Summary
- RPGs don't have to be solely focused on combat; games like Disco Elysium and Thirsty Suitors offer non-violent gameplay and focus on skills like investigation and conversation.
- Fantasy Life takes the concept of non-violence to the extreme by allowing players to choose classes based on real-life occupations and chores.
- Planescape: Torment and Disco Elysium are both CRPGs that prioritize dialogue and investigation, providing unique and immersive experiences outside of traditional combat.
RPGs work on the idea of becoming more powerful as players gain experience points and level up. This is almost exclusively done through the lens of combat, but does it have to be this way? After all, gaining real-life skills often works like this. The time people spend practicing an instrument or learning a language can be similarly tracked.
They practice, gain experience, and become better at whatever discipline they are working on. Some video games are already on the same page, taking the concept of an RPG and letting players go through the story in non-violent ways. Not only does it make for a unique experience, but it is a reminder that video games can be so much more than just combat.
5 Disco Elysium
A Detective Game Where Skills Reflect Different Aspects of The Heroe's Personality
Disco Elysium
- Released
- October 15, 2019
- Developer(s)
- ZA/UM
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Metacritic Score: 91
- User Score: 8.5
Though the world of Disco Elysium is darkly comic and oppressive, players navigate through the story through non-violent means. All of the skills available to level up deal with investigating and talking to people rather than fighting with them.
The sheer depth of its mechanics is what makes Disco Elysium so impressive. Even if there is no fighting, one's playthrough will go through a radically different path than someone else if they allot their skills to different places. Coming out in 2019, it was a part of the early renaissance of the CRPG genre, which was followed by titles like Wasteland 3 and Baldur's Gate 3.
4 Fantasy Life
Classes Are Based On Real-Life Skills
Fantasy Life
- Released
- October 24, 2014
- Developer(s)
- Level-5
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 3DS
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Life Simulation
- Metacritic Score: 73
- User Score: 8.4
This classic looking JRPG takes the idea of non-violence to the extreme. Players choose a class based on real-life occupations and chores and switch between them depending on the task at hand. Progressing through the game mirrors real-life achievements such as purchasing a home.
13 Best Open-World Games On The Nintendo DS And 3DS
The Nintendo DS and 3DS may not be the most powerful consoles, but the handheld devices still feature some truly great open-world games.
Though the game focuses its RPG mechanics on everyday life, there is still a narrative for players to follow that delves into the fantasy themes. After all, the game is still set in an imaginary world and is literally called Fantasy Life.
3 Thirsty Suitors
Battles Are Dialogue-Fuled
- Metacritic Score: 80
- User Score: 5.7
Thirsty Suitors puts players in the role of Jala, who recently came back home after being away for several years. It is a game all about realizing the mistakes one made and the people they might have hurt. This takes the form of several gameplay modes, including cooking, skateboarding, and turn-based battles.
However, these battles are not traditional fights to the death but instead conversations. Functionally they play out almost exactly like a traditional turn-based RPG with its own few quirks, but these battles are about confronting the past and making things right.
The drastic contrast between the high critic score and low user average review might be alarming to some. It is important to remember that unique games like this will often polarize players. To know if it is right for a particular gamer, they need to read the individual reviews and see what features those who liked it enjoyed and what detractors jeered at.
2 Harvest Moon
A Farming RPG All About Growing Crops And Raising Animals
Harvest Moon
- Released
- June 17, 1997
- Franchise
- Harvest Moon
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original), Switch, SNES, PC
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
- Metacritic Score: n/a
- User Score: n/a
Harvest Moon is exactly as wholesome as the name implies. The game is all about farming and raising livestock. The explicit goal of the developer when making the first Harvest Moon back in 1996 was to make an RPG with no combat, making it a perfect addition to this list.
10 Best Harvest Moon & Story Of Seasons Games Of All Time, Ranked
The Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons franchise has a lot of charming entries under its belt. These are the very best.
The debut entry went through some development trouble and almost did not come out but it made it through and spawned a whole series that continues to this day. The official name of the franchise is Story of Seasons, which new games are now released under, including re-releases of older Harvest Moon titles.
1 Planescape: Torment
A Traditional CRPG Where Dialogue And Investigation Is The Main Focus
Planescape: Torment
- Metacritic Score: 91
- User Score: 9.1
One can draw a direct line from Planescape: Torment to Disco Elysium. They both follow similar systems that ape the Dungeons and Dragons rules and both focus on non-combat scenarios. They take place in radically different settings, however.
Planescape is a dark fantasy adventure where players control an immortal being who is on a journey to take back his memories and uncover the truth about who he is. The game runs on the Infinity Engine, which fans of late 1990s CRPGs will recognize as the same engine that runs Baldur's Gate.