Adventure Gamers - Forums

To Save or not to Save…

As we all know it has become more and more the norm for autosaves over manual saves due to the complexity of the scripts/choices in adventure games and walking sims over the last decade. This has been and continues to be a bit of a mixed bag. It can have its benefits and it can certainly have its downfalls.

(Here I will discuss a few forms of the usually overlooked, but ever important save system and give a few screenshot examples after each discussion.)

In the glory days of adventure games you would hear more often than not to “save and save often!”. The original (manual) save system for adventure games. At anytime you can simply save your game usually with a description and there are usually an unlimited amount of save slots. When you’ve had your feel simply save and quite. If you die, (yes you could die and die a lot in the old days) or want to try a different solution to a puzzle, try a different path, or see a different ending you are just a save game away from doing so. That way you don’t have to play the whole game or large sections of it all over again. (That is if you save and save often!) Therefore the downside, which can be a pretty big one, is getting absorbed into the game and forgetting to save after a good hour or so and you die, the game crashes, or the power goes out! We’ve all been there

King’s Quest VI

Space Quest III

Autosave/checkpoints. A pretty common system these days. As you progress through the game you will notice that it saves here and there either at certain events/checkpoints or just every minute or so to keep your save up to date. Also with most games that use this system it also autosaves when you quit the game. That way you will be right where you were the next time you play. This system works well, you don’t have to worry about manually saving. The downside, at least for me, is you can’t try different choices or alternate solutions/endings in a single play through since each time it autosaves the previous save is overwritten, therefore no going back! For most players probably not a downside, makes for replay value?! There is definitely one terrible downside though, if the autosave becomes corrupt then it’s back to square one! (So make sure to back up that autosave!!!)

Dreamfall Chapters

King’s Quest

Now on to the (worst?) save system. No manual saves, no autosave on exit, only autosaves after certain events/chapters/checkpoints. For me this is a big turn off! Mainly because not everyone is able to play for lengths at a time, especially when life decides to interrupt! So playing for short durations here and there is pretty much out of the question. Unless of course the checkpoints aren’t spaced out in lengths. Otherwise you have to be able to dedicate the time it takes to reach that autosave! This system is a definite mixed bag! The few games I’ve played that used it though were fairly short (around 2 hrs). So maybe not so much a problem for some but could possible be for others.

Dear Esther

What Remains of Edith Finch

Well guys and gals, I hope I didn’t bore you too much. Let me know what you think about save systems and any other forms/variations as well as any particular games that you feel suffered or surpassed due to them.

SAVE !!!!!!!!!!!

I absolutely hate it when a game doesn’t allow me to save the game when I want, and load any savegame whenever I want for whatever reason I have. This is MY game not the developers game, so don’t dictate how I should play MY game

I can forgive it in a game like Dreamfall Chapters, where it autosaves very often and you can load any save you wish, changing you choices etc, so the worst that can happen is that you have to replay 2-5 min of the game .. but it is still annoying!


BTW not so long ago I played a brilliant RPG called Pillars of Eternity, which had a mode called Trial of Iron. In this mode you only had one single save slot, and if you died in the game ... it would delete your savegame
Killing of your character for good, and forcing you to start all over with a new character!
And I might add that it was a game that could easily take 50-100 hours to complete.
Obviously I didn’t play it in that mode

I prefer manual saves, but I don’t mind autosaves if it autosaves often. Sometimes I have things to do or places to be and can’t be waiting until I get to a certain checkpoint before I quit. I don’t like it when games do that. I think autosaves/quick saves make more sense for an action game, but not an adventure game.

chrissie - 04 September 2017 01:24 PM

One of the most annoying aspects re saves that I’ve come across is in games towards the end where the ‘action’ has hotted up & the developers have decided to omit the option to save during sequences which often are not in keeping with the gameplay up until that point!

Thanks chrissie! The one time you REALLY need to save and they take it away from you. Shame on them!

Iznogood - 04 September 2017 02:06 PM

SAVE !!!!!!!!!!!

I absolutely hate it when a game doesn’t allow me to save the game when I want, and load any savegame whenever I want for whatever reason I have. This is MY game not the developers game, so don’t dictate how I should play MY game

BTW not so long ago I played a brilliant RPG called Pillars of Eternity, which had a mode called Trial of Iron. In this mode you only had one single save slot, and if you died in the game ... it would delete your savegame
Killing of your character for good, and forcing you to start all over with a new character!
And I might add that it was a game that could easily take 50-100 hours to complete.
Obviously I didn’t play it in that mode

Haha, I got a good laugh with that gif! So very true Iznogood, we should be able to save and load as we please, it’s a conspiracy I tell you!!!

