Combat system
Combat in A Whisper of Fall: Jinyiwei is built around three interconnected resources displayed on the HUD: 命 (Life), 功 (True Qi), and 息 (Inner Breath). The er called it "the most complex combat system in any non-indie game I've played in the past ten years." The system pushes players toward aggressive, parry-heavy play. Passive defense drains resources and eventually leaves the player unable to dodge or heal.
Core resources
命 (Life/HP) is standard health. When it hits zero, the player dies. Health can be restored through the Gather Qi (集气) mechanic, which consumes True Qi and requires an uninterrupted channeling animation. Getting hit during the channel cancels it.
功 (True Qi) is the central resource. It increases when the player lands hits or performs successful parries (rebounds). It decreases when the player takes damage or has attacks blocked by enemies. At 100%, it unlocks a devastating finishing technique (终结技). At 0%, the player becomes vulnerable to enemy execution attacks.
息 (Inner Breath) is consumed only by dodges. Its maximum capacity mirrors the current True Qi level at all times. If True Qi drops to 50%Inner Breath capacity is halved. This creates a cascading spiral: taking damage lowers True Qi, which shrinks the dodge resource, which makes it harder to avoid the next hit.
Actions
Action | Description |
|---|---|
Block | Absorbs incoming damage. Safe but does not build True Qileaving the player stuck if they only block. |
Rebound (parry) | A precisely timed block that deflects the attack and staggers the enemy. A successful rebound restores approximately 130-150 points of True Qi per counter and triggers a metallic collision audio cue. Rebounds are the fastest way to build True Qi and break enemy posture. |
Dodge | Evasive movement that consumes Inner Breath. Perfect dodges produce an ink-splash visual effect (墨水特效), referencing Chinese ink wash painting. |
Execution (处决) | When an enemy's posture is fully broken, or their True Qi is depleted, the player can perform a finishing move for massive damage. |
Finishing technique (终结技) | Available when True Qi reaches 100%. Described as dealing "extremely massive power" (极其巨大的威力). Consumes the entire True Qi bar. |
Posture system
Enemies have their own True Qi bar that functions like a posture gauge. It depletes as the enemy takes damage and receives parries. When an enemy's True Qi is fully drained, they become vulnerable to execution attacks. The system applies symmetrically. Both the player and enemies operate under the same resource rules.
Vulnerability damage
The combat system includes 破绽伤害 (Vulnerability Damage) bonus damage dealt when attacking an enemy during their recovery frames or after a whiffed attack. The er noted that players should "think about move frame data like in a fighting game" (像格斗游戏那样思考动作的帧数), considering startup frames, active damage windows, and invulnerability frames.
Martial arts styles
Rather than a simple light/heavy attack system, combat uses martial arts styles (武学) distinct combo trees that can be equipped per weapon and swapped in real time during combat. Each style generates two or more derived follow-up attacks. Players can equip multiple styles simultaneously and switch between them mid-combo.
Weapons
Three confirmed weapon typesblades (刀, slower with heavy dual-handed finishers), swords (剑, lighter and more mobile), and spears (枪). Dual blades (双刀) have also appeared in footage. Weapon choice affects attack speed, damage, mobility, and how efficiently True Qi builds.
Light kung fu
Two interchangeable light kung fu (轻功) movement systems can be equipped, enabling wall-running, aerial combat, and vertical repositioning during fights. These are separate from the martial arts style loadout.