Hit stop
The game freezes animation and motion for a few frames at the moment of impact so a hit feels like it connects.
Also called hit freeze, hitlag or impact frames: when an attack lands, both attacker and target pause for roughly 2–10 frames before the action resumes. The brief freeze gives the brain time to register the hit and borrows weight from the comic-book still frame. Fighting games like Street Fighter and action titles in the Platinum Games school build their entire sense of impact on carefully tuned hit stop.
It is almost always paired with screen shake and particles. Too long and the game feels sluggish; too short and the blow feels thin. Duration usually scales with the strength of the hit.