Thanks for your comments Mayo! The issues of attack variety and utility is actually something I have been diving into just this last week. I have been adding more robust stagger mechanics, in the current online demo things are very simple in that enemies flinch and resume combat .5 seconds later no matter if it was a light or heavy attack. The new system adds stagger damage along with the normal damage number to attacks so enemies can get hit harder and stagger for longer. That way multiple big hits on an enemy can put them out of commission for longer. I am also working on a "Punishing mode" difficulty where staggers will become more more important, enemies wont even interrupt with a single light attack anymore. Its a wip so it may also change.
Also a big factor is numbers getting tweaked with combat polish, its possible light attacks do too much damage for how fast they are.
Also I have started working on enemy's that resist light attacks. in my current dev build the shielding monsters can have their shields broken with heavy attacks, or you can still flank them.
I do feel the light, heavy and bash buttons work well for the game along with all the combos they bring. though it does need adjustment to the attacks and enemies so that combat variety and reaction is the most optimal way to play.
The combat design for hounds of Valor has been more similar to the PS2 God of War games where combat is about controlling larger groups of enemies in a hack and slash way. Dodging incoming strikes while keeping enemies close to you staggered so you can finish before the rest of the horde closes in and not letting yourself get surrounded.
So light attacks should be quick, pure damage that hits enemy attacks in a wide sweep
Heavy attacks currently deal x2 damage and have a bigger stagger animation but are slower and deal damage in a smaller sweep. I have considered upping the damage as I have noticed the dps even on a single target isnt good enough vs light spamming. also the light, light, heavy combo give a good combat option against a larger group you have room to wind up against.
bashing attacks are about dealing low damage but smacking enemies away/down to put them out of a fight so you can wail on them or focus on a more pertinent target on the battlefield, they also allow a lot of movement so you can chain them with other attacks as an option instead of dodging when in danger.
Air combat can be started with a heavy hold+release or jump+any attack button and is meant to allow you to isolate an enemy and combo them in relative safety for a moment.
Action combat is a tricky design but I really do love games with deeper, masterable combat systems with a large variety of options in combat for utility and flash. Thanks for your comment again, its actually helping me think on what needs to be done to really push the combat system.