I am not quite certain how this works

[Paul Caruso]

So I played through a little bit of the campaign(?). I get how blocking works, hitting, moving. I get that different characters have different powers(?). But I'm not sure about the more "advanced" features or nuances of this game? Like I was playing as the generic monk in the orange robes. My punches seemed pretty weak but my knife hands and (accidental) slaps are more powerful. Is this intentional? Is this based on the character? Is there a movement mechanic I'm missing here?

[Ben]

Hello Paul,

Open hand strikes knock the opponent away more, but do the same damage. So if you want to move the opponent, use open palm, but if you want to stay a bit closer use fists. Finger jabs have the least knockback.

But yes, some characters have perks that give boosts to certain hand types.

Damage/knockback is also affected by how cleanly the strike hits as well as speed. If you go to the practice room and select free practice, you can experiment with different hits and see the damage while the opponent stands still

[Cryonyx]

Ohhh I didn't realize that open palm makes more knockback! Maaan there is so much depth to this game, I love it.

[Ben]

Originally posted by ryo_code:

Ohhh I didn't realize that open palm makes more knockback! Maaan there is so much depth to this game, I love it.

Thank you, and thanks for that thorough review :)

[Stachio]

I don't really get the game from a "how it's meant to be played" standpoint. I've been playing on Medium to gauge the combat and it's slowly making less sense over time. Like what does good game play of this game look like?

I'm confused because it's not exactly hard to hit the enemies in the head. It just feels wrong and isn't always the key to winning the fight. Though I suppose it's fair considering this is a kung fu game and things like White Abbot exists. It just feels weird to land a head punch/jab but you're the one who gets crippled from whatever they did to your chest.

I guess what I'd like to know is... what exactly does high level combat look like? I browsed Youtube and just found people cracking heads on the later difficulties. That's surely not how this game is meant to be played. Right?

[Ben]

Originally posted by Stachio:

I don't really get the game from a "how it's meant to be played" standpoint. I've been playing on Medium to gauge the combat and it's slowly making less sense over time. Like what does good game play of this game look like?

The idea is that you are free play how you like, if you want to go for the head, then you can, but make sure you don't ignore incoming attacks, and also be aware that cleaner hits will do more damage vs grazing hits or hitting with the forearm etc. Different opponents have different guards and weaknesses, so different tactics are required for each and I would recommend aiming lower on opponents who do high attacks or have a high guard

I think this is a decent video of some combat (particularly the master cheng fight): https://youtu.be/y91L5R_gpo4?t=247 i like this video too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fniSrw3_ZmU

[Ben]

also if getting "crippled" by a hit to the chest - thats probably that they are hitting a pressure point e.g. solar plexus, most of these dont do damage, but add a status effect e.g. winded. If they finger jab to the throat then that will do damage over time

[Stachio]

Thought I'd let you know I beat master. I gotta say, it wasn't exactly harder than whatever the normal difficulty was. If anything it was easier because the enemies were more aggressive.

Can't say I really feel satisfied with my completion of it. Coming from a fighting game background, some of the character's attacks feel really gimmicky/outright broken. It's the whole pray they don't use it or pray the game randomly misses a collision check.

It wasn't an all around vibe but it was annoying enough. I really wanted my physical gains to mean something, but I eventually plateaued and exploited game mechanics instead. Stuff like back attacks, awkward hand collision to get the advantage, flailing around like a royal idiot, etc.

It just felt like the only option when the game throws 1-2 frame attacks at you (Likely an exaggeration but it sure feels that way). So when Bruce Lee's suddenly in my face from 3 feet away, doing humanly impossible things, it's time for a strategy change. It's time for the cheesy stuff.

I still had fun. I was just agitated at times. Enjoyed the game regardless. Anything Kung fu gets a win in my book.

[Ben]

Originally posted by Stachio:

I still had fun. I was just agitated at times. Enjoyed the game regardless. Anything Kung fu gets a win in my book.

I'm sorry you werent satisfied. Thanks for playing anyway