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4. Chaining Attacks Builds Your Risk Meter - Vagrant Story

Dishonored Emily
Square Enix

Square Enix's cult classic RPG Vagrant Story is both celebrated and criticised for its complex, even arcane gameplay systems, including the Risk meter.

Below the player's HP and MP bars is a bar counting their Risk Points, which are accrued by chaining attacks together while battling enemies.

Chaining attacks is cool in just about any action game, but in Vagrant Story it has a trade-off - as your Risk Points go up, your accuracy and defenses lower, and enemy attacks deal more damage. As such, if you're not paying attention a high Risk number is an easy way to end up unexpectedly killed.

Sure, a higher number of Risk Points also gives you a chance to score a critical hit, but it's a system which attempts to balance gameplay by forcing players to consider each and every decision they make during combat.

Further making it all a big ol' hassle, lowering your Risk requires either using a curative item like a Vera Root or running around like a headless chicken until it depletes.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.