Hi everyone,
I would like to share my thoughts on the combat system. It could be really cool, but there are lots of issues that make it feel a bit off imo. Due to balance issues, this post covers the first 10 hours of the game. (I was able to tear the game apart with fully upgraded weapon and skills after 12hours+)
I know the game causes much ink to flaw, and we are all a bit emotional about this, but please, It’s just my opinion, so be polite and express your arguments without anger.
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First, the lock-on is way too weak. Lots of enemies are quite mobile and can get through your whole screen in less than a second (or just flee out of the screen). Out of focus, your attacks land anywhere except on the enemy.
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Stamina bar is not visible enough, and it can be difficult to evaluate your actions cost by glancing at it. I think the stamina cost should be visible after an action (grey color for 1 sec?)
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Enemies attack tracking is sometimes really strong and can lead to being hit despite dodging in the opposite direction of the attack/jump attack/range attack.
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Enemies can attack you from outside of the camera, even close range enemies. Maybe adding a visual indicator on the edge of the screen ? On top of that, ranged enemies can attack you from too far away. I have been hit too many times by enemies that I can’t see, even by following the projectile path.
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Now let’s talk about the big deal : every single damage from foes can interrupt you (even arrows or the swing of a stick) but, most of the time you’re simply not allowed to interrupt your opponent, even with massive weapons. And of course, this is also the case in multiple-encounter fights where you can literally be stun-locked despite swinging a big weapon.
I suggest adding hyperarmor (immunity to stagger if receiving a hit) to actions like certain skills (rune), some swings of the moveset of two-handed weapons, and maybe more rarely on one-handed weapons (especially the slowests). Combats will feel more realistic with more impact on certain attacks, with enemies being unable to stop them. -
Finally, the risk-reward of parrying isn’t worth it. Enemies of the beginning of the game have nice and readable attack animations, which is cool. But for the rest of the game, most of the enemies are stupidly hard to perfect parry, with attack animation varying from poorly readable to totally unreadable.
When you’re able to perfect parry those enemies, you can’t land enough hits for the risk you take. A partial solution could be adding a stance break and allowing a front stab that deals decent damage.
This is even worse in multiple-encounter fights where all enemies can attack you at the same time, so perfect parrying is punished rather than rewarded. Hyperarmor during a perfect parry or front stab (stance break) can be a nice addition.
Thanks for your time,
Bisous.