As for Pillars of Eternity, what a beautiful game but “permadeath!” That’s crazy! I wonder if anyone has actually tried that mode and completed it?

cwapitm - 04 September 2017 02:33 PM

Sometimes I have things to do or places to be and can’t be waiting until I get to a certain checkpoint before I quit. I think autosaves/quick saves make more sense for an action game, but not an adventure game.

So very true cwapitm. I guess developers forget that life doesn’t stop when we play their games

I prefer to make my own saves and name them something that reminds me of where I am in the game.  However, I do like being able to go back to the beginning of an action that leads to instant death rather than having to reload a save.  Secrets of the Luxor had that, which made the myriad ways to die great fun.  “Yes, I see that huge rock overhead and those skeletons on the ground, but let me go in that room anyway.”

I prefer the “hybrid” save system as well. It’s well represented in the current Sinking Island playthrough. It auto-saves whenever a mandate is completed, but allows you to save manually as well. Although I think you only have five save slots, one of which is the auto-save, so the options aren’t limitless.

Sir Beardalot - 04 September 2017 05:59 PM

As for Pillars of Eternity, what a beautiful game but “permadeath!” That’s crazy! I wonder if anyone has actually tried that mode and completed it?

I believe so.
You could also set the difficulty from Easy to Path of the Damned independently of the mode, and on Easy or even Normal it is definitely doable, on Hard or PotD - not bloody likely!

rtrooney - 05 September 2017 04:26 PM

Although I think you only have five save slots, one of which is the auto-save, so the options aren’t limitless.

10 per mandate, giving you a total of 130 save slots.

NickyLarson - 05 September 2017 05:48 AM

I strongly dislike autosave-only in games featuring several paths or endings. How am I supposed to find them all if I have to start from the beggining everytime? Going through the same cinematics and fill-in sequences just to reach a decisive point is not what I call replay value. I’ve only played Life is Strange or The Wolf Among Us once, for example, and I’ll keep it at that. Thankfully, we have video platforms nowadays to watch the other endings .

So very true! I’m guilty as well of a single play through. Thanks youtube

Lady Kestrel - 05 September 2017 02:27 PM

I prefer to make my own saves and name them something that reminds me of where I am in the game.  However, I do like being able to go back to the beginning of an action that leads to instant death rather than having to reload a save.  Secrets of the Luxor had that, which made the myriad ways to die great fun.  “Yes, I see that huge rock overhead and those skeletons on the ground, but let me go in that room anyway.”

I’ve always enjoyed the funny death screen messages in the Sierra classics as well as the Journeyman games. Always a good laugh

rtrooney - 05 September 2017 04:26 PM

I prefer the “hybrid” save system as well. It’s well represented in the current Sinking Island playthrough. It auto-saves whenever a mandate is completed, but allows you to save manually as well. Although I think you only have five save slots, one of which is the auto-save, so the options aren’t limitless.

I can pretty much say we mostly all agree the hybrid system is the best. Being able to manually save at will but also having the autosave for backup/good measure!

A little off topic, (but that’s ok since it’s my topic right?!) Sinking Island is the only game by Sokal I haven’t played. I’ve always wanted to but was put off because I heard you have limited time to explore? What would you rate it compared to his other games? Do you recommend it?

Sir Beardalot - 05 September 2017 11:36 PM

A little off topic, (but that’s ok since it’s my topic right?!) Sinking Island is the only game by Sokal I haven’t played. I’ve always wanted to but was put off because I heard you have limited time to explore? What would you rate it compared to his other games? Do you recommend it?

The time limit is optional - and you could check out the current Community Playthrough.
Personally I would say it is his 4th best game after Paradise, Syberia I and II in that order.

In most cases, I’m all after the traditional “save all you can” option. However, I believe there are certain games that benefit from reduced save options, especially if we’re talking hybrid or adventure-platformer games. Part of the fun of those games is to get over a certain portion of the game without saving, like a “level”, and it would kill the joy to be able to save in every moment in these situations. Adventure game examples to which that applies could include GK2 wolf chase (were you able to save there? Can’t remember), or complicated dialog puzzles where often the developers forbid us the save during the conversation.

I also like the trend to “continue where you left off” feature that is introduced right in the main menu once you re-enter the game, which is quite practical in games where you’re always in a winnable situation.

Keepsake, an otherwise quite original and unique game, has one of the worst save game features ever introduced - if you want to load previous saves for whatever reason, (like if the game bugs, or you want to replay previous portions, take screenshots etc) - you’re screwed: the game keeps track of your previous saves, but once you load any of those, that becomes your current progress, and you can’t load any of the games saved after that point in the game.

I know what I’m doing, but the hell were YOU thinking?!