10 BRUTAL Video Games (Where You Don't Have To Kill Anybody)

These brutal games still let you choose to be a pacifist.

final fantasy 7 remake
Square Enix

Ever since video games made the jump into three dimensions, the ability to kill your enemies is something that is almost expected in all mature games. I mean, when DOOM is one of the first titles to popularise the move into 3D a violent precedent had pretty much already been set for future games to take inspiration from.

The truth is, as graphical capabilities have increased throughout the years, developers have devoted countless hours into making the most violent possibility often the most attractive one to gamers. I mean, what is better becoming an unstoppable bringer of violence all for the good of humanity?

Well in the interest in free choice, some games over the years have allowed the player to solve their problems in a more diplomatic fashion, rather than just running and gunning everything in sight.

Developers actually deserve a lot of credit for including a pacifistic option in their games, allowing the player to find an alternative route to reach their goal without needing to just blast through enemies in an otherwise ultraviolent game can require some serious ingenuity.

Sometimes players even have been given special rewards for navigating hostile landscapes without firing a shot.

10. Tenchu

final fantasy 7 remake
FromSoftware

A series where you play as a 16th-century ninja in feudal japan doesn't seem like the kind of game where players can practice pacifism. I mean sure, stealth is generally considered the name of the game when it comes to practitioners of ninjitsu but that's normally only used to conceal a lethal strike.

So, you might assume that from the debut Tenchu title from 1998 killing is just a byproduct of gameplay in the franchise, and completely unavoidable, but you'd be wrong.

Despite the fact, the player is controlling a highly-trained assassin, it is possible to progress throughout most of the games in the series without the need to leave a trail of bodies in your wake.

Despite the ability to work your way through the game without slaying indiscriminately, it's worth noting that unlike some of the other titles on this list, the player will not receive any rewards other than a sense of pride for managing to avoid temptation throughout the game.

Contributor
Contributor

Adrian Bishop hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.