directional influence makes the inputs of the losing player fluidly affect the state of the match, and the aggressor must pay attention to those inputs if they want to keep up pressure.
2D fighters pretty much expect you to hold down back while getting hit in case the opponent drops a combo— player interaction is one sided while getting comboed or blocking, and it only really resumes when standing up from a knockdown.
i think there’s some cool unexplored design space for a 2D fighter where inputs you make while blocking/taking damage still matter to some degree. i don’t know if forcing different combo routes is really the answer but i keep rotating these concepts in my head…
