For the past 25 years, Capcom has thrilled gamers with its popular hack-and-slash series “Devil May Cry.” Some of the titles in the original “Devil May Cry” trilogy stand among the best PS2 games of all time, blending stylish action with intensely demonic stakes. The series primarily follows the adventures of Dante, a demon hunter armed with a huge sword and matching pistols, keeping humanity safe from hellish monsters. The game has released five mainline installments and an attempted reboot, while also inspiring a hit animated series on Netflix.
Plenty of other game series have followed suit after “Devil May Cry,” providing their own distinct fast-paced combat in the 3D hack-and-slash space. We’re looking at the greatest games that are similar to Capcom’s long-running classic franchise and that then put their own spin on the genre. These games also center largely on melee combat and have a sense of style about how they conduct their action, fueling an overall cool factor that would make Dante proud. These are the five best video games like “Devil May Cry,” each offering stylish hack-and-slash combat and memorable protagonists to admire.
Ninja Gaiden (2004)
The original “Ninja Gaiden” trilogy were some of the most rewardingly challenging games on the Nintendo Entertainment System, mixing action with precise platforming. The series made the leap to 3D with a revival in 2004, simply titled “Ninja Gaiden,” marking the return of protagonist Ryu Hayabusa. Escalating the on-screen carnage and the number of weapons and techniques available to Ryu, the game also didn’t reduce the difficulty level that the franchise is known for. The revival game’s story has Ryu set out to recover his stolen ancestral sword and avenge his ninja clan, cutting through waves of rival ninjas, soldiers, and monsters along the way.
The 2004 “Ninja Gaiden” spawned its own line of sequels, doubling down on the third-person hack-and-slash mayhem and emphasis on maintaining tight timing on attack and evasion. Of these, the first two titles in the revival series still stand as the best entry, while the third is the most skippable of the set. After a lengthy hiatus, Team Ninja made another “Ninja Gaiden” game with 2025’s “Ninja Gaiden 4,” adding a new protagonist to team up with Ryu. But there’s something about those first two “Ninja Gaiden” games that make them the perfect jumping-on point for the series, so start there.
Bayonetta
After creating “Devil May Cry,” celebrated video game director and designer Hideki Kamiya left Capcom and co-founded his own development studio PlatinumGames. Among the first major titles developed by PlatinumGames was “Bayonetta,” written and designed by Kamiya and published by Sega in 2009. The titular protagonist is a witch who, like Dante, wields matching pistols but also uses her magical hair to carry out melee attacks. The story of “Bayonetta” has its hero trying to stop angels from carrying out the apocalypse while reawakening her latent memories.
In terms of games that are most similar to “Devil May Cry,” the “Bayonetta” series is probably as close as it gets. Both franchises’ protagonists are stylishly cool and that emphasis on slick combat carries over in the gameplay. The combat systems also reflect Kamiya’s prior work, including players building up combos against enemies while being mindful of timing and defense. Spawning an entire franchise for PlatinumGames, “Bayonetta” is another hack-and-slash epic best started from the beginning.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
“Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” repositioned the controversial character Raiden as a cybernetic ninja warrior amidst all the contemporary tactical espionage action. After staying on the sidelines for “Metal Gear Solid 4,” Raiden retook center stage for the 2013 spin-off game “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance,” which also saw a significant change in the series’ usual gameplay. Rather than relying on stealth and gunplay to progress through missions around the globe, Raiden cuts through virtually anything that stands in his way with his futuristic sword.
While it’s an offbeat entry in the wider “Metal Gear” series, “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” definitely is exciting in its own right. The pivot to hack-and-slash gameplay is handled surprisingly well and there is something viscerally satisfying about being able to slice and dice through so many enemies and environmental structures. And just like many of its predecessors, “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” eerily predicts the future, particularly in regard to its depiction of American jingoism. Well worth giving a try, even for series purists, “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” showcases a thrilling redefinition of what a “Metal Gear” game can be.
Astral Chain
Whereas “Bayonetta” is powered by a fantasy story, PlatinumGames’ subsequent series “Astral Chain” leans heavily into cyberpunk science fiction. A Nintendo Switch exclusive, the game is set in a dystopian future with what remains of humanity sheltering in a metropolis besieged by extradimensional monsters, known as chimera. Players choose between twin police officers who are psychically connected to subservient chimera as they defend the city and drive the chimera back. “Astral Chain” offers co-op gameplay but it makes the game tougher, requiring tighter coordination to pull off key techniques.
Looking back, “Astral Chain” was one of the most under-appreciated games of 2019 and worthy of some sort of sequel or remaster. There’s an enormous depth to the gameplay, particularly in regard to the variety of ways players can link together combos. This is deepened further by the game’s customization options that let players optimize how they want to proceed. An exciting and relatively overlooked PlatinumGames title, “Astral Chain” deserves far more attention than it initially got.
Stellar Blade
A relatively new property in the world of hack-and-slash games, “Stellar Blade” made a splash when it debuted in 2024. Developed by South Korean studio Shift Up, the game’s story takes place in a future where humanity has largely fled Earth after the planet was invaded by an extraterrestrial force. The protagonist is Eve, a soldier whose physical abilities have been enhanced, as she’s sent to liberate Earth from its occupying enemies. The gameplay places a strong emphasis on recognizing enemy attack patterns and responding accordingly, both in terms of offense and defense.
Like “Bayonetta” before it, “Stellar Blade” may raise eyebrows with its unabashedly sexualized protagonist, but the title has the engaging gameplay and technical presentation to back it up. The game’s combat system feels meticulously refined while the game’s sci-fi setting takes advantage of the PlayStation 5 hardware that it was originally exclusive to. The game has since led to development of a sequel, “Stellar Blade: Blood Rain,” poised to go even deeper with the combat mechanics. A fantastic expansion of what the genre can be on modern platforms, “Stellar Blade” brings a fresh energy to fast-paced hack-and-slash combat.
