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Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as guns) as secondary weapons. It is a sub-genre of beat 'em up games, which focuses on melee combat, usually with swords.

The term "hack and slash" was originally used to describe a play style in tabletop role-playing games, carrying over from there to MUDs, massively multiplayer online role-playing games, and role-playing video games. In arcade and console style action video games, the term has an entirely different usage, specifically referring to action games with a focus on real-time combat with hand-to-hand weapons as opposed to guns or fists. The two types of hack-and-slash games are largely unrelated, though action role-playing games may combine elements of both.

Types of hack-and-slash games

Action video games

In the context of action video games, the terms "hack and slash" or "slash 'em up" refer to melee weapon-based action games that are a sub-genre of beat 'em ups. Traditional 2D side-scrolling examples include Taito's The Legend of Kage (1985) and Rastan (1987), Sega's arcade video game series Shinobi (1987 debut) and Golden Axe (1989 debut), Data East's arcade game Captain Silver (1987), Tecmo's early Ninja Gaiden (Shadow Warriors) 2D games (1988 debut), Capcom's Strider (1989), the Sega Master System game Danan: The Jungle Fighter (1990), Taito's Saint Sword (1991), Vivid Image's home computer game First Samurai (1991), and Vanillaware's Dragon's Crown (2013). The term "hack-and-slash" in reference to action-adventure games dates back to 1987, when Computer Entertainer reviewed The Legend of Zelda and said it had "more to offer than the typical hack-and-slash" epics.

In the early 21st century, journalists covering the video game industry often use the term "hack and slash" to refer to a distinct genre of 3D, third-person, weapon-based, melee action games. Examples include Capcom's Devil May Cry, Onimusha, and Sengoku Basara franchises, Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors and 3D Ninja Gaiden games, Sony's Genji: Dawn of the Samurai and God of War, as well as Bayonetta, Darksiders, Dante's Inferno, and No More Heroes. The genre is sometimes known as "character action" games, and represent a modern evolution of traditional arcade action games. This subgenre of games was largely defined by Hideki Kamiya, creator of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. In turn, Devil May Cry (2001) was influenced by earlier hack-and-slash games, including Onimusha: Warlords (2001) and Strider.

Role-playing games

The term "hack and slash" itself has roots in "pen and paper" role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), denoting campaigns of violence with no other plot elements or significant goal. The term itself dates at least as far back as 1980, as shown in a Dragon article by Jean Wells and Kim Mohan which includes the following statement: "There is great potential for more than hacking and slashing in D&D or AD&D; there is the possibility of intrigue, mystery and romance involving both sexes, to the benefit of all characters in a campaign."

Hack and slash made the transition from the tabletop to role-playing video games, usually starting in D&D-like worlds. This form of gameplay influenced a wide range of action role-playing games, including games such as Xanadu and Diablo.

See also

• Action role-playing game
• Beat 'em up
• Dungeon crawl
• List of beat 'em ups, including hack-and-slash games
• Powergaming
• Roguelike
• Slasher film

