The Art of the Fakeout: Deceptive Combat Design

June 19, 2025

It happened again. My meticulously planned boss fight, the culmination of weeks of design and iteration, fell flat. Players breezed through it, dismissing my fearsome creation as another predictable pile of polygons. That’s when I realized something was missing: deception. Not in the story, but in the very bones of the combat itself.

This isn’t about cheap difficulty. It’s about crafting engaging, memorable encounters by subverting player expectations. It’s about the art of the “fakeout.”

The Illusion of Predictability

We, as designers, train players. We teach them patterns. Enemy A attacks like this, Enemy B telegraphs that, and the Boss… well, the Boss is just a bigger, more obvious version of the same formula. This predictability is our weakness. It breeds complacency.

The fakeout exploits this inherent player expectation. It’s a deviation from the established norm, a carefully orchestrated moment of misdirection that forces players to reassess their assumptions and react accordingly. It’s not about lying to the player, but challenging their learned behaviors. It’s about rewarding observation and skillful adaptation.

Consider this scenario: a hulking brute winds up for a devastating overhead smash. The player, conditioned by countless similar encounters, instinctively dodges backward. But instead of following through, the brute abruptly slams his weapon into the ground directly in front of him, creating a shockwave. Players who instinctively dodged backwards are safe, while those who stood their ground, anticipating a delayed attack, are caught in the blast.

This is a simple example, but it illustrates the core principle: disrupt expectations, create a moment of uncertainty, and reward thoughtful reactions.

Why Fakeouts Matter

Fakeouts aren’t just about making combat harder. They’re about making it smarter.

They inject a layer of psychological engagement, turning combat from a rote exercise in pattern recognition into a dynamic, reactive experience. This, in turn, leads to:

Increased Engagement: Players are more invested when they have to actively think and adapt. No more autopilot.
Heightened Sense of Accomplishment: Successfully navigating a well-designed fakeout feels incredibly rewarding. It’s a testament to their skill and observation.
Memorable Encounters: Unpredictable enemies are far more memorable than predictable ones. Fakeouts are the spice that elevates a bland encounter into something truly special.
Forced Adaptation: Fakeouts compel players to learn and improve their skills. They can’t rely on muscle memory alone.

Fakeouts make the world feel more alive, enemies more intelligent, and combat more meaningful.

Types of Fakeouts: A Designer’s Arsenal

The beauty of fakeouts lies in their versatility. They can be applied to a wide range of enemy behaviors and attack patterns. Here are a few common categories:

Telegraphing Misdirection: Presenting a clear visual or auditory cue that suggests one action, only to execute another. The brute slamming into the ground is one example.
Delayed Attacks: Holding an attack for longer than expected, causing players to dodge too early. Think of a charging enemy suddenly stopping short, forcing the player to commit to a dodge that leaves them vulnerable.
Attack Cancels: Aborting an attack mid-animation and transitioning into a different move. This is especially effective against players who rely on visual cues alone.
Pattern Disruption: Breaking established attack patterns to throw the player off balance. For instance, a boss who consistently alternates between two attacks suddenly uses the same attack twice in a row.
Environmental Fakeouts: Using the environment to deceive the player. A collapsing platform that doesn’t actually collapse, forcing the player to waste a valuable dodge.

Each of these offers fertile ground for experimentation. Don’t limit yourself to these; combine and adapt them. The more unpredictable, the better.

Case Study: Bloodborne’s Vicar Amelia

Vicar Amelia is a prime example of effective fakeout design. Her attacks are visually impressive and intimidating, but they also incorporate subtle delays and misdirections. Her most notorious attack involves a drawn-out roar, seemingly indicating a powerful area-of-effect attack.

Many players instinctively dodge away, only to realize that the roar is actually a self-buff, healing her and increasing her attack power. This forces the player to reassess their strategy and stay close to interrupt her healing.

Amelia’s fakeouts aren’t just about increasing difficulty. They add depth to the encounter, transforming her from a lumbering beast into a cunning predator.

The Perils of Overuse: Balancing Deception and Fairness

Fakeouts are powerful tools, but they must be used responsibly. Overdoing it can lead to frustration and a sense of unfairness.

The key is balance. The player should feel challenged, not cheated.

Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:

Inconsistent Telegraphing: If the telegraphing for an attack is unclear or inconsistent, the fakeout will feel random and unfair. Clarity is paramount.
Punishing Correct Reactions: A fakeout should punish expected reactions, not objectively correct ones. For example, a well-timed parry should always be rewarded, regardless of the enemy’s subsequent actions.
Unreactable Attacks: Fakeouts should never rely on attacks that are impossible to react to. Players need a chance to adapt and respond.
Over-Reliance on Fakeouts: Using too many fakeouts in a single encounter can become predictable in itself. Mix them up with more straightforward attacks to keep the player guessing.
Lack of Counterplay: Players should always have options for dealing with fakeouts. Whether it’s dodging, blocking, parrying, or using specific items, they need the tools to overcome the challenge.

