Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5159 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,327 out of 5159
  2. Mixed: 286 out of 5159
  3. Negative: 546 out of 5159
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  1. MaxDBlack
    Apr 8, 2019
    7
    The game is awesome! New mechanic is finally really differs from what SoulsBourne had to offer. It is much more focused on skill and precision. Every hit, block, parry and counter has to be carefully executed. Mechanic is pure joy.

    Enemies and bosses are hard, but fair. Every main character death is a result of player mistake but not an unfair AI actions. The variety and amount of    The game is awesome! New mechanic is finally really differs from what SoulsBourne had to offer. It is much more focused on skill and precision. Every hit, block, parry and counter has to be carefully executed. Mechanic is pure joy.

    Enemies and bosses are hard, but fair. Every main character death is a result of player mistake but not an unfair AI actions. The variety and amount of bosses is tremendous, though some of them appear couple of times during playthrough.
    Game world is big and leveldesign on a big scale is magnificent! You can reach any point in the world that you can see and sometimes it is just fascinating to observe from a distant places you've visited half game ago.

    The plot is kinda simple. In oppose to SoulsBourne games deep multy-layerd LORE, in Sekiro we have a staright forward story with very few unexpected twists and no underlying lines whatsoever. The world itself is just something I personnaly not interested in. Middle age Japan is not my thing, so I have nothing to say about it.
    Visually game is ok, but nothing out of the ordinary. There are couple of beautiful locations, but in oppose to dark and mysterious Bloodbourne atmosphere Sekiro can't offer anything spectial.

    But in the first place the game is about mechanics and it works great.
    The thing they've left character stats and loadout out of the boat is totally ok with me. Game is much closer to slasher than to an action RPG now. Still there are quite some tricks and combat movements player can aquire during game and prosthetic arm improvements make Sekiro's arsenal even bigger.

    There are a lot of dispute around Sekiro's difficulty lately. The game is hard. It took me 77 hours to beat it and I had a lot of trouble with some bosses. But it's not unbeatable and it is certainly becomes quite easy once you master it. The easiest way to check how it works is get back to bosses, that troubled you some time ago and beat them once more. It'll be super easy, because knowing mechanics and boss movement basically everything you need to be good at. So people who ask for an easy mode, are just lazy and refuse to learn game rules. And what's the point in playing a game if you don't want to follow the rules?    … Expand
  2. Indrigis
    Mar 29, 2019
    7
    Let me start by saying that if you're a die hard fan of Dank Souls and I Wanna Be The Guy, Sekiro might be a 9 if not a 10 for you. I am not such a fan, so I grant it a 7. Generously.

    Sekiro looks gorgeous, that much is true. It just lacks free roam content that is there for viewing only. Everything is functional, sadly, so you don't get to just look in awe. However, gameplay-wise it    Let me start by saying that if you're a die hard fan of Dank Souls and I Wanna Be The Guy, Sekiro might be a 9 if not a 10 for you. I am not such a fan, so I grant it a 7. Generously.

    Sekiro looks gorgeous, that much is true. It just lacks free roam content that is there for viewing only. Everything is functional, sadly, so you don't get to just look in awe.

    However, gameplay-wise it feels like a DS game turned to 11. As if the designer listened to the fans chanting "hardcore, so hard, so fun, so elite, truly Dark Souls is the Dark Souls of gaming", shrugged and said "well, if that is the only thing you care about..." and then just pushed every other concern aside.

    Despite what was promised early on, the "Shinobi" part is pretty bleak. Stealth and subterfuge are not really Wolf's strong suit and most enemies are placed in such ways that killing them stealthily takes time and doesn't pay extra. Skipping entire groups of enemies means depriving yourself of experience, money and items. Besides that, many grapple points are placed just far enough apart that you won't be able to spiderman your way through, forcing you to crouch and creep around between grappling, breaking any tempo you might have had.

    Then there's the combat. It comes with a major problem - normal enemies are fast, come in groups and have no friendly fire whatsoever. You let go of the block button once and take a flaming arrow to the face, said arrow coming straight through three or four enemies. Annoying, isn't it? Also, nothing staggers, unlike you. So you can take an axe to the face with no warning or prior parry, just because the enemy decided to swing it and there's nothing you could do. Parry is the name of the game but it doesn't add depth, just width. You can only git gud mechanically, but not strategically, sadly.

    The worst offender is the camera. While it's nice of the developers to try and help the player ever so slightly, the target lock and camera reset are on the same button and target lock has a mind of its own and shifts around if you try to move the camera because... you guessed it. "Switch target" is on the same four buttons as "rotate camera". There's a setting for targeting aid when not locked on, but the game doesn't seem to aid me even slightly - without target lock enemies just sidestep while Wolf keeps moving forward even if I rotate the camera mid-combo.

    And while I am all for understanding that Sekiro is not a slasher like DmC V, I can't help noticing that Wolf moves so fast and jumps so high his physics are much more fit for an arcade rather than a "hardcore" swordfighting game.    … Expand
  3. Ormegasm
    Mar 23, 2019
    7
    It is trying to be too many things at once and doesn't do any of those things justice which sucks hopefully their next game refines what they have done here but this was worth a rental not my 100 bucks.
  4. Terium
    Apr 10, 2019
    7
    Daisukereds review sums up exactly my feelings on this game. I really want to like it more but it's a poorly balanced game and I don't mean just in terms of difficulty. The shinobi tools can be good (and even gamebreaking) on some fights but on the harder ones, they're pretty useless and the ones focused on dealing damage/posture damage are ridiculously underpowered even to the extent thatDaisukereds review sums up exactly my feelings on this game. I really want to like it more but it's a poorly balanced game and I don't mean just in terms of difficulty. The shinobi tools can be good (and even gamebreaking) on some fights but on the harder ones, they're pretty useless and the ones focused on dealing damage/posture damage are ridiculously underpowered even to the extent that it's likely better to just press R1. There's no builds, no armor, no weapons and the upgrades you get is pretty worthless except for some that should've been baseline anyway (Mikiri Counter). The environments are okay but they don't come close to the diversity of the other "soulsborne" games (hesitating to include Sekiro in this genre). The story is overall easier to understand but it somehow just takes away from what I love about the other games. Exploration can sometimes be rewarding but 99% of the time you only find some **** consumable that can be bought from the merchant for cheap anyway. The upgrade materials for your tools don't generate the same feeling that finding a blood shard or titanite chunk does since the upgrade won't do much anyway. Unlike all the other soulsborne games, I just can't wait to be done with this one and I probably won't be replaying it ever again once I'm done with all the trophies. I've seen a lot of people saying this game is even more satisfying than the other games but I never felt satisfied after beating a boss, I just felt annoyed and wanted to stop playing. I genuinely hope that people giving this 10/10 are just high on the fumes of hype. For me, it's WAY to repetitive and it's missing a lot of what makes the soulsborne games so good. I'll hold out hope for Bloodborne 2 since this game has left me with very mixed feelings. I do admit that I'm somewhat biased as this is a game made by From Software, I was expecting more and as a result my final score may be somewhat low compared to if this was made by another developer.… Expand
  5. Zidane_Mina
    Apr 1, 2019
    7
    A good game with interesitn combat mechanics. Unlike FromSoftware predecesors, Sekiro is build arround one single build: shinobi. Parry and counters are key to victory, and rolling out of attacks is not as a good move like it was in Bloodborne or the Souls Games, meaning here agresion and parry are the keys to achieve victory.

