Taking a hit in a Soulslike is a bad idea. This genre is known for its punishing combat, and in some titles, enemies can one-shot the player even late in the game, when they have the fanciest armor and a whole repertoire of powers at their disposal. Enemies are fast and mean, so blocking or avoiding a blow is the only thing that will keep the player alive.
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Action RPGThymesiafollows in the footsteps of other Soulslikes by putting an emphasis on brutal, high-stakes combat. The player can dodge as well as parry attacks, and learning when — and how — to do both is vital for success. ThoughThymesiashares much in common with other games in its genre, its take on parrying is unique and can be tricky for beginners to learn.
The Dagger Parry
Parrying works differently inThymesiathan it does inother popular Soulslike games,so veterans of those games will have a bit of an adjustment period. The most important difference is that there are two kinds of parry. Each of these parries can be further modified using talents, giving the player much more control over their parry than they would have in other games.
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The Dagger Parry is the simpler of the two, allowing the player to redirect an attack back at the enemy with a well-timed button press.The player can spam this to a degree due to its speed, but quick enemies will punish the player for this. Instead, it’s always better to study enemies, learn their attack patterns, and parry appropriately rather than relying on the button-mashing.Pressing the parry button right before an attack strikes allows the player to Dagger Parry any attack except Red Attacks,which are unblockable and will break through any parry. A successful Dagger Parry will reflect some of the attacker’s damage back at them, but will not put them in a prolonged stun animation, so even withthe best weaponsthe player will only be able to capitalize so much.
Players can use talents to alter the timing of the Dagger Parry, either making the timing window larger (to make the parry easier) or smaller (to make the parry harder). Each of these comes with a definite tradeoff. Parries with a larger window reflect less damage, whereas parries with a smaller window reflect more damage. The more confident the player is in their timing, the more damage they can turn against their attacker. However, even players who struggle with timing their inputs have a fighting chance thanks to this system, letting them stay alive a little longer toadmire the game’s setting.
The Feather Parry
The second type of parry is the Feather Parry, so-called because the playerthrows feathers instead of using their daggerto repel the enemy’s attack. Mechanically, the Feather Parry operates much the same as the Dagger Parry, with the player timing their button input to coincide with the enemy’s strike, parrying just before the attack actually hits.A Feather Parry will stun the enemy as well as dealing Wounds,helping them dispatchsome of the game’s toughest enemies.
There are strategic differences, however. The most important is thatthe Feather Parry can only parry Critical Attacks(which cause the enemy to glow green). Throwing a feather also expends it temporarily, and since the player only has three feathers by default, they can’t spam the Feather Parry the way they would the Dagger Parry. That said, feathers do regrow with time.
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Because feathers are thrown during this move, the player canparry enemies at a distance,eliminating the need for them to be in melee range to interrupt an enemy’s action. The player can use talents to alter the Feather Parry as well, altering this move to better coincide with their playstyle and build. In all, this blend of parrying mechanics and the flexibility afforded to them by talents makesThymesia’scombat system significantly deeper than it first appears,giving it significant replay value.
Thymesiais available now for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
