I am going to say it. My favorite part of Skyrim was messing around with bugs and glitches. Personally also enjoy it in fallout 4 where you can make a mini gun shoot nukes.
Skyrim's combat isn't good compared to third person combat like Sekiro and Dark Souls. It's one of the better first person combat systems. Not as good as Dishonored, but it's good.
@@JohnathanJWells No. Not by a mile. Might and Magic Dark Messiah could do it better and that is far older than Skyrim. It is however understandable that it did, since the team on Skyrim was so busy making a giant (and mostly empty) world while adding in quests, NPCs and all that jazz where as Dark Messiah built a lot of its game around its combat. But that doesn't excuse Skyrim's combat or make it "one of the better ones". It was serviceable, it did the job and it did it well enough.
Swords are the medieval equivalent of a six-shooter. They're both iconic for their time periods, they're both sidearms, they both have subtle intricacies that make the difference between master and student, and they're both weapons that will be on hand once shit hits the fan.
@@sittingdowntown before i saw your comment, i had an idea that was a game where you only get sidearms as your weapons. small swords (such as daggers), and small guns (such as six shooters). idk where to go from this idea, but yeah. and idk why i replied to your comment.
Swords were *not* that expensive historically. Spear-armed troops almost always had a sword by their side as a back up, from the ancient hoplites to samurais. Simply put, the longer reach of a spear makes it (usually) a better arme-blanche than a sword. The advantage of swords is that (with very rare exceptions) you can wear them about your daily business, in a civilian or military context. A sword is to spear what a revolver is to a rifle. No lord or gentleman wants to hold a spear all day everyday, but wearing a sword for self defence or simply as a status symbol is practical and was popular. It's because of that popularity that swords became cool and associated with war heroes; its the same reason why the Wild West conjures up pictures of revolvers and not shotguns.
Oh, and the Roman republic was using the gladius in 290BC, about 3 CENTURIES before it became an empire, when it was not at all rich and only controlled a small part of northern Italy. And, like as for hoplites, even when they were using spears before, they still had backup swords.
Quick aside, the types of soldiers mentioned are *heavy infantry*, these are professional soldiers trained extensively. Simply put, in medieval warfare, the lord's army made up mostly of conscripts didn't have swords. (However, they usually had daggers as sidearms, which for all intents and purposes act like a short sword). The long sword or a katana was a symbol of wealth and aristocraticy. They were hard to make, and even harder to master. A blacksmith had to train their whole life to make a quality one, and a knight/samurai had to train their whole life to wield it. Imo this is one of the reasons that swords are so romanticized
Swords by their design were very expensive historically. How could something almost entirely made of iron or steel be less expensive than a stick with a SMALL sword at the tip of it? Also swords are brittle and were usually unable to pierce contemporary armors. Swords were used outside of wars and battles because people don't wear armor all the time and the sword was effective to cloth/leather/flesh. Knights used blunt weapons and reverse gripped swords in armored fights, the samurai used yari in battle, and the chinese used guan daos and spears. Weapons that were crushing / heavy / and with reach were always preferred over swords.
@@the8u9 I think you tricked yourself here you started by saying they were expensive, but you followed that claim with an attempt to support it by saying "they were obviously more expensive than spears" these are two separate ideas swords were both less expensive than people generally think (especially stuff like the spadroon), but were still more expensive than spears spears were just *ludicrously* inexpensive.
Sekiro feels like a movie without taking away control from the player, the back and forth is perfectly balanced, the bosses have so many cool moves that can usualy be countered in 3 different ways. Jedi felt so boring after Sekiro
I haven't played Sekiro (I should, but i am working on my backlog rn) so I was originally just a little offended about the comment on J:FO, and brushed it off as him not playing in a harder difficulty. Is Sekiro's combat that good? I heard great things but i didnt think that it would just invalidate J:FO in its quality.
I've got to say it. Sekiro's combat gets a little repetitive once you learn the boss's movesets like the back of your hand. Still fun absolutely, but if you're playing optimally, the facade of 2 opponents in an even duel sort of fades away into Dark Souls Again but with deflects instead of dodges
Nope. You missed nothing. Elder Scrolls weapons combat has always felt terrible. One of the things Skyrim actually did better than Morrowind, which still didn't set the bar very high.
IMO, Sekiro has the best sword-fighting combat system of any game I have ever played. I like the fact that Elden Ring will be essentially a Souls game, but I hope they incorporate a few Sekiro mechanics.
I really hope they make a second game based on the true ending. Now that they’ve mastered the open world, they can implement that. Even though I like sekiro as a character, I would really like to be able to make my own character and have they ability to switch weapons and builds. Just imagine sekiro combat but with the build variety and open world of elden ring.
@@luetenitcornel7320 I think the reason that wouldn't work is because the whole combat system is based on the fact that you have this one specific weapon, and that the amount of health people have at different points in the game is essentially the same
@@butituti i wouldnt want levels like in ds. Just simply add more weapon variety. You wouldnt even have to change to create a character, just give us some armor variations and a few weapons to choose from.
I’ve just picked up ghost of Tsushima for the first time and I’m really enjoying the sword gameplay in that. Difficult but rewarding and when I lose, it’s my fault
Not sure why that is but I rarely feel difficult in ghost of tsushima, even on hardest difficulty. And I am not that good in theses kind of games anyway. The game give me so many tools but hardly any enemy that I need to use theses tools on.
Yeah! Tsushima absolutely nails everything this essay touches on and then some There's so much depth available if you want to explore the mechanics like canceling and feints
If you like Tsushima you should try Nioh, which is where they took stsnces from. It's much more challenging though. And if you like the stealth mechanics and feudal japan world, try Sekiro.
The amount of times I was waiting for Monster Hunter to get mentioned is incredible (especially the Great sword). That game has this with 14 different weapons and give weight to them making them feel powerful, though the slowness of the GS really drills home that the weapon is a heavy damage tool by making the player focus on having every hit count and looking for the best opening to strike (and not just hacking and slashing) forcing you to 'dance' with the creature and it makes the combat very satisfying
Monster Hunter has one of the best combat systems ever created. Every weapon is unique and had weight, the impact of hits, the movesets, they're all so good and depend on your skill and knowledge.
Monster Hunter has the best melee combat in when it comes to most games The main problem is that it's a monster Hunter game not a sword fighting game You fight monsters not other hunters
Omg im so glad you brought up Bushido Blade, I played dozens and dozens of hours of that game against my dad as a child. I never hear that game never get credit or recognition as an early pioneer to high stakes swordplay in games. It's actually pretty impressive how subtle the swordplay was for a system like the PS1. It had a spiritual successor in Kendo:Way of the Sword for PS2, which is fantastic btw, but It's a shame no series has sought to recreate that level of intense combat in a multiplayer fighting game (other than 1 strike on switch/steam, but that game is highly reductive and lacks the same level of depth and tension imo).
Surprised you didn't mention the combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Also, Hellish Quart is an Early Access one-on-one fighter that's trying to replicate historical sword duels.
Hard Disagreement. AI will absolutely destroy you at 3 enemies (which never feels fair) constantly requires you switching guards every time you attack (unless you want to get instantly parry-punished) and seem to take ages to kill unless you download a mod to give 999 damage on your sword. The need to guard from five different directions feels terrible and the perfect parry system basically dumbs down the experience to "I COULD learn how my combos work, I COULD learn how to throw the enemy offguard, and I COULD learn how to 3v1... or I could just sit here and Parry Punish until the game is over, because that'll take significantly less retries, and I don't have the schnaps for every bloody fight that happens." For Honor was the perfect example, Furi was a terrible example (namely, the 'final phase' forces you on the defensive because the boss is invulnerable until the Touhou Bullet Hell is over) and KC:D is exactly the game this video is addressed to because their weapons feel terrible no matter what you're doing.
@@kuronanestimare sounds like you missed the part where heavily armored enemies are actually weak to maces and blunt weaponry. Because unlike Dark Souls, for example, KC:D has a perfectly working damage type system.
@@kuronanestimare You also missed the part where Henry is just a peasant and not a legendary warrior. The game is made for 1v1s and run when more enemies jump you.
"satisfyingly lethal but fail to keep that feeling going." thats the feeling ive never been able to put into words about a lot of games but never knew what it was. "difficulty" isnt a trait anymore because games do it just to do it. its not interesting in any way, difficulty has to have that aha moment of satisfaction
Video isn't finished but had to comment to come to the defence of Curse Rotted Greatwood! It's not just a big damage sponge, it's a fight where you're constantly having to attack a different part of it because the eggs burst, giving an organic difficulty curve to the fight as you'll naturally go for the easy targets first before having to attack harder spots, finishing with the hand
That’s why I hated it, ranged attack in Dark souls are too imprecise to be used properly against such a boss (because you cannot target the single egg’s nest to hit it easily with a ranged attack, but you have to use ranged to hit the nests on the upper part of his body)
@@dajmo2369 I certainly understand not liking it, I do but I can understand why someone would find it annoying and generally I prefer duel bosses, but still the specific criticism Adam put on it isn't valid imo
@@dajmo2369 You do not need to hit the upper part or use range attacks best/hardest strategy is to go after the testicles with your sword and when your underground, bait out the hand.
Great video as always! Though regarding the gladius (from Wikipedia): The stabbing was a very efficient technique, as stabbing wounds, especially in the abdominal area, were almost always deadly.[19] However, the gladius in some circumstances was used for cutting or slashing, as is indicated by Livy's account of the Macedonian Wars, wherein the Macedonian soldiers were horrified to see dismembered bodies.[20] Though the primary infantry attack was thrusting at stomach height, they were trained to take any advantage, such as slashing at kneecaps beneath the shield wall.
This! It's not a thrust blade, it's cut and thrust. The most prominent techniques in formation might have been thrusts, but it can deliver some absolutely vicious cuts.
@@minirlz some enemies require more movement or to actually damage them before creating a clear kill oportunity. others are trick enemies that have a clear disadvantage against one of your prosthetic tools. Your oversimplification doesn't work here because even if it was that simple, it's still fucking cool and rewarding to land a parry and ripost, so who cares.
