Summary
Despite a number of games over the years offering you the option to play non-lethally, it seems that your incentive to do so rarely goes beyond personal preference. Despite the enjoyable challenge in trying to avoid killing in Cyberpunk 2077 or Watch Dogs 2, sometimes you want a game to acknowledge your efforts like the good therapist it is.
So while manygames technically allow for a pacifist run, or to simply avoid killing in certain scenarios, it’s always a special time to discover one of those few that really make it worth the effort. Bleeding hearts with praise issues take note, because these ones totally get you.
9Dishonored 1 And 2
Figuratively Clean Hands Are Probably Easier Than Literally Clean Hands In Dunwall
Going lethal is often easier and arguably more fun in the two main titles of the stealth-focused Dishonored games, but keeping things stealthy and pacifist makes for arguably more desirable story outcomes for lead characters Corvo and Emily. Just be ready to make some tough decisions, because is sending a powerful rich lady into the custody of her obsessive fan really less cruel than death?
It’s also reflected in the Chaos system, which changes the state of the game’s world itself based on your actions. So killing lots of guards turns the city into a brutal and lawless hellscape, with non-lethal play keeping things more clean and orderly; no word on what manner of chaos eating all those jellied eels does to your colon.
8Deus Ex Series
Mercy Always Looks Cooler In Sunglasses
Right from the firstDeus Exgame through prequels Human Revolution andMankind Divided, the name of the game in these cyberpunk stealth RPGs has always been player freedom of choice. Naturally,those often difficult choicesinclude how lethal you choose to be, and you’ll find that leaving people alive is quite regularly the more practical choice.
In each game, you’re given free rein on how to handle missions, and protagonists J.C. Denton and Adam Jensen gain any number of advantages from taking the time to keep foes alive. This ends up affecting how characters react to you and can even result in some unexpected allies down the line.
7Alpha Protocol
Spy RPG Alpha Protocol is more than just the coolest sequence of words you’ve ever read. It also goes much deeper than you’d expect given its admittedly janky mechanics and controls. That includes its complex system of consequences for nearly every action you take.
For example, choosing to spare a certain Russian mob boss will see him offer to help you on a crucial mission later. But perhaps most devious, the game tracks your kill count via a stat called “Orphans Created”; it doesn’t pull its punches, so maybe you should.
6Death Stranding
Just Imagine What Lou Would Think
Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima’s bizarre post-apocalyptic delivery game that we’re still not sure exists, offers its mechanics regarding lethality that sounds about right given how the rest of the game operates. Dead bodies eventually become BTs, which will trigger a nuclear-level event if they consume a living human.
The only way to stop it is to carry the corpse to an incinerator painstakingly, so maybe try to avoid killing. Granted, you can also just leave the body in a distribution center or city and the staff will take care of it when you rest, but the game will be very disappointed with you.
5BioShock 1 And 2
Living In An Ayn Rand Dystopia Is Punishment Enough
While a pacifist run is impossible in theBioShockgames, the first two are based almost entirely on your choices regarding the lives of certain characters. Choosing to spare the Little Sisters in both games affects the ending, and you even get some nice gameplay rewards and upgrades.
But inthe similarly thought-provokingBioShock 2, that choice also extends to how you handle other characters. Leaving the main antagonists of each section alive massively influences both the ending and how Eleanor, your character’s sort-of adopted daughter, develops, so if you’re not going to be good for your sake, do it for her.
4Metro Series
When You Can’t See The Sun, Choose To See The Good In Others
Remember how getting the best ending in Final Fantasy X-2 was an exercise in an exhaustive walkthrough study? Apparently,Metro 2033and its two sequels were inspired. You need to rather meticulously perform certain actions throughout the games to achieve the best endings.
This includes kind and merciful deeds, particularly avoiding killing anyone in the post-apocalyptic games, but you also have to embrace goodness, making a point to help people and making morally upstanding choices. The only indication you get that you gained morality points is a subtle screen and audio effect, so have fun keeping track.
3Metal Gear Solid Series
Time For You To Put Aside The Gun And Live
It makes perfect sense that theMetal Gear Solidgames would rather you not kill people, as they’re pretty blatantly anti-war, after all. Trying to discern the meanings behind a Kojima game isn’t a friendly undertaking for most brains.
Most of the games have their own rewards for playing non-lethally. These range from particularly useful new camouflage options in Metal Gear Solid 3 to a base full of recruited former enemies and a less menacing face in Metal Gear Solid 5.
2Prey
Save A Few Lives While You’re Not Rolling Around As A Coffee Cup
Like BioShock, but more shiny and in space,Preyis an immersive sim with some player choice to keep things fresh on repeated playthroughs. But unlike BioShock, the choice between lethal and non-lethal is harder to pull off than a binary button press, andthose choices still have consequences.
As you make your way through the Talos 1 station, you’ll inevitably encounter other survivors of the alien Typhon attack, but many are under mind control, making it much easier for them to die by your hand in either self-defense or via collateral damage. Keep them alive, as well as certain other less-than-enjoyable characters, and you’ll more easily get the best ending and a shiny achievement for your trouble.
1Undertale
Everyone Deserves A Second Chance
Few games can claim to make your choice of lethality so integral to their experience asUndertale. This unique indie RPG establishes your ability to choose early on, and committing to a merciful run is well worth the patience you’ll need.
Via Undertale’s clever battle system, you must navigate shoot-em-up-style segments to get the chance to spare your foes, and you do it a lot. Going full lethal is often easier, as you quickly become an overpowered killing machine, but holding back is how you getUndertale’s super satisfying pacifist ending. Plus, villains don’t get to date the skeleton.
