History VideoGame / PauseAhead

Can be played [[https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/628969 here]].

Can be played [[http://askiisoft.com/games/pause-ahead/ here]].

The game's overall feel and design, like its predecessor VideoGame/TowerOfHeaven, invokes old UsefulNotes/GameBoy games.

* EasterEgg: Fail to pass level 5 repeatedly and the PlayerNudge gets more and more annoyed, culminating in the frustrated player character declaring "I consider pressing [ESC] to quit the game."

%% EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:The Architect]].
* HoldTheLine: You never directly attack the FinalBoss. The game is completed once you've survived for long enough.

** To ''Videogame/TowerOfHeaven''; one of the later levels is a near-exact copy. [[spoiler:Including a secret if you go past the door and all the way to the left edge.]]

%% YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In the secret ending, where the "you" in question is [[spoiler:the player character]].

%% BizarrePuzzleGame: Counts as one.

%% BreakingTheFourthWall: Almost all of the pause messages tend to do this.

%% DeathCourse: The whole game, but especially [[spoiler:Nihil]].

%% ExactTimeToFailure
%% HoldTheLine: The boss battle is this.

%% InformingTheFourthWall
%% ItsAllUpstairsFromHere
%% JumpPhysics

%% MalevolentArchitecture

%% PauseScumming: And it's an integral gameplay mechanic, to boot.
%% PlatformHell: Basically the whole game. Pausing has never been so fun.

%% SensoryAbuse: To your ears by the boss battle music.

%% SpikesOfDoom: Plentiful.

%% VillainousBreakdown: This appears to happen to [[spoiler: The Architect]] as you get closer and closer to the end.

%% YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In the secret ending, where the "you" in question is [[spoiler:the player character]].
%% YourHeadASplode

* EarnYourBadEnding: [[spoiler: Clearing Nihil results in your character getting terminated.]]

The game's overall feel and design, like its predecessor VideoGame/TowerOfHeaven, invokes old GameBoy games.

* ShooOutTheClowns: The SillinessSwitch doesn't change the dialogue [[spoiler:in Nihil]].

%% BonusLevelOfHell: [[spoiler:Nihil]], which you can only reach if you find all 3 secrets before reaching the final boss.

%% BrutalBonusLevel: You're more likely to break your Shift key than you are to beat it.
%% CatastrophicCountdown: For you at least.

* LittleBitBeastly: The only indications that the main character isn't human are ears and some of the pause messages.
%% LoopholeAbuse: Pausing.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: [[spoiler:Nihil, the bonus level, which is Latin for Nothing.]]

* NoFourthWall: Once you obtain the Achievement 'Speak No Evil', the wall is absolutely and hilariously gone.

* LoopholeAbuse: Pausing.

* MalevolentArchitecture

* PauseScumming: And it's an integral gameplay mechanic, to boot.
* PlatformHell: Basically the whole game. Pausing has never been so fun.

* SensoryAbuse: To your ears by the boss battle music. Potentially doubles as PsychoStrings.

* SpikesOfDoom: Plentiful.

* VillainousBreakdown: This appears to happen to [[spoiler: The Architect]] as you get closer and closer to the end.
* YouAreNotAlone: You start getting this vibe very early in the game as a result of the opening/pause text being directed at ''you'', the player.
** [[spoiler: Play it enough times, and all the level opening text changes. You find that you have '01' branded on your shoulder. And you feel like you should go through that door for some reason...]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In the secret ending, where the "you" in question is [[spoiler:the player character]].

* BadassNormal: The main protagonist, using only his jumping ability. That is, until you soon learn that pausing the game yields ''very'' useful results.
* BizarrePuzzleGame: Counts as one.
* BonusLevelOfHell: [[spoiler:Nihil]], which you can only reach if you find all 3 secrets before reaching the final boss.
** Secret 1: [[spoiler: Level 6: Jump high up beyond the left corner of the room.]]
** Secret 2: [[spoiler: Level 13: Let the clock run down to 0:10 to reveal a door where you started.]]
** Secret 3: [[spoiler: Level 19: Floating under the leftmost spike will net you the final secret.]]
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Almost all of the pause messages tend to do this.
* BrutalBonusLevel: You're more likely to break your Shift key than you are to beat it.
* CatastrophicCountdown: For you at least.
** UpToEleven: [[spoiler: For several levels, your timer starts at 0:01 seconds.]]

* DeathCourse: The whole game, but especially [[spoiler:Nihil]].

