DmC: Devil May Cry

Why recommended

• Features incredibly deep and satisfying hack-and-slash combat with a focus on combos, parries, and dodging to trigger 'Witch Time,' offering a similar high-skill ceiling and stylish action to DmC.
• Criteria — Challenging Difficulty is central, with higher difficulties demanding mastery of its intricate combat system and boss patterns, providing a true test of skill.
• The game is an Adventure blending exploration of fantastical environments with intense, arena-style combat encounters and massive, visually spectacular boss battles.

Why recommended

• Offers a highly stylized and incredibly fast-paced hack-and-slash combat system, emphasizing parries, dodges, and precise slicing mechanics that reward aggressive and skillful play, much like DmC.
• Criteria — Challenging Difficulty is inherent, especially on higher settings, requiring players to master parrying and blade mode to overcome relentless enemies and demanding boss encounters.
• The game is an Adventure that propels players through a linear but action-packed narrative, featuring memorable characters and epic set-piece battles.

Why recommended

• Features a unique dual-character combat system where players control both a human protagonist and a 'Legion' (a chained chimera), allowing for intricate combo potential and strategic positioning.
• Criteria — Challenging Difficulty is present through its deep combat system that encourages experimentation and mastery, with higher ranks requiring perfect execution of Legion abilities and chain maneuvers.
• The game is an Adventure that blends intense combat with detective work and environmental Puzzle-solving using your Legion's unique abilities to navigate the dystopian Ark city.

Why recommended

• Boasts incredibly fluid and stylish character action combat, designed by PlatinumGames (known for similar titles), allowing for intricate combos, weapon switching, and satisfying enemy dispatch.
• Criteria — Adventure is a core component, with extensive exploration of a post-apocalyptic Earth, uncovering secrets, and engaging in side quests that deepen the world's lore.
• Features light Puzzle elements in its varied gameplay, including hacking mini-games and environmental navigation that occasionally requires clever use of character abilities.