There's nothing like walking into a room full of baddies and dispatching them in spectacular fashion using just your fists and melee weapons. But which games implement fights in the coolest way? In this selection, we have collected projects with the most sophisticated combat systems that will delight every fan of massacres!
The structure of Sifu is an arena fighting game. The character wanders from room to room and inevitably encounters a crowd of enemies who are not so easy to scatter. They surround the hero, attack from all sides, use weapons like baseball bats and do not allow him to relax.
Of course, you can deal with weaklings even by mindlessly waving your fists, but this will not work with experienced opponents. They will immediately unleash a hail of combos on the hero and knock him out without even breaking a sweat.
To deal with serious opponents, you need to remember timings, memorize combos, use the environment, throw bottles and never repeat yourself. Throw a bottle at an enemy and get hit? Next time he'll dodge. Knocked off your feet by a deft sweep? It won't work anymore — the opponent will avoid the attack.
At the same time, the blows in Sifu are sharp and brutal, the combinations are spectacular, and the enemies are deadly. This combination gives rise to a game with one of the best combat systems. Of course, not everyone will like Sifu: many will be confused by the high complexity of the new product, the need for grinding and an inconvenient camera — however, it still has more advantages.
Will you be hacking at Sifu?
Take the pollIf you want to appreciate all the delights of oriental martial arts, but are not ready to spend hours memorizing the boss moveset from Sifu, pay attention to Sleeping Dogs. This is an excellent action movie with an open world and a lot of activities — however, its main advantage is its decent combat.
The combat in Sleeping Dogs is even more uncompromising than in Sifu. Blood gushes in all directions, bones break, and jaws cannot withstand powerful hooks.
In addition, environmental elements help you win. The enemy can be grabbed, dragged to the car and slammed into the door. Or beat him mercilessly with a telephone receiver at a payphone. Well, or throw it under a press and crush it. There are so many merciless finishing moves that there is enough of them for a 20-minute video.
But often conflicts in Sleeping Dogs can be resolved not with fists, but with gunfire. I just don't want to do this, because the developers clearly did better fighting than shooting.
There was a time when games about superheroes were considered child's play and did not qualify for serious awards. Everything changed when Rocksteady released the first part of the Batman trilogy in 2009.
Batman: Arkham Asylum had a lot going for it. A gloomy setting, horror episodes, many recognizable villains, an abundance of gadgets, interesting challenges for the Riddler — however, the main feature of the game was the cool combat.
At first glance, we are talking about a two-button system, where one key is responsible for striking and the other for parrying. However, the simplicity did not prevent the mechanics from working: battles constantly turned into spectacular hack-and-slash games, where the Dark Knight jumped from enemy to enemy, deftly dodged blows and beautifully finished off the Joker's minions.
Moreover, over time, the developers threw up surprises. Enemies with unparryable attacks. The bullies, who first needed to be stunned. Criminals with guns who made a sieve out of Batman in a couple of seconds.
All this turned the fights into a puzzle. To win, you had to not only wave your fists, but also plan your actions, set traps and wisely choose the order of victims.
Over time, the simple but enjoyable combat system became a brand. For example, encounters in Marvel's Spider-Man were described with the phrase «it's like Batman, only with a web.» Such an achievement is worth a lot.
The Witcher 3 is undoubtedly one of the best games in history. It's hard not to love the project for its dramatic story, which raises themes of fatherhood, oppression of the weak and responsibility for decisions. Or for charismatic characters from whom you can learn a lot. In the end, CD Projekt RED's creation captivates with the beauty of the world. However, none of this would work without decent combat.
The advantages of the combat system are manifested in the little things. The fact is that Geralt's blows and movements are so graceful and precise that they resemble a dance. The white wolf circles around enemies, hits sharply, dodges attacks and quickly counterattacks. Thanks to this fluidity, fighting is pleasant right up to the very end.
In addition, you need to approach collisions with serious enemies wisely: brew useful potions, lubricate the blade with oils, use suitable signs. Otherwise, even simple orders may be the last for the hero — if the difficulty is chosen above average, of course.
Matrix: Path of Neo was released back in 2005, but its combat is still so cool that modern AAA players can only drool. It's hard to name a game that combines hand-to-hand combat, shooting, and destructibility just as successfully.
