Holding SHIFT and UP puts the kid in counter attack and counter defense mode. At first, there is no immediate noticeable difference from standing still in fight mode, but as an enemy attacks40, the kid defends for certain. Then, depending upon probability whose likelihood is given by the KCA (Kid’s Counter Attack skill), he may counter attack.
If he does, depending on the enemy’s skills, they may counter defend and then counter attack. In that case, depending upon probability whose likelihood is given by the KCD (Kid’s Counter Defense skill), the kid may counter defend and the process restarts at the kid’s counter attack stage, making for a chain of counter attacks and counter defenses whose length is determined only by the fighters’ skills (and a little bit of luck). Every counter attack that is not responded with a counter defense by the opponent, makes him lose a life point.
When standing still in this mode, releasing UP initiates an attack (but at the same time makes the kid briefly vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks). In this case the same counter attack and counter defense chain logic described above is symmetrically applied.
Pressing FRONT and BACK (while holding SHIFT and UP) makes the kid walk forward and backward, respectively, without leaving this mode. However, although walking backward doesn’t make him lower his guard, walking forward makes him vulnerable until he puts himself on guard again.
The kid’s skills are built up by defeating enemies.41 The more advanced the defeated enemy’s skills, the more the kid’s skills improve. Both skills —KCA and KCD— are given by a number between 0 and 100, interpreted as percentages, indicating the likelihood of counter attacking and counter defending, respectively.
Finally the user can make the kid keep his sword and return to normal mode by pressing DOWN.
In the original game the terminology for “attack” is “striking”, for “counter attack” is “re-striking after block”, for “defense” is “blocking strike” and for “counter defense” is “improper blocking”.
In the original game there is no such skills scheme. There, if the user doesn’t get tired of pressing SHIFT and UP, the kid’s counter attack and counter defense are infallible.