Can this be played mouse only?

[Will_Daring]

I'm disabled and keyboarding is too painful. It doesn't look like it but thought I'd ask.

[Andremdk]

At least you can use the mouse by clicking at the screen to move you character wherever you want, instead of keep pressing arrow keyboard buttons. This is the closest of using only your mouse.

[chaloopah]

if you have a 12 button mouse you can actually just play with your mouse. as andre already stated, clicking will move the character to that spot, and you can bind the other mouse buttons for the actions/moving into the new zone (clicking the area won't make the character go into the zone) etc.

[Will_Daring]

Ok, nice. So, you can move your characters around with mouse clicks? Can you select battle options and play the card game w/mouse clicks? Pressing a key here and there is o.k.; holding them down like WASD is not.

[Ponxha]

You can move in town with the mouse, you can select (dialogues, launch a card game, battle options) everything with your mouse by clicking the exclamation point/card icon. Card game is a mix of clicking to select and drag/drop to place a card.

The only thing that did not work for me was moving on the world map, for some reason clicking to move didn't do anything.

It's not particularly comfortable as it's not very precise but maybe you can get used to it (except world map)

[Arsene Lupin]

I'd recommend looking into Falcom's games (Trails in the Sky, Ys, etc.): they were developed for PC (so they're not ports) and can more or less be played exclusively with a mouse--and, perhaps most importantly, mouse controls feel perfectly natural. They arguably play better than with a gamepad.

Speaking of which, if you can't handle a keyboard, you really ought to invest in a gamepad. It'll really open up the amount of games you can play. I don't really know your situation and I don't want to, uh, overstep or anything... but there are some places out there that specially-make controllers (gamepads and mouses) to accommodate varything kinds of disabilitiy.

[Will_Daring]

Great, thanks everyone... I'll chance it.

[Will_Daring]

Arsene, that's really good to know. Would you mind writing up a short list of games like that for me? (mouse driven)

My sitch is... complicated. Even a gaming mouse might be too stressful on my hand and arm.

I can't use controllers anymore, unfortunately.

Wait... Y's can be mouse only? I thought it was action-based?

[Arsene Lupin]

Sure. Gimme a few minutes to go through my library. I've got some health issues, too, so I can empathize with the frustration in finding a game that won't exacerbate things.

Right away, I'll recommend Falcom's games. If you're looking for a more traditional JRPG exerpeince, Trails in the Sky is the place to start. Personally I rank it just above FF9 on my list of "favorite RPGs ever" list.

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
Legend of Heroes: Trail in the Sky The 3rd (to be released in a couple of months).

The first two games are basically a duology (one story in two parts)... Trails in the Sky was originally one game, but it was... too big. So it was split into two parts. The 3rd is part extended-epilogue (w/ new story and new protagonists) as well as a prologue for the rest of the series.

The Ys series is, I believe, the oldest currently-running PC gaming series in history. Since 1983, IIRC. And, as such, they play really well with mouses. There are several options out there, but I'd recommend avoiding Ys I & II as they haven't really aged well. I'd recommend starting with:

Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
Ys: The Oath in Felghana

They're action-RPGs, so less emphasis on story or characters, but they tend to tell more interesting stories, better, than their western (ARPG) counterparts.

Oh, and another game that works really well w/ mouse-only is Nobunaga's Ambition. You really wouldn't think a big 4x would work well sans-keyboard, but it really does. Super-intuitive mouse controls, and a simple UI that doesn't require much (or any) micromanaging/shortcuts/etc.

[Will_Daring]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply, it's much appreciated. I'll look into all of that.

[Arsene Lupin]

Well, that took a bit longer than I thought it would. Oh well, I needed to take a break anyway. Here's my list of games that meet the following two criteria:

(1) Can be played exclusively with a mouse.
(2) Are worth playing.

