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I've had this "unwinnable" situation problem in RPGs a few times, including a couple of times the dungeon randomly stipulated "you can't turn back". It's uncommon these days due to several factors (such as easy encounters, more skill-based encounters, plentiful healing items, and conveniences like full restores at save points), but when it does happen, it can cause your player to never pick up the game again.
The best way to solve this, in my opinion, is to either offer or force the player to return to a safe haven outside of the dungeon (usually the nearest Inn) if they are defeated in battle. I like this because it not only makes the problem a moot point, but it offers some degree of risk for a loss (lose the physical progress you made in the dungeon) and it also doesn't break the appeal in the "chronic" danger (resource depletion) of a dungeon (as full restores at save points tend to do) or making the game feel pointless (as turning encounters off tends to do).
Full restores at save points are a fine way to get around this problem as well, but only if the danger in dungeons is supposed to be acute (each and every random encounter (at an appropriate level) has the potential to wipe your party out if played badly) rather than chronic (the risk of depleting your resources through multiple battles). Otherwise, the full restores will make your game feel too easy and less immersive. The Tales of series tends to provide good examples of battle systems that can utilize full restores at (some) save points well.
The best way to solve this, in my opinion, is to either offer or force the player to return to a safe haven outside of the dungeon (usually the nearest Inn) if they are defeated in battle. I like this because it not only makes the problem a moot point, but it offers some degree of risk for a loss (lose the physical progress you made in the dungeon) and it also doesn't break the appeal in the "chronic" danger (resource depletion) of a dungeon (as full restores at save points tend to do) or making the game feel pointless (as turning encounters off tends to do).
Full restores at save points are a fine way to get around this problem as well, but only if the danger in dungeons is supposed to be acute (each and every random encounter (at an appropriate level) has the potential to wipe your party out if played badly) rather than chronic (the risk of depleting your resources through multiple battles). Otherwise, the full restores will make your game feel too easy and less immersive. The Tales of series tends to provide good examples of battle systems that can utilize full restores at (some) save points well.
