Seems like kinda too much effort to just have different message and 1sec animation. O_o
I didn't play many games in my life, but I don't recall any that looked like this. It's not just about variety of visuals, it's also about utility. This can be used as a clear, unambiguous cue for players which will be instinctively understood by them. That would make the game truly
stand out, if only in this one aspect.
Cues that are instinctively understandable are quite rare in games. As an example, I can recall that in Incubation, the soldiers' voices became progressively more gruffy / broody as they were wounded, eventually going to the point of sounding almost hysterical. This little aspect contributed enormously to the overall immersion.
I just hope they won't overdo it, like it was in Planescape:Torment. In there, due to your companions being unique (and having pretty much unique weapons, as well), they all had their own individual animations. As an example, the tiefling rogue (forgot her name) used claw weapons, but she also used an animation of kicking with her feet in a jump. Technically, it was believable, but to me it looked a bit over the top.
