Ask for the shape of the challenge.

Swinging is forgiving by design. The spikes are the crowded arena fights on Ultimate, where one unblocked rifle burst is most of a health bar.

Parry windows are strict and stances are rock-paper-scissors against four enemy types. Lethal makes both sides die in two hits and turns duels into reading contests.

Give Me God of War removes the stagger the whole combat loop leans on, and turns the optional Valkyries into the fights people put the controller down over.

Combat is scored on the beat and will still let you win off it. Playing to the rhythm is the difference between a rank and a mess.

The genre’s shape at a fraction of its hostility — and the only one on this shelf that ships with a menu that will hand you a gun and skip the fight.

Grounded strips the listen mode and most of the ammo, which turns stealth from an option into the only plan that survives a room.

Five stances that each want a different defensive habit, on a difficulty curve gentle enough that you can reach the end still using the first one.

A blockbuster that expects to be finished, with the actual demands parked in optional bosses you can walk past without the story noticing.

Machines have components you are meant to shoot off with the right element. A player who ignores that fights the same Thunderjaw for ten minutes with the wrong arrows.

Generous dodges and plug-in chips that can automate half the combat, so the demand is low until Very Hard, where one hit ends you and the chip build becomes the game.