Video games and fighting are no strangers to each other. Most games have combat mechanics baked into their design, and so many video games have stories of battles between the forces of good and evil, wars being fought between nations or simply protagonists who have some need for aggression to achieve their goals.
But sometimes we see video game characters who reject this view and do everything they can to avoid violencewhether that’s fighting back only when absolutely necessary, or finding alternative ways to stand up for themselves. These are video game pacifiststhe characters who avoid even in worlds full of conflict.
10 The Bard (Wandersong)
Produced by indie developer Greg Lobanov, wanderer song is a game that revolves around a hero who saves the world from destruction. However, the goddess who calls on the prophesied hero calls on a bard instead. This bard is not interested in combat and instead relies entirely on the power of song and dance.
However, this does not stop them from saving the world as they realize that the world can be saved by collecting the pieces of a mystical song that will prevent destruction. Relentlessly optimistic in the face of danger, The Bard shows the world that violence isn’t always the way to become a hero.
9 Chozo (Metroid series)
The presence of the Chozo can be felt everywhere metro franchise, with many of their ruins forming areas for Samus to run through and explore, and Samus himself is even raised by people of the bird-person race. Although rarely immediately visible, documents and environments show what kind of people they were.
With the exception of a few warrior tribes, the Chozo favored knowledge over war because they wanted to study an analysis of the universe and fought only for defense. They walked the line between a druidic race with respect for nature and a highly advanced technology-oriented race. However, this focus on technology may also have been their downfall, as they created the Metroids and didn’t expect how much of a problem they would become to the galaxy.
8 Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney series)
As a lawyer, Phoenix Wright has always preferred to fight his battles in court. His weapons are evidence and testimony, his counterattack is a firm “Objection!” and he is driven by a determination to do good for his customers.
His pacifist character, however, only really becomes apparent in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, where his attacks don’t change much, using evidence, pointing and screaming to attack opponents equipped with martial arts skills and superpowers. Even when he has to defeat aggressive enemies, he still prefers to carry out justice in a legal way, not in a physical way.
7 Professor Layton
Professor Layton is a brave, heroic character with a penchant for fencing, so clearly he must be a noble swordsman fighting to protect others. Except he isn’t, who prefers tackling problems with his love of puzzle solving.
He is a sophisticated gentleman who is a professor of archeology at Gressenheller University and uses his knowledge to help those in need with his student Luke in tow. Layton can always be relied upon in any situation that requires intelligence over violence.
6 Dandelion (The Witcher)
Also known as Jaskier in the original Polish novels and the Netflix series, The Witcher‘s Dandelion is a bard who often travels with protagonist Geralt. Despite this closeness to the titular witch, he doesn’t tend to fight against himself much, preferring poetry and song.
An educated but cowardly man, he tends to avoid direct physical conflict, instead relying on his wits and charm to get him out of difficult situations. However, he remains a loyal friend of Geralt and co, sometimes proving himself useful with nonviolent actions such as distraction.
Hal “Otacon” Emmerich has long been a popular character metal gear franchise, introduced as the chief scientist behind Metal Gear Rex and soon become Solid Snake’s main confidant and information provider. However, while supporting Snake in the field, he does so reluctantly, unhappy with the need for wars and violence.
This may seem strange to the man who designed a walking battle tank, but as he admits in Metal Gear Solid, he agreed to help build it because of a love for mecha anime, not because he wanted to hurt people. He is a bit naive, but his heart is always in the right place.
4 Luigi (Super Mario series)
Mario’s younger brother is arguably one of the most famous pacifists in gaming. However, it is less due to a fierce refusal to fight and more to a cowardly attitude than his heroic brother.
Not that Luigi will never get involved in a fight when necessary, as he has proven to be able to face his fears and defeat ghosts to save his brother three times. He’s just more inclined to sit back and be more careful of the dangers than Mario. Except perhaps on the go-kart track, where Luigi is much more likely to opt for violence.
3 Gandhi (civilization)
Mohandas Gandhi, better known by his title Mahatma Gandhi, was a well-known Indian lawyer who was famous for using nonviolent resistance in an attempt to gain his country’s independence from the British. He is also a recurring character in the Civilization series, presented as India’s leader in every game to date.
Like his real-life counterpart, he would rather use diplomacy than force to achieve his goals. As a rival AI player, Gandhi will never declare war and is much more likely to declare friendship with other nations unless that nation is a warmonger. However, it should be noted that despite his unwillingness to start wars, he is far less afraid of using nuclear weapons to end them.
2 Abe (Oddworld)
The face of the Strange world series, Abe first appeared on PS1 in the critically acclaimed Abe’s Oddysee. Originally a floor cleaner employed by the RuptureFarms meat factory, Abe discovered that he and the rest of his race, the Mudokons, were in danger of being turned into meat products, forcing him to escape and become a freedom fighter for the enslaved. made Mudokons.
Abe has a tendency to inflict explosive damage on many of the institutions established by the capitalist Glukkons, causing quite a bit of indirect death and destruction. However, Abe’s goals are not to kill but to bring down the system, and will rarely fight his enemies directly, preferring stealth and cunning to achieve his objectives.
1 Search (Undertale)
While undertale offering players the choice of playing aggressively or as a pacifist, it’s clear that the pacifist run is much more memorable and rewarding, suggesting it’s the canon way to play. In fact, the pacifist ending is the only time the main character’s name is revealed to the player.
undertale is a game where the strength of friendship is more important than physical strength. As Frisk finds new friends in unlikely places, mends a rift between humans and monsters, and goes on a date with a skeleton, proving that sometimes the peaceful option is the better.
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