Since last year’s E3 convention in Los Angeles, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice from FromSoftware and published by Activision, has been on my brain. Not only is the company responsible for games such as Bloodborne, Dark Souls I-III, and Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village DX, but they have brought a new story and changed the elements to their games’ previous fighting styles. Needless to say, this game is going to excite anyone that already likes the Dark Souls and Bloodborne games.
In a re-imagined historical 16th century Sengoku period of Japan, when military and social conflict was at its highest, you are dropped in as Sekiro, a shinobi, who is set to protect his Lord that has been kidnapped. In true fashion, the third-person perspective Shekiro jumps his way through the unmarked map. Jumping is new compared to other games. The abilities, or lack thereof, is a new way to approach the game as well.
Shekiro is not a customizable character and he is not in a setting where multiplayer elements exist. Compared to heavy inventory screens, Sekiro doesn’t have that. He also doesn’t have a lot of stats to level up. At the core, this game functions with basic amenities but draws a lot of correlations to Bloodborne in how the story is presented. Since Sekiro doesn’t seem to fight the same as what players are accustomed to, the tutorial is helpful and balanced.
Ashina acts as a hub for the game where your missions as set before you and where you get your new arm. This plays a big part since this arm can handle other gadgets such as a grappling hook that will come in handy (no pun intended). With Shekiro already being a shinobi, his fighting skills are on point. While most games attack health points, Shekiro specifically fights in a style where he uses his katana to attack poise and balance before striking one time in a critical hit. When these hits come up, a red light highlights the spot causing an instant kill. Blocking and defending are very important as the difficulty of enemies becomes harder. Each death is brutal, to say the least. There is much blood.
Anyone into the gore factor will like the effects of the kills, others may just enjoy the game for the atmosphere. As the snow falls, the environment takes on a cold presence. Cliffs and buildings have a great amount of detail as well. Easily, Shadows Die Twice is right up there with all of FromSoftware’s previous work. The animals and other creatures look just as great too and keep players invested in the environment. Even the traditional bonfire looks completely relatable to what’s going on.
Here are the final thoughts. Players will easily see the familiarity here in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice in great ways. This alone is something to be excited about. For this game style and the developer’s history, the correlations don’t take away from the plot or the fighting style. The different fighting style adds a refreshing twist on what players think they already know. For the price of $60 USD, the game is completely worth it.
9/10
Available on: PC, PS4, Xbox One
