It is rare for a game developer to give a contextual reason for
the need of a save point. Often times the save point is only included because
it is convenient for the player. Games like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger
use a shimmering light to save the player’s progress but do not indicate why
there are save points scattered all around the world in various dungeons. There
is an area in Chrono Trigger where the player is stuck in a room with four save
points. If the player approaches the wrong icon, the player faces an
encounter that uses the save sprite file as an enemy. However this type of
incorporation is minor compared to how some game designers have approached the
issue of contextual saving.
Xenogears has one of the most impressive storylines to ever
grace a home console. While many found issues with the second disc feeling
incomplete, the overall experience of Xenogears is spectacular. The save points
in this game are called memory cubes. They aren’t actually cubes but something
that looks similar to a dark yellow transparent Playstation memory card with an
intricate design in the center. These memory cubes store the memory, emotions
and thoughts of the person who accesses them. The memory cubes also have a role
in the plot of Xenogears but since I believe everyone should really play or
watch Xenogears, I won’t ruin it.
Metal Gear Solid is widely known for its impressive stealth
action gameplay as well as its captivating story. The designers behind Metal
Gear Solid also have a great creative mind when it comes to tackling issues of
breaking the fourth wall. The protagonist, Snake, can use his codec device to
contact a handful of specialists throughout his mission. You can contact the
Colonel to gain advice on where to go or call up another member who will explain
properties of a weapon you have equipped. These codec conversations have some
really great moments and fortunate enough to have talented voice actors. The
save system is disguised in Metal Gear Solid through the codec system. Snake can save the game by contacting Mei Ling
who will record all of the mission data for Snake. Another ingenious idea that
the developers had for the original Metal Gear Solid was using Psycho Mantis’
psychic powers to read the players mind. When a player encounters Psycho
Mantis, he tells you that he will do a few things. One of them is reading your
mind which he then lists the other Konami games that you have played based off
your memory card. He goes even further by commenting on how often you have
saved, how many times you have been spotted, how you fare in hand to hand
combat and how well you have evaded traps. The breaking of the fourth wall was
successfully accomplished only by a handful game such as Eternal Darkness.
The Resident Evil typewriters are probably one of the most
famous save icons featured in a video game. While it may not seem like a big deal,
the typewriters perfectly complement the atmosphere created by the game
designers. The eerie sounds of metal pieces working to type in your save add to
the silent loneliness that is only broken by the moans of a nearby zombie. The
typewriters will only save if a player has an ink ribbon on hand which means
the player is limited on the number of times they can save. This limited amount
of saving augments the suspense and horror that is shaped by the designers. The
sound designers did a remarkable job by composing the perfect song to fit the
save rooms. “Secure Place” (theme for the save room in Resident Evil 2) evokes
emotions of feeling safe yet apprehensive of what lays in the next dreadful
corridor. I’ve included the “Secure
Place ” theme as a good way to end my discussion of
save systems that go above and beyond the call of duty.
