Despite being a TTRPG, Dungeons & Dragons can become one of the most action-packed games out there. After all, Wizards of the Coast's critically-acclaimed TTRPG enables players to think of insanely-creative ways to deal with combat encounters. Moreover, with D&D's alignment mechanic, a Player Character's morality may influence the way they approach combat. A Lawful Good character may prefer face-to-face encounters, while a True Neutral character may have no regard for friendly fire.
However, action fans who use the same mechanic when choosing their next games might get interesting results. When it comes to action titles, just which ones should players choose based on their D&D alignment?
9 Lawful Good: Marvel's Spider-Man
Folks from Insomniac Games showed it's possible to make a fun modern Spider-Man game. Thanks to Spider-Man, players can finally be in Peter Parker's shoes, sling and crawl around a massive open world, and beat enemies while wearing a ton of different costumes. Nothing's more exhilarating than swinging from one building to the next, only to land on the ground just in time to stop a robbery.
Unlike the other grittier action titles of the time, Spider-Man proves that heroism can be fun and just as action-packed. Moreover, the game has cameos and appearances of Spider-Man's rogues' gallery.
8 Neutral Good: Batman Arkham Series
Speaking of superhero games, Rocksteady Studios proved it was possible to make a great Batman game. Thanks to the Batman: Arkham series, players can don the mantle of the Caped Crusader and save Gotham from various foes and threats alike. While all the games in its series are set in different locations around Gotham (e.g., Arkham Asylum or even Gotham itself), what remains the same is Batman's sheer confidence and his access to his unique tools.
In these Batman games, Bruce Wayne isn't just a guy in a cape punching people. Rather, this is Batman using his gadgets to eliminate his opponents with quick attacks and traps. Each Arkham game has a world populated with cameos, teasers, and side quests that will force players to innovate and maximize the Caped Crusader's full arsenal.
7 Chaotic Good: Shadow Of Mordor
Who says a Lord of the Rings game always has to be a strategy title? Thanks to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, players can experience Middle-earth from the ground up. They take on the role of the Ranger Talion who has bonded with the wraith Celebrimbor, an Elf Lord in his lifetime. Aside from using Talion's combat skills and Celebrimbor's Wraith abilities, the game features a massive world that players can explore.
Perhaps more intriguing is its Nemesis System. With this system, NPCs can "take note" of how the player "moves" in order to react to them accordingly. Some enemies may even "mark" the player and hunt them down, given the chance.
6 Lawful Neutral: God Of War
Thanks to the God of War series, players finally have the means to kill gods. However, while the first few games in the series focused on gory and brutal action, the 2018 God of War had a more narrative approach. Moreover, it's this shift into an RPG with a deep story that earned it multiple accolades, including the Game of the Year Award.
However, the game has its fair share of intense action sequences. Kratos, now with his son Atreus, fight various monsters in cooperative combat. Moreover, Kratos can dodge, dash, and use a variety of combos to eliminate foes while Atreus uses his bow to fight from the rear.
5 True Neutral: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Folks from FromSoftware have taken their acclaimed Souls formula and gave it an Eastern spin with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Whereas Dark Souls puts players against monsters in a fight for survival, Sekiro has given players an edge in combat.
In Sekiro, players can have a more aggressive playstyle with their carefully-timed combos. Moreover, the new grappling hook system makes it much easier to traverse the open environments. Additionally, Sekiro features boss fights that are nothing but exciting and exhilarating to fight, constantly challenging players to adapt to survive their onslaught.
4 Chaotic Neutral: Tomb Raider Series
No one can't get enough of Lara Croft's sheer awesomeness in the face of danger. Thanks to Crystal Dynamics' new Tomb Raider series, fans can relive the adventures of Lara Croft with improved graphics and gameplay in this reboot. Moreover, this new Tomb Raider series contains just as puzzle solving as it does the action. As such, the games have become refreshing takes on the critically-acclaimed adventure franchise.
Thanks to Lara's sheer ingenuity and a knack for survival, she can make weapons and stealthily approach combat anywhere. However, the population of guns in the game transforms Lara into pure awesomeness whenever she picks up a shotgun and blasts incoming threats.
3 Lawful Evil: Devil May Cry Series
While Demons are evil, to them, the Demon Hunter Dante is evil personified. After all, not only is Dante the son of the acclaimed Demon Warrior Sparda, but he's also quite the stylish foe. Thankfully, Dante's on the side of mankind. In this action-packed hack n' slash game, Capcom's Devil May Cry series proves combat shouldn't go out of style.
Moreover, thanks to Dante's impressive slate of weapons and abilities, players find themselves exploring multiple options to fight demons and monsters. Dante's weapons include his signature sword, Rebellion, and guns, Ebony and Ivory. However, he's got combat styles to choose from, a special Devil Trigger for emergencies, and a style bar that demands combat be just as suave as it is thrilling.
2 Neutral Evil: Resident Evil 6
Fans who say Resident Evil should be considered as solely survival horror can have a talk with RE4, RE5, and RE6. After all, previous titles in the franchise put its protagonists in desperate situations. However, RE6 features a crowd of heroes who have experienced one zombie apocalypse too many that, at this point, shooting a zombie in the head is child's play.
Despite the opinions of survival-horror fans about these Resident Evil games, they do become exhilarating experiences from the perspective of an action gamer. After all, the game makes full use of its roster of guns, melee options, and even dynamic movement. Characters use all these elements to secure the advantage against zombies, mutants, and other monstrosities.
1 Chaotic Evil: Doom
Action fans might argue that Doom should be considered an FPS first and an action game second. However, given just how brutal the Doom Guy's fight against Hell is, Doom gets a pass as a hardcore action game. Moreover, Doom also has a slate of crazy demon-busting guns. As such, there's always somewhere in the game where a shotgun blast is always satisfying.
The story of the recent Doom games is simple enough: Doom Guy finds himself once again facing another demon horde. It's this sheer simplicity in the plot that makes Doom quite the entertaining and the enjoyable series. And while Doom Guy is a hardcore hero for mankind, he's a nightmare to demon spawn everywhere.