This is the point we started from. It works but hits don't have any weight and it feels like you're just punching the air.

So we added...

Camera Shake

The most basic effect that immediately makes everything feel more juicy. Thankfully, Cinemachine has a built-in support for it so it's also easy to add :)

Animation Freeze

Freezing character's animation for a fraction of a second makes it feel like time is bending under the weight of your hits. Very satisfying effect!

Particles

Another quick and easy one is we added blood particles on impact to make the enemy feel more meaty.

Blinking

Probably my favorite effect that we added is making the enemy blink white when he's hit. This clearly signals to the player that his input had a significant impact.

Putting it all together

What started as basic light and heavy attacks grew into a system where every strike feels impactful, every hit registers clearly, and every fight becomes more dynamic and exciting. It’s not just about dealing damage, it’s about feeling it.

Wishlist Dark Queen on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3106050/Dark_Queen/