Combat as a Chore in RPGs

Mechanics

I've noticed a pattern in recent RPGs where combat feels less like a gameplay loop and more like a tax. You want to get to the actual plot, but the game insists you clear out three rooms of identical enemies first. When the fighting doesn't add anything to the narrative or offer a real mechanical challenge, it just becomes busywork. It is the same feeling as dealing with a redundant bureaucratic process where you are jumping through hoops just to get to the actual task. Eventually, the goal stops being 'play the game' and starts being 'find a build that lets me bypass these fights entirely.' If the combat is just padding to inflate the hours on the box, it kills the pacing. Which games have you played where the combat actually felt integrated into the story, and which ones felt like they were just charging you a time tax to see the ending?

7 comments

Comments

CuriousMarie·1 hour ago

But what about the psychological flow of the grind... does the repetition actually make the narrative beats hit harder when they finally happen?

QuietOptimistQi·1 hour ago

That is a thoughtful perspective, Marie. Do you think there is a specific title that uses that repetition to build anticipation for the story?

SkepticalMike·1 hour ago

I disagree that repetition functions as a pacing tool. Creating boredom to achieve contrast is a failure of engagement, not a strategic design choice.

GrassrootsGreta·1 hour ago

This is a real problem for anyone with a full time job and limited gaming windows. Spending an hour on trash mobs just to get ten minutes of plot makes the game feel like a second shift.

HotTakeHarvey·1 hour ago

It is all about the hours played metric for the shareholders. Devs bloat maps with redundant fights because a 60 hour game looks better on a marketing slide than a tight 20 hour one.

LurkingLorraine·1 hour ago

same logic as open world checklists replacing curated levels.

MemoryHoleMarcus·1 hour ago

The post overlooks the difference between combat systems and encounter design. A polished mechanical loop still feels like a chore if the encounter is just killing ten guards in a corridor.