Game Mechanics to Master #1 - Hitstun

I have played many different games that use hit stun differently. These are the different forms of hit stun and how they're used for different affect of gameplay. I am sure I'll see other forms of usage/ use case for such a mechanic.

Weaponized hitstun

Weaponized hitstun meaning it's used less for flare and more for mechanical purpose. This creates breathing room by stunning the enemy in place for a brief second to a long time to show how much of an impact it had on the enemy in question.

Defensive hitstun

This would be an affect from a move that would affect the gameplay in a meaningful way with the gameplay allowing the actor in question use it as a time to pause before having to deal with the enemy again. This could be things like causing the enemy to stagger from hitting them in the head to cause them to stagger for a bit or something like your character in Dark Souls losing their balance as they're having their guard broken.

Combo hitstun

Combo hitstun also something you can do in Deadcells is for enemies you can stun them and follow up with attacks, the small pause in between allow for weapon switch ups before going into another weapon or going from a ground strike to a normal sword strike allowing for ambushes to take place.

Offensive hitstun

Simple as it sounds; basically using offensive tactics to break open your opponent's defensive line and attack them for all it's worth. What is the difference between weaponized hitstun and offensive hitstun? Not much; other than focused target versus swinging around to strike a group or crowd control effectively.

Aesthetic hitstun

A lot of fighting games use hitstun for aesthetic coloration for the art direction and less of a mechanical advantage to be given on the field of battle. This is more or less to "sell" the power of the move and doesn't put you or your opponent at an advantage other than to make you feel cool.

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