Easily the best combat gameplay I’ve ever encountered, but with struggles that dampen the overall experience for a first time run. Sekiro’s combat systems are polished to an absolute sheen, so there is no doubt in my mind that it’s a blast in that regard. From parrying to breaking posture, Sekiro succeeds on fresh approaches to old mechanics. Along with that, the addition of jumping adds a new dimension to evasive maneuvers, especially against sweeping attacks. Finally, the new Mikiri counter provides a direct and satisfying way to repel against stabbing attacks.

The story impressively incorporates themes of Buddhism with the cyclical nature of the classic FromSoft design. Level design in Sekiro is a bit chaotic when paired with the enemy design, but the chaos does get mitigated due to the stealth options and ability to easily run away from most enemies. Learning the combat is also quite a challenge because the concepts aren't very well explained, so there were quite a few times where I just quit for a while just from struggling in the game because I didn't really understand how it all worked.

The best of the boss fights are incredible. They put the mechanics to the test in a sort of a Simon Says kind of reactivity mixed with Souls combat that's energized to a speed closer to that of Ninja Gaiden Black. When it comes to the best boss fights, Sekiro easily has some of the very best with Genichiro and the Sword Saint. In contrast, the worst of the boss fights are either frustrating or a slog, but I'm sure once I get good enough, I'll overlook it someday.

Sekiro is a game with incredibly high highs that allows the player to overlook the occasional lows. The highs are just that damn good.