    The problem i have with this is that removes plenty of    A good game with interesitn combat mechanics. Unlike FromSoftware predecesors, Sekiro is build arround one single build: shinobi. Parry and counters are key to victory, and rolling out of attacks is not as a good move like it was in Bloodborne or the Souls Games, meaning here agresion and parry are the keys to achieve victory.

    The problem i have with this is that removes plenty of options for diferent playthoughs, since experimentation is way smaller than any other games, and it sometimes feels like the game cracked the dificulty dial way to high. Unlike the other games, whenever i defeated some bosses in Sekiro i did not felt accomplished, but more on the lines of "finally getting rid of that guy", insted of feeling victorious, i felt the pain finaly came to an end, which is the wrong kind of relief in my book.

    Most of the bosses felt uninspired, except for 3 grand ones that will stick in my memory for years to come: Divine Dragon, Lord Genishiro and "The Saint Sword", being the last one the greatest boss ever developed by FromSoftware.

    In the end, even tough i think this is a good game, i don't see myself returning to it in the near future, hence why i cant give it a higher score. I wanted to love this game, but i could not.    … Expand
  6. gamer39
    Aug 17, 2019
    7
    Ok, so the game is beautiful. I loved the game for a few days. Until I got up to about the Hirata Estates. I then realized that I hated it. Yes, Sekiro tried something new and I do not like the changes to the game. The prosthetic arm, for example, is underpowered. Many enemies are overpowered for no reason. And your reward for defeating them? Well, not much. I've read many reviewsOk, so the game is beautiful. I loved the game for a few days. Until I got up to about the Hirata Estates. I then realized that I hated it. Yes, Sekiro tried something new and I do not like the changes to the game. The prosthetic arm, for example, is underpowered. Many enemies are overpowered for no reason. And your reward for defeating them? Well, not much. I've read many reviews that sum up how I feel this game a lot better than anything I can say. It's too difficult and not fun. I don't enjoy this game like I did the SoulsBorne series of games. It is missing the RPG element of the game and it really takes something out of the game . Big step backwards for me. And why am I fighting giant roosters?

    Also, I think the rating system was hijacked to give this a 9. There is no way this game deserves a 9. Especially when one of the first boss battles is literally unwinnable and forces you to lose in order to progress the story. Ridiculous!

    Level design is repetitive and blocky. Get used to Japanese pagodas in every area. No upgrades, no armor, use the same sword the whole game! What? Ok, you get to eventually upgrade your prosthetics, but it isn't all that helpful.

    If you want to play a fun, Souls-like game, try God of War from 2018. Yes, this game really deserves a 9 or 10 out of 10. Unlike Suckiro. How is this even in the same league? FromSoftware and Cracktivision, take notes. This is how you make a fun yet challenging video game. You owe me $60 punks.    … Expand
  7. Vaxkang
    Apr 8, 2019
    7
    Great at times, tedious at times. After 45 hours or so I would have to admit this game is a step back from previous games. The game itself is punishing to start but you do get better, gamers will typically get to a point where it starts to feel tedious though.

    The combat is all about the timing and deflections and it is hard, very hard. That in itself is not a bad thing but the    Great at times, tedious at times. After 45 hours or so I would have to admit this game is a step back from previous games. The game itself is punishing to start but you do get better, gamers will typically get to a point where it starts to feel tedious though.

    The combat is all about the timing and deflections and it is hard, very hard. That in itself is not a bad thing but the payoff is very poorly done. You really get nothing for your hard work, all those deaths and trying over and over....no armour, no new weapons. The skill tree just eventually gets full, there is no real build to try.

    Most people will just look up cheese strats, so many online to choose from. The combat has some depth but there will be zero depth in replayability. I like the game, I do not love it like I have with other From Software games.    … Expand
  8. seburo
    Apr 30, 2019
    7
    For me its a 7 because two main reasons: the repetition of some stages and enemies and, and most important, the excess of exigency. I'm a Dark Souls veteran. I've played all 3, Dark Souls 1 blew my mind and I played it a lot. I completed Bloodborne because of my love towards FROM, didn't liked it because terror is not my genre, but appreciated it. Now I wanted to love Sekiro, I'm a big fanFor me its a 7 because two main reasons: the repetition of some stages and enemies and, and most important, the excess of exigency. I'm a Dark Souls veteran. I've played all 3, Dark Souls 1 blew my mind and I played it a lot. I completed Bloodborne because of my love towards FROM, didn't liked it because terror is not my genre, but appreciated it. Now I wanted to love Sekiro, I'm a big fan of japanese culture, and I really wanted to love it. But, after 3 runs, and having completed it once. I'm too tired. The parry system is too stressful, and I don't like to feel that vulnerable. Besides, the final boss is really unfair (in my opinion) because it is NECESSARY to complete the game. If it was an optional boss I wouldn't have a problem with its absurd exigency but since you need to beat him to complete the game, for me it was a wall, and I didn't enjoyed it, I endured it. When I finally beat it I felt relief, not joy. I think its time for FROM software to rethink the accessibility of their games. I think they don't need to make difficult games just because that's their brand. They have other qualities: great action, atmosphere, music and design. And there are a ton of masterpieces with difficulty selector. I hope they wanted their games to reach everybody.… Expand
  9. CraigEchols
    Mar 23, 2019
    7
    Not a bad game, just don't understand what the hype is about.

