Action Games

Action games are about doing things quickly and under pressure. You jump, dodge, attack and react in real time, and the game keeps pushing the pace so you never fully relax. The label covers many styles: platform shooters, sword fighting, beat 'em ups, stealth missions and pure destruction. If a game tests your reflexes more than your patience, it probably belongs here.

Action games are the fastest way to blow off steam. You can start playing within seconds, and the constant motion pulls your full attention in a way that slower games do not. Most of them have short levels too, which makes them easy to fit around homework. And because they lean on skill, you can feel yourself improving from one session to the next.

Learn the dodge or dash button early, because it is your best defense in almost every action game. Keep an eye on the edges of the screen for enemies and traps you have not reached yet. Do not rush into new areas at full speed; a short pause to look ahead saves plenty of lives. When a game has bosses, watch their first few attacks before you commit to going on offense.

Hellforge: Demon Protocol is a tough run-and-gun platformer with double jumps, grenades, shields and ten bosses. Ninja's Blade casts you as Ryu, the last of his clan, slashing and throwing shuriken on the way to the demon Tengu. Hide Heist trades raw speed for quick thinking as you switch between a hacker and a heavy hitter to pull off a robbery. Mad Day Special mixes hill-climb driving with an alien shootout to rescue a kidnapped pet octopus, and Dinosaur Rampage simply lets you stomp everything in sight.