Best 2D Hack And Slash Games, Ranked

Hack-and-slash games boast satisfying action and entertaining combat mechanics that are a lot of fun to master. It's great to see a player's repertoire of skills slowly expand as they use flashier combos in their battles and take on tough-as-nails bosses to test their skills.

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By  Joseph Heindl

Some of the best hack-and-slash games players can get their hands on utilize a 2D art style that adds to the novelty of the experience. Good 2D hack-and-slash games ensure that players will have a great time carving their path through numerous foes as their competency increases with each battle.

8 Dust: An Elysian Tail

A Great Hard-Drawn Art Style To Accompany A Fun Hack-And-Slash Game With Metroidvania Elements

One of the most underrated Metroidvania hack-and-slash games players can get their hands on, Dust: An Elysian Tail is a beautiful game with a striking 2D art style. The hand-drawn aesthetic makes it easy for players to get lost in this magical world as they slowly acquire the skills they need to make meaningful progress.

A healthy dose of amnesia makes for a simple way to ingratiate players to the world of Dust: An Elysian Tail. Combining swordplay and magic to beat down foes in style never gets old and is a huge part of what makes this title such a special and underrated gem.

7 Hyper Light Drifter

Zelda-esque Exploration And Fun Hack-And-Slash Combat Made This A Great Indie Game

The gorgeous 2D sprite work of Hyper Light Drifter attracted many fans who wanted to see what this game was about. Accompanying this art style is fun exploration in line with classic Zelda games coupled with challenging hack-and-slash combat where players are punished for making mistakes.

It was downright puzzling that a game with a reaction-based combat system was limited to 30 FPS, but a patch arrived soon enough to address this issue. As things stand, Hyper Light Drifter is an excellent top-down action game players can enjoy, and it's a shame that the sequel took too many risks that didn't pay off.

6 Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir

A Unique JRPG With 2D Hack-And-Slash Combat And An Ambitious Narrative

One of the most interesting and unique JRPGs players can check out, Odin Sphere utilizes the aesthetic of a children's book to utilize hyper-stylized 2D which is a joy to look at. Along with this, the unique narrative lets players control five different characters whose chapters intertwine and make for a fun story that ties everything together.

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Acquiring ingredients for complex recipes and gaining a ton of levels is a great way to switch up how leveling works and makes Odin Sphere an offbeat JRPG that fans of the genre should check out. The hack-and-slash seems simple but eventually lets players combine their regular attacks with special abilities to make every boss fight a cathartic affair where players can execute their abilities in quick succession.

5 Bastion

Supergiant Games Entered The Video Game Industry With A Splash Courtesy Of This Beautiful 2D Action Game

Before Supergiant Games became one of the most popular developers around courtesy of their work on Hades, they made a notable impact with the release of Bastion. This beautiful 2D game boasted a unique art style and fun gameplay, coupled with the narration of Logan Cunningham, ensuring that Bastion's vibes would be remarkable from the world go.

It helped that the combat remained fresh and engaging by introducing different weapons as players made progress. The evocative visuals help some of its emotional moments stand out and let players enjoy one of the most unique indie games they can get their hands on.

4 Blasphemous 2

A Near-Perfect Sequel With A Tantalizing Art Style And Challenging Combat

While Blasphemous was a bit rough around the edges, players loved the gritty pixel art, dark setting, and challenging bosses. The sequel upped the ante and perfected many aspects of the first game to make for a riveting side-scrolling hack-and-slash title.

Players needed to be careful with bosses since a single mistake could lead to their demise. The 2D Soulslike combat prioritized dodges and parries, with players being rewarded for an airtight defense with crucial attack windows where they could let their weapon swing as much as possible before the boss could punish their overzealous nature.

3 Dead Cells

The Roguelike Hack-And-Slash Title Is A Joy To Play Through

The plagiarism controversy surrounding Dead Cells should've taken away from the game's launch, but it ended up being a fortunate piece of marketing that let players enjoy one of the best roguelike 2D hack-and-slash titles of all time. It's magical how Dead Cells turns the simple act of exploration into a cathartic experience, with players loving the act of taking out a tough boss after numerous failed attempts.

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The progression curve in Dead Cells is a satisfying one where players will slowly but surely get stronger after spending some hours and making meaningful progress in each run. It's a must-play for fans of hack-and-slash titles who enjoy 2D visuals, with the DLC for Dead Cells adding more content and even letting players enjoy a crossover with the Castlevania series in one instance.

2 Katana Zero

A Challenging And Rewarding 2D Hack-And-Slash Title With Impressive Combat

Players who want to check out one of the most challenging 2D action games of all time will love what Katana Zero brings to the table. The game takes no prisoners and forces players to complete a run perfectly without incurring any damage.

There's nothing more satisfying than getting through a stage by the skin of one's teeth after dying over and over again. Sadists can up the ante by playing on the harder difficulty, which changes enemy layouts and boss patterns to make for a fresh and invigorating experience all over again.

1 Hades

One Of The Best Action Roguelike Games Ever Made That Attained Numerous Accolades

Hades is one of the most popular video games of all time that needs no introduction. Supergiant Games knocked it out of the part with a scintillating roguelite action title where the gameplay and narrative design merge harmoniously, as one would expect from a game by this reputed developer.

The beauty of Hades stems from the sense of achievement players feel as they become more adept at the game's combat and slowly invest in Zagreus' abilities. The combination of both ensures that reaching the surface becomes easier with each run, with the Pact of Punishment arriving to help each run feel fresh, especially if players enhance the difficulty of each boss fight.