>>718309754
You mean the security beams? The middle and the ends of the screens are safe points from them, their activation is telegraphed and the things are foreshadowed by the level before in the remake. Also they're even better at keeping the enemies in check that they do you, and you're not supposed to stay in the same spot.
>at some point it stops feeling like a duel and more like a chore
>that ending just faceplants into a ball of cheap BS
I don't think that fight is supposed to feel like a duel at all, just some scumbag getting again from you. You fight plenbty of duels before him, and he's much easier and manageable than many before.