Projectile Platforms - TV Tropes
- ️Tue May 05 2009
The only dangerous part of a missile is its pointy end.
Games in general often have unrealistic physics when it comes to projectiles, but the more simplistic platformers sometimes take this to the extreme. Specifically, they'll let you jump on and ride atop one in mid-flight, without altering its perfectly-straight trajectory. Usually, if you screw up the jump TO the platform-projectile, the 'pointy' end will injure you. That is, of course, a problem for a One-Hit-Point Wonder.
A variant exists where you can't jump on the projectile mid-flight, but can use it after it's planted in a wall.
Sub-Trope of Improvised Platform (platforms made of whatever's handy). Sister Trope of Rocket Jump (using explosives to gain movement boost), Strapped to a Rocket (a character is tied to a rocket and then shot off along with it), and Riding the Bomb (riding a missile and exploding with it on impact). Compare Cranium Ride (riding an enemy's head for transportation).
See also Stepping-Stone Sword (sticking bladed weapons into a wall and using them as platforms), and Stepping Stones in the Sky (jumping on falling objects to gain altitude).
Most of these examples will also fall under Painfully Slow Projectile (projectiles are slow and easy to dodge).
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- Dragon Ball: Mercenary Tao uses this method of travel, usually by grabbing a tree trunk, throwing it skyward, and then quickly mounting it as it goes.
- Negima! Magister Negi Magi: Jack Rakan does it with a thrown BFS after locating a pair of enemies.
- One Piece:
- Admiral Kizaru has the ability to control, become, and move at the speed of, light. He likes to come ashore on an island by firing a cannonball and standing on it.
- Vander Decken travels quick distances by tossing a big chunk of something nearby and riding upon it to its destination. It helps that he has the ability to imbue anything he throws with homing ability.
- One of the more unique usages of Gladius' ability involves turning bullets into floaty cannonballs and then jumping on them to gain altitude
- The Three-Eyed One: Hosuke can jump on the Red Condor after throwing it.
Films — Animation
- Kung Fu Panda: Tai Lung is shot gigantic crossbow bolts during his jailbreak. He can't catch them, so when he's not swinging between them, he briefly steps on them to toss them back against the wall.
Video Games
- ANNO: Mutationem: In the fight against the MI Mecha, it will summon three attack drones that fire a laser shot towards the ground. Ann can use the drones as platforms to reach and attack the MI Mecha's weak spot.
- Ardy Lightfoot: In one level, your character has to jump up a long series of spears above a pit of lava, to reach more stable platforms above.
- Bubble Bobble: This is a staple gameplay mechanic of the series. Players can use their bubbles not only to attack and trap enemies but also as platforms to make bubble-assisted leaps.
- Contra III: The Alien Wars: In stage 4, you get lifted high into the air by hanging from a missile being carried on the underside of a helicopter. The missile is later fired at subsonic speed, and the boss fight has you jumping between missiles as they are fired at the boss, jumping before they hit the boss and explode.
- Honkai Impact 3rd: In the "Meteoric Salvation" video, when Kiana Kaslana sees multiple missiles flying towards her, she activates Time Fracture to slow down the missiles, then uses them as stepping stones in the air to move towards her destination.
- I Wanna Be the Guy:
- Mecha Birdo's been spitting big egg platforms at you all battle, but during the final phase, the little warhead things on the tip become active and if you touch them, your One-Hit-Point Wonder is dead.
- Kraidgief throws Blankas at you for his final phase you have to jump on to get level with his head so you can shoot him.
- Jumper: Several levels of both the first installment and Jumper Two require you to bounce of cannonballs to negotiate Bottomless Pits.
- KoopaTV: You can climb aboard a missile from any direction. This is generally how you navigate.
- Mega Man (Classic):
- Mega Man 5: The Super Arrow powerup allows Mega Man to fire a projectile which he can then ride.
