Highlights
- Hack-and-slash games provide simple, repetitive gameplay perfect for unwinding with friends or alone.
- Titles like Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus offer unique mechanics, like clothing damage and crazy weapon choices.
- Standout entries like Diablo 4 and Devil May Cry 5 deliver top-notch storytelling and intense combat experiences.
The hack-and-slash genre is a bit hard to define as it can encompass a lot of ideas not shared by all. For example, players hack and slash enemies in games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but the gameplay is more refined with various mechanics stacked on top of each other.
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For most, there is one series that comes to mind when the idea of hack-and-slash games gets brought up: Dynasty Warriors. It’s the perfect example because hack-and-slash games, on the most basic level, are repetitive. Players can turn their brains off and enjoy some gaming alone or with friends without having to worry about intricate systems. With that definition of the genre in mind, here are some absurd titles to check out.
Updated on April 4th, 2024, by C.M Edwards: One of the most dominant genres in gaming is action games that put players in a sea of monsters and allow them to cut their way out. Action games are at the pinnacle of gaming and are some of the top-selling title in the world. Specifically, Hack and Slash games have a dedicated fanbase where players can throw themselves into a war-torn world or apocalyptic map and use any means they can to destroy everything in their surroundings. There have been countless games that scratch that chaotic itch, some that have even earned game of the year. Here are some of the best Hack and Slash games of all time, ranked.
14 Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus
Metascore: 67
- Release Date: February 8th, 2013
- Developer: Tamsoft
- Platforms: PlayStation Vita
Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus may sound like a weird game to recommend to a large crowd and it admittedly is. The setup has two rival female ninja schools duke it to see which school is the best. Sometimes they take on the same mission and a brawl breaks out.
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Each ninja warrior has a specific weapon and skill that they are good at. For example, Homura can wield six swords at once and hold them like she is Wolverine from the Marvel comics. The clothes of these heroes can break down to their underwear and when that happens they can go into a sort of Super Saiyan-like trance. Past the sketchy clothes-ripping mechanic, this is a fun hack and slasher.
13 OneeChanbara Origin
Metascore: 69
- Release Date: August 7th, 2004
- Developer: Tamsoft
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Steam
OneeChanbara Origin is another game in the realm of Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus. The game also features scantily clad female characters but their clothes don’t explode in a ninja battle. Instead, these heroines use swords, guns, and sometimes even their fists to pummel zombies back to the land of the dead. It has over-the-top action and a story that would feel right at home next to most campy B-movies of the 1950s. It’s not high art but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer a good time.
12 Lollipop Chainsaw
Metascore: 70
Lolipop Chainsaw is the final game in the femme fatale sub-category of this list. It’s also about slaying zombies, but this time the game is about a high school cheerleader with a chainsaw. Juliet just wants to have a normal life but she has to do the right thing by mowing down hordes of zombies and their overlords first.
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James Gunn helped with the localization, so expect a lot of his humor to come through this game. It’s getting a remaster soon, which will probably be the best way to play it.
11 Dante's Inferno
Metascore: 73
Dante's Inferno was released on the scene, taking after great game releases of its time, such as the original God of War trilogy, which saw monumental success. Dante's Inferno combined gruesome combat with rich lore pulled from Christianity religion and the epic divine comedy of the same name.
Players take control of a dishonored crusader who has been marked by his sins and must now venture into hell itself to save his beloved. Players trek across a vivid hellscape to save Beatrice and face the devil himself. Dante's Inferno delivered an amazing story and top-notch gameplay with great replayability.
10 Hyrule Warriors
Metascore: 76
Hyrule Warriors
- Platform(s)
- Switch , Nintendo Wii U
- Released
- September 26, 2014
- Developer(s)
- Team Ninja , Omega Force
Hyrule Warriors is a spinoff from Dynasty Warriors, featuring characters from various games in The Legend of Zelda series. The game is best experienced through the Switch remaster as it adds a lot of characters and extras.
Players can go into battle as Link, Tetra, Tingle, The King of Red Lions, Impa, and so many others. Its sequel, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, is also good but it only focuses on characters from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, so it is not as high on the fan service table. Find a fellow Zelda fan and co-op this hack-and-slash love letter hand in hand.
9 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Metascore: 80
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was the first game in the Final Fantasy series to get onto a Nintendo console in almost a decade. After the series went to PlayStation and found new success, it was like a miracle to see its return. The game was one of the first to feature co-op and action-based gameplay. Players could create a race for their character and then go on a quest to save the world by dispelling the evil miasma. The story was light as were the traditional leveling-up aspects, but it was fun for a multiplayer experience in the series.