---
Age of Mythology: Extended Edition
Age of Empire's first (and only legitimate) foray into 3D... this is a super fun RTS, and--most importantly--is not so difficult as to require the use of keyboard shortcuts. Story is pretty cliched but the whole premise is too fun to ignore.
---
Audiosurf / Audiosurf 2
Rhythm game that can (and should) use your own music... basically you're just moving the mouse left or right to avoid obstacles and pick up beats. Can be very addictive!
---
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
One of the best CRPGs of all time, optimized for modern operating systems. Definitely worth a try. Be warned it's not a modern CRPG, so there's not much focus on narrative or characters.
---
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
Arguably the best CRPG of all time, optimized for modern operating systems. Absolutely worth a try. Note that it is one of the first modern CRPGs, so there's a ton of focus on narrative and characters. Much moreso than in the games that followed, to be frank.
---
The Banner Saga
Maybe-too-hard SPRG with beautiful visuals and a reactive story--IE you make choice that affect how the story plays out, and how battles play out (or don't). I'm not a huge fan of it, as the characters are pretty dull (since every character can die, the story has to be able to go on without them, so no one feels all that necessary). But still a good game worth checking out.
---
Clannad
One of the best visual novels out there... it's very poignant and memorable, though I imagine it plays well with a younger demographic as it's all about that transition into adulthood. Lots of endings, lots of characters. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry.
---
FTL: Faster Than Light
One of the best rogue-likes out there. Heavily inspired by Star Trek. Basically, you're flying a spaceship around and dealing with random events as you explore space. There's some annoying micro-management with the crew (IE putting out fires, repelling boarding parties) but it can all be handled with the mouse only.
---
Final Fantasy III-X
III through VI are all ports of Android games, so they should all play perfectly with only a mouse, though I've not tested them all myself. I would assume VII, VIII and X also play well, as well as (presumably) X-2 with only a mouse. I've no idea about the XIII games, as they're not worth the 60+ GB each they'd need on my HDD.
---
Kingdom: New Lands
Another rogue-like... and also one of the few games that *actually* has gorgeous pixel art. There are only three controls: move left; move right; throw money. It's a very simple game, but with a surprising amount of depth to it. Part management-sim part tower-defense. It's lovely.
---
Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky,
Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
Easily, hands-down my favorite JRPG of all time. Be warned that it's really own story in two parts: the first game is a slow burn, and almost all build-up... which allows the second game to be nothing but payoff. Absolutely essential for any JRPG fan.
---
Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence
A 4x grand strategy game set in feudal Japan with a focus on *people* rather than armies (generals, governors, diplomats, spies, etc.). A fantastic diplocmacy system. Originally designed for consoles, the controls and UI are very simple and intuitive. There's a bit of a learning curve, but nowhere near so bad is with most 4x games.
---
Pillars of Eternity
A very, very good CRPG. Very intriguing story, fantastic presentation, unforgettable ambience. You'll definitely want to turn the difficulty down and/or re-bind the pause button the the mouse (Mouse3 works well).
---
Race the Sun
A way-too-addictive game for what it is. It's a procedurally-generated racing game where you fly a solar-powered glider--run out of power and you lose. You have to avoid obstacles, shadows, and try to get to the horizon before the sun sets. Can be... intense.
---
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition
Part Civilization, part Risk, part Age of Empire... all together they make the quintessential strategy game. I cannot recommend this game enough: if you like strategy games, this is a must-play.
---
Shadowrun Returns
Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall
Shadowrun Returns: Hong Kong
More CPRG goodness. These were co-developed for mobile, so they're designed to be played exclusively with a single input--either a finger or, in this case, a mouse. First game is pretty linear and limited... most people view Dragonfall and Hong Kong as the better games, but I enjoyed all three.
---
Stardew Valley
Harvest-Moon-but-not-Harvest-Moon. You've probably heard of it? It's well made and a lot of fun. It's a farming sim with some social link elements (they're not super deep) and some dungeon-diving. Very addictive.
---
Steins;Gate
One of the best VNs out there... it's incredible. Great art, music, characters, and story. A phenomenal game. It's about a group of twenth-something slackers who accidentally invent a time machine. It's... pretty crazy. Great humor. If you're familiar with gamer and/or otaku culture you'll get much more out of it, but even if not, it's well worth your time.
---
This War of Mine
Another game that's been in the "news" lately. It's a roguelike survival sim that's very well made and... that's all I can say, really. It's a good game, but it't not a terribly exciting game, to me at least.
---
Wasteland 2
Yet another CRPG. Most CRPGs are good to go sans-keyboard. This is basically the Fallout 3 that Fallout 3 should have been, if it were a sequel to Fallout 2. Great design, solid writing, quirky humor.
---
World End Economica
Another set of VNs... these I haven't actually played yet, but as they're VNs they can be played only with a mouse... and I think they're worth playing because their stories were written by Isuna Hasekura, who is a very good author. If you're familiar with the Spice & Wolf light novels or anime or manga, that's her.
---
World of Goo
One of my favorite "puzzle" games. It's hard to describe, so maybe just watch a youtube video or something? IF you've ever messed with a bridge building sim, it's kind of like that. You have all these different gooballs and the game is about building bridges or towers out of them to reach goals. Fantastic visuals and incredible soundtrack.
---
Ys Origin
A spin-off Ys game. Plays great with only a mouse. Different setting/characters from the main games... but all of the Ys games are standalone anyway so it doesn't matter much.
---
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
Probably my favorite Ys games--it's one of the simplest gameplay-wise, and has one of the more interesting stories and settings. You wash ashore after a shipwreck on an island that is isolated from the rest of the world by a never-ending hurricane. Really cool game.
---
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
A remake of Ys IV, IIRC... an older game, let's say... it has a much more archetypal design--four big areas to explore, each corresponding to an element. Still a lot of fun, though.

