History Main / UnexpectedShmupLevel

* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne3'' has a helicopter {{sniping|Mission}} EscortMission sequence during the second chapter, and the boat chase in Chapter 5.

* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 3'' has a vertical space shooter level as an intro to the last level.

* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' fills the time to one of the boss fights by having Travis fall asleep on a train and dream that he's playing a vertical shooter based on the ShowWithinAShow ''Pure White Lover Bizarre Jelly''.
** There's another one in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle''.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/milky_way_wishes_ugc.png]]]]

# A 2D ShootEmUp where your character automatically moves along a left-to-right or bottom-to-top path, shooting down numerous [[{{Mooks}} enemy spaceships]] and collecting power ups. Think of ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'', ''VideoGame/RType'', ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}'', or ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}''. Usually there's a boss battle at the end against a [[BattleshipRaid giant UFO/space ship/mecha]] or a {{reactor|Boss}}.

* While it's tough to consider it "unexpected" given the BulletHell [[VideoGame/{{Touhou}} franchise it's based on]], the World 6-2-4 boss in the mostly Mario-like fan-game ''Super Marisa World'', Kaguya, is, well, pretty much a side-scrolling version of the Kaguya fight from ''Imperishable Night''. (The level itself is based on the aforementioned ''Super Mario Land'' 4-3, as despite the title suggesting its a straight ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' knockoff, every pre-''64'' Mario game is referenced at times--even ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'' and ''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins''.)

* The UrExample is the first ''Videogame/{{Ultima}}'', which included a space shooter segment inside what was normally an RPG -- published in 1981.

* ''{{VideoGame/Freedom Planet}}'' has a portion before Battle Glacier in Adventure and Classic modes that involves shooting flying enemies, either with [[spoiler: Dragon Pangu as Lilac, who acts as a flying shooter ship with straight line shots, or with one of Zao's tanks as Carol or Milla, which can double jump and can aim with its primary weapon]]

* The first ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'', after hack'n'slashing your way through the entire game, ends with two of these. [[spoiler:The first one is the first battle against Mundus, then, after battling his second form, going through a TimedMission that has you escaping the place, and then throwing down with his third and final form, Dante and Trish escape on a biplane in the second and final rail shooter level]].

* ''Videogame/MarlowBriggsAndTheMaskOfDeath'' does this every time you take control of a turret. The first boss is entirely this save for the finishing move which is delivered via QTE.
* The battle against N. Gin in ''Videogame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'' was basically a rail shooter.

* ''[[VideoGame/JustCause Just Cause 2]]'' has a few missions that the player is expected to complete primarily like this. All are {{escort mission}}s where you car-surf on the protectee's vehicle. However, you are still free to complete these as you like. One, done on a car, relies on your own finite ammo supply, and so practically requires jumping from car to car. Another is for a boat with a mounted minigun, so it's a bit more sensible to stay put.

* ''Videogame/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' (N64) has Cold Reception, a ski shooter based on the parahawk battle from the movie.

* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne 3'' has a helicopter {{sniping|Mission}} EscortMission sequence during the second chapter, and the boat chase in Chapter 5.

* ''Videogame/DynastyWarriors 7'' ([[BeatEmUp of all things]]) had these "siege weapon" sections, which are mountable weapons put in certain places in the battlefield. First there's the Ballista (you aim, fire, and wait for the ammo to hit the gate, rinse repeat), used for opening gates. Then there's the {{Gatling|Good}} [[AutomaticCrossbow Crossbow]] with BottomlessMagazines ([[AnachronismStew seriously]]) sections where you basically go MoreDakka with arrows on a huge number of people (thankfully they're fixtures, so you [[GameBreaker can't use one on the whole level]]). Then there's the optional Tiger ''[[TankGoodness Tanks]]'', which [[AwesomeButImpractical move as fast as molasses]] and has an extremely slow firing rate, and is somehow [[StrongFleshWeakSteel as fragile as porcelain despite being made of bronze]], making it completely useless in harder modes where you need to quickly travel around the map and defeat enemies.

* ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' was mostly a Zeldalike--but being a Star Fox game, included shoot-em-up mini-games between The Hub and the different dungeons. Oh, and the final boss as well. Hope you practiced!
** Of course, this may be an inversion: people ''expect'' the space shooter levels in a ''VideoGame/StarFox'' game, while the ''Zelda''-esque bits are the aberration. Played straight in the level where you're shooting down missiles from the back of a sauropod, though.
** The game was originally called Dinosaur Planet, but Nintendo demanded Rare include ''Star Fox'' characters in order to increase its marquee value. The shooter levels were added in an attempt to make it more like ''Star Fox''.