* DevelopersForesight: Fail to pass the level two more times and the message becomes [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin ''Pressing [shift] or [C] to pause may help me cross this gap'']]
** Failing twice more results in [[NoFourthWall ''I really should consider pressing [shift] or [C] to pause'']]
** Taunting the game successively results in:
---> "[[NoJustNoReaction You can't be serious.]]"\\
"My perseverance is laudable, but maybe I'd prefer a slower game. Sudoku, perhaps?"\\
"I remind myself that [[StrategyGuide there are walkthroughs online.]]"\\
"My self-loathing continues unabated."
** Alternatively, it may result in a MedalOfDishonor.
--->"I consider pressing [ESC] to quit the game." [[spoiler:This one unlocks an achievement called "Thick Skull".]]

* DoubleMeaning: It really depends on how you interpret each level's opening monologue.

* EldritchAbomination: [[spoiler:The Architect]].
* ExactTimeToFailure
* FloatingPlatforms: Averted.
* GroundhogDayLoop: One possible interpretation.
* HoldTheLine: The boss battle is this.

* InformingTheFourthWall
* ItsAllUpstairsFromHere
* JumpPhysics

* NintendoHard: This game features ''many'' hazard-filled corridors that you can only traverse with the [[TimeStandsStill pausing]] [[{{Intangibility}} mechanic]]. To make matters worse, you can't control your direction while paused, so being stopped within a death trap while paused equals death.
* NoFairCheating: You are always called out on it.
** Press [shift] or [C] to break the game at any time, you dirty cheater.

* OffWithHisHead: Twice! [[spoiler: You actually have to do this to get past the unlockable Nihil stage.]]

* SequentialBoss: The Architect battle has three major phases, the final phase of which is generally a HoldTheLine segment.
* ShoutOut: To ''Videogame/TowerOfHeaven''. [[spoiler:And Bowser of Super Mario Bros if you unlock the Achievement 'Speak No Evil']]

** That's not all. In the BonusLevelOfHell, the pause texts "Sanctuary," "Did you Know," "The witch woman," and "Once Had A Brother" reference the spike-filled bonus level of the same game.
*** Also in the BonusLevelOfHell: [[VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou "You Have 7 Days."]]
*** Another pause text reads "[[VideoGame/{{Pokemon}} Missing Number]]"
*** "[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders World]]" might count, given how the Pause button [[TimeStandsStill works]] in this game.

* YourHeadASplode

* PauseAbuse: And it's an integral gameplay mechanic, to boot.

** The game's description on [[https://askiisoft.com/games/pause-ahead/ the original site]] reads "Pause Ahead is a jumping-and-pausing action game. Pause through the caves until you reach the ending", which is a close match for [[VideoGame/CaveStory a similar game]]'s description.

** The game's description on [[askiisoft.com/games/pause-ahead/ the original site]] reads "Pause Ahead is a jumping-and-pausing action game. Pause through the caves until you reach the ending", which is a close match for [[VideoGame/CaveStory a similar game]]'s description.

** In the BonusLevelOfHell, the pause texts "Sanctuary," "Did you Know," "The witch woman," and "Once Had A Brother" reference the spike-filled bonus level of [[VideoGame/CaveStory another game.]]

* MadeOfExplodium: You.

* NintendoHard: And how!

A Molyjam inspired platformer from Askiisoft seeks to answer the question, "What if the pause button was a weapon?"

*** "[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure World]]" might count, given how the Pause button [[TimeStandsStill works]] in this game.

* [[spoiler: CoolShades: Your character starts talking quite differently as a result of his new found swag.]]

* [[spoiler: EarnYourBadEnding]]: [[spoiler: Clearing Nihil results in your character getting terminated.]]

* FanNickname: [[spoiler:Nihil]] is often called "Hell Temple" by fans of ''VideoGame/LaMulana''. [[spoiler:And much like Hell Temple, there's no reward for beating it]].

* [[spoiler: GroundhogDayLoop]]: One possible interpretation.

:: Alternatively, it may result in a MedalOfDishonor.

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: Fail to pass the level two more times and the message becomes [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin ''Pressing [shift] or [C] to pause may help me cross this gap'']]

*** [[NoJustNoReaction You can't be serious.]]
*** My perseverance is laudable, but maybe I'd prefer a slower game. Sudoku, perhaps?
*** I remind myself that [[StrategyGuide there are walkthroughs online.]]
*** My self-loathing continues unabated.
*** MedalOfDishonor: ''I consider pressing [ESC] to quit the game.'' [[spoiler:This one unlocks an achievement called "Thick Skull".]]

* ICantUseTheseThingsTogether

Can be played [[http://games.adultswim.com/pause-ahead-puzzle-online-game.html here]].

* ShoutOut: To ''Videogame/TowerOfHeaven. [[spoiler:And Bowser of Super Mario Bros if you unlock the Achievement 'Speak No Evil']]

* ShoutOut: To Tower of Heaven. [[spoiler:And Bowser of Super Mario Bros if you unlock the Achievement 'Speak No Evil']]