http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HackAndSlash
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Dozens of enemies fall to Guan Yu's mighty blade.
A Hack and Slash game is an Action Game that resembles a Beat 'em Up or Third-Person Shooter, but instead of beating up enemies with your fists or blasting them away with a gun, the main hero instead hacks and slashes away close-range melee weaponry. This genre also resembles a third-person Adventure Game whereby the hero has a goal to accomplish, but the real goal of the mission level is just to kill as many enemies as possible.
To increase the hero's casualty potential, the setting of the game may include large armies, and having the hero serving in one of them. Most of the enemies encountered on the field will be one-hit-and-they're-dead grunt soldiers, but occasionally, tougher bosses will show up, usually officers and generals.
Since randomly killing large groups of enemies can become boring, most Hack and Slash games will often incorporate other genre elements into their gameplay. For example, the game may include a multi and single-player Fighting Game mode wherein players can pick characters from the game and have them square up against each other in a tournament setting. They can also incorporate story modes which provide more of an Adventure Game feel. The Stylish Action genre is more or less an offspring of the Hack and Slash genre born out of making the fights as cool and awesome as possible (not to say that regular hack and slash games can't look cool and awesome, they definitely can).
Hack-and-slash games have roots in 1980s weapon-based martial arts Arcade Games, such as SEGA's Samurai (1980), Shinobi (1987) (1987) and Golden Axe (1989). Meanwhile, Role-Playing Games with a Hack and Slash component have also been around since 1980s Action RPG titles, such as Dragon Slayer and Hydlide in 1984, and it is a mainstay of many Wide-Open Sandbox games.
Action-Adventure games can have levels that are purely Hack and Slash built into them to mix up the game play a little — and oftentimes, just to help the gameplayer relieve a bit of stress.
A related genre can be found in the Beat 'em Up, where the action is more oriented towards punching, kicking, headbutting, and so forth. See also Action RPG for some more RPG-centric examples of the genre.
Not to be confused with the comic Hack/Slash, the Bumbling Henchmen Duo from ReBoot, crappy slash fic writers, Guns N' Roses, or the video game Hack 'N' Slash (which is actually not this type of game.) Also not to be confused with slasher films, which are sometimes referred to as "hack-and-slash" horror.
Games in this genre include:
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- 198X
- Action Taimanin
- Aeruta
- Afro Samurai
- Agony The Portal a game developed in flash
- Akuji the Heartless
- American McGee's Alice (combined with Platform Game)
- Anarchy Reigns
- Anima Ark Of Sinners
- Arabian Magic
- Assassin's Creed (partly)
- Assassin's Creed II
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations
- Assassin's Creed III
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed Rogue
- Assassin's Creed: Unity
- Assassin's Creed Syndicate
- Assassin's Creed: Chronicles
- Assassin's Creed Origins
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
- Assassin's Creed: Mirage
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows
- Assassins Creed Infinity
- Assassins Creed Codename Hexe
- Assassins Creed Jade
- Astral Chain
- Astyanax
- Asura's Wrath
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Backstab
- Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
- Bastion
- Battle Axe, a top-down retraux entry made in 2022
- Bayonetta
- Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō
- Beyond Sunset - first-person, you alternate between your katana or firearms
- BlazBlue: Entropy Effect
- Bio Mutant
- bit Dungeon
- Bladed Fury
- Blade Master
- Blade of Honor
- Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War
- Bloody Bunny The Game
- Blood Knights - well, you are a Blood Knight in this one
- BloodRayne
- Blood Will Tell, based on the manga Dororo
- Bloody Spell
- Bleach: Soul Resurrección
- Bound by Flame
- Brütal Legend
- Bujingai
- Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
- Cat Quest
- Chaos Legion, though the hero can't change weapons
- Chipmonk!
- Chivalry 2
- Clone Drone in the Danger Zone
- Code Vein
- Conan
- Crescent Pale Mist
- Crimson Sea
- Cröixleur
- Crossed Swords - in first-person, no less
- The Crystal of Kings
- Crystar
- Cyber Troopers Virtual-On MARZ is a Humongous Mecha Action-Adventure version.
- Cult of the Lamb
- The Cursed Crusade
- Curse of the Dead Gods
- Dante's Inferno
- Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
- Dark Seal
- Darksiders
- Darkspore
- Dauntless
- Dead Cells
- Dead Meets Lead is a Top-Down View version.
- Deadpool
- DeathSpank
- Deathtrap Dungeon
- Demon Chaos
- Demon Skin
- Demonsteele: A Doom mod that's been lovingly dubbed Hideki Kamiya's Doom
- Devil May Cry — also codified the Stylish Action genre.
- Devil's Third, it doubles as a Beat 'em Up and a Third-Person Shooter with first-person shooter aiming.
- Diablo - the Trope Codifier for Action RPGs, before the term became used for a broader category of RPGs with real-time combat
- Digimon World 4
- Drakengard (with mixes of Flight Sim)
- Dragon's Crown
- Dragon's Dogma
- Dragon Unit a.k.a Castle of Dragon
- Driven Out
- Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Shadow Over Mystara
- Dungeon Magic - a.k.a Lightbringer
- Dungreed
- Dust: An Elysian Tail
- Dynasty Wars - not to be confused with Dynasty Wars below
- Dynasty Warriors - based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it would spawn multiple Spin Offs and a Crossover.
