Understanding video game genres is a great way to get a handle on which kinds of games you like and dislike. But this can be difficult with game genres that aren't self-evident, or terms that change over time.
If you enjoy action games, you've probably heard of the "hack and slash" genre. But what makes a game hack and slash, and what types of games fall into this description? Let's find out.
What Is a Hack and Slash Game?
Compared to some other genres, hack and slash games are difficult to define specifically, as it's more a type of gameplay that exists across several genres. Thus, it may help to think of this term as an indication of how a game plays, rather than a specific genre in itself.
In its most basic form, a hack and slash video game is a type of action game that focuses on close combat with melee weapons. It can apply to everything from 2D games with simple combat to 3D games with over-the-top set pieces.
Complicating matters, the "action game" genre is also quite broad. Put simply, it applies to any game that relies on fast-paced movement where the player actively controls a character. This includes platformers, fighting games, and shooter games. Because action games are so varied, the sub-genre of hack and slash is too.
The phrase "hack and slash" originated from tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, where it referred to a campaign where the players were overly violent with no other major goals. Later, as video games became more popular, the term started taking on new meanings.
Depending on the era and style of game you're referring to, hack and slash usually refers to one of three types of games. Let's examine each of them in turn.
2D Weapon-Based Action Games (Shinobi)
In the 1980s and early 1990s, the hack and slash genre referred to 2D action games focused on melee combat. Since modern 3D titles weren't yet possible, the genre was restricted to side-scrollers.
Examples in this style include The Legend of Kage, Shinobi, and Strider. Looking back, it's possible to classify many of these games as action platformers now. They still focus on getting from the start of the stage to the end, but feature more combat than something like Super Mario Bros.
This definition is first chronologically, but is the least-used today. When someone says that they enjoy hack and slash games, they probably aren't referring to Shinobi on the NES.
These games fall under hack and slash because they focus on weapon-heavy melee combat, but don't share any conventions of later hack and slash titles. These older games simply didn't have the processing power to run games like the below.
Games With Hordes of Weak Enemies (Dynasty Warriors)
The second type of hack and slash game includes titles featuring weapon-based combat, with an overwhelming amount of enemies that are weak individually. You're tasked with taking down hundreds or thousands of foes, often alongside other goals.
Series that fall under this definition include Diablo and Dynasty Warriors. Both of these are 3D games where you fight tons of grunts, but they aren't entirely similar.
Diablo is a dungeon crawler focused on obtaining loot and using it to create better character builds. Meanwhile, Dynasty Warriors features large-scale battles where you must capture bases and make tactical decisions to win the fight.
Hack and slash games in this style feature lots of enemies on-screen at once, combo moves, and a variety of weapons.
Stylish Action Games (Devil May Cry)
The final type of hack and slash game is arguably the most common use of the term today, and is the most specific. Also called "stylish action" or "character action," this kind of hack and slash game is built around deep, challenging combat with wild aesthetics and a scoring system that judges your performance.
Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and the older God of War games exemplify this kind of hack and slash title. They provide a wide variety of combos to let you slice up your enemies in style. As you improve at the game's mechanics, you're rewarded with smoother combat, higher scores, and more ridiculous moves.
When you first play a stylish action game like these, you'll have to spend some time learning the combos and how to flow smoothly between enemies. Unlike the games above, most enemies are a threat on their own, so you need to learn their patterns to figure out how to best dispatch them.
This style of hack and slash game owes most of its existence to a developer named Hideki Kamiya. He used to work for Capcom, where he created Devil May Cry, before co-founding PlatinumGames and directing Bayonetta.
Genres Similar to Hack and Slash
Now that you know how hack and slash games typically take shape, we should also review a few similar genres to understand how they differ.
Many hack and slash games have similarities to beat 'em ups. A beat 'em up is a fighting game where you have to defeat large groups of enemies in set waves. They're usually 2D side-scrollers, and focus on hand-to-hand combat instead of using melee weapons. Streets of Rage is a great example.
"Soulslike" games, which refer to titles influenced by the gameplay of Dark Souls, have similarities to stylish action games like Bayonetta. However, Dark Souls isn't really a hack and slash.
It focuses on extra-difficult encounters to teach the player, doesn't have the stylish combat or deep combos, and has RPG-like mechanics such as a variety of equipment and usable items with stat values.
Go Forth, Hack, and Slash
As we've seen, while the term "hack and slash" is used as a video game genre, it can apply to different styles of games. When someone says "hack and slash" today, they're likely referring to stylish action games like Devil May Cry.
But some of the elements that make up this genre are present in other games. You can have an action RPG with hack and slash elements, or a hack and slash 2D platformer. But the core remains the same: an action game with weapon-based melee combat, typically with lots of enemies to take care of.
If you enjoyed learning about hack and slash titles, there are lots of other cool video game genres to discover, too.