Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3214 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,674 out of 3214
  2. Mixed: 202 out of 3214
  3. Negative: 338 out of 3214
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  1. duracellman
    Mar 24, 2019
    10
    I had to come to grips with the lack of RPG mechanics, but I think From have created a masterpiece. The game being based on a specific character / weapon allowed them to make something incredibly focused while retaining signature From oddness, ambiguity, and intricate world design.

    People saying the combat is just about parrying now have not mastered the combat. In practice, deflection    I had to come to grips with the lack of RPG mechanics, but I think From have created a masterpiece. The game being based on a specific character / weapon allowed them to make something incredibly focused while retaining signature From oddness, ambiguity, and intricate world design.

    People saying the combat is just about parrying now have not mastered the combat. In practice, deflection works pretty differently than parrying in Dark Souls. There's so much more nuance to the combat now, from crowd control options, when to jump, dodge, block or deflect, move interruptions, combat arts, combos with prosthetic attachments good against certain enemies, etc. The posture system alone makes it completely different than Dark Souls. You can not play it like those games even if it seems like you can get away with it. If you're playing well you will be aggressive, attacking often and performing very deliberate moves against specific enemies.

    Once the combat clicked I was amazed at how fluid and fun it can be, and that a lot of tough enemies can be taken down pretty quickly if you play well. One thing it does have in common with Souls is that the longer a boss stays alive, the harder it is to deal with. And like Dark Souls it's a difficult game because it wants you to learn how to play it right, and execution in Sekiro is even more challenging, and even more satisfying than From's other games.    … Expand
  2. Smilingcookie
    Mar 22, 2019
    10
    Sekiro shares some "from software feeling" with Dark Souls, but is very different. The emphasis is on learning how to fight with the katana, blocking, deflecting, dodging and countering attacks. As you progress through the game you learn new techniques which you can apply in the correct situation. Stealth allows you to get an advantage before starting the fight and provides some welcomeSekiro shares some "from software feeling" with Dark Souls, but is very different. The emphasis is on learning how to fight with the katana, blocking, deflecting, dodging and countering attacks. As you progress through the game you learn new techniques which you can apply in the correct situation. Stealth allows you to get an advantage before starting the fight and provides some welcome down time.
    The prosthetic arm gives you acces to a bunch of tools and tricks like a grappling hook, axe, spear, shuriken, fire, ....
    There is a good amount of exploration, which gets rewarded as you find new items. The grappling hook makes the game very up/down, a dimension not fully used in Dark Souls games.

    Graphics are beautiful and gameplay is very well thought out. The setting and background information about ninjutsu/martial arts (techniques / weapons / tools / ... are very well researched. The game is extremely optimized and runs super smooth.    … Expand
  3. Avadon
    Mar 23, 2019
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Apparently Miyazaki didn't think he could refine the Dark Souls formula anymore, so he chose to deconstruct it instead. Sekiro is all about the removal of variety. Do you enjoy pure magic/ranged builds? They're gone. Do you prefer to be more agile or more tanky? You get to be agile, period. Do you like acquiring/customizing/upgrading weapons and armor? Too bad, they're gone. Do you like duels with other players or co-op with your friends? All multiplayer features are gone.

    So what do you get to do now? You get to parry (deflect) all the things! Yay! Wait, I could play like that in Souls games too. Well, now it's the ONLY way to play! Yaaaaay! You also get a jump button so you can jump over sweeping attacks. Except when none of those things work.

    You see, there are two bosses in the game, with different skins on them. The first one is the boss whose posture you can break. You beat this boss by standing absolutely still wherever you want, it doesn't matter where, and you play the s****y rhythm game where you press L1, A or B until he gets sick of it and falls over and lets you stab him in the face. The second boss is the one that breaks your posture if he sneezes in your general direction, regardless of what you are doing. You beat this boss by running around and waiting for him to finish his 20 second long mad flails of 1-shot attacks until you get an opening to go in and hit him once for 0.2% of his HP. Rinse and repeat. Honorable mention goes to a third category of boss, the one where the person who designed it was forgotten in a cubicle somewhere for the last 3 years and still thinks he is making a Souls game, so he sets the fight in a 2x2 room with a 6 foot tall ceiling where the objective is to get the camera unstuck from the corner where it's stuck after you gently touched the thumbstick, which made Sekiro dart across the room and slam into a wall, because he moves at 10 times the speed in this game.

