Summary

  • Not all first-person shooters focus on ranged combat, some prioritize melee for immersion.
  • Games like Condemned and Cyberpunk 2077 offer engaging melee combat experiences.
  • Titles like Dishonored and Doom Eternal combine melee combat with finesse and style.

First-Person Shooters are everywhere. You don't even have to look very far to find a great one. That said, trying to find one with an emphasis on melee combat is quite a bit harder. Seeing the world literally through the eyes of a character can be incredibly immersive, but actually making things right in front of you look good is hard.

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But that doesn't mean there aren't games that haven't tried. While enticing melee combat is hard to make with a sword taking up most of your view, these games not only tried but made with work incredibly. Some of these games blend ranged combat with melee, giving you the best of both worlds.

10 Condemned: Criminal Origins

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Survival Horror Action 10.0/10 Released November 22, 2005 Developer(s) Monolith Productions Publisher(s) Sega Platform(s) PC, Xbox 360 Powered by Expand Collapse

Long before the Middle-Earth games, Monolith Productions made quite a variety of games, including the duology of Condemned games. Framed for the murder of two police officers, you have to use your detective skills to find the real killer and prove your innocence. Cut off from support though, that means you'll have to rely on what you find.

There are guns in Condemned, but they're few and far between. Instead, you have to rely on melee weapons you find around the world. Pull off steel pipes, break free a plank of wood, and anything else you can find. You're forced to face the horrors head on, making sure you don't break your weapons too soon and leave you with nothing to defend yourself with.

9 Mount And Blade: Bannerlord

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord

Action RPG Strategy Released October 25, 2022 Developer(s) TaleWorlds Entertainment Publisher(s) TaleWorlds Entertainment Platform(s) PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse

The Mount and Blade games have always been deeply methodical games, grand strategy on the individual level. You have to traverse the environment as a single character, engage in battles, and form alliances all as you build your own prestige. There's a lot to it, being equal parts life sim as it is strategy.

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When it comes to the battles, you have to manage both your army and your own place in battle. For you though, the combat is heavy and requires a lot of tact just to land a hit. You're no hero and have as much chance of dying as any other soldier. Keep your wits about you and take the time to learn how to swing a sword before you're felled by one.

The game also lets you play in third-person, if that's more your thing.

8 Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077

RPG Action 10.0/10 Released December 10, 2020 Developer(s) CD Projekt Red Publisher(s) CD Projekt Red Platform(s) PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC Powered by Expand Collapse

When Cyberpunk 2077 announced it was shifting to first-person from the Witcher's third-person, there was a general feeling of opposition. The Witcher was plenty immersive, Cyberpunk doesn't need it. Except that first-person persepctive helped that world feel larger, letting you feel the scale of Night City, and the tension of getting right up in someone's face.

While Cyberpunk has lots of ranged weapons, the freedom of its systems really does let you play it entirely in melee. Go with stealthy with katanas, use throwing knives, or install Mantis Blades into your arms to become a living weapon. There is a massive variety of melee weapons for you to choose from to pummel enemies to death.

7 Ghostrunner

Ghostrunner

Action Released October 27, 2020 Developer(s) One More Level, Slipgate Ironworks Publisher(s) 505 Games, All In! Games Platform(s) PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

Ghostrunner in many ways feels like if the speedrunning of Mirror's Edge was turned into the entire focus of the game in a cyberpunk setting. One-hit, one-kill. Ghostrunner demands perfection from you, but those responsive controls make it feel like a breeze that carries you forward by itself.

A single slash of your sword is enough to kill an enemy, but you too. Respawning is instant too. Over time you'll learn exactly how long your blade is, just how fast you can deflect a bullet, just how close you can get before an enemy cuts you down. It is exhilarating.

6 Chivalry 2

Chivalry 2

Hack and Slash Action Released June 8, 2021 Developer(s) Torn Banner Studios Publisher(s) Tripwire Interactive Platform(s) Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 Powered by Expand Collapse

Chivalry falls somewhere between Bannerlord and For Honor in its overall approach. It's grander in theatrics though less geared towards extreme realism. It is also an entirely PvP affair, letting you wreak havoc on your enemies with a variety of medieval weaponry.

