History Main / MercyMode

%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17078417210.53379300
%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bumper_bowling_1000.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:For when [[BestedAtBowling bowling bests you]].]]

* ''VideoGame/DokaponKingdom'' has its Darkling class: if a player is losing for long enough, they'll get a little bat flying over their head, and if they visit a particular space while the bat is present, they can [[DealWithTheDevil choose to be transformed into a Darkling.]] This class is everything short of invincible in one-on-one combat, and has a whole host of powers designed specifically to screw with the other players. However, Darklings cannot capture towns (the primary scoring vector for the game) but are the ''only'' class that can capture already-won castles (the second most important scoring vector), so it generally tends to [[KingmakerScenario reduce everyone else's lead without adding much to your own score]]. The kicker here is that ''[[LordBritishPostulate you can still die]]''. And if you get killed by an opponent, they can loot your corpse for your PurposelyOverpowered equipment. And ''[[OhCrap keep it indefinitely]]''. The [[ArtifactOfDoom Overlord's Crown]] is a particularly popular choice, as it boosts [[LightningBruiser every stat]] by [[GameBreaker absurd amounts]], and even lets you capture opponents' towns by landing on them to summon monsters, then [[FakeUltimateHero defeating your own minion]] (who will fight back, mind) - It's up to [[VideoGameStealing Risqué the Bandit Extraordinare]] or [[BreakableWeapons equipment breaking]] [[{{Mook}} mooks]] to save you if this happens.

** In addition, in ''[[VideoGame/{{Touhou}} Imperishable Night]]'' you unlocked the ability to start with more lives (up to seven) by getting bad endings a couple times.

* The ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series: The most notable game would be the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening third one]]. For some reason, Capcom made Hard mode for the Japanese version into Normal mode for the North American and European versions, leading many to criticize the game for its difficulty. Things were so bad that Capcom had to ''release a second version of the game'' with rebalanced difficulty. To understand how bad it was, see [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/03/04 this]] Penny Arcade comic.

* The UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch {{updated rerelease}} of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' has "Funky Mode" and the character Funky Kong himself. The mode as a whole gives the player five hearts as default, rather than two, while the character has the abilities of every other Kong.

* Many ShootEmUp games have what is called a "rank system," a hidden value in the game's coding. The rank will slowly rise as the player goes without dying; the higher the rank, the more bullets will be onscreen, and the faster they'll come at you. In most games with the system, such as the fourth through sixth VideoGame/{{Touhou}} games, dying lowers the rank, making it easier to survive.

* Normally in ''VideoGame/{{Unpacking}}'', you have to put all the items in the right places in order to move to the next house, but you can toggle it in the Accessibility menu so that you can just place them anywhere to clear the level.

* In ''VideoGame/DiceyDungeons'', Relaxed Mode reduces all enemies' HP by 25% without affecting your progress or achievements, and it can be toggled anytime.

* The v1.0.7 update in ''VideoGame/{{Stacklands}}'' adds a longer Moon length, which increases the time limit per turn to gather food before you have to feed your villagers. The update also adds Peaceful Mode, which removes RandomEncounters.

* In ''VideoGame/AliensArmageddon'', the penultimate attack used by the [[FinalBoss Winged Xenomorph Queen]] requires you to shoot 5 weak points that are spread out on its head and wings in an extremely limited amount of time, requiring practically perfect aim and reflexes to do so. If you fail to do so, it will fly into and destroy the escape craft, which causes you to fail the mission and causing you to redo the entire level and boss again. Should this occur and the player reach this point again, you only have to shoot down 3 rather closely-spaced weakpoints on its head and wings instead.

* In ''VideoGame/Klonoa2LunateasVeil'', when you're down to two lives, an extra life is given to you as you respawn. It is only given twice in a row though.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}} 2: Lunatea's Veil,'' when you're down to 2 lives, an extra life is given to you as you respawn. It is only given twice in a row though.