    Also note: If one of those two bosses seems too hard for you, that's probably because you missed a prosthetic arm tool, sold by a midget dressed in grey rags, crouched behind a grey rock on the side of a grey mountain, who spawns only after you talk to a totally different guy in another place and timeline altogether about something completely irrelevant. This prosthetic arm tool is specifically designed to trivialize that one boss fight and is useless for anything else. Lovely.

    Have fun!    … Expand
  4. Mostafa11
    Mar 22, 2019
    10
    All i can say they that they gave us what they promised. really enjoying this game. Not the best graphics out there but good enough and the gameplay and story is legendary
  5. Awayforthewin
    Mar 22, 2019
    10
    Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: Dark Souls the Anime is an excellent game with exceptional, finely tuned combat and great level design that lets it stand above the rest of From Software's already outstanding catalouge. 10/10
  6. rocco30
    Mar 22, 2019
    10
    Game of the year!!
    A perfect accompaniment to the SoulsBorne series, with plenty of unique ideas of its own and some of the best combat of the generation.
  7. TemplarkO_o
    Mar 22, 2019
    10
    Great game, outstanding combat system. Guys, cmon. It's new FromSoft game, what else do you need?
  8. vlxedits
    Mar 23, 2019
    7
    Why do I have to stand still like an idiot just to parry

    Its like the only way to win...
  9. 21grams
    Mar 24, 2019
    6
    So much anticipation yet so much disappointment. It's decent game, especially if you're willing to wait for a sale, however it really doesn't live up to a hype it got.

    Pros: - Story and lore - tho I'm not fan of direct storytelling. I preferred Bloodborne and Dark Souls storytelling where you have dig deep to figure out what's going on and why, but it's good enough, - Good music    So much anticipation yet so much disappointment. It's decent game, especially if you're willing to wait for a sale, however it really doesn't live up to a hype it got.

    Pros:
    - Story and lore - tho I'm not fan of direct storytelling. I preferred Bloodborne and Dark Souls storytelling where you have dig deep to figure out what's going on and why, but it's good enough,
    - Good music score, not on the level of DS3 or BB, but fits the setting very well, builds tension and does other things good music score supposed to do.
    - Level design - it's just great, high versatility, a lot of things to discover, use environment to your advantage
    - challenge and difficulty - here they did not **** up. It will put you to the test like hell.

    Cons:
    - Combat is just not good for one simple reason. Everything is based on breaking posture by spamming attack (on weaker enemies) or deflecting and countering stronger enemies - rinse and repeat, it's just tedious and boring. On some rare occasion you can get leverage with one of special tools you unlock - but that's about it.
    - Character building is very simplistic, basically on the level of older Assassin's Creed games - find thing X to unlock tool, plus you have few skills to unlock at your disposal - that's it. There are no weapons to find, no armor to find - all the loot are upgrade components and consumables - which feels just very linear without any impactful decision making.
    -Graphics look dated, tho some of the artstyle is pretty good and there are some weird fps drops out of thin air (I suspect it has something to do with poor LOD and texture streaming), no ultra-wide support, game doesn't tolerate 2nd monitor and will cut performance severely until you unplug it, there are also some issues on Intel CPUs where having turbo boost enabled hinders performance severely - so pretty mediocre PC port to say the least.
    - Can't see any replay value (except maybe speed running) - because as I mentioned there is not enough diversity in character building (you won't make a different build to enjoy different combat experience - everything is just to thin and basic), there is no online component (so obviously no pvp) - there is just nothing worthwhile for a second playthrough to be seen.

    So yeah, don't believe all those 9s and 10s out of 10. The game is nowhere near on the brilliance of Dark Souls or Bloodborne. It feels like watered down and streamlined action game with very little diversity and choice making at your disposal. If not technical issues and piss poor PC port lacking basic features that should be standard in 2019, I'd give it 7/10, but with technical issues and other problems I mentioned in cons section - 6/10 is max I can rate it. Note: 6/10 means it's a pretty decent game but with some problems. See the difference is - for IGN and other crap outlets, 6/10 is equal to garbage game - personally I utilize full scale and thus it means it's not bad game at all - more like disappointing a bit.

    tl;dr: I suggest to wait for sale, at    … Expand
  10. davyboi
    Mar 27, 2019
    4
    Not sure what people are smoking but for me Sekiro is a step back from its predecessors, and it has nothing to do with it not being a souls game. But if you like parrying over and over and over again you'll probably like this game.

