Hack and slash - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay

Gameplay

Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...

that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper

Paper and pencil game

Paper-and-pencil games are games that can be played solely with paper and pencil .In some board games, including some abstract strategy games like Gomoku, a piece once played will not be moved on the board or removed from the board...

role-playing games (RPGs), carrying over from there to MUD

MUD

A MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...

s, MMORPGs

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....

, and video games in general. In console video games, the usage specifically implies a focus on combat with hand-to-hand weapons. In other contexts it is more general, and an archer

Archery

Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...

or unarmed martial artist may participate as fully in a hack and slash game, or be as hack-and-slash oriented as an individual, as an armed melee

Mêlée

Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....

fighter. In modern video games the term "hack and slash" is used more specifically as a game in which the combat is very repetitive (also described as "Button-mashers") such as the Dynasty Warriors

Dynasty Warriors

is a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese classical novel of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors,...

or Sengoku Basara

Sengoku Basara

is a series of video games developed and published by Capcom, as well as a bigger media franchise based on it, including two anime series and an animated film...

series.

Origins

Hack and slash has its roots in "pen and paper" RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

, denoting campaigns

Campaign (role-playing games)

In role-playing games, a campaign is a continuing storyline or set of adventures, typically involving the same characters. The purpose of the continuing storyline is to introduce a further aspect into the game: that of development, improvement, and growth of the characters. In a campaign, a...

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 magazine

Dragon (magazine)

Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...

article by Jean Wells and Kim Mohan

Kim Mohan

Kim Mohan is an American author and editor.-Biography:Kim Mohan was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Williams Bay, Wisconsin when he was five. He became an avid science-fiction and fantasy reader and occasional wargamer, and graduated third in his high school class...

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." The article goes on to report the experience of one D&D player who claimed that "when she plays in tournaments, she does run into the "hack and slash" type of player, but most of them are adolescent males. These types of players not only aggravate her, but other, more mature players as well."

Application

Hack and slash made the transition from the tabletop to video games, usually starting in D&D-like worlds. This form of gameplay can now be found in a wide range of action role-playing game

Action role-playing game

Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...

s, including games such as Lineage, Diablo

Diablo (series)

Diablo is an action role-playing game franchise owned and produced by Blizzard Entertainment. , the series has sold over 18.5 million copies worldwide.-Story:...

, Dragon Slayer, Babylonian Castle Saga

Babylonian Castle Saga

Babylonian Castle Saga is a series of video games created by Masanobu Endō and released by Namco. Many characters are taken from the Babylonian mythology.-List of games:There are four games in the main series....

, Hydlide

Hydlide

is a action role-playing video game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and NEC PC-8801 computer in 1984, in Japan only; an MSX release came the following year...

, Dragon Buster

Dragon Buster

is a dungeon crawl action role-playing platform arcade game that was released by Namco in 1984. It runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware, modified to support vertical scrolling. In Japan, the game was ported to the MSX and Famicom; the latter version was later released for the Virtual Console in the same...

, Ys, Crystalis

Crystalis

Crystalis, known in Japan as , is an action RPG/action-adventure video game produced by SNK for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released on April 13, 1990 in Japan and later that July in the United States. Though Crystalis never became a runaway hit, it is now considered a cult classic...

, Mana, Soul Blazer, King's Field

King's Field (series)

King's Field is a console role-playing game series developed by From Software and localized into English by ASCII Entertainment . It is known for its brooding atmosphere and cryptic, labyrinthine dungeons...

, Tales, Star Ocean, Princess Crown

Princess Crown

is an action role-playing game developed and published by Atlus for the Sega Saturn video game console exclusively in Japan in 1997. Some of the team members involved in the project would later form the game development company Vanillaware....

, Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter is an action game for the PlayStation 2. The game was developed and published by Capcom. Monster Hunter was released in North America on September 21, 2004...

, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. First released in 2007, the game is a prequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII and is also the sixth installment in metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII which includes products related to the game...

, and Demon's Souls

Demon's Souls

is an action role-playing game video game developed primarily by From Software exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It was released in Japan on February 5, 2009 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment...

.

This form of gameplay also extended beyond role-playing video game

Role-playing video game

Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...

s, to beat 'em up

Beat 'em up

Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...

action game

Action game

Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...

s, such as Golden Axe

Golden Axe (series)

The series is a side-scrolling arcade hack 'n' slash series developed by Sega. The series takes place in a medieval-fantasy world where several heroes have the task of recovering the legendary Golden Axe, the mainstay element of the series.-Characters:...

, Knights of the Round, The King of Dragons

The King of Dragons

is a 1991 side-scrolling hack and slash arcade game by Capcom that allows players to choose from five characters in order to travel through the kingdom of Malus and defeat the monsters that have taken over, as well as their leader, the red dragon Gildiss...