I know the focus on the video is on man to man sword fighting, but I want to mention the long sword class from monster hunter. It executes really well on the "flowing warrior" fantasy, with the combination of parries, dodges, and openings needed to succeed, as well as the "larger than life" fantasy with some of the special moves (like jumping straight up and slashing down). At higher levels of skill, it literally becomes a dance with the monster, anticipating moves and exploiting openings.
Beating Sekiro is my greatest achievement to date... That game made me feel lower than the regular enemies... I have multiple mental breakdowns during the play through but its all worth it in the end... Now I can beat it without even dying once.. I haven't played any DS yet tho.
Dark souls is much slower combat. Its more based on dodges, you roll then hit them 1 or 2 times roll again over and over. But its pretty awesome just different from sekiro
@@DavidBaatzsch I seriously doubt that. For Honor is a very spectacular game but when he emphasizes how parrying and dynamic move sets are what help battles feel more climactic, paired with high stakes of low ttk, Mordhau couldn't fit any better. I think he just hasn't played it, which may very well be the case.
What makes me even sadder is Mount & Blade: Warband getting completely ignored. Sure, it's not _just_ swords, but it's the most fun melee combat system I've ever seen. There's a reason I have over a thousand hours in that game.
That's actually where pistols get the name side arm. The arm or weapon you keep at your side in daily life (or the backup to your weapon of war on the battlefield). Used to be swords; now it's pistols. Different tool with the same function, so people used the same term.
@@sirpuffball6366 yes and no, it depends on the region and the time period, but swords were more and more common the later you went in the middleages and the cheaper they became. In the last century of the middle ages it was very common for regular folks to have swords. There are even some cities who demanded people have swords for self defense. Not to mention a lot of cities had citizen guards, meaning citizens had guard duty and might be expected to be able to keep themselves safe. Also don't forget, a lot of peasants were expected to be able to be a soldier when called upon by lord or king. In england for example it was expected people could shoot bows, and you were expected to train. There were obviously sword types who were easier and harder to produce making them either cheaper or more expensive. Eg curved one sided blades like falchions and messers are easier to make than straight two edged swords. Also require less sharpening. if we look in the renaissance swords became even more ubiquitous I'm currently working on a reconstruction of a fishingship wreck from 1560 and there was a rapier on board. If even fishermen could afford swords and found it important enough to carry one around, then everyone did. In the little museum of the village where I live, they have a hand full of small straight messer like swords and some daggers. They were found in the mud in the old canal through the village. No one important ever lived in this village. In a time where due process was sparse, laws on the whims of whoever was in power, locks were relatively primitive, no quick phone calls in case of danger and "police" didn't have cars to quickly get to a scene. People needed to take self defense very seriously. And a sword, even a cheaper one, would, just like an American farmer with a shotgun today, be a worthy and prioritized investment. People might not have walked around with swords on their hips all the time, but it would have been likely (especially the later you get in time) they had one at home, and took one with them on long travels in cards or on ships. Also these things might be different in city vs rural. City people were richer and could more easily afford one, but a city is also more likely to have weapon restrictions, and they had city guards nearby. In the countryside, people were poorer, but also more likely needed to be able to defend themselves. Also why we often see farming tools turned into weapons throughout history Daggers of course were even more common. As they were not only used for self defense but also as utility knife by the less rich.
Probably not drunk... Probably not charging either. More like hiding behind shields waiting for the arrow volleys to finally whittle down one side enough that the infantry can actually move from cowering away from death...
@@ThrottleKitty That... Is completely false. You can't make enough alcohol that easily to keep those sorts of percentages. And the whole, "they drank ale like water" thing? Complete BS. Untrue.
@@ThrottleKitty I don't have to prove it? Cause dozens, perhaps hundreds of actual experts on history and the middle ages have already? If you just take half a moment to look it up and read/watch their claims and evidence as well as just the simple logic that if they were all constantly drunk... There would be loads of evidence of it. Anyways, either look up, "were people really drunk all the time in the middle ages" (which they weren't), or don't. Having totally incorrect ideas of how the past was is a fairly normal thing and doesn't really have any effect on your life in the present... Just try not to spread something that clearly isn't true, 'kay?
I always get surprised at how much I enjoy "basic" combat in game with more possibilities. If a game really pulls out the great feeling of just "block/parry/dodge/strike", I could very well to only that the entire game and enjoy every second of it. Like in Ghost of Tsushima, I might have all these cool Ghost tools, but why in hell would I try any of them when just parrying and slashing opponents just at the right time is so satisfying to do? Same with games like Sekiro, I don't wanna do the cool dancy move I learned or use prosthetic tools, just give me that "cling cling" of chaining deflections and attacks, and I'm all set. Probably why I never dared go into a DMC game or things like that, all those fancy combos aren't for me
Same! Even if you're given all these flashy devices and powerful combos, in the end, mastering basics will get you much further, no matter what game it is. There is nothing more fun than a perfect parry in a swordfighting game.
I like having the variety just in case I want to use them, but I completely agree that the basic swordfighting in Sekiro is the best. All you need is that amazing sound design, those orange effects whrn perfectly deflecting, so satisfying
Same, but playing as vergil is fun tho. Even in dmc4 se, vergil's basic moves were so cool and flashy. So try it, in dmc4 special edition u can play the whole game as vergil, and it is not so button mashy as dante or nero to make the fight look cool
Sekiro is the best sword fighting game till date. You cannot beat the fantastic gameplay mechanics. The posture mechanic just elevates the game to a whole different level.
The most fantastic thing I love is how all enemies follow the same mechanics that you do! They HAVE to parry thrusts. They get to counter if they deflect. Being on an equal playing field really gives tension to the fights. Bosses aren't harder because they do more damage or have more health, they are harder because they feel more skilled. That, plus they actually attempt to defend themselves. Dark Souls style bosses just seem to forget that they can die, practically letting you hit them in turn. Sekiro bosses feel as if they're trying to kill you but also not die themselves!
Hey, this was great and really entertaining. A bit surprised there wasn't more Ghost of Tsushima, though. Especially when they added a difficulty level that makes both you and your enemies more lethal (making fights more realistic).
Mikiri Counter in Sekiro is actually a completely optional ability. While much more difficult, all thrusts can be parried and it actually deals a TON of posture damage. It is unblockable, but the point is to get so good you never block and always parry. You also can run out of the way which sometimes leaves enemies open after a whiff. Great video!
@@chronomancer8772 The story has been mutated dozens of times through numerous retellings by different authors centuries apart, but current consensus is that the figure of king Arthur was most likepy originally styled after Charlemange, whom as you have pointed out was Carolingian, an ethnicity that has ties to most of modern western Europe through the Frankish empire, and its successor states.
Do the prince and the lad get some divine help and also acquire some of that arcane weaponry? And wb their training? Have they been sitting on their arses their entire life? Edit: maybe not the strongest comeback but if you like I’ll defend the hell out of that fight:) You’re really oversimplifying things and goddamn I GOT TRIGGERED. Well done
0:53 "The Gladius was exclusively used for stabbing" It was used across an empire for 600 years and probably taught by 10,000s of different instructors. It's exceptionally broad and clearly an effective cutter as dozens of cutting tests on RUclips will attest to. The idea that it was only ever used for thrusts seems absurd to me.
Absurd as it was, it is true. The romans preferred stabbing over slashing(for good reason as it was and arguably still is superior). It’s hard to believe, but that’s the way it was.
Yeah it was pretty much exclusively used for stabbing, because the reason the Faldo us was used instead of spears in Roman armies was as far as I am aware primarily Because the spear disrupted the very tightly packed formations of the Roman’s and swinging a Gladius, though I’m sure it was done in some situations would similarly disrupt the formations
@@Valiguss Scholargladitoria has talked about historical accounts of it being used to cut. I agree that it would have been used *mainly* for thrusting when in tight formation but not exclusively and the video wasn't showing formation fighting.
@@bloodypommelstudios7144 I haven’t seen much of his videos so I’ll have to take your word for it, but if you are using a gladius outside of a formation you have a problem, also the Roman’s had a sword for that called the spatha Which is similar to the Chinese jian
Don't you think it's probably just the same thing as katana but reversed ? With katana, you can slash and stab (I think). But the primary use is slashing. With gladius, you can slash and stab. But the primary use is stabbing.
@@utisti4976 Ye it's nice but... I want games where the protagonist can *only* use a spear, to balance out all the ones where you can only use a sword.
Step one to creating a great sword fighting game is to do your research on swords. Swords were a very useful military weapon, so much so that every single military on the planet until WW2 used them. They allow your archers to have melee capabilities, they allow your phalanxes and pike squares to have a useful weapon if their spears are bypassed, they allow your cavalry to have a backup if they need to fight when they stop or if their lance breaks. Sometimes, they were even used as a primary weapons by some troop types, be they early modern cavalry sabre or Landsknecht Schlachtschwert. Swords aren't that much more expensive than equivalent weapons. About the only place and time where their cost was prohibitive was migration era Europe, and even then, once you realize that scramseax (or other regional war knife of choice) is basically a gladius in different guise, they were everywhere. We have actual high medieval price lists showing us that swords that weren't fancy were dirt cheap. Gladius is a cut and thrust sword. We know this because Vegetius (author of De Re Militari) keeps whining about how soldiers prefer to cut with it. And also because you can take one out for a spin and cut with it pretty well. Gladius arguably wasn't the primary weapon of Roman armies, pila were, whether thrown or used as spears. Either way, it was the shield that really dictated their tactics. Swords happen to be pretty useful for one on several people fights, at least according to people who were using them. Silver and Musashi give advice on how to use sabre and katana in that situation, and there are several treaties that suggest that the montante was meant primarily as a bodyguard sword to be used as crowd control. Guns came along in 1400, spears and bows remained in use until Napoleonic era, and guns didn't fully overtake swords in all roles until WW1. Swords were used in batles all the time. There are legal documents proving this, usually in form of knighting or donation letters. There are also diaries, eyewitness accounts, songs and so on and so forth. Swords as status symbols... well, yeah, that one is true, albeit only some swords.