* ''VideoGame/DokaponKingdom'' has its Darkling class: if a player is losing for long enough, they'll get a little bat flying over their head, and if they visit a particular space while the bat is present, they can [[DealWithTheDevil choose to be transformed into a Darkling.]] This class is everything short of invincible in one-on-one combat, and has a whole host of powers designed specifically to screw with the other players. However, Darklings cannot capture towns (the primary scoring vector for the game) but are the ''only'' class that can capture already-won castles (the second most important scoring vector), so it generally tends to [[KingmakerScenario reduce everyone else's lead without adding much to your own score]].
** The kicker here is that ''[[LordBritishPostulate you can still die]]''. And if you get killed by an opponent, they can loot your corpse for your PurposelyOverpowered equipment. And ''[[OhCrap keep it indefinitely]]''. The [[ArtifactOfDoom Overlord's Crown]] is a particularly popular choice, as it boosts [[LightningBruiser every stat]] by [[GameBreaker absurd amounts]], and even lets you capture opponents' towns by landing on them to summon monsters, then [[FakeUltimateHero defeating your own minion]] (who will fight back, mind) - It's up to [[VideoGameStealing Risqué the Bandit Extraordinare]] or [[BreakableWeapons equipment breaking]] [[{{Mook}} mooks]] to save you if this happens.

* In ''VideoGame/CrimzonClover World Ignition'', if you defeat a midboss with no spare lives left, the spinning triangle of powerups that it leaves behind will become a square of powerups that contains a OneUp.

** Choosing "No" [[spoiler:ends the game and exits it, and if this is the first time doing this, the player unlocks an "Infinite" brand that, when inputted, gives the player infinite Locust Idols. Using a smiling idol warp (by jumping into a BottomlessPit underneath one of those idols) will warp the player by a significant amount, but afterwards the player's Locust Idol count will reset back to 0.]]

* In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', every time you die while facing a boss, Omochao will appear at the beginning of your next try, giving you increasingly obvious hints on how to beat the boss with each death. Most characters could also pick him up and throw him at the boss for massive damage, but that was probably not intentional.
** This also happened in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)]]''. ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' gave constant hints, as part of the game's [[AnnoyingVideoGameHelper nobody-ever-shuts-up]] theme.
** Also on the subject of ''Shadow the Hedgehog'', if you have 0 lives when you battle the Egg Dealer (one of the game's final bosses), the opening missile attack Eggman launches is, oddly, aimed at himself instead of Shadow.
** Dying too many times in the same spot in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'' will spawn a Warp capsule next to the checkpoint that will warp you to the next checkpoint if you get it.

* In ''VideoGame/MickeyMania'', losing all your lives in the Mad Doctor's trolley stage enough times causes the game to let you through regardless, with the message: "Uh oh! Mickey has broken all the trolleys but he manages to continue..."

* In ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}} 2: Lunatea's Veil,'' when you're down to 2 lives, an extra life is given to you as you respawn. It is only given twice in a row though.

* Dying repeatedly in ''VideoGame/{{Eversion}}'' unlocks the ability to evert (backwards) at will. Just don't Evert past Layer 1, or the game will glitch out for a few layers and eventually crash (which can actually be quite amusing if you enjoy making games glitch out).

* In ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'', after failing the timed Jiggy challenges (which are just jigsaw puzzles) to unlock new worlds several times, Jiggywiggy will give you the option to remove the timer.
* In ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'', ''VideoGame/KirbyFightersDeluxe'', ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', ''Kirby Fighters 2'' and ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'', bosses' health and attack cool-downs are lowered slightly each time you lose to them. In ''Triple Deluxe'' and ''Planet Robobot,'' Bandana Waddle Dee will also supply you with a special AutoRevive healing item if you're defeated three or four times in a row.
* In ''VideoGame/RabiRibi'', if you die too many times in a row on Normal or below, the game will offer a "Halo Buff". If you continue to die in spite of that, it will give you even stronger versions of the buff.
* In ''[[VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection]]'', repeated death earns you the option to make things temporarily slightly easier, which tends to mean enemies attacking a little less frequently, but not actually reducing the game to the lower difficulty level. (The game doesn't do a good job of explaining this.)

* In ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix'', if you die in the fight in the Dojo, the game skips to around the second to last level.
* ''[[VideoGame/EccoTheDolphin Ecco II: Tides of Time]]'' had three difficulty levels. Easy, Hard, and a middle level that initially started you off at Hard, but booted you off to Easy if you died a lot (which you usually did), then sent you back to Hard if you did well enough. Given that Easy mode skips a couple stages here and there, beating the entire game on this level is the hardest feat in the game.
** There's also a level-specific one in Four Islands: if you fail the StalkingMission enough times, your guide will eventually give up and give you the keysong you need to progress... though not before getting [[EasyModeMockery more and more frustrated with you]].

