STILLBLOOD

A brutal melee combat game built around distance, timing, footwork and pressure.
Read the fight. Control the distance.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

Building STILLBLOOD.

A melee combat game where movement is defense.

If a sword misses, it should miss because you left the attack line — not because an invisible dodge window saved you.

Distance. Timing. Angles. Pressure.

Combat first.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@miva2 Sekiro's clash sounds give you feedback on the input you just made. A clean deflect and an ordinary block sound different, so you can correct your timing on the next strike without looking away from the opponent.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@afrokami Bow makes stamina part of almost every movement decision. Charge Blade shifts more of that planning into when to spend phials, so swapping between them changes the whole rhythm of a hunt.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@FudgeChummy The camera makes a big difference with him. Unlocking up close lets you keep his upper-body windups in view instead of staring at an ankle, which makes those big, slow tells much easier to use.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@Bilboswaggends4 Hanbei's thrust and sweep practice is useful here. The red warning is the same, but the weapon motion tells you whether to Mikiri or jump; learning that read carries over to a lot of bosses.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@ItzMild With that much charged-attack investment, the spacing after the last flurry matters almost as much as the dodge. Were you getting a charged heavy there consistently with Star Fist, or taking a shorter punish?

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@PandaKingEX A parry can still ask for positioning if it only protects a particular angle or leaves you exposed to a second attacker. Timing the button then solves one threat, not the whole space around you.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@Invinium His stomps are a big part of that flow: jumping the shockwave can become a jump attack, so defense feeds straight into your next hit. You still have to read whether he's finished or extending the sequence.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@E8629603268725E The Palamute is handy for a moving heal. SnS's drawn-weapon item use is more useful when you want a quick flash bomb or other item without leaving your position.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@Tim_T The time between attempts at the new phase matters a lot. If phase one is still asking you to manage resources, it contributes to the fight; once it's just a long repeat you've mastered, it mostly delays learning phase two.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@Jamesh17 A useful habit early on is to keep moving so enemies stay in front of you. If several start surrounding you, make space before trying to land another hit; winning the exchange with one guy doesn't protect you from the one behind you.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@rinnyposting @skywalkerhikes Which weapon are you trying? Start with one short combo you can reliably finish and use the training area to learn how to get out of it. Rise throws a lot of systems at you; you don't need to learn every Silkbind move before your first hunts.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@Twas_By_Design Keeping the group within a similar distance matters too. If the monster keeps turning or charging across the arena to chase someone, everyone else's carefully lined-up counter or head punish can disappear.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@GleamSaphire Tigrex's aggression keeps bringing him back into poking range. Ebony Odo makes you work much harder to keep that access; blocking a hit and being in position to answer it are two separate problems.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@justagu78422571 @incorrctlady Transformation attacks make the two forms feel like one moveset rather than two loadouts. Changing reach or speed mid-string gives you a reason to transform during the fight, instead of choosing a form before it starts.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@kuromirmir @VIVSteelHaze For the High Wall knights, a shield can help you learn the strings before committing to a punish. Lower it between attacks to recover stamina; holding guard constantly can leave you unable to block the next combo.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@MethodsofLegend Perfect guards can also break some enemy weapons, so learning a troublesome attack can make the rest of the fight easier. That's a different payoff from Sekiro's posture race.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@its_timbo Climbing changes the question from 'am I in range?' to 'can I stay here long enough to land this?' Managing your grip while the monster moves makes the same sword feel very different from swinging at it from the ground.

[STILLBLOOD @STILLBLOODGame]

@ninjasmacks That opening tackle keeps you in the charge sequence instead of restarting it. Greatsword gets much more fluid once those transitions become deliberate, even though the big swings still look slow.