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. 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
  2. Phrett
    Apr 13, 2019
    4
    Once you get past the fairly above-average art direction, this game is nothing more than Simon... with a flashier outfit. The combat system forces you into very restricted playstyles, and there's not much variety or replayability.
  3. nostormo
    Apr 12, 2019
    10
    I have never been a hardcore gamer wanted to play on the hardest difficulty and do all what game have to offer. Played 4/5 Bloodborne, Finished Dark Souls 1 & 2 with a little grinding and work. Sekiro has changed my mind. Satisfaction, when I defeat a boss or hard sub-boss in Sekiro, is gratifying. Gives me a feeling of achievement and satisfaction. Even the mobs or when methodically II have never been a hardcore gamer wanted to play on the hardest difficulty and do all what game have to offer. Played 4/5 Bloodborne, Finished Dark Souls 1 & 2 with a little grinding and work. Sekiro has changed my mind. Satisfaction, when I defeat a boss or hard sub-boss in Sekiro, is gratifying. Gives me a feeling of achievement and satisfaction. Even the mobs or when methodically I pick and deathblow enemies one by one. Do not watch videos just play the game. The game is surprising, enemies inventive and requires thinking and strategy. If you can't beat some boss or enemy...try harder there is always the way and you got means to do that. Sekiro is all about skill, practice and finding the right way to do it. Gameplay is almost perfect and satisfying, the world is fantastic, graphics are excellent and perfectly accompanies atmosphere and tone of the game. The sound is brilliant and you can even relly to time deflect or attack on sound alone. As a seasoned player with playing games on a daily basis from 1986 (i know I am 47 old gamer and hope it will continue to be :) ) Sekiro has brought me to another level and made me the person that wants to hone skills until I am a Master of Sekiro. Hands down FromSoft - Sekiro for me is masterpiece!… Expand
  4. Gohax
    Apr 12, 2019
    9
    SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE took me so much time to finish just because of the hard bosses especially the final one which was a huge pain to kill anyway this game is just one of the best from software games there is just because of the fact that there is no co op like in dark souls or bloodborne so the game is ten times harder because there is no help which i like because it makes you trySEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE took me so much time to finish just because of the hard bosses especially the final one which was a huge pain to kill anyway this game is just one of the best from software games there is just because of the fact that there is no co op like in dark souls or bloodborne so the game is ten times harder because there is no help which i like because it makes you try harder and appreciate the bosses you defeat the story is kinda basic and not your main focus but it is cool in a way also using shields or dodging is basically instant death in this game you have to learn how to parry because only then you can defeat your opponents

    pros:
    - graphics are amazing

    - the adding of stealth is awesome you can kill enemies from the shadows and ease your game play

    -the fact that this game is a lot harder makes me proud because its all about skill now and you cant cheese bosses with your co op friends

    -the adding of the prosthetic tools is awesome there are ten of them and each one is cool at its own way

    -bosses are really awesome and most of them are really cool tributes to the bosses from the soulborne games

    -the more agile approach from software took with this game is awesome your character is more agile and flexible unlike the the previous ones your character can double jump slide crouch basically giving him a big advantage in battle

    -the whole revive mechanic is really cool and i really dig the here's a second chance now go finish your opponent off

    - the skill tree system is a cool add on it really gives you more edge in battle as you unlock more skills the more you progress in the game

    -areas are really beautiful looking and you can really see from softwares style shining

    cons:

    - i don't know if its me but it kinda bothered me that you cant create your own character and you gotta play with the one that the game gives you i really love the character creator in the previous games

    -the fact that you only have one sword although later obtaining another one that's it for your weapons yes there are prosthetic tools but its a bummer there is no greatswords axes and other weapons in the game and its just get used to this katana because its your only weapon of choice

    - the areas where there are new bosses feel a little bit recycled like for example you can fight different bosses in the same area which is kinda lame because in dark souls every boss has its own map and area so in this game to put bosses in the same areas where you killed other ones feel a little bit lame for me

    - why does it take spirit emblems ( your ammo) to use your second sword that you unlock later in the game i understand its spouse to be really strong and you cant use it a lot but still it felt like you obtain this sword for only a small number of enemies and that's it kinda lame if you ask me

    - the fact that the game punishes you if you die a lot by giving your characters dragon rot (basically cancer) and you cant do quests with them is really annoying i understand them wanting you to die less but still its really not fair at the beginning at least the game does give you a cure that you can buy from different vendors but still the whole system is annoying and dumb in my opinion

    in conclusion:
    this game is really hard and rewarding it took me a whole month to finish it only because of how hard it was even more then dark soui's and bloodborne if i might say this game is one of the best from software titles i played and my final score to this game is a nine out of ten and i do recommend it if you like the soulsborne series and you want a harder game to play    … Expand
  5. SOLIDSNAKEN64
    Apr 12, 2019
    10
    Best Fromsoft game I have played! I really enjoyed the Japanese sitting, and i was happy to see that they decided to add story cut scenes compared to BB that left me wanting more story. The graphics are the best I've scene from fromsoft, alot of the environments are beautiful to look at and I enjoyed discovering every book and cranny. The gameplay is tight and fluid, was nice not toBest Fromsoft game I have played! I really enjoyed the Japanese sitting, and i was happy to see that they decided to add story cut scenes compared to BB that left me wanting more story. The graphics are the best I've scene from fromsoft, alot of the environments are beautiful to look at and I enjoyed discovering every book and cranny. The gameplay is tight and fluid, was nice not to worry about stamina. The cam was good enough there was times that it got wonky on me which was probably my biggest complaint. I really like the fact that they let let you remap the button layout which made it alot easier to customize my playstyle. Sekiro is definitely a hard ass but very rewarding, but not impossible to beat. The only real hangups I had was with the final boss which probably took me 10 hours to beat so definitely **** that jerk. Overall the game took me like 50 hours to finish and i beat most the bosses and got 3 of the endings. If you want a challenge pick up sekiro!… Expand
  6. Josiah425
    Apr 11, 2019
    10
    Miyazaki has created his best IP yet. The Souls series was my favorite gaming series by far, but Sekiro came and somehow managed to be a few levels higher than any Souls game. There is only one thing I enjoy more about the Souls game over Sekiro, the variable worlds you explore in Dark Souls are among the best in video games. Sekiro has less variety in terms of land scape, but man isMiyazaki has created his best IP yet. The Souls series was my favorite gaming series by far, but Sekiro came and somehow managed to be a few levels higher than any Souls game. There is only one thing I enjoy more about the Souls game over Sekiro, the variable worlds you explore in Dark Souls are among the best in video games. Sekiro has less variety in terms of land scape, but man is the gameplay superior in every way.

    Sekiro manages to have one of the best progressions in any game I've played. Defeating each boss teaches you new mechanics in the game and familiarizes you with how the combat works. Each boss is a step up from the last all the way up until the end of the game.

    Let's talk about the combat, how has no other game had a posture style combat system before? This seems like it should be the standard for a sword fighting game. Sekiro gives you three options when it comes to killing enemies, stealth, vitality hits on person, and building up posture by supplying a lot of blows that aren't direct hits and parrying at the right time to stagger your enemy for a death blow. This posture system is so good I am shocked no games done it before (at least as far as I'm aware). There are really 8 key parts to combat besides the three ways to kill, there is blocking / parrying slashes / parying thrusts / attacking / jump kicking / prosthetic use / deflecting lightning back at the opponent / and dodging grabs and other unparryable / blockable moves. Each enemy gives you a split second to decide which of these 8 things you want to do at any given time, some bosses have combos that can combo with any other one of their combos allowing for near infinite combability. This means some bosses require to learn every individual combo and be able to identify which combo is coming up on the fly because bosses could use 2 or 3 combos directly in a row. This kind of fast play makes it feel too good when you pull it off and makes you want to master it to do so.

    In FromSoft fashion we also have plenty of secret areas to explore and numerous bosses / minibosses that are optional. I look forward to DLC and more games in this IP to come, it has become my favorite for sure.    … Expand
  7. OKE27
    Apr 11, 2019
    9
    I love soulborne series, I can be very bias on this one. The disappointing part for me is it does not have multiplayer mode. It isn't like someone say the hardest game ever made, honestly I think Mario is harder than this game.
  8. Pathfinder37
    Apr 11, 2019
    9
    People who buy this need to understand that it's a story-driven action game, not an rpg. It's a story about a shinobi with the power of resurrection, saving his master. That means there is no character creation, no character builds, and you must play as one person in the same clothes all game. Imagine ninja gaiden iwith a souls twist. Blocking, while it works, is much less effective thanPeople who buy this need to understand that it's a story-driven action game, not an rpg. It's a story about a shinobi with the power of resurrection, saving his master. That means there is no character creation, no character builds, and you must play as one person in the same clothes all game. Imagine ninja gaiden iwith a souls twist. Blocking, while it works, is much less effective than parrying, LIKE AN ACTION GAME WOULD DO. This is an action game. not an rpg. You get permanent damage buffs when you beat main bosses, so don't worry about dying. Your healing flasks are permanant so don't worry about dying. Your skill points and money that level up skill trees can be grinded back in 5 minutes SO THERE IS NO REAL PENALTY FOR DYING. you know why? BECAUSE IT'S AN ACTION GAME. LIKE NINJA GAIDEN. IF YOU GOT YOUR BUTT KICKED IN NINJA GAIDEN THEN YOU DO THE RUN AGAIN. yes, this game is an endurance test. like ninja gaiden. the action game.… Expand
  9. 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
  10. needtohavefun
    Apr 10, 2019
    4
    Ridiculous difficultly. Not as in " you need to practice to get better" difficulty, but the "you must memorize poorly constructed button inputs" difficult that makes the game less fun.
  11. tmillet2017
    Apr 10, 2019
    10
    From Software has done it again. In my opinion, no developer better delivers the tense, heart-pounding, yet rewarding action that From Software has provided in each of its major titles over the last decade. Is it challenging? Absolutely. However, at the same time it is extremely fair. If you die, it wasn't due to bad luck, it was due to your poor performance. The game requires you toFrom Software has done it again. In my opinion, no developer better delivers the tense, heart-pounding, yet rewarding action that From Software has provided in each of its major titles over the last decade. Is it challenging? Absolutely. However, at the same time it is extremely fair. If you die, it wasn't due to bad luck, it was due to your poor performance. The game requires you to brush yourself off, get back up, and try again with the knowledge you just gained. I prefer games that respect my intelligence and ability, while making available all the tools and hints I need to piece together a strategy to overcome a difficult situation. Sekiro does exactly that.

    I've spent approximately 30 hours or so in the game and have achieved one of several endings. I'm already looking forward to jumping back in for a second run to find everything I may have missed the first time around. Since this is not a full-fledged RPG like previous titles, customization is not at as high, which may hurt replay value some. However, it still provides excellent enemy variation, skill trees, and prosthetic tool upgrades to spice things up. The story is much more defined. The world and level design is incredible, as you'd expect from From Software.

    Ultimately, it's an incredible game. However, if you don't like challenging games or are a person that gets frustrated easily, you might be better off steering clear of this game. Or i'd at least make sure you have Youtube handy to find tutorial videos as needed.    … Expand
  12. 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
  13. MrFlankster
    Apr 10, 2019
    5
    It was great until Genechiro Ashina. I fought him 103 times. I can't get past him. I consider myself great at Demon/Dark Souls, Bloodbourne, and Nioh. This has gotten obonixious.

    The great thing about FromSoftware is that they have always made their games EXTREMELY challenge, but never punished the player. There was always a feeling of accomplishment what FS games when you finally    It was great until Genechiro Ashina. I fought him 103 times. I can't get past him. I consider myself great at Demon/Dark Souls, Bloodbourne, and Nioh. This has gotten obonixious.

    The great thing about FromSoftware is that they have always made their games EXTREMELY challenge, but never punished the player. There was always a feeling of accomplishment what FS games when you finally beat that boss you really had to work toward beating. THAT HAS CHANGED. If you get better and defending, you get punished. They speed up the patterns. You learn that, and they give a delay in your reaction times when buttons are pressed. I thought this was all in my head. Apparently, I'm not the only one that has figured this out.

    I'm severely disappointed in this one. I feel like its a giant MIDDLE finger to devoted fans. There is so much potential, but please don't punish devoted fans. I love FS games of past because they break up the monotony of the same ol' same ol', but come on.

