Game & Level Designer

Stances Combat System 

Combat Designer Test (2026) - 1 week
Position applied: Senior Gameplay Designer

This document presents a proposal for a combat system for a 2D pixel-art action-exploration metroidvania game. The player embodies a sword fighter with magic capabilities. The main objective of the test is to present a structure for swaping sword stances dinamically during combat.

The primary intention with the combat is to be agile and responsive, with versatility to swap stances both during and outside of combat, and with an adjusted depth to be accessible but without losing agency for the player. The primary idea is to convey the feeling of quickness and reaction of sword combat leverage with magic abilities.

Combat Stances

First of all, and as stated in the briefing, there are three stances for the player character, each of one with respective basic characteristics that allow for a better performance depending on the situation:

Single Stance


Use of the sword with one hand or two hands poses, balanced for most occasions during combat.
General characteristics:
Power: Medium
Speed: Medium
Damage Area: Medium
Defense: Medium
Direction: Medium

Dual Stance


Use of two swords,  one in each hand. Allows for quicker focused slashes.
General characteristics:
Power: Medium
Speed: High
Damage Area: Small
Defense: Medium
Direction: High

Greatsword/two-handed Stance


Use of a bigger sword, usually two-handed. Allows for bigger area attacks.
General characteristics:
Power: Big
Speed: Low
Damage Area: Big
Defense: Big
Directionality: Small

As stated, each stance has a primary characteristic that differentiates the use of each one of them. The attacks and combos presented later in the document are based on these characteristics.

Combat controls & Actions

Briefly, to have a basic understanding of the controls, a description of the button mapping in a controller of each possible action, and a definition of some of them for better understanding the rest of the proposal:

LT: Magic ability
LB: Stance swap (+X/Y)

L Joystick/D-pad: Movement

L3: Magic ability

RT: Magic ability
RB: Block

A: Jump
B: Dodge/Roll
X: Light attack
Y: Heavy attack

R Joystick: Camera

R3: Magic ability

  • D-pad/Left joystick – Movement: 8 direction input movement. Allows for the D-pad use to move, something expected as a retro inspired metroidvania.
  • X – Light Attack: Usually, related to horizontal strikes and slashes, although it depends of the stance and specific movement performed.
  • Y – Heavy Attack: Usually related to vertical strikes and slashes, although it depends of the stance and specific movement performed.
  • B – Dodge/roll: Quick maneuver performed following the direction input of the player, left or right, both on ground and in air. If no direction input is pressed, the character dodges backwards.
    After initiating the dodge, if the action input ‘B’ is pressed again, the dodge converts into a roll animation, reaching further than the dodge. This allows for more agency for the player, as dodge actions can be quicker and snappier to continue attacking the enemy, and with a roll the player makes sure to gain distance to the enemy or danger in combat.
    The roll cannot be performed midair.
    The character does not collide with the majority of enemies during both of these movements, but it can be interrupted by some enemies, cancelling the movement and entering ‘bump’ state.

Reference dodge move from Smash Bros.

  • RB – Block: Can be hold to use the sword/s for protection against incoming enemy attacks and projectiles, with a specific limit of impacts depending on the defense of the stance used at each moment.
    If timed correctly, a ‘parry’ action can be performed against enemies’ attacks, or a ‘deflect’ of incoming projectiles. This parry action can be performed by only tapping the button too with correct timing.
  • LT & RT – Magic abilities: Pull and Push abilities, following the trend of Jedi Survivor game, as it can be translated in fairly interesting ways into a 2D metroidvania, both for combat and exploration situations.
  • L3 & R3 – Magic abilities: Related to Magic abilities but the definition is outside the scope of this document, although some typical magic actions could work very well during combat: slowing time, slowing enemies, discover elements in the environment, etc.

COMBAT SYSTEM


The combat system pretends to be quick, direct and transition smoothly between actions, allowing to swap dynamically during combat from one stance to another, allowing to realize special attacks and smoothly transition between poses to match the optimal stance against the current enemies.

