Hack-and-Slash Vs. Beat 'Em Up Games | What's the Difference? 

I honestly have played so many hack and slashes and beat em ups that it’s hard to choose favorites haha. Some recommendations I have for hack and slash are: The Devil May cry games excluding 2, Ninja Gaiden 2, Metal Gear Rising, Dante’s inferno and lastly the Darksiders games. For beat em up recommendations I’d have to go with: The arcade Dungeons and Dragons games mentioned in the video, the Streets of Rage games, the Splatterhouse franchise, Anarchy reigns, and Madworld. Great stuff all around

This is a really well thought out and presented video. Well done

Spectacle Fighter coined by Yahtzee has some traction. That's what I thought when I saw Bayonetta anyway.

I think the “donuts” you mentioned stem from the effect of running around a circle while the enemies end up chasing you, clumping into a group, leading to more enemies to hit at once or instant doom.

Just wanted to leave a huge compliment on this video. Your charisma is great, the subject matter is dope, the editing was solid and the way you delved into the topic was awesome. I've been on youtube for forever now lol and your video gives me flashbacks to some of my favorite times on this website, where the individual really shines through.

Your video script writing is really good, the editing is great and your insights are really good. Great video,

An excellently well made video, subscribed!

you deserve way more views , sad that there are a lot of underated channel out here

Yo, great video. Hope you keep doing videos, seems like you have a knack for it

sorry to find your video after 4 years its an awesome video, i really want to see you talk about this difference on the games today 2023/2024 because de scene on beat em ups and hack slash games are always growing. keep the good work!

Sorry for the enormous comment, I just thought that the effort that you put into this video deserves a well thought out comment. Okay buddy, I liked many of your thoughts and questions that you tried to answer and all, and as a fan of the genre and video game design enthusiast I will try to add to this discussion. First of all the culture around these games is basically what named these genres. The 8 bit/16 bit most famous ones were Double Dragon, Final Fight and Streets of Rage (maybe including Golden Axe and Captain Commando), because of their themes of fighting street gangs with mostly punches and kicks people started to call it "beat em ups" and in the 6th generation we had Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden and God of War as the most famous ones, as the nature of the 3D movement and camera required the hitboxes to be larger to hit multiple enemies and to be recognizable from the back camera view of your character. So these really polished games favored Swords and Blades that rewarded players with gory and blood spiling animations of that edgy generation... And for a long time, it became pretty common the idea that DMC/ NINJA GAIDEN/ GOW were basically the natural evolution of those 16-bit games that you fight hordes of enemies on closed screens and arenas until you progressed to the next one. 6:45 Actually the 3D technology allowed these games to have whey more movement options, something that limited the players in the 2D games. Blocking, dashing, evading and using dodge rolls the 3 modern biggest examples Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry and Bayonetta all have lots of movement options and largely different combat systems. In Ninja Gaiden the player is constantly dashing, evading and jump off enemies' heads. In Bayo, she even uses her dodges into her prolonged combos, in a system mechanic called dodge offset, positioning and movement are the emphases of that game's mechanics complemented by her panther and bird forms... By the way isn't the idea of the genre "be aggressive", like fighting dudes and all?! Most of these 3d games just have really fast-paced combat that is way more engaging than other examples of combat systems with giant hit stops. 7:00 I think I got what you were saying... But shouldn't this be a designer's choice?! Like the PS1 Beat n Up game "Gekido: urban fighters" you will unlock lots of button combinations for new combos. Ryse Son of Rome, for example, was heavily criticized for being a really short game with no new weapons or news combo options besides using 3 attack buttons. Even the later batman games you have more combat options button combinations and unlockables, personally I think the Arkham Knight's combat is the best one with a well-made skill three of unlockable moves, after all there is a reason why those challenges reward the player with gadget and combat variety. This is like saying that Banjo Kazooie and Mario 64 are different just because most of Mario's movements are enabled from the get-go and banjo unlocks those abilities as the game goes on. I think that if you want to make a game that has more than one hour of total gameplay of beating dudes up, you should totally expand the players' options as the game goes on. 7:15 You could totally have lots of options in a 2D beat n up, just look at alien vs predator arcade game, each character is so different. And these modern retro-styled games all start to create more interesting levels (like castle crashers and scott pillgrim) and stage gimmicks when the games needs to be dragged on for just a few hours more. 7:20 actually as the years have gone by, the games in this genre just got more interesting. From streets of rage 1 to streets of rage 2 when we got a special attack button to SoR3 with more movement options and larger moveset; from final fight 1 that we had only 2 characters in the SNES version to final fight 3 when we got street fighter command moves to 4 playable characters still in the SNES. Sengoku 3 and Alien vs Predator Arcade game both have an extensive move list and robust combat system, you can see that as technology advanced developers could create way more interesting games. If you like to, you should give a look into Fight N Rage and Shattered Realms, both modern indie games that actually create a competent and expansive moveset with tons of combo potential. 7:35 there were a lot of co-op games in the 16-bit generation, but what makes it viable is the horizontal progression and camera angle of Final Fight and Streets of Rage in comparison to GOW and DMC with their behind view and static cameras. Also, most of the 3D platformers of the 6 gen ditched the multiplayer to focus their design into a good single-player campaign. Not that it was impossible, just way more challenging to do so. It was just a convention at the time due to the technical limitations and challenges, that have been overcome with multiple games in the following years. PS.: Ninja Gaiden had online functionalities on the Original Xbox and dmc3 had doppelganger secret multiplayer. Hacks and mods these days adds full multiplayer modes to games like Mario 64 and Devil May Cry 3. 8:10 Hideki Kamiya is a fan of the first Castlevania game and it reflects in his boss fights that the player needs to memorize the boss's attack patterns to win. 3D games in general have more memorable bosses, but the great advantage is that they aren't spamming enemies like the bosses in old beat n up games that usually only had a large attack hitbox and faster movement.

