History Main / GameplayGuidedAmnesia

Common in {{RPG}}s, although it's becoming a DiscreditedTrope these days.

* ''VideoGame/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' for the Xbox. By season three, when the game happened, she's already an accomplished Slayer. The training level happens as part of yet another training test done by the Watcher's Council. Which makes sense in context, as the Council is canonically known for not being in touch with reality.
** And said level is AllJustADream, too, so you could liken it to Buffy flashing back to an early session with Giles.

* Justified in the original ''VideoGame/{{Driver}}'', in which the main character must pull off a series of driving moves in a parking garage before the criminals will hire him.
** Though you never actually need to use your newly mastered fancy ''parking skills'' in a game concerned with running from the cops across an entire city.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', Link teaches the village children how to use a sword and slingshot as an excuse for teaching the player. The children seem to already know however, as they seem end up teaching Link.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'': Link has to be retaught Epona's Song and the Song of Storms by other characters, even though he already learned them in [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime his previous adventure]].

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' zig-zags this: WordOfGod holds that the Courier does not actually have amnesia despite being shot in the head. It can be assumed that the Courier is oblivious to many things because s/he is new to the region. Doc Mitchel commenting on various cognitive and motor functions is there for character creation. However, the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC establishes that the player character doesn't remember ever going to [[{{Mordor}} The Divide]] despite A: having been there, and B: having unwittingly delivered a package that nuked the entire place, which doesn't make sense without major memory loss. It also explicitly establishes that they are from the NCR, which raises the question of why they need to ask who the NCR is, and when taking a test to prove their NCR citizenship have to guess the answers.

** In ''VisualNovel/ProfessorLaytonVsAceAttorney'', the tutorial in the first trial is [[HandWave hand waved]] as Phoenix suffering from jet lag as well as the English court system working differently from the [[CulturalTranslation American/Japanese]] court system Phoenix is used to (even though [[InformedAttribute they're identical]] when you get to actual gameplay).

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' frames the tutorials mostly as Quistis, as a [=SeeD=] instructor, explaining the game mechanics to Squall, her student. Of course, since the game opens on the day of Squall's final exam, he should really know all of this stuff already. It becomes particularly JustForFun/{{egregious}} when she tells him, at the beginning of the first battle, how to use his weapon. And then shortly thereafter asks if he remembers how. In a disturbing [[JustifiedTrope justification]], it's revealed that the mechanics of magic in the game often result in massive memory loss. One could assume that "You do know that, right?" type questions are a common means of detection for when this happens. Of course, Quistis is just as surprised to learn about the memory problem as everyone else...

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* An odd variation occurs in ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa: Minstrel Song'': the character Darque has IdentityAmnesia; if recruited, he has a subplot where he slowly regains his memories. However, which memories he regains are based on which stats he develops -- and with each memory regained, he also gains a free level in one of two different classes. [[spoiler: This is because there's [[OurSoulsAreDifferent somebody else]] in there, meaning the player can engineer or prevent a SplitPersonalityTakeover.]]
* Geralt begins ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' with amnesia after an attack, and the implication that he's BackFromTheDead. This justifies exposition and eliminates the need for Geralt to know as much about himself as fans of the novels do.
** Especially good since the game was out in English before the novels were.
* Every ''VideoGame/RuneFactory'' protagonist so far, except for [[VideoGame/RuneFactoryOceans Aden and Sonja]], has begun with a case of amnesia. WordOfGod has it that there is no deep meaning to this other than gameplay convenience.
* Strangely played in ''VideoGame/RivieraThePromisedLand'', Ein, [[TheHero the hero Grim Angel]] is needed to be told how to fight. This can be quite justified since it's his first battle, but even though he get knocked out and lose his memory later on, he doesn't need any tutorial to help him reminding how to fight or use a LimitBreak.
* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' games feature characters giving the Bros. refreshers on combat. The tutor character (usually Toadsworth) says something along the lines of "It's been a while since you last fought. Do you need a reminder on ActionCommands?"

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* The protagonist of the first ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea|HourOfDarkness}}'' game is out of shape after sleeping for 2 years, has [[OverratedAndUnderLeveled lost all his power,]] and requires a recap on the basics of combat.

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* Happens in ''VideoGame/BloodOmen2LegacyOfKain'' after Kain awakens from a centuries-long coma. While his memory may be fuzzy his personality hasn't been dulled, and he doesn't take too kindly to the offer of training ("Train me? Do you take me for a ''dog''?") or information on the dangers he may face ("I do not care about any dangers. ''They'' will fear ''me''.").

Video games work much the same way. However, video games developers are faced with a problem. Giving the player a [[HeKnowsAboutTimedHits tutorial]] or providing them with exposition often entails providing the ''PlayerCharacter'' with information he already knows. To get around this, developers will sometimes strike the player character with amnesia or memory loss. However, more often that not there will be no reasonable explanation for it. Expect lines such as [[AsYouKnow "I shouldn't have to tell you this, but..." or "And just as a reminder..."]]

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' also averts this: WordOfGod holds that the Courier does not actually have amnesia despite being shot in the head. It can be assumed that the Courier is oblivious to many things because s/he is new to the region. Doc Mitchel commenting on various cognitive and motor functions is there for character creation.

** Though this can make seasoned commanders seem like idiots. Justified with a few of the characters like Max (hot-headed and doesn't rely on subtelty) and Andy (TheDitz).

* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' has Zero wake up with almost no memory of his [[VideoGame/MegaManX past]]. Since he's been asleep for 100 years, this doesn't make much difference to the plot -- the real point is to explain why the "legendary hero" has skill level 1 with his own sword. (It also conveniently allows the X games to continue without affecting what Zero should remember later on.) ''Zero 2'' and ''3'' get better mileage out of the amnesia by "revealing" things that Zero was actually around for in the past.
** Justified in that Zero in the Zero series is not the same Zero from the X series. Its revealed that Zero is actually a copy that inherited the spirit of the non-psychopathic original.
*** Actually he is the original AI, it's just that [[BodySurf he's not in his original body]]. Presumably he lost some memory files in the transfer.