History BagOfSpilling / VideoGames

** Every other game is justified in starting the player from the beginning by starring a new protagonist. Roxas and Aqua both have two games in which they're playable, but Roxas has his memory wiped between ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' and the start of ''Kingdom Hearts II'', explaining his power loss, while ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts02BirthBySleepAFragmentaryPassage'' has Aqua start at level 50 (the Secret Episode of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' can be comfortably finished at Lv. 45) and gives her max-level magic from the get-go.

* Happens in ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' games, often with some justification such as Samus's equipment becoming infected or damaged.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' has the Kongs, despite [[SuperNotDrowningSkills being able to swim endlessly underwater in all three Donkey Kong Country games]], suddenly unable to swim. They [[SuperDrowningSkills WILL die if they fall into the water]], as if it were a BottomlessPit. Fortunately, by the time ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' rolled around, they apparently took some swimming classes, but never got to the lesson about how to avoid drowning.
* Every single ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' game after the first one - all 10 of them. ('''''TO DATE''''', seeing that the latest one, Megaman 11, was released in October 2018) In each game, the player must [[Main/PowerCopying acquire weapons]] from (usually) 8 adversary robots by traversing each one's stage and defeating him/[[VideoGame/MegaMan9 her]] in a [[Main/BossBattle 1 vs. 1 combat]], thus accumulating a rather [[Main/WalkingArsenal formiadble arsenal]] to take on the final stages of [[Main/EvilTowerOfOminousness Dr. Wily's castle]] - only to start the next game with nothing but the [[Main/LittleUselessGun basic pea shooter]], and if the game designers at Capcom were so inclined, the [[Main/VideogameDashing Down+Jump slide move]] and/or the ability to [[Main/ChargedAttack "charge"]] said pea shooter by holding down the Fire button for a few seconds to fire a [[Main/WaveMotionGun bigger]], more powerful projectile.

** ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryV'' then inverts this, with your friend and mentor Rakeesh (who was there when you were forcibly teleported back in ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryIII'') returning some of the items you lost. ''[=QfG5=]'' also has a special case relating to the Thieves' [[Film/TheMalteseFalcon Blackbird]] sub-quest: In ''[=QfG4=]'', you can find and steal a duplicate Blackbird from the evil monastery in town; if you then import your character into ''[=QfG5=]'', he'll have the Fake Blackbird in his inventory, which makes stealing the real thing a little easier by cutting out a few steps[[note]]If you don't have the Fake, you have to take the real statue to an artist in town so he can make a duplicate[[/note]].

** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'', which chronologically takes place first, then retroactively makes the first two games into a case of this, by introducing new items that weren't in the first two games. When asked about what happened to these new items, the creators simply [[HandWave responded by saying he just chose not to bring them with him.]] In the ''Cold Cold Heart'' DLC, set one week after ''Origins'', Alfred tells Batman that the glue grenade formula was unstable apparently justifying not being able to use them any more.

* The Chaos Emeralds in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series. Justified by the good ending of the game.

** Also averted in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', in which Sonic holds onto the Chaos Emeralds through the entire game.
** The rings and shields also count, though a couple games in the series do let the player keep a shield after a level ends.

* The ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'' series does this with weapons and devices, but upgrades to Clank (a robot) are retained from game to game. However, the loss of equipment is explainable to a degree: the duo are teleported out of their living room in the opening cut scene of [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando the second game]], in [[VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked the fourth game]] they are captured by the BigBad in the opening, and in the first PS4 game they are surprised by a sudden attack. [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal The third game]] however gives no explanation, which is especially odd considering that they are intentionally going into a war zone.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'':
** ''Devil May Cry 2'' starts Dante with none of the weapons or powers from the first game except for the "Air Hike" double jump; it doesn't explain why, either. The third game is a prequel to the first two, and thus it is only natural he has none of the gear from the second one, except for a weaker version of his "Rebellion" sword... but then it leaves the gaping question of where all the weapons he picked up in ''that'' game went before the first ''Devil May Cry''. There must be a closet somewhere in his office stuffed with demonic weaponry. Then there's the Force Edge sword, which loses all the special abilities it had in the transition from 3 to 1 (and the loss is permanent - Dante can't buy them back); there, however, it's forgivable, since writers aren't psychic and the people writing ''[=DMC1=]'' had no idea what would happen in the third game.
** ''Devil May Cry 4'' continues this trend. It comes after 2 chronologically, and it features a new main character altogether (Nero) who obviously has none of the weapons Dante had. However, Dante becomes the lead halfway through the game, which becomes a partial subversion: you can use the points you earned as Nero to purchase abilities as Dante. Also in ''Devil May Cry 4'', Dante is able to use all of the "style" moves from ''Devil May Cry 3'', although at Level 1. You can upgrade them at the beginning of missions and at Divinity Statues, and doing so unlocks many new moves.
** In an interview leading up to ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', it was stated that the reason Dante doesn't keep all of his weapons is that he sells them when he needs rent money. In the game itself, Nero has his Devil Bringer ripped off prior to the main story. It's understandable that he might be rusty after such a catastrophic injury and have to relearn his skills, and his Devil Trigger is outright lost to him (since he needed the Devil Bringer to use as a catalyst for the transformation).

