games with active dismemberment

i'll knock your fuckin' head off

games where de-limbing plays an active role. rare instances of dismemberment (e.g. mario sunshine's blooper boss), generic gibbing (gears of war), or mk-esque fatality events (samsho) do not count. rpgs with part breaking (labyrinth of refrain) also do not qualify unless the breakage is shown (valkyrie profile 2)

suggestions welcome!

fair warning: this one's less cartoony/satisfying and more just uh, visceral and snuff-like. i honestly don't recommend it!
borders on being a rare instance, but it impacts the gameplay significantly enough for me to let it slide
more about dismembering yourself but mechanically involving nonetheless
rpg with part breaking that is shown on-model
lightsaber dismemberment is accessible via cheats
original ps2 and pc versions only

31 Comments


2 months ago

You make the most eclectic lists on here.

2 months ago

im a freak mi like a guro man im insane pass me the scalpel doc im goin crazy
postal 4, half sword

2 months ago

3d era gta, you can shoot off npc's heads and limbs

2 months ago

@huss this doesn't apply to anything other than gta 3, but good call nonetheless

2 months ago

@chandler curious to know, why only gta 3?

2 months ago

@huss because it's the only one with dismemberment. in fact - only the ps2 and pc versions qualify

this video is a good explanation. in short, subsequent releases and later entries use mesh models, while og gta3 characters are composed of individual models for each body part

2 months ago

@chandler
right i know how the other versions of the 3d era games in general fuck up a lot of things and in my mind vc and sa also had dismemberment especially because they had shit like chainsaws and katanas which are, you know, classic dismemberment weapons but guess not, interesting bit about the mesh models though

2 months ago

Chasm: The Rift and Time Killers.

2 months ago

Eternal Darkness would probably fit here, there's a body-part targeting system that lets you destroy enemy arms to lower their attack speed or target their head to leave them standing still and blindly attacking.

2 months ago

Jedi Knight 1 (Dark Forces 2 (Jedi Outcast 0)) had occasional stormtrooper arm dismemberment out of the box, iirc

2 months ago

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2 months ago

Shadow tower: abyss, you can cut the body of the enemies, i think your gonna like it :3

2 months ago

@zaprowsdower good calls. thanks!

@drax man this shit's cool as hell. i really gotta get on this game sooner than later

@treymoney are you sure? i can't seem to find anything about it in jk1

@josh15 added - and moved up way higher on my priorities for having learned this

2 months ago

I found an example in a playthrough: https://youtu.be/9pvk_BWKXtU?si=Xd2mY1a9H2o_A-br&t=2681

2 months ago

Cruelty Squad

2 months ago

Bio F.R.E.A.K.S. has dismemberment and you can continue to fight despite losing limbs such as arms

2 months ago

@rogueliker @stovetop good calls, thanks!

2 months ago

@treymoney also thanks for the vid. i think i'll still keep the first game up. one per series and all + the dismemberment in the first game is very limited

2 months ago

Shittons of roguelikes have this but first that come to mind are Dwarf Fortress (even can get nerve damage instead of full dismemberment,) and Iter Vehemens Ad Necem, I.V.A.N. in particular is infamous for being able to replace your limbs with any material, (if you can replace them with steel, you can also get a god to replace them with bananas.)

2 months ago

Xenoblade Chronicles X allows you to destroy parts and limbs of some enemies.

2 months ago

The Surge 1 & 2. You target specific limbs to cut them off as a specific mechanic for getting armour of that location type.

2 months ago

Pretty much every Monster Hunter game involves breaking limbs of monsters and cutting off their tails. These changes are also visually shown so it should count.

2 months ago

Just saw it's only one for each series, so I vouch for Monster Hunter World, as it takes the most realistic approach.

Else Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3 come to mind, limbs regularly come off during combat.

2 months ago

Ryse: Son of Rome has executions that involve some arm/leg dismemberment, and the game encourages you to rack up some executions for selected bonuses.

2 months ago

Happy Wheels lets you continue accelerating even after you lose a leg, as long as one of your arms is holding onto a vehicle.

2 months ago

In Painkiller Hell and Damnation there is a gun that shoots blades that allows you to cut enemies' limbs, I'm also pretty sure you get a tarot card for cutting enough limbs in one level using this weapon.
Didn't vagrant story have active dismemberment?

2 months ago

Well obviously ya got dying light 1 and 2 and dead island 1 and dead island 1 riptide

2 months ago

@athing_451 these fall under the same category as labyrinth of refrain, where part breaking is implied but aside from possible visual cues in the ui, not shown on an entity directly. doesn't count

@mrwarm seems too situational and too occasional to qualify

@fallengrace this works. thanks!

@lemonstrade monster hunter seems more adjacent to xenoblade x. part breaking doesn't qualify, and if it's just tails or tusks or whatever being dismembered, then i think that's too situational. cyberpunk 2077 and the witcher 3 both fit though - thanks!

@meowthed000 i spose that works. i'll begrudgingly add happy wheels as well

@jerychon correct me if i'm wrong but don't enemies just explode regardless? limbs need to be able to be cut independently to fit here. gears of war isn't on for the same reason (gibbing gets too grey and nonspecific)

@gurthingtonracks just part breaking iirc

@kepler22b one per series, but since dead island 1 did it first i'll replace 2 with it. thanks for bringing dying light to my attention


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