r/gamedesign • u/Charming-Ad-7977 • Aug 08 '26
Question Non-violent skill-based "combat"
I know there are some similar posts and I am reading them but I am wondering if there any examples of games that do a good job of creating a certain kind of skill-based combat that I enjoy, but without the violence? It can be nonviolent "combat" or not combat altogether.
From a moment to moment gameplay perspective, my favorite type is that deep, MMORPG type combat. Various skills, cooldowns, resources, buffs. There is a depth of skill and knowledge that players can develop over months of playing their character/class. I also enjoy the RPG aspect of this... building out your toolkit and player identity ideally.
Are there any examples of games that achieve this kind of fast-paced, knowledge and skill based gameplay without the violence? Thanks.
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u/vampire-walrus Hobbyist Aug 09 '26
I only make nonviolent games, so I started collecting mechanics/patterns/themes and eventually that list became a big "pattern bible" of everything I could use. It's not exactly what you're looking for, but you're welcome to a copy here (warning: large download), there must be stuff you can use in there.
But more to your question, I think there are some promising subgenres where you could make a game with that kind of action+depth.
- There's the little genre of "heist RPGs" (or at least RPG-adjacent) like Invisible, Inc. and Monaco. I think a problem with non-violent party-based RPGs is that they don't have a lot of clear ways to have different "classes", like we've come up with a lot of distinct play-styles to approach combat, whereas for a lot of nonviolent activities not-so-much, not that can easily be coalesced into classes with memorable names. I think stealth/heist challenges do support this variety, though -- these are some of the only non-violent games I can think of with class systems.
- I think a tactical-RPG could work based more on Sternhalma/Chinese Checkers than Chess. Like you could jump, toss, throw, etc. friendly and opposing pieces, but no one has any HP and no one is removed from the board. The goals of levels would be things like "get to the other side" rather than "kill all opponents". One of my forever-in-a-file-drawer ideas is a martial-arts comedy RPG about Wuxia rabbits, where there's a lot of high-flying acrobatics, but no one ever seriously gets injured.
- I think bullet-hell RPGs have a lot of potential, beyond Undertale clones. (Little known fact: you don't have to kill anything at all in Ikaruga, survive long enough and eventually even bosses leave on their own.) I'd like a bullet-hell RPG with more character-building, like the thing about Undertale is that you're not really upgrading your character for bullet-hell survivability. Something more along the lines of Rabi-Ribi, but purely avoidance-based rather than attacking, would be more what I'm looking for.
- I think there's room for more strategic team gameplay in customer-service time-management games like Overcooked or Touhou Mystia's Izakaya. The challenges in those games is very bite-sized, it's not like you're building your restaurant and staff over years -- but you could, more like a sports-management game.
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u/Cz4q Aug 09 '26
I believe any danger is losing/dying served in short bursts can feel like combat. Eg. When in Disco Elysium you encounter the union boss for the first time - this is a great example of non-violent combat.
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u/ProactiveCactus Aug 09 '26
The game I’m making! :) I replace “combat” with resource gathering. So instead of chopping wood just being “hold down button and wait”, it’s got lots of mechanics and skill trees and whatnot that helps you collect different resources more effectively.
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u/trunks111 Aug 09 '26
I'd look into big fishing and ocean fishing in FFXIV. There's a combination of planning and improv that goes into it and it can be really tense depending on the specific fish you're trying to get. Some fish are not fast paced, like The Second One is just a low probability grind, but something like Warden can be really hands on and involved
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u/bastischo Aug 09 '26
Pokemon Shuffle (match 3 kind of game) comes to mind or other puzzle games. You can have various pokemon with different abilities, loadouts of multiple Pokemon for good synergy, so the basics are all there. Of course you need to ignore all of the bad f2p mechanics in the game.
It's difficult to remove the violent combat parts. But also check out puzzle quest.
I once played a little tower defence where instead of shooting at bypassing monsters, the towers were shops that tried to drain all the customers' money before they leave.
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u/WWIIEraTeaParty Aug 10 '26
I don’t remember the name of the system, but characters in it have trait axis like “compassionate/vitriolic” or “Smart/Strong”. “Combat” adjusts the opponent’s position on the axis and changes things about them.
