How should enemy animations look in a 3D Hack n Slash game?
Hey fellow devs and animators!
I’m slowly working on my hack-and-slash game, and I’ve reached the point where I need to design enemy attacks. I started with some very basic attacks: the enemy turns toward the player during the anticipation frames, then launches forward.
As expected, the first iteration doesn’t feel great, and I’m a bit unsure about which direction to take the combat.
I want to commit to fast-paced player movement, since the game also features platforming mechanics. The overall flow I’m aiming for is something closer to a 3D version of Hollow Knight.
The problem right now is that enemies are extremely easy to dodge. Their basic attacks barely control any space, so I can usually avoid them just by moving sideways.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what could make this kind of combat work better. For example:
- Should I lean more into large sweeping attack animations?
- Should enemies snap or warp toward the player during the active frames (after anticipation)?
- Should enemy charge attacks accelerate much faster?
- Or would something closer to Hades work better, where attack zones are clearly telegraphed with decals and area denial is more deliberate?
Maybe there are also a few simple tweaks that could dramatically improve the feel of combat that I’m not seeing yet.
Thanks so much in advance! I’m really excited to hear your thoughts :)