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[LectureMaster]

One of my favorite mechanics, combat becomes much more dynamic and satisfying with it.

But the quality of implementations varies from game to game. The king still is Sekiro, as the whole combat logics and flow revolve around deflecting and was polished to max. In other games the mechanic was either too punishing when failed, or mashed with too much other stuff together.

Some recent games that have deflection/precise guard: Did not include OG parry from Dark Souls or earlier games, those are advanced techniques that work in more situational scenarios.

Sekiro

Lies of P

Rise of the Ronin

Wo Long:

Stellar Blade:

 

[thief183]

Sekiro is king, but nioh 2 is not bad, thing is that in nioh you got tons of types of it, and all of them are a bit to ponishing.

 

[LectureMaster]

Sekiro is king, but nioh 2 is not bad, thing is that in nioh you got tons of types of it, and all of them are a bit to ponishing.

Yeah, didn't include Nioh because it is an advanced skill thats not easy to pull off. Plus only works on humanoid enemies.

 

[bbeach123]

Wo long parry feel pretty good ngl . The combat system and animation feel more polish than Rise of ronin .

 

[RickMasters]

it feels very satisfying in DS1 remaster ( in my current playlist) …. Im in that forest w farming them knights that give you a a whole bunch of souls ( same area that leads to that wolf with the sword) i got really good at the parry and been killing rhem quickly while leveling up all my stats. I’ve forgotten where I’m supposed to go next but a quick look on YouTube will get me back on track.



I want to try sekiro next. It’s in my backlog. But I also wanna try out lies of P before it leaves gamepass. It’s been on there for a whike so I may even do a run on that game first and then sekiro and then Elden ring.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I'm so goddamn sick of parrying - it's the most needlessly overused mechanic in gaming today. Not as bad as crafting, I guess, but well on its way.

I liked how they approached it in Metal Gear Rising where it was a predictable, rhythmic sort of exercise. Too many games just developers it on without really considering how it affects the flow of combat, or if there are any interesting techniques to utilize outside of it.

 

[Danjin44]

Sekiro, no question.

 

[Bloobs]

I dont.

 

[Revolutionary]

I find parrying to be infinitely more satisfying than abusing i-frames with dodge rolls.

 

[semiconscious]

not a fan of parrying. it's a combination of qte & rhythm game button pushing, & i've never really liked either of those...

 

[Danjin44]

I also really like parry in Elden Ring...

 

[SenkiDala]

One of my favorite mechanics, combat becomes much more dynamic and satisfying with it.

But the quality of implementations varies from game to game. The king still is Sekiro, as the whole combat logics and flow revolve around deflecting and was polished to max. In other games the mechanic was either too punishing when failed, or mashed with too much other stuff together.

Some recent games that have deflection/precise guard: Did not include OG parry from Dark Souls or earlier games, those are advanced techniques that work in more situational scenarios.

Sekiro

Lies of P

Rise of the Ronin

Wo Long:

Stellar Blade:

I personally really dislike it because I've some kind of stress issues that causes me to become very nervous when you ask me to a precise, exact, task. I need "room to maneuver", and precise things like this, once is ok, maybe twice, but the whole game... This is impossible for me.

I plat'd Demon's Souls on PS3, DS3 and BB (with dlcs) on PS4, Elden Ring on PS5, but Sekiro for me is unplayable.

For Bloodborne I didn't use the "parry" (?) feature with the gun. Impossible for me. I still plat'd the game without it.

 

[The_hunter]

I like it in Sekiro, but It's a very tiring mechanic.

DMC5 has a cool parry mechanic, when two hitboxes clash the enemy becomes stunned. FF16 has the same thing, except time is also slowed down.

 

[Garibaldi]

I vastly prefer it to rolling about like a clown. Or dashing about. I love standing in their face and punting everything they have away from me, then unleashing my vengeance upon thee.

 

[ReBurn]

I turn off the game that requires it and play one that doesn't.

 

[Thief1987]

Yeah, I like it, it's a very good alternative to a rolling like an idiot. It's also more skill based system what is another plus.

 

[Fbh]

Yeah Sekiro is the best.
I also liked it Nioh 2 and what I played of Stellar Blade.

Overall I like it to be skill based but still forgiving enough that you can pull it off consistently. It's why I never did much parrying in the Dark Souls games, while it's satisfying when you pull it off I ultimately felt I was getting hit by not getting the timing quite right too often to be worth it

 

[March Climber]

Add me to the ‘Metal Gear Rising struck the perfect balance between fun and tedious parries’ list.

 

[Boneless]

A very boring mechanic.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Sekiro

Stellar Blade's is very satisfying due to the controller's input. It just feels right.

I would add Ghost of Tsushima in lethal mode (the difficulty that best uses the game mechanics).

A very boring mechanic.

Because most devs don't do it right. When they do, you have some of the best boss battles in gaming, like Genishiro/Isshin or Raven.

 

[Larxia]

I don't like it most of the time, especially if the game focuses on that as a core mechanic.
I like it fine in something like Kingdom Hearts or Metal Gear Rising, because the whole gameplay doesn't focus on just that, it's one of many elements.

