First things first – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is hard. The latest entry by experienced studio From Software was expected to be nothing less than a brutal challenge, given the creator’s history with Bloodborne and the Dark Souls‘ series. Yet, as with its predecessors, Sekiro presents a uniquely rewarding experience for those willing to rise to the challenge. Just be prepared to find victory at the end of many, many defeats.
The world of Sekiro is probably the most appropriate setting that the genre has visited over the years. Set in feudal, war-torn Japan during the age of the samurai, the core life or death swordplay fits like a glove. It also allows for a very dark and intricate story, full of Japanese lore, characters and narratives. You’ll play as a scarred swordsman known simply as Wolf, a name bestowed to him by the highly regarded warrior that took him in as a child. Wolf is tasked with protecting the young ‘Divine Heir’ Kuro – a boy to whom the samurai has pledged his life. This dynamic underlies most of the events in the game, with Wolf slicing his way through the growing evil on the wishes of his ward. As with similar entries of its type, Sekiro also isn’t afraid to dabble in the supernatural when it comes to its setting and unforgiving dangers. Don’t be too surprised to see elements of the undead, grotesque monsters and magic artefacts as you explore the Japanese surroundings – it’s all just part of the charm.
It also helps that the game and its setting look great, even when you’re struggling to keep your head on your shoulders. As expected from any good samurai tale, there’s often a hazy full moon floating in the background, and the first big battle in the game is fought between two rival swordsmen in a pure white flowerbed. The feudal Japan setting also means that the game’s full of traditional buildings, objects, customs and language. While fully dubbed in English, the default setting for vocals is in Japanese – which honestly suits the game much better given the work that’s gone into its overall design. None of this really matters in the grand scheme of things however, because as nice as it all looks and sounds, this is an experience that’s ultimately out to hurt you.
The real meat of the game is definitely the tight and brutal combat encounters you’ll come across every step of the way. Each battle has a fairly straightforward aim: wear your opponent down enough to strike a killing blow. The goal sounds simple, however getting the upper hand often takes some perfect dodging, blocking and countering of your opponent’s own attempts to murder you. There’s a general rock-paper-scissors element at play most of the time – general strikes should be blocked, large sweeping moves need to be jumped over and an incoming grab should be sidestepped. Spend more than a second to react or perform the wrong counter and you’ll pay for it immediately. It will take some time to learn and read each enemy’s moves, so expect to be cut down quite a lot at any stage during your playtime. For this reason, the game will definitely be divisive for many audiences – with your enjoyment being based on how many total failures you can take before that sweet, elusive victory.
For a game so eager to crush you into the ground, it’s a bit rough then that death carries so much punishment in Sekiro. Each time Wolf falls and is not revived, you’ll be sent back to the last checkpoint you found before the fight. The kicker is that there’s a strong chance that you’ll return with your pockets totally void of cash and your experience points halved. With the money you find being used for new weapons and recovery items, and the experience points used to earn better and stronger skills, losing all of this actually puts you at a disadvantage going into the fight again. Die a few more times and your return will mean that characters and allies you’ve met during the journey become gravely ill, locking out their actions and help until you manage to stop getting yourself killed every ten minutes. Each sick character also increases your chances of losing all your resources each time you die, completing this nice little circle of punishment that makes every following fight harder. This is obviously supposed to push the player to really master Sekiro‘s controls and mechanics, but with death coming so easily and frequently, this can sometimes feel like the game is just kicking you while you’re down.
Thankfully there are a decent number of skills, tools and upgrades spread throughout the world to even the odds – with many being fitted to your character’s prosthetic left arm. Wolf will be fitted with this in the opening moments of the game, and its inbuilt grapple hook will quickly become key to traversing each area and getting the high ground over enemies. As you defeat more powerful foes and travel further, you’ll also find tools that will allow the arm to fire projectiles and spit fire over your opponents, as well as many other cool options you’ll find through playing. Many of these weapons create weaknesses and openings that can bring enemies to their knees, however the most powerful weapon in your disposal is almost always stealth. Sekiro places a big emphasis on playing the quiet game, allowing you to eavesdrop on some helpful conversations from rooftops or strike unsuspecting brutes while their guard is down. Landing a blow on your enemy while they are unaware is a one-hit-kill most of the time, and it can even be used to halve the strength of a boss before a big fight even begins.
That last option is a strong choice, as the bosses you’ll face here are a nasty lot. Ranging from blazingly fast and deadly swordsmen right through to enormous, headless creatures of the forest, there’s always something ready to put you several feet into the ground. These big players will likely cause the majority of your defeats, with most having a special move or two that can wipe you out with a single blow. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and the feeling of finally overcoming another punishing foe is almost always worth the trouble. The game also features a new game plus option once you’re able to beat it the first time, meaning you can return for a second run for some glorious, full-powered revenge. The option is also useful for exploring Sekiro‘s branching story options, with the game featuring more than one ending based on the choices you make.
A somewhat difficult game to recommend broadly, Sekiro has a pretty specific audience. Its brutal difficulty and rewarding victories will have fans of the genre eating up every challenge, however it may prove too much for some crowds that aren’t familiar with it. In saying this, the game is probably the most accessible entry of its type to date, featuring some compelling storylines, stunning visuals and great attention to detail. What Sekiro does, it does incredibly well. So when it sends its biggest and baddest to tear you apart, you best be prepared to die.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available now on PS4, XBOne & PC.