    Given all the hype that was surrounding this game, I was really looking forward to it, and in all honest I have enjoyed playing it. I just don't get what everyone is so up in arms with it about. For starters, the game's story is really good, honestly, with a character you can really sink your time into in Sekiro. It's    Not a bad game, just don't understand what the hype is about.

    Given all the hype that was surrounding this game, I was really looking forward to it, and in all honest I have enjoyed playing it. I just don't get what everyone is so up in arms with it about.

    For starters, the game's story is really good, honestly, with a character you can really sink your time into in Sekiro. It's FromSoftware's first protagonist that you can actually develop with in terms of character. Sekiro is a pure bad-ass for sure. While the grappling hook is a clear steal from a well known Nintendo franchise, it is used very well in this game in for the stealth aspect. The action overall action isn't bad either.

    Thank you for finally adding a freaking jump button. That may not seem like much of a concern to others, but a jump button really helps me manuaver through a battle better than simply rolling/dodging. That's just me. Also, I love the "no stamina" gauge idea. Personally, I always felt that games that featured a stamina gauge steered the advantage towards enemies/bosses because it always seemed like they had unlimited stamina (even if they had a gauge).

    So why the mediocre 7/10 score? To put it simply, this game doesn't really add anything new to the genre for me. Let's be real, if this wasn't a FromSoftware game, would you even care? Let's take off the rose-colored glasses for a second.

    First off, as mentioned by others, the only main weapon in this game is a katana (and some shuriken). While it may not seem like a big deal, it really is. It makes every battle the same. Either you stealth stab someone with your sword, or you rush an cut them with your sword. In ancient history, ninjas (shinobi included) used various weapons such as blowguns, caltrops, hook swords, chigiriki (flail), kusari-gama (chained-blade), polearms, and even some bows. So, why the lack of variety in this game? Even the most basic of action games gave the player a bit of variety in order to help them decide how to approach battles. Even the 8 bit Zelda games gave you a bow and a hammer.

    The graphics leave a bit to be desired (especially from a 2019), however, that doesn't bother me quite as much as others. As long as the game doesn't break, I'm OK with it.

    Going back to combat, it feels really weird that the game is based off of breaking enemy guard and parrying, and yet, there is no stamina. It sort of makes you sit back and say, "Well, what't the difference?" because, well, what is the difference? Isn't that a stamina thing? Fights are more fast-paced, but it given you essentially have to use the same patience as other FromSoftware titles, it can make harder battles (particularly boss battles) feel like "hurry up and wait" kind of strategy.

    Also, for a game that is getting such praise, I expected something...different. Pretty much every mechanic from this game has been used before in wide variety. The grappling hook, as mentioned, was used in the Zelda games, the parrying/guard-break mechanic was used in many games including previous FromSoftware titles, the cinematic death-dealing blows have been used by God of War since the beginning, reviving on the spot or at previous checkpoints has been used in pretty much every game, the ninja stealth mechanic was the basis of the entire Shinobido series (hell Sekiro even looks like Goh from that game), even the revenge story in this game is pretty copy and paste from various other revenge story games.

    I think that because this is a FromSoftware title, its getting quite a bit more accolade than it deserves. That's not to say this is a bad game because its not. In terms of action games, it should satisfy anyone who has an itch for it with FS's trademark difficulty. However, as far as anything special or new to the genre, I would argue that Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is more original than Sekiro.

    TL;DR: Not a bad game, just over-hyped.    … Expand
  10. KnightimeX
    Mar 28, 2019
    7
    Fun game with balance issues.
    Posture gimmick defeats the purpose of a health bar. Build it up and watch 100% of their life drop to zero in a devastating death blow attack.
    You're going to need to get used to this as your sword is inferior to plastic knives in terms of damage. When it comes to dealing damage enemies might as well have lightsabers. You can do a 10 hit combo and if    Fun game with balance issues.
    Posture gimmick defeats the purpose of a health bar. Build it up and watch 100% of their life drop to zero in a devastating death blow attack.
    You're going to need to get used to this as your sword is inferior to plastic knives in terms of damage.
    When it comes to dealing damage enemies might as well have lightsabers.
    You can do a 10 hit combo and if you're lucky the enemy MIGHT notice a slight itch going on only to find you struggling to do any kind of damage.
    Why the player has a posture gauge is beyond me.
    Attack the enemy 50 times you'll get about 50% of the job done.
    Get hit once by the enemy and you'll slip into a small seizure party.

    If you're looking for a hardcore blocking simulator this game is for you.
    It's a fun game but hardly in the same league as Bloodborne or any other souls game for that matter.    … Expand
  11. Mats2468
    Mar 24, 2019
    7
    To be honest, I loved Sekiro's setting, but that is not enough to make me liking this game. I played this game in about 11 hours until I randomly stoped playing, why? The difficulty destroyd my enjoment, aswell my progression was lost all the time when I died. I hate that when you die in the game, it has a impact to the world around you. Is 90 hour game full of frustration really worth theTo be honest, I loved Sekiro's setting, but that is not enough to make me liking this game. I played this game in about 11 hours until I randomly stoped playing, why? The difficulty destroyd my enjoment, aswell my progression was lost all the time when I died. I hate that when you die in the game, it has a impact to the world around you. Is 90 hour game full of frustration really worth the money? I don't think so. This is the last time I buying from devolper (From Software).… Expand
  12. Acguydance
    Mar 23, 2019
    7
    WARNING: DO NOT EVEN TOUCH THIS GAME IF YOU CAN BARELY SOLO "BLOODBORNE" IN THE HARDEST DIFFICULTY.
    This game is awfully hard. Perhaps one of the hardest games of the decade. You need ALOT of dying and practicing and positioning to learn the pattern of the enemies, and it takes forever to bring down a foe while they can simply crush you like a poorly built sand castle. Accompanied by    WARNING: DO NOT EVEN TOUCH THIS GAME IF YOU CAN BARELY SOLO "BLOODBORNE" IN THE HARDEST DIFFICULTY.
    This game is awfully hard. Perhaps one of the hardest games of the decade. You need ALOT of dying and practicing and positioning to learn the pattern of the enemies, and it takes forever to bring down a foe while they can simply crush you like a poorly built sand castle. Accompanied by the speedy combat system, you are going to experience waves of stomach hurting and hair pulling situations. In exchange, the sense of accomplishment is immeasurable when you beat a boss.