im subbing for you maan, you got talent in editing and presenting your points, which were very good, speaking as a person who is a first semester game designer in cologne game labs

This was a great video! Currently working on a project for my Video Game Development 101 class and needed some insight on beat 'em ups. Glad I chose you for reference. :))))

Note: Another game I highly recommend in terms of Beat Em Ups is Spiderman Web of Shadows. You likely noticed footage of it in the video, and of all the games on here, it was the one I played through most recently. Only reason I didn't talk about it in the video though is because this game is very sickness-inducing with the camera angles, but so long as you play it in 2 hour sessions at most, it's definitely worth checking out.

Which one is my favorite? Hard to pick just one lol. Nice video. May the algorithm work in your favor!

Wow! Found your video.. A real gem! I will poke around your other videos for sure!

This video was very well done! Thank you & glad I found this 😁

That question is quite hard to answer nowadays. i grew up with a lot of Beat em up game in the 90's here in France. Me and my bro' we loving so much Beat em ups games like "Streets Of Rage" or "Final Fight". - In early 2000 "Dynasty Warriors 2" started to be one of the best beat em up 3D i've ever seen. it was so new and refreshing (especially to kill a number of soldiers) but at that time in one of the french Magazine they call it "Beat em all" (yes French are the worst to changed every words in English...) but after every Dynasty Warriors exist (even spin off) People started call this a "Musou" the problems Musou is the Japanese name of Dynasty Warriors... = "Shin Sangoku Musou" So many people started to call "Senran Kagura", "Fate of Extella" a Musou... - and then i saw in other country call this a Hack And Slash! but in my head every Hack & Slash to me was Diablo, Torchlight and other similar games. - I remember a French employee said to me "no Sengoku Basara is not a Beat Em Ups but Street Fighters it is!!!... I would like to see his face after Capcom Beat Em Up collection came out before! 😂

I have noticed Japanese Hack and Slash games are usually Devil May Cry clones or at least inspired by them, while Western developers make God of War clones.

