Editing Hack and slash (section)

{{short description|Tabletop and video game genre}}
{{About|a video game genre|2014 video game|Hack 'n' Slash|the comic|Hack/Slash|the fictional characters in ''ReBoot''|List of ReBoot characters#Hack and Slash}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{video games}}
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'''Hack and slash''', also known as '''hack and slay''' ('''H&S''' or '''HnS''') or '''slash 'em up''',<ref name="MM"/><ref name="CVG"/> refers to a type of [[gameplay]] that emphasizes combat with [[Melee (video games)|melee]]-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as guns) as secondary weapons. It is a sub-genre of [[beat 'em up]] games, which focuses on melee combat, usually with swords.

The term "hack and slash" was originally used to describe a play style in [[tabletop role-playing games]], carrying over from there to [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]]s, [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|massively multiplayer online role-playing games]], and [[role-playing video game]]s. In [[Arcade game|arcade]] and [[Console game|console]] style action video games, the term has an entirely different usage, specifically referring to action games with a focus on [[Real-time game|real-time]] combat with [[hand-to-hand]] weapons as opposed to guns or fists. The two types of hack-and-slash games are largely unrelated, though [[action role-playing games]] may combine elements of both.