    Difficulty: Souls games always had a certain challenge to them but I think most people would consider them tough, but fair. Sekiro on the other hand I would    Not sure what people are smoking but for me Sekiro is a step back from its predecessors, and it has nothing to do with it not being a souls game. But if you like parrying over and over and over again you'll probably like this game.

    Difficulty: Souls games always had a certain challenge to them but I think most people would consider them tough, but fair. Sekiro on the other hand I would describe as beating your head against a brick wall until it gives, a challenge but not rewarding. My biggest issue is your damage threshold and output. You can die in just a few hits but bosses soak up damage like a sponge, you may as well be fighting them with a plastic butter knife. I know the common response from robots who can only speak in memes will be "git gud" but that doesn't apply here, it's just pure memorization of attack patterns rather than being able to adapt. Sekiro also ruins npc interaction as well, dieing too much will result in them getting sick of "dragonrot" which can only be cured from an item that is limited in quantity. Punishing just for the sake of it.

    Combat: By far where this game fumbles the most. Fighting an enemy is centered around breaking an enemy stance and landing a deathblow. Some enemies have special attacks that can't be blocked which turns into a janken guessing game, couple that with the fact that some moves can kill you in 1 or 2 hits you have a nice recipe for a tedious combat system but it gets worse. Minibosses usually have smaller weak enemies around them so before you can even attempt fighting them again so you have to clear them out since taking on multiple enemies is a death sentence. The dodge is almost useless as you don't get the same invincible frames like the other souls games and its so high risk to do so your forced to parry which gets boring very quickly. I like the idea of the grappling hook but it felt like a shallow gimmick to me, not very useful in a fight as the sub weapons only chip away at enemies life and are usually blocked. Using it to get around was fun though.

    Stealth: When it works it's great, but the problem is that its inconsistent. Sometimes you can walk right up to an enemy from the side and stealth kill them, other times you can be behind a wall and still alert everyone in the vicinity. You can throw objects to distract but this is inconsistent too, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. This is a mechanic that I feel doesn't mesh well with the bonfire system as it becomes tedious to stealth the same enemies just to attempt the boss again. Also there is no option to go pure stealth because you're forced into single combat when it comes to mini bosses or bosses, which is the opposite of what it means to be a deadly shinobi.

    Sekiro borrows some elements from past souls games but does very little to stand out resulting in a game that has no identity outside of being a challenging action game made by fromsoft. I cant recommend this to souls veterans because they would be turned off by the lack of alternate weapons/armor and how bare bones the combat is. But I also can't recommend it to newbies either because they would be turned off by the difficulty. Save your money.

    TL;DR if you were one of the few who did dexterity builds, this is your time to shine.    … Expand
  11. timmytoga
    Mar 23, 2019
    4
    Shame on me for riding the hype train and buying this day one. I knew this wasn't a Dark Souls game, but I still had hopes that it would have that From Software game-play. It kind of does, but it doesn't. They got rid of stamina, neutered dodge rolling, and made parrying the name of the game. I personally find it super tedious and just... not fun. Furthermore, this is the only play-styleShame on me for riding the hype train and buying this day one. I knew this wasn't a Dark Souls game, but I still had hopes that it would have that From Software game-play. It kind of does, but it doesn't. They got rid of stamina, neutered dodge rolling, and made parrying the name of the game. I personally find it super tedious and just... not fun. Furthermore, this is the only play-style available to you the whole game. I do not find this appealing and it felt like I was playing a generic action title.

    I also didn't enjoy the world that the game took place in... just kind of samey and boring. Stealth felt tacked on. I just felt bored by the whole ordeal and could not press on...

    I'm happy people are enjoying it, but unfortunately it's not for me. Bummer.    … Expand
  12. devilchao0
    Mar 22, 2019
    5
    Pros:
    -Decent Graphics
    -Good voice acting
    Cons
    -Artificial Difficulty
    -Strange Hitboxes
    -Low enemy variety
    -Jerky movement coupled with strange animations
  13. kr1sh
    Mar 27, 2019
    3
    Boooooring ( Very, very Booooring. Really, stealth mechanic works bad, repetitive fight mechanics and no other weapons than the sword.
  14. AkumaJack
    Apr 15, 2019
    7
    Okay, so this game is quite good but like every fromsoft game it has many problems.
    Pros:
    AMAZING world design
    Good level design
    Almost every bossfight is great...

