History Main / PointOfNoReturn

* ''VideoGame/SaveTheLight'': After unlocking all the locations on the map (not counting the {{Bonus Dungeon}}s), [[spoiler:Steven can ask Lion to summon a portal to Hessonite's Warship to rescue Light Steven]]. One of Steven's party members reminds him to make sure he's done everything else he can before he's ready, because once he enters it, he won't be able to return to Beach City.

* ''VideoGame/SaveTheLight'': [[spoiler:When Steven asks Lion to summon a portal to Hessonite's Warship, one of his party members reminds him to make sure he's done everything else he can before stepping in, for once he enters it, he won't be able to return to Beach City until he rescues Light Steven.]]

* In ''VideoGame/SaveTheLight'', [[spoiler:When Steven asks Lion to summon a portal to Hessonite's Warship, one of his party members reminds him to make sure he's done everything else he can before stepping in, for once he enters it, he won't be able to return to Beach City until he rescues Light Steven.]]

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': After the Puppet Ganon battle. If the player ascends up the rope and through the doorway on the upper area, the player is locked into the game's finale.

[[quoteright:320:[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kh2-noreturn_6389.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:320:Be thankful, Sora. Some games aren't this nice.]]

*** When you go to the Circle of Magi and agree to enter the tower to destroy the rampaging Abominations inside, Knight-Commander Greagoir warns you that he and his Templars will bar the doors behind you once you enter, [[PlotTunnel forcing you to complete the quest line]]. If you go to the Circle for allies first, this can coincidentally become a "polite" PONR for Lothering as well, as once you complete the "Broken Circle" quest, Lothering will be gone.
*** The first ''endgame'' PONR isn't fully obvious, but after completing the Landsmeet [[spoiler:and deciding Loghain's fate]], some quests and locations became unavailable. Redcliffe especially is rendered the access point of the second and last endgame PONR, as the darkspawn have attacked Redcliffe Village. Deciding to enter Redcliffe Castle and learning [[spoiler:that the Archdemon is leading the Darkspawn horde to Denerim]] is what ultimately sets you on the one-way path to the final battle.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'', the precipice in the depths of Hyrule Castle [[spoiler:where you first found Ganondorf]] serves as this. [[spoiler:Once you jump off that and then another precipice, you fight an army of mooks, then a landslide blocks off the way back and you have to face the endgame and the Demon King, with no breaks in between.]]

*** [[spoiler: After you reach 6AM, you are given the opportunity to either leave the Pizzaplex or stay. Choose the leave, and you are locked into the game's bad ending, where it is implied that Gregory is killed by Vanny. All other endings are locked past staying in the Pizzaplex. However, the 'STAY' and 'VANNY' options will lock you into the Pizzaplex for the rest of your game, with the game disabling most of the Save Stations throughout the 'plex. (It used to be all of them, but a patch added one in Roxy Raceway that still works past this point.)
*** Upon finding the elevator that leads to the True Ending, Freddy warns you that it is likely one-way. Sure enough, once you take the elevator, not only can you not take it back up, but your autosave file has you kept down there.]]

*** Upon finding the elevator that leads to the True Ending, Freddy warns you that it is likely one-way. Sure enough, once you take the elevator, not only can you not take it back up, but your autosave file has you kept down there.

** The Ruins will be permanently sealed off after you leave. You can miss out on getting a slice of pie from Toriel and getting some spider food from the local spider bake sale if you didn't get them before leaving the Ruins. [[spoiler:Both items will make certain boss fights, namely Muffet and Asgore, easier]].

** ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth By Sleep]]'' notably doesn't do this, at least not overtly. It pretty well implies that the final boss is at Keyblade Graveyard but upon going there you can still run around and leave until you enter an otherwise unimportant looking area which will immediately thrust you into your respective character's FinalBoss fight with no clear forewarning (unlike other games in the series which outright tell you "Entering here will start the final boss fight"). Though to get to the final boss, you have to walk through a ''long'' foreboding tunnel. Likewise once you start the final chapter of the game, you can't return to Radiant Garden without starting the TrueFinalBoss battle upon entering so if you need synthesis items from that world you're out of luck. Also, once you complete the Final Chapter in the US or Final Mix versions, a very difficult {{superboss}} will [[BeefGate prevent you from accessing]] [[spoiler: the Land of Departure]] in your old saves until you defeat it, so if you missed any treasure chests from that world the first time around...

** ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'': Day 357 is the last time you can explore the game freely. Checking the train station in Twilight Town prompts you for the fight against Xion. Once you defeat her, a cutscene follows, after which comes the FinalBoss, Riku, in The World That Never Was.

** ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'': The save point before entering The Castle That Never Was in Riku's story is the last in the game. Similar to ''Days'', entering the castle leads to the ClimaxBoss, Young Xehanort, who is immediately followed by the FinalBoss, Armored Ventus Nightmare. That said, if you don't beat the final boss, Sora's story will forever be locked out for you.

** In In ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', after you defeat all the side challenges in the pocket plane, you will be asked if you want to directly proceed to the final level against the BigBad or continue to travel in the other areas until you are ready.

** Leaving Brynnlaw and the Sahuagin city is [[OneTimeDungeon a one-way ticket]], in both cases explicited by a specific action (entering the portal or joining Saemon in Brynnlaw, grabbing the rope to the Underdark in the Sahuagin city).

** Leaving Brynnlaw and the Sahuagin city is a one-way ticket, so you better have done everything you wanted to do before using that rope for the Underdark.

* ''VideoGame/TombRaider2013'' and its sequels ''''VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider'' and ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheTombRaider'' warn you explicitly about their point of no returns. You can save and backtrack how much you want before engaging the ending.

** A few are displayed in [[VideoGame/BaldursGate the first game]]. The first occurs once you tell Gorion you are ready to leave in the prologue. After that, the doors to Candlekeep are locked until Chapter 6. Even then, another occurs in that Chapter 6 when you go to the top floor of the inner keep, where [[spoiler: a guard comes in to arrest you for a murder you didn't (or did, depending on whether or not you did a certain encounter) commit. After that, Tethtoril comes in to whisk you away to the catacombs so you can make a clean getaway. Following this, you're hounded by Flaming Fist guards as a fugitive (whom you cannot kill without ruining your Reputation and alienating a Good-aligned party) until the endgame.]]