If you've ever performed a Daruk's Perfect Parry in BotW on an enemy attack (2 frame window), you suddenly forget the 12 times you died trying it, and feel like a god.
For anyone curious, because it's not even clear if it's an intended mechanic: If you get hit by an attack as soon as you let go of ZL / Daruk's Protection, it will still block/reflect the attack, without consuming any uses of Daruk's Protection, and it's visibly different as Daruk doesn't come out, and the orb doesn't shatter.
DPP is easily my favorite intended mechanic in BOTW for this very reason (even if BILs are more convenient) Anyway you make excellent content Kleric, cool to see you here
Re: sekiro parrying is enhanced by bringing your posture meter to max but never breaking as long as you parry (and not block), leading you to feel even more pressure to keep parrying right
Perfect deflect not breaking posture is such important mechanic in Sekiro. I feel removing it would break whole game and make it really unpleasant to play
especially on NG+ cycles where enemies do more posture damage, without it the game would become nigh unbeatable at higher NG+ levels as every attack becomes impossible to just normal block and most of them track you too well to be dodged.
Y'all talking about the Sekiro parry being so necessary worries me lol. My graphics card is old so my game is constantly frames behind me and lagging so it's next to impossible for me to actually parry. I'll show y'all how to beat it anyways 😆. I need to start over though cause I've been on break from sekiro for like half a year for other games lol. Oh well, twitch won't be too mad I think.
@@alexismcneill6296 my machine isn't that powerful, I constantly felt like I missed a few frames here and there It does make things feel harder but the only two times I had what felt like an issue were against the bull (in the middle of two areas that kept reloading and lots of particles flying) and against an Ashina Elite (Same deal plus insanely fast) Besides, there's always the cheese strat
In rivals of aether, the parry isn't only a move that allows you to counter an attack and turn the situation into your favor, but it also has big implications on the mental game. Since attempting a parry leaves you wide open and the activation window is small, performing one successfully against a human opponent is a way of telling them "I have you figured out, even if I take risks you can't do anything against me." This kind of tool, that speaks without speaking, is incredibly valuable, and fighting games are full of them.
Never factor out the mental game. The moment you can make your opponent say "Oh shoot." You've already got a huge edge. I saw a clip of, for example, a jigglypuff parrying bowser's down b, you know, a move that would have literally killed puff if they failed, before comboing into the stock ending. Doing something that brazen can shake someone, and suddenly they're playing too defensive cause they're scared, or playing too aggressive cause they're annoyed, or just flubbing up cause now they're wondering if they can beat this crazy punk.
Rivals actually has tons of tools that are powerful in the mental game beyond the parry, that are incredibly rewarding if you're good and have a grip on your opponent's play. Elliana's guided missile can break you out of combos if you can control it while DI-ing and keeping track of your opponent's movement at the same time, and leads to a strong punish if they're mined. Ori's bash is a stupidly strong kill confirm at the end of a combo, as you can launch them in the exact direction you want, but whiffing it sends you into freefall so if you whiff it offstage, where it's strongest, you're essentially dead. Practically everyone in the game has a tool like this, which gives you a sensation of control over the game and domination, and a sensation of being dominated to your opponent.
@@MercuryA2000 couldn’t agree with you more, there is so much said in the little moments of a matchup. So much communicated simply through reactions and decisions. It’s what makes fighting games so tremendously special imo
I remember I once did a BOTW run, where I decided to go straight to Calamity Ganon after the Great Plateau, no divine beasts. It was tough, but I had like 200 hours in the game, and I reached the final boss gauntlet. I defeated all of the lights and made it to the final boss. I manage to bring it to the 2nd phase, feeling confident. Then I notice. All of my weapons broke. I had no food or fairies left. And since the boss gains an immunity shield, I couldn’t spam remote bombs. I did have like 4 shields left. So now I have to finish the remaining 50% of his health to win, only by parrying. And despite the amount of time I’ve invested into the game, I was pretty awful at parrying (I usually prefer flurry rushes). But I have no other choices. So I begin to parry his lasers back. I get a few, but inevitably my shield breaks. And so does my second shield. And my third. I am now on my last shield, nowhere close to defeating him. I am a single shot away from death. I am screwed. And then I land a parry. And I land a second one. That was the first time in the entire fight I perfect parried twice in a row. And through some miracle, that second parry became a third. The third became a fourth. The fourth became a fifth. The fifth became a sixth. Eventually, that sixth became what I guess was my thirty-eighth. And with a final parry, Calamity Ganon was no more. I’m approaching 300 hours in the game, and that is still my favorite moment from BOTW. Those first few consecutive parries gave me the momentum I needed.
6:55 hollowknight's parry is just way too tight/rare most of the time to actually feel good. Because if you do it, most of the time you're doing it on accident.
Yeah. And even some of the best speedrunners never go purposefully for a parry. I guess Team Cherry didn't intend it to be an important part of the combat.
Interesting, I’ve definitely landed them in fights accidentally but I don’t think ever realized what it was. Maybe they’ll be a little more involved in Silksong 👀
I think the big issue with hollow knight's parry is that it's not rewarding enough for the risk in going for it on purpose. The most you get is avoiding damage, which you can just do by getting out of the way, which is way easier and more consistent to do. If it had an extra benefit, like stunning the boss or something, it may be more satisfying to pull off.
It's somewhat how I feel with Smash parries. Their are not that hard to pull off, but the reward is so little, or rather the frame advantage you get is so tight that it doesn't converse (at least at my skill bracket) that often so I don't find them that satisfying.
I've noticed that PM comes into play a lot even in single player games, at least for me. If I'm having a great run in a roguelike and then I go back to it the following day instead of playing the run in one go, my performance the next day is usually noticeably worse. That's why when I'm playing particularly well I try to get to the end of the run instead of taking breaks (if possible)
You can also use that to your advantage. If you have a bad streak of plays you can always take a break and get back to it another day and find yourself playing out of your mind
Yeah I went to play returnal once, a friend and I were taking turns each death, I felt bad because I beat one area after my 3rd attempt then went on a hot streak and cleared the entire next area without dying g
Parrying or doing something very rare is something that when it happens it feels like the next moments you are way better at the game and for some reason you seem to do way better than usually.
@redxpen The final boss is probably the best designed boss in the game. I would recommend finishing the game just to experience that. If you need help with Snake Eyes, try using the stealth candy to sneak behind him and get the first deathblow free. Then spam firecrackers throughout the second phase.
@redxpen There aren't really that many "tips and tricks." The combat is pretty straightforward compared to Dark Souls, and it's not like there are different builds. You just have to get good at it. That said, people have definitely found ways to cheese a lot of the bosses since I first played. Idk if the particular boss you're stuck on has a cheese strat, but it's worth looking into. If you're talking about the boss I think you're talking about, I pretty much just pushed him into the cave area with the fog wall, stayed right in his face, and wailed on him and parried his attacks.