Polearms are so underused in games. What I'd really like to see though is a game with a magic user that uses a halberd. Halberd wielding mageblade, that's one of the coolest thing I can think of! (also works with a naginata)
It might just be that a spear on its own to laymen can only do one thing: stab. I'm sure there's alot fancier and technical stuff you can do, but it's easier to get a fantasy out of a near omnidirectional sword.
@@Soumein I suppose you could use the spear like a staff and swing it to bash your opponent, perhaps this stuns them? But I think it would be cool if you made a combat system around stabbing your opponent in precise places. Imagine fighting an ai who is really good at guarding themselves, and you have to figure out how to get some stabs past thier defense.
@@gengarisnotinsmash... oh that'd be neat; wielding it like a bo staff but it has a pointy bit. After I wrote that I had considered how you could translate just stabs into gameplay, and precisely targetting weakpoints in armor, but that would be a tad difficult.
Though it's a tiny thing, I would like to add that while you're definitely not wrong about medieval weapons on the battlefield; polearms, spears, and bows making for the dominant weapons throughout history before gunpowder, swords were a little more common than you let on. Useful as sidearms or whenever you aren't fighting in a massive pitched battle and don't want to lug around a big stick with no sheathe Your point is still correct and the video is fantastic just thought I'd say that.
Mashing doesn’t really work if you play fallen order on a higher difficulty, which I highly recommend as it makes all the other powers a lot more useful and fun to implement
A gladius is primarily for stabbing, but can cut quite well. Swords are a secondary like a pistol. Also greatswords likes Zweihanders were used as main weapons on the battlefeild. A knight in full armor might use a sword because he doesn't need a sheild and take a lot of hits or your a man at arms and oh crap your spear broke tine to draw your sword and keep fighting.
I'm afraid you really missed the mark on Fallen Order. The easy modes for that game were designed to allow the player to ignore mechanics. You have to make use of almost all of your kit to thrive on the high difficulties as enemy will simply no-sell X mashing.
There's a reason why I modded Skyrim to have vastly increased damage per attack, for both me and the enemies! Mods for juicier combat sounds and blood effects really complete the package.
So this is why Furi's The Edge fight is so good. It was always my favorite Edit: when talked about that fight in Metal Gear Rising that also holds true for The Edge Oh you talked about Furi, nice
Out of all the Bosses I've faced, Genshiro had to be the most satisfying one to defeat. As a Souls Veteran, the transition from rolling to parrying was hard. As such, Genshiro forced me to finally transition to the expected way of approaching Sekiro.
I've spent a number of years studying and training in the medieval martial arts of Liechtenauer and Fiore, which take longsword (here meaning a light-to-middleweight two-handed sword) as their central focus. There are some relatively popular channels, such as Skallagrim and Shadiversity that discuss the above, and other styles besides -- although I recommend taking them with a grain of salt, as I've found both tend to overextend into speculation in some matters, despite good intentions. The most generally useful channel for discussing swordplay is probably Schola Gladiatora by Matt Easton, who is a historical swordplay instructor in the UK. Okay, but video games. Coming from a background in historical swordplay (and therefore a corner of the martial arts world), I can't say any game has truly and satisfactorily emulated swordplay or related weapons fighting. To be fair, this isn't the intention of, say, Devil May Cry. That in itself is interesting, though, because Devil May Cry actually includes one of the missing ingredients -- one can parry enemy attacks with their own attacks. It can't be overstated how crucial this aspect of fighting with most steel swords is (at least those upwards of 60cm or so in blade length). When you attack, you actively push forward a defense as well, and one with kinetic force behind it. Although not represented in game mechanics, this is the logic behind the ending posture of the Ichimonji technique in Sekiro; to that game's credit, Ichimonji is granted a defensive aspect by recovering a significant amount of posture upon completion. This intersection between offense and defense is also hinted at in Metal Gear Rising, as blocking and parrying are bound to the light attack button. A codec conversation in-game confirms that, while Raiden is self-taught, he's influenced by Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, which was a prominent style of fencing in Edo period Japan. I've never had the pleasure of training in it, but from demonstration, it has a particular similarity with Liechtenauer's longsword, as both styles include single-tempo techniques that aim to parry the opponent and strike them with the sword in one motion. Dark Souls II has a particularly clear example of Liechtenauer-influenced animations in the Drangleic specific greatswords. When used two-handed, these greatswords have an alternative moveset, where the light attack represents Zornhau and the heavy attack represents Zwerchau, albeit in a compromised way meant to compromise with the needs of attack animations in the Souls games. Structurally speaking, games like Metal Gear Rising, Nioh, and Sekiro hit the closest mark. All of these games are based on attacks that try to earn advantage until you gain the opportunity to make a decisive strike. Although I previously described the existence of single-tempo techniques, they tend to be sensitive, and therefore being skilled in more conventional strategies remains important. The main strategy in most forms of historical swordplay is to work your opponent into the real-life equivalent of frame disadvantage, after which you can make an attack against a vital target while the opponent is unable to defend. As combat draws closer, the use of grappling, daggers, and shorter swords becomes common, although most swords are short enough to remain useful in a grappling situation. Including real-world swordplay in video games is definitely a significant challenge, given the difficulties already inherent in games development. Although no individual game does everything, most real-world aspects of swordplay are represented somewhere, and we lack a project to unify such mechanics into one sick swordplay game. If I held the reigns to an action game project, I'd be aiming to combine the structural combat elements of a game like Nioh with attacks that include blocking frames; the cost of an offensive parry could be represented by the likes of stamina, posture, or ki, or even just blockstun in the case of attacking into an opposing attack with greater advantage. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. There was really no short version of this post and it threatened to be longer. I'm a bit sorry, but not beside myself with grief.
I really liked this video! I have heard some of the history of swords before, but not specifically in such a dedicated context before. Clearly a subject with a good amount to talk about, what with the long history of swords in myth and videogames alike. It was neat to learn about Bushido Blade's combat for me too, it's a rare as heck style of combat to see nowadays. Even Ghostrunner's 'everything is lethal' system is a bit more often seen. Great video overall! ^w^
You could kinda compare swords with pistols: both sidearms, both more efficient in close range compared to spears/rifles and both enough to make a man into a legend
"[the gladius] was exclusively used for stabbing, not slashing. . . " I really hate it when people try to state absolute facts like this. That idea is completely wrong, and gladii can definitely be used to thrust AND slash. There is literally no point in making a bladed weapon that never gets used for cutting.
And it was almost certainly used in a "fencing" fashion as well, there are historical examples of blade damage that can only have been caused by blocking with the sword. I also hate the way it's now become the "accepted truth" that swords weren't useful because almost all armies fielded primarily spearmen and archers. Swords were personal sidearms in almost all ages. You can look at say a 14th century army, and almost every single spearman and archer also carried a sword to be used if they either lost their primary weapon or couldn't use it effectively due to for example the enemy closing up or having to fight indoors. And because the sword was a personal sidearm, it saw a shit ton of civilian use as a weapon of self-defense and in dueling. And if you add to this all the more specialized units who used swords over time like the doppelsöldners, rodeleros, etc. there is in fact quite a lot of sword usage on the battlefield as well. Obviously less than in Hollywood garbage, but way more than "informed" people make it out to be.
As someone who practised HEMA and several other forms of fencing, and even wrote a bachelor thesis on Italian master swordmaster Fiore dei Liberi, I feel I can throw in my "professional" opinion here: What most games fail to capture is a concept called "tempo" (literally translated it means timing, but it is a little more involved than that). You see a swordfight or fencing match is basically an elaborate mindgame where opponents try to overcome eachother with a combination of 3 "resources": starting position, distance+movement and whether you strike or parry (the last 2 can be summed up as tempo). You can for instance move away from your opponent and attack, or step into his blow but parry. To put it differently: in a real swordfight you can act aggresively in a defense way, or defensively act aggressive. While in games it is often strictly binary if you are attacking or defending. Dark Souls does bring distance and positioning into it, which is why IMHO it is one of the best swordfighting systems to date (ridiculous oversized anime cricket bats aside). Another is the opening position. A "real" swordfight often starts with two people circling eachother cycling positions, until one moves in and it ends in one person hit after a brief exchange (just look at some high level kendo or a Kurasawa movie). Video games completely ignore this aspect, which is a shame because it's where most of the drama is.
Bummer. I was expecting to see the brand new and poorly named Hellish Quart on here, even though it's still in development. It's a surprisingly accurate HEMA simulator with Bushido Blade- style deadly combat.
Hiatorical fencer here. Good fencing games captures the soul of fencing, even if not the exact mechanics of it. A "real" sword fight is quick and thrilling and requires extremely good foundations and good reflexes. If a game captures that, you're basically set. Couple it with tactics based in movement and timing, and you have a perfect sword fighting game. Also, I suspect swords were in such high regard because of their difficulty of manufacture, and also that they are the only medieval weapon that was ONLY a weapon. All others are either used for hunting or as tools.
5:00 what difficulty did you play the game on? i played the game and was damn near glued to both the parry and dodge buttons, and the force powers were my "oops" emergency button in a great deal of situations. i even felt towards the end that perhaps i hadnt set the difficulty high enough. i fought to the finish the frog boss the first time, and the time i actually beat him i felt i dodged more times than i attacked.
yeah the idea that you'll win by just spamming attack isn't really true at all from my experience, even vs just garbage troopers there's generally other shit you need to be doing. once you start getting proper melee enemies if you're not dodging, parrying and using your force stuff they'll just beat you to death super fast, mostly all of them have counters to spamming. was particularly weird he posted an ATST fight as proof spamming is all you ever want to do as well, considering they've got a super super obvious force reliant strat you're meant to use against them.
That said, it is a very barebones game. No customization or actual builds (no, the two lightsaber configurations don't count), there really isn't a whole lot of depth to it. I'd say it gets quite repetitive by the end. So basically, it's a very mediocre game with nice visuals
Shammy and The Architect descended to our mortal plane on the same day What could this mean edit: AND IT MIGHT BE ABOUT SEKIRO I’m making stovetop popcorn tonight
The spear is the best type of weapon you can stab from a distance, slash with the blade and blunt force if used correctly also the most practical. Spear is best everyone underestimates the spear.
