History Main / JustFrameBonus

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter Generations'' has Adept Style, in which evading a damage source at the last possible moment causes you to execute a special evade maneuver and, for a few seconds afterwards, gain access to special techniques specific to your weapon.
** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld'' drops the Styles, but retains a similar last-second evade feature for the Long Sword.

And by "a high level of precision" we mean "eight-to-twelve of the sixty frames per second that the game is running at," which is why it's called a "Just ''Frame''" Bonus.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' has the aptly named Perfect Dodge and Perfect Guard. The Perfect Dodge lets Link enter BulletTime if he dodges an enemy attack at just the right moment and let loose with a barrage of attacks, whereas the Perfect Guard lets him stun an enemy long enough for him to counter or stamp any [[BossInMooksClothing Guardian]] blasts return-to-sender.

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey'' lets you block and parry indefinitely to negate any melee damage that comes your way (unless it's an UnblockableAttack of course). However, performing a Perfect Dodge right before a blow lands activates a few seconds of BulletTime during which you're free to move and attack without fear of retaliation. A handful of legendary items have unique perks that only trigger upon a Perfect Dodge, like the Pegasos Armor set tripling your follow-up strike's damage. Parrying incoming arrows hits something of a middle ground - it only works with the right timing, so holding down the parry button isn't an option, but there's no bonus to be gained with perfect timing.

* ''Videogame/MegaManBattleNetwork'': Starting from the fourth game, during battles against viruses (mooks) or Net Navis/other powerful net entities (bosses), if you manage to strike an enemy with a chip attack in their attack's startup frames (called a "Counter"), the enemy will get stunned and you'll enter the Full Synchro state, where your next chip attack's damage are doubled and the enemy will flash purple during their attacks' startup frames, allowing you to perform Counter again easier to prolong the Full Synchro state. Harder mooks/bosses will usually have shorter startup frames in their attacks, making Counters harder to perform.

* ''Franchise/{{Ys}}''

* ''Videogame/StreetFighterV'': Karin Kanzuki has her Orochi dash attack. The Just Frame version moves faster, deals more damage, and juggles an opponent.

* Keeping true to the combat system's Fighting Game Roots, ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheRays'' has these. If you input the next Arte in your chain at the right moment, which is just as the previous arte ends, the game displays the word "Just!" at the bottom of the screen. If said Arte is an attack and it connects with an enemy cleanly (i.e. they do not block and their [[ImmuneToFlinching Iron Stance]] is broken) it will also show how much bonus meter you get, which lets you use your [[LimitBreak Mirrage Artes]] faster. The bonus given depends on how high your chain went, how many Just Inputs you got in a row, and how many enemies your attack hit. However, if you do not have enough Chain Capacity to cover the full cost of your next arte, you will not be able to get this bonus.

** ''VideoGame/YsVIIILacrimosaOfDana'': Flash Guard returns from ''Ys Seven'' and ''Ys: Memories of Celceta'', with no penalty or reduced damage for guarding too early. Instead, a successful Flash Guard will result in a short period of invincibility. Flash Move, like in Celceta, grants temporary invincibility and slow enemy movement. Unlike previous games, the effects of both Flash maneuvers have their duration displayed.

** ''VideoGame/YsMemoriesOfCelceta'': Flash Guard returns from ''Ys Seven'' and no longer has a penalty for guarding too early. Instead, the player character simply takes reduced damage. This game also introduces the Flash Move mechanic, which requires the player to use the dodge action just before the attack lands, resulting in temporary invincibility and slowed enemy movement.

** ''VideoGame/YsVIILacrimosaOfDana'': Flash Guard returns from ''Ys Seven'' and ''Ys: Memories of Celceta'', with no penalty or reduced damage for guarding too early. Instead, a successful Flash Guard will result in a short period of invincibility. Flash Move, like in Celceta, grants temporary invincibility and slow enemy movement. Unlike previous games, the effects of both Flash maneuvers have their duration displayed.

** Flash Guard returns from ''Ys Seven'' and ''Ys: Memories of Celceta'', with no penalty or reduced damage for guarding too early. Instead, a successful Flash Guard will result in a short period of invincibility. Flash Move, like in Celceta, grants temporary invincibility and slow enemy movement. Unlike previous games, the effects of both Flash maneuvers have their duration displayed.

* ''VideoGame/TokyoXanadu'': Using the dodge action just before an attack hits the player character will result in the attack being negated while slightly refilling the EX and Drive gauges. Certain elements, the game's Socketed Equipment, can extend the invincibility period or increase the amount of gauge filled.

The [[StylishAction stylish action]] and [[FightingGames fighting game]] genres use them to encourage skill. Due to their metagames' competitive nature, higher difficulties and tournament play will swiftly eject challengers who don't [[SomeDexterityRequired or can't]] learn the timing. Slower-paced and turn-based action tends to have the EliteTweak instead, thanks to their high-level play revolving around equipment and skill strategy. Since fighting games tend to forego customization altogether (and since stylish action's equipment varies more in playstyle than power), games that use EliteTweak or just frame bonuses tend not to have both. However, they are not mutually exclusive.

