RISC Calculus

So Pat posted the following a while ago: the recurring complaint about throw loops in SF2-SF6 makes me wonder: has anyone ever complained about RISC in a similar way? RISC kind of has a similar effect on repeated blocking and throws, but with a far more explosive and situational payoff. — Smokage of the Burning Leaf (@pattheflip.bsky.social) 10 Sept 2026 20:24 In thinking about the question, I realized RISC falls into a category of things that I really enjoy in games, but that many (claim to) dislike: mechanics that temper the otherwise "obvious" solutions to problems with a scaling risk factor. Guilty Gear's RISC is a really obvious example of this (I mean, it's called risk lol), and while it takes a bit of getting used to, Pat's own articulation of Guilty Gear's defensive mechanics — including RISC — as "If you’re blocking, you’re losing" is a good summary. Guilty Gear is designed to reward decisive, deliberate action, and in order to do so, it necessarily punishes lethargic play.…