    The only reason I give it a 5 and not lower is because there are moments of greatness, but they need to balance out some of the boss battles.    … Expand
  14. Puike
    Apr 10, 2019
    10
    This game is what Video Games used to be. It builds up your skill to overcome the challenges it presents. Can't wait for From Software next game implementing what they have learned from Sekiro.
  15. Prenner
    Apr 10, 2019
    10
    Easily the best souls-like ever made, the combat is finally the way I wanted it, bosses are **** dope, aesthetic is amazing, story is way better than anything before it, traversal is awesome, the best souls-like to date. People giving this game a low score are just bad at it, how can you judge a game by YOUR skill rather than what the game brings? Doesn't make sense, its not a review ofEasily the best souls-like ever made, the combat is finally the way I wanted it, bosses are **** dope, aesthetic is amazing, story is way better than anything before it, traversal is awesome, the best souls-like to date. People giving this game a low score are just bad at it, how can you judge a game by YOUR skill rather than what the game brings? Doesn't make sense, its not a review of your personal skills, its a review of the game.… Expand
  16. GodianX
    Apr 9, 2019
    2
    Версия для PS4 крайне ужасная. Множество игроков данной консоли по окончанию моего отзыва могут сказать: "Не знаю о чем ты говоришь, у нас такого не было". А все просто, они не видели и не играли в версию на PC. Игра строится полностью на таймингах, даже если ты увернулся по анимации, но не попал в тайминг, то противник тебе все-равно нанесет урон. И я не говорю об автонаводке, об огре иВерсия для PS4 крайне ужасная. Множество игроков данной консоли по окончанию моего отзыва могут сказать: "Не знаю о чем ты говоришь, у нас такого не было". А все просто, они не видели и не играли в версию на PC. Игра строится полностью на таймингах, даже если ты увернулся по анимации, но не попал в тайминг, то противник тебе все-равно нанесет урон. И я не говорю об автонаводке, об огре и сломанных хитбоксах. Я говорю о таймингах. Не успел нажать нужную кнопку в отведенные пол секунды, значит ты проиграл. Так вот, представьте. В вас летит катана, вы нажимаете на парирование и тут фпс дропается. На немного, но этого достаточно, чтобы игра не засчитала нажатия. Я два дня пытался вынести финального босса на PS4 и не выходило. И после десятков попыток полных ненависти к импут лагу в этой игре, я решил поставить на PC. И в итоге я вынес финального босса на компе с пятой попытки
    А теперь кратко о минусах и плюсах данной игры, и да оценка 2/10 - это только на PS4, игре в целом я бы дал 7/10.
    Плюсы:
    1. Атмосфера. Играть только с японской озвучкой. Иначе атмосфера будет слабее.
    2. Боевка, да она однообразная и сложная пока ее не освоишь, но от нее получаешь удовольствие.
    3. Последняя открываемая локация при не казуальных концовках великолепна.
    4. Геометрия уровней, их хочется изучать, но..
    Минусы.
    1. Изучать их смысла нет, игра не дает интересных предметов, элементов одежды, которые бы раскрывали игру, как это было в других играх мастера. Ты будешь получать лишь бусты и камешки...
    2. Музыкальное сопровождение однообразное и не запоминается.
    3. Нет эпичности, лишь один босс удивил.
    4. Крайне мало боссов
    5. Минимальная грань между боссами и минибоссами. Вначале игры минибосы намного сложнее боссов
    6. Фарм, я не понимаю почему в этой игре нет микротранзакций с ресурсами для улучшений и деньгами. Ибо баланс идеально построен под фарм. Если хочешь открыть все навыки и протезы, добро пожаловать в часы зачистки тех же самых локаций.
    7. Протез, его применение - это дело вкуса. Но его минус в другом. Эмблемы духа могут закончиться на финальных боссах и тогда нужно возвращаться к 6 пункту.
    8. Навыки, из них полезные для перового прохождения лишь 1/3 остальные дают минимальный прирост к полезности, либо его можно вообще не заметить.
    9. Лор - он минимальный. Эту игру точно фромсофтвере делали?
    10. Сюжет. Лютая банальщина.
    11. Камера. Шел 2019 год, товарищи японцы не знают, что при приближении к стене персонажа, ее надо делать прозрачной, а не переводить игру с третьего лица в "первое".
    И знаете, при том сколько я перечислил минусов, данной игре на PC я бы поставил 7/10. Так как от игры можно получить удовольствие и насладиться ею.    … Expand
  17. DamyanDG10
    Apr 9, 2019
    9
    As a newbie to the Souls genre I must say - Sekiro is a great game overall !
    Didnt expect it to go that way, I was about to leave it 2 hours into the game after dying for the 30th time, just like i did with Bloodborne.. This game tho I find quite interesting with the fight mechanics, story, progression, art style, setting, high replay value, multiple endings, and even tho I died no less    As a newbie to the Souls genre I must say - Sekiro is a great game overall !
    Didnt expect it to go that way, I was about to leave it 2 hours into the game after dying for the 30th time, just like i did with Bloodborne.. This game tho I find quite interesting with the fight mechanics, story, progression, art style, setting, high replay value, multiple endings, and even tho I died no less than 500-600 times i finished it enjoying it all the way.
    I hear Sekiro is the hardest of all the Souls games and Bloodborne, which is funny cuz Bloodborne almost made me go mad for two days until I deleted it. Sekiro is fair to the gamer, giving him chance to stay a bit longer until loving it for what it is.
    Artistically it is quite beautiful with all the places having their own unique charisma, all the enemies and bosses are done really good too.
    Only negative i can say is the camera that goes nuts in tight spaces and locked enemies or worse - bosses unlock from your stance and go HAM on you...
    Gameplay is enjoyable with the Deathblows being quite the fun.
    I would definitely recommend Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
    - from a new FromSoftware fan    … Expand
  18. Ryhelia
    Apr 9, 2019
    10
    Another home run from From Software. Some of these negative reviews are absurd. One person complained that there are no "wall stealth kills" and rated the game a 0. There ARE wall stealth kills. You have to hug the wall and wait for the exact moment the red dot flashes.
  19. Anersan
    Apr 9, 2019
    9
    This game might not be for everyone, but I'm really enjoying it. The difficulty definitely requires some getting used to, but once it clicks and you understand the mechanics it makes the fights so much more enjoyable. It's one of the few recent games that rewards patience and practice very well.
  20. cottandy
    Apr 9, 2019
    9
    The most annoying game, I have ever played. And the controls are most uncomfortable.
    And at the same time, it's good.
    But return my nerves.
  21. Illumi_Zoldyck
    Apr 9, 2019
    10
    Wow. Just wow. They really nailed it this time. Combat is tight, fluid, rewarding. The world is breathtaking and exploration is engaging, exciting and tense.

    If there is anything I miss it is customizing the appearance of my character, finding clothing and armor is a lot of fun, and something I would have enjoyed even in this game. All in all, Sekiro is an amazing accomplishment. It    Wow. Just wow. They really nailed it this time. Combat is tight, fluid, rewarding. The world is breathtaking and exploration is engaging, exciting and tense.

    If there is anything I miss it is customizing the appearance of my character, finding clothing and armor is a lot of fun, and something I would have enjoyed even in this game.

    All in all, Sekiro is an amazing accomplishment. It has quickly, yet safely, become one of my favorite games of all time (especially if I put down my nostalgia glasses). I admire the bravery of FromSoftware to dare stepping out of the mold, trying something new and completely owning it. Well done, and thank you!    … Expand
  22. lgndsgn
    Apr 9, 2019
    6
    I don't think Sekiro is bad, I just beat the game, but... I can't give it anything past a 6 simply because it's.... well, mediocre (for FromSoft). As much as I wanted to fall in love with this game I have to admit that Bloodborne is better in almost every way. The story was extremely predictable though I won't explain exactly why b/c I don't want to spoil it for you. It's basically theI don't think Sekiro is bad, I just beat the game, but... I can't give it anything past a 6 simply because it's.... well, mediocre (for FromSoft). As much as I wanted to fall in love with this game I have to admit that Bloodborne is better in almost every way. The story was extremely predictable though I won't explain exactly why b/c I don't want to spoil it for you. It's basically the equivalent of mario trying to save/protect the princess. The game just didn't captivate me... like at all. I never had a sense of wonder and excitement or FEAR in seeing what's next like I did with BB. The fear is artificial. It's "oh great, another tedious battle". I remember when people were speculating that the game would have a crazy horror twist and that got me excited, unfortunately the game has none of this. Only 1 enemy in the whole game was a little creepy. The combat, while fun for a while, becomes boring. You're given ONE play style for the entire game. You get prosthetic tools but, honestly... you DON'T REALLY USE THEM. Parrying is what you'll be doing 99% of the time. I almost never used prosthetics or items the entire game.

    As far as the difficulty goes, a lot of it just comes from learning how to block/parry and timing. If you suck at reflexes this game you will struggle. But you WILL get better (if you want to progress). In fact I found the game to be in general EASIER than BB or DS. The ONLY area that is harder are certain bosses which took me more tries than some BB or DS bosses. Regular enemies and mini-bosses become trivial once you learn how to parry, block and respond to perilous attacks. There were a lot of poorly designed bosses... really glaring ways to cheese but also repetitive in nature. You will fight the same type of "boss" multiple times throughout the game. Also, Mini-bosses get in the way of the suspense and build up to a big boss. A lot of times you fight a mini-boss RIGHT BEFORE a big boss. But it just feels like 2 boss fights in a row. And all the bosses have a lot of health, which just FEELS tedious, but again... the game really isn't that hard, just reflex-intensive. So you will be doing constant parrying and attacking along with quicktime-like events for perilous attacks.

    Sekiro overall feels uninspired. Like it was lacking the soul that DS and BB have. Part of the reason for this is they reused so many elements from BB and DS that nothing seemed new. The only new aspect was the combat. Many enemies and locations are direct re-skins of previous enemies/locations in other FromSoft games. The story reuses certain plot-lines and styles.

    What bugs me the most is that very little is "memorable". The NPCs and their quests, the boss fights, the locations, or the atmosphere. It's all just mediocre, feels too safe. And I hate saying this b/c the game is automatically better than most games, b/c it is a FromSoft game afterall. But don't we want something that will blow us away like Bloodborne? BB was a perfect example of how to keep the Dark Souls formula but mix it up with genius storytelling and exciting gameplay in a new dark/mysterious universe. Unfortunately, Sekiro just doesn't match this "leap" as well.

    OK so what do I think they could have done to improve this? Allow us to loot weapons/armor. Add more RPG elements. Give us the ability to change how or character looks, what they wear. Adding multiplayer or something chalice dungeons to help replay-ability. Give us REAL reason to use prosthetics and weapon arts. The weapon arts and prosthetics are rarely used aside from early on in the game on rare enemies. Create a story that is more subtle/interesting/creative/unique. Make the story darker, more gritty; improve the atmosphere. That said, i don't think it's awful. It's still better than a TON of games out there. But it really doesn't meet the quality that Bloodborne put out there. And that's the big problem in a nutshell.    … Expand
  23. xBonet
    Apr 8, 2019
    10
    Game of the year!!!!! a masterpiece from From Software. Its difficult in a beginning, but when you understand the mechanic of the game, its just another souls games. I love it.
  24. LeCarbonator
    Apr 8, 2019
    8
    I went into this game expecting to be able to play through it without worries, since I played all 4 Soulsborne games. I was wrong ... very wrong.

    The combat is punishing, requires you to constantly be aware of your health, posture and the health of enemies. It is like Dark Souls, but it isn't. The parkour and stealth aspects allow you to skip enemies if you please, or you can rush in    I went into this game expecting to be able to play through it without worries, since I played all 4 Soulsborne games. I was wrong ... very wrong.

    The combat is punishing, requires you to constantly be aware of your health, posture and the health of enemies. It is like Dark Souls, but it isn't. The parkour and stealth aspects allow you to skip enemies if you please, or you can rush in and deflect your way through with fast-paced, intense combat.

    Unlike Soulsborne, it also has a very vibrant colour palette to it. While there aren't many areas that stick out significantly, the various green and sometimes pink mixed into the gray, dark environments that FROM used to make really help motivate you to continue on, no matter how often you fail at a boss. And as usual, the end boss is really great.

    However, I should point out that if you don't have a lot of patience, this game is NOT for you. Memorizing a moveset from a boss takes time and effort. And you will die a lot.