RhythmGames are an entire genre built around this. Inputs must stay on the song's beat to be accepted, and higher difficulties will present more notes and feed them faster, thus narrowing the player's timing window.

* In ''VideoGame/StarlinkBattleForAtlas'', you can reflect an enemy attack back at whoever shot it by raising your shield right before the shot hits your ship.

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' has the perfect shield or [[FanNickname powershield]], present in every game except the first. If a player raises their shield up to four frames before an attack hits them, then they will not take shield damage or shieldstun from the attack. In competitive play, this is important to master because it allows players to drop their shield instantly and punish opponents that are still suffering lag. In ''Melee'', this technique could also reflect projectiles if used up to two frames before the hit, but ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4'' changed this to only redirect them. ''Ultimate'' tweaked the mechanic so that it only triggers when the shield is released with proper timing.
** In ''Melee'', Fox and Falco's reflectors have a one-frame hitbox at their very beginning before they begin to bounce projectiles. Both launch opponents at useful angles and Fox's has fixed knockback, so even though these characters are [[DifficultButAwesome fragile and extremely difficult to control]], the reflectors' hitboxes have [[NotTheIntendedUse turned them into close-range combo tools]] in tournament play.
** Toon Link in ''Brawl'' and Young Link in ''Melee'' have a very brief, ''very'' small bonus hitbox at the start of their down-aerial. If the opponent is hit with the sword, it'll launch them upward pretty good, but if they're hit with the hilt, they'll instead [[MeteorMove get spiked]] [[IncendiaryExponent and set on fire for good measure]]. ''Project M'', being made by the competitive community, strengthened the spike and [[HolyHandGrenade added a light effect]] to befit the Master Sword's divine nature.
** Bayonetta in ''Smash 4'' has a straight example that [[GuideDangIt isn't advertised]] and an interesting case that is. If her [[{{Shoryuken}} Witch Twist]] attack is used exactly one frame after her midair jump, she will be able to use her midair jump again; this has the potential to give her a total of three midair jumps and four uses of Witch Twist before landing, turning her good recovery [[GameBreaker outrageous]]. The second example concerns her Bat Within technique, which negates all knockback and half of the damage she would receive during her evasive maneuvers' startup time... but unless the player needs to break out of a tight combo, the full invincibility granted by the dodge is preferable.
** In ''Ultimate'', Incineroar's side special move, Alolan Whip, has different properties depending on the timing of the follow-up attack. Press the button just as the victim makes contact with Incineroar, and Incineroar will send them flying backwards with a powerful clothesline hit. Pressing the button early will send the victim upwards instead. However, failing to press the button in time results in a fumble, causing both fighters to take minor damage with no knockback.

* ''Videogame/{{Tekken}}'': Most Just Frame moves are accompanied by blue sparks when their bonus activates.
** Lucky Chloe has various moves that require just frame input. This includes her Rage Art, she will say spell her name after every successful hit. She has three variations one is the standard after zero to three succesful inputs, the second after to four to five inputs which changes her pose and after hitting all six inputs she uppercuts her falling opponent in the back.
** One of the most famous examples is the Electric Wind God Fist, usable by most Mishima-related characters (Kazuya, Heihachi and Jin just to name a few). That move alone became unpunishable if blocked, did massive damage, and juggled an opponent for extra damage. There are other abilities which are also frame perfect throughout the series as well.
* ''Videogame/StreetFighterV'': Karin Kanzuki has her Orochi dash attack. The Just Frame version moves faster, deals more damage, and juggles an opponent.
* ''Videogame/SoulCalibur'' has a number of these attacks, but in particular, the character Setsuka (replaced in SCV by "Alpha" Patrolkos) has a large portion of her movelist which ''only'' activates on a frame-perfect Just Frame, making her one of the most technical and execution-heavy characters in the series.

* ''VIdeoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'': the parry, which is referred to as the keystone of Raiden's defense, changes from a block to a counterattack if timed well. Higher difficulties reward this further by cranking up the damage the counterattack deals.

* ''Videogame/MegaManBattleNetwork'': Starting from the fourth game, during battles against viruses (mooks) or Net Navis/other powerful net entities (bosses), if you manage to strike an enemy with a chip attack in their attack's startup frames (called a "Counter"), the enemy will get stunned and you'll enter the Full Synchro state, where your next chip attack's damage are doubled and the enemy will flash purple during their attacks' startup frames, allowing you to perform Counter again easier to prolong the Full Synchro state. Harder mooks/bosses will usually have shorter startup frames in their attacks, making Counters harder to perform.
* In ''Videogame/{{Darius}}burst'', if you fire your [[WaveMotionGun Burst]] right as you come in contact with an enemy Burst, you will fire a Counter Burst, which glows yellow instead of pink, renders you impervious to enemy Bursts and overrides them while it's firing, deals more damage, and gives you an even higher score multiplier than the regular Burst. Fail to time it properly, however, and you will eat enemy Burst as usual, costing you precious shields or an entire life.

