nothing'' for you to stand on when it wears off. [[NintendoHard Have fun.]]
* ''Jungle Strike'' features a mission played at night. It's almost pitch black except for when you shoot your weapons, leading to lots of random chaingun fire to see where your going.
* ''[[BanjoKazooie Banjo-Tooie]]'' (coincidentally, another Rare game), has a western mine stage in which you must activate generators as you go in order to light your path. However, if you have enough gold feathers (or are using the infinite items cheat), you can easily light your way using the Wonderwing ability. [[AbnormalAmmo Fire eggs]] will also illuminate an area around them, and they can be bounced along the ramps.
** The same game features a cave stage where lighting is provided by glowing green demons flying around at random. You can only see the way when one of them gets close to you, and stepping outside the maze-like path results in moderate damage.
*** Hell, in most cases, looking closely can show you the edges of the path even without burning Gold Feathers.
*** You could also just turn up the brightness on your TV.
* ''PerfectDark'', yet another Rare game, features this as well. There are a couple darkened areas that require Joanna to use night-vision goggles that, curiously enough, are only in your inventory during missions where you'll use them.
* Spark Mandrill's stage in ''MegaManX'' is roughly divided into three areas, and the lights flicker on and off during two of them. To make sure you don't try to move around in darkness, a very quick enemy attacks you if you stray from your spot until the lights come back on.
** If you play the stage before beating Storm Eagle, the darkened sections aren't completely blacked out; you can still see the platforms as well as any enemies. However, if you beat Storm Eagle, and then go to Spark Mandrill's stage, wreckage from the aircraft that X fought Storm Eagle on can be seen at the beginning of the stage, and sections of the stage will black out completely on occasion (the implication being that the crash damaged the power systems).
** Bright Man's stage from ''Game/MegaMan 4'' is also a good example, wherein the lighting is controlled by two enemies - one which causes darkness to settle in if killed (and shoots plenty of bullets if left alive, just to be annoying), and another, more reasonable enemy that releases fireworks when killed, lighting the level again.
** This idea was first done in Mega Man 3, where certain enemies would darken the platforms (though not other enemies or themselves), and you had to destroy these enemies to re-light the area.
** Actually, it was ''really'' first done in Quick Man's stage in ''MegaMan2'', where the lights go out and are relit by a fire-pit type enemy...which you have to destroy (and thus blackout the stage again) to continue.
** The "Pitch Black" stage in ''X8'' is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly what you might expect.]]
** Mega Man 7 got in on the act with the later Wily stages. Most platforms were invisible unless you were in the air. Unfortunately, the stages included [[NintendoHard moving platforms on faulty tracks]], so you have to constantly jump to see where the bits are that make the platform spin and toss you off.

** In ''Twilight Princess'' you have the standby of your wolf senses, but they are significantly nerfed in the aforementioned dark caves.
** In ''Spirit Tracks'', certain portions of the Tower of Spirits are almost completely dark, save for one or two torches near the entrance; you can use the Boomerang to transfer fire from them to the conspicuously unlit torches further ahead, but this only lights up small, circular areas. Ghost-like Nocturns also patrol the dark, and are completely invulnerable unless caught in the light, making it dangerous to stay in the darkened areas too long.

