Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's counter-attack system detailed

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's counter-attack system has been detailed in a recent blog post written (in Japanese) by a Platinum Games designer who goes by the name Taura.

In the post, Taura talks about "Shinogi", which is the game's counter-attack/parrying system that roughly translates to "outperform"/"outwit". "This is an action that lets you time your attacks with your opponent's, defending yourself from them in the process," he says. "Here's how you use Shinogi: 1. Direct your attack at the enemy's body posture (with the left stick tilted in the right direction), 2. At the same time, unleash a weak attack (square button).

"By doing just this simple action, you can perfectly defend enemy attacks."

Taura says that by timing the attack correctly, enemies will be knocked back and players will automatically perform a counter-attack. Just as the counter-attack lands, players will have the opportunity to go in for the kill with "slashing mode".

Taura adds that counter-attacks can themselves be countered, which can lead to a stream of counters until someone slips. "You [can] counter [the enemy's] counter-counter, and if they counter your counter-counter-counter, you counter their counter-counter-counter-counter," he says.

The videos above and below illustrate Shinogi in action. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is planned for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on Feb. 19 in North America and Feb. 22 in Europe. In Japan, the game will be released on PlayStation 3 only on Feb. 21. Read Polygon's hands-on with the first three chapters of the game here.