Three is a magic number, even when it comes to fighting. Often times in video games a character's most basic combo will consist of three attacks in rapid succession with the last hit dealing slightly more damage than the first two.
Often the most basic combo attack in the game being performed by simply pressing the attack button three times in a row. Sometimes the various hits that comprise the combo can be upgraded as the character
Levels Up, or the combo can be extended to having four or more consecutive hits.
Subtrope of
Rule of Three.
Examples:
Action Adventure Games
- Super Mario 64: The basic right-left-kick combo might be the Trope Codifier for 3D games. Yah-Wah-Hoo!
- Double Dragon might be the Ur Example, the first kick upgrade turns your third kick into a roundhouse, the last upgrade turns it into a leaping roundhouse that's one of the strongest moves in the game.
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time had four different three point combos depending on which direction the control stick was being held. Left horizontal, Right horizontal, Vertical and Thrust.
- Kingdom Hearts: Your character typically starts with a three point combo, but it can be lengthened, shortened or otherwise altered depending on what Keyblade you have equipped and what skills you're using.
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Sonic Advance: Sonic and Knuckles had three point combos.
- Sonic Heroes: Each power formation had a three point combo that became increasingly flashy and destructive with each Level Up. At mid strength they typically included some type of flamethrower, at max power they had some type of explosive.
- Donkey Kong 64: each Kong had a three point combo. Donkey Kong could perform his combo with just two button presses, since the first hit was a double-attack, making it a curious example.
- In the Metal Gear series, the 3D instalments have a 3 hit combo as the basic close quarters attack, consisting of 2 punches and a kick that will knock to the ground instantly any non-boss character.
- Zero's basic saber attack in the Megaman X and Megaman Zero series is a three-slash combo.
- In Kid Icarus: Uprising, all weapons that aren't clubs or claws have three-hit melee combos.
- In Beyond Good & Evil, Jade does this with her kicks, building up to a high kick.
- In Diablo III, all of the Monk's Primary attacks work like this, releasing a powerful blow on the third strike. They can be mixed up, using two strikes from one technique and the third from another, or any other combination.
Role Playing Games
- The Tales Series often gives you a three-point combo for basic attacks.
- Triple Kick in Pokemon
- In AdventureQuest Worlds, a Warrior's Prepared Strike skill gives you two automatic crits on an enemy. If the Decisive Strike skill is used immediately after the two crits, the attack does more damage than it does normally, particularly if it crits as well.
- In League of Legends, Riven's Q ability is a three-strike sword combo that doubles as a dash, with the final strike having her leap up into the air and cause a shockwave upon landing.
Fighting Games
- Chain combo systems in Fighting Games typically rely on a three-hit chain: Light-Medium-Heavy. This appears in countless fighters, including Street Fighter Alpha (the first one, but not the two sequels), every game related to the Marvel vs. Capcom series, BlazBlue, and Skullgirls.
- Super Smash Bros: About half the cast has a three point combo achieved by pressing A three times. When possible, the combos are lifted straight out of the characters' original games. Mario uses his combo from Super Mario 64, and Snake uses his from Metal Gear Solid.
- Mace The Dark Age bases its combo system on each character having several three-button-press combos exclusive to each character, which can then be followed up with various special moves.
- In Street Fighter II, Fei Long's Rekka-Ken hits three times, but the move input must be repeated for each hit. Rekka-like moves have been used by many other characters in the genre since then.