Very thorough explanation

Just to correct, being single player and being multi player is NOT a difference between hack'n slash and beat'n ups. There are more single player hack'n slashes because it's a style that became more popular in 3D games, especially in the PS360 generation, which rescued many of the old game styles, revamping them for the new generations. The PS360 generation was also responsible for making the games more cinematic and for that the game needs to have better control what the player does (to insert more cutscenes in the middle of the gameplay, whether they are playable or not, as well as positioning of cameras and etc. ), that's why the focus on developing single player games was so big. Well, if you're going to take the logic of the video, Batman Arkham is a hack'n slash just like Lord of the Rings was considered a beat'n up.

Hack N Slash games were a combination of 90s Beat em ups and Action Platformers. Think original Ninja Gaiden, Hagane, Strider, eg.

If Hack & Slash started in the early 2000s then what do you call Ninja Gaiden...that hacks & slashes is the main part of the game lol

Underrated video

I remember calling diablo 2 titan quest, and other action rpgs hack in slashes.

And Then Musou is happening

I consider games like DMC, God of war, Sonic unleashed, Bayonetta etc a subgenre called "God of Cry"

3:34 mY eArS

beat em ups also for speed runs 1 credit clears and remembering patterns in solo

So given your criteria, where does the Yakuza series fit in the genres? Primarily attacking with fists but has way too many hack and slash aspects such as: -Other offensive/defensive capabilities are evasions, parries, and guard breaking -Nonlinear 3D gameplay -Player has to earn their new abilities by playing the game more -Faster and aggressive gameplay with combo potential similar to HnS -Additional challenges via climax battles or the in-game minigames

New sub here, and I agree. My favorite hack and slash games are Metal Gear Rising, and Devil May Cry. Favorite beat 'em ups are EOE: Eve of Extinction, and Remember Me, if that counts. Hack and slash is my third favorite genre, after open world/action-adventures(GTA, Saints Row, etc) or however to put it, and RPGs. I'm even a sucker for melee attacks in shooters.

My preferred genre: beat em ups, mostly for the primary means of attack. Punching and kicking enemies hong kong style is more cathartic to me. I tend to have a more simplistic definition for both genres compared to this video, since I base it on whether their default attack methods and unarmed combat/blunt weapons or bladed weapons...which seems futile due to there being a lot of overlap, now that I think about it. Beat 'Em Ups recommendations: River City Ransom: Underground, River City Girls, God Hand, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Bayonetta series (the default weapons are punches and kicks, so they count), Anarchy Reigns, Super Crush KO, Fight 'N Rage, Battle Circuit, Guardian Heroes, Okinawa Rush, Assault Spy, Transformers: Devastation, Guacamelee series Hack 'N Slash recommendations: Devil May Cry 3 & 5, Ninja Gaiden series, Phantom Breaker: Battleground, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time, Senran Kagura series Games of both that I want to try out: Urban Reign, Panzer Bandit, Mad Stalker: Full Metal Force, Metal Gear Rising, Spider-Man, X-Men Dimensions, Spikeout, Gekido

I like both genres 50/50 as far as my favorite games go I can't pick because for beat them ups I like Konami X-Men The Simpsons Streets of Rage Final Fight Double Dragon and so on Hack N Slash God Of War Ninja Gaiden Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Bayonetta and Devil May Cry

Hack'n'Slash: Senran Kagura Nier:Automata Astral Chain Beat Em Up: River City Girls Code of Princess AeternoBlade

I just got a ps4 and it took me forveer so dony feel bad. And i would reccomend dantes inferno but u already played that so idk tbh lol but to anyone else that and god of war obv arw great options for hack n slack but as for beat em ups i def need to try the batman series and i haven't really gotten into any others tbh

What's the game at 7:05 to 7:10? I don't recognize that one.

Bro. Ninja blade was my sht

👍👍

Haha! I’m making fun of you in the comments!

You got a sub from me :)

What about old school Golden Axe?

Sad to say that just people that still don't know the difference, not that trying to make fun of them or anything not at all. But in truth really there's only recently only just been resurgent of them come back with titles Streets of Rage 4 and there's others I just can't remember the name of them sorry but in my personal opinion the difference between a beat em up and a hack and slash is the focus in weapon combat while a Beat em up focuses on hand-to-hand combat while having optional temporary weapons.

whats the game at 3:49

6:14 whats that game

Hack and Slash is good, beat em ups are scuffed.

