Genres used by The Cranky Hermit

This is an overview of the genre system that I use on this page. It was born out of dissatisfaction with existing recognized organizational systems, and involved creating an AI-like algorithm to create a hierarchy of categories, and several months spend gathering and entering data. Among the goals were increasing consistency, and decreasing personal bias, including my own.

Below is a thumbnail of the diagram of the current version of the hierarchical genre structure, with a sample of example games in each genre. Open in a new tab and zoom in to see in full detail.

It's important to note that the genre names are applied retroactively. For instance, the algorithm can only tell me that games such as Castlevania, Dynamite Headdy, and Rayman are all similar enough to group together, and I am designating this group of games "sidescrolling platformers" after the fact. Picking names for these groups has been a difficult balancing act of descriptiveness, brevity, and familiarity, and sometimes one of these qualities suffers. The example of "sidescrolling platformers" doesn't fully do justice to the group; it refers to a very particular kind of sidescrolling platformer. Therefore, this page will go into detail on these genres' definitions below. The definitions, too, are retroactive.

The diagram is cladastic. For instance, all games in the "run & gun platformer" category are also in the "sidescrolling platformer" category. All games in both of those categories are also in the "platformer" category, and so on.

Silver boxes mean that the algorithm established that category with a borderline amount of data. White boxes are established with very strong data. It can be said that it is more certain that the genres in the white boxes definitely "exist."

Games can be in multiple genres. For instance, Sid Meier's Pirates! is simultaneously RPGlike, open world action/adventure, vehicular action, and economic sim. This feature is omitted from the diagram to aid readability.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of genres. There are numerous, mostly smaller but still legitimate genres that the algorithm failed to recognize. For instance, it failed to meaningfully distinguish the games that are often thought of as beat'em ups, shmups, and rhythm games from the broader category of "action" games, and these games remain under that category, which would likely have been the parent category of those sub-genres had the algorithm recognized them.

The diagram is actually greatly simplified. The full version involves multiple vertical inheritance, a network of horizontal inheritance, and a few "gold box" genres which are intuitive but have even less data than the "silver box" genres do. I've omitted all of these to keep the chart legible.

Now then, on to the genre definitions.

Action

Action games emphasize dexterous, fast-paced challenges, reaction time, wits, and short term strategy. More than 60% of the games I've evaluated are some type of action game.

Vehicular action

These are action games involving movement aided by a vehicle. Controlling the vehicle and mastering its physics model is part of the action game challenge; games with trivial movement controls like 1942 and Space Invaders do not count.

Competitive action

These are action games where your goal is to defeat or outperform one or more opponents, who may but are not required to be human controlled, but are present and active throughout the entire match. Simply having enemies does not count; for instance, although Pac-Man has computer controlled opponents, your goal isn't to "beat" them in any contest, but rather to eat all the dots in spite of their attempts to block you. Similarly, the many games where your goal is simply to reach the end of a level, and computer-controlled enemies serve as obstacles, do not count.

Racing

Competitive action games where you try to navigate a course and the primary challenge is to beat your opponents to the finish, or to attain a record time and/or distance traveled.

Fighting

Win a martial arts-like close combat match against one or more opponents.

Platformer

Navigate a stage filled with interactive, physical surfaces, typically used to aid in traversal of the stage, with the goal of reaching an end point or completing another task within the stage.

3D platformer adventure

A fully 3D platformer with fluid, 360 degree movement, an emphasis on exploration, and large, cohesive worlds with tiered progression.

Sidescrolling platformer

Platformers featuring a profile perspective with scrolling, emphasis on challenging jump maneuvers, parabolic physics, structure based on non-repetitive silos of flowing, semi-linear gameplay, and a tendency towards intuitive controls, mechanics, and level design.

Run & gun platformer

Sidescrolling platformers with an emphasis on combat resolved with guns or gunlike ranged weapons.

Hop & bop platformer

Sidescrolling platformers where your jumps are also your primary means of destroying your enemies.

Action/adventure

Action games with a degree of exploration and/or other adventure-like elements. 3D and overhead perspective games often qualify, because this style lends itself well to exploration.

Open world action/adventure

Action/adventures set in a single cohesive and open world, lacking linear sequences of objectives. Progression may be tiered or totally non-linear.

FPSlike

Combat-focused 3D action/adventures with a camera that follows your character's perspective to aid precision aiming, i.e., either first person, or third person chase-cam.

Third person shooter

Ranged combat-focused action/adventures with a third person chase-cam or over-the-shoulder perspective to aid with precision aiming.

Freelook FPS

Ranged combat-focused action/adventures with a true 3D first person perspective perspective, ability to look and aim freely within this perspective, and unrestricted 3D level design.

Adventure

This one's hard to tie down. The genre is named after Will Crowther and Don Woods' Adventure, released by Don in 1977, which set the prototype for the entire genre. Like Adventure, these are games principally concerned with narrative over action or left-brain thinking, but they go about it in a wide variety of ways. Some of them want to tell you a story, some want to make a story with you. Some of them want to create a world for you to explore. Some of them want to create a world and guide you through it. Some want to immerse you in lore. Some of them want to simulate the roleplaying aspect of D&D. Some just want to simulate the wargaming aspect of it. Some want to simulate the equipment aspect of it. Some want you to solve puzzles. Some want you to solve problems. Some want you to create and develop your own characters. Some want you to direct the actions of their characters.

