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.
This action-packed genre has been very popular due to its high octane and flashy nature. In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase the top 5 best hack and slash games on PC in 2022.
1. Devil May Cry 5
Devil May Cry 5 (DMC5) is an excellent game that has a very in-depth combat and skills, along with a high skill ceiling. It also sports gorgeous visuals thanks to the RE engine, and various characters that all play differently and keep the whole thing feeling fresh. Environments are varied with hidden secrets, challenges, and alternative routes.
The combat in DMC5 is essentially third person hack and slash with lots of different combos or skills you can utilize. A very important fact to keep in mind is that combat varies greatly between characters as well, so you can expect a large amount of variety. Correctly making combo moves and switching up attack styles quickly results in a higher score in your missions, with the highest being “SSS”.
Most combat consists of a primary attack using some sort of melee weapon (like a sword or fists), with a secondary attack that is often ranged (like a revolver or shotgun). Another important element is the “lock-on” feature that lets you concentrate on a specific enemy, and which also acts as a modifier for certain attacks. In addition, enemy attacks can often be countered or dodged with the correct time and combination of keys.
Branching out from these basic attacks, are skills and movements you can unlock that all can be affected by different keys or buttons. A single primary attack can be totally different by simply using your forward action or reverse action, or holding lock on with a movement key. The upgrade system really goes insanely in-depth here, providing the player the opportunity to really experiment and find the skills they enjoy. Skills are unlocked with red orbs which are essentially in-game currency, that is dropped from kills and can also be found scattered throughout the maps.
2. Jedi: Fallen Order
Jedi Fallen Order (SWJFO) is a hybrid action-adventure title that combines gameplay elements from various popular genres, ultimately creating its own custom blend of mechanics. In this game, players impersonate Cal Kestis, a former Jedi apprentice now gone into hiding after the infamous Order 66 was executed. Soon he has to abandon a cover-up job, after an accident puts Inquisition agents on his tracks, from here his journey begins to discover not only ancient mysteries, but also his own true nature.
SWJFO plays out as a blend of mechanics from mostly Souls-like and Metroidvania genres: combat heavily inspired by the former, putting great emphasis on learning enemy attack patterns, dodging at the right times, and parrying enemy attacks just before they land in order to stun them (as seen in Sekiro), plus also using Force Powers preferably in clever manners to gain the upper hand. The Metroidvania part becomes prominent in exploration, with platforming/jumping sections and also with several areas of each planet being gated off until Cal acquires more powers or technologies - this encourages backtracking in a good way, to find secrets, items, and even whole optional areas or bosses.
Overall, Jedi Fallen Order is a really solid action-adventure game that faithfully recreates the Star Wars universe with incredible visuals, consistent fun gameplay mechanics, a decent story, and extreme challenges on the highest difficulty setting for those seeking a punishing experience.
3. NieR:Automata
As for the game, NieR:Automata is at its core a jRPG, but it incorporates several other genres like a platformer, bullet hell, spectacle fighter, shoot’em up, etc. And it blends everything surprisingly well. Camera perspective will often shift between 3rd person view, top down view, and a 2.5D left-right platformer view. Core gameplay consists of following the story, doing side quests, exploring the world to find secrets or extra loot, collecting and upgrading weapons, fighting multiple enemies at once & impressive bosses, and adjusting character loadouts where you slot plug-in chips granting you a wide variety of enhancements.
The gameplay is fluid. The characters are animated really well & their mobility is off the charts. It’s a pleasure to control them. You attack the enemies both with melee weapons and fire ranged pod at the same time. There are plenty of plug-in chips that expand your options, like time slowing on dodge, cutting through bullets to make them explode, countering (sends a portion of damage back to the attacker), taunting (risk reward glass cannon system, where damage output increases both for the protagonist, and the enemy), etc.
Each story segment lasts probably around 1-2h, and it has everything self contained and well executed. With a new objective you go somewhere, are greeted with breathtaking vistas, and motivated to act by one of the most invigorating soundtracks I’ve ever heard.
4. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro is not a Souls game. This can't be stressed enough. Attempt to i-frame dodge through the game and you will get your ass slapped all the way back to Lordran. While it borrows certain elements from Souls, like the checkpoint system or cryptic NPC questlines, it's pretty much its own beast. And what a beast it is.
It's one of those good news, bad news situations. Good news: the days when you needed to keep an eye on your stamina for every attack, block or dodge are over. Bad news: that doesn't mean the game is any less challenging. Quite the opposite, actually. Wolfie goes down in two hits tops, and at all times he's either heavily outnumbered or he gets crushed in the health bar measuring contest. And the absence of stats, gear and online co-op means there are no shortcuts. You won't be able to overlevel, no Solaire will come to your aid. It's either nut up or shut up.
Luckily, there are ways to put you at a lesser disadvantage. Sekiro features a rudimentary stealth system and enough freedom to thin out your enemies' ranks one by one. Most of the times you can clear entire areas just by being sneaky. Apparently, Sekiro started out as a Tenchu game and I totally believe it, considering how far stealth will get you. But eventually a direct confrontation will be unavoidable. And where Souls games required you to only land that one parry, Sekiro demands that you time your blocks near perfectly several times per exchange. Combat is fast, fluid and demanding enough to make you break a sweat.
While the areas are open and generally well-designed, they are not exactly eyecandy. Souls games are known for their sinister beauty, but that is largely absent in Sekiro. Some areas look flat-out rough. Only rarely will you get the urge to stop and soak in the atmosphere. A missed opportunity, really. And while the environments leave room for exploration, the absence of cool gear makes it feel strangely unrewarding. Also, due to the nature of combat you will see the same instakill moves and finishers quite often. A bit of variety would have been nice.
5. Shadow of Mordor
Shadow of Mordor is an open-world third-person action game based on the Lord of the Rings franchise, following the story of Talion who seeks revenge on Mordor.
The story in Shadow of Mordor takes a while before it gets interesting, but the further you come, the better the story gets. This together with the fantastic cinematic and voice acting, can make the game really immersive. You are free to choose how you approach missions, whether it's going all-in, playing it stealthily, or using enemies against each other.
Combat is really well done and comparable to the Batman series, it looks amazing and plays great. The combat in general is quite easy (making the game easier as well) but is just really satisfying. You will have 3 options for combat, either go in with your sword and slice through orcs and finish them with some brute finishing moves, backstab them through sneaking or keep your distance and snipe them with your bow. Next to combat, movement is really well done. Sneaking over buildings, climbing and hanging on the side of walls Assasins Creed style, everything feels great, smooth and just works. However, controls can feel a bit wonky at times.
Throughout the game, you'll earn points to upgrade your weapons and skills. From movement to combat abilities. Everything can be upgraded and it's really fun to discover all the new upgrades. This gives the motivation to keep on playing even after the Story mode (Which has a decent length of 10-15 hours).
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