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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice


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FromSoftware, the studio behind difficult, incredibly punishing, but extremely rewarding games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Demon Souls, is about to release their next title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a fantasy action-adventure game set in Japan's Sengoku Period. For some long time Soulsborne players, Sekiro can come off as a departure as the RPG and multiplayer elements that have come to define the Soulsborne experience are not in it, but for others, Sekiro may offer something refreshing, unique, and/or welcoming to others. That doesn't make Sekiro any less difficult than past FromSoftware titles though! 

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Aggregators (subject to change):  MetaCritic: 90, OpenCritic: 92                    

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Synopsis from the official website:

In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, you are the “one-armed wolf”, a disgraced and disfigured warrior rescued from the brink of death. Bound to protect a young lord who is the descendant of an ancient bloodline, you become the target of many vicious enemies, including the dangerous Ashina clan. When the young lord is captured, nothing will stop you on a perilous quest to regain your honor, not even death itself.

Explore late 1500s Sengoku Japan, a brutal period of constant life and death conflict, as you come face to face with larger than life foes in a dark and twisted world. Unleash an arsenal of deadly prosthetic tools and powerful ninja abilities while you blend stealth, vertical traversal, and visceral head to head combat in a bloody confrontation.

Take Revenge. Restore your honor. Kill Ingeniously.

This game launches two weeks from the time of this post (March 22nd). Are you looking forward to the game? Picking it up? Are you prepared to die? Any FromSoft and/or Soulsborne fans among Serenes? 

Edited by BZL8
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Is it weird that I'll be managing multiplayer sessions between this and Yoshi's Crafted World?

I'm just happy this is multiplatform. I tend to lose interest fast in Souls games when I'm playing alone. So depending on who else gets it, this is a likely pickup for me.

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I'm interested but also wary for the same reason I've always been wary of the Souls games. 

A game going out of its way to brutalize you has never been a point of appeal for me but that's exactly what all the marketing and hype aims towards. Games are expensive and I don't want to end up in the situation where I pay good money for a game I eventually lose interest in because its overly frustrating. 

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If it comes to Steam, hell yeah. If not, I ain't gonna buy a playstation just for it. (On the other hand, I still want to play Bloodborne... still, too much money)

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4 hours ago, Sweet Summer Tana said:

If it comes to Steam, hell yeah. If not, I ain't gonna buy a playstation just for it. (On the other hand, I still want to play Bloodborne... still, too much money)

It’s coming to Steam.

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On 09/03/2019 at 8:17 AM, Glennstavos said:

Is it weird that I'll be managing multiplayer sessions between this and Yoshi's Crafted World?

I'm just happy this is multiplatform. I tend to lose interest fast in Souls games when I'm playing alone. So depending on who else gets it, this is a likely pickup for me.

Are you saying that you expect multiplayer gameplay from Sekiro, or am I reading that wrong? Because Sekiro has no pvp, co-op, or multiplayer in general.

On 09/03/2019 at 3:51 PM, Etrurian emperor said:

I'm interested but also wary for the same reason I've always been wary of the Souls games. 

A game going out of its way to brutalize you has never been a point of appeal for me but that's exactly what all the marketing and hype aims towards. Games are expensive and I don't want to end up in the situation where I pay good money for a game I eventually lose interest in because its overly frustrating. 

Souls games and Bloodborne usually did have something to make the game easier on players in the game. Either you can co-op summon which made bosses a lot easier, or there was generally stronger tactics or weapons that could be used to make the game more manageable for less experienced players - or just by grinding to become over levelled. Sekiro may have something similar, but not as noticeable when you can't just level up or find new base weapons.

Sekiro has a noticeably higher skill floor, because aside from grinding for experience to unlock new skills or techniques, you're going to have to beat the mini-bosses and bosses at a set level in order to upgrade your character with the items they drop. Some of the veterans who played it for some hours last week mentioned that they think this game is the most difficult so far and will be a real challenge for newer players (not that any of them had any significant chance to get acclimated to the game considering they only had a few hours).

