History Main / BlackoutBasement

* ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'': As well as being one big BigBoosHaunt, the game 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 and capturing a very elusive Portrait Ghost along the way.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' has the fan-made map [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin 2fort_night]], which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: the 2fort map 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 [[ThatOneLevel 2fort]]. ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'' has similar map called nao_2fort, which is set in night and bases are illuminated by some neon lights, with plenty of shades. It's an excellent playground for spies.

* In ''VideoGame/GarrysMod'', the default map ''gm_construct'' has a dark room accessible via either a brick warehouse building, or a staircase embedded into one of the map's walls. It's meant for testing out lighting, meaning there are absolutely zero lights by default, requiring the player to either use their flashlight or place down lights/lamps via the Tool Gun.

** ''VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins'' allows you to obtain a pair of night vision goggles that not only avert this trope, but also prevent enemies from seeing the light of your flashlight. Unfortunately to obtain them you must beat the game without using the flashlight for longer than 3 total hours, firmly making this a BraggingRightsAward.

** The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' Togepi will occasionally cause the screen to go entirely dark (though [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard this will not affect the CPU's efficiency]]). In ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl Brawl]]'', the VideoGame/{{Nintendog|s}} will [[CameraAbuse block the action]] instead of obscuring it. In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosFor3DSAndWiiU'', Nightmare from ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'' turns the whole stage dark.

** ''VideoGame/{{Descent}}'''s first secret level has a large pitch-black room populated by DemonicSpiders such as Fusion Hulks, Drillers, and Class 2 Platforms.

** The levels ''Night Flight'' and the secret ''Totally Fly'' in ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack'' have fireflies, keeping the time limit of the luminous Aku masks from the first game but removing the one-hit penalty (the fly away from Crash after some time instead; there's also a brief area where the insect moves on its own and Crash has to avoid lagging behind for too long). There's also the hidden level "Totally Bear", where Crash and Polar have to ride through the frozen tundras during deep-dark overnight.

* The second level of the Tawfret level in ''VideoGame/JetForceGemini'' has a very dark basement that requires Juno to use Flares or a restrained charge of the Plasma Shotgun to have some visibility. It is there where the missing parts of Floyd can be found for him to be repaired.

* ''VideoGame/{{PN 03}}'' has a night mission in Level 8, where the only lights are searchlights that give you away to the {{sentry gun}}s. Level 9 turns into one of these after the LoadBearingBoss is defeated and the SelfDestructMechanism activates.

* ''VideoGame/DeathRoadToCanada'': a few locations, such as the Dark Mansion, Haunted Mansion and Spooky Graveyard or the sewers in the "River of Death" gauntlet event, have the time of day (as seen in the Zombie Forecast) set to '''''TIME TO BUY A NEW WATCH''''' in all capitals and flashing colors. In these conditions it's virtually impossible to see anything on the screen without a flashlight on at least one survivor.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': [[BeneathTheEarth The Depths]] start off totally dark except for ancient Zonai lanterns, the fires of monster camps, the Brightbloom seeds you light up, and [[MadeOfEvil Gloom]]. Whenever you activate a Lightroot, the region around it will permanently light up.

* In ''VideoGame/MetroLastLight'', most places where [[ElectromagneticGhosts an anomaly known as the Darkness]] is present. It disables Artyom's headlamp and NightVisionGoggles, forcing him to either a) use his lighter's flame to illuminate the way and possibly light up torches and candles along the path, or b) if he has a gun with a night vision scope, navigate while aiming the gun, a slow walk with a very restricted field of view. It's intended to slow down the gameplay pace and create tension, and [[NothingIsScarier nothing happening while it's in effect is no comfort]].

* In ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'', some corridors have flickering lights or aren't lit at all. Although player has light on his gun, those parts are mostly absent of Necromorphs. Mostly.

