Violence
Action RPGs, traditionally, base the core gameplay around violent combat. Flare is no different.
So far I’ve been reluctant to include human enemies. Indiscriminately grinding human mobs seems in poor taste, and perhaps a waste of possibility. I’d prefer if the chance to kill another human was rare and optional, if it came down to a villain who deserves it (let the player decide if vigilante justice is moral).
Sometimes I even question having other sentient enemies as creatures. My girlfriend does not like that the cute goblins are enemies. For me it’s not about cute, but about massacre of a self-aware race. There’s no explanation in-game why goblins are enemies and why they should die. Sure, they do attack the hero on sight… but in my mind, the goblins were always more curious than cruel.
I’m a bit torn on how to “solve” the issue, or whether it needs solving. I could change Goblins to Imps and Minotaurs to Demons, thus have all killable creatures be some form of undead or demon. But having a game be so black & white could be boring.
I think it could be interesting if this is addressed during the story, e.g. some NPCs pushing for peace, compromise, mercy, or isolationism. It could be even more interesting if some races (e.g. goblins) are neutral and can become allies or enemies through player choice.
Do you ever think about this when destroying creatures in video games?