So in that way I think Sekiro has an unashamedly high skill floor from what we've seen so far. In some ways, Souls and Bloodborne were marketed as being harder than what they are for most content when for a lot of them you can get through relatively okay by dodge roll and R1 punish, and punishment for death was relatively lenient considering you had a chance to regain all your souls, but Sekiro is a little more on the technical side since you have a deflect, a dodge and a jump to use for defensive purposes. The whole 'you will die seven bazillion times' marketing for Souls has always been just a sales scheme.

 

Yeah, I'm excited for it and have some time off work at release. I've maybe watched too much of the footage shown already, honestly.

Edited by Tryhard
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3 hours ago, Tryhard said:

Are you saying that you expect multiplayer gameplay from Sekiro, or am I reading that wrong? Because Sekiro has no pvp, co-op, or multiplayer in general.

That's exactly what I was expecting, so the odds of me picking up this game soon after launch have dropped considerably with this information. I hope people like it though because I may nab it on a sale some years down the line.

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The gameplay, despite the difficulty, looks and feels to be much more open-ended than previous FromSoftware titles. Wouldn’t be surprised if Breath of the Wild rubbed off on the dev team, especially since director Hidetaka Miyazaki is a huge Zelda fan. One of things I loved about BOTW is being able to approach enemies in any way or form, and being able to do that in Sekiro is something I welcome.

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On 9/3/2019 at 7:32 AM, BZL8 said:

This game launches two weeks from the time of this post (March 22nd). Are you looking forward to the game? Picking it up? Are you prepared to die? Any FromSoft and/or Soulsbourne fans among Serenes?

mixed feelings here.

the game could be interesting, but it's nothing really new to me in terms of gameplay. probably because i've already played with Tenchu before, so i know what to expect more or less.

since i'm more into Dark Souls and Armored Core, i think i'll just hold back for now, and watch lore videos from VaatiVidya on YouTube.

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On 3/9/2019 at 9:51 AM, Etrurian emperor said:

I'm interested but also wary for the same reason I've always been wary of the Souls games. 

A game going out of its way to brutalize you has never been a point of appeal for me but that's exactly what all the marketing and hype aims towards. Games are expensive and I don't want to end up in the situation where I pay good money for a game I eventually lose interest in because its overly frustrating. 

The Souls games generally don't go out of their way to brutalize you. There are a handful of absolutely dickish things in the franchise(Bed of Chaos, for example), and those usually become memes in the fandom for how bad they are. Most of the time, if you're going somewhere in the games and it seems impossible, it's to deter you from going that way. Tons of people went through the Graveyard in DkS1 as soon as they entered the main hub area, and kept dying. They'd get upset and drop the game without the game telling you, through gameplay, "Hey, this is a mid-late game area, maybe go somewhere else instead."

And that kind of leads to what I think is where people get the wrong impression of the Souls games. I think there are probably people out there who just constantly hear about how hard and unfair the games are, and just assume that the Graveyard is par for the course.

What the games actually do, however, is ask you to be paying full attention to more than just what's directly in front of you and approach everything carefully. The games communicate almost everything through gameplay. The dragon bridge in DkS1(Or DeS) being a good example. You'll see a scorched up bridge with burnt bodies and enemies on it in the distance, and if you're just focusing on the enemies, you'll get roasted from behind by the dragon that caused said scorch marks.

It's part of why people like me enjoy the games so much. It's not just that the games are a fun challenge. There's usually a purpose for everything on screen, and it ties in with why people get so invested in stuff like the lore, even though the games make it as obtuse as possible.

If you see somebody who has played the games for years, there's almost a language to it. It's why there are people that do naked soul level 1 runs, or people that do no-hit marathons of the entire franchise. The games are incredibly manageable, and they're really not as hard as what you build up in your head when you first start playing them, and it's why once the games "click" for people, they get hooked.