In games like Sekiro though, where it's a central part of the gameI actually hate it. The reason is because I feel like I can't really "play", I have to wait and reply, feels more like a QTE / waiting game rather than pure duels / combats, I find it tedious and repetitive.

 

[LectureMaster]

I personally really dislike it because I've some kind of stress issues that causes me to become very nervous when you ask me to a precise, exact, task. I need "room to maneuver", and precise things like this, once is ok, maybe twice, but the whole game... This is impossible for me.

I plat'd Demon's Souls on PS3, DS3 and BB (with dlcs) on PS4, Elden Ring on PS5, but Sekiro for me is unplayable.

For Bloodborne I didn't use the "parry" (?) feature with the gun. Impossible for me. I still plat'd the game without it.

Fair enough, man. That's why I was saying in the OP the quality of implementing this mechanics varies from game to game. Some are really stressful because the punishment of failure is too high.

But I do think you could give Sekiro another chance, as there is minimal penalty for missing a deflect - it just becomes regular guard. Also, note that for 80% of the game you could just spam the guard button and many would just register as perfect deflect. I also platinum'ed all Miyazaki's games (save Armored Core 6 that I haven't started) and I enjoy Sekiro's combat most.

 

[Borowski_1]

When it clicks, when you nail it, it's pure fire

That cling-clang

 

[Edellus]

I really like them. They add weight and, well, precision to one's playstyle. A reward for learning your foes' moves and just paying attention.

Final Fantasy XVI has some very satisfying counter/parry mechanics:

Spoiler: Fight close to end game

I find precision dodges cool too:

Spoiler: Fight close to end game

 

[poppabk]

Feels like the new cover mechanic. Like it is genuinely a good and useful mechanic, but when everything has it, it starts to feel annoying and gamey.

 

[Lokaum D+]

Lies of P for me

 

[Hypereides]

Adore it. Its very satisfying in Metal gear rising. Especially, perfect parries.

 

[March Climber]

Also honorable mention the Kingdom Hearts series.

Very satisfying timing, effect, and sound when parrying an enemy.

 

[abstract alien]

HiFi Rush has one that feels pretty natural as far as timing goes since everything is on a musical beat. I didn't expect to like that game as much as I did, but I loved it.

 

[Bartski]

I love it, I don't recall a game where it was detrimental to the combat system.

I'd love to see it evolve further, like working in sync with natural motion like tech, where animations connect and the deflect is a combo interrupt and opener for reposts, additional stuns and evasive maneuvers... rather than the basic, common implementation - working through "posture bar" to earn a "deathblow" of sorts.

I think we're only at the beginning.

 

[El Muerto]

I like it. It's more rewarding than just rolling around trying not to get hit.

 

[NeverYouMind]

I love it, I don't recall a game where it was detrimental to the combat system.

I'd love to see it evolve further, like working in sync with natural motion like tech, where animations connect and the deflect is a combo interrupt and opener for reposts, additional stuns and evasive maneuvers... rather than the basic, common implementation - working through "posture bar" to earn a "deathblow" of sorts.

Suckiro exists... Building a stun bar to do a qte as the only means of damage on a boss is trash challenge design. Not being able to outspace and outstrike a boss is trash gameplay design.

 

[bender]

It's the trend that action game developers are forcing in all of their games which leaves it feeling overused.

 

[amigastar]

SF Third Strike had amazing parries

 

[Skifi28]

Love it. Not all games get it right, but when they do..

Sekiro is best, followed by Bloodborne. Currently playing Rise of Ronin and it's beginnings to click, it's a lovely mechanic. It also felt good in the Stellar Blade demo but I haven't played the full game yet.

 

[StueyDuck]

One of my favorite mechanics, combat becomes much more dynamic and satisfying with it.

But the quality of implementations varies from game to game. The king still is Sekiro, as the whole combat logics and flow revolve around deflecting and was polished to max. In other games the mechanic was either too punishing when failed, or mashed with too much other stuff together.

Some recent games that have deflection/precise guard: Did not include OG parry from Dark Souls or earlier games, those are advanced techniques that work in more situational scenarios.

Sekiro

Lies of P

Rise of the Ronin

Wo Long:

Stellar Blade:

I do love a good parry.

But sekiro is leagues above and beyond any game in that regard, im having a great time playing rise of the Ronin currently, and while the parry is good. It still just doesn't have that perfection feel that sekiro has.

The only other games that maybe come close are the good platinum games.

 

[Bartski]

Suckiro exists... Building a stun bar to do a qte as the only means of damage on a boss is trash challenge design. Not being able to outspace and outstrike a boss is trash gameplay design.

Poor baby fextralife couldn’t carry you through this one

 

[StueyDuck]

Suckiro exists... Building a stun bar to do a qte as the only means of damage on a boss is trash challenge design. Not being able to outspace and outstrike a boss is trash gameplay design.

It's been since launch since I've played sekiro, but I don't remember a single boss that were invulnerable until stunned outside of that one bridge puzzle boss, are you talking about the "phases" where bosses had multiple life bars.

