Favourite Fighting game mechanics/gimmicks

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Every game tends to offer at least something fun or unique. Whether universal to its roster like SF3's parry or certain characters like EWGF. For example:

Universal: Edge Cancel (SSBM) landing an aerial attack with horizontal momentum near an edge will interrupt the animation and let you start another instantly which results in some really wild chains.

Character Specific: Support cancelling (Braixen in Pokken DX) cancel any normal into whichever of the 38 supports you equipped allowing for some interesting builds and counter-picks, unsafe moves becoming safe and also creating some interesting combos etc. The way you build meter for this was also unique.

That's pretty neat mention: Instruments used for the various stage music changes depending on who is winning a round in Thems Fightin Herds (im sure this has been done before but I can't remember where)

 

[data west]

Parrying in SF3

 

[Kamiyouni]

I like Pokkén's phase shifting.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

I like Pokkén's phase shifting.

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Heh..opinions eh?

Spoiled the game for me.

 

[SoH]

Any move that lets you dive under fireballs just for the fuck you energy to spammers.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

Heh..opinions eh?

Spoiled the game for me.

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That game is like a collection of "how do we make this game unique" to the point where it has both a dedicated fanbase as well as a lot of people who just do not like it at all.

 

[ScoobsJoestar]

Garou T.O.P. system and the way blocking worked in that game.

Actually can I just pick Garou as a whole?

 

[D-Soo]

Parrying in SF3

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Im right there with you. If you tell me any fighting game has parrying, I'm in.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

Personas in Persona 4 Arena. Each character having 2 buttons dedicated solely to summoning their persona, offense based around attacking simultaneously alongside your persona, and hitting the opponent's persona to remove their persona cards (gauge) being part of the meta all made the game for me. Aside from maybe Capcom's Jojo's game, it's a wholly unique system in fighting games that no other has.

 

[Uncle Sensei]

KI 2013's instinct system I thought was really cool. Every character has a unique technique or buff you can pop at least once a match.

 

[Grapezard]

I like Pokkén's phase shifting.

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A really polarizing mechanic, for sure. I'm personally not a fan.

 

[nsilvias]

air combos are life

 

[Baron Von Beans]

Project Justice - the team up super attacks are dope as hell, PLUS the ability for the victim to spend meter to try to get out of it was a fun and hectic maneuver. Great concept that hasn't been seen in a game since. Edit - I suppose injustice has a similar mechanic, though it's simplified

 

[SupremeWu]

Bloody Roar transformations

They're just neat.

 

[lucebuce]

Bloody Roar transformations

They're just neat.

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[Deleted member 13560]

One gimmick that all fighting games have... even 3D fighters now, are super moves. For me it never gets old. It's a big reason why I play them. The other one is the slow-mo gimmick in Tekken 7. Hot damn does it make fights hype.

In terms of mechanics I'd have to say parrying from 3S and Tailspin/Cork screws for Tekken.

 

[Radamammuth]

X Factor!

 

[SasaBassa]

Aerial rave, team hyper combos blew my mind back in the day

As a degenerate though... Xfactor. God it was so dumb but so hype 😂

On that note, X-23's Silent Kill (DIRT NAP) on level 3 or hell even level 2 xfactor was hilarious. Stole several wins with that nonsense. Best super ever.

 

[Etrian Darkness]

UNI's GRD system.

 

[Clefargle]

Stage spikes in Smash

 

[BeaconofTruth]

Jump cancel air combos, then, now, forever.

 

[Jakisthe]

So many.

SF3 Parry
Melee Wavedashing
Melee Extended grapples
Smash reflects
Smash Link's shield
GGXR2 Jacko's RTS system
KI Combo breakers
KI3 Tusk's bully frames
KI3 Aria's forms/assists
KI3 Omen's random fireballs
UMVC3 Frank West's leveling up
UMVC3 Phoenix's evidence system
Any time a character has limited ammo which doesn't refill
Rekka rollercoasters/dancing blade type moves
BlazBlue Susano's move unlocking
Hopeless Masquerade Koishi Komeiji' and her time delay moves
BlazBlue Nine The Phantom's spell combining
SC6 lethal hits in general and Astaroth's "after ring out" move setups specifically
Dissidia Exdeath's defensiveness
Skullgirl's potential character stacking
Skullgirl Eliza's Sekhmet specifically
DBFZ Beerus' orbs of whatever
DBFZ Ginyu's support team
SF4 one frame links

More wacky systems in fighters please!

 

[Zyrox]

My favorite fighting game mechanic is Super Armor. Love bulldozing through my opponents bs and denying them their turn. Always so satisfying.

 

[Deleted member 34949]

I'm a big fan of Tifa's feint gimmick in Dissidia 012. In a game with really fun newcomers across the board, she definitely stuck out.

 

[Crayolan]

Not sure if this counts but I like how Skullgirls lets you use pretty much any move as an assist, which can make for some pretty interesting assist setups/combos.

 

[RestEerie]

Dark Force in Darkstalkers 3/Vampire Savior

 

[BurnKnuckle21]

I loved the ring outs and barrier breaks in Real Bout. There's so many great mechanics but that comes to mind first.

 

[Valkerion]

Honestly

Street Fighter vs. Marvel Super Heroes: Finishing a match with a team super would cause the game to show the name of the combined super along with the announcer saying it. It's still the coolest damn thing in a fighting game.

Yeah it might be one of the cheaper efforts and least balanced of the vs. series but FFFFff I love the art for it and this little gimmick.