    So is this game FUN? Generally, because of the punishing difficulty, NOT REALLY.
    BUT, the combat itself is superbly entertaining and you will find your self sweating your hands over hours after playing SEKIRO. If you are a die hard Action Gamer that like to play any game from the hardest difficulty, this IS your Game. Else, Just skip this for your own sake.    … Expand
  13. spaghetti-cop
    Mar 31, 2019
    7
    I've been all over the place with Sekiro. When I started it, I was hooked. The combat was interesting as were the story and characters; just what I've come to expect from Fromsoft. Then I hit a couple brick walls that made me wonder if the game was for me. Several bosses felt way overpowered while my own options were lacking. Make a couple mistakes and you die. I was very close the puttingI've been all over the place with Sekiro. When I started it, I was hooked. The combat was interesting as were the story and characters; just what I've come to expect from Fromsoft. Then I hit a couple brick walls that made me wonder if the game was for me. Several bosses felt way overpowered while my own options were lacking. Make a couple mistakes and you die. I was very close the putting the game down and chocking it up to it "not being for me."

    I decided I would trudge through, and I'm glad that I did. The game has some really special moments and the story does a great job at motivating you to see them all. My combat abilities were expanding as quickly as my shinobi arsenal, and I finally got into the groove. I'm glad I stuck it out because I started to have a lot of fun...but

    Then I hit a few more brick walls and the process began anew. Another ridiculously hard boss here or there that I eventually overcame after immense mental fatigue. Once I got through, the game gave me more areas to explore in its final act than what I'm used to in a Fromsoft game which was very cool. What wasn't very cool was fighting 4-5 of the sub/bosses again but either palette swapped or in greater numbers...lame. I really hate padding in my games and soulsborne games usually do a pretty good job of avoiding that..

    Once I worked my way to the end the hardest boss I've ever fought was in my way of seeing the credits roll. This guy killed me countless times and the game forces you to LIGHT SPOILERS fight each of its forms every time you retry. I was getting really exhausted by the end of it, and when I finally hit the killing blow and the credits rolled I thought to myself "Damn that was barely worth the effort"

    This is a solid, quality video game to be sure, but it's really held back by how ridiculously difficult it is. Better telegraphed unblockable moves, snappier inputs (sekiro sometimes just doesn't register button presses which is very irksome in a game that requires so much precision), a better battle camera, and a little trimming of the fat and this game would be a strong 9. As it stands now, I have to give it a 7.5. It just felt like the game didn't want me to enjoy it. It just wanted to dump on me at every opportunity.    … Expand
  14. AloyOfNora
    Mar 25, 2019
    7
    To provide some background, I have completely soloed every Dark Souls game and Bloodborne multiple times and have well over 500 hours combined in them.

    The artwork of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is absolutely incredible. Beautiful colors and designs are a treat. The vertical traversal with your arm prosthetic is also a delight, acting as a Hookshot from the Zelda series but with a    To provide some background, I have completely soloed every Dark Souls game and Bloodborne multiple times and have well over 500 hours combined in them.

    The artwork of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is absolutely incredible. Beautiful colors and designs are a treat. The vertical traversal with your arm prosthetic is also a delight, acting as a Hookshot from the Zelda series but with a delightful elegance and animation. Vertical exploration and traversal is great. Where this game falters is primarily with the poorly designed combat, which is built from the ground up around a Posture system...and the boss design.

    The Posture system is a mess, giving the combat a SPAM feel. It's essentially a glorified and fancy QTE system, with much less emphasis on precise dodging and more on mashing appropriate buttons at appropriate times (colored symbols are also flashed). The entire combat system feels like big regression from FromSoftware masterpieces in the past. Also gone are stat values and variety in weapons and armor, leading to shallow, linear and limited character progression.

    Boss design is also very disappointing and a tremendous step backwards from previous games. Bosses are nowhere near as fun to fight and feel less rewarding to defeat, despite all bosses being easier than the hardest Soulsborne bosses.

    Overall, Sekiro is a solid game with fun to be had, but it is easily the worst FromSoftware game in over a decade. Hopefully, FromSoftware will deliver a sequel to their masterpiece Bloodborne and learn from missteps made in Sekiro.    … Expand
  15. mrvertigo89
    Mar 24, 2019
    7
    FromSoft tends to be the only studio that I'll actually pre-order from, and I did with Sekiro. Long-time fan of the ridiculous difficulty, Demon Souls (closely followed by Bloodborne) is my favourite game of all time, and I love dark souls too.

    Sekiro is a bit of a different bag. It's a good game, the movement is fun, as are the ninja tools, and the stealth is well integrated into the    FromSoft tends to be the only studio that I'll actually pre-order from, and I did with Sekiro. Long-time fan of the ridiculous difficulty, Demon Souls (closely followed by Bloodborne) is my favourite game of all time, and I love dark souls too.

    Sekiro is a bit of a different bag. It's a good game, the movement is fun, as are the ninja tools, and the stealth is well integrated into the general gameplay - and particularly with minibosses. However, I think this will be the first FromSoft game I don't try to platinum. Mainly because I don't think I'll play through it more than once.

    The bosses are not so much difficult as long, everything has lots of health and the classic secret third phase is thrown into the mix too. Remember fighting those demons in DS3 expansion, when they morph into an even bigger demon when they die... well it's that. The frustration of Nameless King's second phase where it takes so long to get to it. None of this I'd mind on its own, except you don't get to build a character anymore.

    You can earn experience and unlock skills, but these don't really change your fighting prowess the way maxing a quality build would, or getting a new weapon. Upgrades (at least in terms of damage) are contingent on defeating bosses, so again sometimes you smash against a brick-wall of difficulty, but can't go off and build your character to come back stronger. You just hit it again and again. Obvs, with no co-op this also rules out that as a way to overcome a particularly **** boss (looking at you Fume Knight from DS2).