A well-designed fakeout should feel like a clever trick, not a cheap shot.

Actionable Insights: Implementing Fakeouts in Your Game

Ready to start incorporating fakeouts into your game? Here’s a step-by-step approach:

Analyze Your Combat System: Identify the core mechanics and player expectations. What are the common attack patterns? What are the standard player responses?
Identify Opportunities for Deception: Look for ways to disrupt those expectations. Where can you introduce delays, misdirections, or attack cancels?
Design Clear Telegraphing: Ensure that all attacks, including fakeouts, have clear and consistent telegraphing. The deception should come from the interpretation of the telegraph, not from its ambiguity.
Playtest Extensively: Get feedback from players. Are the fakeouts challenging but fair? Are they frustrating or rewarding? Iterate based on the feedback.
Consider the Player’s Skill Level: Adjust the complexity and frequency of fakeouts based on the target audience. Beginners will need more forgiving encounters, while experienced players will appreciate a greater challenge.

Remember, the goal is to create a more engaging and rewarding combat experience, not to punish players arbitrarily.

A Practical Example: The “Phantom Swing”

Let’s say you have an enemy with a large sword that performs a standard overhead swing.

Standard Attack: The enemy raises their sword, telegraphing the overhead swing, and then brings it down in a straight line.
Fakeout Variation: The enemy starts the same animation, raising their sword, but then abruptly changes direction mid-swing, angling the blade to the side and performing a sweeping attack instead.

The player who anticipates the overhead swing and dodges backward might get hit by the sweep. The player who recognizes the shift in the blade’s angle can react accordingly, dodging to the side or blocking.

To make this even more interesting, you could add a third variation:

Double Fakeout: The enemy starts the overhead swing, feints the sweep, and then finally delivers the overhead attack.

This requires the player to carefully observe the enemy’s movements and react to multiple potential outcomes.

Real-World Application: Fighting Game Fundamentals

Fighting games are masters of deception. They’re the ultimate testing ground for applying fakeouts. Characters feint, cancel moves, and use spacing to bait their opponents into making mistakes. High-level play is a constant battle of predicting and countering your opponent’s expectations.

Think of a fighting game character known for their slow, telegraphed attacks. A skilled player will use this to their advantage, canceling the attack animation into a guard or a different move, baiting the opponent into committing to an attack that can be easily punished. This is the essence of the fakeout in its purest form.

Studying fighting game techniques can offer valuable insights into how to effectively implement fakeouts in other genres.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Here are some common mistakes developers make when implementing fakeouts, and how to avoid them:

Mistake: Creating fakeouts that feel random and unpredictable.
- Solution: Ensure that all fakeouts have clear and consistent telegraphing. The deception should come from the interpretation of the telegraph, not from its ambiguity.
Mistake: Punishing players for making objectively correct decisions.
- Solution: A well-timed parry or dodge should always be rewarded, regardless of the enemy’s subsequent actions. Fakeouts should punish expected reactions, not objectively correct ones.
Mistake: Over-relying on fakeouts, making combat feel unfair and frustrating.
- Solution: Mix fakeouts with more straightforward attacks to keep the player guessing. Don’t overuse them in a single encounter.
Mistake: Failing to provide players with the tools to counter fakeouts.
- Solution: Ensure that players have options for dealing with fakeouts, such as dodging, blocking, parrying, or using specific items.
Mistake: Implementing fakeouts without adequate testing and feedback.
- Solution: Playtest extensively and gather feedback from players. Are the fakeouts challenging but fair? Are they frustrating or rewarding? Iterate based on the feedback.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can create fakeouts that enhance the combat experience rather than detracting from it.

The Future of Fakeouts: Beyond Combat

The principles of deception aren’t limited to combat. They can be applied to a wide range of game mechanics, including puzzle solving, exploration, and even narrative.

Imagine a puzzle that appears to have a simple solution, only to reveal a hidden layer of complexity. Or an environment that seems safe, but contains hidden traps or dangers.

The possibilities are endless. By embracing the art of deception, we can create games that are more engaging, more memorable, and more rewarding.

Embrace the Art of Deception

Designing effective fakeouts is challenging. It requires a deep understanding of player psychology, a keen eye for detail, and a willingness to experiment.

But the rewards are well worth the effort. By mastering the art of deception, you can elevate your combat encounters from mundane exercises in pattern recognition into thrilling, dynamic experiences that will keep players on the edge of their seats.

So go forth and deceive! But remember to do so with fairness, clarity, and a healthy dose of respect for the player. The goal isn’t to trick them, but to challenge them, to engage them, and to reward them for their skill and ingenuity.

And when they finally overcome your meticulously crafted fakeouts, they’ll thank you for it. They’ll thank you for creating a combat experience that is not only challenging but also deeply satisfying. A combat experience that will stay with them long after the credits roll. Now go build something amazing.