How is everyone getting around not using these things? I want to have an options screen to change difficulty and game colors, which is doable in a text file but no introduction to the game just sort of feels weird. As for the end game, I would like to display some sort of score to show the user 1) they finished and 2) how well they did. Should I just refrain from having this all together, because putting this in a text file is basically the same amount of feedback as having it in the program itself.

Ideas?

I use a menu and a end screen.
I chose it because I consider that it is not part of the game-play's phase. And just to make it a little bit (really little) enjoyable.

:)

Whats about switches like on Atari VCS

i'm making my game on Android, and I couldn't make an end screen like the rest of the game, So I just made it like a normal win screen with a notification, Since after the game It's fine.

I've reworded the rules, which now covers things like a menu, options and end screen. the short answer is it's fine, so long as you believe it's necessary (which it quite often will be).