In terms of actual mechanics, probably Delayed Hyper Combos, aka linking a super into another super. Vs. series, Dragon Ball FighterZ, heck even Street Fighter EX kinda.

 

[UshiromiyaEva]

Killer Instinct 2013's Instinct system
TJ Combo's barrage from the same game where, if he can hit all 6 regular normals consecutively without being broken, he gets about 45% damage for next to no execution
MvCI/BBTAG Active Tags
UMK3/MKII Friendships

 

[N051DE]

Burst

 

[T.I (uh oh)]

I'm gonna say the points based system in Fighter's Destiny. Created a nice meta game between my group of mates. Would love to see something similar come back.
Also, I love the implementation of Brutalities in MKX/11. Nothing is more satisfying than obviously trying to hit the requirements of the Brutality and still pulling it off.

 

[Hyun Sai]

All the innovative mechanics created by SNK over the years in Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, KoF... Dash, Super Meter, Hop, Hyper hop, Desperation moves, dodge, roll, block cancel roll, taunt, parry, multiple planes... Incredible how influential and risk takers they were.

Growing with all of these games when they launched since Fatal Fury 1 is something I'll never forget, and the reason why, for me, KoF is the pinnacle of FG gameplay and mechanics along with Tekken.

If I have to choose, it's any universal mechanic allowing freedom of movement. Forward dash, back dash, Hop, Hyper hop, rolls, etc...

 

[nicoga3000]

Parrying in SF3

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This was fucking magic back in the day.

Also Ultra Combos in Killer Instinct 1/2 in the arcades AND the whole "secret" finisher that made your Ultra Combo more badass.

 

[Deleted member 5604]

Super chaining from the EX games.

 

[nded]

Attacks that hit downed opponents are always cool to me even if they have limited utility.

 

[Jonathan Lanza]

Isms/Grooves/Moons and the likes are an amazing way to triple or double a cast and make the same character play entirely differently depending on which is chosen.

 

[smurfx]

assists for the variety of play styles they allow you.

 

[TransEuropaExpress]

I really love little stage gimmicks like breakable barrels and boxes in SFII, ring outs in Real Bout Fatal Fury and so on.

Also love bonus stages like the car smashing stage. So cool.

And anyone remember the cool character damage in Art Of Fighting? You could smack a dude's shades off his face even.

 

[Astral]

Personas in Persona 4 Arena. Each character having 2 buttons dedicated solely to summoning their persona, offense based around attacking simultaneously alongside your persona, and hitting the opponent's persona to remove their persona cards (gauge) being part of the meta all made the game for me. Aside from maybe Capcom's Jojo's game, it's a wholly unique system in fighting games that no other has.

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"Killing" someone's Persona and then just going IN was so fun.

 

[MechaX]

In no order:

1. Wavedashing From Melee - While unintentional, to be honest I liked how this kinda blew the game wide open back when it was discovered. It made some characters with terrible, slow rolls (I played Samus, so this was definitely felt) into very, very mobile characters able to hang with the faster characters. Samus really hasn't been the same since Melee because of this.

2. GRD from Under Night - I'm still learning UNIST, but the GRD system is actually pretty interesting; it rewards thoughtful play without being overly defensive or offensive, and can open the way to cancels/filling meter in a pinch, etc.

3. Advancing Guard/Push Block from MvC3/BBTAG - If you're going to make a crazy tag game with screen filling crazy combos, at least give me a way to push a "get the fuck off me for a second" button. And no, Reflect from DBFZ doesn't feel as good to use at all, and it's a gigantic gamble.

4. Gabranth's EX Burst in FF Dissidia - I liked that the original Dissidia games had a pretty big variety of character archetypes and builds, but I like how Gabranth can go from a pretty mediocre character to a walking god of destruction when in EX Mode, complete with entirely new moves.

5. Persona Break from Persona 4 Arena/Ultimax - Carefully break Yukiko's persona after successfully blocking her attacks. RUSH. THAT. SHIT. DOWN.

 

[Garrod Ran]

the Increase System in Under Night
it's just charged normals but they add such a level of OOMPH and variety to character movesets

Hilda's charged C is my everything

 

[Kevinsky]

Rival Schools' Team Attacks


Personal favorite is probably Nagare @ 1:36
and also the 5 second 1st to hit minigame where you can try to cancel it.

 

[MechaX]

I'm rewatching some Bloody Roar 2 vids and remembered that I used to play this game a lot when I was young (Bakuryu is badass)

Yeah, I'm also adding a mention for the Beast Transformations. It was always cathartic as fuck to knock people through the stage barriers with the transformation hits

 

[MistaTwo]

Marth's tip of the sword/tipper mechanic is a personal favorite of mine.

 

[Deleted member 17210]

Decapitation in Barbarian was cool in the pre-MK era.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

X Factor is reckless as all hell as a competitive mechanic from a design perspective and I love the tight tension and terror it introduces into a match of MVC3/UMVC3.

 

[JusDoIt]

Crush counters.

 

[arcadepc]

Im right there with you. If you tell me any fighting game has parrying, I'm in.

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Garou has parrying though you press backwards and it fills super bar.

CvSNK2 has parrying too similar to sf3

Some weapon based fighters have also parrying, as old as Death Sword

 

[Septimus Prime]

Parrying in SF3

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Yes.

But let's take it a step further: red parry from Third Strike. With a ton of skill, you can use it to break out of block strings and chip finishes.

 

[Rommaz]

Lethal Hits in SC6 are the Good shit.

As for character specific a lot are dope but I'm liking Gill's retribution rn