An amazing game held back by some of the worst optimization in the industry. At launch my computer could run it at 50-60 FPS, now I can't even get 30. Still love my memories, still love my hug boi, but jesus christ do they need to make For Honor 2 and clear the shit out of their van.
I gather that Ghost of Tsushima will be getting its own video then? :P This was a great essay... except the Fallen Order stuff, sorry. You can't by any stretch of the imagination just spam the attack button, you will get destroyed unless maybe if you're playing on easy? Unsure. But both parries and dodges are pretty mandatory for most of the game. "Cal's parry and dodge moves feel sluggish" It's because FO is animation-led, whereas something like Ghost of Tsushima for example is input-led. There's a learning curve because you have to press the input before you need it, it takes a while to learn the timing, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It feeds directly into the feeling of mastery you say the game doesn't provide, but I felt like I had genuinely mastered these mechanics by the end of the story, in a way no game had done for me again until Tsushima. The way you put "???" when the giant frog jumps tells me you may not have played much of this game tbh, because that's one of like 3? 4? attacks he can do. I will be the first one to criticize Fallen Order for copying Sekiro kind of poorly, and not having enough depth to its mechanics unlike the similar but superior in nearly every way Ghost of Tsushima. But yeah, if you played Fallen Order just spamming attack instead of chaining perfect dodges to refill your Force meter, timing your strikes through an enemy's vulnerable but brief attack animation, or throwing your saber behind an enemy only for it to cleave through him on its way back to you just in time to parry a blow from his friend... that's kinda your choice? The game definitely gives you those tools to juggle all together. Anyways, this really was an excellent video on one of my very favourite things, great job💜
Despite what you said about swordfights in games working because they're nothing like swordfights irl (which is completely fair), the way you described bushido blade, it's actually pretty accurate (at least as much as I understand it having never played it). Swordfights irl are often like "dances" around each other, sometimes exchanging quick blows, until someone severs a tenden or hits a vital body part, in which case it'll be basically over. Exceptions of course exist because it's reality we're talking about, but I find it interesting that that game made this fun and accessible.
Around 4:40 ish. And this is why I love VR games, is because you can make your own moves. You’re not restricted to a button press you’re only really restricted to your imagination
For a second I thought this was going to be about player-versus-player fighting games, but I can see how a lot of the "feel" of swordfighting would get translated well into fighting games all the same. Samurai Shodown is a particularly fantastic example of this, where its slow pace and *punishing* damage really create the feel of a samurai duel where one decisive stroke could end the battle in the blink of an eye.
a video about sword fighting in games and not even a mention to kingdom come deliverance? its progression its really note worthy and more games should take inspiration from that
as a 10 year practicioner: yes... i wasted 5 of those years trying to find my STYLE, and took me 5 to master it. now i am building my own based on what i learned. ( fencing, sabre dueling, spear handling, archery, dagger throwing and Kenjutsu. ) it was a very rewarding experience.
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy has a massive mod called Movie Battles that pumps the lightsaber combat up to 11 and makes it quite possibly the best ever representation of lightsaber combat in any game ever.
There's so many fun games where you get to fight with a sword, and just experiencing how awesome it is. I would like to add Dante and Vergil from Devil May Cry as great examples to add onto yours. Dante is this badass demon hunter who has a wide array of weapons from demons he's killed, but he's also never without his trusty main sword. He gets to do some crazy cool things with any weapon he gets his hands on. In other corner is his more focused brother, Vergil, whose skills rival that of Dante's. It's a battle of awesome vs. awesome. For Vergil specifically, his unparalleled swordplay is both awesome and equally implausible, which just increases the coolness factor. Why yes, him being able to have a wall of cut marks is terrifying and awesome. So is his Judgment Cut move, where he just... stands back and swings with enough force to slice at your exact position without moving a muscle. To be able to take down THAT is immensely satisfying. Getting to play as Vergil later and being able to do a lot of the insanely cool things he can do is one of the best rewards. Also, Furi is amazing, I love that game.
While I get that you have to choose which games to exclude for this type of thesis video, it does seem like Ghostrunner and Bushido Blade are questionable inclusions. Ghostrunner is great but does very little to feel like a "sword fighting" game, and Bushido Blade could be supplanted by a more modern example: Mordhau. Now, Mordhau often presents itself as a hack-and-slash meat grinder (which it can be at times), but the gameplay depth you can find in duels is unparalleled. While all of the games you mention use pre-baked moves, Mordhau's ability to let players influence their attack arcs and timings in real time is incredibly useful and makes fighting a challenge of wits, speed, and mind games, like a real duel. If there's any game that can let you embody any sword-fighting archetype, from an aggressive berserker to a defensive powerhouse, to a finessing rogue, Mordhau is it. Also congrats on getting the Roller Coaster achievement for DRG. Rock and Stone!
“Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.”
Come see the violence inherent in the system. HELP! I'm being repressed!
I mean, if I went around saying I was the Emperor just because some moistened bint lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!
Quiet you! I said quiet!
I didn't vote for you
The results might not vary too much, but I'm willing to give it a shot at this point
“That’s not to say combat in The Elder Scrolls games isn’t basically pretty good.”
I’m going to say it. Combat in The Elder Scrolls isn’t good.
Most first person sword games don't have good combat. TES is one of the better ones.
I am going to say it. My favorite part of Skyrim was messing around with bugs and glitches.
Personally also enjoy it in fallout 4 where you can make a mini gun shoot nukes.
Skyrim's combat isn't good compared to third person combat like Sekiro and Dark Souls.
It's one of the better first person combat systems. Not as good as Dishonored, but it's good.
I can only recommend mordhau for good first person meele
@@JohnathanJWells No. Not by a mile. Might and Magic Dark Messiah could do it better and that is far older than Skyrim. It is however understandable that it did, since the team on Skyrim was so busy making a giant (and mostly empty) world while adding in quests, NPCs and all that jazz where as Dark Messiah built a lot of its game around its combat. But that doesn't excuse Skyrim's combat or make it "one of the better ones". It was serviceable, it did the job and it did it well enough.
Swords are the medieval equivalent of a six-shooter. They're both iconic for their time periods, they're both sidearms, they both have subtle intricacies that make the difference between master and student, and they're both weapons that will be on hand once shit hits the fan.
and they're both good for dueling.
Which is why Red Steel 2 is cool as fuck. A katana in one hand and revolver in the other.
@@sittingdowntown before i saw your comment, i had an idea that was a game where you only get sidearms as your weapons. small swords (such as daggers), and small guns (such as six shooters). idk where to go from this idea, but yeah. and idk why i replied to your comment.
@@sittingdowntown Still hoping for a red steel 3 some day
And this is why Akira Kurosawa, one of the most famous creators of samurai films, based many of his ideas on movies about the American Wild West.
This is a glorified "While you were partying, i studied the blade!"
read the pinned comment
@@jackbrasesco2949 ah, i see
Senpai noticed me
I came to this video expecting this comment lol
While you were parrying, I studied the blaze.
Swords were *not* that expensive historically. Spear-armed troops almost always had a sword by their side as a back up, from the ancient hoplites to samurais. Simply put, the longer reach of a spear makes it (usually) a better arme-blanche than a sword. The advantage of swords is that (with very rare exceptions) you can wear them about your daily business, in a civilian or military context. A sword is to spear what a revolver is to a rifle. No lord or gentleman wants to hold a spear all day everyday, but wearing a sword for self defence or simply as a status symbol is practical and was popular. It's because of that popularity that swords became cool and associated with war heroes; its the same reason why the Wild West conjures up pictures of revolvers and not shotguns.
Oh, and the Roman republic was using the gladius in 290BC, about 3 CENTURIES before it became an empire, when it was not at all rich and only controlled a small part of northern Italy. And, like as for hoplites, even when they were using spears before, they still had backup swords.
Quick aside, the types of soldiers mentioned are *heavy infantry*, these are professional soldiers trained extensively. Simply put, in medieval warfare, the lord's army made up mostly of conscripts didn't have swords. (However, they usually had daggers as sidearms, which for all intents and purposes act like a short sword). The long sword or a katana was a symbol of wealth and aristocraticy. They were hard to make, and even harder to master. A blacksmith had to train their whole life to make a quality one, and a knight/samurai had to train their whole life to wield it.
Imo this is one of the reasons that swords are so romanticized
Swords by their design were very expensive historically. How could something almost entirely made of iron or steel be less expensive than a stick with a SMALL sword at the tip of it? Also swords are brittle and were usually unable to pierce contemporary armors. Swords were used outside of wars and battles because people don't wear armor all the time and the sword was effective to cloth/leather/flesh. Knights used blunt weapons and reverse gripped swords in armored fights, the samurai used yari in battle, and the chinese used guan daos and spears. Weapons that were crushing / heavy / and with reach were always preferred over swords.
@@the8u9 I think you tricked yourself here
you started by saying they were expensive, but you followed that claim with an attempt to support it by saying "they were obviously more expensive than spears"
these are two separate ideas
swords were both less expensive than people generally think (especially stuff like the spadroon), but were still more expensive than spears
spears were just *ludicrously* inexpensive.
Everyday is a good day when Millard posts a video.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
A very fitting scene to get your point across! Great video!
Sekiro feels like a movie without taking away control from the player, the back and forth is perfectly balanced, the bosses have so many cool moves that can usualy be countered in 3 different ways. Jedi felt so boring after Sekiro
I'm really glad i played Fallen Order before Sekiro for this exact reason
I haven't played Sekiro (I should, but i am working on my backlog rn) so I was originally just a little offended about the comment on J:FO, and brushed it off as him not playing in a harder difficulty. Is Sekiro's combat that good? I heard great things but i didnt think that it would just invalidate J:FO in its quality.
@@scottallen4569 It is that good, go play it, find it out yourself.
Jedi Outcast/Jedi Academy were always the top tier for lightsaber fights, nothing in over 15 years came close (in that franchise ofc)
I've got to say it. Sekiro's combat gets a little repetitive once you learn the boss's movesets like the back of your hand. Still fun absolutely, but if you're playing optimally, the facade of 2 opponents in an even duel sort of fades away into Dark Souls Again but with deflects instead of dodges
I remember watching a friend play Skyrim and thinking, "Am I missing something? This combat looks terrible!"
