The Best Open-World Games with Hack and Slash Combat

The open-world and sandbox genres often go hand in hand. It’s because they give players a big open level where they can do anything to entertain themselves. Particularly the Grand Theft Auto series, where they could ride around Liberty City/Vice City/San Andreas, and cause so much mayhem that the authorities have to break out tanks and choppers against them.

Some games tone down the mayhem but generally stick to guns, fisticuffs, or even superpowers to fight off foes and rule the land. But there are some that prefer a more artful way of dispatching enemies: breaking out a sharp blade and cutting their way to the end of the game. If players want open-world games with hack and slash combat, these are the best of the bunch.

5

NieR: Automata

Where Death is Just an Opportunity to Make New Friends or Enemies

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Released

March 7, 2017

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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After NieR managed to improve on Drakengard with its open-zone action gameplay, NieR: Automata stepped up from its predecessor by going open-world. Kind of. Compared to its rivals, its world is rather small and linear. But then there’s not much to explore in a proxy war between Androids and Machines. Its combat is rather straightforward too.

Players mix light and heavy attacks into different combos to rack up damage. With the right timing, they could create openings by launching counterattacks on striking foes or slip past them altogether. What is unique is that, if they die, they can respawn and find their old body, where they can retrieve or repair it. If the repair works, they’ll gain a temporary ally. If it fails, they’ll become an enemy they must fight.

4

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Hacking and Slashing With The Help Of Some Friends

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Franchise

Dragon’s Dogma

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Released

March 22, 2024

OpenCritic Rating

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Mighty

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Hack and slash games don’t have to be set in the past or a medieval-looking fantasy world. It just helps would-be swordfighters to be in a time and place when guns were either not a thing or were much clunkier to use. However, when it comes to helping the Arisen take down the dragon who marked them in Dragon’s Dogma 2, guns might be the least of their worries.

As the Arisen, the player must make their way through a world torn into civil strife by picking the right class and weaponry for themselves and their Pawns. These are AI-controlled NPCs who can help make a difference, either as blade-wielding knights, spellcasting Tricksters, or more. The more the player and their Pawns work at the right vocation, the better they’ll be at handling foes, emergent events, and eventually the dragon itself.

3

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Making Enemies in Middle Earth

Systems

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Released

September 30, 2014

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OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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The Middle Earth games were a case of snatching defeat from victory, as players loved its approach to the world of J.R.R Tolkien, but weren’t as big on Warner Bros’ business practices, particularly regarding microtransactions, with a big stink needed for them to get removed later on. Even then, players generally prefer the first game, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Here, players take control of Talion in his search for revenge on the forces of Sauron for killing his family.

The combat resembled the Batman: Arkham games, of all things, as building up combo chains from its freeflow fights could help players pull off different moves. But it was best known for its Nemesis system, where the game will track specific Uruk orcs, letting players decide whether to cut them down ASAP, or get stronger, so they can get better rewards for beating them later.

2

Like a Dragon: Ishin

Modernize Japan with Just 4 Different Fighting Styles

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Released

February 21, 2023

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OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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Style-switching feels like it’s been part of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series since the beginning. But RGG Studio only began dabbling in it with their samurai games, Ryu Ga Gotoku: Kenzan and Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin. The former is still locked to Japanese PS3s, but the latter got remade for the West as Like a Dragon: Ishin.

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Only longtime fans of the Yakuza games caught these nods in Like A Dragon: Ishin.

It follows Ryōma Sakamoto as he hunts down the masked assassin responsible for killing his lord. Players can swap between beating enemies with their fists, hacking them with Ryoma’s sword, shooting them with a pistol, or in a new style that combines sword slashes and gunshots in a whirling frenzy. All of them have their own uses (though some are better than others) and can be chained together for some impressive combos.

1

Ghost of Tsushima

Save Tsushima By Mastering the Blade

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Systems

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Released

July 17, 2020

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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Sucker Punch hasn’t been a stranger to open-world games, but the melee combat in the InFamous games was pretty simplistic. By joining forces with Japan Studio, and visiting the real island of Tsushima, the studio made Ghost of Tsushima, where samurai Jin Sakai is caught between upholding the warrior code or breaking it to defend the island against the Mongols.

Players can distract foes with smoke bombs and firecrackers before taking them out with chain assassinations for stealth sections, while head-to-head combat involves matching their stance to their armed opponent (stone stance for swordsmen, water stance for shield bearers, etc.). It’s a more involved process that’s got fans looking forward to how it’ll evolve for its upcoming sequel, Ghost of Yotei.

More

Open World Sandbox Games With Strategic Combat

The following open-world games are all either inherently sandbox or have sandbox modes, and they all require players to use their heads in combat.

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