Back when I was a kid, playing games on my NES and Super NES, I remember the classic game trope of the elevator battle sequence (or the rising platform battle). This was heavily used in many side-scrolling beat ‘em ups of my early days in gaming — games like TMNT: Turtles in Time, the Streets of Rage series and so many others.

Here’s how it usually went down. You’d be fighting your way through some area in the game and reach some type of “closed off room.” Next, the platform would start to move (up or down) and you’d quickly realize you were in an elevator. Now you’re fighting new enemies on each floor as they enter your elevator. Sometimes enemies would drop down from above — super dangerous.

Although this technique was used in many games, I guess I never really thought about how much it was used. It…