In video games, a combo (short for combination) is a set of actions performed in sequence, usually with strict timing limitations, that yield a significant benefit or advantage. The term originates from fighting games where it is based upon the concept of a striking combination. It has been since applied more generally to a wide variety of genres, such as puzzle games, shoot 'em ups, and sports games. Combos are commonly used as an essential gameplay element, but can also serve as a high score or attack power modifier, or simply as a way to exhibit an exuberant playing style.
In fighting games, combo specifically indicates a timed sequence of moves that produce a cohesive series of hits, each of which leaves the opponent unable to block.
History
John Szczepaniak of Hardcore Gaming 101 considers Data East's DECO Cassette System arcade title Flash Boy (1981), a scrolling action game based on the manga and anime series Astro Boy, to have a type of combo mechanic. When the player punches an enemy and it explodes, debris can destroy other enemies.
The use of combo attacks originated from Technōs Japan's beat 'em up arcade games, Renegade in 1986 and Double Dragon in 1987. In contrast to earlier games that let players knock out enemies with a single blow, the opponents in Renegade and Double Dragon could take more punishment, requiring a succession of punches. The first hit would temporarily immobilize the enemy, making him unable to defend himself against successive punches. Combo attacks would later become more dynamic in Capcom's Final Fight, released in 1989.
Fighting games
The earliest known competitive fighting game that used a combo system was Culture Brain's Shanghai Kid in 1985. When the spiked speech balloon that reads "RUSH!" pops up during battle, the player has a chance to rhythmically perform a series of combos called "rush-attacking".
The combo notion was reintroduced to competitive fighting games with Street Fighter II (1991) by Capcom, when skilled players learned that they could combine several attacks which left no time for the computer player to recover if they timed them correctly. Combos were a design accident; lead producer Noritaka Funamizu noticed that extra strikes were possible during a bug check on the car-smashing bonus stage. He thought that the timing required was too difficult to make it a useful game feature, but left it in as a hidden one. Combos have since become a design priority in almost all fighting games,
Combos are a main feature in many puzzle games, such as Columns, Snood and Magical Drop. They are primarily used as a scoring device, but in the modes of play that are level-based, are used to more quickly gain levels. Shoot 'em ups have increasingly incorporated combo systems, such as in Ikaruga, as have hack-and-slash games, such as Dynasty Warriors.
See also
- Konami Code
- Fighting game terms at Wiktionary