Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice GOTY
- Guri
- Jan 28, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 2
After gaining all that determination and patience, get ready to experience a never seen before the journey; which might cause a rage quit or an ultimate relief.
📝Story/Plot without spoilers
Sekiro, also known as Wolf, was fostered by warrior Owl, who found him in a calmed battlefield. Owl trained Sekiro to become a Shinobi and serve the Divine Heir, Kuro. Bound by honor, he is composed and modest, but also has the ruthlessness to complete his mission by any means necessary. He is bound in a lifetime duty of protecting his young lord, as the Divine Heir’s blood is known for the power of immortality.
🎮Gameplay
The scene itself is quite pleasing. You play as a Shinobi/Ninja who is destined to continue his fate. Would you be the one staying strong after numerous deaths, or chicken out and leave the Divine Heir unprotected? Explore late 1500s Sengoku Japan, a brutal period of constant life and death conflict, as you go head-to-head with monstrous creatures and deadly earthlings. To describe the game, let’s just say it’s like….you are going trekking, but you don’t have a map nor any knowledge about the fauna on your path & the tools you have in your backpack. Yes, there is no map or quests in Sekiro. You are prone to your fate. Either run past the enemies or slash their throats. But you can’t avoid the supreme bosses, which unlock the next location (except speedruns).
During this journey, you can train yourself with some tools, combat arts and skills to ease your bloodthirsty standoffs. Don’t get too stressed, as there are Sculptor’s Idols that work as save points. But using them will respawn all the enemies in the area, so make the best choice possible. The thing that keeps Sekiro interesting is the varied enemies. Each of them exhibits different combos and battle styles. Some might roll on the ground to stomp on you or swing their long sword until they slice you into pieces. Your main objective is to unsettle their fighting stance/posture to execute a deathblow. Some enemy attacks are unblockable and will be represented by a red-letter. In that split second you have to decide whether it’s time to jump, stomp or dodge. Overall, it’s a great challenging game that requires a lot of player input in the form of effort and time.
📷 Graphics
With all the great background story and character development, the 1500s Japan scenery is the cherry on the top. Each location showcases unique aura of beautifulness or horror. Color contrast works perfectly, making sure your character doesn’t blend perfectly with the surroundings. The effects from magical items are top-notch and provide a mythical touch to the gameplay. Character designing is top class for all the models, but the hair physics of protagonist might need some work.
📝Main Pros and Cons
Pros-
Challenging and fun.
A lot of variety in enemies.
Good scenery.
Stealth is not boring.
Story.
Choices matter.
Cons-
Punishing for average gamers.
Sometimes bosses don’t perform their special moves, making you do multiple parry attacks to survive.
Sometimes stealth and action combo feels unbalanced.
🏷️Tips to new players
Commitment is the key. Each boss has their special move that you need to dodge and counterattack. Some routes might be hidden, so either trust your luck or take help from a guide.
✉️Miscellaneous Information
Deaths-
If you die, there’s a chance that you can lose 50% of your gold and unused skill points. To avoid this situation, you can either buy a purse or aggregate their skill points by using them in the skill tree.
Speedruns-
There are routes to avoid battle with the bosses. If some boss is too difficult for you, then maybe use the secret route and proceed.
😇 Honest Rating
Sekiro reminds us how having precise reflexes in a video game can be fruitful. This favourable time yielding game makes your brain active. The enemies, puzzles, choices are ready to stop you from proceeding, but a Shinobi can never be stopped, not even by a mighty death. Get the game on sale or on full-price and challenge yourself against this madness.
Rating: 9/10
Defending my Lord.