...That's it, that's the whole story.
Everyone I know plays Skyrim for the mods, like the one that lets you fly around having dogfights with dragons.
@@jorionedwards yep
i used magic, like launching an electric kame hame ha or watching a daedra or a frost atronach soloing bandit camps
I don't think anyone plays skyrim for the combat.
Nope. You missed nothing. Elder Scrolls weapons combat has always felt terrible. One of the things Skyrim actually did better than Morrowind, which still didn't set the bar very high.
IMO, Sekiro has the best sword-fighting combat system of any game I have ever played. I like the fact that Elden Ring will be essentially a Souls game, but I hope they incorporate a few Sekiro mechanics.
If only they did Sekiro mechanics for melania
@@GlutesEnjoyer She does play like a Sekiro boss for sure.
I really hope they make a second game based on the true ending. Now that they’ve mastered the open world, they can implement that. Even though I like sekiro as a character, I would really like to be able to make my own character and have they ability to switch weapons and builds. Just imagine sekiro combat but with the build variety and open world of elden ring.
@@luetenitcornel7320 I think the reason that wouldn't work is because the whole combat system is based on the fact that you have this one specific weapon, and that the amount of health people have at different points in the game is essentially the same
@@butituti i wouldnt want levels like in ds. Just simply add more weapon variety. You wouldnt even have to change to create a character, just give us some armor variations and a few weapons to choose from.
I’ve just picked up ghost of Tsushima for the first time and I’m really enjoying the sword gameplay in that. Difficult but rewarding and when I lose, it’s my fault
Not sure why that is but I rarely feel difficult in ghost of tsushima, even on hardest difficulty. And I am not that good in theses kind of games anyway.
The game give me so many tools but hardly any enemy that I need to use theses tools on.
Yeah! Tsushima absolutely nails everything this essay touches on and then some
There's so much depth available if you want to explore the mechanics like canceling and feints
If you like Tsushima you should try Nioh, which is where they took stsnces from. It's much more challenging though. And if you like the stealth mechanics and feudal japan world, try Sekiro.
@@khoing1111 that part. Tsushima wasn't as precise as Sekiro
Abyss Watchers is definitely one of the most memorable fights in any game I've played.
Abyss watchers was when shit started getting good!
(Screw farron swamp)
@@damienmcneff7715 screw all poison areas in souls games
The amount of times I was waiting for Monster Hunter to get mentioned is incredible (especially the Great sword). That game has this with 14 different weapons and give weight to them making them feel powerful, though the slowness of the GS really drills home that the weapon is a heavy damage tool by making the player focus on having every hit count and looking for the best opening to strike (and not just hacking and slashing) forcing you to 'dance' with the creature and it makes the combat very satisfying
Must really feel different from dark souls
Poise break and stagger for days with heavy swords
Monster Hunter has one of the best combat systems ever created. Every weapon is unique and had weight, the impact of hits, the movesets, they're all so good and depend on your skill and knowledge.
Monster Hunter has the best melee combat in when it comes to most games
The main problem is that it's a monster Hunter game not a sword fighting game
You fight monsters not other hunters
Omg im so glad you brought up Bushido Blade, I played dozens and dozens of hours of that game against my dad as a child. I never hear that game never get credit or recognition as an early pioneer to high stakes swordplay in games. It's actually pretty impressive how subtle the swordplay was for a system like the PS1. It had a spiritual successor in Kendo:Way of the Sword for PS2, which is fantastic btw, but It's a shame no series has sought to recreate that level of intense combat in a multiplayer fighting game (other than 1 strike on switch/steam, but that game is highly reductive and lacks the same level of depth and tension imo).
try hellish quart.
@@mazda9588 thanks, exactly what I was looking for, looks like I'll be buying this ASAP.
@@kaiyote3357 no problem ;)
Surprised you didn't mention the combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
Also, Hellish Quart is an Early Access one-on-one fighter that's trying to replicate historical sword duels.
Ooh I think I saw something about that on ign or smth where an actual fencing master was reacting to some gameplay
Agree with you.
Hard Disagreement. AI will absolutely destroy you at 3 enemies (which never feels fair) constantly requires you switching guards every time you attack (unless you want to get instantly parry-punished) and seem to take ages to kill unless you download a mod to give 999 damage on your sword. The need to guard from five different directions feels terrible and the perfect parry system basically dumbs down the experience to "I COULD learn how my combos work, I COULD learn how to throw the enemy offguard, and I COULD learn how to 3v1... or I could just sit here and Parry Punish until the game is over, because that'll take significantly less retries, and I don't have the schnaps for every bloody fight that happens."
For Honor was the perfect example, Furi was a terrible example (namely, the 'final phase' forces you on the defensive because the boss is invulnerable until the Touhou Bullet Hell is over) and KC:D is exactly the game this video is addressed to because their weapons feel terrible no matter what you're doing.
@@kuronanestimare sounds like you missed the part where heavily armored enemies are actually weak to maces and blunt weaponry. Because unlike Dark Souls, for example, KC:D has a perfectly working damage type system.
@@kuronanestimare You also missed the part where Henry is just a peasant and not a legendary warrior. The game is made for 1v1s and run when more enemies jump you.
"satisfyingly lethal but fail to keep that feeling going." thats the feeling ive never been able to put into words about a lot of games but never knew what it was. "difficulty" isnt a trait anymore because games do it just to do it. its not interesting in any way, difficulty has to have that aha moment of satisfaction
sounds like someone's well-versed in the S-word!
Get out
Spearchucker?
Video isn't finished but had to comment to come to the defence of Curse Rotted Greatwood! It's not just a big damage sponge, it's a fight where you're constantly having to attack a different part of it because the eggs burst, giving an organic difficulty curve to the fight as you'll naturally go for the easy targets first before having to attack harder spots, finishing with the hand
That’s why I hated it, ranged attack in Dark souls are too imprecise to be used properly against such a boss (because you cannot target the single egg’s nest to hit it easily with a ranged attack, but you have to use ranged to hit the nests on the upper part of his body)
@@dajmo2369 I certainly understand not liking it, I do but I can understand why someone would find it annoying and generally I prefer duel bosses, but still the specific criticism Adam put on it isn't valid imo
@@dajmo2369 Not once do you have to use range in these fights those. He always leans down at certain points to let you attack all aspects of it.
@@MattBee2k2 I’ve never got to hit his shoulder with my blade
@@dajmo2369 You do not need to hit the upper part or use range attacks best/hardest strategy is to go after the testicles with your sword and when your underground, bait out the hand.
Great video as always! Though regarding the gladius (from Wikipedia): The stabbing was a very efficient technique, as stabbing wounds, especially in the abdominal area, were almost always deadly.[19] However, the gladius in some circumstances was used for cutting or slashing, as is indicated by Livy's account of the Macedonian Wars, wherein the Macedonian soldiers were horrified to see dismembered bodies.[20]
Though the primary infantry attack was thrusting at stomach height, they were trained to take any advantage, such as slashing at kneecaps beneath the shield wall.
This! It's not a thrust blade, it's cut and thrust. The most prominent techniques in formation might have been thrusts, but it can deliver some absolutely vicious cuts.
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is how...
I love the Bushido Blade and Nidhogg shoutouts!
11:32 You know that feeling when the script is perfectly written and the video is perfectly edited? Yeah. Nice one, Adam.
lol its too good
Sekiro's combat is absolutely fantastic.
No game has made the feeling of swords clashing so perfect.
Right? The fact that your attack _is your parry_ finally breaks the goofy dodge roll meta that Fromsoft is known for :D
ah yes, stand still until an enemy attacks and right click to parry then left click kill to insta kill. Truly amazing awe inspiring stuff lmao
@@minirlz some enemies require more movement or to actually damage them before creating a clear kill oportunity. others are trick enemies that have a clear disadvantage against one of your prosthetic tools. Your oversimplification doesn't work here because even if it was that simple, it's still fucking cool and rewarding to land a parry and ripost, so who cares.
Yes sekiro has the best combat Ive ever played
The dude doubting probably hasnt played it yet
@@minirlz Sounds like you just aren’t good.
Warden with a sword: I'm a master of ... shoulder bash.
I know the focus on the video is on man to man sword fighting, but I want to mention the long sword class from monster hunter. It executes really well on the "flowing warrior" fantasy, with the combination of parries, dodges, and openings needed to succeed, as well as the "larger than life" fantasy with some of the special moves (like jumping straight up and slashing down). At higher levels of skill, it literally becomes a dance with the monster, anticipating moves and exploiting openings.
Beating Sekiro is my greatest achievement to date... That game made me feel lower than the regular enemies... I have multiple mental breakdowns during the play through but its all worth it in the end... Now I can beat it without even dying once.. I haven't played any DS yet tho.
Highly suggest ds
Ohhh boy...
You're gonna miss the Sekiro combat a lot.
Dark souls is much slower combat.
Its more based on dodges, you roll then hit them 1 or 2 times roll again over and over.
But its pretty awesome just different from sekiro
For Honor gets a whole section while Mordhau is only granted a 3 second cameo 😭
Because they are very different and FH correspond better to the "legendary sword" theme of the video
@@DavidBaatzsch I seriously doubt that. For Honor is a very spectacular game but when he emphasizes how parrying and dynamic move sets are what help battles feel more climactic, paired with high stakes of low ttk, Mordhau couldn't fit any better. I think he just hasn't played it, which may very well be the case.
@@DavidBaatzsch mordhau corresponds to "legendary sledgehammer"
What makes me even sadder is Mount & Blade: Warband getting completely ignored. Sure, it's not _just_ swords, but it's the most fun melee combat system I've ever seen. There's a reason I have over a thousand hours in that game.
its because high level mordhau duels doesnt feel like a sword fight lol
Swords in the middlages were a lot more common though as they were primarily self defence weapons. Like a simple handgun today in the US
That's actually where pistols get the name side arm. The arm or weapon you keep at your side in daily life (or the backup to your weapon of war on the battlefield). Used to be swords; now it's pistols. Different tool with the same function, so people used the same term.
Yes, but only really for soldiers. Not quite as ubiquitous as guns today.
