Games where deliberately losing/dying/losing an item advances the plot - an IFDB Poll

by Andrew Schultz
RSS Feed

The meaning of "deliberately" can be a bit broad, but I'm wondering about cases where an action clearly marked risky or fatal helps you see something or progress, and you would not have otherwise.

I'm not thinking so much about where, say, you go into a dark alley and get robbed and then have to move on. That's interesting, and there's some grey area, so I'm open to that, too.

Add a comment


Repeat the Ending, by Drew Cook
3 votes
"You gain points based on how you fail/die" [+]"You gain points based on how you fail/die" --Andrew Schultz... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Tabitha...

Vote for this game

Zork I, by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling
2 votes
"You have to drop one item to get the treasure inside" [+]"You have to drop one item to get the treasure inside" () --Andrew Schultz... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Denk...

Vote for this game

The Lurking Horror II: The Lurkening, by Ryan Veeder
2 votes
"Fun puzzle!" [+]"Fun puzzle!: With each death, you gain information to further extend your next life." --morganthegirl... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Denk...

Vote for this game

Rematch, by Andrew D. Pontious
1 vote
"CHallenging and different!" [+]"CHallenging and different!: It's a one-move game" --morganthegirl...

Vote for this game

Acheton, by Jon Thackray, David Seal, and Jonathan Partington
1 vote
"You have to die..." [+]"You have to die at least once to fully explore the map." ( - Full review) --Canalboy...

Vote for this game

Never Gives Up Her Dead, by Mathbrush
1 vote
""Dying"..." [+]""Dying" repeatedly is a major aspect in one of the subareas." () --Zape...

Vote for this game

Walking Into It, by Andrew Schultz
1 vote
"You need to lose at tic-tac-toe, but not too obviously" [+]"You need to lose at tic-tac-toe, but not too obviously" --Andrew Schultz...

Vote for this game

Enlightenment, by Taro Ogawa
1 vote
"The goal is to get rid of light sources" [+]"The goal is to get rid of light sources" ( - Full review) --MathBrush...

Vote for this game

Quondam, by Rod Underwood and Peter Killworth
1 vote
"Trying to SAVE in..." [+]"Trying to SAVE in this game usually kills you. But there is one location..." ( - Full review) --Canalboy...

Vote for this game

The Abbey, by Art LaFrana
1 vote
"The best puzzle in the game is of the gradual try-die-repeat variety, each time filling in more necessary information." [+]"The best puzzle in the game is of the gradual try-die-repeat variety, each time filling in more necessary information." ( - Full review) --Rovarsson...

Vote for this game

Winchester's Nightmare, by Nick Montfort
1 vote
"Sarah is trying..." [+]"Sarah is trying to dismantle and get rid of a rifle." --David Welbourn...

Vote for this game

Ferret, by [email protected]
1 vote
"There are a..." [+]"There are a number of dead end scenarios that have to be completed to glean vital information; consequently a large number of saved games need to be created and utilised." ( - Full review) --Canalboy...

Vote for this game

Hadean Lands, by Andrew Plotkin
1 vote
"The whole game is..." [+]"The whole game is based around this concept. You regularly reset the game back to its original state, but you keep all of your memories." --Mikalye...

Vote for this game

Spellbreaker, by Dave Lebling
1 vote
"One of the very last puzzles has a lot of this" [+]"One of the very last puzzles has a lot of this" ( - Full review) --MathBrush...

Vote for this game

Inhumane, by Andrew Plotkin
1 vote
(No comment) [+](No comment) () --Zape...

Vote for this game

Is there another game that you think should be on this list? Just fill in the title of a game you'd like to vote for.
Game Title (or TUID or IFID):


Poll created on July 30, 2023