* In the ''VideoGame/AdventureTime'' video game ''Hey, Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!'', [[spoiler: [[DramaQueen Lumpy Space Princess]] goes on a SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum when she finds Finn threw out the home-made ashtray she made for his birthday, and tries to [[DisproportionateRetribution sabotage the Lumpy Space Reactor Core and blow up all of Ooo]]. Finn and Jake proceed to ride Lady Rainicorn through Lumpy Space in order to stop LSP... by blasting her with rainbow-colored lasers while a delightfully-cheesy pop song plays (in the 3DS version).]]

* In the ''VideoGame/AdventureTime'' video game ''Hey, Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!'', [[spoiler: [[DramaQueen Lumpy Space Princess]] goes on a SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum when she finds Finn threw out the home-made ashtray she made for his birthday, and tries to [[DisproportionateRetribution sabotage the Lumpy Space Reactor Core and blow up all of Ooo]]. Finn and Jake proceed to ride Lady Raincorn through Lumpy Space in order to stop LSP... by blasting her with rainbow-colored lasers while a delightfully-cheesy pop song plays.]]

* In the ''VideoGame/AdventureTime'' video game, [[spoiler: [[DramaQueen Lumpy Space Princess]] goes on a SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum when she finds Finn threw out the home-made ashtray she made for his birthday, and tries to [[DisproportionateRetribution sabotage the Lumpy Space Reactor Core and blow up all of Ooo]]. Finn and Jake proceed to ride Lady Raincorn through Lumpy Space in order to stop LSP... by blasting her with rainbow-colored lasers while a delightfully-cheesy pop song plays.]]

* ''{{Videogame/Shantae}}'' ''Risky's Revenge'' has a bubble-shooting underwater section like this right before the final boss.
** As does Half-Genie Hero.
* Every chapter in ''VideoGame/AstroBoyTheVideoGame'' has at least one shmup level.
* This is how you move from one level to another in ''VideoGame/YoJoeBeatTheGhosts''. Additonally, it is a good chance to gain additional lives by collecting power-ups and avoiding damage.
* Of all places, an NES hockey game called ''Blades of Steel'' sometimes had the player attempt one of these (projected on the arena Jumbotron!) in between the second and third periods.

** The sequel, ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', has the Yellow SOUL mechanic return with the addition of a ChargedAttack, with Susie and Ralsei gaining unique [=ACTs=] granting you faster charging and an OrbitingParticleShield. It shows up primarily in the [[spoiler:[[BonusBoss Spamton NEO fight]] in Chapter 2]].

** The sequel, ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', has the Yellow SOUL mechanic return with the addition of a ChargedAttack, with Susie and Ralsei gaining unique ACTs granting you faster charging and an OrbitingParticleShield. It shows up primarily in the [[spoiler:[[BonusBoss Spamton NEO fight]] in Chapter 2]].

** The sequel, ''VideoGame/Deltarune'', has the Yellow SOUL mechanic return with the addition of a ChargedAttack, with Susie and Ralsei gaining unique ACTs granting you faster charging and an OrbitingParticleShield. It shows up primarily in the [[spoiler:[[BonusBoss Spamton NEO fight]] in Chapter 2]].

* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'': The TrueFinalBoss of the ''Repentance'' DLC has Isaac grow a pair of wings and changes the perspective from isometric roguelike to side-scrolling shmup. It's not just for show either: items are affected by gravity and tear height can drastically the arc of your shots.

* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'': The TrueFinalBoss of the ''Repentance'' DLC has Isaac grow a pair of wings and changes the perspective from isometric roguelike to side-scrolling shmup.

* ''VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin'' introduces shmup-style autoscrolling in "Open Ocean", "The Tube", and "Welcome to the Machine".

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2SpecialEdition''[[labelnote:*]]an AffectionateParody of ''Sonic'', taking the form of a LetsPlay of a fictitious UpdatedRerelease[[/labelnote]] has a side-scrolling shooter level (blatantly "borrowed" from ''VideoGame/SeGaGaGa'') in which you fight various Sega game systems. By that point, it's probably the most sensible thing that's happened.

** Wily Stage 2: Dreadnought in ''Rockman7EP'' is one, much like Cossack 1 from Minus Infinity. In fact, the stage itself is lifted directly from the ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' series, with Gamerizer's patterns changed to the Yorogaton Chimera from ''Gradius 4''.

** Wily 2 of ''Rockman7EP'' is one, much like Cossack 1 from Minus Infinity.

** ''VideoGame/Rockman4MinusInfinity'' has the second half of Cossack Castle Stage. Mega Man rode on the Balloon Adaptor until Shadow Man ambushed him. Rush saved him and Mega Man defeated Shadow Man, enabling the usage of the Robot Master Weapons for the rest of the stage.

** Dive Mode ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3D'' is closer to a rail-shooter than anything else.