As your character kills enemies and gains levels, you'll get new combos and stat increases. Characters with shields can block attacks, but too much of that behaviour will cause your shield to break. More interestingly, there's a stamina bar that decreases with each attack. Using a weapon that is too heavy for your character will cause it to deplete rapidly and leave you standing breathless and vulnerable. Higher levels just mean more health and the ability to use larger swords - both always welcome, but it doesn't go any deeper than that.
Severance is much more akin to Rune , but with a much more intuitive and controllable combat system.
Conclusion Whether or not Severance is the game for you boils down to how complex you like your entertainment. But it's not rocket science, and if you're looking for a Diablo -type experience you'll be disappointed. If, though, the prospect of some good old-fashioned hack'n'slash fun appeals, you could do a lot worse than Codemasters' latest adventure.