Bandai Namco outlines the Bless Unleashed combat changes based on player feedback

Bless Unleashed is on the verge of entering open beta, with a planned release for November 7. However, it wasn't a smooth ride, because the closed betas were very useful for developer Round 8 Studios and publisher Bandai Namco to sort out some issues with combat. The Bless Unleashed combat changes will be visible as soon as the open beta begins.

Some of the main complaints surrounding combat said that movement speed felt slow and sluggish, input delay was slow, and canceling out of actions to evade was problematic. Understanding abilities and resource consumption was another problem, and target lock-on and controls needed to be improved as well. Quite a lot of work required, it seems.

The devs are now reporting that many changes were made in order to satisfy the players' demands. Combat speed was improved, as well as controls and character movement. Combos are now seamlessly connected with the dodge option, there is a reduced delay between input and character attack, and true sprinting was implemented. The lock-on feature will automatically select the nearest target, but you can switch using the right stick.

More importantly, a new control scheme was devised and is being used by default. Now it's up to players to see if these Bless Unleashed combat changes represent an improvement over the previous version.

Bless Unleashed is an Xbox One exclusive, at least until an alleged PS4 version is announced. PC players may have to sit this one out, but after the disappointment that was Bless Online, perhaps it's best to take some time off to see how things turn out.