Very briefly and before entering more deeply into the system, the document suppose a enemies design direction classic of the genre metroidvania, that can be categorize in types as: small, medium, big size; soft, medium and armored resistance to attacks and be stunned or knockback; etc.

Having a sword as a weapon, the combat has to allow for quick kills in weaker enemies and reserve the continuos attacks to resistant enemies and bosses.

Primarly, there are two attack buttons ‘X’ and ‘Y’:

  • X – Light attacks: The quicker way to attack, primarily performing movements and poses related with horizontal slashes and strikes.

  • Y – Heavy attacks: Several slower movements that gain in power compared to light attacks. Usually, are bigger area attacks and produce more stun against regular enemies and bosses, making them reaching in less attacks the knockback or stun states.

Basic Movements

The basic movements for each stance are these:



Arrows represent direction and approximated visual area of damage of attack

With this visual representation, we can see the stated before: light attacks have generally less range and use horizontal attacks (specially attacks 1 and 2). Heavy attacks gain range or area, but are more difficult to perform in combat as a timing is essential to not receive damage during “wind-up” part of the animation before completing the attack.

There are other specifications, for example the Single stance Heavy attacks could be performed with two hands; or several movements that could be related with progression unlocks; some of them could be cancellable by the player or only enemy hits; etc. But this is basically the structure and pieces of moves for each stance.

From these movements, the basic combo set for each stance is as stated here:



Once unlocked, a basic light combo could be made pressing several times ‘X’ or ‘Y’, performing a Light combo or a Heavy set of movements.

The combos are limited to 3 or 4 movements before ending, as weaker enemies could even die with 1 or 2 hits of the sword. The intention with this scheme is to have a game with a great focus on having enough combat movements but without reaching an enough complex state of combos that are not quickly enough for a 2D action game.

At least in its basic form, there is no mix between Light and Heavy attacks performing combos and transitioning from one another, as the intention mentioned is to be direct, but it is something approachable with this basic proposal but exceeds the scope of this document.

The Light attacks can be performed in air, allowing the player to reach a complete 3 attack move set before falling to the ground, if the attacks are successfully hitting an enemy.

Heavy attacks cannot be performed in air, only allowing its use on ground. Although, could ways to allow the player to activate them easily, for example buffering them if performed almost reaching ground while falling.

Each stance has a different directional capacity, so these attacks adapt to that direction and allow to be performed completely in some available stance direction:

Single stance allows for 4 directions, allowing to perform a complete set of attacks to left and right.
  • Dual stance allows for 8 directions, allowing for 4 directions of complete set of attacks left, right and up, down (not presented in this document).
  • Two-handed stance allows attacks in two directions, left and right, due to being the most ranged and bigger attacks.

Stance Swap system

As stated, the stances can be swapped dynamically, so the system let the player have a current Active Stance, that can be changed during and outside of combat by pressing specific inputs:




This simple combination of buttons allows for a direct swap selecting specifically the stance to which the player wants to change.

When performing a swap outside of a combat the character simply changes stance, modifying the current Active Stance.

If performed during a combo, not only a change of stance is produced, an attack is initiated in this stance, allowing for consequent attacks performed in that active stance. There is no attack initiated if swapping outside of a finished combo, or in other words, between combos.

The swap allows for attacks that are initiated in a specific stance and end in another, allowing several combat possibilities:

  • Firstly, allows for set of movements that gain several characteristics of different stances during combat without performing two or three set of movements, once per each stance.

    For example, initiate attacks with Dual Stance and finishing with a Single stance performing a Thrust forward movement.

  • Perform Special Attacks / Moves only available by swaping stances.

    These attacks have more range/area, duration and damage.

  • Correct dynamically the current stance after initiating a set of attacks, without resetting a combo. This allows for agency and optimal selection of tools to match the current enemies’ vulnerabilities.