** The original ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' introduced this to FPS games. The use of light, shadow, and strobe effects was one of the major selling points of the games. With the limited engine, varying light levels and effects are ''crucial'' to level atmosphere. There ''is'' a [[NightVisionGoggles Light Amplification Visor]] power up that gives you perfect fullbright vision [[TenSecondFlashlight for a limited time]], but it's rarely put in the levels; the [[InvincibilityPowerUp invulnerability powerup]] also effectively makes everything perfectly lit as part of its inverted B&W vision effect, but being what it is, it's even rarer than the LAV. That said, at least two levels are notably gloomier than most: [=E2M5=], "Halls of the Damned", in the original, and in ''[[VideoGame/DoomII II]]'', there are Map 26, "Bloodfalls", and Map 27, "Monster Condo". As a rule of thumb, if you see a dark patch of a map, expect to be met with [[StealthyMook Spectres]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'':
** The original game introduced this to FPS games. The use of light, shadow, and strobe effects was one of the major selling points of the games. With the limited engine, varying light levels and effects are ''crucial'' to level atmosphere. There ''is'' a [[NightVisionGoggles Light Amplification Visor]] power up that gives you perfect fullbright vision [[TenSecondFlashlight for a limited time]], but it's rarely put in the levels; the [[InvincibilityPowerUp invulnerability powerup]] also effectively makes everything perfectly lit as part of its inverted B&W vision effect, but being what it is, it's even rarer than the LAV. That said, at least two levels are notably gloomier than most: [=E2M5=], "Halls of the Damned", in the original, and in ''[[VideoGame/DoomII II]]'', there are Map 26, "Bloodfalls", and Map 27, "Monster Condo". As a rule of thumb, if you see a dark patch of a map, expect to be met with [[StealthyMook Spectres]].

* The basement in ''VideoGame/ManiacMansion''. Or the entire mansion, if you turn the power off.

* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy'' features this in a section of the spider cave, requiring the player to hit crystals for temporary illumination.

* ''VideoGame/{{Aquaria}}'': The Abyss. You need Sun Form to be able to see down there, though there are bioluminescent organisms as you proceed further down (and AlluringAnglerfish out to kill you).

*** The Coolant Control Junction at the tail end of "Alpha Labs Sector 2" is a big section of walkways with no more than 3 or 4 working lamps spread far from each other, as according to a scientist, electromagnetic pulses have blown out all lighting. The only sources of light in the place are your own torch[[labelnote:+]]plus whatever lighting resource you have [[GameMod modded in]][[/labelnote]] and the lantern carried by said scientist [[EscortMission as you escort him]]. There are several caches of goodies hidden off the beaten path, too[[labelnote:+]]including [[DiscOneNuke a Chaingun]] and two ammo belts for it[[/labelnote]], so it's worth exploring in full.

* Nighttime missions in ''VideoGame/XCOMUFODefense'' are pitch black when outside the Skyranger or a UFO, and soldiers and tanks only have a 9-tile vilibility radius around them. Fires in the environment and thrown electro-flares provide a separate 9-tile visibility radius. [[THeAllSeeingAI Aliens can see the same 20-tile distance as all units can during daytime]], though, even ones you MindControl.

* ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'' tends to overlap its blackout basements with BigBoosHaunt. Impressive when the games are already paranormal NightmareFuel most of the time. The abandoned section of the Old Underground Metro Area, a location explored in the ''Perseus Mandate'' expansion of the original game, is a section of Fairport that was buried in an earthquake and left abandoned, with the new Fairport being built on top of it. Lighting is very sparse, with only a few scattered strings of connected lamps providing lighting that work more for mood than anything. Many times, your only source of light will be your own [[TenSecondFlashlight ten-second headlamp]], even in combat. Keep in mind, you're up exclusively against Shades, almost invisible enemies that can only be clearly seen [[ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes by the light in their]] {{glowing|EyesOfDoom}} {{red eyes|TakeWarning}} (and [[VisibleInvisibility their body's outline]] in the light) and Scarecrows, antlion-like enemies hiding in dark blotches of ground that are nearly invisible in most spots without ceiling lamps unless the headlamp is on. It's ParanoiaFuel through and through.