- Samurai Warriors (based on the Sengoku Period of Japanese history)
- Warriors Orochi (Crossover involving mainly Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors)
- Warriors: Legends of Troy (based on The Trojan War)
- Dynasty Warriors: Gundam
- One Piece: Pirate Warriors
- Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage
- Hyrule Warriors
- Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and The Blight Below
- Dragon Quest Heroes II: Twin Kings and the Prophecy's End
- Attack on Titan
- Berserk and the Band of the Hawk
- Warriors All-Stars (Crossover involving multiple Koei Tecmo propertiesnote)
- Fire Emblem Warriors
- Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (based on Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
- Persona 5 Strikers (Sequel to Persona 5)
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Prequel/Alternate Universe to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
- An Egyptian Tale
- Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
- Eternity: The Last Unicorn
- Evil Dead: Regeneration
- Evil Genome
- Extinction
- Fate
- Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star
- The First Templar
- Flash of the Blade
- For Honor
- Furi (a boss-fight only example, fused with Shoot 'Em Up)
- Gaiapolis
- Ganryu — especially so for the sequel
- Genji
- Genpei Tōma Den
- Genshin Impact
- Ghost of Tsushima (combined with Stealth-Based Game)
- Ghost Rider (2007)
- Gladiator Begins
- Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance
- The Gladiator
- Grim Dawn
- Godfall
- God of War
- Golden Axe (More of a forerunner to the Hack and Slash genre, but the 2008 game Golden Axe: Beast Rider is a straight example of one)
- Golden Force
- Gori: Cuddly Carnage
- Gotcha Force
- Granblue Fantasy: Relink
- Grand Chase
- Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters
- Guilty Gear 2: Overture
- Gungrave
- Hammerwatch
- Heart&Slash
- Heavenly Sword
- Heidelberg 1693
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Hero of Sparta
- Hidden Dragon: Legend
- Hunted: The Demon's Forge
- Hunter: The Reckoning
- Honor Of Kings World
- Hours (2020)
- _iCEY._
- Immortals Fenyx Rising
- The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
- I-Ninja
- Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (combind with First-Person Shooter)
- Jitsu Squad
- Jiu Xiao
- Kabuki Z
- Kâbus 22
- Kamen Rider Battride War
- Killer is Dead, a Spiritual Successor to Killer7
- Kingdom Hearts
- Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
- The King of Dragons
- Knight's Contract
- Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade
- Knights of the Round
- Knights of Valour
- Krut: The Mythic Wings
- Legacy of Kain: Defiance
- Legend (1994)
- Legend (1998)
- The Legendary Axe
- Loot Hero
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Lollipop Chainsaw: Spiritual Successor to No More Heroes
- Lost Soul Aside
- Lucifer Ring
- MadWorld
- Magatama
- Magic Rampage
- Magic Sword: Heroic Fantasy
- Maken X
- Malicious
- Mana Series
- Final Fantasy Adventure (Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden)
- Sword of Mana (Shinyaku Seiken Densetsu)
- Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2)
- Trials of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 3)
- Dawn of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 4)
- Visions of Mana
- Legend of Mana
- Children of Mana
- Secret of Evermore: Not part of the series but plays the same.
- Final Fantasy Adventure (Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden)
- Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death
- Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
- MediEvil
- Melfand Stories
- Megaton Musashi
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae
- Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight
- Monster Hunter
- Monster Hunter (2004)
- Monster Hunter G
- Monster Hunter Portable/Freedom
- Monster Hunter 2 (dos)
- Monster Hunter Freedom 2
- Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
- Monster Hunter Frontier
- Monster Hunter 3 (Tri)
- Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
- Monster Hunter Portable 3rd
- Monster Hunter Online
- Monster Hunter Explore
- Monster Hunter 4
- Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
- Monster Hunter Generations
- Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
- Monster Hunter: World
- Monster Hunter: Rise
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- Monster Hunter (2004)
- Muramasa: The Demon Blade
- Musya
- Mystic Heroes
- Mystic Warriors
- NanoBreaker
- Naraka Bladepoint
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3: The Hack and Slash-styled gameplay of the Ultimate Ninja Impact game for the PlayStation Portable has been carried over to this game for story battles.
- Neptunia Spin-Off games:
- New Legends
- Nicktoons Unite!
- NieR
- Nigate Tale
- The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge
- Nightmare Creatures, especially if you're playing as Nadia
- Nightshade (2003)
- Nights of Azure
- Ninety-Nine Nights
- Ninja Blade
- Ninja Gaiden
- Nioh (mixed with Souls-like RPG)
- No More Heroes
- Odin Sphere
- Ōkami
- Omensight
- Onechanbara
- Onimusha
- Otogi: Myth of Demons
- Overlord: Fellowship of Evil
- Path of Exile
- Pirates: Legend of the Black Buccaneer
- Pirate Hunter
- Prince of Persia
- Princess Crown
- Project Mugen
- Protect Me Knight (combined with Tower Defense).