9:12 this is the most nonsense argument of yours lol buddy... Unlocking new moves and increasing your health doesn't make it an RPG, just look at actual Action RPG games where you mostly increase damage values and armor stats, while the best hack n slash games focus on giving you different moves not stronger ones... (Like fire blast is a way powerful move than ember for fire type pokemon) 10:20 Most of the criticism comes from those dumb video game journalists that can't even finish properly a game. Ascension has its own fair share of problems like limiting itself to only the blades with elemental changes were the previous game, GOW3, had one of the best weapon arsenals in the series... 10:30 Not an "updated version", they changed the camera and it comes with its problems too, the games assist the player in its position to even make the combat work, lack of jumps and the overpowered parries aren't an improvement... 11:05 and I would add God Hand to break even more your definition, it was a bad sold game that became a cult classic because how well made the game is. Shinji Mikami created a game in the 6 generation in the middle of the Tuff Protagonists with Big swords trend, about a snarky and funny guy that just punches everyone in a stupidy awesome game. Following the same design aspects of a hard game that makes you learn its mechanics and has a really expansive moveset mostly composed of punches and kicks. The game is wildly accepted in the DMC and Bayo communities and always stated of one of the best of this genre... 11:30 this was a funny and good opinion. People can like their assassins creed and new tomb raider games mixing stealth, shooting, hunting, crafting and exploration to make a long and diverse experience. But its a fact that the most replayable and well-crafted mechanics are found in games that aren't afraid of beeing what they are and aren't compensating with mini-games and grinding the lack of level design and polishment in its mechanics. You used Castle Crashers as a Beat n Up example besides the player's character unlocking new moves, with button combinations, as you progress throughout the game. You used Return of the King game as a Hack n Slash besides it being the most notorious translation to 3D of games like Golden Axe and Shadow over Mystara and... Castle Crashers! Cmon the multiple characters, scenario grabbable items that you can throw and even co-op multiplayer... And of course, let's talk about Bayonetta, that game is easily recognized of being a game similar to DMC and GOW besides her moveset being mostly composed of magical punches and kicks with guns attached to it. Some enemies even drop weapons that you can pick up and use for a short period. I would say that some of the games that you showed like Shadow of Mordor and batman are mostly Action-Adventure games, they have combat but aren't focused on it. Besides the batman games having very competent game mechanics worth of those challenge maps, and they just evolved and expanded as the sequels came out. Shadow of Mordor/War were a mixed bag to me the pseudo rpg mechanics don't mix well like a Darksiders 2 or Dragons Dogma that have a way more interesting combat systems. Concluding most of the recent games don't try to separate the concept but actually are just trying to be engaging and well made, as the end result we have games that are called both things. Aztez is 2.5D and mostly about fighting human enemies with both fists and weapons, Assault Spy is 3D and has clear DMC inspirations but the characters are mostly using suitcases, kicks, and guns. The Senran Kagura first game is a Nintendo 3DS game totally in the style of SoR and FF, but as the sequels were going to stronger consoles and having larger budgets the games turned into third-person behind the back view games. Those booby ninja chicks usually fight in urban settings and have lots of moves from the get-go. Dante in DMC5 has access to so many moves to mess with from the start that none of those old 1/2 hour-long SNES games would dream of. Progression systems and pacing of the game is totally to its games developer's decisions as to its difficulty. Fighting games got more robust and complex as the years have gone by, 3D platformers offer larger worlds and movement options than its 2D counterparts and stealth games got so many more options and ways to go through each level and distract or kill the enemies from PS1 to the actual gen. What I'm trying to say is that I'm still not sure that there is any difference at all between beat n up and hack n slash games besides the evolution throughout the years. BTW really liked you, u got a new subscriber, take care.

What is a shootemup

Character action games.

3:08 wtf is that

Hack n' Slash is a useless genre name because people will use it to describe both games like Devil May Cry and games like Diablo. People just use it to mean "Game where you attack a lot of enemies quickly with a weapon".

Is Just the Same