    Cons
    ... But they copy&paste like 20 bosses/minibosses.
    Combat system is subpar
    No replayability
  15. p0k3m0n
    Mar 23, 2019
    3
    I love DS series - it is one of best series of the games ever. But Sakito is unplayable for me - sorry, but I do not have cyborg reflexes. And I do not care about it is hard, because must be hard and other bla-bla. I know what is hard game very well. It is something wrong with Sekiro: I saw good speed-runners who have real problems with this game, too. WTF From Software, whats wrong? It isI love DS series - it is one of best series of the games ever. But Sakito is unplayable for me - sorry, but I do not have cyborg reflexes. And I do not care about it is hard, because must be hard and other bla-bla. I know what is hard game very well. It is something wrong with Sekiro: I saw good speed-runners who have real problems with this game, too. WTF From Software, whats wrong? It is poor, rushed developed action slasher!

    Refund.

    BTW: PC port is awful, simply terribly, eg. I have many fps, no delay on screen, but input lag is real and exist. How to beat this kind of game with input lag? Please, From Software, tell me how do it, I will be grateful!

    Now I begin to understand why Sekiro has a new publisher.

    I registered on MetaCritic only to say how I am deeply disappointment.    … Expand
  16. androidfan
    Mar 23, 2019
    0
    Very boring. Controls sucks. No quick saves. Why I need to respawn again and again from check point If i cant kill your dumb boss because my retarded character can not block his hits??? Very frustrating.
  17. NaaR
    Apr 20, 2019
    8
    Great game from From Software. Ive played it for 75 hours. 2 play throughs.

    + Combat. Demanding and rewardning. + Story. + Aesthetics + atmosphere. + Gameplay in general, level design + bossfights + stealth is great. + Parry-fest. I played a parry-build in DS1, DS3 and used the parry alot in BB. So i enjoy it. A matter of taste. - No different weapons and gear makes exploration    Great game from From Software. Ive played it for 75 hours. 2 play throughs.

    + Combat. Demanding and rewardning.
    + Story.
    + Aesthetics + atmosphere.
    + Gameplay in general, level design + bossfights + stealth is great.
    + Parry-fest. I played a parry-build in DS1, DS3 and used the parry alot in BB. So i enjoy it. A matter of taste.

    - No different weapons and gear makes exploration less rewarding, allthough prosthetic arm and skilltree works fine. However:
    - Prosthetic tools not that impactful. They should have been more like the secondary mode/attack in Bloodborne. The prosthetics are really nice but since they cost emblems to use they get somewhat limited which is a shame.
    - A bit busy on the controller. Especially the X-button (square on PS4) is crammed with **** Using items becomes a chore compared to Bloodborne and DS.
    - Dragon rot mechanic that makes NPCs sick creates unnecessarty stress when you die. However it doesn't have that much of an impact.
    - Wierd enemy AI and sightmechanics. Can get frustrating at times.
    - The difficulty level is sometimes unnecessary punishing, specially in the first playthrough. However, the game became easy the second time i played it. It took me 3 hours to beat a specific boss my first time, but my second playthrough i beat him with ease only taking 1-2 hits. So be ready to git gud.
    - Lack of replayability. Unilke DS and BB i don't really feel the urge to return to the game after finishing it the second time. And it's mainly because of the lack of weaponry and difference in playstyle. However, i do want to play the bosses agian so maybe i will return.

