UNDERTALE, one of my favorite games of all time, has a special collection of mechanics in its battle system (e.g. ACT, MERCY), which creates a dynamic in which the player is disincentivized to attack or kill enemies. The mechanics of ACTing and Sparing through MERCY reveals special dialogue from enemies that broaden the perspective of the player, teaching the player more about the world and how creatures in this world view themselves and others.
When ACTing, the player has the choice of performing a variety of different actions ranging from checking the enemies’ stats to playing catch with an enemy to asking the enemy out on a date. Although there is often a “right” choice that progresses the player’s relationship and knowledge of the enemy under the hood, these choices aren’t required to progress through the game and reach an ending. As such, players can ACT in any way they so choose and whatever relationship develops with each enemy is a reflection of the player’s attitude towards each enemy and the game as a whole.
When sparing, the player has the choice of either allowing the enemy to run free or to kill it in one hit. If the player chooses to let the enemy go, they will gain no EXP and as such their character will maintain low HP and attack stats. Each time the player foregoes this benefit, they make the game harder for themselves as enemies increase in difficulty as the game progresses. However, as mentioned in What Games Are and Aren’t, we are often pushed to train ourselves to master a game, which is incentivized and exemplified by these mechanics.
In the resulting dynamic, players often attach themselves to enemies they identify with and would have otherwise killed without a second thought without the mechanics of ACTing and sparing. This not only deepens the player’s connection with the characters of the world, making it feel more lived in, but also increases the challenge (and therefore satisfaction) in completing the game by only ACTing and sparing.
