10 Video Games That Punished You For Saving

A save file doesn't just secure your progress - it symbolises the player's ability to erase their mistakes. No matter how many times you lose, you can return to the last save point as if nothing happened.

Unless of course you are playing Undertale. You see, Toby Fox's indie RPG has a unique way to retain data. If you kill Toriel during the tutorial, Flowey will mention you can undo this mistake by reloading your save file. To spare Toriel's life, many players will take Flowey up on his offer.

But during the climax, the insidious flower reminds you how "you murdered her, and then you went back because you regretted it," proving your supposedly deleted save file still exists in the game's memory.

Sans makes a similar observation while you perform the Genocide run. After Sans kills you, you will return to your most recent save point, where you can face him again. Just before the battle, your skeletal antagonist states he's already beaten you in your previous run.

You can't help freaking out during moments like this, since it feels like your ability to save is compromised. Even if you win the game, you can't help feeling bad, since the characters bring up your save file to remind you of your failures.