The Parry Button: A Mechanic I Can't Stand
I'm sorry, but I'm here to say that I really do not enjoy parrying stuff in video games. Imagine this: your friend raves about a new turn-based game, and you're all in. You press the button to parry—wait, what? Why is there a parry button in a turn-based video game? That betrayal cuts deep. It’s like the gaming world is suddenly obsessed with adding unnecessary mechanics, and I'm stuck in the middle of it all.
Parrying has become a trend, and it's seeped into nearly every genre. Games like Dark Souls and Sekiro have made parrying a staple, and it's clear that many players love it. It demands strategy and timing, transforming battles into a dance of dodges and deflections. But I'm not here to argue about the merits of parrying—my brain just doesn't enjoy it.
Why I Hate Parrying in Video Games
Let's get this out of the way: I get that people love parrying. It's a skillful mechanic that can make combat more dynamic and rewarding. However, the second I see a wind-up animation—that awkward, exaggerated sword swing—I feel my enthusiasm vanish. I just want to press a button and deal damage without worrying about timing or patterns.
Sometimes I feel like I'm being forced to play a game that's not aligned with my preferences. I enjoy the proactive strategy of planning my moves, like setting up a game of chess and watching it unfold. I'm not against reactive gameplay entirely—after all, I play fighting games and rhythm games. But parrying feels like a forced addition that takes away from the core experience.
When Parrying Feels Like a Trend
Parrying has become the flavor-of-the-month mechanic in gaming. It's in everything from action RPGs to strategy games. While it's impressive how developers have integrated it into their designs, I can't help but feel like it's a trend that's been overdone. There are more creative ways to challenge players than forcing them to parry at every opportunity.
I understand that parrying can add a layer of challenge and excitement to a game. But I also want to play a game that lets me breathe, recuperate, and dive back into the action without having to worry about a sneeze-like animation warning me of an incoming attack. Sometimes, I just want to enjoy the joys of turn-based gameplay without the added pressure of parrying mechanics.
I'm not saying parrying is bad. I'm just saying that I don't enjoy it. And I hope that one day, developers will give it a break and explore other ways to keep players engaged and challenged. Until then, I'll keep playing my games the way I want to—without the parry button.
