How it started vs. How it's going - Kensei's Parry

Hi heroes! 👋

You may be reading this because you think Chronicles of 2 Heroes has appealing pixel art and fluid animations. However, our game's visuals and mechanics have changed a lot before they look like they do now.

Take Kensei's parry, for instance. It's one of his signature moves along with his dash, so we put a lot of effort into making it smooth yet powerful.

We thought slow motion could add more intensity to the parry, so that became a staple from the very beginning. The same happens with the sparks from the first two versions.

Nevertheless, many testers pointed out that this effect didn't fit with the pixelated graphics. It looked a bit too realistic and disconnected from the overall aesthetic. That's why we replaced it with two handmade effects.

When Kensei parries, his sword slashes from bottom to top. A tiny, yellow, curved line appears near the arrow when you hit it. Then, a different explosion effect changes the trajectory of the projectile. The final result is a more powerful-looking parry with exclusive animations and effects for each phase.

Steam post image

Do you like how it looks now? Leave a comment if you enjoy this "how it started vs how it's going" type of article!