History Main / WhenAllElseFailsGoRight

* Most {{Horizontal Scrolling Shooter}}s progress from left to right.
* Averted in ''Choplifter'', where every level starts out heading left from the base.

* ''VideoGame/{{Action 52 Owns}}'' has ''Non Human'', where the player can ''only'' face right, most enemies can only move or attack leftwards, and in order to advance, they have to move right, although it's possible to move left, there's nothing special.

* In many [=RPGs=], entrances to sub-maps (towns, dungeons, and the like) are in the west while the goal or some point of significance is in the east. The common exception is to travel south to north, often because of two-dimensional graphical limitations which force "northward" and "upward" to be the same direction; thus the king's castle, which needs "height" to be displayed properly, cannot be placed on the map anywhere but at the north end of town. The ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series and the early ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games do both of these frequently.

* In ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'', it's often [[ItsAllUpstairsFromHere When All Else Fails, Go Up]].

[[caption-width-right:255:[[ComicallyMissingThePoint Yeah, there's gotta be a way to demolish that brick wall!]]]]

[[caption-width-right:255:Wait, I get it, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint you need to blow down that brick wall somehow]].]]

* Averted in ''VideoGame/EtherVapor'' with the first boss of Scene 6, who is fight while facing ''left.''

* In ''VideoGame/{{Bug}}'', it's more like "when all fails, go 'into the screen'". It's still averted in many levels.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' is almost always traveling from left to right across the various zones; it's understood that, even in the more maze-like sections, the intention is to go to the right. Going or staying ''upwards'', generally done by maintaining momentum, also enables faster routes through levels in many games

* ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on this trope in the Dungeonman dungeon, where a sign informs the player that, when given a choice, almost all video game players will go right. Also, there's an inn just out of sight to the left, so if you follow the trend...
** ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' has a section in Chapter 6 [[spoiler:(actually, the entire playable part of it)]] where you must walk left for a length of time.

* ''Rastan'' begins with a big wall preventing the player from going left.

** ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'': As the second part of Infinity Mijinion's stage opens, you ''do'' have to go right to progress. But directly to the ''left'' of the starting point (BehindTheBlack) is one of the game's upgrade capsules.

Exploited by many savvy platformer designers who build hidden collectibles into their levels. A collectible is often hidden ''just'' [[OffscreenStartBonus to the left of the starting position]].

** The UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem[=/=]UsefulNotes/GameGear version of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' had a [=1UP=] [[OffscreenStartBonus hidden in plain sight]] directly to the left of the start point of Bridge Zone Act 3.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'', it's traditional to {{avert|edTrope}} this trope where possible.
** The original ''Metroid'' and ''[[UpdatedRerelease Metroid: Zero Mission]]'' put the Morph Ball to the left of the player's starting position, and you need to get that to progress beyond the first couple of screens in the game. This was deliberate to teach players that, unlike [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 other popular games on the NES]], going left [[RatchetScrolling wasn't impossible]] but rather a ''necessity''.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' is almost always traveling from left to right across the various zones; it's understood that, even in the more maze-like sections, the intention is to go to the right.
** There are many examples in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' where you go up or left. Particular examples are Chemical Plant Zone and Mystic Cave Zone, which involve you having to go up, down, left and right several times to reach the end.
** In the Death Egg Zone of ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'', the intention is still ''mostly'' to go to the right, but much more important than that is going up.

** Asteroid Coaster Act 3 contains a special path immediately to the left of the starting point, accessible after Super Sonic is unlocked. This path doesn't even require Super Sonic to be used, but instead skips most of the zone and makes it clearable in under 3 seconds.
*** In a similar vein, the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem[=/=]UsefulNotes/GameGear version of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' had a [=1UP=] [[OffscreenStartBonus hidden in plain sight]] directly to the left of the start point of Bridge Zone Act 3.

** In ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', exactly one of the bonus collectible Red Rings is directly to the ''left'' of the starting point, in one act in Aquarium Park. Several others have the player turn around, jump into the bottomless pit, or avoid the finish line.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' is almost always traveling from left to right across the various zones; it's understood that, even in the more maze-like sections, the intention is to go to the right.

** The original ''Metroid'' and ''[[UpdatedRerelease Metroid: Zero Mission]]'' put the Morph Ball to the left, and you need to get that to progress beyond the first couple of screens in the game. This was deliberate to teach players that, unlike [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 other popular games on the NES]], going left [[RatchetScrolling wasn't impossible]] but rather a ''necessity''.

* Averted for a time in ''VideoGame/BunnyMustDie''. At the very beginning of this very {{Metroidvania}} game, you are ''unable'' to move right at all. Only until you find a specific item known as the 'Gears to the Past' can you move right. Though, there are some gamers who have attempted to do a [[SelfImposedChallenge 'no gears' runthrough]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHHzhelkNnc&p=69D45BADC89ED493 and at least one has succeeded]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy|I}}'' starts by sending you northwest to the Temple of Fiends. Then it sends you northeast across the bridge to begin the game proper. After that, you go pretty much every direction. In dungeons, however, you frequently go right (except in Mt. Gulg, where you go ''left'' on every floor). Another location is largely a matter of northeast ([[spoiler:The Temple of Fiends Past]]).

* The first trilogy of [[VideoGame/CommanderKeen Commander Keen]] tends to follow this rule more often than not, but the second trilogy inverts it about half the time: the levels are just as likely to proceed to the left as they are to go right.
* Inverted in the "Down The Hole" level of ''Franchise/CrashBandicoot: The Huge Adventure''. The stage plays the trope straight at first, and then subverts it when you actually go underground by placing the exit on the far left (the only instance in this game). However, whoever remembers "Dino Might" from ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'' has nothing to cringe about, as this time there's nothing to run away from. "Down The Hole" is still ThatOneLevel.