There are a common set of recurring game elements in adventures, a set of family resemblances. They overlap and interconnect in interesting ways throughout the genre, but not all games have all of these features, and no feature is used by all games. There may be a game world with rich lore and unique features to distinguish it from worlds in other games, a world bigger than the character you play as, but may be affected in large ways by your actions. There may be a "main quest" which fits within the context of the game world, the process of completing the quest constitutes both the gameplay and the plot. Your character(s) may be characterized by conventional writing, or may be characterized by your own creation, customization, and development as you play. The game world may encourage exploration, and your character(s) development may encourage exploration.

Survival horror

Another loose web of family resemblances, but these are crucially adventure games, with incidental action elements, mostly deterministic gameplay, claustrophobic maze-like environments, a hostile environment nearly devoid of safe zones, inventory items to collect, some serving as supplies, some as keys or plot coupons, a de-emphasis on character interaction, and low emphasis on character growth and player expression.

RPGlike

Adventures with crucial RPG elements. There is still a web of family resemblances, but there is stronger cohesion than with the broader category of adventure games; many RPGlikes feature all of the typical RPGlike features, and all RPGlikes feature many of them.

There is typically a strong emphasis on stat-driven character development. Gameplay is paced with combat encounters with hostiles which offer a variety of tactical options, often with a melee and magic paradigm. Fighting is rewarded with experience points, money, and/or other treasures. There is a wide variety of armor, weapons, and other interesting or useful items which can be won through combat, exploration, or completion of other tasks, or can be traded for or bought from NPC vendors throughout the world.

There's still a lot of variety within this genre. You can play as a solo adventurer, or be in a party. Combat can be turn-based, action-based, or real-time strategic. The world can be open, linear, non-linear, be a dungeon crawler, or be one of any number of styles. Character creation can be extensive, and it can be nonexistent. But the most commonly emphasized features are narrative, character development, and combat resolution.

JRPG

RPGlikes that follow the template set by Dragon Warrior on the NES. Character development is streamlined, character creation is usually basic or nonexistent, and is de-emphasized in favor of a linear, story-based narrative. The world has a degree of openness, though there is typically an intended linear sequence which constitutes completing the main quest, and access to advanced areas may be gated and require plot tokens and/or being sufficiently high level enough to progress.

Despite the name, these are not necessarily Japanese, as there have been Western developed RPGlikes that follow the JRPG template closely enough to be considered one. Nor are Japanese developed RPGlikes necessarily JRPGs, as some of them, especially early RPGs developed for home computers, do not follow the JRPG formula at all.

Open party CRPG

Not quite the same thing as the colloquial WRPG category - these are RPGlikes that are set in an open world, and involve controlling a party of adventurers in it, as popularized by the Ultima series starting with Ultima III. Character creation, customization, and development is emphasized; you typically start the game by creating your main character, if not the entire party. Combat is strategic, and involves careful management of your party members, each of whom is distinct and may have distinct powers and abilities from each other. Interaction with the world is emphasized as well; there is flexibility in your actions, and there are effects and consequences of your decisions and actions.

Quest adventure

Adventure games in the style of King's Quest, with modular, exploration-encouraging worlds, narrative-based, mostly deterministic gameplay, fully animated graphics, character interaction and/or dialog, and a strong emphasis on finding items and solving inventory puzzles, with some sort of lexicon used for interaction.

Closely aligned with the colloquial terms "graphic adventure" or "point and click adventure," but excludes games like Myst which have very little character interaction and inventory, and includes games that do not use point & click interfaces but otherwise fit the template.

Sierra's parser-based graphic adventure games, King's Quest, Space Quest, etc., were immensely popular in the Soviet Union, and consequently Russian gamers appropriated the word "quest" for all games of this kind. It seems appropriate, then, to use this term to distinguish these kinds of games from the broader "adventure" category.

Strategy

Games emphasizing thinking, long term strategy, and decision making. Goals tend to be more abstract than action or adventure games; for comparison, in Pac-Man, an action game you are controlling Pac-Man, and your goal is to eat all the dots while avoiding monsters. In Ultima, an adventure, you are The Avatar, and your goal is to kill an evil wizard or find a resolution to some crisis in Britannia. In chess, a strategy game, you are not represented by any particular piece on the board, not even the king, but your side's success or failure depends on your decisions.

Economic sim

Strategy games about running a city, running a business, or simply managing time in day-to-day life activities. The common thread is an ecosystem involving money. Making money may or may not be the end goal of the game, but the amount you have will determine the things you can do.

War strategy

You control a side in an armed conflict, and are opposed by one or more sides. You have a goal, and their goal is to stop you from achieving this. Units are expendable and interchangeable. Checkers could be considered a 'war strategy,' as every piece is essentially the same. Chess could not, as half of the pieces have unique abilities and are irreplaceable; giving one up is a huge sacrifice.

RTS

War strategy played out in real time, with an emphasis on skirmish combat, in the style of Dune II. Two or more sides manuever and position units, buildings, and weapons on a map, often with the goal to destroy the other side(s) or be the last one remaining. Common features include base-building, resource gathering, and producing more units to strengthen your army.

4x strategy

War strategy on a large scale and wide scope, emphasizing empire building and management. The term originally described Master of Orion, and its eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate model, but can be retroactively applied to many earlier games with similar principals. Greater emphasis is placed on exploration and empire expansion than other kinds of war strategy games, and other common features include diplomacy, trade, and complex technology trees which allow spending resources to unlock new technologies and advanced abilities, usually over a long period of time.