Action role-playing video game

Action role-playing video games (abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a loosely-defined subgenre of role-playing video games which emphasize real-time combat whereby the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat. These games often use action game combat systems similar to hack and slash or shooter games. Action role-playing games may also include action-adventure games that include a mission system and RPG mechanics, or massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) with real-time combat systems.

Early dungeon-crawl video games used turn-based movement, meaning that if the player did not move, neither would the enemies.Dungeons of Daggorath, released for the TRS-80 Color Computer in 1982, combined a typical first-person dungeon crawl with real-time elements, requiring timed keyboard commands and containing enemies that move independently of the player. The game lacked numerical statistics such as hit points or vitality, and instead used an arcade-like fatigue system where the heart pulsates to indicate the player's health, a concept inspired by the 1978 arcade game Space Invaders where a heartbeat-like sound gradually increases pace as enemies advance towards the player.

...
Wikipedia