History Main / PacifistRun

* ''VideoGame/{{Trine}}'' has a {{UsefulNotes/Steam}} achievement/[=PS3=] Trophy where you have to complete a level without killing a single enemy.

* An early example of this being intended would be the UsefulNotes/AppleII game ''Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves'' made in 1981. Not killing anything, as implied in the [[AllThereInTheManual Instruction Manual]] gave a special ending.

** ''TabletopGame/TheWildBeyondTheWitchlight'' gives every encounter an option to avoid combat, usually in form of a small FetchQuest the party may already even completed without realizing. [[GuideDangIt It is really easy for the party to already have used the desired item beforehand, thus screwing themselves over into the violent option]]. You can also try to talk your way out of a conflict, make deals with TheFair olk, or solve problems with [[OutsideTheBoxTactic somewhat out-there tactics]]. It's the first ever ''D&D'' officially-licensed module in which you can go through the entire adventure as-written without ever getting into combat.

* The remake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube has what is called "One Dangerous Zombie" mode, wherein a zombie completely strapped with explosives constantly follows you around through the game. Attack him even passively, and you get a game over. For the series proper, you obviously need to kill bosses in the main plotlines, but for standard {{Mook}}s and some of the minigames, you're free to try this challenge out. The bitch is it's not a selectable mode; it's automatically foisted on you during a NewGamePlus whether you like it or not. The good news, as it were, is that said zombie disappears once you leave the mansion and go to the guardhouse.

** ''VideoGame/MetroLastLight'' also has multiple achievements and morality points for a pacifist run or StealthRun, or both at the same time. It's possible to go the entire game, barring the last level, without killing any human enemies or being detected, thanks to the ruthlessly efficient silent takedown that involves [[TapOnTheHead punching your schmuck of choice in the face or the back of the skull]]. You essentially have to do this to get the good ending.

* Some of the challenges in ''VideoGame/{{Contra}} 4'' are pacifism challenges, which strip you of all weapons.

*** Notably, a full non-combat run through the game doesn't necessarily let the player finish with truly clean hands. Reaching any ending still forces some level of moral compromise on the player's part: the Omertas questline can be skipped but otherwise its Speech solution involves convincing Cachino to open fire for you; when siding against Mr. House you're given an alternative to directly killing the man, by disabling him from the computer interface that lets him interact with the world, but doing so is CruelMercy and is said to reduce him to a "year of life at most" [[note]] A note in the game files indicates that, in the NCR route, it would be possible to convince Mr. House to give up the sovereignty of the New Vegas Strip in exchange for NCR citizenship and amnesty, but is was scrapped for unknown reasons.[[/note]]; destroying the Brotherhood of Steel is mandatory for House and the Legion, and while this can be accomplished with stealth and setting their base to self-destruct, it still results in the death of anyone in there.

* ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' features seven achievements for completing a particular heist without killing anyone: "I Will Walk Through Walls" for [[StealthBasedMission Shadow Raid]][[note]]Six bags of loot must be secured as well[[/note]], "Sound of Silence" for [[ConcertEpisode The Alesso Heist]], "The Pacifist" and "Looting in the Dark" for Murky Station[[note]]"The Pacifist" requires the entire crew to avoid killing anyone, and "Looting in the Dark" requires all loot to be secured as well[[/note]], "Pacifish" for [[ShipLevel The Yacht Heist]], "Low Murder Rate" for Breakfast in Tijuana, and "Victimless Crime" for Lost in Transit. Unlike Counterfeit in ''PD:TH'', all these heists can be completed in stealth[[note]]Shadow Raid, Murky Station and The Yacht Heist are all stealth-only[[/note]], making them much less of a pain to earn.

* ''VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist'' has an achievement where you must complete the Counterfeit heist without killing a single cop or civilian. The [[DemonicSpiders special SWAT]] just got a whole lot harder since you can't kill them without ruining the shot of getting the achievement.

-->-- '''Sans'''' judgement upon the Player during the True Pacifist run of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}''

** ''TabletopGame/TheWildBeyondTheWitchlight'' gives every combat encounter an option to avoid combat, usually in form of a small FetchQuest the party may already even completed without realizing. [[GuideDangIt It is really easy for the party to already have used the desired item beforehand, thus screwing themselves over into the violent option]].

* Slightly odd tabletop example: In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'''s fourth edition, player characters who reduce an {{NPC}} enemy to zero or fewer hit points always have the option to decide then and there to only knock that enemy out instead of killing them. Stop to think about that for a moment: with this rule in force, any given scenario played through could fairly trivially ''become'' a pacifist run, the possibility is just something that doesn't seem to as much as occur to most players. Probably because the idea of ripping the target's life-force out or disintegrating them in a [[AsLethalAsItNeedsToBe non-lethal]] manner is so counter-intuitive.
** Official Fifth Edition adventure ''TabletopGame/TheWildBeyondTheWitchlight'' gives every combat encounter an option to avoid combat, usually in form of a small FetchQuest the party may already even completed without realizing. [[GuideDangIt It is really easy for the party to already have used the desired item beforehand, thus screwing themselves over into the violent option]].

-->-- '''Judgement upon the Player during the True Pacifist run of ''' ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}''

* {{Downplayed}} in ''Fanfic/IWokeUpAsADungeonNowWhat''. While the parties delving into Taylor ''have'' to fight her minions for her to gain mana, she takes care not to let her minions kill or seriously injure the adventurers. She also initially asks the adventurers to avoid killing her minions, but relaxes this rule once she gets access to spawners and confirms that minions linked to a spawner retain their memories and personalities when they come back to life.

In games that give you a choice between using lethal or [[DeliberatelyNonLethalAttack non-lethal]] force in order to overcome enemies, [[UselessUsefulNonCombatAbilities the former method is usually the most convenient]]. Some gamers [[SelfImposedChallenge like to play through such games]] while avoiding any killings that are not absolutely required, even if there is no real reward for doing so. In essence, the player is applying a NoHarmRequirement towards their entire playtrhough.

In games that give you a choice between using lethal or [[DeliberatelyNonLethalAttack non-lethal]] force in order to overcome enemies, [[UselessUsefulNonCombatAbilities the former method is usually the most convenient]]. Some gamers [[SelfImposedChallenge like to play through such games]] while avoiding any killings that are not absolutely required, even if there is no real reward for doing so.

* As in other vertical shooters, this is a common type of run in the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' series despite the fact that the games actively punish trying to do this. Most {{Final Boss}}es and {{Bonus Boss}}es have their final spellcard become incredibly difficult if you take too long, but have long enough timers that the average player will never see this. And there'll generally be a few patterns that will just get worse with time, and the occasional wave of enemies that will exit through the bottom of the screen, where the player is, if not killed.

* In the Twilight of Edo Japan chapter of ''VideoGame/LiveALive,'' Oboromaru keeps a running mental tally of how many people he's killed (only humans; ghosts, demons, and machines don't count towards this total) over the course of the chapter. Somewhat overlapping with the StealthRun, finishing the chapter with zero kills (which requires a good number of [[GuideDangIt counterintuitive steps]]) nets you his [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus 0.5 Sword]] for use in the final chapter. It's possible to get an equivalent weapon by beating a rather difficult BonusBoss. This influenced ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'''s morality theme below, and the remake returns the favor by making you feel like Oboromaru truly accomplished his mission if you went this road.