If you’ve been worried about Avowed not looking punchy enough, Obsidian’s combat designer has a hitstop animation ‘superpower’ that might reassure you

My ears perk up anytime a game developer says the word “hitstop.” It means I’m about to hear some secret sauce, or at least opinions, about how to make a game feel great—specifically how and when to add a short pause mid-combat to make a hit really pop. In early footage of Avowed it’s been hard to tell how impactful its combat will really feel, but my hands-on time with the game has been a pleasant surprise. It doesn’t have the weight of the finest melee combat games on PC like Mount & Blade 2 or Vermintide 2, but its speedy sword swings still feel better than I expected, while charge attacks really pack a punch.

According to Obsidian VFX lead Ash Kumar, who I interviewed at a recent preview event at Obsidian’s offices in southern California, there’s one person in particular to thank for how combat’s shaped up.