Not every enemy needs to "punish" the player. In fact it can reward them. And I know im kinda talking semantics but often enemy design seems to be "gotcha" design. Designed only to trick or catch the player. Which isnt bad! But I think this different angle can improve your enemy roster.

For example, in God of War the nightmare enemies dont pose much of a challenge. They dont do much damage and they arent particularly aggressive. But if you harpoon them with the chains you can insta-kill it and throw it into another enemy.

In Doom Eternal the zombies serve no other purpose than to fulfill the fantasy and chain movement together by providing healing.

To a lesser extent an enemy like the wolves in Bloodborne. It doesnt expressly reward you but it forces the player into the "fun zone". It simultaneously teaches you positioning by ducking under his swipes. It's such a thrill the first few times because moving into his attack is such a risky and counterintuitive thing to do.