    Sadly, one of the downsides is that this game lacks replay value. If you want to get all trophies, you will have to either play through the game 5+ times or grind. I felt like the NG+ and further became worse and worse throughout the series, with Dark Souls 3 only changing item locations. In Sekiro, it only affects items that can increase your health or healing items, the rest stay the same. This combined with the lack of different builds made me despise playing through NG+4 in order to get the last trophy needed.    … Expand
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. ardademirel1990
    Apr 8, 2019
    8
    this games are supposed to be challenging. Thats why they are great pieces of art. However throughout the game there are moments where it gets from hard to f*cking bullsh*t. Especially the last boss! I was expecting to conclude my experience by facing off with a worthy opponent but i was forced to fight against a guy with four phases (its third one being the hardest off all game). Afterthis games are supposed to be challenging. Thats why they are great pieces of art. However throughout the game there are moments where it gets from hard to f*cking bullsh*t. Especially the last boss! I was expecting to conclude my experience by facing off with a worthy opponent but i was forced to fight against a guy with four phases (its third one being the hardest off all game). After numerous tries when I defeated Ishhin there wasnt the feeling of triumph but just relief that the game was finally over. All in all Sekiro is a fine and polished game however at some parts it takes its difficulty to extremes therefore ruining the games memory.… Expand
  29. Quina
    Apr 8, 2019
    8
    How to enjoy Sekiro:
    1. Deflect
    2. Deflect 3. Realise that this is NOT a soulsborne game 4. DEFLECT As a huge soulsborne player, after Dark Souls 3 I was actually aching for something new by FromSoft, and that's what I got. Sekiro takes the learnings from the recent FromSoft games and makes them into a classic stealth-action game with a twist. It repeatedly puts the player in    How to enjoy Sekiro:
    1. Deflect
    2. Deflect
    3. Realise that this is NOT a soulsborne game
    4. DEFLECT

    As a huge soulsborne player, after Dark Souls 3 I was actually aching for something new by FromSoft, and that's what I got. Sekiro takes the learnings from the recent FromSoft games and makes them into a classic stealth-action game with a twist. It repeatedly puts the player in positions where you feel absolutely hopeless in defeating a boss/miniboss, but through trial and error and not giving up (and 'getting gud') it is eventually possible, and success feels like sweet sweet FromSoft goodness. Graphics and designs are top notch of course.

    Why is this not a 10? Music is a meh. I was hoping for a lot more replayability. Sadly there are not many varieties to play Sekiro in terms of builds etc. Combat arts would have potential for this, but sadly they are mostly underwhelming.

    FromSoft shines when they make a new type of game, new world, new IP. We saw it with Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne and now we're seeing it with Sekiro. Great game.    … Expand
  30. jrskub
    Apr 7, 2019
    10
    Absolutely loved Sekiro. In the from soft pantheon, I would it put it behind Bloodborne and Dark souls 1, but that is likely based on nostalgia. I truly enjoyed how this game forced me to learn. There are no summons, no over powering your character, and no obvious methods of cheesing tough encounters (they are definitely still there if you look though). I haven't felt this kind ofAbsolutely loved Sekiro. In the from soft pantheon, I would it put it behind Bloodborne and Dark souls 1, but that is likely based on nostalgia. I truly enjoyed how this game forced me to learn. There are no summons, no over powering your character, and no obvious methods of cheesing tough encounters (they are definitely still there if you look though). I haven't felt this kind of personal progression since my first encounter with dark souls 1.… Expand
  31. fallacies
    Apr 7, 2019
    9
    I'm giving it a 9 but I' rounding up from 8.5. I'm admittedly a FromSoft fanboy and this is an incredible game so it paints me to not give a perfect score, but the game has some flaws.

    First off, it's too hard. I beat it so I can say that. Beating certain bosses involves a lot of what some people would call "practice" and "skill" but what I call "memorizing attack patterns". It's hard    I'm giving it a 9 but I' rounding up from 8.5. I'm admittedly a FromSoft fanboy and this is an incredible game so it paints me to not give a perfect score, but the game has some flaws.

    First off, it's too hard. I beat it so I can say that. Beating certain bosses involves a lot of what some people would call "practice" and "skill" but what I call "memorizing attack patterns". It's hard in ways that seem unfair too like enemies just one or two-shotting you despite having all the health power-ups you can find, or hitboxes not being accurate.

    One problem I have with the combat, which arguably is my own problem and not the game's is that there are multiple types of unblockable attacks that have different ways of defending against, but they all flash the same red symbol on top of the enemy. You're supposed to react by reading the enemy attack animation, but now there is a big bright red symbol to distract you from what you're supposed to be looking at. That symbol more often than not just caused me to panic and press the wrong button knowing that the game doesn't give you a much time to react. And if you respond too early, like after seeing the symbol but before the right time in the animation, it can cause you to run right into the enemy's weapon.

    Another unreasonable thing I find about the difficulty is that some fights are more about inventory management and knowing how and when to use certain items than they are about practicing and refining your skill. There is a mechanic called "Terror" which builds up like poison or burn, but instead of draining your health when your meter is full, you just die no matter how much health you have. Certain enemy attacks will take a lot of your health and most of your terror meter, so if you get hit twice and don't heal as well as sedate yourself in between, that's game over. And if the boss uses terror attacks, there's a good chance you'll need another special item to do a significant amount of damage to them, and it's still going to be a tough fight. That means you'll probably have to farm items once you've died enough times.

    Enemy AI is pretty bad. They don't notice bodies on the floor, and they completely forget about you once you've left their field of vision for a few seconds. This is how a lot of stealth games work, but it feels out of place here where everything else is so difficult. I suspect they had to dumb down the AI or the game would have just been impossible. Maybe if it weren't so hard to begin with then the stealth could have been balanced better. This is all just speculation. Maybe AI just is bad because this style game is completely uncharted territory for FromSoft. There are also parts where enemies will fight each other, which is really entertaining, but you can wander into areas where they are standing right beside each other and haven't seen each other yet. The AI is probably the most objectively flawed thing in the game whereas other things are perhaps just sour grapes from the difficulty.

    Traversal is fun but also feels unpolished at times. There are areas where you're supposed to access, and areas you're not, and it's hard to distinguish between them other than to just realize that your double jump or ledge grab isn't working. Sometimes you can reach areas you shouldn't which leads to other problems. Other time's you can't grab ledges that seem like the perfect thing to grab. I'm being a bit fickle here but I'm just trying to get all the bad stuff out of the way.

    As is to be expected from this developer the level design is unparalleled. Adding stealth mechanics to such a well thought out world is a brilliant combination. There is something very rewarding about finding the optimal path to take, and there is usually multiple ways to traverse.

    The storytelling is fantastic, all the bits of lore hidden and sprinkled throughout are so rewarding to discover. FromSoft knows they are good storytellers because they have you explore and complete quests, and reward you with items that do nothing more than unlock new dialogue from certain characters that provide a bit more insight into the story. Any other game you'd expect some weapon upgrade for your efforts, but Sekiro pulls it off because it is so immersive and wrapped in mystery that you want information more than anything.

    I know I had some bad things to say about the combat, but the posture system really is a creative approach and the timing based combat is really fun and rewarding to get good at, though not for the faint of heart or someone without a lot of time and energy to devote. There's a lot of really cool enemies with unique fighting styles. And there's a lot of fighting styles you can learn too. Fine upgrade content with the prosthetic arm as well.

    Visually, the game is breathtaking. The boss battles are so diverse and creative though i still have ptsd from some. The voice acting is really great too. This game should be an 11 out of 10 but the flaws I mentioned add up.    … Expand
  32. Peterheck
    Apr 7, 2019
    8
    A breath of fresh air for a longtime dark souls and bloodborne fan. The combat is a lot more refined, the story and the narrative are a lot more cohesive without losing the air of familiar intrigue. Each and every boss will test your understanding of the game's new and intricate mechanics and won't let you through until you master them.

    Unlike soulsborne the same strategy will not work    A breath of fresh air for a longtime dark souls and bloodborne fan. The combat is a lot more refined, the story and the narrative are a lot more cohesive without losing the air of familiar intrigue. Each and every boss will test your understanding of the game's new and intricate mechanics and won't let you through until you master them.

    Unlike soulsborne the same strategy will not work on every encounter i.e hit dodge/block then hit again. Most fights feel like actual battles to the death as you read your opponent's move and counter attack accordingly. It's exciting and fresh because i don't have a stamina meter to babysit all the time and can focus entirely on finding my adversarie's weakness and exploiting it, y'know like an actual sword fight.

    But then again there is no multiplayer so you can't call for help if you're stuck which i understand can lead to fraustration. Also you can't farm souls to become overpowered becuase you get experince instead that you use to unlock cool skills to utilise in combat. But honestly? The basic sword parry and the mikiri counter will be what you will be using all the time but you can use the skills if you want to look cool and spice it up from time to time.

    Also yeah i know f@#$ me for being a filthy console peasant but at least optimise the framerate a little bit so i don't fall to my death.
    Also the stealth gameplay is awsome and very useful in a lot of situations but it's a bit... wonky. Sometime the enemies can't detect you when you're running around right under their nose, other times they immediatly know your exact location because your a$$ hair was poking out of cover a bit.

    One last thing i loved about this game is the breathtaking world design! Except this time you can freely climb and jump around most of it thanks to the brilliant grapple hook mechanic. The soubdtrack is also as good as the soulsborne series, nuff said.

    Overall, fantastic game. Not flawless but well worth the money and time. Not exactly a soulsborne sequel but it doesn't have to be. Dark souls and bloodborne are not going anywhere, you can play them as much as you like. It was a good desicion for Fromsoft to try their hands at something new and fresh for a change, and diehard fans like me are better off for it.    … Expand
  33. VmsCritic
    Apr 7, 2019
    8
    This is my 3rd From Software game. I've played in PS4 DK3, Bloodborne and now Sekiro. I must also say I've also played Nioh. Sekiro has an unique mechanic for the From Software genre, it has a nice story, around 50 bosses if you count with mini bosses, great sword fighting moments. The most impressive is the way Sekiro style moves through the history, it begins as a Medieval Japan in War,This is my 3rd From Software game. I've played in PS4 DK3, Bloodborne and now Sekiro. I must also say I've also played Nioh. Sekiro has an unique mechanic for the From Software genre, it has a nice story, around 50 bosses if you count with mini bosses, great sword fighting moments. The most impressive is the way Sekiro style moves through the history, it begins as a Medieval Japan in War, shifts from beautiful gardens to deep valleys, and depending on the history you choose, evolves to a Mythical genre, of which I enjoy more. I find hard to review this game because I enjoyed the gameplay, mechanics, however the difficulty is not always fair, especially through mini bosses. Anyway, I found it better than Bloodborne, but Dark Souls 3 and Nioh are still better games. In the end, if it comes a new Sekiro game, I shall also play, but I hope From Software evolve in the graphics/visual thing, as it seems the same from the last 3 games.… Expand
  34. salomonander
    Apr 7, 2019
    0
    Im a huge from software fan. finished all souls titles and bloodborne on ng+. so i pre-ordered. but sadly i have no fun with this game at all. it feels unbalanced and rushed. the other negative voters describe my own problems with this game rather well. i dont like the fighting system a bit. difficulty is on a simply frustrating level. bosses are bland - as is the world building. none ofIm a huge from software fan. finished all souls titles and bloodborne on ng+. so i pre-ordered. but sadly i have no fun with this game at all. it feels unbalanced and rushed. the other negative voters describe my own problems with this game rather well. i dont like the fighting system a bit. difficulty is on a simply frustrating level. bosses are bland - as is the world building. none of the from software mystery at all. rent before buy. i think about 2% of the world population might enjoy this. the rest wont. its not a masterpiece by any means. dont be fooled. its from software's worst title by far. i cant even believe that its the same team of people who did this and masterpieces like bloodborne.… Expand
  35. ArnieJRimmer
    Apr 7, 2019
    8
    Sekiro is a great game in a vacuum. Compared to the 5 previous Soulsborne games however, it falls short. My review is for people that loved those games, but haven't picked up Sekiro yet.

    The biggest issue? Fromsoft took a cleaver to the amount of content they would usually include in the series. Co-op PvE, PvP, player messaging/bloodstains, character creation, character build    Sekiro is a great game in a vacuum. Compared to the 5 previous Soulsborne games however, it falls short. My review is for people that loved those games, but haven't picked up Sekiro yet.

    The biggest issue? Fromsoft took a cleaver to the amount of content they would usually include in the series. Co-op PvE, PvP, player messaging/bloodstains, character creation, character build customization - all gone.

    Nominally it was done in order to create a 'more focused' 'action' game, rather then the 'action RPG' of other Fromsoft titles. The results are not worth the sacrificed elements. The new swordplay system is of course the biggest change, and it's not bad. Certainly faster, louder and more bombastic - but I would hesitate to call it better then the understated, slower, deliberate pace of Dark Souls. It is a nice change of pace in a game that plays quite similarly in other aspects to its fore-bearers.

    The new grapple hook and jump mechanic are less of a success. Grapple is limited to very specific locations which are highlighted by a big green circle on the UI. It looks a bit messy, and the circle will frequently not appear when it should do, leaving you unable to grapple. The hook is supposed to open up the game world, but its mostly just smoke and mirrors - there is no more freedom then in previous games, fromsoft have just been a bit cleverer in disguising the boundaries.

    The other big addition is the stealth mechanic. It isnt anything special. Imagine whats already in Dark Souls, add a UI meter telling you when an enemy will spot you and thats basically the gist of it. The enemy AI is essentially braindead, so do not expect any cool reactions to your characters sneaky antics like in MGS 5 for example.

