Opinion: Combos and the Evolution of the Neutral Game in 2D Fighting Games

(Source:IBTimes)

The combo is a simple enough concept to grasp: hit someone, then hit someone again before they can recover. It’s one of the mainstays of fighting games as a genre since their unintentional introduction in the days of Street Fighter 2. Since then, the concept of the combo has evolved from the exploitation of an unintentional glitch to arguably the most spectacular and flashy aspect of almost any given fighting game.

As the years have passed, fighting games as a genre have also changed. Long gone are the days of puzzling out a character’s special moves through trial and error, or consulting the stained plastic of the cabinet for all the moves you need. Arcade cabinets have given way to consoles and computers. Training mode and move lists are now requirements for any given game, and subgenres have been defined in the already somewhat underpopulated fighting game niche.

But enough about that. Let’s talk about Killer Instinct.

Killer Instinct was one of the first games to put a real emphasis on combos- heck, it was arguably its main selling point! The fast-paced combat, the almost impossible to track sounds of battle, the announcers yell of “ULTRA COMBOOO!”, it all contributed to an awe-inspiring experience with as much flair as could be managed with the technology of the time. More importantly, it meant a far more risky neutral game.

Now, for the uninitiated, the “neutral game” (also referred to as “footsies”) is typically used to describe the general tactics and actions that you would take whenever you’re not actively engaging an opponent. For example, if you were sitting about half a screen away, you would have to put in a lot more thought to your actions and approach, whereas combos are often a matter of reaction time and muscle memory.

Now, what does this mean for Killer Instinct? Well, a whole lot! The introduction of much lengthier and easier to attain combos meant two things: First, it meant that the skill gap between an experienced player and an inexperienced one was that much larger-after all, longer combos meant more complex and more numerous inputs. Second, it meant that almost every hit the opponent managed to clip you with was that much more dangerous, as it could potentially lead to a long, health bar draining barrage of attacks.

This lead to a very interesting neutral game, with both sides throwing out moves in the hopes of landing a hit and being able to capitalize on it. While there were defensive types out there, often times even they would be playing fairly aggressively compared to other games. Speaking of other games, let’s return to Street Fighter for a moment and take a look at the successor to Street Fighter 2: Street Fighter 2 Turbo.

Street Fighter 2 Turbo was an interesting game, to say the least. Its creation was in large part inspired by the combos of its predecessor, it attempted to keep that gameplay element and expand upon it while keeping from compromising the core gameplay. This led to a host of interesting characters, moves, and more importantly, playstyles. However, while the game itself is almost legendary, and arguably kicked off the genre’s popularity, its neutral often wasn’t exactly the most entertaining or interesting at the highest levels of play.

“Spam” is a term thrown around a lot nowadays, but what many may call “spam” today is nothing compared to the absolute dominance that many players of characters like Sagat, Guile, and Dhalsim could assert over the screen. Rather than a flurry of high-intensity pressure, with one side fighting for an advantage over the other, often times matches would consist of either one player (playing a more aggressive or close ranged character) struggling to get in close through the veritable wall of projectiles and long-range normals being thrown at them-granted, they were often at a huge advantage if they managed to get in, but that’s a big if- or two players throwing projectiles and such across the screen for much of the game.

Needless to say, this wasn’t the most entertaining neutral game to watch or play for many people, and it was arguably worse in vanilla Street Fighter 2. Needless to say, Capcom took note of this and tried to remedy this in their next release in the franchise… and like it or not, Street Fighter 3 (and especially its third iteration, Third Strike) changed everything.

Enter the parry.

(Source: sf3lp on Youtube
Legendary at the time and still remembered as one of the most epic moments in fighting game history, even those uninitiated in Fighting Games can look at Evo Moment #37 and realize that something spectacular just went down.)

By pressing in the right direction at the right time, you could instantly nullify attacks-even ones with multiple hits! In case you didn’t realize: This. Was. Huge. Suddenly, the depth of the neutral game became an ocean of mind games and prediction. Any attack you throw out could turn into a boon for your opponent, but by the same measure, unexpected tactics could mean a world of hurt for your opponent if they tried and failed to predict and parry your attacks.

This meant that, while combos were still a huge part of the equation, there was much more emphasis on the approach-a predictable engagement against a skilled player would only end in pain for your character. This also meant that defensive players had more options while still providing an interesting and entertaining neutral game for both spectators and the player.

Now, why am I going over all this?

Well let’s take a look at many modern games in the 2D Fighting Game genre: Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, Street Fighter 5, Dragon Ball Fighterz, the list goes on. In almost all of them we see much more of an emphasis on combos, on shortening the skill gap, on aggressive play. Flashy, sure, and extremely entertaining in many cases if you view it as a spectator sport. However, I’ve found that, while providing a much more action-packed experience for watchers, it has led to a lot less diversity in the genre.

Previously, what set series like Blazblue, Guilty Gear, and Marvel vs Capcom apart was their crazy fast pace, their long combos, their character-specific gimmicks (which often led to a whole lot of fun and ended up making each character feel more unique) and their emphasis on aggression. Now, however, it seems like almost every mainline game in the genre is adopting these traits, and I don’t feel that it’s to the benefit of Fighting Games as a whole. On top of that, many fighting games have started adopting a “one button fits all” system that lets just anyone pull off a combo by mashing a button. This is unhealthy in the long run, discouraging players from improvement in almost every aspect of the game.

After all, if you can pull off a combo with one button, why bother learning any more? In other words, if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Pulling off a particularly long and complex combo in most Street Fighter games was an indicator of skill and character, especially in the case of Street Fighter 3 and Street Fighter 4. Some players achieved fame both for their ability to navigate the neutral game and for their ability to string together some insane stuff, such as the legendary Daigo Umehara, who is one of the most influential people to have ever laid their hands on an arcade stick.

But now, everything is so simple, so focused on style over substance. Many games feature combos that are easier to land, easier to execute, and have much less freedom to expand and optimize. However, if you want to see just how much things have changed, all you need to do is look at arguably the most iconic fighting game character: Ryu.

In Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, parrying a multi-hit move, especially a super move, was a matter of precise timing, raw memory, and prediction. Now, however, in Street Fighter 5, not only is Ryu one of the only characters who can parry at all, but parrying even a super move is a simple matter of parrying the first hit and mashing from there.

Now, don’t get me wrong- I’m in full support of aggressive games, of long combos, of stylish stuff. But when you sacrifice the core gameplay in favor of simplification and style, I don’t think that’s something to be taken lying down, especially when it means that fighting games as a whole become more muddled, and less unique in terms of pace and flow.

If you want a little more of an in depth and organized analysis on the subject, I would recommend taking a look at “Analysis: Reducing the Consequences of the Skill Gap” on Youtube by the absolutely fantastic Core-A Gaming.