So so close to perfection. Perhaps the most consistent lineup of bosses in any game I’ve played. The combat is easily the best and most satisfying I’ve ever experienced, demanding your focus and mastery for near enough every enemy you come up against.
About 2 years ago, I attempted playing this game and reached the Guardian Ape fight, which ended up making me quit the game due to how frustrating it was to fight at the time. I finally decided to commit to finishing the game front to back this time, and am so glad I did. Up to that point in my initial playthrough, I struggled so much with Genichiro and obviously the Guardian Ape fights, yet when I returned to the game, they felt like a walk in the park, Guardian Ape especially. Something about the combat just clicked with me and I felt really comfortable and confident with it… until the first Owl fight. That was a BIG reality check. It took me a solid 10 attempts, which isn’t too much, but it was a definite struggle learning all of his moves. But then, the Owl Father fight arrived and again proved that I wasn’t even close to mastering the combat. This fight is so awesome and so difficult, but if you really take the time to learn all of his moves, it becomes one of the most engaging boss fights ever.
I watched plenty of videos of Sekiro before returning to beat the game, and one of the most common aspects of those videos was how difficult they claimed the Demon of Hatred fight was. Honestly though, it’s not even that bad! Took me 3 attempts. Literally just hug his arse the whole time and use the fire umbrella if you ever feel at risk, it’s pretty simple. Another boss that has the same reputation though, is Isshin. Oh boy, this fight is fucking brutal. I can safely say this lived up that claim, even topping Nameless King as the hardest boss I’ve ever fought. I should’ve beat this damn game 3 weeks ago, but this fight beat the shit out of me so much that I had to take a massive break. Then I came back and smashed him on my 4th attempt! One of the most intense and thrilling fights ever. It is incredible. My only complaint is the thrust attack felt extremely inconsistent to avoid. In total though, I probably had 30+ attempts at this fight.
I would absolutely love to give this 5 stars, but I’ve got to complain about the lack of replayability. Sure, it would be cool to keep playing and truly master the combat, but the lack of build variety makes this a little bit boring for me personally. This is obviously just me though, so I can completely understand people who say this is the best fromsoft game, and would be very hesitant to argue with that. I’ll definitely look back fondly on this first full playthrough of the game.
About 2 years ago, I attempted playing this game and reached the Guardian Ape fight, which ended up making me quit the game due to how frustrating it was to fight at the time. I finally decided to commit to finishing the game front to back this time, and am so glad I did. Up to that point in my initial playthrough, I struggled so much with Genichiro and obviously the Guardian Ape fights, yet when I returned to the game, they felt like a walk in the park, Guardian Ape especially. Something about the combat just clicked with me and I felt really comfortable and confident with it… until the first Owl fight. That was a BIG reality check. It took me a solid 10 attempts, which isn’t too much, but it was a definite struggle learning all of his moves. But then, the Owl Father fight arrived and again proved that I wasn’t even close to mastering the combat. This fight is so awesome and so difficult, but if you really take the time to learn all of his moves, it becomes one of the most engaging boss fights ever.
I watched plenty of videos of Sekiro before returning to beat the game, and one of the most common aspects of those videos was how difficult they claimed the Demon of Hatred fight was. Honestly though, it’s not even that bad! Took me 3 attempts. Literally just hug his arse the whole time and use the fire umbrella if you ever feel at risk, it’s pretty simple. Another boss that has the same reputation though, is Isshin. Oh boy, this fight is fucking brutal. I can safely say this lived up that claim, even topping Nameless King as the hardest boss I’ve ever fought. I should’ve beat this damn game 3 weeks ago, but this fight beat the shit out of me so much that I had to take a massive break. Then I came back and smashed him on my 4th attempt! One of the most intense and thrilling fights ever. It is incredible. My only complaint is the thrust attack felt extremely inconsistent to avoid. In total though, I probably had 30+ attempts at this fight.
I would absolutely love to give this 5 stars, but I’ve got to complain about the lack of replayability. Sure, it would be cool to keep playing and truly master the combat, but the lack of build variety makes this a little bit boring for me personally. This is obviously just me though, so I can completely understand people who say this is the best fromsoft game, and would be very hesitant to argue with that. I’ll definitely look back fondly on this first full playthrough of the game.
4 Comments
"Something about the combat just clicked with me and I felt really comfortable and confident with it" That's the same thing that happened to me. First playthrough I didn't enjoy the game as much, then when I played it a second time I already adapted to the gameplay system, and it made me enjoy it a lot more. Most streamers I see playing it get frustrated because they're playing Sekiro as if it was Dark Souls, so they end up hating it.
@cowboyjosh Thanks a lot, I appreciate it!
@fancyynancyy Exactly. I feel like it’s just people refusing to stop dodging. Once you learn to only dodge for mikiri counters and replace that with parries, it becomes way easier. Still the hardest soulslike game for me though, because I never ever parry in the other games.
cowboyjosh
3 months ago