    So all those elements removed, replaced with a decent combat system and so-so grapple and stealth mechanics. The trade doesn't work, and a lot is cut for little given back.

    Sadly these cuts extend to other parts of the game. It feels like the developers were working with a much smaller timeframe or budget then in the past. The size of the game world feels quite small, and you will revisit the Ashina Castle area of the map no less then 4 times over the course of the game. Another early portion of the world, Hirata Estate, gets retread in the late game as well. Much worse is the amount of content recycling when it comes to the enemies. Just about every 'miniboss' and a number of big bosses are reused. One of them no less then 5 times! A few others 3 times, and quite a lot twice. It feels like its all repeated in order to stretch out the play time, which leads into the difficulty.

    Yes, Sekiro is a very hard game. Prepare to struggle through many of the minibosses, and really struggle with some of the big bosses (the last two boss encounters are extreme, even if one is optional). Whilst there is nothing wrong with hard games, there needs to be a balancing act between tough but fair and frustrating. For my own tastes, Sekiro really straddles that line, sometimes falling over it. I am a veteran of fromsofts work, I even remember the joy of buying Dark Souls on release day. For someone with less experience then me, the difficulty could be overwhelming. In my opinion the high difficulty level, like the content recycling, is another way fromsoft have tried to lengthen the game. The longer it takes to clear a boss the longer your playing, right? If Sekiro's difficulty level was down on the same level as Souls, it would feel pretty short. Really short if there wasn't so much recycling.

    Despite not being up to the standard of previous games Sekiro is still very good - its just not quite up there with its predecessors. Here's hoping the numerous cuts made by the developers are in service of something greater - like programmers and modelers being taken off the project to work on Bloodborne 2.    … Expand
  36. jyweee
    Apr 6, 2019
    0
    In no means this title is a "must play".
    forcing players on a certain playstyle is bad enough but than choosing one of the worst ones is a big yikes. Souls was always able to offer a variety of different playstyles but sekiro is forcing you to play picture frame perfect like they want and its tedious and boring af.
    You do not get to choose the style of combat or how you will fight.    In no means this title is a "must play".
    forcing players on a certain playstyle is bad enough but than choosing one of the worst ones is a big yikes. Souls was always able to offer a variety of different playstyles but sekiro is forcing you to play picture frame perfect like they want and its tedious and boring af.
    You do not get to choose the style of combat or how you will fight. Follow their style, or die. Do not think for yourself and respond how they want you to, or die.    … Expand
  37. FabNasty
    Apr 6, 2019
    10
    If the game is hard, git gud. Stop crying about it in your review that you gave a zero because, once again, you should probably just git gud. Do people really complain about how many GB's the game file is....c'mon dude git gud. Are people ACTUALLY saying this game ripped off Nioh??? Nioh OBVIOUSLY copied FromSoftware's games that's why it was a good game, so get it straight, oh and gitIf the game is hard, git gud. Stop crying about it in your review that you gave a zero because, once again, you should probably just git gud. Do people really complain about how many GB's the game file is....c'mon dude git gud. Are people ACTUALLY saying this game ripped off Nioh??? Nioh OBVIOUSLY copied FromSoftware's games that's why it was a good game, so get it straight, oh and git gud. In closing, stop crying, git gud and have a lovely day.
    P.S. Slant Magazine is absolut trash. Their game reviews are click-bait and their reviewers need to git gud.
    P.S.S. To all the "soulbourne veterans" who had the audacity to complain about difficulty in a FromSoftware game, you frauds need to go down to the store and pick up a big bottle of maximum strength GitGud.    … Expand
  38. Karraces
    Apr 6, 2019
    10
    Fantastico juego que demuestra que From Software puede hacer cosas distintas a los Souls sin perder calidad.
  39. Killua1997
    Apr 5, 2019
    9
    Sekiro is a challenging game, and as such isn’t a game for everyone. If you think you’ll fly through this game because you're a Soulsborne veteran, or if you think the combat is something easy to pick up, I advise you to readjust your expectations. This is a brutal game, one that will be challenging for veterans and newbies alike. However, if you have the motivation to persist, I thinkSekiro is a challenging game, and as such isn’t a game for everyone. If you think you’ll fly through this game because you're a Soulsborne veteran, or if you think the combat is something easy to pick up, I advise you to readjust your expectations. This is a brutal game, one that will be challenging for veterans and newbies alike. However, if you have the motivation to persist, I think you'll find that Sekiro offers one of the most fulfilling and diverse gameplay experiences in modern times.
    The area design of Sekiro is absolutely brilliant. The world can be broken down into central hubs that each interconnect and branch out into other areas. There is a vast world to be explored, and each distinct area is equipped with its own atmosphere, level layout and enemy types. Moreover, there is a new dimension of verticality introduced into the area design, meaning players can not only explore on a planar level, but also can move upwards and explore that way as well. All this creates an exploration experience that is quite engaging.
    Sekiro boasts a new combat style focused on aggressive gameplay and deflecting enemy attacks. I’ll say it now: if you play the game like Dark Souls, you won’t get far. This is a new system, and that’s perfectly ok because this game isn’t Dark Souls and doesn’t want to be. Truth be told, when I started out the game I was frustrated that I couldn’t get a handle on this combat system. I was ready to put down the game and call it quits. But after my second or third boss, the combat finally clicked and I started to have fun with the system. And it’s quite an intricate and fun combat system, probably as good as Bloodborne’s combat in my eyes.
    To top it all off, bosses and minibosses are the most engaging they’ve been. Some of these bosses have become my all time favorite bosses in gaming history. Although there is the occasional cheap fight, I’m impressed by how the game from start to finish is able to churn out incredibly different and challenging bosses.
    Sekiro is a VERY strong 9/10. I can’t really consider it a 10/10 because it does have its fair share of flaws. One of these flaws is the storytelling; Sekiro attempts to tell a more structured narrative than that of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, but unfortunately it fails to be coherent. It seems those involved with the storywriting couldn’t tell if they wanted the story to be more ambiguous like in DS/BB or if it should be clear-cut, so they just opted for both; as such, the story feels somewhat befuddled and confusing at times, with no rhyme or reason to why events occur or why we should care.
    Another flaw would be the lack of diversity in the skill trees. A lot of these skills, maybe half, don’t really help that much in combat. Out of all the skill trees, only one has skills that all are useful; the rest have maybe 2-3 useful skills and then 7-8 useless skills.

    Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is quite an achievement. It had a lot to live up to, and boy did it surpass expectations. This is a game that takes some of the best aspects of the Soulsborne series and revitalizes it in a refreshing, innovative way. Those who invest in the game will find an incredibly rewarding and fun journey, but unfortunately there are those who don't want to invest the time and would rather criticize the game as unfair and a 0/10 without understanding how the game and its underlying combat mechanics work. Sekiro is a strong 9/10, and since FromSoft has never disappointed with its DLC, I expect in the near future we’ll get some more great Sekiro content that will elevate the game to 10/10.    … Expand
  40. OrochiGamer
    Apr 5, 2019
    9
    by far my favorite fromsoftware game truly great but if you don't like a challenge don't buy this game
  41. Vorlog
    Apr 5, 2019
    4
    Like a lot of reviewers I was a big fan of Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne, having played through both games multiple times. I thought From struck the right balance in terms of difficulty for both games. Not the same with Sekiro. Sekiro is hard - which I expect and accept - but its also often very unfair. For example, your hit box during Boss fights, particularly for their most powerLike a lot of reviewers I was a big fan of Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne, having played through both games multiple times. I thought From struck the right balance in terms of difficulty for both games. Not the same with Sekiro. Sekiro is hard - which I expect and accept - but its also often very unfair. For example, your hit box during Boss fights, particularly for their most power attacks, are often absurdly large. I put 60 hrs in and beat the game, but ultimately ended up regretting my time investment. Last From game I buy unless it comes from the bargain bin.… Expand
  42. danthelad14
    Apr 5, 2019
    0
    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!!!, it doesn't when to stop being difficult you could be able to at the end of game and be able to one shot stuff but can still get destroyed in 2 hits plus the bosses are just awful they just don't know when to stop attacking and don't give you any chance to deal actual damage because from soft wants you to deal posture dmg which takes 50 hits for every health bar aDO NOT BUY THIS GAME!!!, it doesn't when to stop being difficult you could be able to at the end of game and be able to one shot stuff but can still get destroyed in 2 hits plus the bosses are just awful they just don't know when to stop attacking and don't give you any chance to deal actual damage because from soft wants you to deal posture dmg which takes 50 hits for every health bar a boss has so unless you are a god at timing, deflecting and dodging attacks then you can't beat this game, so do not buy this game no matter how many positive reviews are out there do not trust them!!!… Expand
  43. Dredd731
    Apr 5, 2019
    6
    Frustratingly difficult, even for soulsbourne vets. Fairly bland world without much variation. No gear drops, no way to change appearance. Why am I playing this? Oh yeah, gourd and bead drops. Maybe it's time to reconsider.
  44. Jiesemaster
    Apr 5, 2019
    10
    Definitely one of the best games in the early 2019. Indeed this game is hard or even punishable when you death. But as long as you familiar with the combat or action mechanism, you will experience the true beauty of Sekiro.
  45. Normamm
    Apr 5, 2019
    10
    From Software brought to us a NEW type of stealth, prosthetic and posture battle that i had ever seen on games. Congratulations !!! What a SUCH GOOD GAME!
  46. kifinas119
    Apr 5, 2019
    9
    its all about learning your opponents moves, especially boss or mini bosses tactics. the core mechanics of the game is totally different than previous games from software. i did the same mistake as trying to play it as previous titles from software and was kick hard most of the times. spent time to learn it and enjoy it for what it is. on a final note, this is "easier" than souls series,its all about learning your opponents moves, especially boss or mini bosses tactics. the core mechanics of the game is totally different than previous games from software. i did the same mistake as trying to play it as previous titles from software and was kick hard most of the times. spent time to learn it and enjoy it for what it is. on a final note, this is "easier" than souls series, thus you don't need to ask from outside help for bosses!… Expand
  47. deepnav
    Apr 5, 2019
    4
    Yep, it's another DS try. I'm just frustrated how rewarding system works and there is no fun in this game. It's just constant learning of enemy attack patterns, and I kind a lost my will and satisfaction to play this game. Maybe the most annoying thing for me is the rules - you're suppose to do what game tell you to do, otherwise you'll be punished. To conclude, I never enjoyed playingYep, it's another DS try. I'm just frustrated how rewarding system works and there is no fun in this game. It's just constant learning of enemy attack patterns, and I kind a lost my will and satisfaction to play this game. Maybe the most annoying thing for me is the rules - you're suppose to do what game tell you to do, otherwise you'll be punished. To conclude, I never enjoyed playing this game, it's a constant learning of patterns with no satisfaction at all...… Expand
  48. Axcalay
    Apr 5, 2019
    10
    This is an amazing game, yet hard as nails and will punish you for not paying attention and/or playing sloppy. Fromsoft really pushed the boat out with this one, and everything from the visuals, worldbuilding, level design and combat mechanics are top notch. Highly recommended, ONLY if you enjoy tough challenges. Even if you are a souls vet, this game will chew you up and spit you out. GitThis is an amazing game, yet hard as nails and will punish you for not paying attention and/or playing sloppy. Fromsoft really pushed the boat out with this one, and everything from the visuals, worldbuilding, level design and combat mechanics are top notch. Highly recommended, ONLY if you enjoy tough challenges. Even if you are a souls vet, this game will chew you up and spit you out. Git Gud will be your god damn mantra in Sekiro.… Expand
  49. aboodi
    Apr 4, 2019
    10
    AMAZING but very very HARD ! .. if you arent ready to rage and yell you wont enjoy this game , i for one loved it a lot , its different from the DS & BB series and much more adventure oriented , Bosses are great and challenging even mini-bosses are fun, areas are beautiful and the lore is rich .. i loved more than anything the abilities you have or gain , didn't even think they'd make itAMAZING but very very HARD ! .. if you arent ready to rage and yell you wont enjoy this game , i for one loved it a lot , its different from the DS & BB series and much more adventure oriented , Bosses are great and challenging even mini-bosses are fun, areas are beautiful and the lore is rich .. i loved more than anything the abilities you have or gain , didn't even think they'd make it this detailed and complex , the least thing i liked was the main character tho , its the first time we get one that is fully written and we cant make .. the rest is perfect IMO .. 10/10 i have high expectations from FS but this game was a sweet surprise !… Expand
  50. plinqster
    Apr 4, 2019
    10
    Utterly amazing. At some point the combat clicks in your head, and the joy of deflection and careful negotiation of space provides an unparalleled feeling of satisfaction. I learned to watch the screen in a whole new way from playing this game.
  51. DragonDHitman
    Apr 4, 2019
    8
    As a from software game it was challenging and hard so if you're looking for a hard game you will have much fun with Sekiro.
    As for the story. The story was good enough to not hate or dislike it. It was good...But still not on the level of The Witcher 3 or God Of War for example.
    The World was big with different kinds of enemies and Mini bosses which were as if not more challenging than    As a from software game it was challenging and hard so if you're looking for a hard game you will have much fun with Sekiro.
    As for the story. The story was good enough to not hate or dislike it. It was good...But still not on the level of The Witcher 3 or God Of War for example.
    The World was big with different kinds of enemies and Mini bosses which were as if not more challenging than some bosses.

