In several different types of games, hack and slash refers to a type of game or a style of gameplay which primarily comprises defeating enemies and monsters in combat, typically with swords or other mêlée weapons, hence the name. The term originated in role-playing games and transferred from there to computer games and especially MUDs. Most hack and slash games borrow elements of gameplay, setting, or both from Dungeons & Dragons.

The term is often applied in a derogatory fashion, as in "just a hack and slash", meaning that the game consists solely of meaningless violence of this type, with no plot or other goal worth mentioning. It is often termed "roll-playing" (a reference to the dice-rolling used in most role playing game systems for determining combat) to contrast it with "role-playing", a style that relies less on tactical and statistical challenges and more on developing an elaborate plot and treating player characters as three-dimensional characters. Nevertheless, "hack and slash"-style games remain popular in both tabletop role-playing games and in computer role-playing games.

Games such as Dungeons & Dragons are often dismissed as hack 'n' slash by fans of other games, although any role-playing system can be used for hack 'n' slash gaming. Ultimately, it is the players, not the game, who determine how the game is to be played.

In GNS Theory, "hack and slash" style is mostly associated with the "Gamist" archetype, due to its necessary reliance on numerous point-values and dice-rolling to simulate battles. It also suits the gamist's sympathy for contests.

In video gaming, computer RPGs and MUDs do not exactly replicate the nature of tabletop role-playing games and form their own distinct genre. Here, the nominer is reserved to those with particularly little content other than killing and looting, a prime example being Diablo. It's also a fighting game subtype in which the hero has to fight numerous opponents with several types of move combinations, or combos, and often has several weapons at their disposal. Also, the hero may need to jump and move around levels in a way similar to platform games. Some popular hack-and-slash games include Devil May Cry, Maximo, The Hobbit, and several games based on The Lord of the Rings, but the genre classification can also be extended to games such as the Onimusha and Dynasty Warriors series.

HACK/slash is also a Graphic novel from Devil's Due Publishing.

Trivia

• Hack and Slash were two separate fictional characters in ReBoot, the first computer generated TV series.

See also

• Dungeon crawl
• Powergaming

Role-playing game terms | Porte-monstre-trésor | Hack and slash