@redxpen the game is worth playing to completion, but the next few bosses area pain. Shirahagi is weak to fire, and an upgraded umbrella will save your life As for the Mist Noble, all I can say is “Hesitation is Defeat” Edit, also if you jump just a bit before the grab, you can punish with a few overhead slashes
@redxpen In addition to what Luciano said, a prosthetic tool called Sabimaru helps a ton with the Snake Eyes. The issue in that fight (at least in my experience) was definitely the grab, gotta experiment with escaping that but once you can consistently avoid it, an aggressive playstyle works wonders. The only advice I can really give you is _"Hesitation is defeat".... and maybe bring an umbrella._
That feeling of mastering the parry is amazing, so satisfying. The best part of parrying is that you know you can master it. Stuff like combos, etc can be too complicated and overwhelming. But parrying, It's easy to learn but difficult to master. You know the core concept of it, but can't put it into practice. Once you start to master it, that catharsis is immeasurable. I still remember practicing in the forgotten temple and manage to parry multiple guardian shots simultaneously 1-2 times..damn that's satisfying
I have so much time spent on BoTw and I still cannot parry worth a damn. That or any other game really. It never seems to click for me, though not for lack of effort.
This might just be me, but the sound effect of the dark souls parry will always be the most satisfying. Just that feeling of being stomped by an enemy or caught in a combo, then that bang plays and you know the tides have shifted, even if only for a second
Even though I think the parry in souls games is pretty shit outside of sekiro I do like how the bosses that CAN be parried are made to kneel when u pull one off. Like seeing this supposed legendary figure gywn on his knees after you just parried his ass and a lowly undead (you) now lording over him even if only briefly
i remember a time when I was playing Battlefront II and it was a lightsaber duel. I was Kylo Ren and my opponent was Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was really good and brought my health down to less then 50. And when he was going to finish me, I parried him. He attacked me again, I parried him. I parried him several times and killed him. One of biggest clutches I’ve ever made
Know I'm two years late, but it is sad that parrying is only really viable in BF2 against bad players :( I just don't get the opportunity to use it when i actually matters, in a super sweaty duel.
You said "Jackpot" multiple times and had clips from DMC3 peppered throughout... We were on the verge of greatness. We were so close (I kid, this video was excellent, thank you.)
I remember when I first no hitted a lynel in BotW, and I proceeded to go on a hunt, killing all the ones I could remember where to find. Felt good man.
Is it weird that the whole segment about the variable reinforcement schedules perfectly encompasses me while waiting for a Psych of Play episode? I constantly check the channel for a new vid since notifications are wonky for me, and sometimes I’m rewarded :) Is this video a sign from Daryl that we are being conditioned to watch his videos?
Maybe not a parry at all, but this made me remember the momentum shift when, on a racing game, you begin to drive well, pass the others and eventually win that hard fought race, it's an unexplicable feeling. Amazing video!
Parrying my friends with the Fire Emblem characters on Smash is just soooooo satisfying, it's like telling them on their faces "i already figure out your style"
The most satisfying things in Sekiro to me are: - Dodging non-peril attacks with i-frames, because you only get 6 while deflection gets around 14. - Deflecting thrusts because mikiri counter has a massive window, and in many cases deflecting a thrust leads to the target doing a more elaborate attack that is trickier to deal with. - Avoiding sweeps with moves that lift you off the ground instead of just jumping, as sweeps only have a very thin hitbox on the ground itself regardless of the object itself. - Perfectly deflecting attacks with questionable and inconsistent windows, like Emma's Ashina Cross and Isshin's glock. Genichiro's jumping 4 arrow attack too feels extremely satisfying to deflect because for some reason it has a very tricky timing to get down right. Though I've yet to perfectly deflect his spam combo, which is apparently doable, but not in the way you'd think. - Deflecting the Divine Dragon. It's not hard but it sure feels cool to deflect air slashes and even his hand which can break his posture eventually. - Walking around Corrupted Monk's helicopter spin. A friend of mine discovered that blindspot and ever since I saw it I can't help but use it.
All things I've done on accident a couple times and for the life of me haven't got down to do on purpose Dodging through things in this game feels insane
Eh deflect feels cooler. The clang of metal swords never fails to make me rock solid. Dodging to me feels pretty lame in most mediums it's in. I find things like how your parry is tier to your movement and attack in say metal gear rising though antiquated and out of date (and the counter swing to have no fucking range wich is infuriating) to be cooler as I can attack attack attack deflect/parry attack attack attack and I don't need to let the onslaught stop if I'm good enough. Dodging feels like a "woah I'm too much of a bitch to take that head on" play. So in sekiro parrying a sword bigger than my entire body or parrying a giant demons stomp is infinitely cooler than just dodging through it.
I studied some psychology too, and another factor is *expectation*. If you expect things to go a certain way, you will be happier if they exceed your expectations (lower if they do). New players might do the parry without expecting it to work, and be surprised when they do. Experienced players might do the parry expecting it to work but be frustrated when it doesn't happen.
Two of the greatest parry mechanics in gaming in my opinion share a really potent commonality. The Street Fighter Third Strike "Parry" and the Sekiro "Mikiri Counter" are both done by 'moving towards danger', in SF3 it's a well timed 'forward' input and in Sekiro it's a well timed forward dash. Fighting every primal urge to "retreat" or block and instead throwing yourself at the oncoming danger and being rewarded with a brief opening is what makes these two parries so unbelievably memorable to me.
I'm just here to say that, even when you've mastered parrying in Dark Souls, I still feel awesome every time. Sure, I get it right pretty much everytime, to the point where I prefer parry-riposte as a playstyle to the more risky dodge-attack or preemptive-attack-stun approaches, simply because it allows me to reliably avoid damage, finish a fight quickly and grants me a moment of invulnerability in a fight with multiple enemies. But it's just as satisfying every single time. That drum sound, the visceral gushing of the riposte, the brief moment of gloating while my character introduces the enemy's vital organs to the business end of a rapier - never gets old.
Ultrakills parry is my favorite parry. Its so friggen good! The sound, the flash, the slowdown, the healing, and of course launching the projectile back at the enemy automatically with no need to do any follow up inputs (though you do have to aim). Its glorious, especially since you can parry a HUGE amount of the attacks in Ultrakill so it makes v1 (your character) feel like an unstoppable badass.
Performing a parry in Ghost of Tsushima and Jedi: Fallen Order is soooo satisfying! I mean that ting sound and that reward from getting that perfect counter is amazing, not to mention, the trial and error of both games making you sweat.
I love the description of parries and counters as gambles. But it's because that's exactly why I never go for them. I played through BOTW without ever parrying outside of the tutorial, and that goes for pretty much every game I've ever played. I just don't like gambles. The frustration of missing the timing and taking the hit, or even the death, outweighs the satisfaction of a jackpot for me. I've spent numerous battles shaving one sliver off my enemies' HP after the next until I've won, rather than risking the encounter for only the potential of big damage.
I have heard of Psychological Moment called by the name "The Hawthorne Effect." Though the original term has been broadened from the original usage. It basically means either having performance improved or worsened by the influence of being observed by an audience. Or, as WoolieVS calls it, "The LP Tax"
Really interesting hearing the psychology of the Parry. It makes complete sense with the risk/reward mechanic along with the mental state change you mention of like "the underdog turning the tide of the battle". Thank you for the talk!
Obligatory rage at not talking about Sekiro enough. That being said, great video. I would have like to see the parry and visceral attack mechanic from Bloodborne.
For a more recent example, Zenless Zone Zero was my first thought when I saw this thumbnail. One of the (many) fun things about the game is how the game lets you look cool doing stuff with effort, but not TOO much effort. And no better place is this displayed than with the parries. ZZZ has some of the most satisfying parries I’ve ever seen. The timing window is pretty tight, but not too tight, and it’s telegraphed clearly with a short, bright flash. And then you get the parry, the camera hits the floor and looks up at your character’s weapon clashing against the enemy’s, with these *enormous* “CLANG… CLANG”s that are probably the loudest sound effects in the game’s files. It’s incredible.
this explains the feeling that sometimes in a game im just good at it and sometimes im just bad and go to sleep. people often just say "its just luck" but psychological momentum makes more sense. luck is random and it doesnt affect me the next time i try in the same day. PM does.