References

1. ^ "Complete Games Guide". Mean Machines. No. 20 (28 April 1992). May 1992. pp. 6, 14, 18, 20, 22, 26.
2. ^ "First Samurai". Computer and Video Games. No. 121 (December 1991). 15 November 1991. pp. 28–30.
3. Reed, Kristan (4 January 2007). "Taito Legends Power-Up". Eurogamer. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
4. ^ Gass, Zach (11 May 2020). "10 Awesome Hack and Slash Games That Aren't God of War". Screen Rant. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
5. Greg Kasavin (30 November 2006). "Golden Axe Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
6. Patrick Shaw (16 May 2008). "Golden Axe: Beast Rider". GamePro. Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
7. Weiss, Brett (9 July 2018). Classic Home Video Games, 1989-1990: A Complete Guide to Sega Genesis, Neo Geo and TurboGrafx-16 Games. McFarland & Company. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-7864-9231-2.
8. "Nintendo Software" (PDF). Computer Entertainer. Vol. 6, no. 5. August 1987. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 November 2019.
9. "The Story behind Development of "Sengoku BASARA"". Capcom. 24 December 2015.
10. "Dante's Inferno Review - UGO.com". 5 November 2013. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
11. Freeman, Will (6 June 2021). "Heavenly Sword Review". VideoGamer. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
12. Pementel, Michael (7 January 2019). "A Timeless Hack And Slash Historical Adventure: Remembering 'Onimusha: Warlords'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
13. Hovermale, Chris (10 March 2019). "How Devil May Cry's arcade inspirations shaped character action games". Destructoid. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
14. "Afterthoughts: Devil May Cry". Electronic Gaming Monthly. December 2001. p. 56. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
15. Fahey, Rob (1 January 2007). "Strider 1/2". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
16. Wells, Jean; Mohan, Kim (July 1980). "Women want equality - and why not?". Dragon #39. V (1). TSR Hobbies, Inc.: 16.
17. David Myers. "The attack of the backstories (and why they won't win)" (PDF). Loyola University New Orleans. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2008.
18. "Hack and Slash: What Makes a Good Action RPG?". 1UP.com. 18 May 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
19. Kruse, Cord (5 September 2008). "Diablo III: Timeline, Expanded RPG Elements, iTunes D3 Music". Inside Mac Games. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2008.

v t e Multi-user dungeons (MUDs)
Major branches	AberMUD DikuMUD LPMud MU*
Minor branches, codebases, libraries	DGD GodWars MOO MUSH Talker TinyMUCK
Concepts, terminology	Alternate character Avatar Bartle taxonomy of player types Cybersex God Griefer Grinding Hack and slash Healer Immortal Kill stealing Loot Mob, Monster Non-player character Online wedding Persistent world Player character Player versus environment Player versus player, Playerkilling Quest Spawning Tank Twinking Virtual goods Video game bot Wizard Zone, Area
Publications	Designing Virtual Worlds "A Rape in Cyberspace" Terra Nova
Companies, organizations	Areae Iron Realms Entertainment Jagex Lysator Kesmai The Mud Connector Mythic Entertainment Plaintext Players Simutronics
List Category

v t e Video game genres
List of video game genres
Action	Platformer Endless runner Platform fighter Shooter Arena First-person Hero Light gun Shoot 'em up Bullet hell Rail Twin-stick Tactical Third-person Survival Battle royale Survival horror Other Beat 'em up Hack and slash Fighting Platform fighter Maze Pac-Man clone Snake Stealth
Action-adventure	Grand Theft Auto clone Metroidvania
Adventure	Escape room Graphic adventure Interactive fiction Interactive film Visual novel Walking sim
Digital tabletop	Deck-building Roguelike deck-building Digital collectible card
Puzzle	Hidden object Sokoban Tile-matching
Role-playing	Action role-playing Looter shooter Soulslike Dungeon crawl MMORPG Monster-taming Roguelike Roguelike deck-building Tactical role-playing
Simulation	Life Dating Farming God Social Virtual pet CMS Business City-building Government Sports Fishing Racing Kart racing Sim racing Vehicle Flight simulation Combat Lunar Lander Space Submarine simulator Train simulator Vehicular combat Other Falling-sand Immersive sim
Strategy	4X Auto battler MOBA Real-time strategy Time management Real-time tactics Tactical role-playing Tower defense Turn-based strategy Turn-based tactics Artillery Wargame Grand strategy
Other genres	Cozy Fitness Horror Survival horror Incremental Music Rhythm Non-game Party Photography Programming Typing
Related concepts	Themes Advergame Bishōjo Christian Comedy Educational Girls Licensed Otome Sexual Eroge Nonviolent Personalized Sci-fi Serious Art Climate change News Player modes Multiplayer Co-op MMO PVP Single-player Production AAA Indie Doujin soft Fan game Design Casual Hypercasual Emergent gameplay FMV Gacha Kaizo Masocore Nonlinear gameplay Open world Sandbox Side-scrolling Twitch gameplay Vertically scrolling Other Minigame Toys-to-life Video game clone Video game modding Video game remake

• 20th-century neologisms
• Hack and slash games
• Hack and slash role-playing games
• MUD terminology
• Role-playing game terminology
• Video game genres
• Video game terminology