Demon's Souls/Controls

Right-hand weapon actions
Press the psx: R1 button while tapping psx: Neutral Lstick forward (forward being relative to the direction the character is facing) to shove the enemy away and break their guard. Curved swords and rapiers will perform an evasive attack maneuver instead.

Attacking from behind or immediately after parrying an enemy attack will perform a critical attack, dealing more damage than a regular attack. Some enemies are immune to the damage bonus from critical attacks.

Aiming a bow
Press the psx: L1 button with a readied bow to switch to aiming mode. This can not be done with a crossbow. Once in aiming mode, use psx: Up Dpad/psx: Down Dpad to zoom in/out, press psx: L1 again to exit aiming mode.