    The fighting mechanics are really fun to use because of the prosthetic hand.
    The combat is FAR different than Dark souls combat.
    Each boss requires not only a different strategy but a different fighting style.

    Sekiro himself is a bland character but you don't really Dislike him.

    The final score I'd give this game is 8.5/10    … Expand
  52. kittycatneko
    Apr 3, 2019
    10
    Sekiro is really a bold decision to make for From since they chose to depart from the famed Soulsborne series which has proved to be quite a genre of its own. Because of this decision, many (not all) long time fans of the series felt that they are betrayed. As a fan of the series, I do understand their frustration as Sekiro does not share many characteristics that Soulsborne games do. ForSekiro is really a bold decision to make for From since they chose to depart from the famed Soulsborne series which has proved to be quite a genre of its own. Because of this decision, many (not all) long time fans of the series felt that they are betrayed. As a fan of the series, I do understand their frustration as Sekiro does not share many characteristics that Soulsborne games do. For example, customization, pvp, stamina, dodging, or personally for me, the really, I mean really epic bosses. Although Sekiro's bosses are also really great, and I do feel the joy when I finally triumphed over them over like 50 tries, I still found my fights versus the Nameless King, Gael, or Friede in DS3, and Kos, Ludwig, or Gehrman had greater emotional aspects. Other issues such as no primary weapon variety or no pvp also disappoint some fans.

    HOWEVER, I do believe that this departure from Soulsborne a necessary move. Some people do expect, and love the idea that, any From game should be the same as any other games that they have played. But you know, let's leave that for Bloodborne 2 (yeah I know, I'm excited about this too). That's to say, Sekiro should be treated as a game of its own kind. I see people claimed that they did not expect Sekiro to be another Soulsborne game but at the same time criticized From for taking a different approach. This does not make any sense. Sekiro is made to be a solid game of its own and From should be proud because they made a game like this. I'm not telling people hating on Sekiro need to "git gud" because I understand that this is not really a reason for all the hates. But I don't really feel like this game deserves to be hated that much from the many loyal fans of From. So please give the game another chance in case you decided to throw it away before and appreciate Sekiro for its own mechanics. Maybe it's not as disappointing as you think. Best of luck and die more.    … Expand
  53. xofnocrit
    Apr 3, 2019
    10
    One of the most precise and sincerely fascinating videogame of the second decade of this century. A masterpiece that will be forever remembered; the attention and love of the developers (From Soft. & Activision) truly gave us something that rarely we can appreciate, especially in the last, crude, gray years of commercial standars that evermost put blatantly focus of the economic aspect ofOne of the most precise and sincerely fascinating videogame of the second decade of this century. A masterpiece that will be forever remembered; the attention and love of the developers (From Soft. & Activision) truly gave us something that rarely we can appreciate, especially in the last, crude, gray years of commercial standars that evermost put blatantly focus of the economic aspect of the business.

    Through this game H. Miyazaki confirmed that videogames making, nowdays, require first of all one of the most basic yet largely ignored feature, love.    … Expand
  54. FredrikM
    Apr 3, 2019
    10
    Brilliant game, nothing shorter than of what you come to expect of a From Software title these days. The biggest criticism I find of this game from players is when they compare it with the dark souls games, or bloodborne for that matter. Thing is, this is not a bloodborne nor a dark souls, and the game is very well aware of what it is and what it's not. It is a game made by the sameBrilliant game, nothing shorter than of what you come to expect of a From Software title these days. The biggest criticism I find of this game from players is when they compare it with the dark souls games, or bloodborne for that matter. Thing is, this is not a bloodborne nor a dark souls, and the game is very well aware of what it is and what it's not. It is a game made by the same studio, applying many of the soulsborne mechanics but also introducing new ones. A lot of criticism is about the game only providing you with one way of playing it, which is partially true and partially not. Compared to dark souls it is definitely true, but that is not really a big flaw, most games does that. People who went into this game expecting a new dark souls-experience might be disappointed, but you must learn that if you want to jump into something to get your expectations met, buy the latest assassins creed or some other AAA mainstream title. If you want something fresh, innovative and exciting buy Sekiro, Jumping into this game with an open mind, and big scoop of determination you will likely have one of the best gaming experiences for years. Sekiro is one of those rare games that will consume you even when you're not playing it. You will find yourself contemplating on what path you should be investigating, what technique to use on the boss you're stuck at, what things you might have missed in your play through so far, and what secrets lying in store.… Expand
  55. Sincere_Doomguy
    Apr 3, 2019
    9
    Sekiro is what you would come to expect from such a consistent developer, the world is a joy to explore, enemy design and animations are great and the difficulty is high (more than ever). Seriously, if you are interested in buying this game, know that some segments, specially bosses, can be soul-crushing at times. But then, overcoming this obstacles is just so satisfying and addicting,Sekiro is what you would come to expect from such a consistent developer, the world is a joy to explore, enemy design and animations are great and the difficulty is high (more than ever). Seriously, if you are interested in buying this game, know that some segments, specially bosses, can be soul-crushing at times. But then, overcoming this obstacles is just so satisfying and addicting, that you can only ask for more. The story is solid, with multiple endings as well, and gameplay feels very good to play. I'm not giving it a 10/10 only because replay value is not as high on this one as in previous FromSoft works. Don't get me wrong, you can easily sink dozens of hours in this game (your first playthrough you take around 30-60 hours, a hell of a lot more than the average game for sure!), maybe just not hundreds as it did in previous soulsborne games. FromSoftware set out to create an action game with RPG elements this time around, and they did a damn good job at that.… Expand
  56. yfh77777
    Apr 3, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's amazing! Game of the year.
    I'm happy to see Hidetaka Miyazaki and his Fromsoftware is becomeing stronger and stronger !
    I want to take an example.——The boss"white python"!
    It's giant and never appear in past games. This boss Imitate from Santa Monica Studio!

    Hidetaka Miyazaki is one of the best Game Designers in the world！    … Expand
  57. crawft
    Apr 2, 2019
    4
    Not feeling it. It's nice that it is a fresh game from the Demons' Souls/Dark Souls creators, but I don't feel rewarded or satisfied playing this game at all. Most new games that do not offend players with poor performance get a review score bonus simply for being a mediocre, playable game with something marginally "fresh;" I think this is another one.

    My advice: wait for Ghost of    Not feeling it. It's nice that it is a fresh game from the Demons' Souls/Dark Souls creators, but I don't feel rewarded or satisfied playing this game at all. Most new games that do not offend players with poor performance get a review score bonus simply for being a mediocre, playable game with something marginally "fresh;" I think this is another one.

    My advice: wait for Ghost of Tsushima, Nioh 2, and/or the next From Software title. Or, just find something else to play while we wait for Cyberpunk 2077.    … Expand
  58. MESSAOUD93
    Apr 2, 2019
    10
    Brilliant game.I
    m amazed how much different this game is compared to other Fromsoftware I was definitely sure it would be a great game
    Thank you FromSoftware once again ! You're the best in the world
  59. madFlasher
    Apr 2, 2019
    10
    Perfect balance, amazing fighting system, rich atmosphere make this game a pure brilliant
  60. skohl
    Apr 2, 2019
    8
    Despite what some reviewers have said, this is a SoulsBorne game in many important ways. However there's a very good reason why FromSoft specifically stated that Sekiro is unrelated to previous titles, and that reason is why there are so many negative reviews of this game right now: The combat is even more different than it seems at face value. Meaning SoulsBorne fans are picking up theDespite what some reviewers have said, this is a SoulsBorne game in many important ways. However there's a very good reason why FromSoft specifically stated that Sekiro is unrelated to previous titles, and that reason is why there are so many negative reviews of this game right now: The combat is even more different than it seems at face value. Meaning SoulsBorne fans are picking up the game, being familiar with everything and feeling right at home, then playing the completely wrong way and getting frustrated. That's also why the game has so many tutorial pop-ups even hours into the game, to introduce every new mechanic in detail, but if you skim read these then you will miss out on critical information which makes the game no more difficult than DS3 or BB.

    There is no parry in this game, it's called deflect and it's a different mechanic. In the DS titles you had to choose between blocking and parrying, it was a risk, but in Sekiro you can deflect while blocking by pulsing the button in rhythm to your opponent's attacks. This makes blocking more important than it was in any SoulsBorne game including Demon's. Moreover, because the posture bar for your block/deflect replaces the stamina meter, your ability to dodge and run is not hindered by how much you block.

    In other words, you can pressure with R1 while blocking all damage (as long as you don't try to attack when you should be blocking or vice versa), while at the same time deflecting, while also being able to run away forever at any time. The Perilous Attacks, the big red letter attacks that some people are complaining about, are perilous specifically because they are attacks that can't be blocked/deflected and have to be dealt with using your other options, which is why they are very obvious and telegraphed.

    Well, FromSoft tried to warn us. Sekiro has all of the design elements that made Dark Souls great, it just presents them in different ways. Aside from all that, the level design is top tier as it is in every FromSoft game. Exploration is a joy. I also think this game is noteworthy for a reason that no one else is talking about. Team Ninja tried to make a Soulslike game with Nioh. Sekiro is FromSoft's way of thumbing their nose at Team Ninja, by making a better feudal Japan action game than Nioh in response.    … Expand
  61. Loran_
    Apr 2, 2019
    9
    Satisfying and challenging combat. Great Boss encounters , tremendous atmosphere and a stellar Art Design , Classic From Sofware. Some ugly texture work and a not so great enemy variety don't ruin the overall experience. Absolutely recommended
  62. thegamefox1993
    Apr 1, 2019
    10
    why the hell are there so many salty fans, who haven't beaten half of the game, reviewing this?? This game is a masterpiece. From softwares second best game all time, and possibly one of the top 5 games this gen. This deserves all the 9s and 10s.
  63. mbestvina
    Apr 1, 2019
    8
    Sekiro is a disjointed experience. It clings to the structure and elements of the SoulsBorne games but desperately wants to be something different. Namely, an action sword-fighting game in the vein of Ninja Gaiden. The stealth and grapple mechanics make adventuring through the world much less threatening and more accessible, while they've made the bosses so impenetrably difficult as toSekiro is a disjointed experience. It clings to the structure and elements of the SoulsBorne games but desperately wants to be something different. Namely, an action sword-fighting game in the vein of Ninja Gaiden. The stealth and grapple mechanics make adventuring through the world much less threatening and more accessible, while they've made the bosses so impenetrably difficult as to alienate anyone that isn't a "git gud" snob. It's not particularly immersive as an adventure and it's often frustrating and time-consuming in its action. The pieces didn't gel for me, and the experience ultimately boiled down to a long list of hard, punitive bosses that made the game difficult to enjoy... but admittedly, I couldn't put it down.

    At the surface, Sekiro appears to be a spiritual continuation of Dark Souls and Bloodborne. You explore an interconnected dark fantasy world, collect items to help in battle, grow stronger, and fight a horde of monsters and villains. However, I'd strongly suggest you leave your expectations at the door as this is a totally different beast.

    From an adventure or exploration standpoint, Sekiro falters a bit. It differs by introducing stealth and a grapple hook, both resembling those of Batman Arkham and other AAA games. These mechanics work just fine but neither offers a ton of depth or skill and both of them trivialize the exploration. The grapple has also caused the levels to become more linear, just hiding usable items in every corner that you'll never use. Sprinting (or grappling!) past enemies is more effective than ever, with little incentive to fight them as the leveling system has been nerfed into a perk-system, most of which you'll never use. Stealth can be abused to defeat enemies one-by-one and even if you go in guns blazing, most standard enemies can be defeated by mashing the attack button all the way up to the last area. As hard as this game's bosses are, it's shockingly easy to get around the world and kill grunt enemies. Hence, the experience is a bit disjointed. Combine all that with the by-the-numbers Sengoku Japan storyline and the fact that there are only 8 linear levels and Sekiro fails to offer a substantial or immersive adventure for the player.