, Dungeons & Dragons Collection

Dungeons & Dragons Collection

Dungeons & Dragons Collection is a 2-disc compilation of the previously released arcade games Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara. It was released in Japan on March 4, 1999 on the Sega Saturn....

, Guardian Heroes

Guardian Heroes

is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up and hack & slash action RPG video game in the vein of Final Fight or Golden Axe. The game features RPG elements. Guardian Heroes was developed by Treasure and released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn video game console...

, and Dungeon Fighter Online.

Notable third-person combat-based action games in this genre include Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry

is an action game developed and published by Capcom, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. Although it is the first game in the series of the same name, the events in Devil May Cry are second in the series storyline's chronological order, taking place after Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and...

, Onimusha, Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden

is a series of video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side-story" in Japanese, even though the Ninja Gaiden series is not a spinoff of a previous series...

, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 cross-platform third-person hack and slash video game based on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The game was published by EA Games and developed by EA Redwood Shores and...

, Heavenly Sword

Heavenly Sword

Heavenly Sword is a video game developed by Ninja Theory exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe...

, God of War

God of War (series)

God of War is a series of action-adventure video games based on Greek mythology.The main trilogy—God of War I, II, & III—in the series were developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica division , with Ready at Dawn Studios developing the PSP and Javaground the mobile phone installment...

, Genji

Genji: Dawn of the Samurai

Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is a PlayStation 2 game released on September 20, 2005. It is loosely based on The Tale of the Heike.A sequel, Genji: Days of the Blade was released for PlayStation 3.-Storyline:...

, No More Heroes

No More Heroes (video game)

, is an action video game for the Wii video game system. It was directed by Goichi Suda , developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Marvelous Entertainment Inc., Ubisoft and Rising Star Games...

, Conan

Conan (2007 video game)

Conan is a 2007 action-adventure video game that puts players in control of the titular hero, Conan the Barbarian, from Robert E. Howard's fantasy literature. The game was published by THQ for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game consoles...

, Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade, Bayonetta

Bayonetta

is a hack and slash action game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 developed by Platinum Games in cooperation with publisher Sega. Set in a fictional city in Europe, the game centers on its title character, Bayonetta, who uses pistols and magical attacks to defeat enemies...

, Dante's Inferno

Dante's Inferno (video game)

Dante's Inferno is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game was also released on the PlayStation Portable and was developed by Artificial Mind and Movement...

, Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage

Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage

Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage, released in Japan as , is a hack & slash action video game for the Dreamcast based on the popular Berserk manga by Kentarō Miura. It takes place anywhere between volumes 22 and volume 23 of the Berserk manga; right after Guts and Puck depart for Elfhelm with Casca,...

, Drakengard

Drakengard

Drakengard, known in Japan as , is a PlayStation 2 action role-playing game developed by Cavia and published by Square Enix and Take-Two Interactive. It was released on September 11, 2003 in Japan, on March 5, 2004 in North America and on May 21, 2004 in PAL territories.The game was originally...

, Drakengard 2

Drakengard 2

Drakengard 2, or in Japan, is an action RPG for the PlayStation 2 system and is a direct sequel to the original Drakengard. Like the original, Drakengard 2 combines on-foot hack and slash with aerial combat stages reminiscent of Sega's Panzer Dragoon...

, Dynasty Warriors

Dynasty Warriors

, Severance: Blade of Darkness

Severance: Blade of Darkness

Severance: Blade of Darkness is a 2001 3D fighting third-person PC action-adventure game created by Rebel Act Studios and published by Codemasters. The original subtitle in direct translation from Spanish is Blade: The Edge of Darkness...

, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a multimedia project developed by LucasArts along with Dark Horse Comics, Lego, Hasbro, and Del Rey Books...

, Rygar: The Legendary Adventure

Rygar: The Legendary Adventure

Rygar: The Legendary Adventure, known in Japan as , is a console game for the PlayStation 2 first released in November 2002. It is an update of the original Rygar released for arcade machines and various consoles. The new features are a transition to 3D graphics and portions of the environment are...

, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, released as in Japan, Europe, and Australia, is an action-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PlayStation 2 console. Belonging to Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the first installment of the series on the PlayStation 2 and the third to...

, Rune, and X-Blades

X-Blades

X-Blades is an action-adventure game for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The player assumes the role of Ayumi who wields two pistol-blades. The game was developed by Gaijin Entertainment and was published by SouthPeak Interactive and TopWare Interactive...

Usage

Both variations of the term are often written in hyphenated form and with the conjunction contracted, e.g. hack-and-slash, hack 'n' slay.

Origins

Application

Usage

See also