Checkpoint
Also said as Respawn point, Bonfire, Bench, Mid-level restart
A place in the level that you return to when you die, so you don't have to start over. Its spacing sets the price of every death.
Too far apart and players spend their time replaying what they have already beaten, which tires them without testing them. Close together, a game can be very hard indeed and still feel fair, because each try costs so little.
Say it
“Put a checkpoint before each hard jump, about 20 seconds of play apart, and make the respawn take under one second.”
Where you’ve seen it
Celeste restarts you at the start of the current room almost instantly, so hundreds of deaths never feel like a punishment. Hollow Knight sends you back to the last bench you rested at, and your money stays where you died, guarded by your shade until you fetch it.
Not to be confused with save system
A checkpoint sets where you come back after dying. The save system sets what survives when you turn the machine off.