Wow, until the end of the game i was wishing for some skillful mechanic, so that it's not just Diablo/Titan Quest level of combat with going back and forth to the enemy - and there is. Perfect blocking, or parrying, whatever you wanna call it. And if you get the Mirror Shield you can also deflect damage back, while avoiding getting any yourself. Too bad it doesn't work with weapons without a shield, but it makes combat much more involved.
Wish Dark Souls didn't make me avoid shields in games, i was doing exactly that the whole time...