A lot of video games associate power with weaponry. Finding the best gun, or the sword with the biggest numbers, often directly correlates to how powerful you feel as a player. It's either that or leveling up and placing skill points into more powerful abilities. Point to a video game pretty much anywhere, and odds are that if it has combat at all, it will operate with some semblance of this logic.
These next games work a little differently. Granted, combat isn't a big factor in all of them (although it still plays a role in a few), but that also does nothing to take away from the feeling of power they bestow on their players. The difference is that power is delivered by acquiring and using information. What that information looks like varies from game to game, but one thing remains the same: you'll need to do more than just swing a sword or pull a trigger to succeed. You have to learn, and then apply what you've learned on your journey to push forward.
Disco Elysium
Combat Isn't Even An Option
Disco Elysium
- Released
- October 15, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence
- Developer(s)
- ZA/UM
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The whole point of Disco Elysium, one that is made clear right from the outset, is that you don't know anything. You literally play as a character who doesn't know anything either. Harry du Bois is a detective (ok, he knows that much), but who he is as a person, where he is, and what he's investigating are all a mystery. The latter two mysteries will be filled in rather quickly, but the former is up to you to determine.
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One thing Harry absolutely is not is a fighter. There is no combat in Disco Elysium, so every action Harry takes is based on the information he has accrued to that point. Well, that and the voices in his head. Every personality trait that Harry could exhibit exists as a character speaking in his mind, giving their input on the things he does and the people he meets. This cacophony of interjections can sometimes muddy the information that you have to work with, but that just makes it all the more important to investigate thoroughly, ask questions of everyone, and make sure that you're operating with a clear mind. Or don't. Harry is comfortable doing detective things while he's high off his gourd, too.
Tunic
Decoding A New Language
Tunic
- Released
- March 16, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Andrew Shouldice
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
On the surface, Tunic looks a lot like a modern Zelda-like starring a cute fox instead of a blonde boy. The fox's outfit should confirm the influence of Nintendo's flagship adventure franchise on this little indie title. However, Tunic isn't just a cut-and-dry clone; it does something unique with a completely unexpected gameplay element: its in-game manual.
Most text in the game is written in a constructed language that you have no way to decipher, but by finding pages for the manual throughout the world, you'll learn about gameplay systems and mechanics that you would never discover otherwise. For example, knowing what to do when you find a well, or how to open a patterned door, is knowledge you'll only uncover through these manual pages, but there's lots more to discover, including combat and traversal mechanics.
Pentiment
It All Comes Down To Dinner
Pentiment
- Released
- November 15, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Pentiment is an investigative RPG set in 16th-century Bavaria. As a traveling painter named Andreas Maler, you are consistently tasked with untangling and ultimately resolving a series of murder mysteries that take place in the small town of Tassing and the nearby abbey. You will have to investigate each mystery by chatting with the townsfolk, finding proof of the culprit, and then making your final accusation.
The thing is: the person you accuse of the murder doesn't have to be the actual murderer. Sometimes, you might feel that someone else deserves to be punished more than the actual killer, and you can freely accuse them instead, as there are no forensic labs, juries, or re-trials to worry about. The best way to identify who deserves the official accusation — besides gathering hard evidence — is to invite people for dinner. During these dinner conversations, a lot of critical information can be gleaned about both the mystery at hand and the world Andreas lives in.
Pathologic 2
Piecing Together A Cure
Pathologic 2
- Released
- May 23, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
Technically, Artemy can engage in combat in Pathologic 2, but it's rarely a good idea. He can find a gun (if you make the right narrative choices), but Artemy is a doctor, not a soldier, so his aim isn't exactly great. He can also find some melee weapons (or use his fists), but against more than one opponent, that's a death sentence, and against anyone infected with the plague, it's just an effective way to get sick. You're much better off exploring stealthily and acquiring information the old-fashioned way: by asking around.
The residents of Artemy's hometown aren't exactly forthcoming. They tend to speak in riddles, or as if they assume you have more information than you actually do. A notebook might come in handy when you're trying to find a cure for the plague, as the clock is ticking, and you can absolutely fail to stop the spread before it infects and kills everyone. With that said, the information you need is out there. Finding it and putting it to use is the challenge you'll have to overcome.
Outer Wilds
Understanding The Universe
Outer Wilds
- Released
- May 28, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Fantasy Violence, Alcohol Reference
- Developer(s)
- Mobius Digital
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
There is no other tool you have at your disposal in Outer Wilds besides information. Sure, technically, you have a ship and a spacesuit, but without gathering information, all you're doing is aimlessly flying through the solar system. Every other mystery you're tasked with unraveling requires you to learn about each planet's past, the Nomai race that went extinct centuries ago, and why the sun is going supernova seemingly out of nowhere.
The good news (if you can call it that) is that you're trapped in a 22-minute time loop. While that may sound like hell, in this context, it's very valuable. Everything resets in between time loops except for one detail: your knowledge. That is reflected in your ship's log, which keeps track of all your discoveries and lets you know if there's more to be uncovered at each location. The rest is up to you. Take the information you find, apply it to the problems in front of you, and take as many loops as you need to devise a solution. The vast emptiness of space can be terrifying, but when death means nothing more than waking up at a campfire for the hundredth time, it becomes a tool just like any other.
