The option to save your progress in game is something many players can't imagine games without. It's nigh universal in modern games that are too long to finish in a single session, especially Role-Playing Games. Conversely, the lack of save games was the norm in the early years when there was no offline storage media and in-game memory was very small. As expected, there are quite a few tropes related to it.
Ways to save:
- Auto-Save: The game automatically saves after either certain events (e.g. a Checkpoint) or a set amount of time.
- Export Save: Exporting the save file as a text document or a string of characters you're supposed to load from the file explorer or paste into the game.
- Password Save: Rather than being stored digitally, a save game is rendered as a string of alphanumeric characters (or pictures or what have you) that represented the state of the game.
- Save-Game Limits: Limits on how and where you can save the game.
- Only One Save File
- Save Point: A specific location in the game where you can save your file.
- Healing Checkpoint: The save point heals you.
- Justified Save Point: A Save Point that has an in-game justification to exist.
- Save Token: A consumable item is necessary to save.
- Suspend Save: A save state that does not rely on Save Points but expires when reloaded. (Usually.)
Related tropes:
- Healing Checkpoint: A save point heals the player upon reaching it.
- New Game Plus: Starting a new game but retaining some of your gear, abilities, and/or stats from a previous run.
- Now, Where Was I Going Again?: You come back to a saved game after a while and you've forgotten what you're supposed to do next.
- Old Save Bonus: Importing a save from the previous installment allows content to be unlocked in this installment of a video game series.
- Ominous Save Prompt: The game really wants you to save before crossing the Point of No Return.
- Save Scumming: The use of save states to obtain an ideal situation.
- Treacherous Checkpoint: An enemy or a trap potentially disguised as a save point.