@@sirpuffball6366 yes and no, it depends on the region and the time period, but swords were more and more common the later you went in the middleages and the cheaper they became. In the last century of the middle ages it was very common for regular folks to have swords.
There are even some cities who demanded people have swords for self defense.
Not to mention a lot of cities had citizen guards, meaning citizens had guard duty and might be expected to be able to keep themselves safe. Also don't forget, a lot of peasants were expected to be able to be a soldier when called upon by lord or king. In england for example it was expected people could shoot bows, and you were expected to train.
There were obviously sword types who were easier and harder to produce making them either cheaper or more expensive. Eg curved one sided blades like falchions and messers are easier to make than straight two edged swords. Also require less sharpening.
if we look in the renaissance swords became even more ubiquitous I'm currently working on a reconstruction of a fishingship wreck from 1560 and there was a rapier on board. If even fishermen could afford swords and found it important enough to carry one around, then everyone did.
In the little museum of the village where I live, they have a hand full of small straight messer like swords and some daggers. They were found in the mud in the old canal through the village. No one important ever lived in this village.
In a time where due process was sparse, laws on the whims of whoever was in power, locks were relatively primitive, no quick phone calls in case of danger and "police" didn't have cars to quickly get to a scene. People needed to take self defense very seriously. And a sword, even a cheaper one, would, just like an American farmer with a shotgun today, be a worthy and prioritized investment.
People might not have walked around with swords on their hips all the time, but it would have been likely (especially the later you get in time) they had one at home, and took one with them on long travels in cards or on ships. Also these things might be different in city vs rural. City people were richer and could more easily afford one, but a city is also more likely to have weapon restrictions, and they had city guards nearby. In the countryside, people were poorer, but also more likely needed to be able to defend themselves.
Also why we often see farming tools turned into weapons throughout history
Daggers of course were even more common. As they were not only used for self defense but also as utility knife by the less rich.
@@DrTheRich Thanks for that ! Really interesting to read !
Imagined: Elegant sword fight between two skilled expert soldiers
Reality: Two drunken farmers charging one another with pointed sticks
Probably not drunk... Probably not charging either.
More like hiding behind shields waiting for the arrow volleys to finally whittle down one side enough that the infantry can actually move from cowering away from death...
@@plzletmebefrank About 80% of people in middle history were probably drunk.
@@ThrottleKitty That... Is completely false.
You can't make enough alcohol that easily to keep those sorts of percentages. And the whole, "they drank ale like water" thing? Complete BS. Untrue.
@@plzletmebefrank No it's not, prove it. Just come into random comments section screeching "wrong" at random. Get a better hobby
@@ThrottleKitty I don't have to prove it? Cause dozens, perhaps hundreds of actual experts on history and the middle ages have already?
If you just take half a moment to look it up and read/watch their claims and evidence as well as just the simple logic that if they were all constantly drunk... There would be loads of evidence of it.
Anyways, either look up, "were people really drunk all the time in the middle ages" (which they weren't), or don't.
Having totally incorrect ideas of how the past was is a fairly normal thing and doesn't really have any effect on your life in the present... Just try not to spread something that clearly isn't true, 'kay?
I always get surprised at how much I enjoy "basic" combat in game with more possibilities. If a game really pulls out the great feeling of just "block/parry/dodge/strike", I could very well to only that the entire game and enjoy every second of it. Like in Ghost of Tsushima, I might have all these cool Ghost tools, but why in hell would I try any of them when just parrying and slashing opponents just at the right time is so satisfying to do? Same with games like Sekiro, I don't wanna do the cool dancy move I learned or use prosthetic tools, just give me that "cling cling" of chaining deflections and attacks, and I'm all set.
Probably why I never dared go into a DMC game or things like that, all those fancy combos aren't for me
Same! Even if you're given all these flashy devices and powerful combos, in the end, mastering basics will get you much further, no matter what game it is. There is nothing more fun than a perfect parry in a swordfighting game.
I like having the variety just in case I want to use them, but I completely agree that the basic swordfighting in Sekiro is the best. All you need is that amazing sound design, those orange effects whrn perfectly deflecting, so satisfying
This is why devs protect players from themselves. You'll never know the fun you'd have if you used everything else if you stop at the fun you know.
Same, but playing as vergil is fun tho.
Even in dmc4 se, vergil's basic moves were so cool and flashy. So try it, in dmc4 special edition u can play the whole game as vergil, and it is not so button mashy as dante or nero to make the fight look cool
I'm always happy to hear people talk about Furi. Just a great game that didn't receive the love it deserved.
Furi is a jam
I just got it afew days ago. Amazing game
Also the soundtrack is godly
@@manospapad2087 Yessss! Fits the game perfectly and also stands on its own.
shit is hard as fuck
Loved the Deep Rock Galactic grind rails during the sign off lol
Sekiro is the best sword fighting game till date. You cannot beat the fantastic gameplay mechanics. The posture mechanic just elevates the game to a whole different level.
The most fantastic thing I love is how all enemies follow the same mechanics that you do! They HAVE to parry thrusts. They get to counter if they deflect.
Being on an equal playing field really gives tension to the fights. Bosses aren't harder because they do more damage or have more health, they are harder because they feel more skilled. That, plus they actually attempt to defend themselves. Dark Souls style bosses just seem to forget that they can die, practically letting you hit them in turn. Sekiro bosses feel as if they're trying to kill you but also not die themselves!
arguably the best gameplay out of any game ive played
@@T.L.P50 fr
Hey, this was great and really entertaining. A bit surprised there wasn't more Ghost of Tsushima, though. Especially when they added a difficulty level that makes both you and your enemies more lethal (making fights more realistic).
there is also a lack of Nioh and Nioh 2, but that's fine since there is Sekiro which represent the whole genre of Samurai/Ninja
Your points remind me of why I love Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, a VERY underrated game.
Mikiri Counter in Sekiro is actually a completely optional ability. While much more difficult, all thrusts can be parried and it actually deals a TON of posture damage. It is unblockable, but the point is to get so good you never block and always parry. You also can run out of the way which sometimes leaves enemies open after a whiff. Great video!
1:36 "Erotic Edelgard Fanfic" I see you. I feel you.
"Europe has Excalibur" Ah yes, Excalibur, the famous all European tale about some guy in England.
Its about Charlemange who isnt exactly clear if is french spanish or german.
I'd say its sufficiently pan european.
@@ineednochannelyoutube5384 Charlemange was Carolingian and Arthur was some dude from England and a different person if a person at all.
@@chronomancer8772 The story has been mutated dozens of times through numerous retellings by different authors centuries apart, but current consensus is that the figure of king Arthur was most likepy originally styled after Charlemange, whom as you have pointed out was Carolingian, an ethnicity that has ties to most of modern western Europe through the Frankish empire, and its successor states.
England was still part of Europe at the time.
we all know the real original European swordsman is William Wallace and his god damn massive chad claymore
Kaladin Stormblessed would like a word regarding spears.
Who would win: four nobles armed with arcane weaponry they have trained with since childhood, or a Disney prince and one depressed lad?
Do the prince and the lad get some divine help and also acquire some of that arcane weaponry? And wb their training? Have they been sitting on their arses their entire life?
Edit: maybe not the strongest comeback but if you like I’ll defend the hell out of that fight:) You’re really oversimplifying things and goddamn I GOT TRIGGERED. Well done
@@9rh9 Lol, I was just joking. I love that fight as well!
0:53 "The Gladius was exclusively used for stabbing" It was used across an empire for 600 years and probably taught by 10,000s of different instructors. It's exceptionally broad and clearly an effective cutter as dozens of cutting tests on RUclips will attest to. The idea that it was only ever used for thrusts seems absurd to me.
Absurd as it was, it is true. The romans preferred stabbing over slashing(for good reason as it was and arguably still is superior). It’s hard to believe, but that’s the way it was.
Yeah it was pretty much exclusively used for stabbing, because the reason the Faldo us was used instead of spears in Roman armies was as far as I am aware primarily Because the spear disrupted the very tightly packed formations of the Roman’s and swinging a Gladius, though I’m sure it was done in some situations would similarly disrupt the formations
@@Valiguss Scholargladitoria has talked about historical accounts of it being used to cut. I agree that it would have been used *mainly* for thrusting when in tight formation but not exclusively and the video wasn't showing formation fighting.
@@bloodypommelstudios7144 I haven’t seen much of his videos so I’ll have to take your word for it, but if you are using a gladius outside of a formation you have a problem, also the Roman’s had a sword for that called the spatha Which is similar to the Chinese jian
Don't you think it's probably just the same thing as katana but reversed ?
With katana, you can slash and stab (I think). But the primary use is slashing.
With gladius, you can slash and stab. But the primary use is stabbing.
>:( Swords are overdone, where my spear wielding protagonist games at?
Or axes for that matter
You could try Nioh or Dark Souls. They've got spears. :P
My boi Kaladin is underrepresented :(
@@utisti4976 Ye it's nice but... I want games where the protagonist can *only* use a spear, to balance out all the ones where you can only use a sword.
Hell yeah! Was just about to mention Sad Spear Boi
You wrote this so well that Bushido Blade came to mind, 5 seconds before you said it
Step one to creating a great sword fighting game is to do your research on swords.
Swords were a very useful military weapon, so much so that every single military on the planet until WW2 used them. They allow your archers to have melee capabilities, they allow your phalanxes and pike squares to have a useful weapon if their spears are bypassed, they allow your cavalry to have a backup if they need to fight when they stop or if their lance breaks. Sometimes, they were even used as a primary weapons by some troop types, be they early modern cavalry sabre or Landsknecht Schlachtschwert.
Swords aren't that much more expensive than equivalent weapons. About the only place and time where their cost was prohibitive was migration era Europe, and even then, once you realize that scramseax (or other regional war knife of choice) is basically a gladius in different guise, they were everywhere. We have actual high medieval price lists showing us that swords that weren't fancy were dirt cheap.
Gladius is a cut and thrust sword. We know this because Vegetius (author of De Re Militari) keeps whining about how soldiers prefer to cut with it. And also because you can take one out for a spin and cut with it pretty well.
