How to blindside enemies in Star Ocean Divine Force

Not long into Star Ocean: The Divine Force, you'll acquire a beneficial AI companion called D.U.M.A. D.U.M.A. is many things, but the primary use is traversal. With it, you can jetpack through the air and glide. In battle, you can use this jetpack for maneuverability and confuse enemies by sharply changing direction. Here's a guide on how to blindside enemies in Star Ocean: The Divine Force.

How to use VA to blindside enemies in Star Ocean Divine Force

To blindside enemies in Star Ocean: The Divine Force, you need to use R1 or the PC prompt to charge forward at an enemy using VA. Then you must change direction when close to the enemy using direction inputs so they lose sight of you. This makes the enemy confused, stun-locking them while taking increased damage in this blindsided state. If successful, enemies will have ?! above their heads.

Related: How to change audio & text language in Star Ocean Divine Force

Blindsiding is more challenging than it seems, as you go extremely fast toward the enemy when charging using VA. For some enemies, you must change direction at the last moment to pull off a blindside. The VA charge move still deals a lot of damage, so it's not the end of the world if you don't pull it off. In some cases, you may blindside other unintended enemies instead of the one you're aiming at—which helps other party members.

You'll know when enemies are blindsided by the !?! symbols over their heads. These symbols also act as a timer gauge and will slowly empty from white to red. When the symbols disappear, the blindsided effect ends, and the increased damage will stop. But you can put them back into another blindside if you wish.

Take note that some enemies cannot be blindsided, such as worms. Basically, anything without eyes or ears cannot be blindsided. Yet, they can be surprised.

For more Star Ocean: The Divine Force games, check out What items can you sell in Star Ocean Divine Force and Should you prioritize framerate or image quality in Star Ocean Divine Force? at Pro Game Guides.