    The real meat of Sekiro comes in its combat and specifically its bosses. There are over 50 bosses and mini-bosses, making for a daunting quest. I lost count of how many of these I had to fight 5+ times, with the final boss taking me 30-50 tries over 3-4 hours. Sekiro is not for the faint of heart, approach with caution. This is substantially harder than Dark Souls and Bloodborne and they've removed leveling and summoning, which effectively served as those games' difficulty-select. You simply have to play these fights over and over until you've learned their patterns and can parry and punish appropriately. It's basically a rhythm game where you need to respond to each attack with one of a handful of actions. It's challenging and can be rewarding but it's far from the ground-breaking combat system it's being praised as. The "git gud" hype behind this game implies there to be a large component of skill but I found it to be much more a matter of trial-and-error. I don't care how "gud" you are, some of these bosses will wreck you on your first couple tries due to how fast and unpredictable they are. Also, many of the bosses can be more easily and safely defeated by running in circles and poking when open, making the core mechanics pointless.

    Unfortunately, Sekiro can't leave well enough alone, and feels the need to up the ante with extraneous difficulty at every turn. Like Dark Souls 2, you start with 1 healing item and almost no health, making the early-game unnecessarily difficult and sure to make many quit in frustration. In spite of its focus on action, Sekiro retains the bonfires and running back to bosses after death from Dark Souls. I think proper checkpoints would have better meshed with the trial-and-error combat here. Some mini-bosses can be stealth killed too, requiring some elaborate setup, meaning you'll have to redo that too every time you die. The die-twice mechanic gives you one extra screw-up but From seems to have used this as an excuse to push extra-hard rather than it being a tool for success. And lastly, a couple end-game bosses have 3+ phases and feel like complete overkill.

    Due to all this exacerbating what is already a demanding combat system, I found Sekiro to be immensely frustrating for about 50% of my playthrough. Every time I'd fight a fair, rewarding boss, it would throw me another that would twist my arm in painful, unexpected ways. If challenge for the sake of challenge is your thing, by all means have a blast! For everyone else, approach with caution. Sekiro lacks the immersive appeal of SoulsBorne, while offering a brutal combat experience that can be more frustrating and time-consuming than it is rewarding.    … Expand
  64. JagWarr
    Apr 1, 2019
    9
    It took a while for me to understand and appreciate the combat. At first I was not enjoying it but once I got it down, it was off to the races. I think most of the negative reviews are from those who still havn’t figured it out and play it like its a soulsborne game. You are a ninja, and ninja use tools so dont be shy in using all the items and abilities. A lot of the difficulties can beIt took a while for me to understand and appreciate the combat. At first I was not enjoying it but once I got it down, it was off to the races. I think most of the negative reviews are from those who still havn’t figured it out and play it like its a soulsborne game. You are a ninja, and ninja use tools so dont be shy in using all the items and abilities. A lot of the difficulties can be avoiding using the right gameplan. However, i do recommend getting the rounds in with pure combat because the learning curve is high. Once you feel you mastered it then you feel like a real bad ass. So the cambat is up there with Nioh in terms of depth imo. Exploring in the game is really fun due to the rope swing. Unlike soulsborne, platforming plays a big role.

    All in all, its another great game by FromSoftware. I would have liked it to have more RPG elements like character customization, making builds ect. Also multiplayer would have been fun as well. So the game may not have the replayability as a soulsborne, but it is a nice change of pace and I am sure FromSoftware will take with them a lot of the good mechanics of this game and add it to their next soulsborne title.    … Expand
  65. Scottgun00
    Apr 1, 2019
    9
    I've played Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3, and Bloodbourne and they all have one thing in common: I've never finished any of them. I simply get bored of the combat which comes down to three tactics: Block and poke, dodge and poke, or circle the enemy and poke in the rear. Sekiro trims away the dross and option anxiety of upgrading the character, upgrading the armor, blah blah, and instead givesI've played Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3, and Bloodbourne and they all have one thing in common: I've never finished any of them. I simply get bored of the combat which comes down to three tactics: Block and poke, dodge and poke, or circle the enemy and poke in the rear. Sekiro trims away the dross and option anxiety of upgrading the character, upgrading the armor, blah blah, and instead gives you robust combat system where enemy knowledge is essential. My only criticism is that the engine and graphics are a little tired. Simply put, it's the one From Software game that stays compelling.

    P.S. One reviewer below claims that no game can be a 0 or a 10. Sez who?    … Expand
  66. RodSal
    Apr 1, 2019
    10
    One of the best games of this generation long side with God of War, Zelda BOTH, The Witcher 3, Bloodborne. Love it from start to finish.
  67. 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
  68. 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
  69. Gripperas
    Apr 1, 2019
    10
    Just got Platinum trophy and Im really struggling to make a valid statement about the game. But im gonna try and convince all of you who havent played it yet and have doughts about buying it.

    What do you want? Good story? It might be one of the best well-executed story tellings in the history of gaming. Ιts not only about the cutscenes or the in-game dialogues or the plot twists. Its    Just got Platinum trophy and Im really struggling to make a valid statement about the game. But im gonna try and convince all of you who havent played it yet and have doughts about buying it.

    What do you want? Good story? It might be one of the best well-executed story tellings in the history of gaming. Ιts not only about the cutscenes or the in-game dialogues or the plot twists. Its all about the great voice acting ( I played both in Japanese and English language ), the tiny riddles and the hidden clues that you gonna have to solve throughout the game presented by Npc dialogues, Boss Lore and motives, item descriptions and World structure.

    What do you want? A fair challenge? I struggled in every boss and mini boss in the game and even after dying a hundread times I never got upset or angry about the game, simply because the fights are fair, well-designed and most of all cinematic. And by cinematic I mean it feels like you are watching a action movie scene. On the last boss I died 100++ times and I enjoyed every single death.

    What do you want? A fast pace combat like bloodborne thats gonna raise your andrenaline, raise your heart pulse and make your hands wet? Well in this game you will experience something even better. Heres why: you gonna have to stand face to face on your opponent and pressure him until either one of you dies. Attack - deflect - counterattack. The dodge button is only usefull for gap closing and escape in case you need to heal.

    What else do you want? Atmosphere? Classic soulsborne music and world design with the exception that this time is a bit less Dark.

    How about some improvements? Fall damage is not insta death anymore. Frame rates are 95% normal. And even when they are not, it doesnt affect your gameplay.( I played on PS4 classic not pro)

    Overall, a once in a lifetime experience. Trully innovative gameplay and absulutely must-have for hardcore gamers.

    Case closed.    … Expand
  70. davidh219
    Apr 1, 2019
    10
    Stands alongside Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne as the best Fromsoftware is capable of and one of the best games of the modern era. No other studio working today is as effortlessly confident and successful at making new IPs, and as much as I enjoyed Dark Souls 3 and, yes, even Dark Souls 2, I think I'm not alone in hoping that their next game will be another fresh IP because they haveStands alongside Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne as the best Fromsoftware is capable of and one of the best games of the modern era. No other studio working today is as effortlessly confident and successful at making new IPs, and as much as I enjoyed Dark Souls 3 and, yes, even Dark Souls 2, I think I'm not alone in hoping that their next game will be another fresh IP because they have demonstrated three times in a row that they are not only incapable of failing at it, but that it's when they do their most profound and impressive work.… Expand
  71. Richard_abc
    Apr 1, 2019
    10
    Sekiro is so far the best game from FromSoftware in terms of the combat system, art design, and overall atmosphere. Some players would probably have a harsh time to get used to ist new combat system, but once you get it right, the satisfaction is beyond words. Plus, this is almost the only game you can find which successfully created a Japanese chambara (or Chinese swordman) sort of world,Sekiro is so far the best game from FromSoftware in terms of the combat system, art design, and overall atmosphere. Some players would probably have a harsh time to get used to ist new combat system, but once you get it right, the satisfaction is beyond words. Plus, this is almost the only game you can find which successfully created a Japanese chambara (or Chinese swordman) sort of world, so if you are a fan of chambara (or Chinese swordman) film, this is the right one for you.… Expand
  72. Endoki
    Apr 1, 2019
    10
    Normally you buy a game on the assumption that you can play it through. You want to be entertained by the story and enjoy good gameplay. It should be challenging in a way, but fair at all times and you should never feel that the game is unfair.

    Developers have in the past gone over to adjusting the level of difficulty without the player's knowledge and during the game if you fail too    Normally you buy a game on the assumption that you can play it through. You want to be entertained by the story and enjoy good gameplay. It should be challenging in a way, but fair at all times and you should never feel that the game is unfair.

    Developers have in the past gone over to adjusting the level of difficulty without the player's knowledge and during the game if you fail too often. If you don't make a section again and again, the enemies are suddenly weakened quantitatively and qualitatively. This is called "adaptive difficulty" in technical jargon. It should guarantee that the player remains "in the flow" and constantly experiences success without weakening his ego. The player usually doesn't notice this at all, he is happy about his success and the fun of the game remains. If an average player fails too often on an average difficulty level at a certain point, the developer has done something wrong at exactly this point. At least that's the current theory and prevailing opinion among developers.

    Well, and then From Software came around the corner... with a "slightly" different approach. Different levels of difficulty? There isn't. There is only one: ultra-heavy. You really have to train to master the fighting system thoroughly if you want to get ahead here. And you have to understand the world and how it works. In Sekiro we are talking about a wonderfully designed world which has a story to tell. In this world we play our protagonist, who has to keep his honor and would do anything for it, no matter how difficult and hopeless the situation looks. The protagonist would sacrifice everything for it and he has to train hard and develop further if he wants to master the challenges he faces. Nothing more this game demands from the player himself: Develop yourself further, train yourself and face the challenges. An important prerequisite for such a challenging game is extremely good control and a perfect fighting system. Sekiro delivers both.

    We have to explore this fantastic world and conquer the enormous dangers. Either we master this challenge with virtuosity, or we fail grandiosely. In between there is nothing at all. If we meet a boss in Sekiro and he turns out to be a true master of sword art, then this opponent can only be defeated if we become the better master. And that requires a lot of hard work. And it requires one thing above all else: before we defeat our opponents, we must defeat ourselves. We have to learn that failure is not frustrating. Failure is training. Failure is instructive. The game does not give us a sense of achievement, we have to work it out for ourselves. That's exactly what many players don't like. But in a certain way Sekiro not only makes us a better player with this approach, but also a better person. Because here you learn something incredibly important, which also has an enormous relevance in real life: The world doesn't owe us that it's fair and just. Why should it? If we want to achieve something, we have to work hard. And it's a lot of fun when the hard work pays off.

    At the end of the game you actually feel like you've gone through a development. You understand that it wasn't just a game, it was an important experience and a lesson. Hence 10/10 - The best game of the year.    … Expand
  73. Gamingteacher
    Apr 1, 2019
    9
    A truly marvellous game. The lack of multiplayer and the greater emphasis on skill based gameplay over character stat development means that every victory is YOURS and not the result of an overlevelled character (well, unless you gain a certain object at least). No other game has had me yelling swears at my defeat and celebrations of joy when I finally won.

    If I was to make a piece of    A truly marvellous game. The lack of multiplayer and the greater emphasis on skill based gameplay over character stat development means that every victory is YOURS and not the result of an overlevelled character (well, unless you gain a certain object at least). No other game has had me yelling swears at my defeat and celebrations of joy when I finally won.

    If I was to make a piece of constructive criticism I’d say that the penalty system (losing half of everything on a full death unless you win RNG) promotes grinding, I do worry slightly that Activision will start selling skill points given their record and the way this system encourages grinding exp in order to gain more skills and (ultimately) more attack power. The soulsborne system of regaining your experience if you were able to return to th el,ace you died was better as you could still progress your character despite death, whereas here I would be woefully lacking in skills if I hadn’t indulged in grinding certain areas.

