Basic Trope: A very linear game with only one way forward.
- Straight: The entire game of Trope Quest is very linear and has little exploration.
- Exaggerated: Not only does the game have only one path, it's impossible to move backward at all.
- Downplayed: There are other paths, but they only lead to dead ends.
- Justified:
- The character is literally on a rail.
- The goal is to reach the Emergency Exit before the fire gets you, and any sidetracking is a Lethally Dumb OSHA violaton.
- Inverted: Quicksand Box
- Subverted: The game starts off linear, but the later levels allow more freedom.
- Double Subverted: Turns out most of the new paths are dead ends, and only one path allows the player to move forward.
- Parodied: The entire game is literally one long, straight hallway from beginning to end without even a change in scenery.
- Zig Zagged: As you progress through Trope Quest, the game goes through linear and non-linear segments.
- Averted: There are many pathways throughout the game.
- Enforced:
- People who played the developer's project immediately prior to Trope Quest complained about getting lost and not knowing what to do, so they intentionally made it linear to address those complaints.
- Trope Quest The Movie didn't leave room for sidepaths for Trope Quest The Tie-in Game without deviating too much.
- Lampshaded: "Your heroic journey will be extremely linear, with no sidequests or exploration whatsoever."
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: Trope Quest turns out to be popular among people who would rather focus on reflexes and timing. Everything is predetermined, so no strategization or pre-planning is necessary.
- Defied: The player chooses to explore the mostly empty levels and make up their own challenges to complete instead of following the main quest.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: "This game is so linear. For once in my life, I miss pointless sidequests."
You must go through a corridor to get back to No Sidepaths, No Exploration, No Freedom
