Just something I'm curious about:

Are there any games, available on GOG, that do not implement any way to save the game?

https://www.gog.com/en/game/florence

^I can't verify, but educated guess as it seems to be an extremely short story game with no real branching paths.

Edit: Nevermind, store page shows Cloud Saves as a feature.

Spelunky

Spelunky has no saved games, but you can unlock starting points at the different areas, however, they are mostly used for unlocking characters that are located in secret levels and such.

Gex and Pandemonium apparently use passwords instead of saving progress.

Super Hexagon

I'm guessing at least all of the pinball games. Probably true of the arcade game ports, as well. They are meant to be played until you get a score. I'm not sure you'd count some of the older games like Pushover, Populous, and The Incredible Machine, which use codes for progression (Another World used to as well, but I guess the Anniversary Edition autosaves instead).

Some games may deserve special mention for providing no saving during sometimes way too long stretches. The worst modern offender I own is Vambrace: Cold Soul, which has no saves for the entire mission, not even to pause for the night, or whatever.

Doesn't most of the shmup fall in that category ? some have meta progression but they don't have real save, if you quit the game or don't continue when you die it's game over.

Lemmings do not have saves
The Settlers do not have saves

All the Settlers games I have played 1-5 (including the 20th anniversary version) for PC, and even the Amiga version of the original Settlers allowed and supported game saves...

Volgarr the viking

dear esther

I haven't played a port but this was certainly always the rule, since the games were coin operated in the arcade. They also inevitably increased in difficulty, too, which meant faster and more enemies.

An interesting permutation to this was the Gyruss game that the player fought from "two warps to Uranus" all the way to the inner planets of the solar system (can't remember if it was just to Earth, though I think it was) before looping back to the beginning, as with all arcade games, but to three warps from Uranus. Once the game looped back the frenetic pace reset, too, giving the player a respite before increasing once again.

edit: fixed an incorrect reference.

That art style makes me want to commit seppuku

Gyruss*

Pushover uses codes to levels instead of saves. Same as Gobliiins.

indeed it looks horrible