- Mega Man 7: The 3rd castle boss shoots out missiles that you can jump on. It's not strictly required to jump on them to hit him, but it makes it a lot easier.
- Mega Man 10: The first phase of the Wily Machine shoots gigantic missiles at you at various speeds, which you must jump on to get enough height to shoot its weak point.
- Metal Gear:
- Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes: In a cutscene, Snake leaps onto a rocket fired by a Hind D helicopter and then instantly bounces off of it to fire a Stinger missile at the cockpit.
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance: Raiden does this during the second half of the Metal Gear RAY fight at the very beginning.
- Prehistorik: In the burning forest level, Sam has to use the spears created by Blacksmith and throw them at the hardened trees, creating temporal trampolines he uses to climb and go over them.
- Psychonauts: In the final level, evil clowns spit swords at you, and the strategy is not to fight back but to get those swords lodged in a nearby rotating wheel (a reference to the classic circus knife-throwing act) and use them as swinging poles to reach the next platform. (During an Escort Mission, no less.)
- Shovel Knight: Used in Treasure Knight's stage, as well as whenever you fight Tinker Knight's Humongous Mecha form (If you use a couple of fancy moves, though, it's unnecessary).
- Socket: One fairly common stage element is the ability to ride small rockets to access new areas.
- Sonic the Hedgehog:
- Sonic Adventure: During the Egg Viper fight, you can ride the projectiles that are thrown around to maneuver them to your advantage.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The boss of Aquatic Ruin can only be reached if Sonic jumps onto the arrows fired by the totem poles after they embed themselves in something. This is done again with the boss of Lost Labyrinth in Sonic the Hedgehog 4.
- Superfighters: If the player is hit with a rocket, they can use the arrow keys to change the direction of the rocket, potentially bringing it back to the person who fired it. However, if this happens, you're still dead.
- Super Mario Bros.:
- Super Mario Bros. 2: You can ride on top of Birdo's eggs (and have to do so to get past at least one level). Even better, you can pick up the egg in midair while you're riding it. Obviously, this cancels your forward momentum.
- Super Mario Maker 2: When using the SMB2 Mushroom, it's possible to ride Bullet, Bull's Eye and Banzai Bills. The same thing is possible for the homing missiles shot by the Blasta Mechakoopas.
- Averted with Bullet Bills, as they get KO when you jump on them, and Para-Beetles, which either slowly fall down or rise up when stood on, and reset to normal when Mario jumps off.
- Super Princess Peach features spear-riding in some of the levels. These spears are fired out of holes and Peach has to ride them usually to a bonus prize or secret collectable. She can stand on the non-pointy end without being hurt.
- Super Metroid: Kraid shoots out claw things that you must jump on in order to reach his head, where his weak point is once he breaks the first ceiling and rises to full height. He does something similar in Metroid: Zero Mission.
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Bullet Bills flying in straight lines will harm you if they hit you and can't be defeated by jumping on them. However, this mechanic has the unintended result of allowing the player to jump on them and be carried away. The usefulness of doing such a thing depends on the circumstances, though.
- Touhou Luna Nights:
- One of the power-ups Sakuya gains allows her to stand on her own knives during a time stop.
- Certain fairies in the replica Mansion are equipped with cannons, and Sakuya can stand on a fired cannonball if she slows down time with her powers.
- An Untitled Story requires you to jump on Fluffy's missiles to get high enough to attack him; though they get knocked out of the sky when you do so, the "OK if you jump on it, not ok if you touch the pointy end" rule still applies.
Webcomics
- Axe Cop: According to the webcomic, one example of an awesome weapon would be "...a blade gun that shoots a giant blade, then you surf on it and cut the bad guy's body off."
- Chainsawsuit: In "Hard action squad returns"
, one of the cops rides on top of a series of bullets.
Western Animation
- Tigtone: In one episode, the title character suddenly remembers that he has the ability to ride cannon balls right when he needs it to escape from some pirates. He violates the laws of physics and sense even further by actually being able to steer them.