Here's a copy of my recent Steam-forum post with my view on the saving-topic:
"I oppose a standard save/load system, not because I want to play a "difficult" or artificially "hardcore" game. I feel much like Sir Galahad in his post:
Originally posted by
Sir Galahad the pure:
"When I think of games with quick save/load... I see myself playing Fallout and loading everytime I feel I took too mutch damage or spent too mutch bullets. Never lost a battle in a Total War ( I loaded everytime I lost one ) etc... It truly kills the challenge. But Even if the option to not have saves is there, I often play with saves... and abuse it."
I truly think modern saving takes away from the experience and lessens meaning and immersion. If I meet a new or highly geared enemy and I save, then I can just run straight at it and fight it a thousand times till I win. I don't want that, I want to be afraid and have to think if it's worth it, I should probably avoid it... And that kind of thing to me, is very essential to Exanima. Now you say, "What's wrong with options?" Like Galahad, I know I would abuse a save system, and it would hurt my experience. I believe this is the case with most people.
Now, I'm not that happy with the current system either. And I don't think this is a black and white issue like most people are making it. I don't find much joy in bee-lining through the first maps, not reading the lore, just trying to get through the game as fast as possible...
I think it would be a cool solution to have maybe two items in the game that would let you put a one-time save whenever, so that if you die, you could restart once from that point. This item would ofcourse be lore-friendly. If not that, I believe I could submit to a checkpoint for each level. Ofcourse the global skill-system which will be implemented is going to help with the repetition..."