Great essay! I really appreciate the “risk” part of the discussion. What makes games like Sekiro so addictive and great is that every attack taken or received is a risk (literally w/out Kuro’s Charm). And in a sword fight of a hundred or more swings, you’re constantly chasing perfection. That’s why I’ve played Sekiro more than all the Souls games combined (and I’ve finished them all a couple times at least). There is no greater joy in gaming than playing Genichiro or Isshin flawless. The mechanic in Sekiro of Kuro’s Charm would have been the perfect example of close parry/deflect.
I heard about this momentum as "the zone", where after a big play or something big, the player enters a state in which he unconsciously becames like a god.
Parrying followed by special sound ques letting you know you just pulled something neat off. Followed by endorphine reward. I'm glad you noticed and emphasized this aspect, it's a huge factor. My favorite one is Bloodborne's gun parry. Sharp gunshot sound followed by a high-pitch "ping" to let you know you nailed it, and are now free to indulge yourself on a gory visceral attack.
I love how Dead Cells does this, I've been playing it for a long time and once you get up to 5BC you start to realize how the games tricks. Shields in Dead Cells are not meant to block, they're meant to parry, that's why the parry isn't that rewarding, the game is telling you "Hey, this is not something weird or hard to pull of, this IS what you have to do, and you better do it fast".
One thing that's always confounded my understanding: I love gambling in games (mechanically, not with my actual money), I love flashy moments, I love mechanics that show off skill, I love games with a focus on timing, I love counter attacks, I love dodging perfectly and getting sweet Witch time, I love all of it. And I love watching clutch plays with parries. But I HATE parrying. In every single game that's ever included one, I've tried it, and hated it. And I don't know why. They never feel good. And it's not even because I'm "bad" at them. I practiced the timing on Guardians in Breath of the Wild, and several tough enemies in Dark Souls 1, and got fairly consistent with them. But it's never fun for me. Parrying is never something I ever naturally think of using as a response like say, rolling or blocking in a game does, and so anytime I try to force myself to "get gid" with the mechanic I end up having to mentally stop myself from doing other stuff and mentally going 'alright, I'm gonna wait, and the next move they make I'm going to parry" and it just sucks every time. I want to like them, it's something that feels like it would be up my alley. Maybe it's just that I've yet to find the perfect parry for me, using them wrong, don't have the right skill, or I'm just not playing the right games lmao. I don't know. In fact, I dislike parrying so much, that Sekiro, a game that heavily relies on the mechanic for it's combat, is the ONLY Fromsoft Soulsbourne game I've ever played and didn't like. I can see, objectively, how amazing the game is, and how well crafted it's combat is. But playing it, even playing it well just feels like a chore, and I can't finish it.
“Nailing a parry can make you play better” tell that to me when I nail a counter in guilty gear and then immediately drop the combo and get hit with a ToD
One of my favorite "Substances" is ds3 PVP hornet ring parry, it is pretty short but the slam into the ground is EXTREMELY satisfying without being so long you are discouraged from doing it
Not exactly a parry, but I'm reminded of a tower defense match in Splatoon where I somehow managed to stop the tower when it was 1 away from my team's goal. It took me a second to register what had happened, but after I did I reclaimed the tower and started spamming the "Come on!" button and we ended up pushing into overtime and winning. Most clutch round I've had in that game tbh.
For Honor has this as well, with several types. The standard parry that is even more rewarding against the faster, and thus harder to parry, light attacks, as well as things like deflecting and some character specific actions. They're some of my favorite examples of counters. The steel on steel grinding of the Orochi parry or deflect, the heavy clunk as the opponent's weapon hits the Lawbringer's Halberd. It is euphoric.
One of my favorite parry systems is in the Ys games (Ys VIII / Ys IX). When you correctly time a flash guard/move you get a couple seconds of invincibility which can be extended with continued parries. Very satisfying in boss battles.
I also very much appreciate rewarded dodge mechanics like DMC's time stop mechanics, also prevalent and personally my favorite is in Honkai Impact's Time Fracture mechanics.
Furi's parry/perfect parry really does it for me. Blocking an attack with perfect timing heals you, stops the enemy from assaulting you and leaves them open to extremely cinematic finishers. When you nail a parry while fighting The Burst, the music combined with the visuals of launching her in the air and slamming her back into the ground gives me chills every time.
fellow Furi enjoyer I see! Furi's parry is meant to be a way of helping newer players get out of the habit of dodging away from melee attacks (which is possible, but well, isn't fun). Rewarding you with a burst of health, for taking a risk. I really like how despite there being a visual and audio cue, the best way to learn the melee phases in Furi is to read the animations on the boss, but when there's fights like The Edge who purposely feint their attacks in ways that force you to relearn the learning. God Furi is such a fucking good game.
Love that Nioh, FURI and Onimusha got shown. I'm gonna add here the newer Ys titles like Celceta, VII, VIII and IX. Flash Guard is sweet. Also, did you watch EVO GGST? That was very enjoyable, even if it was online.
I totally agree about how damn satisfying parrying is, especially with the right feedback, it feels really good to pull off. Seeing a gamble pay off and turn the tides of battle will always be thrilling to me. The fact that there is real psychological backing to this phenomenon honestly makes it that much cooler in my eyes - come to think of it, I think that goes for everything you cover on this channel. Fantastic video as always! Really dig the editing this time, all the little goofs and syncing things up to the music never fails to put a smile on my face. Keep up the great work.
The way I nearly jumped out of my seat in excitement for that 1 second of Dragalia Lost footage in the intro and then immediately remembered the game's current situation and got sad 😔
A bit of a less traditional example: In titanfall 2, the ronin titan has a phase shift ability, a teleport that also makes you invincible. As a pilot, it is possible to rodeo a titan and steal its battery, dealing a lot of damage. However, if timed correctly, the phase shift will make it so that the enemy pilot gets the battery, but all damage is negated. After that, the ronin can just one hit the pilot and reclaim the battery, for a shield boost and a bit of super-meter.
love the strive footage daryl, hope you give leo whitefang a try. he has a parry when he's in his backstance and it feels awesome to read your opponent with a partial parry or a command grab.
My favorite psychology topic in the world, conditioning and reinforcement, combined with one of my favorite hobbies makes for an extremely interesting video. Good work!
This vid literally gave me goosebumps and caused my heart to beat like a storm! I don't even like sports too much, but seeing these plays backed with your connection to psychology made me just a *tinsy* bit more interested haha. (Plus now I have like 3 games to add to my 'Future game list...')
In monster hunter, when you pull off an iai counter and it leads to a helmbreaker, it's like a hidden buff that increases your skill for the rest of the hunt.
Another game where parrying feels really satisfying is For Honor, especially due to how heavy and light attacks have different speed with the slow but hard hitting heavy attacks being easier to parry but are feintable and only guarantee a light attack as punish on parry, where light attacks are faster, can't be feinted and if you actually manage to parry one give you a heavy attack punish, even letting you execute the enemy if you land the killing blow with it. They also have that satisfying metal crunch sound on parry with the harder to get light parry being higher pitch and a bit louder as well as giving off a white flash of light.