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Chivalry 2 takes place in massive 64-player battles, meaning you're always in the heat of battle. Combat is frantic but precise. Weapons are heavy and you need to plan your hits, though there is still a decent degree of leeway. Just have some fun slashing your way through a siege.

5 Dark Messiah Of Might And Magic

Dark Messiah Of Might And Magic

FPS Action Narrative Fantasy Released October 24, 2006 Developer(s) Arkane Studios, Ubisoft Annecy Publisher(s) Ubisoft Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 Powered by Expand Collapse

Before Arkane made the critically acclaimed Dishonored series, the studio engaged in many smaller games, the majority of them all in first-person. One such game was Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. Stepping away from the party-based mechanics of earlier games, Arkane's rendition of the series introduced much deeper combat.

And in doing so, Dark Messiah is quite an interesting RPG. You can make builds centered around melee, magic, and even stealth, though a good degree of skill and usage of the environment can carry you just as much.

4 Dead Island

Dead Island

Action RPG Survival Horror Released September 6, 2011 Developer(s) Techland Publisher(s) Deep Silver Platform(s) PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC Powered by Expand Collapse

Zombie games are a dime-a-dozen, especially back in the period in which Dead Island first released. In many ways, the game itself is a parody of zombie games, being revealed with an emotionally-charged trailer only to end up being a heavily comedic game anyway. Trapped on an island resort with a bunch of vacationing zombies isn't exactly the scariest.

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But if there is one thing Dead Island achieved, it is some crunchy combat. The game is basically exclusively melee, and all the weapons makeshift. This gives the game a unique visual flair that leans into the humour of the scenario, while really letting you feel the feedback when you swing a makeshift hammer into a zombie's head.

3 Shadow Warrior

Shadow Warrior

First-Person Shooter Adventure Released September 26, 2013 Developer(s) Flying Wild Hog Publisher(s) Devolver Digital Platform(s) PC, PS4, Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

iThe Shadow Warrior games now are a dramatically different affair than the original 1997 game. The original pulled heavily from Doom and Duke Nukem before going on an extended hiatus. The rebooted trilogy leans into the satire angle much more heavily, but also puts a whole lot more emphasis on melee combat too.

Guns and blades aren't a choice of playstyle, but a requirement. Every weapon in your arsenal is an essential tool. Sometimes a sword is just what you need against certain enemies. And there's no feeling quite like fluidly slashing through a horde of enemies without taking a hit.

2 Doom Eternal

DOOM Eternal

FPS Action Released March 20, 2020 Developer(s) id Software Publisher(s) Bethesda Platform(s) Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

The Doom series is a lot of things, from one of the most ported games in the world, to the pioneer of the FPS genre. And as it stands now with Doom Eternal, it is still one of the finest first-person shooters there is. In fact, one could argue Doom Eternal is something akin to the few-and-far-between character-action first-person games. It's real stylish.

ANd like character-action games, you're playing for the finesse, not just to survive. Shoulder cannons, miniguns, executions. A little bit of everything. Doom Eternal went even deeper on melee than its predecessor, giving you a chainsaw, sword, and hammer, all with unique benefits.

1 Dishonored

Dishonored

Action Adventure Stealth Released October 9, 2012 Developer(s) Arkane Studios Publisher(s) Bethesda Platform(s) PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC Powered by Expand Collapse

Arkane has a talent for creating games with incredibly immersive perspectives. It's a given for the immersive sim genre. Dishonored is simply unmatched though, from the visual style to the genuine reactivity of the world. There's no wrong way to play either. A game with melee combat this good has no right to be called just a stealth game.

Getting up close with your sword is intense, having to clash for dominance against enemies. Throwing in your abilities adds even more flair, kicking enemies away, whipping them into the air, stopping bullets just to walk them into their own line of fire. There is incredible things you can do here when you mee the game on its own level.

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