A basic example of these possibilities could be the following:

Set of attacks start in Single stance and, by swapping in the 3rd attack, a Duel double Slash is performed, making 4 hits instead of 3.

Once unlocked, a more powerful Special Attack can be performed:


Special Duel Light Finisher attack is performed, available only by combo using the swap into Duel stance at the 3rd attack.

If the selected swap is into Two-handed stance:

Special Duel Light Finisher attack is performed, available only by combo using the swap into Two-handed stance at the 3rd attack.

If the player keeps attacking after ending a Swap combo, keeps attacking with Active Stance:



This type of combination of movements only available by swapping allows for the use of combos and encourage combat experimentation for the player while intrinsically using the swap action in combat.


Init next anim: frames where is possible to transition to next attack

Animation wise, each attack could transition to the next movement in its Active Stance or allow for animation transition changing stance and an initiating more directly an attack in the new Active stance.

More example and definitions in Combo section later in the document.

Special Attacks

Mentioned before, the Special Attacks and Movements for each stance are the following ones:



Special Light attacks pretend to leverage the stances to perform signature moves known in the franchise. For example, several slashes or strikes generating more hits, great attacks spinning in the air or jumping, etc.

The attack performed depends on the initial attack of the combo: if the attacks are initiated with Light attacks, the Special Attack performed when swapping stance is the Light one. The same for the Heavy Special Attacks.

As stated, the system could be adapted to mix Light and Heavy attacks and combos, but exceeds the intention of this document to present the basic structure.

The Special Heavy Attacks in particular could be interesting to make use of magic (explained next), to balance the use and opportunities of other attacks.

Clash of Swords

When talking about sword combat, it would be interesting to just point the possibility of clashing swords, which would be interesting to solve by allowing the animations to flow from both fighters making no damage to anyone involved.

Clash of sword example in other games in the genre

Depending on the enemy and its size, it could interrupt the combo and end it immediately, or even decide if there are other outputs or possibilities to this situation, using it like a ‘parry’ or launch special animations for each character involved.

Magic use

Briefly, we can consider sure to use the Magic in exploration and other objectives, represented with a mana bar on screen that can be upgraded and is filled when executing successful attacks against enemies (of other events but not related to combat).

This mana bar can be divided by segments that allows for the use of related abilities when filled:

When a combo is performed that allows for a Special Heavy Attack to be executed a cost of Magic is spent:



For example, perform a Special cost 3 full segments

If the Special Heavy Attack cannot be performed, a Heavy normal movement of the Active Stance would be executed. To perform a Special again the player must regain Magic by successfully attacking the enemy:


A segment cannot be spent if it’s not full.

For unlockable skills that use magic (Push, pull, throw, etc.) the same logic would be met: if enough segments can be spent as the cost of the ability, it can be performed.

Combat Progression

The basic progression of the combat is first gatekept behind the discovery of stances, starting only with the Single Blade stance, then discovering the Dual stance, and finally the Two-handed stance. This allows for a better understanding of each stance as the player has enough time to familiarize with it until unlocking the complete set.

Once a new stance is discovered by the player, a skill tree (or similar distribution) opens up that allows to unlock more combat possibilities, and can modify known attacks making them more powerful:



Single skill tree, then both Single and Dual skill tree, and finally 3 stances skill tree


These upgrades are related with the Magic abilities too, and are related to one another skill trees in several instances, being necessary to upgrade previous slots in to unlock a specific slot for both stances.

The complete basic approximation of the progression skill tree:



Distribution per stance in 3 skill trees connected between them in abilities related with abilities by swaping stances.
Marked in green general abilities that unlock for all stances.

This distribution could grow or modified depending of the intention and abilities to add, but shows crearly the separate distribution with keeping several connection between stances.

A basic list of definition of the attacks and skills that could be unlocked through progression in this proposal:

Single Stance progression


3rd attack
A third Thrust attack while performing the basic set of attacks. Unlocks for all stances.

