Block is rather useless in this game. It can only reduce damage from light attacks. Heavy attacks have to be either dodged or ducked.

Combat really is the weakest part of the game, at some point the enemies just block everything 90% of the time and you just button mash hoping it will be over as fast as possible

Originally posted by InstableMonster:

Combat really is the weakest part of the game, at some point the enemies just block everything 90% of the time and you just button mash hoping it will be over as fast as possible

Running around turtling foes and mashing the hell out of the attack button usually works best.

Originally posted by Comrade Burrito:

Originally posted by InstableMonster:

Combat really is the weakest part of the game, at some point the enemies just block everything 90% of the time and you just button mash hoping it will be over as fast as possible

Running around turtling foes and mashing the hell out of the attack button usually works best.

Yeah and that's why it's poor and unengsging combat

Originally posted by InstableMonster:

Originally posted by Comrade Burrito:

Running around turtling foes and mashing the hell out of the attack button usually works best.

Yeah and that's why it's poor and unengsging combat

True. In an ideal world they'd tune it to a state that more closely resembles what we eventually got in Defiance, but alas.

Originally posted by Comrade Burrito:

Originally posted by InstableMonster:

Yeah and that's why it's poor and unengsging combat

True. In an ideal world they'd tune it to a state that more closely resembles what we eventually got in Defiance, but alas.

I went and played defiance after finishing this remaster and the evolution of combat felt so good.

Originally posted by Comrade Burrito:

Originally posted by InstableMonster:

Combat really is the weakest part of the game, at some point the enemies just block everything 90% of the time and you just button mash hoping it will be over as fast as possible

Running around turtling foes and mashing the hell out of the attack button usually works best.

I reached a point in SE2 where I would just run from the enemies as fast as possible, but then they decided to pop walls in front of me and that infuriated me to no end

Originally posted by Raptop:

I reached a point in SE2 where I would just run from the enemies as fast as possible, but then they decided to pop walls in front of me and that infuriated me to no end

Yeah, after the more otherworldly enemies start popping up, running away from fights becomes less and less viable. You can't even slip into the spectral realm to take a breather most of the time. It basically becomes an endurance run.
Honestly, SR1 didn't have great combat mechanics either, but that game emphasized exploration and puzzle solving, basically never forcing you into a fight unless it served a purpose storywise. The sequels should've stuck to that formula more.

I remember interviews before Soul Reaver 2 where I think it was Amy Hennig who said she knew players just jumped over enemies in Soul Reaver, and that you wouldn't be able to in Soul Reaver 2, so those magic barriers were specifically put in so you couldn't just skip fights.

Originally posted by Comrade Burrito:

Yeah, after the more otherworldly enemies start popping up, running away from fights becomes less and less viable. You can't even slip into the spectral realm to take a breather most of the time. It basically becomes an endurance run.
Honestly, SR1 didn't have great combat mechanics either, but that game emphasized exploration and puzzle solving, basically never forcing you into a fight unless it served a purpose storywise. The sequels should've stuck to that formula more.

Yeah, but for me, combat in SR1 felt more like a puzzle. I mean if you did not have a spear you would have to use the environment for kills. It was clunky, yes, however I never felt as frustrated, and was fun problem solving.