History Main / WhenAllElseFailsGoRight

* Not sure if this counts, but amoung [[ThisTroper This Troper's]] [[DungeonsAndDragons D&D]] group, we have a saying: "A good adventurer always goes left". It is normally invoked when a fork is presented in a dungeon, and is surprisingly effective at halting arguments.

* Averted for a time in the game BunnyMustDie!. At the very beginning of this very Metroid-esque 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 'no gears' runthrough...

See also OffscreenStartBonus.

* Exploited by many savvy platformer designers who build hidden collectables into their levels. A collectable is often hidden ''just'' to the left of the starting position.

2d platformers often have a very straightforward start-to-goal direction; usually, you travel to the right. Much of the time, however, there are some options in your path, leading to this video gaming axiom: When All Else Fails, Go Right. In some games, (say, KidIcarus) it's occasionally recast as Go Up; much more rarely, it becomes Go Left or Go Down.

* Averted for a time in the game ''Bunny Must Die!''. At the very beginning of this very Metroid-esque 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 'no gears' runthrough...

* Averted for a time in the game {{Bunny Must Die!}}. At the very beginning of this very Metroid-esque 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 'no gears' runthrough...

* SuperMarioBros provides an early example that actually ''[[RatchetScrolling prevents you from going to the left]]''; the sequels were often more forgiving.
** SuperMarioBros 3 has only one level where the pathway goes to the left and downward - although the last section of the level goes to the right. It's also the only level with the Kuribo Shoe. World 5, Area 3. It's such a rarity as to be noteworthy.
* In KidIcarus, it's often [[WhenAllElseFailsGoRight When All Else Fails, Go Up]]
* SonicTheHedgehog, in his first three games, is ''always'' travelling 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.

* {{Eversion}} lives on this trope

* Kirby's games tend to proceed "eastward" across Dreamland.

* {{Xexyz}}

** There's also some variations in other games in the X series: The heart tank for Storm Eagle's level is directly above the player, unreachable from the start point, so you have to go right, then left when you get high enough. In Armored Armadillo's stage, you need to go right to get away from a death machine, then go back left to get a sub tank. In fact, from the very first game, the X series has delighted in hiding things from the player that assumes forward is left.
* RolePlayingGames are not immune. In many, 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 {{Ultima}} series and the early FinalFantasy games do both of these frequently.
** ''FinalFantasyI'' 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. Gulug, where you go ''left'' on every floor). The Temple of Fiends [[spoiler:Past]] is largely a matter of northeast.

* Inverted in the "Down The Hole" level of ''CrashBandicoot: [[GameBoyAdvance 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 ''THA''). However, whoever remembers "Dino Might" from ''CrashBandicoot [[PlayStation 3: Warped]]'' has nothing to cringe about, as this time there's nothing to run away from. "Down The Hole", however, still - and arguably - holds the title of ThatOneLevel of ''THA''.

* Most maze games with randomly generated maps tend to start at the left side and have the player trying to cross to the right.

** SuperMarioBros 3 has only one level in the Nintendo games where the pathway goes to the left and downward - although the last section of the level goes to the right. It's also the only level with the Kuribo Shoe. World 5, Area 3.

* SuperMarioBros provides an early example that actually ''[[RatchetScrolling prevents you from going to the left]]''; the sequels were often more forgiving

* ''{{Game/Jumper}}'' games, where the goal for every level is to literally reach the right side of the screen.

* ''MegaManX6'' plays around with this. As the second part of the Infinity Mijinion level 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, which most players would miss because of this trope.

** ''FinalFantasyI'' starts by sending you northwest, to the Temple of Chaos. 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. Gulug, where you go ''left'' on every floor). The Temple of Chaos [[spoiler:Past]] is largely a matter of northeast.
* Exploited by many savvy platformer designers who build hidden collectables into their levels. A collectable is often hidden ''just'' to the left of the starting position.

* One of the ''MegaManX'' games plays around with this. As the level opens, you ''do'' have to go right to progress. But directly to the ''left'' of the starting point is one of the game's upgrade capsules, which most players would miss because of this trope.

** ''FinalFantasyI'' starts by sending you northwest, to the Temple of Chaos. 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. Gulug, where you go ''left'' on every floor). The Temple of Chaos [[spoiler:Past]] is largely a matter of northeast.

* RolePlayingGames are not immune. In many, 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 {{Ultima}} series and the early FinalFantasy games do both of these frequently.

* RolePlayingGames are not immune. In many, 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." The {{Ultima}} series and the early FinalFantasy games do this frequently.

* One of the ''MegaManX'' games plays around with this. As the level opens, you ''do'' have to go right to progress. But directly to the ''left'' of the starting point is one of the game's upgrade capsules, which most players would miss because of this trope.

* {{Xexyz}}

* SuperMarioBros provides an early example that actually [[RatchetScrolling ''prevents you from going to the left'']]; the sequels were often more forgiving

* SuperMarioBros provides an early example that actually ''prevents you from going to the left''; the sequels were often more forgiving

* All of the bosses in [[TheLegendOfZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]] are faced after entering their rooms from the left.
* Most Side Scrolling ShootEmUp games progress from left to right.

* {{Eversion}} lives on this trope

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