    So.... yeah. Buy this if you like a challenge. Might want to cut your teeth on soulsborne first though.    … Expand
  74. prinex
    Mar 31, 2019
    8
    Sekiro is a beautiful game, with "difficulty" at his centerpiece. In this it succeeded completely. Your typical gamesession is a brief exploring part (which is very well done) followed by either a mini- or a fully fledged boss encounter - that will take you easily 1-2 hours to learn.
    To get past those you have to learn all their moveset, and use the appropriate tool (fire, etc). And as    Sekiro is a beautiful game, with "difficulty" at his centerpiece. In this it succeeded completely. Your typical gamesession is a brief exploring part (which is very well done) followed by either a mini- or a fully fledged boss encounter - that will take you easily 1-2 hours to learn.
    To get past those you have to learn all their moveset, and use the appropriate tool (fire, etc). And as every major boss has a different strategy, this turn into a long session of learning before you finally can kill the boss and proceed.
    Now this is the usual Dark Souls formula - but: no leveling up and no coop help. Which means the game is unforgiving forcing you to learn and execute everything perfectly (hence "difficulty"). And here is the problem, after the umpteen boss, faced with yet another 2-3 hours of learning and dying and repeating (and praying for luck), you don't feel the challenge anymore - you feel just tired of it. The "wow" moment after finally winning (which for me happened just once - and I'm at the last one) goes and is replaced by "i hope the next boss is not another slog".
    I can understand really hard-core gamers, the one loggin 12 hours a day in the first week, getting very good at this game - after all once you learn it it is much easier to play. But finding the motivation to invest 60 hours of time - of which 90% is spent learning/dying/repeating - is a bit hard.
    Specially considering that all your new skills are for nothing - there is no coop, no PvP, no fancy fashion souls. In the old games the prospect of helping other players or just bundling up to try and fight a boss together - the "jolly cooperation" - was a huge motivation. And very rewarding. This has been lost in Sekiro.    … Expand
  75. Alex_Nodo
    Mar 31, 2019
    10
    Sekiro это не игра, это искуство и отсееватель казуалов из Dark Souls. Это доказательство что хардкор жив и актуален!
  76. 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
  77. maxbinski
    Mar 31, 2019
    10
    Very few games nowadays dare to challenge players beyond their own apparent capacities. From the Posture System to the Combat Arts, FromSoftware developed a Souls-like game with a very unique identity. Mastering all its little intricacies is an absolute joy, and I can't remember any other game making me feel such a rush. Absolutely recommended..
  78. Sunykamey
    Mar 31, 2019
    5
    Sekiro is hard and for all the wrong reasons. Yes this is a from software game but what DS & BB did was give you a feeling of achievement and progress when overcoming those obstacles which is missing totally in this game. It feels like they deliberately made this game hard, punishing and not fulfilling. It just baffles me as to why they took this route when their other games where -Sekiro is hard and for all the wrong reasons. Yes this is a from software game but what DS & BB did was give you a feeling of achievement and progress when overcoming those obstacles which is missing totally in this game. It feels like they deliberately made this game hard, punishing and not fulfilling. It just baffles me as to why they took this route when their other games where - despite the difficulty - well received and loved whereas this game will/is not. Yes there are people enjoying it and I'm happy for them. I've played easily over 800h in from's worlds and the games never felt undeserved except in defined areas/locals. This game however has a convoluted gameplay system, very hard to master/even grasp mechanics and enemies that just are not fun to play against. Yes you can master it but to what end? Just for the sake of it?
    There is no reason to play through it again unless you want to platinum or show others how (get) "good" you are. No different builds but only different "prostetics".
    I'm just disappointed in the final product because they could have made a(-nother) masterpiece yet focused too hard on difficulty than fun/feeling of overcoming obstacles.
    In my opinion a game isn't good because it is hard. A game has to have some traits that define it other than the difficulty and overall has to be fun to be played. This game doesn't give me satisfaction (in killing enemies, bosses, progressing), it just drags on. Not worth it for me hope you like it.    … Expand
  79. Neotis
    Mar 31, 2019
    5
    Hitboxes in this masterpiece pathetic. I expected a little more From the Software, everything is in accordance with the classics of dark souls, I'm just tired of running with one sword, of course, there is an additional weapon, but it is still a small variety.
  80. wollathet
    Mar 31, 2019
    6
    As a long time fan of FromSoftware games I was really looking forward to this, especially given everything that Bloodborne brought to the series which was a welcome change, Sekiro has disappointed me. The game is hard, yes, but it’s made harder through the new levelling system where you collect prayer beads for vitality increase and memories for attack from bosses and mini-bosses. ThatAs a long time fan of FromSoftware games I was really looking forward to this, especially given everything that Bloodborne brought to the series which was a welcome change, Sekiro has disappointed me. The game is hard, yes, but it’s made harder through the new levelling system where you collect prayer beads for vitality increase and memories for attack from bosses and mini-bosses. That means there’s no longer the ability to farm xp and develop a build to suit the players style and work to have a balance to deal with everything the game throws at you. Instead there is a skill tree, which is pretty decent, but without getting to invest into attack, healthy, stamina, or defence, you still have the same attack power and health until the bosses are dealt with. Rather than take chances, there is a tendency to play with caution and not use the abilities in the same manner you would in other games. Unfortunately the enemy design is pretty bland, meaning you will encounter the same enemies time and time again and use the same technique of block, parry, counter with a deathblow, instead of relying on the skills learned.

    Sekiro introduces a new stealth mechanic but it’s underwhelming. Facing multiple enemies head on is sure to get you killed, so instead you’re to watch, wait and take enemies out silently. The problem is in the takedowns; they aren’t very stealthy and will alert nearby enemies in a second. Leaping from above will yield the same results, and the is no option to drop down silently. Instead, you have to pick a direction and leap forward. It’s clunky, and feels thrown on at the end as it doesn’t differ from the DSBB drop attacks and backstabs. Obviously it’s a problem on the ground too with not being able to silently move from cover to cover of traverse objects. It’s only truly effective when moving in tall grass. Cheesing enemies is possibly but it means that you stealth one, run and hide and repeat.

    I wish I could like this a lot more, but sadly I’m not enjoying my time with it and I rarely play for more than 90 minutes and I start getting tired of it. The boss fights are different and you have to pay attention. It’s required to take some time and defend to learn the attacks and each is refreshing but the key is always parry and counter. Unfortunately after dealing with much of the enemies in the same was there is a loss of excitement when makes moments fall a bit flat; the ending fight (I think I got worst ending) is really anti-climactic

    I cant see myself coming back to it again. It’s a shame, as I really wanted to like this, but at times it felt like an effort to preserve when the same type of enemies are ahead. Yes, people will say that if you don’t like it you’re a causal and don’t deserve the game, but that’s not a tight argument, and I don’t believe the game should have an easy mode. The problems with Sekiro are towards the mechanics and the game design which relies too heavily on repetition. If you enjoy this, and like your games to be Sisyphean then you will probably get something here, but if not, you may find it to be an uneventful slog    … Expand
  81. LunarBeamOfSun
    Mar 31, 2019
    2
    How to....
    Sekiro.
    1. Take Dark Souls. 2. Tell everybody that its absolutely not a Dark Souls. Attention: dont explain why, because it is still Dark Souls. 3. Rip off: - character customization. - tons of equipment. - no, all equipment!! - fashionsouls. - 4!!! different magic schools. - possibility to play in different styles. - replayability. - cooperative. - pvp. -    How to....
    Sekiro.
    1. Take Dark Souls.
    2. Tell everybody that its absolutely not a Dark Souls. Attention: dont explain why, because it is still Dark Souls.
    3. Rip off:
    - character customization.
    - tons of equipment.
    - no, all equipment!!
    - fashionsouls.
    - 4!!! different magic schools.
    - possibility to play in different styles.
    - replayability.
    - cooperative.
    - pvp.
    - exploration rewards.

    4. Add:
    - jumps
    - true character with personalty (who is unnamed shinobi without a past and 95% of his answers is "hmmmm...." and "silent starring")
    - hook?.. Oh, dont forget to rip off all ladders!
    5. Repeat again that Sekiro is not a Dark Souls!
    6. Sure that you ripped all variety. Better - do it twice.
    7. Publish.
    Hooray, Sekiro is done!

    And now - seriously. Souls games was beaten by me atleast three times each. In DS3 was spent about 200 hours, even now you can see tons of videos about this game, interestin mechanics and tactics, different ways to play, mods. Sekiro was frustrated after 25 hours of gameplay... They are ripped off too many things to vary gameplay in different ways and game became too bland, i dont wait anything new after first half of game. This is first From's game which i dropped unfinished.
    Anyway, Sekiro still a good game. It was an interesting experience (atleast until all tools was collected). Yes, at this moment i'll vote for it as GOTY and give 7 of 10, but... Why only 2? For me, Sekiro is not way forward, its a step back - we are lost too many great things...
    So, as looking at many overhiped reviews, i still should hope that their next game wont be a 10 hours dash through the straight gray corridor, filled with 5 phased one shoting enemies. Or, something like a Sinner........    … Expand
  82. ELIGOS
    Mar 31, 2019
    10
    FromSoftware never fails to make a game as challenging as it is fun and satisfying. Boss fights, music, skills, an amazing world, characters and an actual understandable and coherent story. FromSoft has made a game worthy of Game of the Year.
  83. TheSchwartz
    Mar 31, 2019
    4
    I have completed Dark Souls 1-3 including DLC for each one, I beat Bloodborn and loved getting my behind kicked by all of them, but I DO Not like Sekiro. Sekiro is in my book not a 9/10 game there is simply to much repetetion and those quicktime inspired ripostes are horrible. I would imagine that the pc version runs much better than the night ps4 and I even have the pro, it is aboutI have completed Dark Souls 1-3 including DLC for each one, I beat Bloodborn and loved getting my behind kicked by all of them, but I DO Not like Sekiro. Sekiro is in my book not a 9/10 game there is simply to much repetetion and those quicktime inspired ripostes are horrible. I would imagine that the pc version runs much better than the night ps4 and I even have the pro, it is about time the fromsoft puts out a game that runs smooth either in 30 or 60+ fps, but without frame pacing issues and highly variable refreshrate. I played through the first two bosses, and I was done with the game I do not like the timings, the mechanics or the riposte annimations. I am sorry that I will never expeirience the story of the game, but it simply does not appeal to me, and I have an assumption that many have given in to the fromsoft hype, and given the game 10/10 wich is generally higher than DS1. Give me Bloodborn 2 cheers.… Expand
  84. thegamefox93
    Mar 30, 2019
    10
    Only game from software has made thats better is bloodborne. Props to being a new IP and absolutely nailing the gameplay and story, despite trimming a lot of rpg stuff.
  85. eloepp
    Mar 30, 2019
    10
    Sekiro feels like Souls without a lot of the RPG elements, and then stealth thrown in, in its place. You can count on the same clean, crisp controls and graphic-style, etc. combat is different but with some similar elements like guarding, parrying (deflecting), etc.

    Combat is brutal and unforgiving. Each enemy often takes a whole new approach on combat, so be prepared for frustration    Sekiro feels like Souls without a lot of the RPG elements, and then stealth thrown in, in its place. You can count on the same clean, crisp controls and graphic-style, etc. combat is different but with some similar elements like guarding, parrying (deflecting), etc.

    Combat is brutal and unforgiving. Each enemy often takes a whole new approach on combat, so be prepared for frustration and learning.

    I love it and couldn't point out any glaring flaws, but the difficulty is extreme, even for the seasoned gamer or Souls player. Wouldn't recommend this to a casual gamer who doesn't like a challenge.    … Expand
  86. fairls88
    Mar 30, 2019
    8
    I find a From game that doesn't pander to hardcore Souls players refreshing personally. Once you've become acclimated to the play style of the Soulsborne games, you find that subsequent entries don't offer the same risk and reward as they once did. Sekiro has completely broken that mold and done something innovative that provides a new challenge to new players and veterans of traditionalI find a From game that doesn't pander to hardcore Souls players refreshing personally. Once you've become acclimated to the play style of the Soulsborne games, you find that subsequent entries don't offer the same risk and reward as they once did. Sekiro has completely broken that mold and done something innovative that provides a new challenge to new players and veterans of traditional Souls games.

    In fact I'd just say straight up, there's no need to come up with a new moniker like Soulskiroborne or Soulsborniro because Sekiro doesn't really fit in that box at all. From did a great job of creating a game that appeals to it's fan base while giving them a completely new experience.

    One of my favorite aspects of the game is there's no cheese to be found here. In a Souls game, if you're having difficulty with a boss you can just grind levels, change your stat build, change your equipment, and come back with a completely different strategy. Sekiro strips all that away and forces you to rely solely on your own personal ability and reflexive skill. There's no cheese, no grinding, just sink or swim, and while I understand how this can be off-putting to some people, it's so much more rewarding when the flow of battle finally clicks and you come away with a victory against a boss that has been giving you trouble. You own your victories.

    There do seem to be occasional screen freezes in the PS4 version, though it hasn't happened in a crucial time or during combat (so far).

    My only real complaint beyond that is that the streamlining of Sekiro and the lack of a stat build or equipment changes doesn't lend itself to replayability, which is a major facet of the previous From games. I can see myself playing it once more just to see how far I've come but beyond that, the lack of avenues and styles in which you can play the game really damper any need to give it more than a few playthroughs.    … Expand
  87. BrightAbyss
    Mar 30, 2019
    10
    I just want to start off this review by saying that Sekiro may be the hardest game I have ever played, and I love it. I've played all the Soul's games including Bloodborne and have never struggled quite as much as I have with Sekiro. The bosses are very tough and unique, and the games overall story is actually quite compelling and I'm excited to see how it continues to progress (I'm aboutI just want to start off this review by saying that Sekiro may be the hardest game I have ever played, and I love it. I've played all the Soul's games including Bloodborne and have never struggled quite as much as I have with Sekiro. The bosses are very tough and unique, and the games overall story is actually quite compelling and I'm excited to see how it continues to progress (I'm about 4 bosses in). This is a great addition to the From Software repertoire, but I can tell you that while this is similar to DS and Bloodborne, it is not the same. There is a very steep learning curve to this game, and I would implore you to stick with it and not rage after the first few parts of the game because it is a truly fantastic game.… Expand
  88. crs
    Mar 30, 2019
    9
    Takes a bit of getting used to but when you do it’s a lot of fun.