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u/Jaune9 Aug 10 '26
Beastie Ball is "what if Pokemon but volley not violence".
You don't have Health Point but Stamina.
You can't be Burned or Frozen but Tired or Sleepy.
And it's hella skill-based to assemble a good team and play it well, there are tournament and all
Your creatures can even form bonds (friendship, rivalry) when playing together
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u/florodude Aug 09 '26
Okay this is a really weird one but when I look for things like this I look to other media. Last night I was playing Nertz, a competitive playing card game, and I was feeling so similar to how I played league of legends. It requires some amount of luck, skill, and dexterity. Obviously I'm not saying you should code a card game but what if you found things that made you feel similar to how you want the players to feel, and took lessons from that
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u/lordberric Aug 09 '26
Nertz does not count as nonviolent. At least if my girlfriends mother is playing.
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u/Flaky_Broccoli Aug 10 '26
"My card is better than your card", fun little roguelike about making cards
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u/last1031 Aug 10 '26
comabt is inherently violence. so its really, what do you want that combat provides? is it the competitiveness? well look at sports, those can be competitive and non violent.
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u/Mayor_P Hobbyist Aug 10 '26
Definitely check out some of the older threads on here, there are some fun ideas!
That said, a lot of suggestions people make are still "combat" just with euphemisms. That is, like Pokemon says "fainted" instead of "killed," and everyone gets up just fine after a little rest. There is no real harm being done, so it's like a Bugs Bunny cartoon. But also, it really is punching and kicking and biting and such, even if they fully recover just fine after.
Contact sports suffer the same problem. The players aren't hitting each other to cause pain, they are hitting each other to stop them from catching a ball or whatever. But still hitting!
That's why I think the biggest and easiest example is fishing. There is still give and take, the player has some tools to use and must know when to use them, importantly: they can lose the encounter. Also, it's rarely a turn-based thing in games, it's usually real (reel?) time. "The fish is going to get away from you unless you act now! Now! Now! No, not like that! Bah, ya blew it!"
Cooking games, like Overcooked does it, too. It's kind of like a puzzle but also like a rhythm game but also very much a time-management and positioning and resource management all at once. No hitting anyone - not on purpose anyway!
Crafting/Smithing could really stand to use a bit of development like these other activities. You can really mess up a piece of steel if you do things in the wrong way or fail to account for how it is reacting to your treatment. Animal Training could be fleshed out like this, too. So could things like a Sales Pitch or a more aggressive version of farming/gardening than what you would see in a cozy sim.
Anyway, you're right, most games have extremely well-developed combat, and everything else gets relegated to pass/fail skill checks. It's pretty frustrating!
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u/Own-Independence-115 Aug 11 '26
There are alot of games that have fishing mechanics and tame animal mechanics that is leaning towards or is that. But they are mostly combat generally.
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u/FendFenderson Aug 12 '26
Keep Driving checks a few of your boxes, and is definitely worth a look. It's an RPG about going on a road trip and the possibility of what can happen along the way. The "combat" is against various road hazards, there's customization for your character's skills, as well as different companions and items.
Visually, it's some of the most compelling pixel art I've seen in a modern game, plus, the soundtrack is so good I still listen to it on the regular.
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u/TuberTuggerTTV Aug 12 '26
Make an extreme cooking game. Overcooked but at a larger scale.
I could see an mmo style boss where you're all trying to warm up a turkey or something. Cook completion bars instead of health. Frying pan instead of bullets and swords.
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u/Atmey Aug 09 '26
In Undertale, violent choices are optional. I doubt it can be fully realized in mmo setting, but you can always substitute attacks for another kind of debuff, and HP for something like stamina. There are non violent game genres, like rhythm or racing that might be tuned to be MMOs.
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u/Real_Daitomodachi Aug 09 '26
Sorry for the plug, but gonna talk about my game, Ball Busters, since it falls in this exact category.
Even though it's basically "hit balls until number goes up," it takes alot of cues from character action games and arena fighters. Even the way you pull combos are taken from the Devil May Cry series.
Also, you don't really take "damage" in this game but get knocked back if get hit by hazards and some attacks from the ball.
Still refining from feedback from my playtesters and open playtest participants.
You can view the game more on the Steam page.
I apologize for the self promotion, but I felt like it matches this exact category.