Controls & Key Bindings

Controls & Key Bindings: What You Can Actually Change

If you’re coming from other action games and wondering whether this one respects your muscle memory, the short answer is yes — the demo gives you a deep control layer. There’s lock-on, there’s full rebinding, and the entire HUD can be turned off. Below is a step-by-step walkthrough of every control option so you can set up the game exactly the way you want it.

Note on data: The details below are community-reported from player testing of the demo, not official documentation. Default key assignments in particular are subject to change — always confirm the live defaults in-game.

Quick Answers to the Most Common Questions

Before diving into the full walkthrough, here are the questions players ask most often:

• Is there lock-on? Yes — the binding list includes a Target Lock On/Off action plus a separate Switch Target control for cycling between enemies.
• Can I rebind everything? Yes — every action accepts a primary and a secondary key, and there’s a Reset to Defaults option if you make a mess.
• Can I hide the UI? Yes — both the crosshair and the entire HUD can be toggled off.
• Can crouch be a toggle? Yes — crouch (and similar actions) can be set to Hold, Toggle, or Press.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Your Controls

1. Pick a Controller Scheme Preset (or Skip It)

If you play on a gamepad and don’t want to remap button by button, the controller offers five preset schemes:

• Default — the standard layout the game ships with.
• Classic — a more traditional Souls-style mapping for players used to that genre.
• Dodge / Block Swap — swaps the dodge and block buttons, handy if your reflexes expect them the other way around.
• Bumper Jumper — moves jump to a bumper so your right stick stays free for camera control.
• Bumper Jumper 2 — an alternate bumper-jumper variant if the first doesn’t feel right.

You can also theme the controller icons for Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, or Nintendo consoles — including DualSense and Joy-Con / Pro Controller prompts. This only changes the on-screen prompts; it doesn’t alter the mapping itself.

If no preset fits, move to the next step and rebind manually.

2. Rebind Individual Actions

Every action in the game appears in the binding list and can be reassigned to a primary and a secondary input. The demo exposes the action names below — but note the exact default key for each isn’t published, so check the in-game menu to see the live defaults.

Combat actions: Attack, Slash, Charged Attack, Block, Dodge, Aim, Aim / Cast, Cast, Reload, Heal, Switch Weapon, Weapon Wheel, Target Lock On/Off, Switch Target.

Movement actions: Move Forward, Move Backward, Strafe Left, Strafe Right, Jump, Sprint, Walk, Crouch.

System actions: Interaction, Upgrades, Restart.

A secondary binding is genuinely useful here — for example, mapping both a keyboard key and a mouse button to Attack, or giving Heal a dedicated slot on your mouse. If you ever want to start over, Reset to Defaults returns everything to the shipped layout.

3. Tune Aiming & Sensitivity

The aiming options are where you fine-tune how the camera feels:

• Mouse Sensitivity — the base look speed for mouse input.
• Mouse Aiming Sensitivity — a separate modifier that lowers sensitivity while you’re aiming a firearm.
• Controller Sensitivity — look speed on a gamepad, with its own separate aiming modifier.
• Controller Response Curve — how stick input maps to camera speed, plus a response-curve mapping option.
• Invert Vertical / Horizontal Axis — flip either look axis independently.

The split between base and aiming sensitivity is the important one. Set your aiming sensitivity lower than your hipfire sensitivity for steadier shots — this pays off for firearm combat and for Transmutation play, where precise throws benefit from a lower aim speed.

4. Dial In Combat Assist & Feel

These toggles change how the game responds during fights:

• Combat Assist — controls how strongly the camera snaps toward the enemy you’re attacking. Turn it up if your hits keep whiffing, down if it fights your aim.
• Target Lock / Switch Target — lock the camera onto an enemy and cycle between targets.
• Grappling Assist — aim help for grapple-style movement.
• Quick Cast — casts a skill the moment you select it, skipping the confirm step.
• Instant Restart — restart from the last checkpoint without sitting through the death screen. A big quality-of-life win for boss runbacks.
• Crouch Mode — set to Hold, Toggle, or Press depending on preference.

5. Configure Lock-On Behavior

Since lock-on is one of the most-asked-about features, here’s how to use it: bind Target Lock On/Off to toggle the camera onto an enemy, and bind Switch Target separately to cycle between multiple enemies. Make sure both are on keys you can reach without leaving your movement grip — on a controller, a bumper or shoulder button is a common choice.

6. Clean Up the HUD & Display

If you want a cleaner screen (or just better screenshots), the display options cover:

• Crosshair — show or hide the crosshair.
• Show UI — toggle the entire HUD on or off.
• HUD Scale — resize the interface.
• Gameplay Counters — on-screen time and death counters, useful for challenge runs.
• Camera Shake — set to Low or Standard intensity.
• Subtitles & Subtitle Size — toggle subtitles and adjust their size.

Turning off Show UI is the quickest way to get an unobstructed screenshot, while Gameplay Counters is worth enabling if you’re timing runs or tracking death counts.

Tips and Things to Watch For

• Verify your defaults in-game. The action names are exposed, but per-action default keys aren’t published, so don’t rely on second-hand lists — confirm them in the menu.
• Rebind both slots. Use the secondary binding for accessibility or redundancy rather than leaving it empty.
• Lower aim sensitivity is the single biggest aiming upgrade for firearm and Transmutation play.
• Instant Restart is a must-enable if you’re grinding boss attempts.
• Since this is community-reported data gathered from demo testing, treat specific values and behaviors as subject to change as the game is updated.