    The world is good, the story is much less subtle but I guess that's fine given there is an actual narrative, but with no new builds to try, and no desire to fight some of the bosses again, I think I'll be putting it down when I'm done and playing through one of the others again.

    Fingers crossed for Blooborne 2!    … Expand
  16. ghostlysun
    Jul 15, 2019
    7
    I thought that I was in for something incredible since this was the first From Software's game that looked and felt so polished and finished. But then I started to slowly realize that one of the main aspects that makes a souls-like game great, the different approaches you can have in combat are all gone, and you are left alone with a sword and parrying mechanics. So if you're not good atI thought that I was in for something incredible since this was the first From Software's game that looked and felt so polished and finished. But then I started to slowly realize that one of the main aspects that makes a souls-like game great, the different approaches you can have in combat are all gone, and you are left alone with a sword and parrying mechanics. So if you're not good at that, avoid this game if you don't want to get too frustrated. Otherwise, the game's really good in almost every aspect.… Expand
  17. nating51
    Apr 16, 2019
    7
    Nice game, great art direction, great combat system and all, but it lacks a lot from a replay value side. After you platinum'd the game, get all prosthetics, all skills and beat every boss, there's no real sense to play it again as the game experience will be the same over and over again. I like the action approach to this game, with no stats or classes, and I really appreciate the idea ofNice game, great art direction, great combat system and all, but it lacks a lot from a replay value side. After you platinum'd the game, get all prosthetics, all skills and beat every boss, there's no real sense to play it again as the game experience will be the same over and over again. I like the action approach to this game, with no stats or classes, and I really appreciate the idea of skill trees, but I would have preferred a game where you make your own "build" to accomplish the adventure, in order to make the game a lot more interesting (and creative to the player) in future playthrough. It would have increased the replay value to some extent.… Expand
  18. Edgard86
    Apr 26, 2019
    7
    Fico triste em dar uma nota 7 para um jogo da From, porém é o maximo que o Sekiro merece de mim...Zerei o game..Esse jogo foi bem frustante. Esperava algo épico como um darksouls ou Blood, porém o jogo se resume em você ser o Rei do Parry. Me desanimou, ou vc mata os chefes sendo o Rei do parry ou não tem outra opção... Se você gosta de ficar dando parrys todo tempo, vá em frente, agora seFico triste em dar uma nota 7 para um jogo da From, porém é o maximo que o Sekiro merece de mim...Zerei o game..Esse jogo foi bem frustante. Esperava algo épico como um darksouls ou Blood, porém o jogo se resume em você ser o Rei do Parry. Me desanimou, ou vc mata os chefes sendo o Rei do parry ou não tem outra opção... Se você gosta de ficar dando parrys todo tempo, vá em frente, agora se espera algo equilibrado como jogos Souls, esqueça, Sekiro será bem frustante, o jogo se resume em dar parrys perfeitos seguidos na velocidade da luz.. Frustrante, com sérios problemas na camera, desequilibrado, injusto e punitivo, prazer isso é Sekiro.. o ultimo chefe tem 4 fases, algo irritante e injusto, surreal, estressante.. vc perderá hrs nels, ou talvez dias.. Sou amante da franquia SoulsBorne, Demons...mas nao serei de Sekiro. PSN do Game play: Edgard_ 1986… Expand
  19. AlvaroK95
    Jan 2, 2020
    7
    Fromsoftware echa una mirada al pasado para fusionar la saga "Souls" con Tenchu, dando lugar a un juegazo en toda regla.
  20. puchinho
    Aug 23, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sekiro es un buen juego, pero llega muy tarde.
    Vvimos en un mundo con Demon souls, demon souls remake, dark souls, dark souls 2, dark souls 3, bloodborne y elden ring, todos ellos con una historia contada a poco a poco, donde el descubrimiento que hace uno mismo es determinante para montarse la película de lo que se cree que pasó en ese mundo. Luego está sekiro, donde hay una historia clara y... muy simple.
    No quiero comparar este juego con el resto porque sería injusto y acabaría muy mal parado, lo analizaré como un juego independiente excepto en cosas muy puntuales.

    Antes de nada, no todo es malo, es un juego de from, con lo que eso significa y con todas las cosas buenas que eso tiene.

    Sekiro cuenta una historia que ya nos suena mucho de las típicas historias de samurais que hay en cientos de películas u otros videojuegos, es una historia muy simple y al final todo se reduce en ir siguiendo un camino matando todo lo que te encuentres en el medio para salvar a un personaje, o no. No siento nada cuando me enfrento a mi padre, o cuando no lo hago y traiciono a mi señor, me da igual hacer una cosa u otra porque no he empatizado nada con los personajes.
    No hay juego más frío que un dark souls, pero no hay enfrentamiento más doloroso y sentimental que contra el señor de la ceniza mientras suena esa BSO.

    Luego el combate, en fin, las hitboxes de dark souls 2 y estas parecen hechas por la misma persona. Muy malas hitboxes. Los enemigos te hacen agarres que parecen imposibles en principio, estás a 3 metros de su agarre pero da igual, te pillan y lo ejecutan. Los movimientos de los personajes son de coña, pueden hacer recorridos y pegar espadazos algunos jefes de 10 metros o más, es muy exagerado y te saca un poco de la pelea.
    Me he pasado el juego con su final malo y su final "bueno" y tengo que decir que me ha aburrido mucho, creo que tendría que ser un juego con 10 horas menos, al final se me hizo pesado estar todo el rato de pelea en pelea. Me he peleado con un gorila gigante, lo mato y pelea sin cabeza, avanzando un poco más tengo que volver a pelear con otro gorila sin cabeza y otra vez con otro gorila con cabeza, no veo necesidad de ese segundo combate, simplemente está puesto como relleno y por añadir combates dobles porque ya es algo mítico que se lleva haciendo de todos los souls, pero si no tiene sentido, no mola. Pasa lo mismo más adelante, peleas con el "fantasma" de una monja y luego vuelves a enfrentarte a ella, no era necesario el primer combate, por mucho que el lore lo diga.
    Se hace pesado también ver como los boses son esponjas de vida/resistencia, muchos de los combates son simplemente combates de ritmo, atacas, atacas, defiendes, defiendes, defiendes, atacas, atacas, defiendes, defiendes, mikiri. Y así todo el rato.
    Todo esto estaría muy bien, si no fuera porque ya llevo jugando a este estilo de juegos (además de la misma empresa) durante 10 años.
    No sé, como que se me está atragantando jugar a los nuevos souls, los voy disfrutando cada vez menos y los voy viendo como un "me la suda, a ver el siguiente boss que tal está" y así continuamente.
    Quizás soy yo que ya no valgo para esto.