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' has the perfect shield or [[FanNickname powershield]], present in every game except the first. If a player raises their shield up to four frames before an attack hits them, then they will not take shield damage or shieldstun from the attack. In competitive play, this is important to master because it allows players to drop their shield instantly and punish opponents that are still suffering lag. In ''Melee'', this technique could also reflect projectiles if used up to two frames before the hit, but ''Brawl'' and ''Smash 4'' changed this to only redirect them.

* ''Videogame/MegaManBattleNetwork'': Starting from the fourth game, during battles against virii (mooks) or Net Navis/other powerful net entities (bosses), if you manage to strike an enemy with a chip attack in their attack's startup frames (called a "Counter"), the enemy will get stunned and you'll enter the Full Synchro state, where your next chip attack's damage are doubled and the enemy will flash purple during their attacks' startup frames, allowing you to perform Counter again easier to prolong the Full Synchro state. Harder mooks/bosses will usually have shorter startup frames in their attacks, making Counters harder to perform.

* In ''Videogame/{{Darius}}burst'', if you fire your [[WaveMotionGun Burst]] right as you come in contact with an enemy Burst, you will fire a Counter Burst, which glows yellow instead of pink, renders you impervious to enemy Bursts and overrides them while it's firing, deals more damage, and gives you an even higher score multiplier than the regular Burst. Fail to time it properly, however, and you will eat enemy Burst as usual, costing you precious shields or an entire life.

* In ''Videogame/{{Darius}}burst'', if you fire your [[WaveMotionGun Burst]] right as you come in contact with an enemy Burst, you will fire a Counter Burst, which glows yellow, renders you impervious to enemy Bursts, deals more damage, and gives you an even higher score multiplier than the regular Burst. Fail to time it properly, however, and you will eat enemy Burst as usual, costing you precious shields or an entire life.

* In ''Videogame/{{Darius}}burst'', if you fire your [[WaveMotionGun Burst]] right as you come in contact with an enemy Burst, you will fire a Counter Burst, which glows yellow, renders you impervious to enemy Bursts, deals more damage, and gives you an even higher score multiplier than the regular Burst.

* ''Videogame/MegaManBattleNetwork'': Starting from the fourth game, during battles against virii (mooks) or Net Navis/other powerful net entities (bosses), if you manage to strike an enemy with a chip attack in their attack's startup frames (called a "Counter"), the enemy will get stunned and you'll enter the Full Synchro state, where your next chip attack's damage are doubled and the enemy will flash purple during their attacks' startup frames, allowing you to perform Counter again easier to prolong the Full Synchro state. Harder mooks/bosses will usually have shorter startup frames in their attacks, making Counters harder to perform.

*** The easiest Guard Point to utilize is the R + top button Morph Slash into axe form, as it's at the very start of the animation and can be used mid-combo. By contrast, the Roundhouse Slash's Guard Point is at the end of the attack, generally only used at the end of combo chains (or the evasive left stick + right face button input introduced in ''World'') and thus trickier to time properly.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter Generations'' has Adept Style, in which evading a damage source at the last possible moment causes you to execute a special evade maneuver and, for a few seconds afterwards, gain access to special techniques specific to your weapon.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter Generations'' has Adept Style, in which evading a damage source at the last possible moment causes you to execute a special evade maneuver and, for a few seconds afterwards, gain access to special techniques specific to your weapon.
''VideoGame/Onigiri'' has Just Defend, where a correctly timed block not only [[BlockingStopsAllDamage negates damage]], it also restores a fair amount of SP and makes the next attack execute much faster.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter Generations'' has Adept Style, in which evading a damage source at the last possible moment causes you to execute a special evade maneuver and, for a few seconds afterwards, gain access to special techniques specific to your weapon.

In action games, some moves can alter their effectiveness based on timing. With indiscriminate timing, the move will have average, but still usable properties. However, if the player times the move with a high level of precision, then it will take on distinct effects that make it more useful.

The phrase "Just Frame" is used in fighting game communities to denote "doing something ''just'' in time." Move timelines are measured in frames, not seconds, so this implies that the player has the best timing the game can recognize. Fan names for these moves tend to have "Just" somewhere in there. If a fighting game wants a tournament scene, it's mandatory for it to run at ''sixty frames per second'', which should illustrate [[{{Pun}} just]] how strict this timing is.[[note]]Despite lacking tournament play, stylish action tends to follow the same rule.[[/note]]

* ''VIdeoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'': the parry, which is referred to as the keystone of Raiden's defense, changes from a block to a counterattack if timed well. Higher difficulties reward this further by cranking up the damage the counterattack deals.