Antichamber
Impossibilities Made Possible
Antichamber
- Released
- January 31, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Alexander Bruce
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Indie
There are a lot of puzzle games that could fit on this list, but many are a bit too obvious. Nothing about Antichamber is obvious, and it's not even a full-on puzzle game. The devs describe it as a "psychological exploration game," and that is apt. You explore a seamless world filled with Escher-like structures, and your only tool is a gun that can manipulate matter. Your goal, more or less, is to simply find your way forward. Easier said than done.
Nothing comes easy in Antichamber. You don't just need to find information about how each mind-bending obstacle operates; you need to learn how the gun in your hands works as well: what it can do, what it can't do, and where you can and can't use it. It's the kind of game that you will need to rewire your brain for, and it will take a bit to get the hang of, but you'll feel like a genius once you start making progress.
Shadows Of Doubt
Everyone Is A Suspect, Literally
Shadows of Doubt
- Released
- April 24, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- ColePowered Games
- Genre(s)
- Stealth, Adventure, First-Person
Unlike Disco Elysium, where you are investigating a set mystery in a pre-designed world, Shadows of Doubt introduces randomization into the equation. You play a private investigator in an alternate history take on the 1980s. The world is procedurally generated, as are the people and mysteries within it. However, it is also completely open for you to explore.
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Fumbling a case in these detective games doesn't end with sunshine and roses. Only utter failure!
When you take on a case, there won't be any waypoints directing you to a clue. You have to examine evidence, come up with your own list of suspects, track them down based on what you know about them, and then try to compile evidence to determine which of them is guilty. If you get it wrong, the criminal will commit more crimes until you catch them. The best part is, you can acquire information however you like. Interview every single tenant in the building where the crime took place, tail a suspicious person to see if they lead you to some evidence, or break into the apartment of someone you're sure is guilty, but you just need the proof. Part immersive sim, part open-world detective sim, Shadows of Doubt is a stunningly robust game where any information you acquire needs to be earned.
Fallout: New Vegas
Build Yourself A Thinker
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
There are ways to play Fallout: New Vegas where your most powerful resource is a gun that shoots garbage, or a mini-nuke launcher, and that's perfectly valid. This is one of the most responsive RPGs of all time for a reason: any build can work if you plan it out well enough. If you want to play as a smarty pants, then there's a way to do that, too.
The first thing to do is to load up on Intelligence. This stat does a number of things, including earning you skill points more quickly, but it also makes it easier to hack computers and robots and improves your healing and the boost you get from chems. If you use those extra skill points to boost your Speech as well, then you'll improve your odds in Speech checks, which fits an intelligent character as well. All that is great, but it works even better if you play intelligently by gathering information that you can use to your advantage. Scouting out unguarded paths, luring enemy raiders into packs of animals, and talking your way out of dangerous situations befits an Intelligence-focused build. It's not the only way to play Fallout: New Vegas, but it's a fun and very effective way if you commit to it.
Return Of The Obra Dinn
Insurance Claims Need To Be Airtight
Return of the Obra Dinn
- Released
- October 18, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
There's no other game like Return of the Obra Dinn. It's an exploration game, a narrative adventure, a horror game, and also an... Insurance investigatior sim? That may not sound all that fun in theory, but in practice, it's a revelation. You are said insurance investigator in 1807, sent to investigate the wreck of the Obra Dinn, which drifted back to England after going missing for five years. Your job is to catalog the fate of each member of the crew and determine what happened on their journey. Aiding you on this endeavor is a magical stopwatch. Activate it while standing near the corpse of one of the crew, and you can see and hear their final moments. You can even explore the world at the exact moment of their death, with everything else frozen in time, but it will only last for a little while before you're returned to the present.
This is where you'll gather most of your crucial information. You need to use these moments to identify crew members — using their faces, clothing, tattoos, voices, context, or whatever other markers you can find — and then log their cause of death in your journal. That's the extent of it, but that doesn't even sound easy, and doing it is way harder than it sounds. Details are scarce, and the limited time you have to gather them can make it hard to separate key clues from irrelevant ones (especially in the midst of the chaos surrounding a lot of the crew's deaths). There are 60 people you need to identify and account for, and you'll quickly realize that keeping track of all of them will require some note-taking.
Blue Prince
It's All Connected, But How?
Blue Prince
- Released
- April 10, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Alcohol Reference, Simulated Gambling
- Developer(s)
- Dogubomb
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Adventure, Exploration, Strategy
This is the only other puzzle game we'll feature here, and it's getting a mention not because of the puzzles themselves, but the way in which you need to solve them. Blue Prince is a rougelite puzzle game where you repeatedly choose from one of three rooms to create the layout of the mansion you're exploring, and it's one of the best games of 2025. Your goal (initially) is to reach the fabled Room 46, but getting there will take some doing. Along the way, you'll encounter puzzles of all types, from riddles to codes to perspective tricks. The thing is: the solution isn't always found in the same room that the puzzle is in.
This is where you'll need to start taking notes. You may find a clue in one room that helps you solve a puzzle in a room that you won't see until two runs later. Solving that puzzle might give you a clue to another puzzle you found three runs ago. The critical information you need is spread out through the many different rooms, and keeping track of it all is a note-taker's dream, but it requires a lot of real-world effort to make sure you remember where those unsolved puzzles are so you can get back to them when things finally click. It's very rewarding when solutions come together, but you need to earn it by gathering information, organizing it, and then figuring out where to apply it.
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