    Es un juego disfrutable si nunca has jugado nada de esto, y si no eres como yo seguro que también lo disfrutas mucho.    … Expand
  21. Guttenor
    Jul 17, 2021
    7
    In this game, you will be fighting bosses for most of the time - I've reached the final boss by the way. So, what about the combat? Well, you are pretty much glued face to face with your opponent for 80% of the time. Sekiro is a fighting game (with some light stealth segments).
    There are two genres of games I don't like and never have: sport games and fighting games.
    Also, there is zero    In this game, you will be fighting bosses for most of the time - I've reached the final boss by the way. So, what about the combat? Well, you are pretty much glued face to face with your opponent for 80% of the time. Sekiro is a fighting game (with some light stealth segments).
    There are two genres of games I don't like and never have: sport games and fighting games.
    Also, there is zero weapon variety which makes the combat even more lackluster.
    What a pity.
    Oh well, I'm sure FROM will be back with a great action RPG after this little misstep.

    On the positive side, the atmosphere is superb and almost have the same qualities as Dark souls and Bloodborne.    … Expand
  22. SnowProblemo
    Apr 8, 2019
    7
    Honest opinion from a FromSoftware geek. I love Dark Souls and Bloodborne. At first glance this is very similar. After putting 50+ hours and finishing the game I feel this game has very limited replayability. I was actually relieved when I was finished because the last parts were mostly frustrating boss battles and reused areas. Don't get me wrong, I love FromSoftware bosses, but I alsoHonest opinion from a FromSoftware geek. I love Dark Souls and Bloodborne. At first glance this is very similar. After putting 50+ hours and finishing the game I feel this game has very limited replayability. I was actually relieved when I was finished because the last parts were mostly frustrating boss battles and reused areas. Don't get me wrong, I love FromSoftware bosses, but I also enjoy the exploration and lore, which is scant in comparison to other Soulsborne games. Also, the absence of co-op play is a letdown and the frequent use of recycled areas, mini-bosses and even main bosses made me a bit weary. I gave a 7 because, although it's a good game, I feel it's below FromSoftware standards and after a few days of play the joy ran out, something that didn't happened so quick with their other titles.… Expand
  23. sufflaminandus
    Mar 29, 2019
    7
    Pre-release promotion material and official change of genre somehow enwrapped me into believing that Sekiro might indeed be something different from Souls series. Thankfully it was an illusion: like predecessors, Sekiro is all about combat and exploration. Though not in classical ratio.

    The genre is ‘action-adventure’ now but there are some important remnants of RPGs. ‘Souls’ are now    Pre-release promotion material and official change of genre somehow enwrapped me into believing that Sekiro might indeed be something different from Souls series. Thankfully it was an illusion: like predecessors, Sekiro is all about combat and exploration. Though not in classical ratio.

    The genre is ‘action-adventure’ now but there are some important remnants of RPGs. ‘Souls’ are now experience and money. Half of the both exp and money is irreversibly lost upon death. Exp goes into skill points needed to buy abilities: passive, conditional and active. Money is needed to trade and to upgrade prosthetic arm. Prosthetic arm is fitted with multiple tools that have numerous upgrades costing randomly dropped materials, so we can label prosthetic arm as a loose imitation of equipment progression. Character development simplified into two stats: vitalily, upgradeable by Prayer Beads found in the world, and attack power, increased upon defeating bosses. The last part is ‘healing gourd’ aka estus flask, serving and upgradeable in absolutely same manner as in DS2 and DS3. As you can see, aside from lacking of character builds, Sekiro is as RPG as DSs were RPGs (can DSs be called RPGs is another question), especially given the fact that Sekiro is still about that “think up the story yourself”, weird oddities and hidden pseudo quests.

    The problem is that the journey of taciturn shinobi Wolf in service of young lord Kuro, whose blood can bestow immortality, is plainly *less* that of any soulsborne game. It comes from two objective factors. First, and more crucial one, is limitation of the setting. It is totally understandable but still regrettable that feudal Japan, XVI age, cannot provide the same grandiose and contrast locations that purely fictional world can. I mean, typical Japanese castle filled with typical japanese houses? Snowy mountains leading to them? Grass fields? Sakuras? Too *plain*, especially compared to DS1. The only two locations that surprised me were Sunken Valley and Ashina Depths. And not because it was something unseen before, but because it was unexpected. The second factor is above mention lack of material gain in exploration. Prayer beads, gourd seeds, 8-9 tools and occasional story item is comprehensive list of worth finds. How much shorter is it compared to predecessors? (Well, note for the new players - it’s still better than countless generic text/audio logs or coins/vases/masks/ships/cups/..., which is somehow predominant gameplay device nowadays). But still, the world is seamless, big and beautiful, all in good old traditions. The ability to fall from high heights and hook oneself to distant cliffs is breathtaking. From Software was afraid to fail vertical level design but they managed it well. So is it worth exploring? Yes. Is it good? Yes. Is it the best? Not at all.

    Now for the funny part: combat. Let’s lay bare few bitter truths first: combat arts are useless, prosthetic tools are useless, stealth is a joke. By useless I mean low percentage of useful tools/arts, and complete unnecessity to use them. Stealth is helpful (especially as a first strike to mini-bosses) but secondary: if they removed it, no one would have noticed. It all comes down to deflections. You and your opponent have posture bars that is filled upon taking damage, guarding (blocking) or when your opponent timely guard your attack aka deflect. When enemy’s bar fills up shinobi is allowed to execute deathblow which instantly decacipate opponent (bosses requires several deathblows). When shinobi’s bar fills up he is stunned briefly. You still have your dodges but they will do you much less good than in DSs. Well, actually dodges is essential part of hit’n’run tactics to kill things (which is, by the way, the only path to success on higher difficulties) but my point is that deflections are the bliss. Miyazaki stated his intention was to capture the feel of "swords clashing" and it’s right here, just as he said. You attack and you deflect. Yes, it’s reflexes, yes, it’s QTE, like many player already drew comparison, but damn it’s beautiful. The feel is here and it's awesome. The mobility of Sekiro is awesome too. The great three (attack, deflect, dodge) creates a real martial flow.

