10 Video Games That Messed With Your Saves

After that impromptu trilogy of Nintendo games, we now move to a *checks list* pentalogy of indies.

Which makes sense. Independent games have always been a breeding ground for unconventional ideas, so it makes sense they'd make up a good chunk of this list. And Imscared is nothing if not unconventional.

Developer Ivan Zanotti's 2012 horrorwork sees players pursued by the grinning ghoul White Face (pictured above). White Face is portrayed as a malevolent entity that has literally possessed the player's computer, and the developer fully commits to the bit by having White Face communicate with the player outside the game.

This trick is done by creating fake files in the game directory, which the player must manipulate to make progress. Unfortunately, no amount of file manipulation can restore your save game after you reach the true ending.

Said ending is reached by having the player character commit suicide to escape White Face's grasp. Which is bleak enough, but to really hammer the message home Imscared doesn't just wreck your saves but the game itself, crashing to desktop whenever you try to play it again.

Bleak stuff, then. But if you try to mess around with the files one last time, a message from Zanotti himself appears, essentially saying the game is over, thank you for playing and "You're great and so is your life! Don't commit suicide, okay? I love you :)"

Very nice, very evil. Truly the Danhausen of developers.