Parry too late and Raiden will get pushed back from the enemy, parry a little late or a bit early and Raiden will simply block the attack, but parry perfectly and Raiden will automatically counter with a blade swipe, which you can then follow on with a combo. Instead, you have to master the key art of parrying attacks – a fundamental and highly required move that you HAVE to use to become good at the game – and this is all about precise timing. For starters, there is no dedicated block button in the game. Platinum Games has given Revengeance a very distinctive mechanic that is based around Raiden’s use of a Japanese blade, the Katana. Let’s kick off with the meat of the game – the combat. With Platinum Games behind the helm, a company that arguably created one of the best in the genre, the game was certainly put into good hands after Konami’s failed attempts at making Raiden: The Watermelon Slicer. Think of it as Konami’s entrance into the pure-action, hack-and-slash genre that includes such greats as Bayonetta, the Devil May Cry series and the Ninja Gaiden series (well, not Ninja Gaiden 3, we know what happened there). Revengeance is a completely different ball game to what you have come to expect from Metal Gear – it’s purely an action game that builds upon some tropes from franchise entries, but mostly just tries to do its own thing. If, for whatever reason, you missed out on this crazy action title for consoles, then you really owe yourself to check out this solid PC port that comes with both DLC campaigns for added bonus. The high octane action, unique combat mechanics and craziness of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance made it one of my favourite games of 2013, so it’s great to see Konami and Platinum Games show some love for the PC platform by bringing Raiden’s latest adventure to Steam.