By force-closing the game, you terminate the process before that flag is written. The save file remains untouched, still reading difficulty_state = "Impossible" .
Ultimately, EA Motive left it in the game intentionally or not. The choice is yours. dead space remake impossible exploit
EA Motive, the developer behind the Dead Space remake, has acknowledged the impossible exploit and is actively working to address the issue. In a statement, the developers emphasized that: By force-closing the game, you terminate the process