History Main / PointOfNoContinues

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* In "Special Criminal Investigation" after clearing the fifth stage and arrested the boss of the criminals, he explicity says that you have 30 seconds left to save the Jennifer (the Major's Daughter) in the sixth and final stage from the Warehouse where is about to explode. In the sixth stage, continues are disabled, so failing to save the Daugther under the 30 seconds, you get an instant GameOver and the game will trigger the bad ending, showing the Warehouse that explode along with Jennifer where She'll has to meet her terrible fate.
* In "Top Speed/Full Throttle" if the continues option are enabled through DIP switches, the game does not begin to offer continues until you get past its first stage... but once you reach the final stage, continues are disabled completely!

* Same thing for ''VideoGame/{{Exzisus}}" where you have unlimited continues but only in the first loop. From the second loop onwards, die on your last life by that point and the game is immediately over!

Mostly seen in UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s where ContinuingIsPainful by having any scores reset to 0, to stop players with lots of coins in their pockets from [[BribingYourWayToVictory bribing their ways to victory]] by credit-feeding (and something of a ScrappyMechanic for cabinet owners who would have liked to earn that extra revenue, apparently a way of gaming highly disliked by some development and publishing companies). In older console games, it could provide additional incentive to continue paying for rental copies. Otherwise, [[NintendoHard it simply leaves rookies unable to cheese the final stages.]]. In all cases, it can also show up when facing the TrueFinalBoss. If there's a long leg at the end of the game where you ''can'' continue, but doing so takes you all the way back to the start of the leg, that's just a form of CheckpointStarvation.

Mostly seen in UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s where ContinuingIsPainful by having any scores reset to 0, to stop players with lots of coins in their pockets from [[BribingYourWayToVictory bribing their ways to victory]] by credit-feeding (and something of a ScrappyMechanic for cabinet owners who would have liked to earn that extra revenue, apparently a way of gaming highly disliked by some development and publishing companies). In older console games, it could provide additional incentive to continue paying for rental copies. Otherwise, [[NintendoHard it simply makes them more serious business in their final stages]]. In all cases, it can also show up when facing the TrueFinalBoss. If there's a long leg at the end of the game where you ''can'' continue, but doing so takes you all the way back to the start of the leg, that's just a form of CheckpointStarvation.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} IV'', the game stops allowing you to continue when you reach the ninth stage. Lose your life there and it's GameOver!

* In ''VideoGame/PitFighter'', downplayed by the fact that the surviving player will still be able to use as many continues as they see fit, when you reach the final stage with your friends, there'll be an extra "Elimination" round where [[FightingYourFriend you and your friends will have to face each other]]. Only one can fight the champion. There aren't continues here, for the losers, there will be GameOver!

* The arcade version of ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' denies you continuous play once the Final Mission begins.

* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/{{Toki}}''. Regardless of how many quarters you have handy, once you reach the final stage, the game limits the number of times you can continue to five before you finally lose the ability to credit-feed.
* Once you reach [[BrutalBonusLevel World 9]] in the original FDS version of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels'', you get reduced to only 1 life and you can no longer use the ability to continue should you lose! Downplayed in that you can still earn extra lives.
* In the final section of Namco's ''VideoGame/MarvelLand'', where Talmit is escorting Wondra out of Mole’s lair, you have only one life, as the rest are exchanged for points before the section. Lose and you’ll have to start the whole game from the beginning.
* In ''A Robot Named Fight'', all saves will be cleared once you enter [[spoiler:The Beast's Guts]].

* ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' has ''two'' of these points, one at the very beginning of the game. Dying before defeating the first boss results in a NonStandardGameOver and having to restart the entire game from the very beginning. After you defeat the first boss, however, you're finally given the chance to save, and allowed to resume play without reloading a save when you die, since the ability to do so is justified in-game by 2B and 9S uploading themselves into a spare body using their AI backup at the Bunker. This allows the player to retain their money and items, though they have to return to their corpse to retrieve their chips. [[spoiler:Once the Bunker is destroyed early on in Route C/D, this option is no longer available, and dying results in a flat GameOver and having to restore a previous save.]]

* ''VideoGame/ShotgunRoulette'': [[spoiler:If either player's number of charges gets to two or lower in the final round, the power lines connecting them to the MagicalDefibrillator are cut, meaning that receiving another shot will kill them.]]

* ''Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters'' disallows using continues in the final stage, and gives a 30 second notification that it's the last chance to add credits for extra lives and bombs.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperAdventureRockman'', losing to Shadow Man and Gemini Man gives you no chance to continue.

* A downplayed variant occurs in ''VideoGame/GenpeiToumaDen''. Once you reach the halfway point where the path branches a second time, continuing, which previously allowed you to restart at the stage you died in, brings you back to the halfway point.
* Tower stages in ''VideoGame/ElementalStory'' have no continues. Instead, players can access them again (for free after 24 hours) at the highest level which has been cleared before.
* The arcade game ''Time Soldiers'' disables continues on the final stage.
* In ''VideoGame/TargetTerror'', the last leg of [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon the Hijacking mission]] warns you that you can't continue, though you can use credits to replenish your life meter.

* ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'': In a game against [=OblivAeon=], if one of your heroes is incapacitated, you can put a new one into play. However, if Rainek Kel'Voss is still on the table when [=OblivAeon=] is defeated, he takes over as the fourth and final phase - and at that point, you stop being able to replace defeated heroes. If you lose all your heroes after Voss takes over, you lose.

* In the Japanese version of Raimais, after you reach the final round where you have to face the Dr. Molto, you have only one chance! Lose all your life gauge and the game is automatically over and the game will trigger the credits sequence.

