10 Video Game Moments That Were Utterly Patronising
2. Invincibility Leaf - Super Mario 3D Land
Super Mario games don't exactly have a reputation for being the hardest things in the world to beat, however the modern entries in the franchise really went out of their way to make themselves as easy to beat as possible. Super Mario 3D Land is no exception to this, but it did manage to stand out by introducing one of the most needless and patronising power ups to date: the Invincibility Leaf.
Should Mario or Luigi die five times over the course of certain levels, a Golden Leaf Assist Block will appear near the beginning of the stage. The Invincibility Leaf will give the player the Golden Tanooki power up, making them completely invincible to any obstacles or opponents in the entire stage, apart from holes on the ground where they can still fall down.
Five deaths on one level should never justify what is essentially an automatic win and skip through of a level. The fact as well that this power up is completely unlimited throughout the stage is even more patronising to players, and even though it obviously isn't something players have to pick up, seeing it appear after that fifth death is always guaranteed to leave a sour feeling in a player's stomach.