    And yet we cannot toss this sad fact about Sekiro aside: most of the bosses are a reflex trainers. There are no strategic approaches, no use of head brains (unless you’re a hit'n’runner). From Software clearly intended to create a “difficult” game and wasn’t really creative about it. Some bosses are pumped with ridiculously high amount of posture/health and design of some of the others is outrightly horrible (hello, Long-arm Centipede Giraffe). The percent of useless mechanics in the game is unbecoming.

    Sekiro is “git gud” game. Exploration is still fun but locked behind reflex combat. Don’t try to be a Shadow unless it is exactly what you are looking for.    … Expand
  24. Teerhand
    Mar 23, 2019
    7
    So my review is to be seen from the standpoint of somebody who sunk well over a thousand hours into dark souls and still gets chills when he hears the opening music of dark souls 3.
    Here i am in the prologue scene of sekiro and everything looks butt ugly, and i already have to reason with myself that this has to be a good game somewhere, it´s from software we are talking about after all.    So my review is to be seen from the standpoint of somebody who sunk well over a thousand hours into dark souls and still gets chills when he hears the opening music of dark souls 3.
    Here i am in the prologue scene of sekiro and everything looks butt ugly, and i already have to reason with myself that this has to be a good game somewhere, it´s from software we are talking about after all.
    fast forward to the first couple of fights and i really don´t like the fight mechanics. remember that a parrying in dark souls is something very rewarding and takes very good timing and enemy observing, and is always a kind of a risky maneuver. this seems to be dumbed down to suit a faster combat style, but for me this got old very soon.
    verticality in this game was very promising, but works far worse than the grapling hook in the batman franchise. often times you simply won´t find a spot to graple out of danger, and even if you know where the spot is supposed to be, you sometimes can´t hit it properly.
    it´s a good game i guess, but it has nothing in common with the things i love about dark souls. the prosthetic arm is boring so far, i´m sick of the swords moveset already, and the lore doesn´t interest me so far.
    i remember when i played dark souls 1 and i was intrigued by everything, and oh man ds3 was the pinnacle. everything is so friggin mysterious, i don´t know where to start.
    sekiro on the other hand is so goddamn generic,
    you have your liege, he is some kind of dragonborn...i don´t care, been there done that man...next.

    to put this in perspective again, this is an allright game. but everybody who´s hyping it seems kinda silly to me.    … Expand
  25. Arikv2
    Mar 24, 2019
    7
    Parts of the combat system are very unreliable, and it seems they needed more refinement on their new system. This is too bad because the exploration is excellent.
  26. Ventrus
    Apr 1, 2019
    7
    In Sekiro, From Software boils down the combat of Dark Souls and Bloodborne to it’s most brutal and intimate – where constant engagement with the enemy is required to succeed. However, much of the variety and satisfaction that is typical of From’s other Souls- like games has also be been boiled away. Partly due to the setting and theme of the game, but I fear it is also because FromIn Sekiro, From Software boils down the combat of Dark Souls and Bloodborne to it’s most brutal and intimate – where constant engagement with the enemy is required to succeed. However, much of the variety and satisfaction that is typical of From’s other Souls- like games has also be been boiled away. Partly due to the setting and theme of the game, but I fear it is also because From Software are starting to believe their own hype.

    The commitment to sword fighting certainly gives Sekiro it’s own flavour and soul. You defeat enemies through strict attacks, parries and deflection usually when the enemy telegraphs a specific move. ‘Hanging Back’ or Shield/Tanking will get you murdered fast. Some encounters have large arenas but ‘giving yourself room’ will only just prolong your very certain death. Most fights require you to waltz in uncomfortably close proximity to very intimidating people – a waltz you instinctually fight against.

    Your agency as a player becomes limited once you are close enough to fight, as responses need to be very specific. This translates to reduced satisfaction – I didn’t ‘beat’ bosses so much as I responded in the required way to their actions – never really feeling like I had overcome the enemy – but was only allowed pass the area after following the enemies orders.

    At times it seems that the game is trying to be frustrating for the sake of its own rep (as opposed to increased satisfaction of victory).

    Specifically with bosses whose attack telegraphing is so subtle that it’s incredibly difficult to figure out what attack is coming in the 1 second you have to react. You need to be very active and get toe to toe with the boss, but you absolutely cannot trade blows either because your health bar is some sort of prank for those gullible enough to think it makes any difference to your survivability.

    Most boss hits will either knock off 90 percent of your entire bar, our just outright kill you. Any hit you survive will require 2 seconds to heal, an action which some bosses are programmed to leap across the arena in that very moment and immediately remove that health you just got back.

    Sekiro bloody knows this too. There is a resurrection mechanic whereby you resurrect where you died (sometimes resurrecting twice is possible depending on progress) to continue the fight. Which tells me that the developers knew how cheap death could be and added the respawn mechanic after developing the main combat to help balance things.

    I can already hear the response that this was due to the plot thread of immortality and resurrection – but that would work anyway from the fact that you can revive at a bonfire (called buddha ‘Idols’’) like other Souls-like games. The resurrection mechanic feels like a development patch.

    Sekiro seems to be heading towards another critical point of Souls-like in the form of ‘shared knowledge’ – where much of the content is discovered through communities/wikis. I found this to be much less appropriate in Sekiro because it is definitely a single player game – there’s no co-op or invasions. I’m also pretty sure I would still be stuck on some of the bosses now if I hadn’t looked up solutions.

    I thought about a time when I was playing games before I had the internet, and if I was playing Sekiro then there would be no way I’d have figured this out. And it’s not optional stuff either – its critical path main story progress.