    = Great game. I hope for a great expansion that adds at least 20h of gameplay.    … Expand
  18. getBrutal
    Mar 31, 2019
    10
    Game of the year. Truly tense but balanced between tensity and exploration. Also the most satisfying combat to hit a video game of all time.
  19. lameandboring
    Apr 1, 2019
    9
    Sekiro is the number 1 game for me this year: I loved the challenges of the combat and the learning curve troughout the game. Replayability for me comes in the form of beating bosses at the beginning with the knowledge of beating Isshin at the very end. Aside from that I really enjoyed the fact that you dont need to watch Vaatividya videos to understand the story, compared to other titlesSekiro is the number 1 game for me this year: I loved the challenges of the combat and the learning curve troughout the game. Replayability for me comes in the form of beating bosses at the beginning with the knowledge of beating Isshin at the very end. Aside from that I really enjoyed the fact that you dont need to watch Vaatividya videos to understand the story, compared to other titles it shows a clear line and you always know what to do and why to do it. I also do not agree that the game was to hard, statues were pretty much always before any boss, so I guess the learning by dying experience was wanted and was an outstanding challenge to master the art of beating a boss and still have heals available at the end. Only downside for me was the lack of ultrawide support - thats a bummer. Apart from that best game this year! Thanks for making this a reality From Software!… Expand
  20. shanshans
    Apr 1, 2019
    9
    Don't blame the game, it actually teach you how to be better(as a gamer in general) . This is not dark soul but mashing doesn't work here. To those who is interest to this game, If you want a fun , relaxing and play as a overpower killing machine with lot of cut scenes , just turn around. This game is not for everyone, even some pro gamers can't beat it. Actually the hard part of this gameDon't blame the game, it actually teach you how to be better(as a gamer in general) . This is not dark soul but mashing doesn't work here. To those who is interest to this game, If you want a fun , relaxing and play as a overpower killing machine with lot of cut scenes , just turn around. This game is not for everyone, even some pro gamers can't beat it. Actually the hard part of this game is thinking, focusing and patient..… Expand
  21. Figaro79
    Mar 29, 2019
    9
    Лучшая игра от FromSoftware! Отличная боевая система, вменяемый сюжет, обалденный level design. Сложная, умная и безумно увлекательная.
    Best game from FromSoftware! Best battle system, good story, awesome level design. Hard, smart, the masteriece for real gamers. Other go cry to your moms)))
  22. Kamamura
    May 7, 2019
    9
    Made it through the whole game, and I consider it a masterpiece. Especially the combat is demanding, fresh, dynamic, risky and rewarding, precisely everything what combat is not in modern RPG games, where you just press a single button and your stats fight for you. Sekiro's combat best capture the spirit of a swordfight, the necessity to feel the rhythm and the flow of the endlessMade it through the whole game, and I consider it a masterpiece. Especially the combat is demanding, fresh, dynamic, risky and rewarding, precisely everything what combat is not in modern RPG games, where you just press a single button and your stats fight for you. Sekiro's combat best capture the spirit of a swordfight, the necessity to feel the rhythm and the flow of the endless back-and-forth exchanges of the initiative, and after drilling a demanding encounter enough so that you are finally able to win, every victory in this game is rewarded by deep sense of accomplisment.

    Aesthetics of the game are top notch - level and character design, architecture, music, everything is dripping with atmosphere, easily immersing the player in the grim and moody world of this particular interpretation of the Sengoku Jidai period (dragons, ghosts and dark magic are in, by the way). When discussing "realism", one must realize that this is the mythological Japan we are talking about - Arthurian Britain would have to contain Merlin, magic swords and eniightment-bringing Grail, so similarly, Sekiro brings dragon blood, search for immortality, demons and tengus from the prop department to conjure up a one-of-a-kind story to tell.

    Not everything is perfect, however, especially on the technical side of things. The problems with locked framerate, typical for console ports, are present as well, and were solved only by a third party mod tool, which is less than ideal. The graphic engine shows its age, using a sort of dithering instead of true transparency, which creates really ugly dithering artifacts in some situations. The camera traditionally fails to track your opponents when the action speeds up, and sometimes shows a piece of your garment from 1 inch distance while the unseen enemy cuts of your head. Performance suffers from unused network calls that are mistakenly left in the code - once again, a problem solved only by a mod.

    However, the small glitches must be forgiven, since Sekiro is a unique, intense, one-of-a-kind experience that in my opinion belongs rightfully among the very best games that have ever been produced. Well done, FROM software, you certainly know your craft!    … Expand
  23. nonameforme
    Apr 26, 2019
    9
    If this is PS4 version, I would gave it 7/10 because this game isn't mean to be played with controller. It's PC game purely on the logic that, you need to use all of your finger to press every buttons in order to play and feel like a badass.
    The game is everything you want from Form Software. With the exception that Moonlight Blade is nowhere to be found. This game has one of the most    If this is PS4 version, I would gave it 7/10 because this game isn't mean to be played with controller. It's PC game purely on the logic that, you need to use all of your finger to press every buttons in order to play and feel like a badass.
    The game is everything you want from Form Software. With the exception that Moonlight Blade is nowhere to be found. This game has one of the most enjoyable swordplay system I. The 'deflect' system was one of the best contribution Form Software gave to the industry. Just for the experience of deflecting boss attack instead of 'keep rolling rolling rolling rolling' is already worth the price.

