10 Video Games That Wanted You To Delete Them

Nier and Nier Automata share some stark similarities: both follow stories about humanity's extinction, coming to grips with autonomy, and also may ask you to delete all your save files at the end of the game.

The original Nier gives the player the choice to save their companion, Kainé, from a slow, horrific death by either mercy-killing them or sacrificing themselves. The catch is that if the player chooses to sacrifice their character, it will also completely wipe the player's save files.

Nier Automata carried on the trend in a story of repetition, as androids and droid fight in an eternal battle that has lost all meaning. To skip over an extremely convoluted plot, the fifth ending of Automata pits the player against the end credits in a bullet-hell style arcade game. It's an extremely tough challenge, and after refusing to give up a number of times, the game offers you a lifeline: accept other people's help who have deleted their files.

Accepting help provides a shield of ships which, when hit, will notify the player that their aide's files have been deleted. After the fight, you're offered the choice of helping other strangers complete the game at the cost of your own save file. It's an extremely selfless act, one which may help another player beat the game.