Finally! A For Honor player! I was disappointed to see that Bary didn't mention or include For Honor. While many of Bary's points carry over to For Honor, it doesn't cover all of it. For Honor is such a unique game. There is literally, and I mean Literally.. no other game like it. I want him to do a video on For Honor covering it's own parry topic or mechanics or a psychological analysis. But I think that's wishful thinking.
@@pablorazo7599 well he obviously can't cover everything, I am glad that anybody covered the joy of parrying at all. And yeah FH is one of a kind and sometimes it's sad to know (a similar game with different theme could really be something).
This is probably my favourite series on youtube, the hard work and research put into every episode really shows . Truly awesome stuff man, keep it up :)
Scott pilgrim's party is my favorite counter, especially when it goes to slow motion and killing a boss. It's kind of overlooked but I love it. Counters really are so hype in general. Love this vid
That bit about 'momentum shift', and how sports commentators said things like, "They need a spark/a play", are more or less similar with a concept brought up by Kingdom manga (RIP Duke Hyou)
One of my favs was when playing as Suigetsu in Ninja Storm 2, I dashed to grab at the last second, equal red bars health, time ran out but I pinched the win because of the grab.
I remember in Metroid Dread, the first time I did an EMMI parry I was just kinda shocked and took a moment before bolting. Then a few seconds later I got caught again right next to the exit door. I remember just fully confidently parrying it again without even thinking about it. I just knew it would work and it did.
What I like about nioh is how many counters you have on that game, some of them even parrying the yokai enemies that you can't otherwise, it's a shame that most of them don't work that way
THIS!!! the parry is why sekiro is my favorite game of all time. and now adays, if an action game doesn't have a parry mechanic, I tend to not stick with it for very long. Try GRIME its great with a cool parry/absorb mechanic
Bayonetta's perfect dodge is great, but the move from the accessory that gives you a parry when moving the stick towards danger is unbelievably satisfying too.
Maybe do a video on how we think about spacing and movement in games? Like how we comprehend and utilize what we have in any single moment in games? If this makes any sense, maybe I'm just rambling
way I played batman games was like this: I jump down into group of enemies and didn't move at all, just parry every attack.... It was so good. I love idea of using someone's aggression against them. I think it's much more powerful than attacking.
Parries, being hard to pull off, feel good exactly because of the difficulty they require. The same can be said of all hard things to do. A couple of months ago I had attempted to beat Inner Isshin in Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, No damage, Demon Bell, No Charm and without a HUD. It took me a while but when I did it I felt euphoric.
There's a strange community game mode in a game that helped me overall with these types of timings many many years ago: Team Fortress 2's "Pyro Dodgeball." Two teams of pyros who can only airblast, and a single, heat-seeking rocket on the field that can be blasted back and forth, changing targets and getting faster with every blast. When those matches come down to a 1v1, with both players being good... it was always a mesmerizing experience seeing how much time people had put into being able to time their airblast perfectly, even when the rocket is moving faster than the trail can show where it is... absolute madness. A mode where a single player can bring back a match with great timing and skill. I loved it c':
I wanna shout out to Mount & Blade: Warband - Napoleonic Wars chambering/parrying. You have to time the start of your swing with the moment the enemy would hit you, and you have to mirror the direction the opponent is attacking from (the game for those who don't know has directional attacks/blocks) A successful chamber makes a metal clank sound and you're holding an attack to hit someone who is still recovering from getting chambered by you. The best part about this when two high-skill players meet is the only reliable defense to getting chambered is chambering back, because you don't have time to block, but you have just enough time to counter chamber. This can go back and forth indefinitely but the winning move is usually to fake out your opponent by holding your attack slightly longer so they miss their timing window. Loved that game. We would do chamber circles for fun. Start with as many players as you want, throw an attack to your right and they chamber it, turn and attack the player to their right, round and round the circle it goes until someone dies, then go again until only one remains.
In dead cells for me the parry mechanic is so much pressure in the beginner for me and in the end... continue to be a pressure but beginner to be fun, parry all the giant attacks and defeat to get the achievement is a truly blessed moment in 5 bc, man i love parry mechanic
If you've ever performed a Daruk's Perfect Parry in BotW on an enemy attack (2 frame window), you suddenly forget the 12 times you died trying it, and feel like a god.
For anyone curious, because it's not even clear if it's an intended mechanic:
If you get hit by an attack as soon as you let go of ZL / Daruk's Protection, it will still block/reflect the attack, without consuming any uses of Daruk's Protection, and it's visibly different as Daruk doesn't come out, and the orb doesn't shatter.
DPP is easily my favorite intended mechanic in BOTW for this very reason (even if BILs are more convenient)
Anyway you make excellent content Kleric, cool to see you here
@@TheRenaSystem what is BIL? I'm still kinda knew to BotW and there are so many combat mechanics I'm learning about.
@@Dribin Bomb Impact Launch, or Wind Bomb. It's the thing where you detonate one bomb to launch the other bomb into you while in bullet time.
@@Dribin Boomie Zoomie
Re: sekiro parrying is enhanced by bringing your posture meter to max but never breaking as long as you parry (and not block), leading you to feel even more pressure to keep parrying right
Perfect deflect not breaking posture is such important mechanic in Sekiro. I feel removing it would break whole game and make it really unpleasant to play
especially on NG+ cycles where enemies do more posture damage, without it the game would become nigh unbeatable at higher NG+ levels as every attack becomes impossible to just normal block and most of them track you too well to be dodged.
Ah, yes, the "aaaaaaaaaaaaa" moment
Y'all talking about the Sekiro parry being so necessary worries me lol. My graphics card is old so my game is constantly frames behind me and lagging so it's next to impossible for me to actually parry. I'll show y'all how to beat it anyways 😆. I need to start over though cause I've been on break from sekiro for like half a year for other games lol. Oh well, twitch won't be too mad I think.
@@alexismcneill6296 my machine isn't that powerful, I constantly felt like I missed a few frames here and there
It does make things feel harder but the only two times I had what felt like an issue were against the bull (in the middle of two areas that kept reloading and lots of particles flying) and against an Ashina Elite (Same deal plus insanely fast)
Besides, there's always the cheese strat
"A platypus?"
*swings the platypus in Doof's direction.*
"PARRY THE PLATYPUS?!?"
O
M
G
XD
A ran that name at locals for a little bit. Then made it a point to parry when I could. Good times lol
In rivals of aether, the parry isn't only a move that allows you to counter an attack and turn the situation into your favor, but it also has big implications on the mental game. Since attempting a parry leaves you wide open and the activation window is small, performing one successfully against a human opponent is a way of telling them "I have you figured out, even if I take risks you can't do anything against me." This kind of tool, that speaks without speaking, is incredibly valuable, and fighting games are full of them.
Never factor out the mental game. The moment you can make your opponent say "Oh shoot." You've already got a huge edge. I saw a clip of, for example, a jigglypuff parrying bowser's down b, you know, a move that would have literally killed puff if they failed, before comboing into the stock ending. Doing something that brazen can shake someone, and suddenly they're playing too defensive cause they're scared, or playing too aggressive cause they're annoyed, or just flubbing up cause now they're wondering if they can beat this crazy punk.