    -1 point for requiring mod to fix the camera and lock-on bug.    … Expand
  24. Eric9292
    Mar 31, 2019
    10
    Uno nuevo juego de From Software con la dirección de Hidetaka Miyazaki no podía salir mal y así ha sido , un juego digno de tener ya que no tiene nada de envidiar a sus secuelas Souls, con su propio estilo destaca por si solo, su frenético combate es tan adictivo que te ara pasar horas y horas delante del monitor. Las criticas negativas no las comprendo, realmente una vez le cojees elUno nuevo juego de From Software con la dirección de Hidetaka Miyazaki no podía salir mal y así ha sido , un juego digno de tener ya que no tiene nada de envidiar a sus secuelas Souls, con su propio estilo destaca por si solo, su frenético combate es tan adictivo que te ara pasar horas y horas delante del monitor. Las criticas negativas no las comprendo, realmente una vez le cojees el ritmo y entiendes como tienes que jugar el juego es una maravilla. Si le tengo que poner algún pero , es en el final del juego donde se repiten los escenarios, pero vamos comparado a otros juegos sigue siendo un juego largo y poco repetitivo. Aun así con su estupenda jugabilidad innovadora, hace que ese punto negativo sea apenas visible. Una obra de arte, quien diga lo contrario es que no lo ha jugado , recomendado 100 % . Sekiro marcara un antes y un después.… Expand
  25. AlexTrask
    Apr 1, 2019
    9
    Semplicemente uno spettacolo

    Vorrei sottolineare un fatto che dovrebbe essere ovvio ma a quanto pare non è così: QUESTO NON E' DARK SOULS 4. ps. se per voi è troppo difficile, 1° non è un difetto del gioco, 2° siete voi a sbagliare perché ci sono metodi che permettono di smorzare parecchio la difficoltà del titolo, come utilizzare la prima morte per scappare, utilizzare la    Semplicemente uno spettacolo

    Vorrei sottolineare un fatto che dovrebbe essere ovvio ma a quanto pare non è così:

    QUESTO NON E' DARK SOULS 4.

    ps. se per voi è troppo difficile, 1° non è un difetto del gioco, 2° siete voi a sbagliare perché ci sono metodi che permettono di smorzare parecchio la difficoltà del titolo, come utilizzare la prima morte per scappare, utilizzare la furtività per pulire le zone, o gli oggetti come le palle di fuliggine per gli sconti più ostici, quindi i modi ci sono, siete voi che non li trovate o non sapete utilizzarli.    … Expand
  26. wagllgaw
    Mar 30, 2019
    9
    Sekiro is real innovation in the souls-like genre. FROM has really created a novel combat system and expanded the world building to tell a more detailed campaign.

    Pros: The new fighting style innovates on the traditional stamina management and block, roll, and punish. We've got a very gritty in your face combat that still requires you to learn your opponent but isn't just the same old    Sekiro is real innovation in the souls-like genre. FROM has really created a novel combat system and expanded the world building to tell a more detailed campaign.

    Pros:
    The new fighting style innovates on the traditional stamina management and block, roll, and punish. We've got a very gritty in your face combat that still requires you to learn your opponent but isn't just the same old thing.
    Much more detailed world and beautiful landscapes. I enjoyed this take on Japanese culture and it was a breathe of fresh air after the gloomy gothic cathedrals of DS

    Cons:
    There are a few odd game design choices such as a focus on consumables and a weird punishment for dying. I'm always saving for the next big fight so the entire consumable component feels like a waste. The "unseen aid" mechanic feels completely useless and while I appreciate that it isn't the same "drop your souls where you die", it doesn't provide the great gameplay loop and also feels like you are punished for experimenting.    … Expand
  27. guggermaister
    Mar 31, 2019
    10
    Incredible game, very challenging and its not a dark souls in which you have to wait until the enemy finishes his attacks, you are the one who has to stop the enemy attacks to create your opportunity to beat them. If you were waiting for a 100% souls-like mechanics this could not be your game
  28. BarelyLewd
    Mar 30, 2019
    10
    Not sure how From Software keeps making masterpiece after masterpiece but they do, this game is hard let no one tell you otherwise, and this game will beat the ever loving **** out of you.....if you are a scrub, but if you like your games balls to the wall Dark Souls on crack difficulty, fast as **** combat, a 10/10 story, and Japan in all it's glory, then why you not play fam?
  29. Aetius21
    Mar 30, 2019
    10
    This is the best game I've ever played ever.
    Thank you Fromsoftware.
    I cannot wait for more dlcs and more games from Fromsoftware.
  30. XDashRipRockX
    Apr 1, 2019
    8
    *The Experience*

