Note: This is a list breaking down third-person action games that are mainly focused on melee combat, third person shooters such as Resident Evil 4 or Last of Us will not be considered, that is another list. This list is in no particular order. Mild spoilers.
Dark Souls
Is there any game of the twenty-first century as influential as Dark Souls, I felt I had to start with Dark Souls as its DNA is baked into many of the best games in the last decade, and it’s influential for a reason. From the get-go, Dark Souls cast a threatening and imposing tone, waking up in a jail cell as a rotting corpse with nothing besides a broken sword you are first directed by the enemies ahead of you. They die fairly easily, so you think maybe they are easing me in, and then you approach the first bonfire and see a massive door. This door brings forth a question, what creature would need a door this large, but this doesn’t stop you, you need to see what is behind it. And what’s behind that door is a grotesque, massive demon that squashes you with a hammer. You are then introduced to a two words phrase you will get very familiar with, “YOU DIED.”
This encapsulates the Dark Souls experience, it lulls you in with a sense of security, leading to complacency, and then punishes you for even thinking you were safe. You learn to check every corner, play every encounter tactical and slow to learn the enemy’s move set, and ensure to spend all your souls because when the inevitable death occurs you can at least mitigate some of the losses. Some people might hate this constant sense of dread and anxiety, but it makes conquering the challenges that much more satisfying. I haven’t even talked about the gratifying and rewarding combat or the intricate Metroidvania-Esque interconnected level design, there is just too much to praise about this game. Future From Software games have improved in many areas, but I don’t think any of them captures the magic and charm of Dark Souls, there is just something about the world of Lordran that is special. The melancholy calming feel juxtaposed against the daunting enemies and depressing environment creates a certain je ne sais quoi that has not been replicated or improved upon.
Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition
Devil May Cry 5 is character action perfection, exemplifying everything that makes these games great, using satisfying, complex combat to convey one thing, that you are cool as f*ck. This is the only game where you can duel-wield motorcycles as chainsaws and subsequently hop on and bulldoze over the demonic spawn. Also, the only game where you can shoot off your robotic arm and then skateboard on that arm dealing damage through kickflips. But this is just scratching the surface of the hundreds of destructive moves at your disposal. Having this many attacks may seem daunting, but DMC 5 eases you in by only starting the player with a select few moves so you are first able to master the core mechanics. There are three playable characters in the base game; Nero, V, and Dante, and with the special edition there is the addition of the main antagonist of the series, Vergil. All four of these characters play entirely differently and have unique strengths and personalities which people will gravitate to for different reasons.
Nero is a young and brash punk that has something to prove, and his gameplay reflects this. Nero’s gameplay revolves around raw and unbridled aggression, he only has one melee weapon but it has one special trick; you can rev it like a motorcycle engulfing your next attack in flames. His other weapon is a revolver that he can load with explosive bullets that knock away demons, but that isn’t a problem for Nero because his arm is a grappling hook that can pull the demons back to him. He also has access to multiple robotic arms that have a whole host of effects, from simple air dodges to the aforementioned skateboard arm, and an arm that turns the game into the Matrix slowing down the world around you.
V is a newcomer to the series, a suave and sophisticated poet that uses demon summons to deal damage from afar. Dante, the original protagonist and poster boy of the series oozes an effortlessly cool and dispassionate nature until he dons a cowboy hat and moonwalks across the room while fireworks go off in the distance, reminding us that this guy is a huge geek, and we love him for it.
Vergil, the series antagonist is a man after one thing, power, and he will get this power through any means possible. Focused on precision and discipline, Vergil’s gameplay rewards perfection wielding a katana that can cut through dimensions and a gauntlet that produces an explosion that would level a small town.
These characters are tied together through an extravagant, explosive storyline that rides the line between Shakespearean tragedy and shonen anime creating a conclusive capstone for the Devil May Cry series. While combat is the shining star of the Devil May Cry series, the distinct personalities and relationships between characters are what really make these games so memorable and are the reason why they have been the peak of action games for the past two decades.