* In Pit-Fighter, when you reach the final stage with your friends, there'll be an extra "Elimination" round where you and your friends you have to face each-other. Only one can fight the champion. There aren't continues here, for the losers will be GameOver!

* In Gradius IV, the game stops to allow you to continue, when you reach the ninth stage. Lose your life there and it's GameOver!

* In the Japanese version of Raimais, after you reach the final round where you have to face the Dr. Molto, you have only one chance! Lose all your life and the game is automatically over and the game will trigger the credits sequence.

* In "Special Criminal Investigation" after clearing the fifth stage and arrested the boss of the criminals, he explicity says that you have 30 seconds left to save the Jennifer (the Major's Daughter) in the sixth and final stage from the Warehouse where is about to explode. In the sixth stage, continues are disabled, so failing to save the Daugther under the 30 seconds, you get an instant GameOver and the game will trigger the bad ending, showing the Warehouse that explode along with Jennifer which She had meet her terrible fate.

** In ''Bloody Roar 3'', you can continue playing should you lose a bout as often as needed, up to until you reach the end boss, Xion. But if you manage to clear Arcade Mode without continuing, no rounds lost, and a total score of 750,000 or higher, you'll face the game's [[TrueFinalBoss secret boss]], [[SNKBoss Uranus]], immediately after your bout with Xion. You can't use continues should you totally lose to Uranus -- that will cause your game to be over instantly and for real!

* In the final segment of ''VideoGame/SegaSonicTheHedgehog'''s final level[[note]]Eggman's Tower[[/note]], continuing and having any more players join in is impossible. Likewise, if you fail to complete the EscapeSequence at the end of the level[[note]]which is caused by Eggman setting off his tower's self-destruct sequence and fleeing when confronted[[/note]] [[TimedMission within 20 seconds,]] you must restart the game from the beginning regardless of if you have credits left.

* Odin is responsible for the battle-retrial function in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyLegendII''. Once you defeat Odin, the battle-retrial function will be lost!

* After assembling the legendary Golden Warpship in ''VideoGame/SolarJetman'', you only get one chance to escape the last planet with the ship intact. If it gets shot down or crashes, your game will be over!

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', if you die during the torture sequence, you can't continue. Ocelot even tells you "there are no continues, my friend."

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Arkanoid}}'' is the TropeMaker. You can't continue anymore once you reach Round 33, which houses [=DoH=] (the FinalBoss); should you totally lose to him, your game will be over instantly and for real even if there are credits available!
* A downplayed variant occurs in ''VideoGame/GenpeiToumaDen''. Once you reach the halfway point where the path branches a second time, continuing, which previously allowed you to restart at the stage you died in, brings you back to the halfway point.

* Dying while in the penultimate dungeon of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' prevents you from continuing like in the rest of the game. Downplayed in that you can still save and load freely within the dungeon, so it becomes a matter of being diligent with saving.
* Exaggerated in ''VideoGame/NAM1975'', which doesn't allow you to continue nor allows a 2nd player to join in once you reach the FinalBoss and [[http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/neogeo/a/nambad.htm gives you the bad ending]] should you lose all your lives by that point!

* The original ''Steel Gunner'' stops continues and second player join-ins completely once you reach the FinalBoss; if you die against him, it'll be an instant and real GameOver for you!
* ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' has ''two'' of these points, one at the very beginning of the game. Dying before defeating the first boss results in a NonStandardGameOver and having to restart the entire game from the very beginning. After you defeat the first boss, however, you're finally given the chance to save, and allowed to resume play without reloading a save when you die, since the ability to do so is justified in-game by 2B and 9S uploading themselves into a spare body using their AI backup at the Bunker. This allows the player to retain their money and items, though they have to return to their corpse to retrieve their chips. [[spoiler:Once the Bunker is destroyed early on in Route C/D, this option is no longer available, and dying results in a flat GameOver and having to restore a previous save.]]

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Arkanoid}}'' is the TropeMaker.
** You can't continue anymore once you reach Round 33, which houses [=DoH=] (the FinalBoss); should you totally lose to him, your game will be over instantly and for real even if there are credits available!

* Pro Heists in ''VideoGame/{{PAYDAY 2}}'' can't be retried or restarted. If your crew fails the heist, you go back to the lobby to choose a new contract.

** In ''Bloody Roar 3'', you can continue as often as needed, up to until you reach the end boss, Xion. But if you manage to clear Arcade Mode without continuing, no rounds lost, and a total score of 750,000 or higher, you'll face the game's [[TrueFinalBoss secret boss]], [[SNKBoss Uranus]], immediately after your bout with Xion. You can't continue should you totally lose to Uranus -- that will cause your game to be over instantly and for real!

** The ability to continue is disabled when you get to face the final boss in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha 3''; you even get a cutscene of [[ItsAWonderfulFailure Bison using your fighter to power the Psycho Drive]] should you lose against him (incidentally, it's also Bison's ending). If you're playing as Bison, you'll face Ryu instead, and losing will give you ''[[NearVillainVictory his]]'' [[NearVillainVictory ending]].

* In ''Burning Force'', you will be unable to continue once you reach the FinalBoss. If you lose to him, your game will be over instantly even if you have credits available.

** In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', losing to [[BonusBoss Akuma or Gouken]] in Arcade Mode causes your character's ending to play without offering a chance to retry. This extends to their Shin forms in ''Super'', and to Evil Ryu and Oni (and ''their'' Shin forms) in ''Arcade Edition''.