Summary
While many titles revolve around combat mechanics, video games have so much more to offer than that. With more and more games taking advantage of the medium tofocus on telling engaging stories,fighting has become one of many options for having an interesting or enjoyable experience.
If you’re looking to enjoy a good story without the stress of combat, then you’re in luck. There are titles across all genres that manage to tell an engaging story without forcing you to resort to violence. This is a selection of some of the best.
If you’re looking for a game that not only has a compelling, character-driven story, but is also dripping with atmosphere, Firewatch is worth checking out. You play as Henry, working in remote Wyoming looking for fires. Throughout the whole game, you’re talking to a woman named Delilah, who becomes increasingly important as things start to get strange.
Even if there are elements of tension in Firewatch, including your character being put into dangerous situations, there’s no combat involved in the game at all. Instead, the game play revolves around exploration, the story unfolding through dialogue as you progress. Though it’s a short game,if you enjoy it there are a lot more games like it.
A beautiful indie RPG, To The Moon puts you in the shoes of Dr. Rosalene, who works with patients on the verge of death to help them relive their lives. She works with Johnny, going back through his life to artificially grant his last wish: to go to the moon.
As it’s an emotionallydriven game, there is no combat of any kind. Instead, you complete a variety of other tasks through Johnny’s memories to continue the story,which will definitely tug at your heartstrings.
A sandbox simulation game with a beautiful art style, Spiritfarer has you take over the duties of the mythical character Charon. In other words, that means you’re now responsible for transporting the spirits of the deceased to the afterlife.
As they’re transported, these spirits will talk about their lives and deaths. With no combat, the majority of the gameplay comes from customizing your ship and interacting with the spirits. Though it is a cozy game on the surface, it deals with some very heavy topics.
One of the best known walking simulators out there, What Remains of Edith Finch prioritizes story over almost everything. You play the titular Edith Finch, who’s exploring her family’s house while trying to put together the truth about a supposed curse that has caused them all to die.
Because the game revolves around walking through this massive house and the surrounding landscape, there’s no combat of any kind. In fact, you don’t encounter any enemies at all. This doesn’t mean that walking is the only thing you’ll be doing; each family member’s story has unique gameplay.
A story told in several acts, Kentucky Route Zero has been lauded for its emotional storytelling through a diverse cast of characters interacting with a trucker who’s gotten lost during a delivery.
If you’re looking for story above all else, then this is definitely a game worth investing your time in. There are almost no traditional gameplay elements like combat; instead, the story is mainly constructed through dialogue-heavy interactions as well as a stylized atmosphere.
5Professor Layton Series
One of the best known detective series,the Professor Layton seriesrepresents an entire, well-known series with fun, engaging stories. You play as Professor Layton, solving crimes by interacting with the various suspects and witnesses.
Since the game relies entirely on solving puzzles, there’s no combat at all. Instead, the plot is moved forward with each solution. This is far from the only game where you advance the plot by solving puzzles, and it demonstrates a fun and engaging alternative to fighting.
If you enjoy it, you could also check out the other famous series revolving around solving crime: the Ace Attorney series.
In Papers, Please you’re placed in the role of a border-crossing immigration officer for the fictional country of Arstotzka. Every day you’re required to make choices of who is allowed in or out, with a variety of outcomes rippling out based on what you’re deciding.
What makes this game’s story so engaging is that it takes multiple playthroughs to see all of the content offered. If you’re a fan of this style of discovering a story through the work of the game,there are more games like it to fill the void after you’ve played through its short run time.
A mystery game that will satisfy horror fans, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has you playing as detective Paul Prospero, a man with the supernatural ability to communicate with the dead. Using this ability, he’s attempting to save a boy, Ethan Carter, who’s disappeared at a time when a murderer is on the loose.
The gamedoesn’t need combat to immerse you in the story, and it’s focused on discovery instead. Of course, a lack of combat doesn’t mean you can’t still engage in stories that feature dark twists and violence, which this game proves.
At the heart of Gone Home is the question of where your family has gone. You play as Katie Greenbriar, who’s just returned to an empty home and must now explore the house to put together the clues left behind to solve the mystery.
This external exploration mirrors an internal investigation that takes you on an emotional journey. Despite being a short game, Gone Home packs a punch, with many players, especially LGBTQ players, finding it deeply relatable.
Abandoning most conventional gameplay, including combat, Her Story represents a very meta and unusual gaming experience. Non-linear, live-action, and requiring attention to detail, the game gives you a handful of interviews featuring a woman talking about her missing husband.
Watching these interviews, you’re tasked with putting together what really happened. It’s a unique game that shows how many creative options there are for telling a creative story through the medium that doesn’t involve combat.
