Combo (Concept)

Combo

CONCEPT

Typically found in fighting games, combos are a series of strung-together moves.

Combos

A Combo is a gameplay mechanic used mainly in fighting games. It refers to a consecutive series of attacks delivered to your opponent in such a way that if the first attack connects, so will all the others in the sequence. Combos typically leave the opponent unable to stop their opponent or do anything at all; however, this rule is not universal among fighting games. Some fighting games have specific systems designed to end your opponent's combo, often at the cost of some super meter. These moves are known generally as combo breakers. Some combos can go on indefinitely, while others can end with a special finishing move. Shanghai Kid (Game) was the first game to include combo attacks, but the concept of gained popularity with Street Fighter II. Street Fighter II's combo attacks were created more or less accidentally. The lead producer, Noritaka Funamizu (Person), noticed that certain attacks could leave very little time for the AI players to recover. Funamizu believed that the timing was too difficult to be used successfully in the game, but he left it in anyway. As players got their hands on the game they discovered these Combos and since then, nearly every fighting game has included them. Super Street Fighter II was the first game to count the number of hits and reward the player for higher Combos.

Combo Types:

' 'Air Combo

An Air Combo differs from Juggling (Concept) in that the character jumps up to meet his enemy, instead of launching him, and then attacks him in the air.

' 'Auto Combo

Combos where constant inputs from the player aren't required. All that is required is that the first hit connects and then the Combo will play out until it is completed, or the player on the receiving end escapes.

' ' ' 'Chain Combo

These are performed using only normal attacks. These are more flexible than other Combos, but typically can't be performed by larger characters.

' 'Hyper Combo

Similar to the Ultra Combo (Concept) concept, except that the ability to pull it off is linked to the amount of damage you've dealt.

' ' ' 'Juggling

Second only to the Basic Combo in terms of its appearance in games, Juggling was introduced in Mortal Kombat. The player must use a "launcher" to hit the enemy into the air and repeatedly attack them before they hit the ground, thus keeping them in the air. These are often the staple form of combos in 3D fighting games.

Alternate uses

In rhythm action games, such as Guitar Hero (Franchise), Dance Dance Revolution (Franchise) and Beatmania, a combo is where the player hits successive notes correctly and in time. The games typically give the player a numerical count of how many notes they have hit correctly without missing a note and 'breaking' their combo.

Games view all →]