Rivals actually has tons of tools that are powerful in the mental game beyond the parry, that are incredibly rewarding if you're good and have a grip on your opponent's play. Elliana's guided missile can break you out of combos if you can control it while DI-ing and keeping track of your opponent's movement at the same time, and leads to a strong punish if they're mined. Ori's bash is a stupidly strong kill confirm at the end of a combo, as you can launch them in the exact direction you want, but whiffing it sends you into freefall so if you whiff it offstage, where it's strongest, you're essentially dead. Practically everyone in the game has a tool like this, which gives you a sensation of control over the game and domination, and a sensation of being dominated to your opponent.
@@MercuryA2000 This comment would be absolute nonsense 30 years ago and you'd be questioned as to whether you're having a stroke.
@@MercuryA2000 couldn’t agree with you more, there is so much said in the little moments of a matchup. So much communicated simply through reactions and decisions. It’s what makes fighting games so tremendously special imo
Chad Rivals of Aether enjoyer, just like me.
I remember I once did a BOTW run, where I decided to go straight to Calamity Ganon after the Great Plateau, no divine beasts. It was tough, but I had like 200 hours in the game, and I reached the final boss gauntlet. I defeated all of the lights and made it to the final boss. I manage to bring it to the 2nd phase, feeling confident. Then I notice. All of my weapons broke. I had no food or fairies left. And since the boss gains an immunity shield, I couldn’t spam remote bombs. I did have like 4 shields left. So now I have to finish the remaining 50% of his health to win, only by parrying. And despite the amount of time I’ve invested into the game, I was pretty awful at parrying (I usually prefer flurry rushes). But I have no other choices.
So I begin to parry his lasers back. I get a few, but inevitably my shield breaks. And so does my second shield. And my third. I am now on my last shield, nowhere close to defeating him. I am a single shot away from death. I am screwed. And then I land a parry.
And I land a second one. That was the first time in the entire fight I perfect parried twice in a row. And through some miracle, that second parry became a third. The third became a fourth. The fourth became a fifth. The fifth became a sixth. Eventually, that sixth became what I guess was my thirty-eighth. And with a final parry, Calamity Ganon was no more.
I’m approaching 300 hours in the game, and that is still my favorite moment from BOTW. Those first few consecutive parries gave me the momentum I needed.
That was excellently written
Whoa you encapsulated the feeling of that moment into this comment so well that it gave me chills. Congrats on the dub
That was so hype and well written
A well told and engaging story; thank you!
i cannot help but feel the timing to parry in BOTW for Ganon is a little off? I can deflect guardians easy but have trouble with ganon.
Man your editing is just getting better and better, I love the openings and the music timed edits you do!
Thanks so much! I was really just kind of playing with that intro and it felt good enough to keep
@@DarylTalksGames you put Xenoblade Chronicles x music in this video, thank you. I didn't think people remembered this game exists
@@DarylTalksGames love your videos look forward to more.
I came back to the video just to see the intro again
Good job deryl
6:55 hollowknight's parry is just way too tight/rare most of the time to actually feel good. Because if you do it, most of the time you're doing it on accident.
Yeah. And even some of the best speedrunners never go purposefully for a parry. I guess Team Cherry didn't intend it to be an important part of the combat.
tbh yeah, it's mostly just when I'm spamming attack and I coincidentally parry
Interesting, I’ve definitely landed them in fights accidentally but I don’t think ever realized what it was. Maybe they’ll be a little more involved in Silksong 👀
I think the big issue with hollow knight's parry is that it's not rewarding enough for the risk in going for it on purpose. The most you get is avoiding damage, which you can just do by getting out of the way, which is way easier and more consistent to do. If it had an extra benefit, like stunning the boss or something, it may be more satisfying to pull off.
It's somewhat how I feel with Smash parries. Their are not that hard to pull off, but the reward is so little, or rather the frame advantage you get is so tight that it doesn't converse (at least at my skill bracket) that often so I don't find them that satisfying.
Honorable parry mention: when you revive your co player in Cuphead with an out of frame parry 😌
Another one: genji deflect against a widow in overwatch
@@finesseandstyle even more satisfying against a hanzo, considering you have to time their movements too
That last parry in the end of the vid send me into heaven, right down to the deepest sea and back to my couch
Dante's Royal Release and Kiryu's Tiger Drop is my most satisfy parry ever for me
the crunch sound you get from hitting tiger drop is just so good
I agree with you but I would add 1. Royal full release from dante with royal guard 2. Sekiro perfect deflecting múltiple hits 3.bloodborne parry
So based
For me, getting King's chain grabs is so satisfying, if they fuck up the tech.
I've noticed that PM comes into play a lot even in single player games, at least for me. If I'm having a great run in a roguelike and then I go back to it the following day instead of playing the run in one go, my performance the next day is usually noticeably worse. That's why when I'm playing particularly well I try to get to the end of the run instead of taking breaks (if possible)
You can also use that to your advantage. If you have a bad streak of plays you can always take a break and get back to it another day and find yourself playing out of your mind
@@jenbooob true, great point! :)
Yeah I went to play returnal once, a friend and I were taking turns each death, I felt bad because I beat one area after my 3rd attempt then went on a hot streak and cleared the entire next area without dying g
Parrying or doing something very rare is something that when it happens it feels like the next moments you are way better at the game and for some reason you seem to do way better than usually.
Because the parry itself puts you at such an advantage and the opponent at strict disadvantage for the next sequence or two.
I just beat Sekiro last week, and as much as I want to play other games in my library, I can’t stop
Maybe I *am* Shura
@redxpen The final boss is probably the best designed boss in the game. I would recommend finishing the game just to experience that.
If you need help with Snake Eyes, try using the stealth candy to sneak behind him and get the first deathblow free. Then spam firecrackers throughout the second phase.
@redxpen There aren't really that many "tips and tricks." The combat is pretty straightforward compared to Dark Souls, and it's not like there are different builds. You just have to get good at it. That said, people have definitely found ways to cheese a lot of the bosses since I first played. Idk if the particular boss you're stuck on has a cheese strat, but it's worth looking into. If you're talking about the boss I think you're talking about, I pretty much just pushed him into the cave area with the fog wall, stayed right in his face, and wailed on him and parried his attacks.
@redxpen
U dont have to
U can fight a 1v1 after sneaking behind her for 1 deathblow
Just avoid that grab and its alright
@redxpen the game is worth playing to completion, but the next few bosses area pain.
Shirahagi is weak to fire, and an upgraded umbrella will save your life
As for the Mist Noble, all I can say is “Hesitation is Defeat”
Edit, also if you jump just a bit before the grab, you can punish with a few overhead slashes
@redxpen In addition to what Luciano said, a prosthetic tool called Sabimaru helps a ton with the Snake Eyes. The issue in that fight (at least in my experience) was definitely the grab, gotta experiment with escaping that but once you can consistently avoid it, an aggressive playstyle works wonders. The only advice I can really give you is _"Hesitation is defeat".... and maybe bring an umbrella._
That feeling of mastering the parry is amazing, so satisfying. The best part of parrying is that you know you can master it. Stuff like combos, etc can be too complicated and overwhelming. But parrying, It's easy to learn but difficult to master. You know the core concept of it, but can't put it into practice. Once you start to master it, that catharsis is immeasurable. I still remember practicing in the forgotten temple and manage to parry multiple guardian shots simultaneously 1-2 times..damn that's satisfying
I have so much time spent on BoTw and I still cannot parry worth a damn. That or any other game really. It never seems to click for me, though not for lack of effort.