- Punishing: Gray Raven
- The Quest for Glory series:
- Quest for Glory I (1989 as Hero's Quest; 1990 re-release with new name)
- Quest for Glory II (1990)
- Quest for Glory III (1992)
- Quest for Glory IV (1993)
- Quest for Glory V (1998)
- Hero-U (2013) (Set in the same setting but not a direct sequel)
- Raging Blades
- Rastan
- Ravenbound
- Ravenswatch
- Ravensword: Shadowlands
- Redeemer
- RemiLore: Lost Girl in the Lands of Lore is one half this, and one half Roguelike.
- Risen
- Rise of the Argonauts
- Mark of Kri and Rise of the Kasai are a mix of this and a Stealth-Based Game.
- Rise of the Rōnin
- Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman
- Rune
- Ryse: Son of Rome
- Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!
- RWBY: Grimm Eclipse
- Rygar
- Sacred
- Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden
- Samurai Champloo Sidetracked
- Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time
- Samurai Maiden
- Samurai: Way of the Warrior and its sequel, Samurai II: Vengeance
- Samurai Western
- Scarlet Nexus
- ScourgeBringer
- SD Gundam Battle Alliance: The game has plenty of shooting, but the primary attacks are based heavily on hack 'n slash gameplay.
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (a unique example that focuses primarily on defensive mechanics)
- Sengoku Basara
- Senran Kagura
- Severance: Blade of Darkness
- Shade: Wrath of Angels
- Shadow Force
- Shadow of Rome
- Shank
- Shinobi (2002)
- Seven Samurai 20XX
- Sifu
- Silverfall
- Skeletal Avenger
- Skeleton Warriors - Playstation spinoff of the cartoon
- Skull & Crossbones
- Skul: The Hero Slayer
- Slashout
- Solo Leveling Arise
- Sonic and the Black Knight
- Soukaigi for the PlayStation, with some RPG elements thrown in
- Soulframe
- Soulstice
- Soul of the Samurai
- South Park: Snow Day!
- Space Gladiators
- Spartan: Total Warrior
- Spawn: Armageddon
- Splatterhouse
- Splatter Master
- The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning
- Star Wars: Episode I - Jedi Power Battles
- Star Wars: Obi-Wan
- Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- Stellar Blade
- Stories: Path of Destinies
- Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (also Souls-like RPG - made by the same dev team as Nioh)
- Swords of Destiny
- The Sword of Etheria
- Sword of Sodan
- Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage
- Tainted Grail The Fall Of Avalon
- Tales Series
- Tales of Phantasia
- Tales of Destiny
- Tales of Eternia
- Tales of Destiny 2
- Tales of Symphonia
- Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
- Tales of Rebirth
- Tales of Legendia
- Tales of the Abyss
- Tales of Innocence
- Tales of the World
- Tales of Vesperia
- Tales of Hearts
- Tales of Graces
- Tales of Xillia
- Tales of Xillia 2
- Tales of Zestiria
- Tales of Berseria
- Tales Of The Rays
- Tales of Arise
- Tanzer - a Genre Throwback released in 2019
- Tecmo Knight
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants In Manhattan
- Tenchu
- Thor: God of Thunder (2011)
- Titan Quest
- Torchlight
- Touken Ranbu Warriors
- Toukiden
- Transformers: Devastation
- Trinity Fusion
- Trojan
- Tunche
- Ultra Age
- Until You Fall
- Wanted: Dead - an action game that's officially touted as a Spiritual Successor to Ninja Gaiden and Devil's Thirdnote
- War in the North
- Warhammer Chaosbane
- Warriors of Fate
- Way of the Samurai
- Wild Blood
- Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (another Soulslike mixture, once again made by Team Ninja)
- The Vagrant
- The Wonderful 101
- Undead Knights
- Untold Legends
- Utawarerumono: ZAN (Utawarerumono meets Senran Kagura, without the forced Fanservice of the latter.)
- Vampire Hunter D for the Playstation, based on the manga of the same name.
- Vampyr
- Van Helsing
- Victor Vran
- Viking: Battle for Asgard
- Vindictus
- Voin
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (combined with Third-Person Shooter)
- Wayfinder Echoes
- The Wind Road
- Wuthering Waves
- Xenrai
- X-Blades (Russian-made and is considered by many to be a Panty Fighter)
- Blades of Time, the spiritual sequel
- Xena: Warrior Princess
- X-Kaliber 2097
- X-Men:
- Yasha Legends Of The Demon Blade
- Young Souls
- Zenless Zone Zero
- Zone of the Enders
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Video Example(s):
Lollipop Chainsaw
Lollipop Chainsaw is a 2012 game from Grasshopper Manufacture, created by Suda51, James Gunn and Tomo Ikeda for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Suda wanted to create something different from the standard zombie fare with this game; as part of what he brands "a piece of pop zombie entertainment", zombies explode into bright, multicolored displays of light and glitter instead of blood and gore (instead a mix of the two for the English release). He also tried to push the limits of how much he could blend pop music sensibilities into a zombie-themed Beat 'em Up.
Alternative Title(s): Hack And Slay
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