10 Games With The Best Parrying Mechanics, Ranked

Some might say getting a really difficult achievement is the most satisfying thing in a video game, or solving a challenging puzzle, or clearing an extremely tough platforming level. But really, landing a perfect parry is the most satisfying feeling in the world. Once you time that parry right and get those visual and audio cues that leave the enemy staggered, “It’s Clobberin’ time!” as The Fantastic Four’s Ben Grimm would say.

Soulslikes are built around delivering some punishing and unforgiving boss fights; that’s just the DNA of that genre of game, but a parry system is a nice way of making the fights feel more balanced and much smoother, if you can master it. While there are awesome parry systems in games such as Batman: Arkham Knight and Mad Max, these are Soulslikes with top-tier parrying.

10

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

The sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order expands the number of enemies you’ll encounter and adds more challenging Soulslike miniboss battles all over each planetary map. You also have more lightsaber stances, including wielding a blaster, but parrying with your lightsaber is still the most satisfying and coolest maneuver here than in any previous Star Wars game, especially the finisher animations.

In Jedi: Survivor, you’re once more in the shoes of Jedi warrior Cal Kestis, teamed up with his droid pal BD-1, and his original team all split up around the galaxy. The story picks up five years after Fallen Order, and there’s much greater exploration involved, along with a companion system and some new characters and villains that expand the Star Wars lore.

9

Nioh 2

Set in the Sengoku era of Japan, you get to battle a variety of mythological yokai in Nioh 2. These boss designs are impeccable and remind you of that Dark Souls flair from FromSoftware. One of your greatest tools here is the parry system, which is less extravagant or showy compared to the other titles discussed here, but equally helpful and effective.

Parrying an attack in Nioh 2 opens up an unguarded attack on your enemy as they stagger to the ground, where you can return a heavy follow-up blow. The color feedback on the attacks and parries becomes a visual feast depending on how advanced you get into the game. You can also choose from three different combat stances to fit your approach.

8

Sifu

Sifu is one of the hardest Soulslikes out there, even tougher than Elden Ring in some regards. Inspired by martial arts movies, the game is a beat ’em up brawler with a gauge system where you build it up to break an enemy’s guard while also having to counter their attacks. The animations and moves for the protagonist and NPCs are all modeled after real kung fu techniques.

You can think of the combat as Sleeping Dogs, but in a Soulslike capacity, considering the game’s more tanky enemies and incredibly difficult bosses. You can also pick up weapons from the environment, such as pipes, to use on enemies. Perhaps one of the best moments in Sifu is the hallway fight, done as an homage to Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy and framed in a similar way.

7

Stellar Blade

Stellar Blade has better gameplay than story. Part of the reason for that is its extremely graceful and elegant parries. You could say it truly earns its name, ‘Stellar Blade.’ There are so many sparks flying and other visual cues, and the parries just feel so cinematic with a lot of thought that went into them. Not to mention the simply amazing graphical quality of the enemies and environments.

Stellar Blade is a sci-fi fantasy Soulslike in which Earth was ravaged by the Naytiba, monstrous creatures that have caused humanity’s exile from their home planet, that you’ll be parrying and defeating in the game as the protagonist, Eve. The story may not be as structurally cohesive, but the combat system more than makes up for it.

6

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is by the same developer behind the Nioh series, but the parry system is even more like Sekiro in this Soulslike title. This game is set in the Three Kingdoms period of Ancient Chinese history, and likewise incorporates fantasy elements and demons into the gameplay.

The parries, depending on the type of boss, all have various timings. You have to be super quick and be ready to deflect a flurry of attacks. Once again, the visual cues are nice, but even more immensely satisfying are the sound effects of blade slashes whenever you successfully land those parries.

5

Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is one of the best Soulslike games of all time, with its highly anticipated follow-up, Silksong, at the top of everyone’s mind. Even in its 2D form, Hollow Knight offers some of the finest parrying mechanics in the genre. Playing as the little bug knight, your sword will clash with a variety of unique enemies, and you get some nice graphic novel-style slash animations.

The sound design and programming going into the UI and the timing of the parry animation are nothing short of crisp and spectacular. And Hollow Knight offers a huge Metroidvania-style map to explore all the secrets of Hallownest, with environments and colors that are just gorgeous. Therefore, there’ll be some parrying at every corner.

4

Nine Sols

Nine Sols is pretty much on the same level as Hollow Knight with its parry system, though the developers say it’s more inspired by FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. You get the same style of slash animations when you parry, and then you can also jump to parry attacks in midair. The bosses here, however, are much bigger and more daunting compared to the smaller size of your protagonist.

These bosses you go up against are indeed referred to as the Nine Sols, who rule over the game’s ‘Taopunk’ setting of New Kunlun. The premise is as unique as the cat-like protagonist of the Solarian species you get to control, equipped with awesome garments and the combat skills for the task.

3

Lies Of P

Lies of P asks you to be a parry master version of Pinocchio. There is a steep learning curve to its parry system, where it may take you numerous tries to even make it through the opening sections before the first boss, the Parade Master. And then you should expect to lose to the Parade Master several times before mastering the parry system Lies of P offers, as it is quite a tough one to grasp at first.

But parrying is essential to the combat in Lies of P, as when you successfully parry a series of attacks, you stun the enemy and can inflict a high-damage attack that will tip the scales of the boss battle, and the bosses are no joke in terms of their design and attacks. The visual feedback of scarlet and sparks is also compelling. Then you have different types of Legion Arms you can equip and summon Specters to aid you in battle.

2

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

If you love intense parrying and seek another game inspired by a Belle Époque setting, you’re in luck. Clair Obscur, though largely a cinematic story-driven RPG, comes with some of the harshest and most unforgiving boss battles you’ll ever face that are dependent on the very intricate parry system. You have to nail the parries perfectly, especially due to the turn-based nature. Otherwise, it will be game over.

Achieving perfect parries in Clair Obscur allows you to strike your opponents with a counter that deals a massive amount of damage, giving you a huge advantage in moving the fight closer to its end. The VFX for the parries and counters are some of the most visually striking you’ve ever seen and a pure delight when you time them right, making it a masterpiece.

1

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The Soulslike game that all parry systems in other Soulslikes attempt to measure up to is, of course, FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. This game’s combat is built on either stealth or parrying a high volume of attacks to build up your enemy’s posture meter and deal a fatal blow to have the enemy meet a satisfying end.

This is the ultimate parry game to play if you indeed think you’ve mastered the skill, as you won’t get far at all without them. Your protagonist also has a prosthetic arm, which allows you to add weapons and tools to further aid you in combat and traversal. The lore and enemies are tied to Japanese mythology and the historical Sengoku period.