@@izzy4bitney parrying isn't the only option, that game is systematic, so play however you wanna play!
@@eh9618 Oh, they all die anyway lmao, just in fun and terrifying ways that have nothing to do with parrying. Thx 😊
@@izzy4bitney ye. Tho a perfect dodge is just as satisfying as a parry
This might just be me, but the sound effect of the dark souls parry will always be the most satisfying. Just that feeling of being stomped by an enemy or caught in a combo, then that bang plays and you know the tides have shifted, even if only for a second
It's especially dreaded in PvP because it usually means that you're getting oneshot
I think the sound effect of the Bloodborne parry trumps it.
@@13Hyrule
Idk I feel like the dark souls parry sounds more intimidating
Even though I think the parry in souls games is pretty shit outside of sekiro I do like how the bosses that CAN be parried are made to kneel when u pull one off. Like seeing this supposed legendary figure gywn on his knees after you just parried his ass and a lowly undead (you) now lording over him even if only briefly
i remember a time when I was playing Battlefront II and it was a lightsaber duel. I was Kylo Ren and my opponent was Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was really good and brought my health down to less then 50. And when he was going to finish me, I parried him. He attacked me again, I parried him. I parried him several times and killed him. One of biggest clutches I’ve ever made
So u parry spam...shamful
Jk that untouchable feeling is amazing
@@patheticminister6398 skillful actually? Idk, i never got to BF2
Know I'm two years late, but it is sad that parrying is only really viable in BF2 against bad players :( I just don't get the opportunity to use it when i actually matters, in a super sweaty duel.
You said "Jackpot" multiple times and had clips from DMC3 peppered throughout... We were on the verge of greatness. We were so close (I kid, this video was excellent, thank you.)
I remember when I first no hitted a lynel in BotW, and I proceeded to go on a hunt, killing all the ones I could remember where to find. Felt good man.
Is it weird that the whole segment about the variable reinforcement schedules perfectly encompasses me while waiting for a Psych of Play episode? I constantly check the channel for a new vid since notifications are wonky for me, and sometimes I’m rewarded :)
Is this video a sign from Daryl that we are being conditioned to watch his videos?
Actually, variable reinforcement is used by social networks when composing your feed.
Maybe not a parry at all, but this made me remember the momentum shift when, on a racing game, you begin to drive well, pass the others and eventually win that hard fought race, it's an unexplicable feeling.
Amazing video!
"GAS GAS GAS!*
remember that the skinner box studies engagement *but not burnout*
Parrying my friends with the Fire Emblem characters on Smash is just soooooo satisfying, it's like telling them on their faces "i already figure out your style"
PREDICTABLE!
-Poultry Howards
XD
The most satisfying things in Sekiro to me are:
- Dodging non-peril attacks with i-frames, because you only get 6 while deflection gets around 14.
- Deflecting thrusts because mikiri counter has a massive window, and in many cases deflecting a thrust leads to the target doing a more elaborate attack that is trickier to deal with.
- Avoiding sweeps with moves that lift you off the ground instead of just jumping, as sweeps only have a very thin hitbox on the ground itself regardless of the object itself.
- Perfectly deflecting attacks with questionable and inconsistent windows, like Emma's Ashina Cross and Isshin's glock. Genichiro's jumping 4 arrow attack too feels extremely satisfying to deflect because for some reason it has a very tricky timing to get down right. Though I've yet to perfectly deflect his spam combo, which is apparently doable, but not in the way you'd think.
- Deflecting the Divine Dragon. It's not hard but it sure feels cool to deflect air slashes and even his hand which can break his posture eventually.
- Walking around Corrupted Monk's helicopter spin. A friend of mine discovered that blindspot and ever since I saw it I can't help but use it.
All things I've done on accident a couple times and for the life of me haven't got down to do on purpose
Dodging through things in this game feels insane
Bruh i didnt know you could deflect the divine dragon lmao
Basically everything is deflectble, except sweeping attacks, terror, fire, and poison
Eh deflect feels cooler. The clang of metal swords never fails to make me rock solid. Dodging to me feels pretty lame in most mediums it's in.
I find things like how your parry is tier to your movement and attack in say metal gear rising though antiquated and out of date (and the counter swing to have no fucking range wich is infuriating) to be cooler as I can attack attack attack deflect/parry attack attack attack and I don't need to let the onslaught stop if I'm good enough.
Dodging feels like a "woah I'm too much of a bitch to take that head on" play. So in sekiro parrying a sword bigger than my entire body or parrying a giant demons stomp is infinitely cooler than just dodging through it.
I use the senpou leaping kicks to dodge true monk's sweeps and it's the most satisfying thing ever
I studied some psychology too, and another factor is *expectation*. If you expect things to go a certain way, you will be happier if they exceed your expectations (lower if they do). New players might do the parry without expecting it to work, and be surprised when they do. Experienced players might do the parry expecting it to work but be frustrated when it doesn't happen.
Two of the greatest parry mechanics in gaming in my opinion share a really potent commonality.
The Street Fighter Third Strike "Parry" and the Sekiro "Mikiri Counter" are both done by 'moving towards danger', in SF3 it's a well timed 'forward' input and in Sekiro it's a well timed forward dash.
Fighting every primal urge to "retreat" or block and instead throwing yourself at the oncoming danger and being rewarded with a brief opening is what makes these two parries so unbelievably memorable to me.
The Parry in ULTRAKILL is the Best wtf mechanic in a shooter game
15:45 I thought he was gonna say "a little bit of trolling" by the end of that lmao
I'm just here to say that, even when you've mastered parrying in Dark Souls, I still feel awesome every time. Sure, I get it right pretty much everytime, to the point where I prefer parry-riposte as a playstyle to the more risky dodge-attack or preemptive-attack-stun approaches, simply because it allows me to reliably avoid damage, finish a fight quickly and grants me a moment of invulnerability in a fight with multiple enemies.
But it's just as satisfying every single time. That drum sound, the visceral gushing of the riposte, the brief moment of gloating while my character introduces the enemy's vital organs to the business end of a rapier - never gets old.
Ultrakills parry is my favorite parry. Its so friggen good! The sound, the flash, the slowdown, the healing, and of course launching the projectile back at the enemy automatically with no need to do any follow up inputs (though you do have to aim). Its glorious, especially since you can parry a HUGE amount of the attacks in Ultrakill so it makes v1 (your character) feel like an unstoppable badass.
Performing a parry in Ghost of Tsushima and Jedi: Fallen Order is soooo satisfying! I mean that ting sound and that reward from getting that perfect counter is amazing, not to mention, the trial and error of both games making you sweat.
I love the description of parries and counters as gambles. But it's because that's exactly why I never go for them. I played through BOTW without ever parrying outside of the tutorial, and that goes for pretty much every game I've ever played. I just don't like gambles. The frustration of missing the timing and taking the hit, or even the death, outweighs the satisfaction of a jackpot for me. I've spent numerous battles shaving one sliver off my enemies' HP after the next until I've won, rather than risking the encounter for only the potential of big damage.
I have heard of Psychological Moment called by the name "The Hawthorne Effect." Though the original term has been broadened from the original usage. It basically means either having performance improved or worsened by the influence of being observed by an audience. Or, as WoolieVS calls it, "The LP Tax"
Really interesting hearing the psychology of the Parry. It makes complete sense with the risk/reward mechanic along with the mental state change you mention of like "the underdog turning the tide of the battle".
