Hey everyone!
We've been focusing on responsiveness and feel for this update. Blocking and cancelling now feel way more satisfying. Let's cut into it!
Quick! Block fast!
So the big change: You can now cancel into block from attacks much, much earlier. There’s a lot more leniency, so you'll be able to reliably snap out of an attack and into blocking to react to swords flying towards your face. What that means in practice is fewer “I tried to block and got killed” moments.
Cancel windows into block were opened up across the board so cancelling from both lights and heavies into block is far more forgiving. Block itself also got new VFX and SFX, so it now sounds and looks better on top of the functionality.
Fluid cancels: Lights ↔ Heavies ↔ Swordcery ↔ Dodge
We made cancelling between everything ALOT more flexible. Lights, heavies, Swordcery powers, dodges — they all flow into each other much more smoothly now. Heavies and Swordcery will remain a bit more committal, but they now have earlier cancel windows into block/dodge so you can use them without feeling like you are stuck. We think the whole combat rhythm just breathes better now.
Guardbreaks. They're gonna hurt more.
Because blocking got so buffed, we also increased consequences for over relying on it. If you block past your 3 regenerating shield charges, you’ll be guardbroken and put into a longer crumple state, meaning you’re very likely to eat a hit if this happens. This change makes blocking a meaningful risk/reward decision again: safe to use, but don’t bank on infinite shielding
Bonus: Guardbreaks got new VFX & SFX too! It looks and sounds mean, in the best way.
We’re incredibly grateful for your support this year! We’ll keep pushing toward Early Access, so see ya next year with more updates and a demo OoooOooOo...
Slay bells forever ringing,
-Don and Mike