And what does outspace and outstrike even mean. Most the boss arenas in sekiro were pretty big and had freedom of movement, and outstrike I don't even know what that means. You could stab faster, or what? Like being overpowered so bosses are weak?

I mean each to their own but I am genuinely curious what any of that even means? Like what is the equivalent game to sekiro that excels in combat to you?

 

[NeverYouMind]

It's been since launch since I've played sekiro, but I don't remember a single boss that were invulnerable until stunned outside of that one bridge puzzle boss, are you talking about the "phases" where bosses had multiple life bars.

And what does outspace and outstrike even mean. Most the boss arenas in sekiro were pretty big and had freedom of movement, and outstrike I don't even know what that means. You could stab faster, or what? Like being overpowered so bosses are weak?

I mean each to their own but I am genuinely curious what any of that even means? Like what is the equivalent game to sekiro that excels in combat to you?

It does not matter if it is a segment or a whole boss fight, trash is trash. Outspace and outstrike means that adept application of movement mechanics can avoid any attack and the player can close distance from shortest avoidance distance of the farthest reaching enemy attack while landing at least a single strike. If you want an example of a game that does it right then look no further than Ninja Gaiden Black.

 

[flying_sq]

I don't like games that build all of their combat around it, but having it as a move you CAN do for bonus damage or something like that vs you MUST do it in combat is fun and let's me get used to it. I'm all for harder difficulties in a game like that to make it more mandatory, but for normal just let me do what I want.

 

[StueyDuck]

It does not matter if it is a segment or a whole boss fight, trash is trash. Outspace and outstrike means that adept application of movement mechanics can avoid any attack and the player can close distance from shortest avoidance distance of the farthest reaching enemy attack while landing at least a single strike. If you want an example of a game that does it right then look no further than Ninja Gaiden Black.

well it does kind of matter because it makes me think that maybe you didn't really understand Sekiros combat.

and I'm still not understanding what you mean, in sekiro if you don't close down bigger bosses and time your attacks and avoid attacks then you will absolutely lose the fight. What you are describing is literally sekiro to a T.

but ninja gaiden and sekiro are two very different games. It's like comparing the driving in ghost recon wildlands to gran turismo

 

[NeverYouMind]

I'm still not understanding what you mean, in sekiro if you don't close down bigger bosses and time your attacks and avoid attacks then you will absolutely lose the fight. What you are describing is literally sekiro to a T.

There are many enemy attacks in Sekiro that cannot be moved around and can only be dealt with by parrying or using the Mikiri counter.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Love this stuff.

Wonder which game might have done it first. Could be Alien Soldier? In that one you parry enemy bullets to turn them into healing items.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

Love it. Not all games get it right, but when they do..

Sekiro is best, followed by Bloodborne. Currently playing Rise of Ronin and it's beginnings to click, it's a lovely mechanic. It also felt good in the Stellar Blade demo but I haven't played the full game yet.

Hah! I never liked parrying in BB. I would backstab everyone who can be, tho. For everything else, it's either walk-dodging or just iframe through. Game is super easy, even if I jump back in and die 10 times in a row, that's just me getting re-aquainted.

Sekiro, however... really had to get used to taking hits. They turned the Souls formula on it's head with that one.

 

[Aenima]

Love it as long you can "adjust" the time window to land them, like in Stellar Blade, to use a recent example, as you can increase the perfect parry and perfect dodge by upgrading skills and equipping gear that further increase the time window.

Played FF16 with the Titan parry/block always equiped to play the game this way, was super satisfying, and Stellar Blade is now one of my favorite action games of all time.

 

[NeverYouMind]

Poor baby fextralife couldn’t carry you through this one

Ironically, I stopped playing because I did not like the game enough to look up a guide when I hit two physical dead ends with no way to proceed.

 

[StueyDuck]

There are many enemy attacks in Sekiro that cannot be moved around and can only be dealt with by parrying or using the Mikiri counter.

But a singular attack in a moveset doesn't mean that all bosses you can't move around. There's many bosses that require movement.

Mikiri doesn't work on all bosses either. I just still don't know what that has to do with Outspacing and outstriking, it just sounds like the combat system didn't click for you

 

[The Cockatrice]

Suckiro exists... Building a stun bar to do a qte as the only means of damage on a boss is trash challenge design. Not being able to outspace and outstrike a boss is trash gameplay design.

I turn off the game that requires it and play one that doesn't.

A very boring mechanic.

These people are bad at games.

 

[Gordon Fearman]

DMC5 has a cool parry mechanic, when two hitboxes clash the enemy becomes stunned.

Also DMC has Royal Guard which predates every other example in this thread by a significant amount.

 

[Aion002]

I like parrying... Well, Sekiro made me like parrying, I used to hate it, but now I like it.

I also love parrying on Nioh, Wo Long, Rise of The Ronin and Stellar Blade.

However, I hate parrying on Lies of P, I finished the game twice and I still don't know how to do it consistently... I always press to soon or to late most of times.