** ''Devil May Cry 4'' continues this trend. It comes between 1 and 2 chronologically, and it features a new main character altogether (Nero) who obviously has none of the weapons Dante had. However, Dante becomes the lead halfway through the game, which becomes a partial subversion: you can use the points you earned as Nero to purchase abilities as Dante. Also in ''Devil May Cry 4'', Dante is able to use all of the "style" moves from ''Devil May Cry 3'', although at Level 1. You can upgrade them at the beginning of missions and at Divinity Statues, and doing so unlocks many new moves.

* Averted in the ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' series. Abilities gained by both Kain in the ''Blood Omen'' games and Raziel in the ''Soul Reaver'' games are retained from one game to the next. There are a few exceptions; for example, Kain doesn't use his Wolf form after ''Blood Omen 1'' and Raziel doesn't use his Constrict power after ''Soul Reaver 1'', but those powers were of limited use anyway. Still played straight when it comes to the reaver forges--poor Raziel has to imbue the wraith blade twice with every last element between ''Soul Reaver 2'' and ''Defiance''. Particularly glaring because it is a vital element of the plot. A deleted scene (according to interviews) would have had the [[BigBad Elder God]] destroying the Elemental Fonts used to switch the sword elements in ''Soul Reaver 2''--forcing Raziel to re-imbue the sword.

* The ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'' series does this with weapons and devices, but upgrades to Clank (a robot) are retained from game to game. However, the loss of equipment is explainable to a degree: The duo are teleported out of their living room in the opening cut scene of [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando the second game]], in [[VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked the fourth game]] they are captured by the BigBad in the opening, and in the fifth game they are surprised by a sudden attack. [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal The third game]] gives no explanation, which is especially odd considering that they are intentionally going into a war zone.
** Different galactic currency means he can't buy ammo for them. Notice that Bogon Galaxy bolts are a different color than Solana ones. Also, the weapon purchases you made in each game did apparently entitle you to replacements at no or (in the case of ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime A Crack In Time]]'' reduced) cost since if you have a save from an older game on your profile, finding a vendor who sells weapons from previous games gets you any that you'd bought in the previous game.

** In ''Quest for Booty'', you start with some of the best weapons from ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureToolsOfDestruction Tools Of Destruction]]'' [[ATasteOfPower for a brief battle at sea.]] At the end of that battle you're knocked out and wash ashore without your guns. They eventually wash ashore separately.

* Every single ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' game after the first one - all 10 of them. (*TO DATE*, seeing that the latest one, Megaman 11, was released in October 2018) In each game, the player must acquire weapons from (usually) 8 adversary robots by traversing each one's stage and defeating him/[[VideoGame/MegaMan9 her]] in a [[Main/BossBattle 1 vs. 1 combat]], thus accumulating a rather formiadble arsenal to take on the final stages of [[Main/EvilTowerOfOminousness Dr. Wily's castle]] - only to start the next game with nothing but the [[Main/LittleUselessGun basic pea shooter]], and if the game designers were so inclined, the [[Main/VideogameDashing Down+Jump slide move]] and/or the ability to [[Main/ChargedAttack "charge"]] said pea shooter by holding down the Fire button for a few seconds to fire a [[Main/WaveMotionGun bigger]], more powerful projectile.

* ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' takes place a few months after the end of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', but for some odd reason, the Investigation Team can only use their base level personas.[[note]]Save for [[TheHero Narukami]], whose Insta-Kill makes use of his Ultimate Persona[[/note]] However, in both this game and its sequel ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'', this is averted for the [[VideoGame/{{Persona 3}} SEES alumni]], who all retain their Ultimate Personas.

* In the two months between ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'''s The Journey and The Answer, SEES lost anywhere from 50 to 79 levels (most of a year's worth of training), all of their rare and highly valuable equipment and accessories (which also could be considered mementos of the Protagonist), and even their Evokers (though those were handed in as part of their preparation to disband).
** Ken and Akihiko [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] this by likening it to cramming insanely hard for a test, only to forget everything instantly afterward. It's also possible that the uber-equipment was stored [[spoiler:outside the dorm that they cannot leave.]]
** It's also likely related to [=SEES=] [[spoiler:losing their memories of the Dark Hour between the defeat of Nyx and Graduation Day]], which surely had some effect on their "levels." One wonders what they did with all the equipment they found themselves holding during that time, though, especially the items that ''didn't'' come from within Tartarus.
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 2}}'' averted this in ''Eternal Punishment'', as TheHero from ''Innocent Sin'' returns with a much higher level and with a vastly stronger Persona than anybody else. Loading a card with data from Innocent Sin would result in him joining at the same level as in the prior game and with the same Persona.
* Despite ''VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth'' taking place in the middle of the game's timeline for both ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', the characters from whichever game you picked the protagonist from all start at level 1 with starting equipment, while the characters from the other game all start at the level you were at when you beat the first boss.

** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'': Averting this was part of the justification for the infamous [[spoiler:player character swap of the legendary soldier Solid Snake in favor of the ''de facto'' rookie Raiden who could be plausibly lectured on the game world]]. This is also justified in the very introduction sequence of the Tanker chapter, where Snake infiltrates the tanker with the help of Otacon's stealth camouflage, but he breaks it when he makes his entrance. The lack of weapons (he only carries an M9 modified to shoot tranquilizer darts) is explained by Snake not wanting to accumulate a body count of Marines who are just doing their jobs, and is supposed to be sneaking in to gather information.

* The ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' series justified Snake going in unarmed so he would acquire enemy gear and thus be unidentifiable (shell casings or magazines left behind would match enemy gear, thus not providing evidence that he was there).

** ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes]]'' ends with the player losing nearly everything they had acquired (in-canon) by the end of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' -- Mother Base is destroyed (along with the Metal Gear unit placed underneath the base to hide it from the nuclear inspectors), all of the soldiers that were amassed and all of its equipped. By the time Snake rescues Miller from the platform, the entire staff has been reduced to a handful of people on one helicopter, so when time ''Phantom Pain'' begins, Venom Snake has nothing to his name and has to scavenge everything he can find (and Diamond Dogs having a single platform in the Seychelles and a handful of weapons and items at their disposal, thanks to Miller). The game also slightly averts this (in a roundabout way) by using an OldSaveBonus to allow characters that were rescued from Camp Omega and the "pseudo-historical recreations" to volunteer for Mother Base throughout the first twelve missions of ''Phantom Pain''.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'' averts this, as the main party members weren't playable in the original. And for the moments Lightning is playable, she's using entirely new, and likely more powerful, equipment. The DLC {{mon}}s of Lightning (x2), Sazh and Snow use either their default equipment, or entirely new equipment. They have to be leveled up when in your party, but both Lightnings and Snow are show to be at least as powerful as they were in the previous game.

*** The game is an odd example as taking place between the 2nd game and the 3rd Kratos should be powered up to godhood, but he starts the game as he does in every God of War witha minimal health and magic bar. But then by the end he has several new weapons, spells and even an extra bar for empowering his physical attacks that just up and vanish with no explanation before the 2nd game starts.

** In an interview leading up to ''Videogame/DevilMayCry5'', it was stated that the reason Dante doesn't keep all of his weapons is that he sells them when he needs rent money.

** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', Sora and his friends literally forget every ability they ever knew as soon as they set foot in Castle Oblivion due to Namine's memory manipulation. Sora develops a new fighting style while being forced to play by the castle's rules, only to lose ''those'' after Namine fixes their memories by putting them to sleep for a whole year.

