Deathboundis another Soulslike added to the ever-expanding list of Soulslikes with this one trying out a whole lot of new things such as playing multiple characters, a new system based around character Conflicts and Synergies, and multiple types of skill trees.
Of course, it also has almost all of the staples of these types of games, such as dropping your currency when you die, having a limited number of healing items, and of course giving players the ability to perfect block and parry attacks. Parrying inDeathboundworks as it does inmost of these Soulslike games, however, there are only certain characters or ‘Essences’ that can Parry, and the timing of said Parries is a bit different than you might expect, so let’s go over how exactly to do it.
What Characters Can Parry In Deathbound
And Where the Parry Window is
Sadly, out of the 7 playable Essences inDeathbound, only two of them can Parry attacks. One is the first character you start with Therone Guillaumen, and the other is the sixth named Mamdile Ogate. We won’t completely spoil too much about this second character, but both he and Therone can parry, one using their shield and the other using his body.To Parry, you’re able to either press Left-Trigger or Control right around when the enemy’s attack starts actually swinging.
Typically in these types of gamesto Parry you either press the input right when the enemy is about to swing or right when the attack is about to make contact, butDeathboundfeels a bit more in the middle. Pressing right when it makes contact typically won’t work, you need to press it right in the middle of their swing, which can make it very difficult to parry some of the delayed or faster attacks in the game.
Why Parrying Is Worth It
Or at Least More Worth it Than Other Options
Now for the real question, it’s nice that you can Parry inDeathboundbut is it actually worth doing?With alternate offensive and defensive options such as Dodging, Backstepping, Morph Strikes, using Consumables, and more, is it ever worth it to decide to Parry the attack instead?Well, if you enjoy using either Therone Guillaumen or Mamdile Ogate, then it is absolutely the right choice. Additionally, both characters have Talents that make Parrying more enticing, with Therone having the Holy Retribution Talent and Mamdile having the Essence Disruption Talent.
Lastly, Parrying lets you completely shut down the opponent inDeathbound,especially with some of the more deadly enemies that can take you out in just a few hits. That said, the risk is just as high as the reward, more so than in other Soulslikes (or games of any genre) simply due to the fact that you technically have four health bars in this game, but that means each individual health bar is a lot smaller. So, if you miss a parry against a strong attack, it might just fully take you out.
