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This, but you only have one life and you've probably already saved.

'Unwinnable' is a gameplay state in which it is completely impossible for the player to finish the game. Players who have reached this point have only two options: reload a previous save—in the fortunate situations where this is possible, or start the game anew—for the much more unfortunate situations where it is not.

Unwinnable comes in two flavors. The first is Unwinnable By Mistake, where bad design oversights or bug-filled programming stop the player from progressing, prevent the player from accessing needed equipment, or otherwise make the game impossible to beat. The second is Unwinnable By Design, where chaotic evil programmers deliberately create traps for people to stumble into. Either type has been known to prompt a Big No from frustrated gamers, and if the instance is the result of particularly egregiously bad programming, it may result in an Internet Backlash.

Compare Luck Based Mission and Controllable Helplessness. See also Wake Up Call Boss.

Examples go on the subpages, Unwinnable By Design and Unwinnable By Mistake.


Symbology Research FailureIndex FailureWhere's The Kaboom?
Linear Warriors Quadratic WizardsFake DifficultyUnwinnable By Design