Dead or Alive 5’s game director, Yohei Shimbori has explained more about the “Cliffhanger” element seen in the game.
Cliffhangers are new to Dead or Alive 5 where you can push your opponents off of a ledge. You can either be the aggressor trying push your opponent off the ledge, or you can be on the other side of the spectrum trying hard not to fall off!
Dead or Alive 5 will be available on the PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime this September.
Here’s what he said about Cliffhangers:
“Cliffhangers involve a changeup in the gameplay. It’s a quick, limited-time challenge. It’s like jumping over obstacles in DOA4, but you don’t choose between a mid P or K. Since your opponent is grabbing the ledge, you choose between a strike or throw. But…! In order to make it a psychological game, we’re balancing all the values mathematically based on game theory. There’s definitely still room for tweaking things, so please speak up if you have any thoughts! Cliffhangers will only appear in certain stages, so they’ll be pretty rare if you choose a stage randomly.”
“Using a throw could do a lot of damage, but if your opponent evades, then you wind up taking a little damage. If you’re confident in your fighting skills, then it’s safer to do a strike. With a strike, you won’t take any damage if you fail. You can just beat your opponent to a pulp once you’re on the ground. So! If you’re the one hanging, you should keep your mind on guarding and watch your opponent for a grab motion. If you see them start to grab for a throw, then do an evade. When in trouble, guard. That’s like a basic principle of fighting games.”
“Don’t mash buttons if you’re attacking during a Cliffhanger. The longer you wait to push a button, the less time your opponent has to read your move. So practice holding out until the very last moment to have a better chance at a successful Cliffhanger!”