Thank you for the talk!
Obligatory rage at not talking about Sekiro enough.
That being said, great video. I would have like to see the parry and visceral attack mechanic from Bloodborne.
For a more recent example, Zenless Zone Zero was my first thought when I saw this thumbnail. One of the (many) fun things about the game is how the game lets you look cool doing stuff with effort, but not TOO much effort. And no better place is this displayed than with the parries. ZZZ has some of the most satisfying parries I’ve ever seen. The timing window is pretty tight, but not too tight, and it’s telegraphed clearly with a short, bright flash. And then you get the parry, the camera hits the floor and looks up at your character’s weapon clashing against the enemy’s, with these *enormous* “CLANG… CLANG”s that are probably the loudest sound effects in the game’s files. It’s incredible.
Onimusha parries are incredibly satisfying!!! Glad to see em represented in this video!
this explains the feeling that sometimes in a game im just good at it and sometimes im just bad and go to sleep. people often just say "its just luck" but psychological momentum makes more sense. luck is random and it doesnt affect me the next time i try in the same day. PM does.
Great essay! I really appreciate the “risk” part of the discussion. What makes games like Sekiro so addictive and great is that every attack taken or received is a risk (literally w/out Kuro’s Charm). And in a sword fight of a hundred or more swings, you’re constantly chasing perfection. That’s why I’ve played Sekiro more than all the Souls games combined (and I’ve finished them all a couple times at least). There is no greater joy in gaming than playing Genichiro or Isshin flawless.
The mechanic in Sekiro of Kuro’s Charm would have been the perfect example of close parry/deflect.
4:01 using whims of fate while talking about gambling's relationship to parries? instant like
Ah, the Millia player talking about psychological momentum. Of course. Great video!
the anji spin is the instant crack rush you feel of a parry followed by the soaring disappointment that happens when you get punished
Ever since I first experienced parrying in gaming I fell in LOVE with the mechanic🔥🔥
Mad props for throwing on a XCX track in the background. Underrated ost imo and I'm glad it's got some recognition.
I knew I recognised it. God it's got a damn good soundtrack
I heard about this momentum as "the zone", where after a big play or something big, the player enters a state in which he unconsciously becames like a god.
Now I wanna play DMC5 with royalguard style again. Can never be too wrong with the good ol parry
Parrying followed by special sound ques letting you know you just pulled something neat off. Followed by endorphine reward. I'm glad you noticed and emphasized this aspect, it's a huge factor.
My favorite one is Bloodborne's gun parry. Sharp gunshot sound followed by a high-pitch "ping" to let you know you nailed it, and are now free to indulge yourself on a gory visceral attack.
That parry right before the end cut was such a satisfying way to finish the video
That section on turnarounds hurt. What you described is exactly how I lost out on a $50 eshop card in a smash game.
I love how Dead Cells does this, I've been playing it for a long time and once you get up to 5BC you start to realize how the games tricks. Shields in Dead Cells are not meant to block, they're meant to parry, that's why the parry isn't that rewarding, the game is telling you "Hey, this is not something weird or hard to pull of, this IS what you have to do, and you better do it fast".
One thing that's always confounded my understanding: I love gambling in games (mechanically, not with my actual money), I love flashy moments, I love mechanics that show off skill, I love games with a focus on timing, I love counter attacks, I love dodging perfectly and getting sweet Witch time, I love all of it. And I love watching clutch plays with parries.
But I HATE parrying. In every single game that's ever included one, I've tried it, and hated it. And I don't know why. They never feel good. And it's not even because I'm "bad" at them. I practiced the timing on Guardians in Breath of the Wild, and several tough enemies in Dark Souls 1, and got fairly consistent with them. But it's never fun for me. Parrying is never something I ever naturally think of using as a response like say, rolling or blocking in a game does, and so anytime I try to force myself to "get gid" with the mechanic I end up having to mentally stop myself from doing other stuff and mentally going 'alright, I'm gonna wait, and the next move they make I'm going to parry" and it just sucks every time. I want to like them, it's something that feels like it would be up my alley. Maybe it's just that I've yet to find the perfect parry for me, using them wrong, don't have the right skill, or I'm just not playing the right games lmao. I don't know.
In fact, I dislike parrying so much, that Sekiro, a game that heavily relies on the mechanic for it's combat, is the ONLY Fromsoft Soulsbourne game I've ever played and didn't like. I can see, objectively, how amazing the game is, and how well crafted it's combat is. But playing it, even playing it well just feels like a chore, and I can't finish it.
“Nailing a parry can make you play better” tell that to me when I nail a counter in guilty gear and then immediately drop the combo and get hit with a ToD
The feedback is the positive reinforcement that makes it feel so satisfying. 👌
14:50 that transition was so damn clean, commenting it because i'm sure it feels good when someone notices
Daryl please never stop. I love your analysis on the Psych of Play, you are awesome.
One of my favorite "Substances" is ds3 PVP hornet ring parry, it is pretty short but the slam into the ground is EXTREMELY satisfying without being so long you are discouraged from doing it
Not exactly a parry, but I'm reminded of a tower defense match in Splatoon where I somehow managed to stop the tower when it was 1 away from my team's goal. It took me a second to register what had happened, but after I did I reclaimed the tower and started spamming the "Come on!" button and we ended up pushing into overtime and winning.
Most clutch round I've had in that game tbh.
boy oh boy if you like parrying then you're gonna really love a specific boss that comes up later in ultrakill (actually two specific bosses)
When the section about psychological momentum began with the music from the C Side of The Summit from Celeste I got real flashback chills 👍
For Honor has this as well, with several types. The standard parry that is even more rewarding against the faster, and thus harder to parry, light attacks, as well as things like deflecting and some character specific actions. They're some of my favorite examples of counters. The steel on steel grinding of the Orochi parry or deflect, the heavy clunk as the opponent's weapon hits the Lawbringer's Halberd. It is euphoric.
One of the greatest video essayist on yt. Probably the best video essayist when it comes to gaming
One of my favorite parry systems is in the Ys games (Ys VIII / Ys IX). When you correctly time a flash guard/move you get a couple seconds of invincibility which can be extended with continued parries. Very satisfying in boss battles.
Omg this boosts my self esteem very much after i spent my whole life perfecting the parry/counter!!!
God that clashing sound at the end and blackness gave me chills! Great job dude
I also very much appreciate rewarded dodge mechanics like DMC's time stop mechanics, also prevalent and personally my favorite is in Honkai Impact's Time Fracture mechanics.
One of the reasons i wanted to play Sekiro is because of that one parry you can pull off on the headless ape.
You know...
...that parry
Furi's parry/perfect parry really does it for me. Blocking an attack with perfect timing heals you, stops the enemy from assaulting you and leaves them open to extremely cinematic finishers. When you nail a parry while fighting The Burst, the music combined with the visuals of launching her in the air and slamming her back into the ground gives me chills every time.
fellow Furi enjoyer I see! Furi's parry is meant to be a way of helping newer players get out of the habit of dodging away from melee attacks (which is possible, but well, isn't fun). Rewarding you with a burst of health, for taking a risk. I really like how despite there being a visual and audio cue, the best way to learn the melee phases in Furi is to read the animations on the boss, but when there's fights like The Edge who purposely feint their attacks in ways that force you to relearn the learning.
