Combat mechanics
Combat
Area of Effect
An area of effect lets one attack hit a crowd, punishes standing together and gives the player a way to answer many enemies. The warning, the falloff and the cover rules are what make it readable and fair instead of a surprise from nowhere.
Combat
Block and Guard
Guarding gives the player a way to take a hit instead of avoiding it, and the parry rewards good timing. The meter and the break keep it from being a way to stand still forever.
Combat
Boss Phases
Phases turn one long fight into three shorter ones, each with something new to learn. They also give the player a clear sign of progress, so a long fight keeps its drive.
Combat
Charge Attack
A charge attack lets the player trade time and safety for power: a stronger strike for anyone willing to stand still, slowed down and open to being hit.
Combat
Combo System
Combos reward timing: the same button does more for a player who presses it at the right moment.
Combat
Cover System
Cover turns a fight into a choice between safety and shooting: the player hides to survive, then pays with exposure each time they peek to hit back.
Combat
Critical Hits
Crits add a little luck to every hit, so fights are not exactly the same twice, and they give gear that raises the chance or the damage a clear meaning. Used with care they add excitement without deciding a fight on their own.
Combat
Damage Types
Damage types make choices matter before a fight and during it: the right weapon against the right enemy does much more, and the wrong one does little, which gives a reason to carry more than one of everything.
Combat
Enemy Patrol and Chase
A patrolling enemy gives the player something to read, sneak past, lure or fight. The pause before the chase, the search and the walk home are what make the enemy feel alive instead of like a trap that always knows where you are.
Combat
Hitbox and Hurtbox
Fights feel fair when what hurts matches what the player sees. Keeping the shape of an attack apart from the shape of a body lets you tune each without changing how the characters look.
Combat
Invincibility Frames
Protection after a hit gives the player time to get away, and it stops a character standing in a hazard from losing all its health in a fraction of a second. Done wrong it is either too short to matter or so long that danger stops feeling real.
Combat
Lock-on Targeting
In a fight with several enemies, the player should not have to aim by hand while dodging. Locking onto one enemy makes attacks and the camera follow it, and the rules for picking and keeping that enemy decide whether the lock feels helpful or fights the player.