Hack and slash
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In several different types of games, hack and slash refers to a type of game or a style of gameplay which is primarially comprised of defeating enemies and monsters in combat, typically with swords or other melée weapons, hence the name. The term originated in role-playing games and transferred from there to computer games. Most hack and slash games borrow elements of gameplay, setting, or both from from Dungeons & Dragons, which itself liberally borrowed ideas from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
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" 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 remains 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 game, from Vampire: The Masquerade to The Call of Cthulhu, 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 contest.
In video-gaming, a Hack'n'slash game is a special fighting game in which the hero has to fight numerous monsters with several types of move combinations (combos) and often several weapons. Also, the hero needs to jump and move around levels in a way similar to platform games. The most popular hack'n'slashes are Maximo, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (the Two Towers and the Return of the King), but also can be extanded to games such as Onimusha and Dynasty Warriors (although purists will never accept it)
See also
Hack and Slash were two fictional characters in the first computer generated TV series, ReBoot.