Which game's combat system did you enjoy the most?

Everyone's got their preferences, so let's explore our preferences when it comes to combat systems! 😄

The one game that stood out to me with its combat system among hundreds of games I've played is "Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen". It's a class on its own, with a really surprising depth.

The combat system in "Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen" is a real-time, action-oriented combat. It's very fast-paced, with fluid action and requires strategic decision-making.

Of available choices, there are melee weapons (with shields having abilities beyond just basic shield bash!), ranged weapons and magic, which can either be used on its own or combined into a vocation (class) to aid any of the other two systems. The real fun starts when you get to see how these classes and abilities work together and support each other. For example, lighting up the arrows with magic to shoot fire arrows, tarring the enemy to set them ablaze, or using a shield to prop the other character into the air.

Enemies have their weaknesses and many of the bigger ones have something "breakable". For example, you can cut the snake tail off of the chimera, or burn the feathers on griffon's wings (which renders it unable to fly). It's very satisfying to "disable" the enemy in such a way, although it can become repetitive after a while. 😅

It's also got grappling system and climbing mechanics. Grabs and grapples allow players to grab or grapple smaller enemies (to either toss them into something or let others deal more damage to them), but it also allows bigger enemies to do the same with player's characters. With climbing mechanics, players can latch onto bigger enemies and either do some distractions or target the weak point to sever/damage some body part or even knock the monster down. The two games that compete with this are Monster Hunter games, which have mounting system (but it happens only after jump attacks), and Shadow of the Colossus, but this one is another league.

The pawn system (which lets players recruit "helper" NPCs, non-playable characters) is like an extension to an already awesome combat system which lets players "team-up" with Pawns and do some awesome combos. They also get smarter the more you encounter some monster and start to call out some tactics against certain enemies. Do note that Pawns tend to spam their voice lines, which can get annoying. 😆

Everything considered, it's like a mix of Devil May Cry combat (combos, live-action, jumping) with Monster Hunter mechanics (severable/damageable parts, mounting) and cool magic system. It's very satisfying and impactful. I only wished it had a more extended debilitation system, but it's OK as-is.

What combat system did you enjoy the most and why? I'd love to hear some opinions on this.