* ''[[{{Metroid}} Super Metroid]]'' features a firefly-like alien creature that inhabits dark areas. Trigger-happy players can shoot them if they want to, but doing so will significantly decrease the light in the room.
** Likewise in ''Metroid Prime'', in a few rooms of the Chozo Ruins. Not a major inconvenience there, though.
** In ''Prime 3'', you're required at one point to kill the power to get an item behind a force field - which also douses the lights and set free all those Phazon Metroids you've been walking past.
*** The same goes for Prime 1, quite literally. You have to shut off the lights to get an item, which releases trapped Metroids.
* In ''[[{{Pokemon}} Pokemon]]'', the "Flash" attack is most useful for lighting up dark rooms and caverns. (in battle it merely decreases your foe's accuracy)
** Brawly's gym in Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald is a nice example, as it expands the player's view as you beat the gym trainers. Pretty funny since his badge allows you to use Flash...
* The [[FirstPersonShooter FPS]] areas of ''JurassicPark'' on the Super Nintendo.
* Ditto the burning building stage in ''{{Ghostbusters}}'' on the Sega Genesis.
* Common in the ''CrashBandicoot'' series: The first game features the levels ''Lights Out'' and the hidden level ''Fumbling in the Dark'', where the player has to pick up an Aku Aku mask for illumination. Get hit once or dilly-dally around too long without picking up a new mask, and you lose your light source. The sequels swapped these out for glowing insects, keeping the time limit but removing the one-hit penalty. The second game includes the levels ''Night Flight'' and the secret ''Totally Fly'', while the third only features one such level, named ''Bug Lite''
* ''SonicTheHedgehog3'' and ''[[SonicAndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]'' respectively feature the second act of Carnival Night Zone, where Knuckles cuts the power to the lights early in the level and you turn them back on later, and the second act of Sandopolis Zone, where you're trapped in a pyramid and must keep lighting torches to keep the ghosts from attacking you. Neither one has total darkness, just a much lower light level.
** The obscure 1995 puzzle-game spinoff ''Tails Adventure'' features Sonic's vulpine sidekick crawling through the Polly Mountains. While technically accessible before you pick up the Night Goggles, good luck getting anywhere in complete pitch blackness.
** ''SonicTheHedgehog4'' has the second act of Lost Labyrinth Zone, where Sonic has to use a torch to illuminate the darkness around himself. Hey, it could have been worse -- it was originally an entire motion-controlled MinecartMadness level.
* ''{{Doom}}''. In this case, the darkness is unavoidable in most areas and makes the game harder (and scarier).
** It's notable that there was a Light Amplification Visor power up that gave you perfect light for a limited time, but it's rarely put in the levels; with the limited engine, varying light levels and effects were ''crucial'' to level atmosphere. The [[SuperStar invulnerablity powerup]] also effectively made everything perfectly lit as part of its inverted B&W photograph vision effect; it's rarely put in the levels because it's a ''goddamn invulnerability powerup'', silly.
** Doom 3 got a lot of flak for id's decision to not let you use the flashlight and any gun simultaneously through its really dark areas. Someone made a [[DuctTapeForEverything Duct Tape]] mod in disgust which put out a light in front of you when using guns, saying "Our hero manages to find a roll of Duct Tape somewhere in this base, letting him tape his flashlight to his weapon."
*** Apparently it was a game design decision. The developers wanted to create a sense of hopelessness and force the player to choose between their light or their weapon. Of course, [[FridgeBrilliance a military base without any duct tape on it is pretty much doomed, so...]]
* {{Marathon}} also did this a bunch, particularly in the first level, [[ThatOneLevel G4 Sunbathing]], the alien levels, and the derelict jjaro ship levels (which already have creepy noises).
* ''{{Descent}} 2'' let you do this yourself--all the lights in each level were destructible by stray weapons fire. An intense firefight could leave you in total darkness. Thankfully the developers included a Headlight powerup for just such occasions.
* In ''[[{{Kirby}} Kirby's Canvas Curse]]'', there are levels where the player must find and tap lanterns in order to see. You can navigate blind if you've memorised the layout.

* In ''{{Spelunky}}'', a level may randomly be darkened. Your limited supply of flares combined with [[InventoryManagementPuzzle forced management of handheld items]] can make this problematic at times. And then there's the possibility that a drop is too high for you to see the bottom within your circle of illumination... I hope you have plenty of ropes. The upside is that those skittering golden scarabs you'll often see here are bonus loot if you can reach out and touch them.
* As well as being one big BigBoosHaunt, the game [[LuigisMansion Luigi's Mansion]] is also an extended exercise in BlackoutBasement maneuvering. Normally, the lights in any given room of the mansion turn on when all the ghosts have been captured or otherwise defeated, but in the last fourth of the game, a mansion-wide blackout forces you to retrace your steps from the third-floor balcony to the basement to turn on a backup generator, enduring merciless ghost attacks along the way.

* JakAndDaxter features this in a section of the spider cave, requiring the player to hit crystals for temporary illumination.
* Whenever you have to go through tunnels or indoors in Left4Dead, the only light sources are from your gun-mounted flashlights. Since they're gun-mounted, you can't see a thing whenever you need to melee enemies or reload. Not to mention that if you don't want to be horribly mauled, you need to turn off your lights whenever you start to hear a witch crying.

* In ''StarFox 64'', the underwater planet Aquas is very dark in many areas, requiring you to use the submarine's homing torpedos for light (unlike the bombs on the Arwing and the tank, you have an infinite supply).
* Altmiller Cave in ''GoldenSun''. You can make use of Reveal to see more of your surrondings, though this probably isn't an intended use for the spell.

