Even though FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice relentlessly kicked my ass, repeatedly showed me who’s boss and made me suffer, I can’t put it down. FromSoftware has succeeded in injecting some of the radical things that fans are used to into their usual Souls formula, and making those things look like a glove in Sekiro.
Today we will talk about this, once again plunge into the world of pain and suffering, and also make a verdict: is the game worth your constant deaths and resurrections.
Set in the Sengoku period of Japan in the 1500s, the game puts you in the role of Sekiro, or the one-armed Wolf, a shinobi warrior serving a young lord during a bloody conflict between rival clans. At the beginning of the game, during a mission to rescue your master, your hand is cut off and thrown to certain death. Awakening in the local "Fire Temple", with a built-in prosthetic equipped with a grappling hook.
The sculptor tells you where your master is, and we set off to save him, simultaneously cutting our way through hordes of enemies, or at least trying to do so.
Sekiro’s storytelling method is significantly different from what we’ve seen before. While in Dark Souls and Bloodborne the story was told through objects, occasional monologues of characters, world building, in Sekiro the main character speaks, has an established personality, in terms of his motives, past, appearance, which was not created by my crooked hands in the character editor. He has a connection to this world, which makes it easier for us, as the player, to understand the story itself, and it helps us understand the character more.
In fact, I didn’t really like my master, but I really felt the will and dedication of the Wolf regarding his duty, his revenge, his path as a shinobi. And so the story this time turned out to be quite personal, and relatively easy to understand from beginning to end.
Game World
In this regard, FromSoftware has not changed at all. The world you explore also tells you a huge layer of history. From mountainous landscapes to dense bamboo forests and towering villages, the colorful world of Ashina is gorgeous, huge and bursting with hidden areas, optional boss encounters and strange characters to interact with. Some will tell you a story, others will share valuable information with you for a little help, even from the guards, if you wait a little, you can overhear a secret. Exploring the world is always encouraged: like a hidden path, materials to improve your prosthesis, new techniques, various items for healing, etc.d.
The authors decided to get rid of the gloomy, gothic atmosphere inherent in the old games, and reward us, in my opinion, with the most “pleasant” world in appearance, which you explore not with fear of what awaits you around the corner, but with some anticipation of a challenge. After all, as a last resort, you can always jump or pull yourself up with a hook to the nearest point and try to explore again, or find a completely different way to solve the problem, or find these same problems.
Combat System (Gameplay) https://swertegamingcasino.co.uk/bonus/
At this stage I would like to clarify something. Both Sekiro and Dark Souls are the same basis. You die, fight again and die again. And Again. And Again.
Well you understand.
Gone are the days when dodging, stamina gauge, memorizing the slightest movement of the enemy were the key to victory. Here everything is a little different; Sekiro uses 2 scales: actually, your health and concentration.
In battle we must "break through" the enemy’s concentration, forcing him to open himself to a deadly attack. In some cases, it is enough to continuously strike with a sword, in others, to wear down the enemy with precise blows to reduce health, using a prosthesis or various shinobi techniques.
The focus this time is on timing and strategy, WHEN you strike, HOW you deflect incoming attacks, WHAT you are used in combat, like a prosthesis or thing. It is also important to remember that the more health you have, the faster your concentration is restored.
In the end, there’s nothing better than finally breaking through an enemy’s concentration, seeing the deathblow marker, and then ending the fight with a bloody finisher.
But this does not mean that control over the battle makes the game easier and is the key to victory. In some cases, you can end the battle without even starting it, eliminating enemies using stealth. The stealth mechanics here are not particularly interesting and not at all innovative (hide and seek in the grass, behind covers, attacks from above and behind backs – this is all that we have also seen in other games.), AI of enemies when they can’t see you is completely stupid. And as for me, the weakest part of the game, which serves here more to clear space for the battle with the boss or to accumulate experience.
We can spend experience and key items to learn new abilities and improve our basic indicators. But this does not make you, as in other games, “much stronger” than the enemy, no, here it makes you a little more resilient, so that you last a little longer. After death we lose half of the experience gained and Hay, local gold. There’s no way to get them back the way they were before. But here, occasionally, we can receive Invisible help from the Buddha, which prevents the loss of experience and money. However, the more we are resurrected and die, the more likely it is that your death will affect the receipt of this help from the Buddha, rewarding the local NPCs with a strange disease that does not affect you in any way, but affects the world, the characters from the quest, and the ending of the game itself.
Speaking about Sekiro, it is worth noting that the bosses, battles with them, what emotions you experience are done at the highest level. I directly physically felt how steel beat against steel, how tired my character or enemy was, how sparks and blood flew. How he died and was resurrected to finish off the boss or correct a mistake. If, for example, in Dark Souls you could die, sometimes from a bad camera, falling into an abyss, an unfair blow from the boss, and you really felt the injustice. Here, death is caused mainly by careless mistakes, when you did not read the blow, constantly pressed the attack button, but had to retreat. And you realize it, and you seem to have died, but it’s not so offensive.
One of the small disadvantages is that you cannot change weapons at your discretion. You have one katana for the entire game, this is not Nioh after all. Instead, the lack of variety in weapons is made up for by the use of a prosthetic, which is used both as a combat weapon and as a tool. For example, shurikens are great for interrupting enemy attacks, a flamethrower deals huge damage to supernatural enemies, an ax pierces shields, etc.d.
Sound And Graphics
Graphically, Sekiro isn’t anything special, but that doesn’t undermine the beauty of the world FromSoftware has created. Japan in the 1500s is absolutely gorgeous. Rays of light penetrate colorful trees and architectural towers in villages, forests and mountains.
The character, boss and enemy designs all have that "unique FromSoftware touch", making them compelling so that some you sympathize with, some you want to kill. Sekiro’s music and sound design are excellent. Between the clashes of steel, the splashes of blood and the noises of creatures, the music creates a strong sense of tension and brutality… Whether you’re walking through a quiet forest or fighting an ogre, you’re immersed in this gameplay and you don’t want to put it down. I also recommend playing with Japanese voice acting.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is mostly true to its roots, but offers a new take on the traditional formula. The game focuses more quickly on offense, but still retains what players expect from it, fun game mechanics, a great Japanese setting, good music, and a challenge that keeps you going.
It may not be exactly what fans expected, but that’s what we got. And it turned out quite well. I liked the game, even very much. No matter how many times they give me ****, I still want to go back and try again.
Someday I will find the strength to start a second playthrough, just to finish the first..
P.S. Write how you like the game. Which boss is the most “loved”, let’s say I’m stuck in the Senpo Temple, on a weirdo with blades… brr..
