I picked up Sekiro about 2 years ago just to give it a try, in the middle of covid lockdowns. I didn’t know much about it, and I was fairly indifferent about fromsoft games at the time. Sekiro turned me into a huge fan.
So much of this game is well thought out and finely tuned. It’s a big challenge but unlike some soulsborne titles it’s consistently rewarding. Limiting you to the shinobi playstyle instead of dozens of weapons, spells and stats means every encounter makes you better. You’re constantly learning and training, and each boss you beat rewards with something useful, increasing health and posture or attack. The shinobi prosthetics provide a bit of variety and strategy. Where the game really shines is the parrying. It’s not just about quick reflexes, it’s a rhythm. It’s a dance. Learning your opponents move set feels less like memorising AI behaviour and more like executing choreography.
The game’s world is interesting with touches of history and folk tales. The key characters are so real and memorable and have their own stories and motivations. My favourite is the sculptor.
Even when the game repeats some bosses it works; for some there’s reasoning in their story, some have new moves and forms; or they’re there to give you the satisfaction of seeing how far you’ve come and how you’ve improved, when an enemy that took so many attempts before makes sense now and you can take them down in a minute.
After the first time I spent a lot of time watching streams and challenges. I’m in awe of players who can do the whole thing in under 30 minutes, and especially those who can beat the game without taking a single hit.
Coming back to the game again myself in the last few weeks I have had such a good time with it and cemented my love for it. I got the platinum!
I’d love to see fromsoft revisit this someday, if not in a sequel, another new game with the same impeccable construction. This game helped me appreciate soulsborne games a lot more. It’s also had me playing other things and wishing they were more like this. Elden Ring is great but there’s something about the restraint here that makes it exceptionally good.
So much of this game is well thought out and finely tuned. It’s a big challenge but unlike some soulsborne titles it’s consistently rewarding. Limiting you to the shinobi playstyle instead of dozens of weapons, spells and stats means every encounter makes you better. You’re constantly learning and training, and each boss you beat rewards with something useful, increasing health and posture or attack. The shinobi prosthetics provide a bit of variety and strategy. Where the game really shines is the parrying. It’s not just about quick reflexes, it’s a rhythm. It’s a dance. Learning your opponents move set feels less like memorising AI behaviour and more like executing choreography.
The game’s world is interesting with touches of history and folk tales. The key characters are so real and memorable and have their own stories and motivations. My favourite is the sculptor.
Even when the game repeats some bosses it works; for some there’s reasoning in their story, some have new moves and forms; or they’re there to give you the satisfaction of seeing how far you’ve come and how you’ve improved, when an enemy that took so many attempts before makes sense now and you can take them down in a minute.
After the first time I spent a lot of time watching streams and challenges. I’m in awe of players who can do the whole thing in under 30 minutes, and especially those who can beat the game without taking a single hit.
Coming back to the game again myself in the last few weeks I have had such a good time with it and cemented my love for it. I got the platinum!
I’d love to see fromsoft revisit this someday, if not in a sequel, another new game with the same impeccable construction. This game helped me appreciate soulsborne games a lot more. It’s also had me playing other things and wishing they were more like this. Elden Ring is great but there’s something about the restraint here that makes it exceptionally good.