* ''Castlevania: Symphony of the Night'' has a SpikesOfDoom-lined tunnel that must be crossed with the bat form. Said bat form needs to be upgraded with a sonar ability that will allow you to see in this dark passageway. Once you cross it and step on a lit-up platform at the end, the entire room lights up permanently.
** ''Harmony of Dissonance'' has a similar area in which only the area immediately around Juste is visible, unless he equips a certain item, which only gives him a somewhat greater radius of vision, rather than brightening the whole room. Said area also has SpikesOfDoom.
** Order of Ecclesia also has a pitch black room filled with spikes. It's possible to navigate between the moving spikes and absorb the glyph at the end of the room causing the darkness, or come back later with a certain ability that let's you just trash all the spikes.
* The Temple of Lightning in the ''TalesOfSymphonia'' games has hallways like this, lit up only by the occasional flash of lightning.
* ''Bioshock'' has the rather alarmingly black segment involving you and the shotgun you've just managed to find. You know you want it, you've been waiting for it, it's the barrel of laughs that discharges lead plugs into people! Here you go, here's thirty rounds on the house. Now I'm gonna kill the lights and send screaming crazy people at you from all directions. There is nothing more disconcerting in this game than voices from the dark howling about their lost and/or exploded babies, quests to find Jesus, dead husbands/wives or a bizarre mixture of the three.

* Ninja Gaiden II (NES) has stage 3-1, the path to the Tower of Lajha. Enemies and ''item boxes'' are still visible. The backgrounds' animation never stops, even if you pause the game. Therefore, you can use this to light your way and avoid falling into your demise.
* Crystal Caves, a platformer, has several dark levels, one of which has inverted gravity, adding to the confusion.
* It is possible to turn '''any level''' in ''UnrealTournament'' into this with the custom "Eavy Darkmatch" mutator.
* ''{{Klonoa}}'' - In the PS2 sequel, Dark Sea of Tears has light enemies that, when shot with a Wind Bullet, light your path for a certain time. However, there is a twist: the darkness can attack you, making it important to complete sections quickly.
* In ''{{Tetris}} Friends'', after reaching level 20 in Survival mode, the game enters a bonus round in which the stack flashes on and off. And before that, we have the completely-invisible bonus rounds of ''Tetris: The Grand Master 2'' and ''3'', which can only be attained after fulfilling a series of very difficult requirements, In ''2'', you need to survive for one minute to get the Grand Master rank; in ''3'', the bonus round is an opportunity to boost your grade by clearing lines, but surviving it won't necessarily net you GM rank (there are far, ''far'' more difficult requirements for that).
* The cave stage (Act 9) in the first 16-bit ''TheSmurfs'' game.
* The night tree stage (stage 14) in ''PrehistorikMan'', where a trained firefly follows the player character around.
* The first stage in MegaManBattleNetwork 3 has a variant of this, as the level (just like, oh, all of them in the entire series) is a computer system. Oh, and while the lights are off, you can't see the Mystery Data (it's there, just completely invisible).
* TraumaCenter (the Wii versions, at least) have in the dark operations. You get your assistant to hold a flashlight on a specific area so you can see, but the batteries eventually die and your replacement light sources get worse and worse until all you have is a camera flash that only gives you a second to see where everything is.
* In the ''{{Glider}}'' games, some rooms would be dark until you found the light switch (if there was one), not allowing the player to see the deadly furniture until then. ''Glider 4.0'' and ''Glider PRO'' did this most often with basements; the original ''Glider'' made practically every room dark with a light switch. In ''Glider PRO'', lights could get turned on and off in various ways.
* FinalFantasyTactics has an interesting version, in the BonusDungeon; the battlefield starts out pitch-black. As folks die, they turn into crystals -- which light up the area.
* In DukeNukem: Manhattan Project, the SinisterSubway levels are already pretty dark, but the underground [[AppliedPhlebotinum GLOPP]] factory takes the cake. Duke even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] it.

