The Unbounded Counter is neither intuitive nor fun to use.

[Inspector Gesicht]

Midway you get a move that lets you deflect those red blasts. You hold down and release the parry button when the blow connects. But the effect only lasts 2.5 seconds before you need to press the button again.

This feels awful to play unlike every other mechanic so far, and I'm dreading to see where the bosses go with it. If you could hold down the parry button and release on impact regardless of any time limit, it would keep the intended friction and remove a level of frustration that doesn't need to be there.

[johannes]

Thought so at first, too. Loved the unbound counter in the end though.

It can do massive amounts of internal dmg and there is even a jade which makes continuous unbound counter a thing. Since it is maybe the strongest parry in the game, I feel it is fair to make it a bit harder to get the timing down.

[Sokurah]

It can be a bit tricky, but i kinda got used to it, so far :D, no idea what moves the game has up its sleeve for me.

You really need to use it tho. It stops some moves that are just total BS is you let them happen.

Also yes, the timing actually feels generous on this move.

[Seisachtheia]

The good news for you OP is that it is entirely optional to use the move in fights...there will never be a move you cannot dodge/dash through. I do not enjoy the mechanic myself and even on my 4th playthrough of the game barely use it. I think there's only 1 move (maybe 2) that ends up being easier to unbound counter than dodge even in you don't enjoy the mechanic...and the timing is so forgiving on both of them that once you've practiced 2 or 3 times you'll probably have it down.

[RiSK]

yeah it really is difficult and clunky to use. it doesn't have weight like parry and due to it running out quickly I constantly found myself missing and just getting hit. but yeah I'm almost finished with the game myself and almost never used it lol

[Octarine]

I haven't used it the entire game until I had to learn it the hard way on the last boss, lol.

[Sokurah]

The worth thing is deflecting red range attacks with it is not worth it. They basically deal no damage.

The fact that is is somewhat a harder move to do should mean a defelct mean serious damage for the enemy but it does nothing. So runnig in and just attack is a better choice.

It's really not very well integrated into the system.

[nailernforce]

Mr. transmutation-boss man was A LOT easier once you got the timing down on his huge attack.

[Blair5414]

Just finished my first time going through the game. I like the unbounded counter personally. Great mechanic, but the point in the game where you get it means I'm not quite as practised in it as other facets of my skill set. This would be less of an issue in subsequent playthroughs I imagine. And even though it helps a ton in some spots it's far from mandatory to master.

[johannes]

Originally posted by Sokurah:

The worth thing is deflecting red range attacks with it is not worth it. They basically deal no damage.

The fact that is is somewhat a harder move to do should mean a defelct mean serious damage for the enemy but it does nothing. So runnig in and just attack is a better choice.

It's really not very well integrated into the system.

I don't agree with this. Have you ever tried using it together with the hedgehog jade?
Lady ethereal became much easier after learning that you can easily unbound counter her drop attacks - I only needed to hit her twice or so with a talisman per phase.

It might be that the unbound counter feels intuitive and therefore people stop experimenting with it. However, it is in fact a very strong tool that not only feels satisfying to use correctly but also bears a lot of dmg potential.

[Sokurah]

@ johannes

No i havent. Without it it's underwhelming. And using a charm for it feels like a waste because it is not really needed. There are not that many range enemies of this type.

So it's no big deal but it would be fair enough if it was an insta kill just like it is for these turrets that block your way into some sections.

[Seisachtheia]

Originally posted by Sokurah:

@ johannes

No i havent. Without it it's underwhelming. And using a charm for it feels like a waste because it is not really needed. There are not that many range enemies of this type.

So it's no big deal but it would be fair enough if it was an insta kill just like it is for these turrets that block your way into some sections.

I'm not disagreeing with you because I personally don't use the mechanic, but it is a one hit kill on those archer robots that have the powerful telegraphed beam attack.