Sekiro Shadows Die Twice
If Dark Souls is From Software’s Pulp Fiction, then Sekiro is their Hateful Eight, more contained and focused on one uncompromising vision, resulting in a dance of blades that is more rhythm game than traditional action, requiring a deep study of the enemies’ attack patterns to conquer grunts and bosses through a flurry of parries. Parrying is the star of the show in Sekiro, no longer are we dodge rolling through enemies’ attacks, we face them eye to eye in a duel to the death. But death is not the end for Sekiro, as he can revive up to twice in a fight. This gives you a bit of leeway to learn enemy attack patterns and makes the game much more approachable than it first seems. That is not to say this is not a difficult game, there will be many roadblocks on one’s quest to finish Sekiro, but if you are willing to struggle and challenge yourself to overcome its many bosses it becomes one of the most satisfying experiences in gaming.
NieR: Automata
This is one of the few games where I would recommend performing some research before starting the game, not on Nier lore but rather on the philosophical concept of existentialism. Following the android pair of 2B and 9S, a combat type and scanner type respectively, commanded by their human leaders the two delve into the remains of a post-apocalyptic world to defeat the alien robots that have taken over. 2B is a cold and aloof soldier that is deadset on eradicating the robots, while 9S is an empathetic and emotional follower who is striving the learn the real truth of his reality.
Philosophy and the story of NieR: Automata are intrinsically linked, throughout your journey both the characters and you as a player will often be wondering what is the meaning of all of this is, and what is the purpose of all this destruction. Early on in the game you meet a group of robots that have rejected violence and the war between robots and androids and have looked toward past philosophers for advice. The robots go so far as in to take up the names of these philosophers to live out their ideals, but some of the interpretations of the philosophy lead to disastrous results.
The emotional core of NieR: Automata stems from the relationship between 9S and 2B, an often one-sided relationship with 9S reaching out and 2B outright ignoring. But once we learn the true and complicated nature of their relationship, it completely recontextualizes the game and makes it all that more tragic. NieR: Automata teaches a very important message to the player, that while life may not have any instrinsic meaning, we are still able to find meaning in the connections we form with others, and that is what we live for.
God of War(2018)
God of War blends blockbuster action with emotionally gripping Hollywood-style drama better than any game before it. The story of God of War(2018) is a much more scaled-back and personal story of Kratos than explored in previous God of War games. The emotional crux of this game hinges on the relationship between Kratos and his young son Atreus, who are on the journey to bring their recently passed wife and mothers ashes to the land of the giants, Jotunheim. Due to previous family tragedy and trauma, Kratos has remained distance from Atreus until this moment, but now they only have eachother.
We have all seen this story before, young kid bonds with a distant adult due to a hard journey, we have even seen it in PlayStation exclusives before with The Last of Us, but it doesn’t ever make it less gripping. Their something inherently emotional to the parent-child relationships in media as it is an experience that almost everyone can relate to and empathize with. Kratos has lost so much, tragedy and trauma mire his life, but he continues fighting because the love for his child, and because he truly believes that he can continue on and make a better life for him and Atreus.
The story is just one of the things that makes God of War(2018) a great game, the gameplay is a visceral and dynamic experience that continues to keep you on your toes while still giving you the power to pummel any enemy that tries to step to you. They have completely revamped the old zoomed-out camera angle for a closer over the shoulder angle, a one-shot camera that never cuts, and gameplay that takes more cues from the Dark Souls series than Devil May Cry. The enemy variety is somewhat low, but that is made up for with the highs of some of the bombastic boss fights. These boss fights are some of the most insane and explosive in gaming, and often have significant story implications making the fights ever more personal.
God of War(2018) is arguably the most complete package in gaming, it is rare for a game to have such a gripping, emotional, and thoughtful story while still being able to maintain everything that makes action games great. God of War took the series and PlayStation games in general to new heights setting a standard for how good a PlayStation exclusive can be and arguably has not been topped.
Thanks for Reading
Have you played any of these games, which one is your favorite, comment down below.