    A players experience while in a game is very much what dictates how players feel about the over all adventure in conclusion. With that said there are those who will love and hate the experience based exclusively on how difficult the game can become. Just how hard is this game? The game is immensely difficult - Not just in the mechanics but in everything the player    *The Experience*

    A players experience while in a game is very much what dictates how players feel about the over all adventure in conclusion. With that said there are those who will love and hate the experience based exclusively on how difficult the game can become.

    Just how hard is this game?

    The game is immensely difficult - Not just in the mechanics but in everything the player must do to over come circumstances. Some of the best means to deal with an enemy is by defeating them head to head for loot which Incidentally is the item that you really needed. Sometimes you have to figure out another mission area that indirectly makes things slightly easier, usually after talking with an npc elsewhere. The trick however is no one is gonna know the optimal route to take for some skill points and some of the encounters do require some foot work to see to its completion such as collecting divine confetti, which your gonna need a ton of if going after some optional baddies.

    I feel most whom play this game will likely put it away once they put in two dozen attempts against any average boss fight with little progress. The difficulty curve is so great that I almost feel From Software created this game really to create a cult classic of over the top challenges. In some ways it seems like they wanted to make this game insanely difficult to create a space for their own masterworks of difficulty.

    What will be a shame is having all this beautiful content and no one to speak of it’s beauty cause only a fraction of the games players will have actually beaten any of its endings.

    *Difficulty Aside from the review*

    If Sekiro demands perfection from the player is designed to be fair then this is where I find it lacking.

    The controls are so very sweet except boss enemy hitbox’s aren’t so acurrate. You’ll miss direct hits which could of been a win had they made contact. It is similar to other From Softs games but while feeling precise doesn’t always work out.

    Many times while dodging or jumping you’ll still get hit by boss attacks - even if your following the rhyth perfectly. In some ways this feels sloppy since replicating the perfect action to avoid the damage is super tricky, as in need perfect timing throughout (Spacing, timing when to eat, and even especially jumping).

    If Sekiro’s controls were perfected in a way that ensured the Wolf reacted as to not take needless damage then I could see From Soft saying it’s on you the player to figure it out - either way it’s on the player whether or not the game plays as fair as it intends.

    *Overall Thoughts*

    This game is insanely awesome once you try NG plus with some of the extra gear upgrades. Really, if the game allowed all the upgrades during the first play though and have options to earn them outside the boss fights I imagine thousands of players putting thousands of hours into the game.

    The game is simply beautiful and deserves a play through - the question is will you have time for it or patience.

    Regardless of decision playing in PC with this game is the only way to go, those 60 FPS will make the experience much sweeter overall.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best PC Game of 2019
6
#6 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
69
#69 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    May 15, 2019
    80
    There’s no leveling (in Soulsborne sense of the word), no covenants, no multiplayer, no variety in armor and weapons. It could be written off a stylistic choice, if the rest of the game didn’t feel very similar to the previous FromSoftware games. But it does, so Sekrio comes across as rather shallow. [Issue#237, p.28]
  2. MGG
    Apr 27, 2019
    88
    Sekiro Shadows Die Twice is a milestone in the genre. It offers complex, stunning and precise sword fights and duels that its predecessors lacked, and from which its successors will have to keep up with. You no longer simply learn by repeatedly and unfairly dying, but you refine your talents as a player. You seek unique methods to overcome each boss, rather than just rolling at the right time before spamming a few hits.
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  3. Edge Magazine
    Apr 25, 2019
    90
    Dozens of hours later, we're still not sure how we feel about it. It's a game of contradictions, open and flexible in its level design, yet resolutely strict in its combat... It is a brilliant game, that is certain. but it is often a difficult one to truly love. Naturally, we can't put it down. [Issue#332, p.104]
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