    Didn’t like it at first but persevere with it and it’s awesome.

    A great experience from the guys at from software.

    Although I must admit it thought you had messed up and deserted your fans at first.
  89. skullknight8000
    Mar 30, 2019
    10
    Game play and Combat i cannot say anything about it. It was really perfect. . the story was much better than Soulsborn, and it was clear to you that you could understand. Bosses were all perfectly worked out, and some of them were also good forever.
  90. volkermuller55
    Mar 30, 2019
    6
    Say goodbye to armor, primary weapons, varied and complex builds, emotes and any other roleplaying elements, coop, and pvp. This is not a soulsborne game and fans of the soulsborne franchises should not be misled into believing that the gameplay is similar. Virtually every system has been overhauled, for better or worse.
    In some ways this title is more friendly to new players than    Say goodbye to armor, primary weapons, varied and complex builds, emotes and any other roleplaying elements, coop, and pvp. This is not a soulsborne game and fans of the soulsborne franchises should not be misled into believing that the gameplay is similar. Virtually every system has been overhauled, for better or worse.
    In some ways this title is more friendly to new players than previous ones because you'll never have to look at wall of stats that you'd have to dig around online to make sense of and you won't have the training scars from playing earlier titles. But in another way, it's much more hostile to new players because the difficulty scaling is unprecedented even for a From Software game.
    Grinding is mostly ineffectual as the only reward you get for grinding is Sen (the primary currency, which can be used to purchase consumables and in some cases prosthetic attachments) and Skill Points, which are used to purchase new acrobatic abilities for your character (only one of which can be slotted at a time). You cannot increase your HP pool or Posture by grinding and you cannot summon friendly NPCs to assist you in boss fights, meaning that when you get stuck on a boss your only option is to continue slamming your head against that wall until you win or quit the game.
    Many returning FromSoft fans that are hostile to new players, casuals, and the notion of accessibility in game design will see these changes as improvements, however I generally see them as a step backwards. I don't think it's good game design for the basic narrative elements to be inaccessible to many players (even some who are willing to spend countless hours trying to 'git gud').
    My single biggest complaint with the game is the reductive nature of the new combat system. Many players seem to feel that the combat system is more complex than ever, but I disagree and I will enumerate my reasons why: Poise has been all but removed from the game, weapon arts have been replaced by acrobatic skills, stamina management was replaced by posture, spirit emblems effectively replaced FP, the prosthetic replaced spell attunement, and the jump mechanic replaced the kick. The vast array of sorceries, miracles, and pyromancies (96 total in dark souls 3) have been replaced by 11 prosthetic attachments. In Dark Souls or Bloodborne there are a wide variety of different play styles and approaches that are equally viable for completing the PVE content. You can be a strong dude with heavy armor, a giant, slow weapon, and tons of poise that just knocks bosses on their asses and manages damage trades. You can use spellcasting as your primary strategy for virtually every boss in the game. You can use a dex character with high mobility and fast weapons that inflict status effects like bleed on enemies. They all do the job, and this fantastic variety makes for excellent replay value (even for the players that aren't interested in challenge runs).
    That's just not the case in Sekiro. You have one weapon, one basic play style, and bosses only have one or sometimes two different basic strategies that are viable to beat them. To make things worse, many of the acrobatic skills that can be acquired that are supposed to make the player feel like they're making progress and getting deeper gameplay are completely nullified by certain bosses. For example, unblockable thrust weapon attacks and some kicks can be countered with a skill called the mikiri counter and unblockable sweep attacks can be jumped over, followed by a swift kick to the face that deals a lot of posture damage. Certain bosses, like Genichiro Ashina (a required boss for story progression), for example, can completely nullify these abilities and punish the player for trying to take advantage of them. This removes depth from the combat and this tactic the developers use to increase the difficulty of the game is equally artificial as tactics like making a boss' attacks deal so much damage they're all one-shot kills or tripling the HP pool of the boss to make it harder.
    It certainly feels like the central principal of this game's design was to make it extremely difficult without regard for making the gameplay feel fair, varied, or balanced.
    These drawbacks are such an intrusive impediment to enjoying the game that they overshadow many pleasant qualities in the game. I like that they tried to challenge returning hardcore players by removing I-frames from dodges. I like the new grappling mechanic and how this frees up the artists who designed the maps to add an entirely new dimension to the areas you play in. The visuals and voice acting are superb, and there appears to be just as much effort put into developing the lore of this game universe as previous titles. There are tons of different boss fights to be had in this game with 15 bosses and 29 Mini-bosses, although some of them are effectively just re-skins. I love FromSoft and their games, but I think this one was simply a step in the wrong direction. 6/10    … Expand
  91. Daisukereds
    Mar 29, 2019
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sekiro is a beautiful game with great soundtrack and sound effects. The story is scarce, the questlines boring, and the NPC forgettable (can't even kill them this time). There is little incentive to play this after the first run.

    It is ALSO let down by the combat
    With each iteration, From Software wants the player to stop doing what they are doing and "parry". That was the case in Dark Souls, where some enemies are easily taken out by properly learning this technique. Makes sense! Then in Bloodborne, they took out the player's shield and gave it a gun for parrying enemies (you can't parry most Bosses, but the safe distance of the gun was balanced).
    Then in Sekiro, they want you to do nothing but parry / deflect. Block-spamming, or block dancing, for most players, is the most boring combat engine I've seen in a recent game..

    Did you not deflect a flurry of attacks perfectly? Well, you are going to eat an attack! Where you not at full health? Well, you'll probably die. Oh, and while you are rolling on the floor after being punished for not playing perfectly, all that posture damage you managed to make will go away because you didn't deal any actual damage to the Boss. So, you either play perfectly and don't press any buttons so you can press block / deflect from the barrage of attacks the Bosses do (that take at least 1/2 your life, while you do 1/32 or even less).. or you run around waiting for that ONE hit you can make without being hit back, lowering the Boss's vitality making your posture damage worthwhile.

    I'm also very disappointed with the Controls and hit-boxes.. They should not be a problem for such a company. The lack of interesting items, weapons and the short duration of this game is also a negative.

    The Unseen Aid and Dragonrot mechanic is also nothing but an annoyance. Players, instead of risking moving forward when low in resources will now, due to fear of the unexplained mechanic (and the probability of NPCs dying), return to the closes Sculptor Idol. It's fabricated length.
    Also, I would have been fine with dying a lot, but losing SKILL points and money? Because seriously.. who is going to walk around with skill or money that they wouldn't rather FARM and SPEND as needed? It doesn't really tie-in the theme of the game..
    And speaking of that, this is a Shinobi or Ninja we are playing as.. but the little stealth / deathblow mechanic is relegated to common enemies.. There is NO Boss battle where anything akin to Ninja skills are required. Instead, you fight like an honorable Samurai each time (without mentioning the "Shinobi Execution" message, that makes no sense).

    Finally, Ninjas are known for strictly following the rules.. So when it comes to decide which ending you are going to pursue, not listening to your number 1 rule is out of character. Also, 2 immediate fights and a lazy twist where you become "Shura" is one of the worse things of the game. It seems like they ran out of time or creativity.

    ** And a personal issue : They had the Sculptor's Idol right in front of the optional Demon of Hatred Boss, but for Genichiro + Isshin, you have to wait for the LONG load times + go up the stairs + skip a cutscene every time. The fact that this is such a long battle, and Isshin's Phase 2 and 3 don't give you that much time to heal when you are learning the strategy doesn't help, and Dragonrot messages + Useless unseen aid makes repeating this process utterly annoying after a while. If you are going to make your Boss a minimum of 5 minutes (with basically 4 life-bars), you could at least make it easier on the casual player, if they are to repeat this for days.

    Played it, finished it, didn't really enjoy any aspect of it and will not return to it.    … Expand
  92. raitei
    Mar 29, 2019
    10
    1000/10 This game is a masterpiece

    The visuals are breathtaking, the combat is the best I've ever played in any game.
    From Software doing it again with their masterpieces
  93. T3OD6R
    Mar 29, 2019
    10
    This game IS hard but practice makes perfect. I am an casual player but im loving the heck out of this. Already beat Lady Butterfly its hard but its a really fun fight
  94. SungeezSolaire
    Mar 29, 2019
    9
    In a genre now becoming crowded with rip offs of the dark souls formula, Sekiro delivers a unique and unforgettable experience that takes the tropes of it and adapts them into something very new. The combat system will take a long time to master but when you have it is the most fluid and enjoyable combat in the menagerie of From Software games. My only complaint may be the slight lack ofIn a genre now becoming crowded with rip offs of the dark souls formula, Sekiro delivers a unique and unforgettable experience that takes the tropes of it and adapts them into something very new. The combat system will take a long time to master but when you have it is the most fluid and enjoyable combat in the menagerie of From Software games. My only complaint may be the slight lack of visual customization for sekiro hinself, but it serves as a reminder, that this isnt a Souls title. Its possible better.… Expand
  95. 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
  96. GreyFox_7
    Mar 29, 2019
    5
    For their sake I hope they don't do another game like this as the next round won't have the sales to go with it if user response is any indication and they have a loyal and good fanbase from Soulsborne and I didn't think anything could make Bloodborne look even better than it is but this game does just that. The combat and systems in Soulsbourne are deliberate and Bloodborne has theFor their sake I hope they don't do another game like this as the next round won't have the sales to go with it if user response is any indication and they have a loyal and good fanbase from Soulsborne and I didn't think anything could make Bloodborne look even better than it is but this game does just that. The combat and systems in Soulsbourne are deliberate and Bloodborne has the perfect mixture of SP, co op, PVP, story, combat, etc. That's the formula they should stick to and as long as they do those these one offs shouldn't be a big deal but it's going to get the review it deserves regardless of past games.… Expand
  97. Observable
    Mar 29, 2019
    0
    Usan la excusa del "Prepare to die" para hacerse los interesantes con esa dificultad y la han elevado a la enésima potencia. Basan la jugabilidad en el "parry" haciéndola tediosa, repetitiva y aburrida. Miyazaki debería recibir un toque de atención y replantearse algunas cosas sobre sus juegos.
  98. GOTTHETOE
    Mar 29, 2019
    10
    after dark souls this is rly good (only played ds 2 and 3) i could say it's like nioh but it's not ( i haven't even played nioh) this game is very cinematic. i think that it was a good idea to do something new. it's still a hard game and sometimes i want to brake my keyboard but still the feeling of success after beating the boss is worth it. just play this game for the final boss i wontafter dark souls this is rly good (only played ds 2 and 3) i could say it's like nioh but it's not ( i haven't even played nioh) this game is very cinematic. i think that it was a good idea to do something new. it's still a hard game and sometimes i want to brake my keyboard but still the feeling of success after beating the boss is worth it. just play this game for the final boss i wont spoil it but the final boss is amazing just get your asses ready (it has 4 phases i wish u luck)… Expand
  99. jppgarcia
    Mar 29, 2019
    9
    It's a great game. FromSoft managed to create something fresh while still keeping many elements that made their latest games so enjoyable. It's not perfect by any means, but people giving it low scores either don't understand how reviews work, or are just mad because they couldn't get past a boss fight. GIT GUD
  100. oldshoolboy03
    Mar 29, 2019
    2
    another soul more obviously driven by the hide of a genre that together with the sambox or the battleroyale is very fashionable in the last decade the stamina bar has been changed for the defense, in addition to being imitated in a bad way to tenchu stealth because it had much more variety of deaths for enemies and we are talking about an old game and if it is difficult any soul is theanother soul more obviously driven by the hide of a genre that together with the sambox or the battleroyale is very fashionable in the last decade the stamina bar has been changed for the defense, in addition to being imitated in a bad way to tenchu stealth because it had much more variety of deaths for enemies and we are talking about an old game and if it is difficult any soul is the graphics are normal for the generation its animations are sharp and orthopedic the story is interesting but nothing memorable in these games the important thing is the challenge there is no variety of weapons or armor things that made more dynamic the previous games I see the scores of the specialized press and I see that they give an 8 or more in serious innovation hahahaha good joke if it looks like a nioh half without his character customization and without weapons variety only the katana and a pair of ninja magics that do not finish me combencer play bloodborne and I loved playing io nioh and I really liked this sekiro not so much… 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.
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  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.
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  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.
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