Why did you love the action in The Matrix film trilogy? Beautiful slow-mo with hovering in the air, graceful moves, columns flying into pieces, gorgeous staging — all this was in Path of Neo.
Neo repeated trademark techniques from the films over and over again, smashing not only the faces of enemies, but also the environment with blows, and also characteristically dodged bullets. At the same time, every movement of the characters was stylish, and there was room for staging in the battles.
Neo also regularly went to artsy places like the samurai world, where the combat was seriously changed, forcing him to fight off enemies with a katana. It is curious that such diversity was justified in the plot — it was not for nothing that the Wachowskis themselves were responsible for directing.
Of course, Matrix: Path of Neo was criticized for unclear stealth, inserts with directors that took the atmosphere out of the way, and a crumpled ending, but the fights made up for everything.
Combat in Devil May Cry is easy to master, but becoming a master is a serious challenge. Most enemies succumbed to regular attacks, but it's hard to imagine how many gamepads and keyboards were broken in attempts to get the maximum rating.
Already from the first part, Dante had an impressive number of combinations and techniques in his arsenal, which were performed with the help of a sword and cannons. Gamers who mastered them turned every clash into art — the hero fought painfully beautifully.
The combat showed itself to be especially cool in bossfights. Due to non-standard movesets and powerful attacks, the bosses squeezed all the juice out of the player, forcing him to use the entire list of skills. Considering that the series has other strengths such as charismatic characters and well-thought-out locations, it is not surprising that it has become a cult classic.
Bayonetta is often called almost a Devil May Cry clone, but the titles have plenty of differences — and we're not just talking about the main character, who has driven millions of gamers crazy. The combat mechanics in the games also feel different.
Even though Bayonetta is capable of tearing crowds of monsters to rags, she still remains a vulnerable lady. She cannot withstand as much damage as Dante absorbs, and she does not have the Royal Guard style, which easily blocks blows. But she is much more flexible and knows how to deftly evade any attacks — especially with perfect evasion, time slows down, allowing you to hit your enemies properly.
For her dexterity, femininity and sexuality, the heroine of Bayonetta cannot but be included in the top games with the most sophisticated combat.
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is the second game from the Arkane studio. Even then, the developers impressed gamers with their variability. True, we are not talking about the many ways to get to the right place and complete the task, but about the abundance of ways to eliminate enemies.
The trick is that Arkane relied on the interactivity of the environment. In combat, the hero could kick one enemy onto spikes, freeze the floor in front of a second, causing him to slip and fall into a pit, and trap a third.
However, if such delights were not to the gamer's liking, he could always get into a dashing fight and chop the villains into pieces. The flying limbs, realistic strikes, and variety of enemies made it fun to play.
It is noteworthy that the combat of Dishonored is based precisely on the foundation of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic — however, in «Dark Messiah» gamers have not yet been pushed to be peaceful.
It's hard to imagine that modern Ubisoft would take a risk and take on an atypical project like For Honor. Of course, the game about the battles of knights, Vikings and samurai has many shortcomings, but the combat in it is great.
It doesn't take much skill to take a simple character, fly into the «Territory Capture» and help the team win. However, to become a master, you will have to spend a lot of time.
While beginners resort to basic techniques, trying to alternate the direction of blows and their strength, experienced warriors use the character's capabilities to the fullest. After all, even a basic knight has unblockable attacks and unexpected attacks that can change the outcome of any duel.
It is noteworthy that there are many heroes in For Honor, and each has its own features. Some rely on strength and endurance, others on speed and agility. However, it will not be possible to master any of them without long training.
Once you look into the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, it becomes clear: life in the Middle Ages was hard. It is difficult to wield a blade; the hero only has enough skills to swing a piece of iron, and in hand-to-hand combat he cannot cope even with a pathetic drunkard. However, over time, Henry will become a skilled warrior, and combat will open up to its fullest.
Even an experienced hero should not attack his opponent with his saber drawn — in this way he will only be able to defeat grimy bandits. But if Henry meets a knight in battle, get ready to show skill: choose the direction and force of the blow, don't forget about parrying, use cool combos and feints — otherwise you won't achieve victory.
Not everyone liked Kingdom Come: Deliverance for problems with optimization and an abundance of dull quests, but the combat mechanics in it top.
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What other games with a sophisticated combat system did you like? Write in the comments!
Which game in the selection has the best combat?
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