Gladius arguably wasn't the primary weapon of Roman armies, pila were, whether thrown or used as spears. Either way, it was the shield that really dictated their tactics.
Swords happen to be pretty useful for one on several people fights, at least according to people who were using them. Silver and Musashi give advice on how to use sabre and katana in that situation, and there are several treaties that suggest that the montante was meant primarily as a bodyguard sword to be used as crowd control.
Guns came along in 1400, spears and bows remained in use until Napoleonic era, and guns didn't fully overtake swords in all roles until WW1.
Swords were used in batles all the time. There are legal documents proving this, usually in form of knighting or donation letters. There are also diaries, eyewitness accounts, songs and so on and so forth.
Swords as status symbols... well, yeah, that one is true, albeit only some swords.
Ok, but can we please get a video game where the main character uses a spear, and just a spear? Because I like them more than swords.
Polearms are so underused in games.
What I'd really like to see though is a game with a magic user that uses a halberd. Halberd wielding mageblade, that's one of the coolest thing I can think of! (also works with a naginata)
It might just be that a spear on its own to laymen can only do one thing: stab. I'm sure there's alot fancier and technical stuff you can do, but it's easier to get a fantasy out of a near omnidirectional sword.
@@Soumein I suppose you could use the spear like a staff and swing it to bash your opponent, perhaps this stuns them? But I think it would be cool if you made a combat system around stabbing your opponent in precise places. Imagine fighting an ai who is really good at guarding themselves, and you have to figure out how to get some stabs past thier defense.
Play Nioh, you get to use spear and sword, dual katana, tonfa, axe, fist, staff, throwing hatchets, odachi, chain sickle and transforming scythe
@@gengarisnotinsmash... oh that'd be neat; wielding it like a bo staff but it has a pointy bit.
After I wrote that I had considered how you could translate just stabs into gameplay, and precisely targetting weakpoints in armor, but that would be a tad difficult.
Though it's a tiny thing, I would like to add that while you're definitely not wrong about medieval weapons on the battlefield; polearms, spears, and bows making for the dominant weapons throughout history before gunpowder, swords were a little more common than you let on. Useful as sidearms or whenever you aren't fighting in a massive pitched battle and don't want to lug around a big stick with no sheathe
Your point is still correct and the video is fantastic just thought I'd say that.
1: Rock and Stone
2: did you rickroll us with a fake music credit at the end there?
Mashing doesn’t really work if you play fallen order on a higher difficulty, which I highly recommend as it makes all the other powers a lot more useful and fun to implement
A gladius is primarily for stabbing, but can cut quite well. Swords are a secondary like a pistol. Also greatswords likes Zweihanders were used as main weapons on the battlefeild. A knight in full armor might use a sword because he doesn't need a sheild and take a lot of hits or your a man at arms and oh crap your spear broke tine to draw your sword and keep fighting.
INB4 I await Shadiversity's response.
I can't wait to see the community of the sword's responses.
I'm afraid you really missed the mark on Fallen Order. The easy modes for that game were designed to allow the player to ignore mechanics. You have to make use of almost all of your kit to thrive on the high difficulties as enemy will simply no-sell X mashing.
Yeah I don't know which fallen order he was playing, my game was not at all like that
@@The_Jovian probably the story version
Seriously, this stood out to me as it was completely the opposite to my experience and the experience of everyone I've spoke to about the game since.
This confirms he plays games on the lowest difficulty
so glad you brought up bushido blade, would love to see more fighters in that vein
"Feats of skill" - shows Giant Dad. - based -
There's a reason why I modded Skyrim to have vastly increased damage per attack, for both me and the enemies! Mods for juicier combat sounds and blood effects really complete the package.
Halfway through this video, I thought to myself "If he doesn't mention Furi, I am definitely going to call him out" So... Good job.
I was waiting the whole time for a mention of Furi, one of my absolute favorites of all time
So this is why Furi's The Edge fight is so good. It was always my favorite
Edit: when talked about that fight in Metal Gear Rising that also holds true for The Edge
Oh you talked about Furi, nice
Out of all the Bosses I've faced, Genshiro had to be the most satisfying one to defeat.
As a Souls Veteran, the transition from rolling to parrying was hard. As such, Genshiro forced me to finally transition to the expected way of approaching Sekiro.
4:40 "...until you are effortlessly dodging, parrying, etc.."
yeah ...
..
.
i never got there
sad, but a reality for 75% of players.
I've spent a number of years studying and training in the medieval martial arts of Liechtenauer and Fiore, which take longsword (here meaning a light-to-middleweight two-handed sword) as their central focus. There are some relatively popular channels, such as Skallagrim and Shadiversity that discuss the above, and other styles besides -- although I recommend taking them with a grain of salt, as I've found both tend to overextend into speculation in some matters, despite good intentions. The most generally useful channel for discussing swordplay is probably Schola Gladiatora by Matt Easton, who is a historical swordplay instructor in the UK.
Okay, but video games. Coming from a background in historical swordplay (and therefore a corner of the martial arts world), I can't say any game has truly and satisfactorily emulated swordplay or related weapons fighting. To be fair, this isn't the intention of, say, Devil May Cry. That in itself is interesting, though, because Devil May Cry actually includes one of the missing ingredients -- one can parry enemy attacks with their own attacks. It can't be overstated how crucial this aspect of fighting with most steel swords is (at least those upwards of 60cm or so in blade length). When you attack, you actively push forward a defense as well, and one with kinetic force behind it. Although not represented in game mechanics, this is the logic behind the ending posture of the Ichimonji technique in Sekiro; to that game's credit, Ichimonji is granted a defensive aspect by recovering a significant amount of posture upon completion.
This intersection between offense and defense is also hinted at in Metal Gear Rising, as blocking and parrying are bound to the light attack button. A codec conversation in-game confirms that, while Raiden is self-taught, he's influenced by Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, which was a prominent style of fencing in Edo period Japan. I've never had the pleasure of training in it, but from demonstration, it has a particular similarity with Liechtenauer's longsword, as both styles include single-tempo techniques that aim to parry the opponent and strike them with the sword in one motion. Dark Souls II has a particularly clear example of Liechtenauer-influenced animations in the Drangleic specific greatswords. When used two-handed, these greatswords have an alternative moveset, where the light attack represents Zornhau and the heavy attack represents Zwerchau, albeit in a compromised way meant to compromise with the needs of attack animations in the Souls games.
Structurally speaking, games like Metal Gear Rising, Nioh, and Sekiro hit the closest mark. All of these games are based on attacks that try to earn advantage until you gain the opportunity to make a decisive strike. Although I previously described the existence of single-tempo techniques, they tend to be sensitive, and therefore being skilled in more conventional strategies remains important. The main strategy in most forms of historical swordplay is to work your opponent into the real-life equivalent of frame disadvantage, after which you can make an attack against a vital target while the opponent is unable to defend. As combat draws closer, the use of grappling, daggers, and shorter swords becomes common, although most swords are short enough to remain useful in a grappling situation.
Including real-world swordplay in video games is definitely a significant challenge, given the difficulties already inherent in games development. Although no individual game does everything, most real-world aspects of swordplay are represented somewhere, and we lack a project to unify such mechanics into one sick swordplay game. If I held the reigns to an action game project, I'd be aiming to combine the structural combat elements of a game like Nioh with attacks that include blocking frames; the cost of an offensive parry could be represented by the likes of stamina, posture, or ki, or even just blockstun in the case of attacking into an opposing attack with greater advantage.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk. There was really no short version of this post and it threatened to be longer. I'm a bit sorry, but not beside myself with grief.
Please let Mordhau be mentioned, best Sword Combat in any game I've played
Try Hellish Quart, dev. simulate many aspects of HEMA.
Lol
Ever played Sekiro?
@@humbertoblanco8656 ikr, it's the best sword fighting game ever made
I really liked this video! I have heard some of the history of swords before, but not specifically in such a dedicated context before. Clearly a subject with a good amount to talk about, what with the long history of swords in myth and videogames alike. It was neat to learn about Bushido Blade's combat for me too, it's a rare as heck style of combat to see nowadays. Even Ghostrunner's 'everything is lethal' system is a bit more often seen. Great video overall! ^w^
i remember hearing that swords were self defense weapons for most people
Most people do not own swords
ruclips.net/video/H36aXSdSIS4/видео.html
@@Fwoppy808 well yes but not anymore
@@WhiteKnuckleRide512 thats why i said "were" instead of are
You could kinda compare swords with pistols: both sidearms, both more efficient in close range compared to spears/rifles and both enough to make a man into a legend
that DRG slide at the end was great XD
"[the gladius] was exclusively used for stabbing, not slashing. . . "
I really hate it when people try to state absolute facts like this. That idea is completely wrong, and gladii can definitely be used to thrust AND slash.
There is literally no point in making a bladed weapon that never gets used for cutting.
And it was almost certainly used in a "fencing" fashion as well, there are historical examples of blade damage that can only have been caused by blocking with the sword. I also hate the way it's now become the "accepted truth" that swords weren't useful because almost all armies fielded primarily spearmen and archers. Swords were personal sidearms in almost all ages. You can look at say a 14th century army, and almost every single spearman and archer also carried a sword to be used if they either lost their primary weapon or couldn't use it effectively due to for example the enemy closing up or having to fight indoors. And because the sword was a personal sidearm, it saw a shit ton of civilian use as a weapon of self-defense and in dueling. And if you add to this all the more specialized units who used swords over time like the doppelsöldners, rodeleros, etc. there is in fact quite a lot of sword usage on the battlefield as well. Obviously less than in Hollywood garbage, but way more than "informed" people make it out to be.
I agree completely!!
Great to see Bushido Blade mentioned, I played Bushido Blade 2 a ton on the PlayStation, it was great fun even if the bosses were infuriating.
4:25 excuse me?? I beat Ishin by oiling him up and lighting him on fire. I'm still proud of this 2 years later!