    This is not a bad game, in fact it has many of the good quality for Froms other souls like. Great areas to explore, will designed characters and and interesting story - But it's pushing too far in the name of its own rep. The builds, magic, dodge rolling of other games is gone but not replaced with anything as substantial. The prosthetic tools are surprizingly useless as you ultimately need to play guitar hero with each encounter. There is no creativeness in success. Just tap in line with how the developers demand, to be allowed continue.

    I have not enough space to flash out specifics, but a more in dept and more or less spoiler-free review can be found on my site:

    theboilingpot dot net

    I was able to play to the end but I took so little away when comparing to Froms other games. Each encounter victory did not leave me with a quickened heart rate but with a feeling of jumping through hoops at the whim of developers who felt they needed to reach a saltiness quota.

    Sekiro is a game with alot of quality yet is never reached the impact as it otherwise may have.    … Expand
  27. SkaerKrow
    Apr 11, 2019
    7
    The most frustrating part about Sekiro isn’t the tedious combat or the numerous missed opportunities for greatness, it’s the fact that this is an unlikable game that most people will desperately WANT to enjoy. FromSoftware has delivered some amazing action RPGs in the past, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice resembles those games enough to evoke an immediate affinity. You’ll want to like thisThe most frustrating part about Sekiro isn’t the tedious combat or the numerous missed opportunities for greatness, it’s the fact that this is an unlikable game that most people will desperately WANT to enjoy. FromSoftware has delivered some amazing action RPGs in the past, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice resembles those games enough to evoke an immediate affinity. You’ll want to like this game, you’ll tell yourself that you’re having fun. Even as you slog through the mediocre, tedious gameplay, you’ll try to convince yourself that this game is just as good as (if not better than) From’s other Soulsborne games. For some people this will true, but for many the game’s numerous shortcomings and regressive elements, combined with some truly punishing difficulty, will make for a singularly unenjoyable experience that no amount of FromSoftware magic can overcome. Sekiro is a frustrating game, not because it’s hard, but because it’s a mediocre game surrounded by elements of a great game. Like wax fruit, pretty to look at, but don’t try to consume it.… Expand
  28. epicalyx
    Apr 14, 2019
    7
    The best parts of this game are when you are exploring environments, dealing with regular enemies.

    The worst parts are the innumerable mini bosses with multiple health bars that you barely do any damage to and can take you out in two hits. In fact, I find these mini bosses to be so overwhelming that I instantly look online for a strategy. I've never felt so little about cheesing a game    The best parts of this game are when you are exploring environments, dealing with regular enemies.

    The worst parts are the innumerable mini bosses with multiple health bars that you barely do any damage to and can take you out in two hits. In fact, I find these mini bosses to be so overwhelming that I instantly look online for a strategy. I've never felt so little about cheesing a game as I have for Sekiro, because Sekiro is just too much! These mini bosses are brutally unfair - spamming with damn near unavoidable moves. Each time I see one my heart sinks as I anticipate the coming war with this damn thing.

    From software makes technically poor games. Their design and premise is good, but they're rife with technical flaws that have been with us since Demon's Souls and really should have been fixed by now. Input lag, bad lock-on, superfluous loading, attacks through walls, poor AI pathing, misleading conversation prompts, bad inventory management and so on. The point is, that if the design and balance isn't good then the game comes out very poor.

    It's all about balance. Whilst not a souls game, Sekiro clearly uses a modified version of the same engine behind bloodborne and DS3, and as such retains a lot of "soulsborne" feel whilst dropping a lot of the RPG mechanics of prior games - leaving the combat as the main focus of the game. This leaves you with only one way to "do" things - the way from intended - if you try your own strategy against a boss then you're just going to be punished. You have to deflect this guy or counter that guy, but you cannot dodge or run around as they have moves to punish that. So the entire game ends up being a parry fest, and you eat death after death until you find out the pattern for this boss and then do it all over again half an hour later.

    Excuse me for finding this infuriating.    … Expand
  29. disturbed1264
    Apr 21, 2019
    7
    Sekiro is a good game, certainly not a great game. A huge step back from dark souls and bloodborne. The lack of effort in this creation is very evident, disgraceful when you start replaying areas on the first
    playthrough.
  30. makarparshin
    Apr 24, 2019
    7
    The game is good, beautiful truth, bagannaya bit.

    But this does not negate the fact that it is very atmospheric. And hardcore is only deeper, plunges into the world of the game. This is something else between Dark Souls and the bloodborne. Very fit! But for now I’ll give her a grade of 7/10 because I didn’t play it but I’ll play soon, I assure you. Well, do not forget that this    The game is good, beautiful truth, bagannaya bit.

    But this does not negate the fact that it is very atmospheric.
    And hardcore is only deeper, plunges into the world of the game.

    This is something else between Dark Souls and the bloodborne. Very fit!
    But for now I’ll give her a grade of 7/10 because I didn’t play it but I’ll play soon, I assure you.

    Well, do not forget that this is an example.
    And so the game can be at all 10/10
    Believe me!!!    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PS4 Game of 2019
5
#5 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019
5
#5 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 77 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 76 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 77
  3. Negative: 1 out of 77
  1. RPGamer
    Dec 17, 2024
    90
    Overall, Sekiro is defined by its riveting, challenging, and ultimately highly rewarding gameplay. Stemming from simplicity but giving a wide variety of different combat options, few games come close to matching the exhilarating rush that Sekiro’s best moments provide. Exploring its atmospherically engrossing levels is a treat, from a visual, musical, and atmospheric standpoint. Even if exploration and character storylines are sometimes hampered by Dragonrot, repeatedly severing the immortality of bosses with brutal “Shinobi Executions” and discovering the ritual secrets of eternal life offers a captivating experience that stands out as one of FromSoftware’s best and most distinctive titles.
    Read full review
  2. Gamers' Temple
    May 15, 2019
    90
    Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an enjoyable, yet deeply challenging game. It's not really a Dark Souls with samurais game, but whether or not you enjoyed the difficulty level of the battles in Dark Souls will be a good benchmark in gauging how much you'll like Sekiro. If you're persistent, up for a challenge, and don't become frustrated easily, then Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an easy game to recommend.
    Read full review
  3. Daily Star
    Apr 28, 2019
    100
    Though Sekiro feels impossibly hard at times, the level of euphoria you experience when delivering a death blow to a tricky boss or when you finally clear a castle grounds of all enemies is almost unparalleled.
    Read full review
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