---

Most adventure or visual novel games can also be played mouse-only. I'd recommend checking out stuff like The Longest Journey or World End Economica or Steins;Gate. Telltale's adventure games also play very well with a mouse--better than with a gamepad, IMHO.

I tried to only list games that are "easy" to play with only a mouse, so some stuff I didn't mention because it incentivizes keyboard shortcuts too much, or has such a bad UI that shortcuts vastly improve the experience (IE Paradox grand strategies).

[Will_Daring]

I wish I could type out a longer thank you, but keyboarding is too painful at length. Thanks so much for taking all of that time. I love the iso-CRPGs but I'll check out the rest for sure. Some ideas here I assumed previously were keyboard intensive. Ys though; I don't see how you can run/jump/attack all with mouse. I watched game footage on YouTube.

If FFx/x-2 play mouse-only, I'm there.

This is about all I'm able to do with my life so I'm grateful for you laying that out for me.

[Arsene Lupin]

No problem.

I double-checked X and X-2... and no, you can't play either with just a mouse using default controls. I haven't double-checked VII or VIII, so it's possible they can't be played without a keyboard, either.

That said, there's probably a utility like Xpadder for mouses out there, somewhere, that would let you re-bind keyboard buttons to mouse buttons... which would make FFX playable. It really only uses six keys: up, down, left, right, enter and escape. Which could easily be rebound on a 5-button mouse (wheelUP, wheelDown, mouse4, mouse5, mouse1 and mouse2 seems right).

As for Ys... no, it works perfectly well with just a mouse. Every command can be re-bound to any key, and there are really only six commands you need to deal with:

Attack/Confirm
Jump/Cancel
Use Special
Use Item
Camp Menu
And mouse movement (hold down button to move in direction of cursor).

I have mouse1 (left) set to attack/confirm and mouse2 (right) set to cancel. The only problematic input is whichever button you select to do mouse movement with...

EDIT2: Try this:
https://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/xmousebuttoncontrol.htm

Like Xpadder, but for mouses. Should let you re-bind any keyboard button to any mouse button, which should make FFX perfectly playable for ya', as well as any other PC game that only uses a few keyboard buttons.