I dropped the very first game in the series, Demon's Souls, for 6 months because I couldn't get through the very first post-tutorial area of the game. Once I had some time to sit on it and came back to it, it only took about an hour for everything to start making sense. And I've been a fan of its style for almost 10 years at this point.

Back to Sekiro, I'd highly recommend trying it if it comes out and you're still interested, but just remember to be patient with it. It might not click right away.

Edited by Slumber
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I have extremely mixed feelings about this.

Back when FFXV had the Assassin's Creed collaboration, I had a lot of fun with it - running over roofs, quietly killing off the enemies, and whatnot.  However, I really don't like blood/gore, and FFXV, to date, is the only action game that didn't make me extremely motion sick after playing it for more than an hour.  I love the overworld aesthetic and theme, but the English pronunciation of the Japanese names grates my nerves.  Nothing excites me like a good challenge, but it will depend on how harshly I'm punished when I screw up.

If this game wasn't so bloody, I'd probably give it a try.  As it stands, I'll most likely have to watch someone else play this.

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Assassin's Creed is sort of a weird comparison, at least in terms of combat. I'd compare it more to technical combat in something like Ninja Gaiden, some people described the emphasis on 1v1 mini boss or boss fights are more similar to a fighting game. Which definitely isn't for everyone. It's also fast paced compared to the Dark Souls series.

For what it's worth, the game has Japanese voice acting we'll be getting as well. But I find the English voice acting is (usually) decent enough in From games.

I'd say wait for reviews or other people's playthroughs at least because there probably isn't a lot of fun then paying full price for a game and then getting frustrated and never playing it again.

Edited by Tryhard
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I played a ton of Bloodborne and Dark Souls III, so I’m looking forward to play Sekiro. It’s interesting to see From Software tackle a third person action game that is not souls-like, but retains the level of polish and experienced design retained from BB and DS3. I don’t really buy games on launch though.

I preferred the western fantasy and Victorian settings from Soulsborne, but I’m fine with trying this Sengoku Japan world. The stealth and vertical mobility in Sekiro really does make it seem like From’s Assassin’s Creed.

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Some people got copies of the game and are streaming footage, be wary of spoilers!

On 3/17/2019 at 2:49 PM, eclipse said:

I have extremely mixed feelings about this.

Back when FFXV had the Assassin's Creed collaboration, I had a lot of fun with it - running over roofs, quietly killing off the enemies, and whatnot.  However, I really don't like blood/gore, and FFXV, to date, is the only action game that didn't make me extremely motion sick after playing it for more than an hour.  I love the overworld aesthetic and theme, but the English pronunciation of the Japanese names grates my nerves.  Nothing excites me like a good challenge, but it will depend on how harshly I'm punished when I screw up.

If this game wasn't so bloody, I'd probably give it a try.  As it stands, I'll most likely have to watch someone else play this.

There is a Japanese voice track in Sekiro if the pronunciations bother you. 

In regards to blood and gore, FromSoftware titles (particularly the Dark Souls trilogy), generally have the option to turn off blood in their settings menu. The only exception to this was Bloodborne (someone can correct those two sentences if I am wrong). It remains to be seen if Sekiro will follow the Dark Souls trilogy or Bloodborne in regards to such an option.

To me, FromSoftware's gameplay give me the sense of "Yes, this is difficult, but you are well capable of overcoming this". What keeps me coming to FromSoft titles personally, is that despite the game's difficulty, the ability to overcome the difficulty always feels well within my capacity. It makes it extremely rewarding when you finally defeat the boss that killed you fifteen times in a row. I could discuss more about FromSoft's approach to gameplay and difficulty, but I think @Slumber's post sums things up.