Throw Sword
Throw the sword to the direction selected and use the magic to return it to you. It hits every enemy in the way.
Small use of Magic power.
Pull Light Attack
After successfully blocking an attack, press the Light Attack button to perform a quick counter attack.
Small use of Magic power.
Air Strike
 
If a successful basic set of Light attacks is performed in air, a vertical strike until reaching the ground can be performed.
Continuous Dodge
Successful dodge does not interrupt a combo: During a set of attacks and after successfully dodging an incoming attack, keep attacking performing the combo already initiated.
Block Counterattack
After successfully blocking an attack, press the Light Attack button to perform a quick counter attack.

Dual Stance progression


Dodge Dual Thrust
Initiate an attack after a dodge action to start the combo with a Dual Thrust direct attack.

2nd Light attack Dual
Allows to upgrade the 2nd attack in basic Dual combo to Dual attack, hitting in one movement 2 times.
2nd Heavy Attack
Unlocks a second Heavy Attack in all stances.
Push and Throw
After performing a Push against an enemy, throw both swords against him.
Small use of Magic power.
Block Both Sides
The posture for blocking allows for covering the back and front of the character for a second. Allows to parry action backwards.

Two-handed Stance progression


Continuos Block
Holding ‘RB’ allows for an automatic deflect of projectiles spinning the sword in front of the player character for some time.
Medium cost of Magic power.

Light to Heavy Combo
Even starting a combo with a Light attack allows to end with a Heavy attack.
Pull Greatsword Attack
If there are enemies in both sides of the player character when performing a Pull Attack, both are pulled near and attacked using the Two-handed greatsword.
Throw Greatsword
When performing a Throw with ‘X + Y’, if the inputs are hold during the action, the sword advances forward and backwards before ending in the player character hands.
Medium cost of Magic power.
Area Attack
Hold for some time and release ‘RB + Y’ to perform a large area attack using the magic to throw the sword around the player character in a circle, filling almost all screen.
Great cost of Magic power.

This abilities and upgrades allow for unlocking new moves for the stance system to perform better in combat, while contributing to execute new actions between combos while fighting.

Combo Structure

As stated, the combos are performed in no more than three movements per each one, and are constructed using the movements of each stance and swapping them.

To perform optimally, the player should swap between stances during combos, to perform special attacks and movements (more damage, quicker, stun enemies faster, etc).

An example of a possibility of a combo:



As the combo starts with a Light attack, it is a Light attacks combo.

Initially when swaping, attacks flow between poses performing the corresponding Active stance attack:


Single to Dual (and Single) combinations


After unlocking it, swapping on 3rd attack performs the Special Dual Light attack of Active stance

When performing a Heavy swap after 2 complete Heavy attacks, a Special Heavy Attack is performed (if there is enough Magic available):



After unlocking it, it could even be possible to perform a Special just after one Heavy attack:




These combinations allow for combos that could match specific vulnerabilities in enemies, for example against Dual and Two-handed stances. Some other interesting examples:


Single slash to Two-handed slash to Dual Slash
(Generates more stun and makes 4 hits)


Dual to Two-handed to Dual combinations
(Generates more stun/area of attacks and makes 4 hits)

Special Heavy Attacks in a combo of 3 Heavy Attacks


As specified, all inputs attacks are executed by tapping specific buttons, which is a conscious decision to prevent the overload of information or analysis paralysis due to having 3 different stances, leaving out for example “hold” to charge attacks, hold and release inputs, wait specific time before entering an input again, etc. which are reserved for specific skills and powers, as seen before in the document.

This “modular” approach allows for iteration and experimentation, leaving decision open to add, modifiy or prevent the use of specific combination of attacks if needed, and allows for a conscious decision for the player to which stance use: perform a Special Attack of the same stance that initiated the combo, wait until an enemy vulnerable to specific stance, use several stances against the same vulnerable enemy, etc. while keeping the pacing of combat quick.


Thank you for your time!