History Main / ObstructiveForeground

* Several dungeons in the ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' series will have obstructions in the foreground that will block your view of chests and things. While the [[VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile2Silmeria second game]] always puts a prompt on screen to open a chest, the previous game does no such thing, meaning you can walk right by chests without ever even knowing they're there.

[[caption-width-right:320:Good thing cellphones made those obsolete.]]

* The Forest of Illusion in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''
* Shows up in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' with the Nintendogs and Mr. Resetti "Assist Trophies", who are there solely to take up screen space. Gods help you if you're on a small stage, or worse, a moving one.
** The closest ''Melee'' had was a Pokemon capable of plunging the whole stage in darkness, but this is more InterfaceScrew.
** Did we mention the computers [[TheAllSeeingAI aren't affected by this at all?]]

* ''[=McDonald's=] Treasure Land Adventure'' has a major case of this in the tree area of the first level.

** Subverted in ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission,'' in which hidden passages like the ones seen in ''Super Metroid'' turn translucent when Samus walks into them.
*** You do have to find them first, however. Power Bombs can help by making them momentarily visible.

* Quite common in the ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' series and made worse by how some enemies always hide behind bushes, crystals or other things, even though the Yoshis themselves should be able to see them, and react accordingly, just fine.

** Oddly, it creates a case of [[TheAIIsACheatingBastard "The Humans Are All Cheating Bastards"]] due to the touch screen map in the NintendoDS edition. The human player can remember level structures and traps (besides using the second screen to see weapons and traps from all over the level) while the computer doesn't know better are swerves left and right while slowing down.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' LicensedGame for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, at one point in the Burger World level, the two titular protagonists are supposed to drop a rat that ate [[PlotCoupon a piece of their tickets to a GWAR concert]] and some fries into the fryer so they can serve them to a customer and he can throw the piece of the ticket back up (ItMakesSenseInContext). The trick to getting the rat in the fryer is to select it, then use the C button, instead of selecting the drop option, as the drop option is only for dropping things on the floor. Thus, if you drop the rat on the floor by accident, you won't be able to see where you dropped it, due to the kitchen's foreground obstructing the view of the floor.

--> '''[=JdG=]''' ([[http://www.joueurdugrenier.fr/joueur-du-grenier-les-jeux-disney/ reviewing]] the UsefulNotes/MegaDrive version of ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''), ''WebVideo/JoueurDuGrenier''

--> '''WebVideo/JoueurDuGrenier''', [[http://www.joueurdugrenier.fr/joueur-du-grenier-les-jeux-disney/ reviewing]] the UsefulNotes/MegaDrive version of ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''

* This is one of the suggested uses of the canvas feature of the SuperGameBoy, in its accompanying PlayersGuide.

--> '''WebVideo/JoueurDuGrenier''', [[http://www.joueurdugrenier.fr/joueur-du-grenier-les-jeux-disney/ reviewing]] the MegaDrive version of ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''

* ''Saboteur'', for its time, had large (though single-color) sprites, but they could still be masked by foreground objects, particularly [[CrateExpectations crates and barrels]].

* Sometimes appears in the ''KatamariDamacy'' games. While usually there's meant to be a cutaway graphic that surrounds your katamari when you're behind something big, it doesn't always work...
* Inverted just as annoyingly in ''Messiah'' where the camera is always between you and the closest obstruction behind you, which can mean lining up for difficult jumps when all you can see is your character's backside.

* ''[=TowerClimb=]'' can have creatures totally obscured by bushes, witches, or whatever else is in the foreground. Seeing as this is a NintendoHard action platformer where you're a OneHitPointWonder, this is FakeDifficulty of the highest order.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' does this with metal girders in the Starlight Zone, and with plant leaves in Angel Island Zone.

* ''Sacred 2'' has a fixed top-down camera angle, but fades out tree canopies and ceilings so you can see what you're doing without zooming in.

* Of all games WorldOfWarcraft did fall prone to this with the release of the Firelands raid. Even with the movable camera, one boss in particular (Lord Ryolith) is so huge and massive that it's borderline impossible to target the small adds the ranged have to kill when he is in the way. Oh, and he WILL be in the way, because he aimlessly wanders around his platform and can only be directed in certain limits.
** Also, in ''WorldOfWarcraft'', partway into the main questline of Jade Forest, the Horde version of the "sniper" quest is particularly annoying because you zoom in on the Jinyu village. Said village is underneath trees with large amounts of hanging vines with large leaves which obstructs the view of the things you're supposed to shoot to save the friendly NPC from the enemies. The Alliance version of this quest does not suffer from this particular annoyance; there are no similar obstructions near the Hozen village.

* LaMulana has it in a few locations.
* So does ''{{Gish}}'' when trying to get to some secrets.

* Intentionally used in ''BattleCity'' and ''Tank Force'' with tree tiles which makes it harder to see what's underneath them.
* Used in one stage of the second NES NinjaGaiden, to infuriating effect.
* Several dungeons in the ''ValkyrieProfile'' series will have obstructions in the foreground that will block your view of chests and things. While the [[VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile2Silmeria second game]] always puts a prompt on screen to open a chest, the previous game does no such thing, meaning you can walk right by chests without ever even knowing they're there.

** Subverted in ''{{Metroid}}: Zero Mission,'' in which hidden passages like the ones seen in ''Super Metroid'' turn translucent when Samus walks into them.

* The Forest of Illusion in ''SuperMario World''
* Shows up in ''SuperSmashBros Brawl'' with the Nintendogs and Mr. Resetti "Assist Trophies", who are there solely to take up screen space. Gods help you if you're on a small stage, or worse, a moving one.

** Did we mention the computers [[TheAIIsACheatingBastard aren't affected by this at all?]]