The most important thing in my opinion, and something Slumber already said, is to give a FromSoft title time to click with you. Be patient with it. On your first try, you will die a lot. But once you figure out the gameplay mechanics, "rhythm", and enemy behavior and animations, things gets much more manageable. A FromSoft game wants players to learn from what initially killed them in the first place and adjust their approach accordingly to avoid the same mistake(s). Of course, some people pick up the gameplay much faster than others, but why should the ability of other players affect your willingness to play the game? It's not a race anyway. 

Where a FromSoft game has problems though, is when a player continues to do the same things that got them killed and not figure things out. If that player subsequently complains about the game being "unfair" to the FromSoft fandom, the best thing the fandom can do is tell the complainer to "git good" and offer similar write-ups about what the FromSoft game expects from the player. It is arguably, like Slumber said, the frequency of impatient players not tuning their approach to the games and subsequently rage-quitting and less the games themselves that gives FromSoftware its infamous reputation. A player who is patient and willing to adjust his/her approach gameplay-wise will find FromSoftware titles to be enjoyable once he/she gets the hang of things. 

Edited by BZL8
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@BZL8 Thanks for the write-up!  Still rather worried about the motion sickness thing, because that's what made several games unplayable for me.  If there's a demo out, I'll give it a shot, and see what happens.  Assuming all of those menu options are true, this might be fun!

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Reviews are dropping in (Ratings are at the time of this post and thus may change):

90 on MetaCritic.

92 on OpenCritic.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/sekiro-shadows-die-twice?ref=hp

https://opencritic.com/game/6630/sekiro-shadows-die-twice 

For comparison, Bloodborne has a 92 on MetaCritic and 91 on OpenCritic, DS2 has 91 on MetaCritic and 88 on OpenCritic, and DS3 has an 89 on MetaCritic and 88 on OpenCritic. Seems Sekiro appears to be another top-notch FromSoftware title.

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59 minutes ago, BZL8 said:

Reviews are dropping in (Ratings are at the time of this post and thus may change):

90 on MetaCritic.

92 on OpenCritic.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/sekiro-shadows-die-twice?ref=hp

https://opencritic.com/game/6630/sekiro-shadows-die-twice 

For comparison, Bloodborne has a 92 on MetaCritic and 91 on OpenCritic, DS2 has 91 on MetaCritic and 88 on OpenCritic, and DS3 has an 89 on MetaCritic and 88 on OpenCritic. Seems Sekiro appears to be another top-notch FromSoftware title.

I personally liked DS2, but from I've heard it's considered the black sheep of the series. Is the negativity towards it overblown?

Edited by redlight
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To confirm, "blood" is indeed an option, at least in the PC version - on, mild, off.

Not that it really changes anything in regard to brutality.

Edited by Tryhard
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29 minutes ago, redlight said:

I personally liked DS2, but from I've heard it's considered the black sheep of the series. Is the negativity towards it overblown?

I haven't touched Dark Souls II (I played Dark Souls I, then Bloodborne), so I can't offer the best perspective, but I do think the negativity is somewhat overblown. Someone might disagree with me though.

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21 hours ago, redlight said:

I personally liked DS2, but from I've heard it's considered the black sheep of the series. Is the negativity towards it overblown?

I'd say to some degree, yes. Especially if you don't care for PvP. Soul Memory ruined PvP potential for that game. 

In a few ways, DkS2 is Dark Souls-lite. The level design's not as strong as the rest of the franchise, and the bosses can feel pretty lack luster at times. Not to say it's easy or anything, just that some aspects don't quite feel all they way fleshed out. 

But it's also the most content-rich DkS came, arguably the most balanced game in the franchise(You can make almost any build work and all combat options are fairly viable) and it definitely has its own unique feel. DkS3, by comparison, feels great, but kind of rides off of DkS1 like crazy, and it really doesn't feel like it has an identity compared to DeS, DkS1 and DkS2. 

I'd still put it near the bottom of the Souls rankings, but I'd put it above DeS. 

Anyway Sekiro gud. 

Edited by Slumber
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