Sekiro Shadows Die Twice is a challenging video game produced by the company: From Software and published by Activision and directed Hidetaka Miyazaki. From Software being known for Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Armored Core and King’s Field. In regards to Sekiro it shares some core similarities to Dark Souls and I will do my best to go over them throughout the review.
With that being said, let’s go over with the review structure:
In this review, I will be going over the main elements of the game: - Story - Characters - Graphics - Gameplay - Replay-ability - Design - Difficulty - Sound
Furthermore, I am going to be rating from a scale out of 1-10
Story: Sekiro has (at first) a linear story direction going for it during the prologue. You are Sekiro (aka wolf), the protagonist of the game. You are to rescue and protect the divine heir, Kuro from the army led by Lord Genichiro Ashina. After the fight against Genichiro, Wolf has lost his left arm and woke up in the depilated temple and has been given a prosthetic arm created by the sculptor himself.
From there you as the player go your own direction and find a piece of lore from items or meet and interact with NPC
Characters: In Sekiro you meet a lot of NPCs and encountered side bosses and bosses. Sekiro is unique for its combat by encountering a variety of different bosses and characters. The interaction is basically that of the same formula you get from the game; Dark Souls. You fight enemies > meet the side bosses > Unlike Dark Souls you cannot customise your character due to it’s story progression and development. The characters are all Japanese.
Graphics: The graphics in Sekiro is very good at what it is. Whilst From Software isn’t all about the hyper realistic graphics. Sekiro maintains the focus on lighting, atmosphere, colors, visuals and (to some extent) details. Going with an art direction rather than realism which applies to From Software’s game. Furthermore, I would also say that this is one of the most polished games.
Gameplay: Sekiro’s gameplay is challenging, linear and fun. Challenging because you have to calculate your timings, read the enemies patterns, observe their movements and strike at the right time. The main and side boss fights can get fun and thrilling. You will get the sense of urgency and challenge in order to maintain your focus. Sekiro’s gameplay could be considered linear for the most part. The game could direct you anywhere depending on the path you take. In terms of movement you can use the prosphetic arm to climb up and grapple to trees or edges of buildings. You actually feel like your jumping more compared to dark souls and Sekiro has stealth elements blending in sneak attacks and eavesdropping NPCs or enemies. There's a skills tree in the game in which you can upgrade skills by leveling up and obtaining Esoteric texts. If you are keen on finding out more check this guide! https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-04-24-sekiro-best-skills-esoteric-texts-skill-tree-6009
I've added a video to this incase you want to see the game for yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLLnFxJF4n4
Replay ability: Sekiro can be played again and again on the mode: New game+. New game + enhances the challenges, boss fights and items for the player. Personally Sekiro and any the Dark Souls games are always worth playing again. There can be repetition in these games but the challenge always remains to be immersive for the player.
Design: Sekiro shares similar designs of gameplay, style and environments when compared to Dark Souls. The major factor that sets Sekiro apart however is that the game is set in a Japanese samurai setting where as Dark Souls is a western dark fantasy setting. The UI design is very much familiar to that of Dark Souls.
Difficulty: There is no difficulty selection in Sekiro. Much like Dark Souls, Sekiro shares its formula with twists. And I would personally say that Sekiro’s difficulty is easier compared to Dark Souls although by a few margins. Thanks to the varied movements (jumping, grappling and stealth combat) and fairly balanced fights in Sekiro.
Sound: I will divide Sekiro’s sound into 3 factors: 1. Soundtrack 2. Voice acting. 3. Sound Effects Soundtrack: Sekiro’s soundtrack is dark, atmospheric, intense with Japanese samurai vibes. In certain scenes and fights, the soundtrack gets more intense and louder. Especially occurring in boss fights. Adding the intensity to the atmosphere itself.
Voice acting: Respectively so, the game consists of Japanese voice acting. This goes well because the game is set in Japan therefore, they captured the Japan vibe and sound brilliantly. There is an option however to change it into the English version too but I personally went with Japanese because it makes the game feel natural and sticks to its culture.
Sound effects: Sekiro shares many of its sound effects to Dark Souls. From the clinging, clanging, clashing to emphasis of the stab in the back sound. Sekiro matches realistic sound effects and emphasises the sound effects. One of the sound effects helps out the player whenever an enemy is approaching. This can be helpful when they are around corner.
Personal thoughts: I am very impressed with Sekiro and From Software games don’t let me down (aside from Dark Souls 2). Sekiro being the Japanese Dark Souls as it is remains to be different compared to its predecessor. Sekiro is refreshing, original and a blast to play. I am loving the game so far. I’m hoping the quality of the game remains this consistent as it is. I’ve only played very couple of 2019’s games but I do think that Sekiro is the best game I’ve played from 2019 so far. Even though Kingdom Hearts 3 has been my favorite game that was released in 2019. Sekiro is certainly up there.
Rating.
If I had to the rate game so far it would be a 9 out of 10! Brilliant game, will recommend this game to fans of Dark Souls, From Software games and for gamers that want to seek out a challenge! This is definitely for them!
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