History Main / WhenAllElseFailsGoRight

* The main character's goal in ''VideoGame/Celeste'' is to climb a mountain, so your overall direction is up. Many chapters have you zig-zagging right and left in the process, though.

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, ''VideoGame/KidIcarus''), it's occasionally recast as Go Up; much more rarely, it becomes Go Left or Go Down.

[[quoteright:255:[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/goright.png]]]]

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

* ''VideoGame/AncientDomainsOfMystery'' starts you in the East side of the map, but you do cross towns from West to East.

* 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 ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' series and the early ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games do both of these frequently.

* Inverted in the first level of the fourth [[VideoGame/CommanderKeen Commander Keen]] game, ''Secret of the Oracle'': you progress right-to-left.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' is almost 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.

[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiePaAHK3jE This video]] gives examples of the trope through the years. Set to music.

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, ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'') it's occasionally recast as Go Up; much more rarely, it becomes Go Left or Go Down.

** ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania|I}}'' for the NES definitely fit this -- though in ''Vampire Killer'' going left was often not only counterintuitively possible, but could be a quicker way to get the stage key.

* All ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' levels direct you to the right. As ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' games like to hide bonus games and items all over the place, it's generally worth your while to check to the left of the starting point anyway. One level in the first game actually has a shortcut to the ''end of the level'' just by walking in the door to the left of the starting point!

** In the first ''Mega Man X'', the Heart Tank for Storm Eagle's stage is directly above the player, unreachable from the starting point. You have to go right and up, then leap left and back down. 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.
** ''Mega Man X6'': 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.

* ''{{Xexyz}}''

* ''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.

* ''{{Eversion}}'' lives on this trope.

** ''Metroid II'' plays this straight -- at least until lava blocks your progress and forces you left; after that, you'll generally be travelling ''down''... until the late game starts forcing you back up.
** ''Super Metroid'' blocks off the right path from your ship until after you beat Kraid, dig through Norfair, and get the Speed Booster.
** ''Metroid Fusion'' doesn't even have a path to the right from the starting point.

** The SegaMasterSystem[=/=]GameGear games were not very different. Only two levels in the first ''VideoGame/{{Sonic the Hedgehog|1}}'' involve climbing, and ''Sonic Chaos'' features one special stage where the [[PlotCoupon Chaos Emerald]] is above you. One act in ''Sonic 2'' has the goal at the left of the level.

** In ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', exactly one of the bonus collectable 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.
*** In a similar vein, the SegaMasterSystem[=/=]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.

** ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania|1986}}'' for the NES definitely fit this -- though in ''Vampire Killer'' going left was often not only counterintuitively possible, but could be a quicker way to get the stage key.

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