Parries and timed blocks are the future of action games—and they've got a place in turn-based RPGs like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, too

The Shinobi wolf duels viciously with a warrior in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

This article first appeared in PC Gamer magazine issue 407 in February 2025, as part of our 'Why I Love' series. Every month we ask our writers something they love about videogames, and, more importantly, why.

I finished Nine Sols just before 2024 ended—and I'm glad I did, because it's one of my favourite games of the year. Partially because of its gorgeous art direction, solid story, and exceptional fight design. But also because it happens to be following a trend that is downright pleasing to me: the "soulslike" genre is looking a whole lot more "sekirolike", lately.