8 Persona 5 Strikers
Metascore: 83
Persona 5 Strikers is the best game Omega Force, responsible for Dynasty Warriors and its spinoffs, has ever made. That’s because it feels like a true sequel to the original material thanks to the Persona team at Atlus helping out.
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The game takes place over the summer and the Phantom Thieves find themselves in another Mind Palace situation. The gameplay is now action-based but Persona summoning and magic still come into the strategy of battle. The one downside is that it does not offer co-op, unlike most Omega Force games.
7 Darksiders
Metascore: 85
Darksiders Warmastered Edition
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS4 , Switch , Nintendo Wii U , Xbox One
- Released
- November 29, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Vigil Games , Kaiko Games
Darksiders erupted in the gaming community, mastered by the artistry of Joe Madureira and the developers at Vigil Games. The game introduced bloody combat as players took control of the Horseman of war during the apocalypse that placed the armies of heaven and hell against each other on the mortal plane.
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As the war wages on and both sides refuse to lose ground, players must carve a path to redemption as the horseman of war has been framed for ending the world ahead of schedule. Darksiders has an intense story with unique bosses and even keeps track of how much blood the player spills while killing demons.
6 Kingdom Hearts
Metascore: 85
This is one of the wildest crossovers to ever happen in video games and it wasn’t a one-off experience. Who would have guessed that Final Fantasy could mingle with Disney characters like Simba or Goofy? The early games in the series could be called Push Square to Win. There was magic, summoning, and other skills, but it was all secondary to the Keyblade action.
That doesn’t mean the first Kingdom Hearts was mindless, but it does lack the finesse of the combat found in later games like Kingdom Hearts 3. It’s still a magical experience, high up there on the to-do pile for those that never experienced the magic of Kingdom Hearts before.
5 Diablo 4
Metascore: 86
Diablo 4
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- June 6, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
The Diablo series could be categorized into a lot of genres but hack and slash seems most fitting. They aren’t fully 3D as gameplay is experienced from a top-down perspective unlike most of these other titles. Still, the hack-and-slash vibe is alive in them, especially with the latest installment via Diablo 4.
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The storytelling is better, the classes are more refined, and the seasonal updates are interesting so far. It’s THE game to start with in the series and will probably remain THE definitive hack-and-slash looter RPG for years to come.
4 Devil May Cry 5
Metascore: 87
Devil May Cry 5
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , Xbox One , PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- March 8, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
The beloved franchise following the devil hunter Dante reemerged, bringing beloved characters back for the fifth installment of the Devil May Cry series. Nero, Dante, and Vergil all make prominent returns and once again engage in a world-ending threat as demons infest the city and threaten to overtake the entire world.
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Nero gets to work with his new partner, Nico, and they and Dante take on the threat on two fronts. However, lurking in the shadows are the remnants of Vergil, who has abandoned his humanity once again. Devil May Cry 5 has amazing combat that builds off of the previous games but increases the amount of creativity available to the player.
3 Bayonetta
Metascore: 90
The original Bayonetta release sparked a franchise that has sold thousands of copies and released over five games that have garnered a dedicated fanbase that has stayed loyal to the title for nearly a decade. Bayonetta took direct inspiration from the Devil May Cry franchise and added a bit of angelic femme fetale. Bayonetta, at first glance, is an action-packed series where the main character faces both heaven and hell, and everything in between as she searches for a fragment of her lost past.
But the game's story grows deeper as the franchise progresses, providing a great deal of content.
2 Ninja Gaiden (2004)
Metascore: 93
- Release Date: 2004
- Developer(s): Team Ninja
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Xbox One, and Windows
Ninja Gaiden is one of the most beloved and classic franchises that delivered an unforgettable combination of challenge and flare that has left a permanent mark on the gaming community akin to Dark Souls and the Metal Gear series.
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Ninja Gaiden provided racing gameplay that left players bruising their fingers to take on a sometimes mind-bending level of difficulty that embodies the term "skill issue". Ninja Gaiden also provided a deep story with strong character work that has earned it high praise since its release.
1 God Of War (2005)
Metascore: 94
The story of Kratos spans eight games filled with rage, tragedy, and lots of gut-wrenching action. Cursed after the death of his family, Kratos finds himself a single man going against some of the most powerful gods in the heavens for revenge. This journey takes him to the heavens above and the hells below, as his anger has no limit.
One after another, players must slash their way through hordes of beasts and gods alike, and even more so in the recent line of games where Kratos finds himself in a new paradigm with the gods of Norse mythology coming face to face with Thor himself.
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