History Main / PasswordSave

* ''TheLostVikings'' had passwords that were actual words, with [[Letters2Numbers numbers replacing vowels they resembled]]. This meant you could plausibly skip ahead by guessing words that were likely to be used, like [=H0M3=], or [=H4RD=].

* ''TheLostVikings'' had passwords that were actual words, with numbers replacing vowels they resembled. This meant you could plausibly skip ahead by guessing words that were likely to be used, like [=H0M3=], or [=H4RD=].

* ''VideoGame/GoofTroop'' had this in form of fruit and gems.
* ''VideoGame/AladdinCapcom'' had level passwords which used neither letters nor numbers but pictures of Aladdin, Abu, Jafar, Jasmine and the Genie and Sultan.

* ''X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse'', another SNES LicensedGame by {{Capcom}}, has level passwords consisting of eight portraits of X-Men.

* The first ''PrinceOfPersia'', on platforms without disk saves.

* ''GoofTroop'' for the SNES had this in form of fruit and gems.

** There's a few middle cases, however. Passwords also stored a limited amount of information besides which Robot Masters you defeated. ''VideoGame/MegaManX'', for example, stored how many [[HeartContainer Heart Tanks]]/[[EmergencyEnergyTank Sub Tanks]] and which armor pieces you'd collected; ''VideoGame/MegaMan 5'' recorded which BEAT pieces you had.

* The home computer versions of the first ''{{Ghostbusters}}'' game had a password system that allowed [[NewGamePlus starting a new game with the money accumulated at the end of the previous one]].

* ''GoofTroop'' for the SNES had this in form of fruit.

* ''AdventureIsland IV''

* "Level" passwords: The password records what level you're on, but that's about it -- don't expect information such as your [[ScoringPoints score]], [[VideoGameLives lives]], stats or items to be stored. In other words, the password basically doubles as a level-select. Obviously, this is limited mostly to puzzle games, and games with linear level progression, where collecting secondary items isn't necessary for advancement. They are usually human-legible words or phrases, and may contain inside jokes from the developers.

* ''[[ChipsChallenge Chip's Challenge]]'' gave you a four-character password every level.

* ''TheIncredibleMachine'', using a combination of password and optional score code.

* ''[[{{VideoGame/Worms}} Worms 2]]'' implemented level passwords, which form a short story if you list all of them together.

* The level passwords of ''{{Ugh}}!'', a cute, humorous game about cavemen, are song titles of the deathrock band Christian Death.

* ''The Addams Family'' implements a 5 character password. Due to a game bug, it doesn't accept passwords if either digit in the lives counter is '9'. It is also an example where someone simply entering a default password of "11111" can start the game with 100 lives.

* ''{{Lemmings}}''

* ''VideoGame/{{Puggsy}}''

* ''{{Puggsy}}''

* ''DragonsLair'' on Super NES had password that had to be entered through a minigame. ''Where it's possible to die.''

* ''GoldenSun'', for OldSaveBonus in the second game.

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A classic of oldie video games, this is the method of saving your progress in a game without being required to actually ''store'' it on the console or game cartridge: Encode it as a string of letters, numbers, or other symbols and have the playerf write it down on a nearby piece of paper.

A classic of oldie video games, this is the method of saving your progress in a game without being required to actually ''store'' it on the console or game cartridge: Encode it as a string of letters, numbers, or other symbols and have the player write it down on a nearby piece of paper.

* ''WonderBoy III: The Dragon's Trap''

* "Level" passwords: The password records what level you're on, but that's about it -- don't expect information such as your [[ScoringPoints score]], [[VideoGameLives lives]], stats or items to be stored. In other words, the password basically doubles as a level-select. Obviously, this is limited mostly to puzzle games, and games with linear level progression, where collecting secondary items isn't necessary for advancement.
* "Game state" passwords: A lot more complicated than level passwords, these record essentially all the information that a SavePoint would: What items you've acquired, your character stats, key event flags, and so on. Enter the password and you can pick up from (almost ''literally'') the exact moment you left off.

The length of the password will depend on how much information is being "saved", so a "game state" password that records a lot of things will require a longer password. Also, to discourage players from attempting to cheat the system by inventing their own passwords, the password may incorporate a "checksum", a small combination of symbols whose only function is to verify that the rest of the password is (or at least ''looks'') legitimate.

* ''BubbleBobble''. Considering how little the passwords changed from level to level, it is thought that the 5-letter combination is just the level number times some constant converted to text.

Note that part of the password is used to make sure the player didn't just make up a password. This is called the "checksum", and the longer it is, the harder it is to fake a password, and the more work it takes to enter it in each time.

* ''TheSmurfs'' (though using them was usually a bad idea because playing from the start allowed to collect more ExtraLives for the very difficult endgame)

000000 000000

-->--A ''Game/{{Metroid}}'' password responsible for a ''lot'' of WildMassGuessing

A classic of oldie video games, this is the method of saving your progress in a game without actually saving it in the console/cartridge/etc: Just display an unintelligible password with a simple check, and have the player note it on a nearby piece of paper.

Also present on some newer console games where the datum to be saved was too small (like just a level number) to justify the cost of a saving chip or a file in the memory card.

* "Level" passwords: The password records what level you're on, but that's about it. Little to no secondary information (score, lives, stats or items) is saved with the password whatsoever. In other words, passwords double as a "level select". Obviously, this is limited mostly to puzzle games, and games with linear level progression, where collecting secondary items isn't necessary for advancement.
* "Game state" passwords: This records things like what items you've acquired, your character stats and any key event flags within the plot. Enter the password and you can pick up from (almost ''literally'') the exact moment you left off.

The length of the password will depend on how much information is being "saved", so a "game state" password that saves a lot of things will require a longer password. Part of the password is used to make sure the player didn't just make up a password. This is called the "checksum", and the longer it is, the harder it is to fake a password, and the more work it takes to enter it in each time.

* ''Game/MegaMan'' games 2 thru 6 used a simple password system of dots on a grid; all SNES ''Mega Man'' games (''Mega Man 7'', and ''MegaManX 1'' thru ''3'') used a 4×4 grid of numbers.
** Mega Man 2 and 3 also saved the state of the game in the form of how many E-tanks you collected. Mega Man 2 for the GameBoy did the same thing.
** There's a few middle cases, however. Mega Man passwords also stored a limited amount of information besides which Robot Masters you defeated. ''MegaManX'', for example, stored how many [[HeartContainer Heart Tanks]] / Sub Tanks and which armor pieces you'd collected; ''Game/MegaMan 5'' recorded which BEAT pieces you had.

* ''TheIncredibleMachine''