* ''VideoGame/TheSimpsonsHitAndRun'' let you skip a mission after about five failed attempts. However, you can't skip the final mission, which just happens to be the [[NintendoHard most difficult and]] [[ThatOneLevel frustrating mission in the game.]]

* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Black'': A particularly brutal version of this trope, given that there's a cutscene insulting you, you're forced to wear a girly purple ribbon, and it's actually called "ninja dog" mode. (On top of ''that,'' this series is known for being HarderThanHard, to the point that even its mercy mode is ''still'' enough to make you smash your controller through your screen. The EasyModeMockery is the only way you'll know that this ''is'' easy mode.)

* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' opens with a dream sequence battle. It's incredibly difficult to survive the whole thing, but if you die ''really'' early, the game offers you Easy Mode.

* Despite being the trope makers for {{SNK Boss}}es, a lot of SNK fighters actually offer you some sort of a handicap vs. the unrelenting AI when you choose to use a continue. These include giving you maxed out or infinite super meters, dropping the enemy's health to 1/3rd of the normal, or making them unable to block your attacks, amongst other things.
* Dying enough during Story boss fights in ''VideoGame/NarutoShippudenUltimateNinjaStorm3'' (some of which -- including the final boss -- is one long SequentialBoss) will give you the option to retry the last checkpoint from full health at a major hit to your score for the battle.

In most games, you have to unlock the hardest difficulties. But in certain, usually modern Nintendo Hard games, you actually have to unlock the ''easy'' mode. All you usually need to do is die repeatedly until the game will decide to let up on you.

* ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', ''[[VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem]]'', and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' all have the "Super Guide", a system that allows you to let the game play a level itself for as long as you want after you fail it eight times ([[PermanentlyMissableContent but you miss out on certain bragging rights]]). [[NintendoHard There's a reason for this.]]

* ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', ''[[VideoGame/MarioVsDonkeyKong Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem]]'', and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' all have the "Super Guide", a system that allows you to let the game play a level itself for as long as you want after you fail it eight times (but you miss out on certain bragging rights). [[NintendoHard There's a reason for this.]]

* The v1.0.7 update in ''VideoGame/{{Stacklands}}'' adds a longer Moon length, which increases the turn length to gather food before you have to feed your villagers. The update also adds Peaceful Mode, which removes RandomEncounters.

** Starting in ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl Brawl]]'', where [[LimitBreak Final Smashes]] were first introduced, the games will randomly dole out "pity/easy Final Smashes" to players who are losing quite badly (i.e., at least five points behind the leader), respawning them after a KO with one ready to go. In ''Brawl'', even if the item frequency is set to "none", this can still kick in unless Smash Balls specifically have been turned off, making a planned-out long match go sour. In ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU for 3DS / Wii U]'' onwards this is fixed, in addition to no longer activating in 1v1 matches.

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'': Peaceful Mode. All hostile mobs (sans several neutral mobs that can be tamed, such as wolves, as well as the final boss; see below) are gone, your hunger bar never decreases, and your health auto-regenerates. It is nigh-impossible to "clear" the game with Peaceful on, however, as the conditions to unlock the final boss (which itself is present but unable to harm you) require you to kill at least about 18 different monsters scattered about the landscape, assuming a good drop rate.

* Bumper bowling, in which the gutters are blocked off by bumpers so the bowling ball will always stay in the lane, and players won't have to worry as much about accuracy. Generally used by very young players, it's also presented as an option for players that are doing very badly during a game.

* In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', you get the option to try a battle on Easy Mode if you lose, which massively increases the player's stats for that fight while also decreasing those of their enemies. Additionally, you also get a hint block which gives you tips on how to avoid said enemy/boss' attacks. Tough luck if you die in a giant battle though, none of these exist in those.

* If you are defeated by specific bosses in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', rather than restarting the battle or giving up, there's a chance you're given an option to instead continue the battle playing as Mickey Mouse, who is actually stronger than Sora. However, since Mickey has no combo finishers, he can't actually finish off the boss and so the real aim of playing as Mickey is to fill up the Drive gauge and use it to revive Sora. He can help you multiple times per boss, but the said chance of him doing so decreases from the initial 100% every time you use it, ultimately dropping down to 20% or so.

* In a [=PS2=] ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'' game, if you died or lost enough to go really far into debt, your character would undergo an experimental procedure (or something like that) which would give you a special ability. You could get several abilities in this fashion and it made the game considerably easier.