* In ''{{La-Mulana}}'', the Chamber of Extinction drives home the point that the area is a terrible place--the lights are off in the first several rooms, and all you can do is grope around in the dark and watch as enemies dive-bomb you. Apparently, whatever happened there was so terrible that it even caused the lights to shut off.
* ''{{Scribblenauts}}'' has a background as well as a level that is a dark cave. Good thing you can just summon a sun to light the place.
* Some of the levels of the Wii version of ''ABoyAndHisBlob'' are dark, especialy in the caves. The first time you visit one, Blob will eat a firefly that turns him into your flashlight--if you wander too far from him or leave him in one place, it'll be pitch-black. However, the "special" prize for the second world is a lantern that allows you to play ''every level'' in the dark like this.
* The ''{{Action52}}'' game ''Illuminator'', which also involves the use of a MuzzleFlashlight.
* ''AlienSoldier'' had a level in pitch blackness save for a few background lights (not bright enough to help you see)- the only way to light it up was via MuzzleFlashlight. It's best you used a weak weapon as you did not have BottomlessMagazines...
* Certain levels in the ''MicroMachines'' racing games are set in cellars lit only by candles; the level of illumination of the screen varies depending on your car's distance away from them. In addition, one of the selectable weather options in ''Micro Machines 96'''s Construction Kit circuit-building mode was a storm setting in which the track would only be clearly visible during brief flashes of lightning.
* One of the most [[ScrappyLevel fan-loathed]] puzzles in {{Myst}} Online: Uru Live is the caves of Eder Gira. The last [[MacGuffin Journey Cloth]] is somewhere inside, and the caves are a small, pitch-black maze. Solution: the sister world of Eder Kemo has fireflies that follow you around if they can keep up (i.e. no running, and a certain number fly away whenever you jump). Problem: they don't like water, and, true to form, the caves are behind a waterfall. Due to the means of getting around this, you need to do this ''twice''... or more, if you fall in the water, get caught in the rain, or ''walk over a steam vent''.
* ''TimeCrisis'' has a completely dark room in Stage 2-2, [[MuzzleFlashlight illuminated only by gunfire]].
* ''Xor'' has frowning masks, which turn off the lights when collected. Finding a second one turns them on again. While the lights are off, only the walls are hidden; everything else remains visible. Sometimes frowning masks are placed so you ''have'' to take them to complete the puzzles.
* The basement in ''ManiacMansion''. Or the entire mansion, if you turn the power off.
* One of the stages in ''StreetsOfRage 3'' is set in a disco, where the lights flicker on and off every few seconds.

* Level 4 of SharkAttack, the Command Center, has a lot of fun with this trope.
* TeamFortress2 has the fan-made map [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin 2fort_night]], which is basically 2fort under a dark, moonlit sky. Depending on where you are the lighting varies from "lit by electric lights" to "dimly lit with shadowy corners" to "pitch black". There's even a corridor of flickering lights. The altered visibility changes gameplay somewhat, though unfortunately it's still basically [[ScrappyLevel 2fort]].
* ''AnUntitledStory'' features [=DarkGrotto=], [[strike:The Grotto [[AC:[[RecycledINSPACE but darker!]]]]]] where the only light emanates from torches, player, boss and their shots.
* ''{{Descent}}'''s first secret level has a large pitch-black room populated by DemonicSpiders such as Fusion Hulks, Drillers, and Class 2 Platforms.
* ''{{Limbo}}'' places with very little light and even a few secret places that are pitch black.
* LittleBigPlanet has The Darkness, where you need to use the light from your dog's flashlight, and candles to help you get out of the level intact.
* Level 4-10 of ''PlantsVsZombies'' takes place during a nighttime thunderstorm, and you can only check the layout of the yard when lightning strikes. Less annoyingly, ''all'' of Level 4 is at night, with the bonus of fog encroaching upon the yard which must either by lit through or blown away.

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''(For the proper effect, open and close your eyes repeatily as you read this.)''

''(For the proper effect, blink repeatily as you read this.)''

''(For the proper effect, turn your monitor on and off repeatedly as you read this.)''

See also: {{Muzzle Flashlight}}, {{Interface Screw}}. Not to be confused with WhoForgotTheLights.

See also: {{Muzzle Flashlight}}, {{Interface Screw}}

*** There's also a variation on the 'spotlight' example: When Yoshi eats a certain fruit, he generates an aura of light. This gradually wears off over time, and unless you make it to one of the safe zones, or eat another fruit, there will be ''nothing'' for you to stand on when it wears off. [[NintendoHard Have fun.]]

** ''SuperMarioGalaxy''. The few "Matter Splatter" areas where you must stay inside a moving "spotlight," so to speak. If you [[DarknessEqualsDeath can't keep up with them]]--horizontally AND vertically--you won't have to worry about not being able to see...because THE FLOOR WILL NO LONGER BE THERE.

* ''AnUntitledStory'' features [=DarkGrotto=], [[strike:The Grotto [[AC:[[RecycledINSPACE BUT DARKER!]]]]]] where the only light emanates from torches, player, boss and their shots.