** At the start of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', Yen Sid advises Sora and Riku to throw away their self-taught fighting styles and teach them the "right" way to wield a Keyblade from square one. The game ends with Sora being sent into a coma that nearly destroys his heart, which sets the stage for the inevitable spilling in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''. This time is lampshaded, with Sora not being particularly worried over the spillage because it "happens all the time".
** It turns out to be downplayed in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', while Sora, Donald and Goofy do indeed start at level 1, with just their default equipment, the Kingdom Key's built in abilities give Sora access to his signature attacks like Ragnarok, Sonic Blade and Ars Arcanum right away. Likewise, Donald starts with a full arsenal of spells and Goofy starts with all his attacks.
** Every other game is justified in starting the player from the beginning by starring a new protagonist. Roxas and Aqua both have two games in which they're playable, but Roxas has his memory wiped between adventures, explaining his power loss, while Aqua's second adventure has her start at level 50 and gives her max-level magic from the get-go.

** In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow'', Soma Cruz, who has the power to absorb the souls of the monsters he slays (much like a Blue Mage from the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series), starts ''Dawn of Sorrow'' with none of the powers he gained from ''Aria''. Genya Arikado [[HandWave handwaves]] it, explaining that since he wasn't in danger, Soma subconsciously released his acquired powers, though this doesn't explain what happened to the InfinityPlusOneSword. However, if you have the original GBA game in a Nintendo DS when the game starts, you are given an expensive item that increases rare drops.

** It turns out to be downplayed in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', while Sora, Donald and Goofy do indeed start at level 1, with just their default equipment, the Kingdom Key's built in abilities give him access to his signature attacks like Ragnarok, Sonic Blade and Ars Arcanum right away. Likewise, Donald starts with a full arsenal of spells and Goofy starts with all his attacks.

** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'' ends with ''another'' spillage when Sora [[spoiler:dies and gets sent to [[VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou Shibuya]], there to presumably be further bound by entering the Reaper's Game and subjected to its rules]].

* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': Every new game in the series gives legitimate excuses for the main characters losing all their abilities time and time again.

** By the time they wake up in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', they keep only a few of their old abilities from the original game. Sora develops a brand new fighting style all over again, which he uses until the start of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', where Yen Sid advises him and Riku to throw away their self-taught fighting styles and teach them the "right" way to wield a Keyblade from square one. ''Dream Drop Distance'' also ends with Sora [[spoiler:waking up from a coma and the near-destruction of his heart]], setting the stage for the inevitable spilling in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII''.
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts02BirthBySleepAFragmentaryPassage'' even lampshades the tendency, with Sora saying that it "happens all the time" to him.
** As for other games such as ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', they include new protagonists starting out at the beginning of their adventures, while ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded'' takes place in the datascape, and the protagonist is only a digital representation of Sora, created out of data about him from the start of the first game, so he still has to grow. And even here, when it happens to [[spoiler:Roxas between ''358/2 Days'' and ''[=KHII=]'']], it's justified as [[spoiler:[=DiZ=] wiped his mind of his time in the Organization, so he forgot all the moves he learned. As for his strength, [=DiZ=] probably swiped all the power-up panels from his grid too.]] Aqua ''technically'' has no excuse for her reduced capability in ''0.2'', but a player who did '''not''' grind to all ends will reasonably be wrapping up BBS' Final Mix Secret Episode with Aqua's level in the mid-40's, so starting at Level 50 with [[BoringButPractical -ga magic and Prism Rain]] is logical.
** While this covers the fighting styles, there is also {{justifi|edTrope}}cation for the loss of other gameplay elements such as HP. ''Chain of Memories'' reveals that memories have physical effects, not to mention that [[spoiler:Sora's memories are extremely interconnected with others]]. In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', Sora wakes up after a year-long sleep, so it's understandable that he'd be weak and out of practice after that.

** The fanfiction "Fanfic/{{Repairs}}" has Samus play Bag of Spilling straight... then subverts it. She can still use her abilities, albeit in a more limited fashion, and using them before they're ready again makes their repairs take longer.

* In the GBC ''VideoGame/HarryPotter'' games, Harry somehow forgets everything he learned his first year, lost his entire Famous Witches and Wizards card collection, and loses all his money.