Hack-and-slash games generally offer traditional, old-school gameplay loops that revolve around melee-focused combat. These games are often fast-paced, accessible experiences, and their gameplay is usually fused with the action RPG genre.
When combined with ARPGs, especially, hack-and-slash games tend to have an inventory system and a lot of loot to find. This often results in building games that can add a dash of strategic choice to an otherwise basic gameplay loop. For the sake of variety, games such as Diablo, The path of exileand other household names have been excluded.
6 Halls Of Torment
An Arena-Survival Rogue-Lite with an old-school Diablo aesthetic
This arena survival rogue-lite plays like one of many Vampire Survivor clones that have been released in the wake of its popularity. Players roam around a relatively cut-and-paste map, hacking their way through hordes of enemies in an attempt to survive for thirty minutes.
The game's old-school art style is clearly a tribute to the older one Diablo games and, while Halls Of Torment is not quite on par with classic ARPGs such as Diablo 2it is a worthwhile distraction for fans of aesthetics and Vampire Survivor the game the same. Similar Vampire Survivormuch of the fun in Halls Of Torment comes down to the loot, offering an addictively satisfying loop that tends to become stale once players have exhausted the potential strategies.
5 Into The Necrovale
An ARPG Rogue-Lite with various loot
- Platform(s): PC
- Released: 2024
- Developer: Casey Clyde
- Genre: Rogue-Lite
Featuring a subtle visual style with crisp pixel-art graphics and a tranquil atmosphere, Into The Necrovale is a simplistic hack-and-slash dungeon-crawling rogue-lite. Despite the simple gameplay, Into The Necrovale is elevated by its vast array of unique items for players to loot.
Into The Necrovale is a small and affordable title for fans of ARPG games and rogue-lite structures. It's not an incredibly unique rogue-lite, especially compared to other games on the market, but the solid hack-and-slash combat and variety of loot make for a worthwhile experience.
4 Chronicon
A deep, granular ARPG with chaotic combat
Simplified pixel-art and a basic user interface do Chronicon easy to pass at first glance, but players who dig a little deeper will find a deep, granular character progression system with a great deal of customization available to the player. This allows for massive building that borders on sandboxing, especially when combined with the dizzying array of items.
Chronicles combat is chaotic hack-and-slash at its best and, like many action RPGs, success is relatively dependent on a character's build. But like I said, the fun of it Chronicon comes from working on and perfecting each build, and the four distinct classes make it a replayable experience.
3 Torchlight 2
A Diablo-style romp through a colorful fantasy world
Torchlight 2 similar to the games it is inspired by, mainly Diablo 2with a gameplay loop that revolves around taking on missions and fighting against large groups of enemies across the land and through dangerous dungeons. As Diablo, Torchlight 2 is an ARPG with a simple and intuitive combat system, building and a huge amount of items to loot.
Unlike Diablo, Torchlight takes place in a bright and colorful world with a cartoony visual style that is upbeat and light. This does Torchlight a much friendlier experience, but it may turn fans off Diablo's darker tones. Total, Torchlight 2 offers a hack-and-slash, ARPG experience that mixes homage with unique ideas and a vibrant world that's fun to explore.
2 Deadly sin
A first-person hack-and-slash dungeon crawl with unique visuals
Although its art style may be an eyesore for some with its intrusive colors and aggressive visual effects, Deadly sin is a crunchy, completely satisfying experience. Deadly sin is a first-person action-rogue with an ensemble of strange character designs and disturbing visuals, with excellent melee combat and a variety of unique weapons.
Deadly sin is primarily a hack-and-slash game, although it can sometimes feel more like a beat 'em up, depending on the combo-based gameplay. Each weapon is incredibly expressive and offers players a sense of excitement and discovery as they find a new one, and there are over thirty of these weapons in the game's Early Access mode. Its visuals may be an acquired taste, but those who judge it solely on its aesthetic may be doing themselves a disservice, given the high level of craftsmanship on display beneath the surface.
1 Grim Dawn
An expansive and utterly ambitious action RPG
Fans of old-school action RPGs will find a lot to love in the world of Grim Dawnan indie ARPG with hack-and-slash combat and hundreds of items to find and collect. Grim Dawn is old school in its design and focuses its efforts on granular building supported by its variety of loot, skills and crafting systems.
Grim Dawn also features many quests and a richly detailed world that makes exploration all the more rewarding and keeps things from getting stale. Despite approaching ten years at the time of writing, Grim Dawn still getting meaningful updates. Additionally, the game has online co-op for those who don't like to travel alone. While those who haven't taken the time to enjoy classic ARPGs such as Diablo 2 will definitely pay a visit there first, Grim Dawn should prove a welcome sight to veterans of the genre.

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