You have some godly patience
As someone who practised HEMA and several other forms of fencing, and even wrote a bachelor thesis on Italian master swordmaster Fiore dei Liberi, I feel I can throw in my "professional" opinion here:
What most games fail to capture is a concept called "tempo" (literally translated it means timing, but it is a little more involved than that). You see a swordfight or fencing match is basically an elaborate mindgame where opponents try to overcome eachother with a combination of 3 "resources": starting position, distance+movement and whether you strike or parry (the last 2 can be summed up as tempo). You can for instance move away from your opponent and attack, or step into his blow but parry. To put it differently: in a real swordfight you can act aggresively in a defense way, or defensively act aggressive. While in games it is often strictly binary if you are attacking or defending. Dark Souls does bring distance and positioning into it, which is why IMHO it is one of the best swordfighting systems to date (ridiculous oversized anime cricket bats aside).
Another is the opening position. A "real" swordfight often starts with two people circling eachother cycling positions, until one moves in and it ends in one person hit after a brief exchange (just look at some high level kendo or a Kurasawa movie). Video games completely ignore this aspect, which is a shame because it's where most of the drama is.
Bummer. I was expecting to see the brand new and poorly named Hellish Quart on here, even though it's still in development. It's a surprisingly accurate HEMA simulator with Bushido Blade- style deadly combat.
Hiatorical fencer here. Good fencing games captures the soul of fencing, even if not the exact mechanics of it.
A "real" sword fight is quick and thrilling and requires extremely good foundations and good reflexes. If a game captures that, you're basically set.
Couple it with tactics based in movement and timing, and you have a perfect sword fighting game.
Also, I suspect swords were in such high regard because of their difficulty of manufacture, and also that they are the only medieval weapon that was ONLY a weapon. All others are either used for hunting or as tools.
Helish quart is the best fencing game right now, cause most realistic and really enjoyable in 1 time.
14:35 I appreciate the monty python reference
5:00 what difficulty did you play the game on? i played the game and was damn near glued to both the parry and dodge buttons, and the force powers were my "oops" emergency button in a great deal of situations. i even felt towards the end that perhaps i hadnt set the difficulty high enough.
i fought to the finish the frog boss the first time, and the time i actually beat him i felt i dodged more times than i attacked.
yeah the idea that you'll win by just spamming attack isn't really true at all from my experience, even vs just garbage troopers there's generally other shit you need to be doing. once you start getting proper melee enemies if you're not dodging, parrying and using your force stuff they'll just beat you to death super fast, mostly all of them have counters to spamming.
was particularly weird he posted an ATST fight as proof spamming is all you ever want to do as well, considering they've got a super super obvious force reliant strat you're meant to use against them.
That said, it is a very barebones game. No customization or actual builds (no, the two lightsaber configurations don't count), there really isn't a whole lot of depth to it. I'd say it gets quite repetitive by the end. So basically, it's a very mediocre game with nice visuals
Yeah that seemed like an inaccurate assessment of what that game actually plays like.
I was hoping to see the Hellish Quart mentioned, since it seems to be a spiritual successor to Bushido Blade.
Damn glad to see someone who i didn't think was interested in history actually is
I've found that most people actually like and are interested in history. Only - much like maths - school ruins their perception.
Thank you for all your videos! They've been great for years and only seem to be getting better lately! Definitely my favorite current RUclips channel
Shammy and The Architect descended to our mortal plane on the same day
What could this mean
edit: AND IT MIGHT BE ABOUT SEKIRO
I’m making stovetop popcorn tonight
And now, Sammy goes back into hibernation until 2022 when he makes his "Best Games of 2018" vid.
15:16 truly an excellent use of company time and resources right there. Employee of the month if I do say so myself.
LIES!!!! Don't underestimate the spear!
Polearms represent! 🙏
@@pedroscoponi4905 (￣^￣)ゞ
The TRUTH has been spoken! Team Spear!
The spear is the best type of weapon you can stab from a distance, slash with the blade and blunt force if used correctly also the most practical. Spear is best everyone underestimates the spear.
@@Tea-nr4hm Spear is best when spear is underestimated. It's free surprise attack.
Yes FOR HONOR glad to see it get some love
An amazing game held back by some of the worst optimization in the industry. At launch my computer could run it at 50-60 FPS, now I can't even get 30. Still love my memories, still love my hug boi, but jesus christ do they need to make For Honor 2 and clear the shit out of their van.
I gather that Ghost of Tsushima will be getting its own video then? :P
This was a great essay... except the Fallen Order stuff, sorry.
You can't by any stretch of the imagination just spam the attack button, you will get destroyed unless maybe if you're playing on easy? Unsure. But both parries and dodges are pretty mandatory for most of the game.
"Cal's parry and dodge moves feel sluggish"
It's because FO is animation-led, whereas something like Ghost of Tsushima for example is input-led.
There's a learning curve because you have to press the input before you need it, it takes a while to learn the timing, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It feeds directly into the feeling of mastery you say the game doesn't provide, but I felt like I had genuinely mastered these mechanics by the end of the story, in a way no game had done for me again until Tsushima.
The way you put "???" when the giant frog jumps tells me you may not have played much of this game tbh, because that's one of like 3? 4? attacks he can do.
I will be the first one to criticize Fallen Order for copying Sekiro kind of poorly, and not having enough depth to its mechanics unlike the similar but superior in nearly every way Ghost of Tsushima.
But yeah, if you played Fallen Order just spamming attack instead of chaining perfect dodges to refill your Force meter, timing your strikes through an enemy's vulnerable but brief attack animation, or throwing your saber behind an enemy only for it to cleave through him on its way back to you just in time to parry a blow from his friend... that's kinda your choice? The game definitely gives you those tools to juggle all together.
Anyways, this really was an excellent video on one of my very favourite things, great job💜
Despite what you said about swordfights in games working because they're nothing like swordfights irl (which is completely fair), the way you described bushido blade, it's actually pretty accurate (at least as much as I understand it having never played it). Swordfights irl are often like "dances" around each other, sometimes exchanging quick blows, until someone severs a tenden or hits a vital body part, in which case it'll be basically over. Exceptions of course exist because it's reality we're talking about, but I find it interesting that that game made this fun and accessible.
I'm really surprised Kingdom Come Deliverance wasn't mentioned, given how much depth there is to its combat
Enjoyable combat,but the master parry mechanic only encourages a very boring defensive playstyle where you just keep walking backward
Around 4:40 ish. And this is why I love VR games, is because you can make your own moves. You’re not restricted to a button press you’re only really restricted to your imagination
Me: where katana zero
14:18 : here ya go bud
Me: *visible happines*
Adam: *doesnt talk about it*
Me: *visible angriness*
I'm sure he's keeping it for a "How to create a legendary drug usage game"
I played it
Well u use a sword but its less of a swordfight
Try sekiro or darksouls
For a second I thought this was going to be about player-versus-player fighting games, but I can see how a lot of the "feel" of swordfighting would get translated well into fighting games all the same. Samurai Shodown is a particularly fantastic example of this, where its slow pace and *punishing* damage really create the feel of a samurai duel where one decisive stroke could end the battle in the blink of an eye.
a video about sword fighting in games and not even a mention to kingdom come deliverance? its progression its really note worthy and more games should take inspiration from that
16:42 man, I love you! Thanks for the correction!
Kind-of long-time viewer, being your patreon is a good investment, thanks for your content!
So would the game Ghost Of Tsushima count as a good example of sword game play?
Can confirm, GlitchxCity's music is awesome.
Reject modernity, return to monke and most importantly watch Adam Millard:)
You could mention hellish quart which is a brillatint sword fight game. It’s sold as early access on steam.
So basically swords are awesome but have really steep learning curves.
@Tazerfish I think he’s talking about real life swords.
as a 10 year practicioner: yes...
i wasted 5 of those years trying to find my STYLE, and took me 5 to master it.
now i am building my own based on what i learned.
( fencing, sabre dueling, spear handling, archery, dagger throwing and Kenjutsu. )
it was a very rewarding experience.
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy has a massive mod called Movie Battles that pumps the lightsaber combat up to 11 and makes it quite possibly the best ever representation of lightsaber combat in any game ever.
I have to say, I actually liked the combat in Jedi: Fallen Order. The lightsaber felt powerful and the combat flow was really good.
I think this might be my favourite of your videos. It's so good. Well done!
I am very surprised, that there are no comments about Mordhau in this comment section
The video came out like 10 mins ago
It's because Mordhau isn't a power fantasy, it's a medieval battlefield slapstick simulator with character customization.
Amazing content as always! I hope to use the stuff I learn from your videos to help me in my future career of creating my own video games
imagine not talking about mordhau in a sword video about technique
There's so many fun games where you get to fight with a sword, and just experiencing how awesome it is. I would like to add Dante and Vergil from Devil May Cry as great examples to add onto yours. Dante is this badass demon hunter who has a wide array of weapons from demons he's killed, but he's also never without his trusty main sword. He gets to do some crazy cool things with any weapon he gets his hands on. In other corner is his more focused brother, Vergil, whose skills rival that of Dante's. It's a battle of awesome vs. awesome. For Vergil specifically, his unparalleled swordplay is both awesome and equally implausible, which just increases the coolness factor. Why yes, him being able to have a wall of cut marks is terrifying and awesome. So is his Judgment Cut move, where he just... stands back and swings with enough force to slice at your exact position without moving a muscle. To be able to take down THAT is immensely satisfying. Getting to play as Vergil later and being able to do a lot of the insanely cool things he can do is one of the best rewards.
Also, Furi is amazing, I love that game.
While I get that you have to choose which games to exclude for this type of thesis video, it does seem like Ghostrunner and Bushido Blade are questionable inclusions. Ghostrunner is great but does very little to feel like a "sword fighting" game, and Bushido Blade could be supplanted by a more modern example: Mordhau.
Now, Mordhau often presents itself as a hack-and-slash meat grinder (which it can be at times), but the gameplay depth you can find in duels is unparalleled. While all of the games you mention use pre-baked moves, Mordhau's ability to let players influence their attack arcs and timings in real time is incredibly useful and makes fighting a challenge of wits, speed, and mind games, like a real duel. If there's any game that can let you embody any sword-fighting archetype, from an aggressive berserker to a defensive powerhouse, to a finessing rogue, Mordhau is it.
Also congrats on getting the Roller Coaster achievement for DRG. Rock and Stone!
I love glitchXcity. Her music is amazing