God Furi is such a fucking good game.
the sound of parry is mega satisfying like that sound makes you click and you're like : BULLSEYE
Love that Nioh, FURI and Onimusha got shown.
I'm gonna add here the newer Ys titles like Celceta, VII, VIII and IX. Flash Guard is sweet.
Also, did you watch EVO GGST? That was very enjoyable, even if it was online.
Everytime I parried Emmi in Metroid Dread... it FEELS like I win a lottery
I totally agree about how damn satisfying parrying is, especially with the right feedback, it feels really good to pull off. Seeing a gamble pay off and turn the tides of battle will always be thrilling to me. The fact that there is real psychological backing to this phenomenon honestly makes it that much cooler in my eyes - come to think of it, I think that goes for everything you cover on this channel.
Fantastic video as always! Really dig the editing this time, all the little goofs and syncing things up to the music never fails to put a smile on my face. Keep up the great work.
The way I nearly jumped out of my seat in excitement for that 1 second of Dragalia Lost footage in the intro and then immediately remembered the game's current situation and got sad 😔
Exactly why I kept going on the parry in MH Rise with the charge blade. Such a wonderful feeling
A bit of a less traditional example:
In titanfall 2, the ronin titan has a phase shift ability, a teleport that also makes you invincible. As a pilot, it is possible to rodeo a titan and steal its battery, dealing a lot of damage. However, if timed correctly, the phase shift will make it so that the enemy pilot gets the battery, but all damage is negated. After that, the ronin can just one hit the pilot and reclaim the battery, for a shield boost and a bit of super-meter.
love the strive footage daryl, hope you give leo whitefang a try. he has a parry when he's in his backstance and it feels awesome to read your opponent with a partial parry or a command grab.
Cannot believe he's talking about counters and didn't add Arkham Asylum y button spam
Moment #37 still gives me chills up to this day. Great Video!!
Really good video dude! That ending parry sound at the end of the video was sooo satisfying
My favorite psychology topic in the world, conditioning and reinforcement, combined with one of my favorite hobbies makes for an extremely interesting video. Good work!
This vid literally gave me goosebumps and caused my heart to beat like a storm! I don't even like sports too much, but seeing these plays backed with your connection to psychology made me just a *tinsy* bit more interested haha. (Plus now I have like 3 games to add to my 'Future game list...')
In monster hunter, when you pull off an iai counter and it leads to a helmbreaker, it's like a hidden buff that increases your skill for the rest of the hunt.
Had a feeling a video like this was coming ever since you put out that tweet. Also the Bloodborne Stagger 😩😩
Another game where parrying feels really satisfying is For Honor, especially due to how heavy and light attacks have different speed with the slow but hard hitting heavy attacks being easier to parry but are feintable and only guarantee a light attack as punish on parry, where light attacks are faster, can't be feinted and if you actually manage to parry one give you a heavy attack punish, even letting you execute the enemy if you land the killing blow with it.
They also have that satisfying metal crunch sound on parry with the harder to get light parry being higher pitch and a bit louder as well as giving off a white flash of light.
Finally! A For Honor player! I was disappointed to see that Bary didn't mention or include For Honor. While many of Bary's points carry over to For Honor, it doesn't cover all of it. For Honor is such a unique game. There is literally, and I mean Literally.. no other game like it. I want him to do a video on For Honor covering it's own parry topic or mechanics or a psychological analysis. But I think that's wishful thinking.
@@pablorazo7599 well he obviously can't cover everything, I am glad that anybody covered the joy of parrying at all.
And yeah FH is one of a kind and sometimes it's sad to know (a similar game with different theme could really be something).
This is probably my favourite series on youtube, the hard work and research put into every episode really shows . Truly awesome stuff man, keep it up :)
Scott pilgrim's party is my favorite counter, especially when it goes to slow motion and killing a boss. It's kind of overlooked but I love it. Counters really are so hype in general. Love this vid
That bit about 'momentum shift', and how sports commentators said things like, "They need a spark/a play", are more or less similar with a concept brought up by Kingdom manga (RIP Duke Hyou)
One of my favs was when playing as Suigetsu in Ninja Storm 2, I dashed to grab at the last second, equal red bars health, time ran out but I pinched the win because of the grab.
I remember in Metroid Dread, the first time I did an EMMI parry I was just kinda shocked and took a moment before bolting. Then a few seconds later I got caught again right next to the exit door. I remember just fully confidently parrying it again without even thinking about it. I just knew it would work and it did.
I like how the only clips from ULTRAKILL are the ones where you parry your own shotgun pellets lmao, amazing.
What I like about nioh is how many counters you have on that game, some of them even parrying the yokai enemies that you can't otherwise, it's a shame that most of them don't work that way
THIS!!! the parry is why sekiro is my favorite game of all time. and now adays, if an action game doesn't have a parry mechanic, I tend to not stick with it for very long. Try GRIME its great with a cool parry/absorb mechanic
Bayonetta's perfect dodge is great, but the move from the accessory that gives you a parry when moving the stick towards danger is unbelievably satisfying too.
Maybe do a video on how we think about spacing and movement in games? Like how we comprehend and utilize what we have in any single moment in games? If this makes any sense, maybe I'm just rambling
way I played batman games was like this:
I jump down into group of enemies and didn't move at all, just parry every attack.... It was so good. I love idea of using someone's aggression against them. I think it's much more powerful than attacking.
Parries, being hard to pull off, feel good exactly because of the difficulty they require. The same can be said of all hard things to do. A couple of months ago I had attempted to beat Inner Isshin in Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, No damage, Demon Bell, No Charm and without a HUD. It took me a while but when I did it I felt euphoric.
There's a strange community game mode in a game that helped me overall with these types of timings many many years ago: Team Fortress 2's "Pyro Dodgeball."
Two teams of pyros who can only airblast, and a single, heat-seeking rocket on the field that can be blasted back and forth, changing targets and getting faster with every blast.
When those matches come down to a 1v1, with both players being good... it was always a mesmerizing experience seeing how much time people had put into being able to time their airblast perfectly, even when the rocket is moving faster than the trail can show where it is... absolute madness. A mode where a single player can bring back a match with great timing and skill. I loved it c':
I wanna shout out to Mount & Blade: Warband - Napoleonic Wars chambering/parrying. You have to time the start of your swing with the moment the enemy would hit you, and you have to mirror the direction the opponent is attacking from (the game for those who don't know has directional attacks/blocks)
A successful chamber makes a metal clank sound and you're holding an attack to hit someone who is still recovering from getting chambered by you. The best part about this when two high-skill players meet is the only reliable defense to getting chambered is chambering back, because you don't have time to block, but you have just enough time to counter chamber. This can go back and forth indefinitely but the winning move is usually to fake out your opponent by holding your attack slightly longer so they miss their timing window. Loved that game. We would do chamber circles for fun. Start with as many players as you want, throw an attack to your right and they chamber it, turn and attack the player to their right, round and round the circle it goes until someone dies, then go again until only one remains.
In dead cells for me the parry mechanic is so much pressure in the beginner for me and in the end... continue to be a pressure but beginner to be fun, parry all the giant attacks and defeat to get the achievement is a truly blessed moment in 5 bc, man i love parry mechanic
"... gives you confidence, it can give you lightning in a bottle" - what a brilliant way to put it!
your editing skills are continuously improving! I absolutely adore the way you craft the openings and synchronize them with the music. Great job!
Ooohhhh so that’s why the perfect guard is one of the reasons I love ttyd so much