Batteries

In Hiveswap, the player must utilize several batteries in order to solve puzzles that involve powering objects to progress. As of Hiveswap: Act 1, all batteries are required to be obtained to complete the game except one, although that optional battery set determines which of two achievements is obtained upon act completion.

C-Cell
The C-Cell batteries can be obtained by attempting to play the broken Simon in the closet to the left side of Joey's room. When the player attempts to press the green button on the Simon, Joey will realize that the button is broken and stop playing, salvaging the batteries in the back in the process. The batteries can then be used on the walkie-talkie that is also obtained in her room in order to power it on and contact Jude for the first time.

D-Cell
The D-Cell batteries are obtained by the player in the kitchen after the power goes out downstairs. On the counter to the back left of the room is a cassette player/radio unit, which has a flap on top poorly held closed by medical plasters. This can be removed, revealing the D-Cells, where are essential for powering Joey's flashlight and allowing her to access the basement to proceed.

E-Cell
The E-Cell batteries are obtained by clicking on the the remote control on the table in the living room and selecting the "scavenge" option. The E-Cells are the only battery set in Hiveswap: Act 1 to be optional, at least for that act. There is no item available for the batteries to be combined with. However, Joey may carry them with them until the end of the act, and so they may have a utility in a later act of Hiveswap. Upon completing Hiveswap: Act 1, the player will receive one of two Steam achievements; "BATTER LUCK NEXT TIME" if the batteries are not held in Joey's inventory, or "CELL YOU LATER" if they are. The latter is subtitled with the explanation, "Finished HIVESWAP: ACT 1 with power to spare." In addition to this, one further achievement in the game involves the E-Cell batteries; if the player attempts to use them with the remote control again to try and place them back in its battery compartment, they will attain the achievement "NO. THEY'RE YOURS NOW". Given these facts, the principle utility of the E-Cells in Act 1 of Hiveswap can be said to be for the purpose of gaining achievements.

Other batteries
On Alternia, it is difficult to identify what may be considered a battery as Alternian technology is very unfamiliar to denizens of Earth. At one point, Joey receives a mysterious glowing green cube, that she uses to unlock the door of Dammek's respiteblock by holding it up to a pad. When it does this, the glow vanishes, almost as if energy has been drained from it. If so, then this may have been a form of battery.

In Homestuck
The role of batteries in Homestuck is only incidental. It is a plot point in early acts that Rose's laptop is running on limited battery power when the mains electricity goes out in a storm, a problem she has to solve by attempting to restart the generator, and later by plugging the laptop into a Skaianet hub. Fedorafreak is also forced to stop giving social media updates when his PDA runs out of power in the Medium.