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. TheAutist62
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    When you thought Sekiro would not be too hard because you finished:

    Demon's Souls
    Dark Souls 1
    Dark Souls 2
    Dark Souls 3
    Bloodborne

    Think again. It's quite challenging, and the gameplay feels different and refreshing.
  2. Bukikha9
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    This is a game about fighting through a supernaturally tinged recreation of 16th-century Japan as a deathless assassin with a sharp blade and a weaponized prosthetic arm, but there are plenty of moments when the sword is sheathed and the game shows a quiet cinematic discipline.
    + The visuals. Really immersive and well detailed, the artistic direction is gorgeous
    + The combat is extremely    This is a game about fighting through a supernaturally tinged recreation of 16th-century Japan as a deathless assassin with a sharp blade and a weaponized prosthetic arm, but there are plenty of moments when the sword is sheathed and the game shows a quiet cinematic discipline.
    + The visuals. Really immersive and well detailed, the artistic direction is gorgeous
    + The combat is extremely satisfying and fair
    + Graphics are really beautiful.
    + Customizable controls
    + Good character personalization with skills and prosthesis tree
    + Soundtrack is delicious
    + High learning curve
    + Good environment    … Expand
  3. Coldrolnal7
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    As someone that has poured many, many hours into the previous FromSoft titles, dying repeatedly until I was able to either get lucky or I was able to "git gud", I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is the only real thing Sekiro has in common with those games. You will die. A lot. Way more than twice. Just..a lot. This is not a Soulsborne game. You are not some powerful knightAs someone that has poured many, many hours into the previous FromSoft titles, dying repeatedly until I was able to either get lucky or I was able to "git gud", I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is the only real thing Sekiro has in common with those games. You will die. A lot. Way more than twice. Just..a lot. This is not a Soulsborne game. You are not some powerful knight capable of face-tanking every entity you come across. You are a ninja. The game will remind you constantly of this fact. You are free to play as dirty as you know the enemies will. Poison them, set them on fire, stab them in the butt when they are not looking and then Spider-Man away. Who cares! Just kill them before they kill you. If there is anything to take away from my rambling, it is simply this. You are shinobi. You are not a samurai or knight. So don't expect to play as one and you and this game will get along well! But you are gonna die way more than twice. The game is a gat dang liar.… Expand
  4. Afrodizactz2
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    I've never played Dark Souls so I have nothing to compare Sekiro to, It was hard to understand the mechanics at first but once I got the rhythm and patterns of bosses, it was actually really REALLY fun. It was quite the challenge for me, I'm not gonna lie but it felt amazing beating the game for the first time; I achieved nothing in life, but I'm proud of myself xD.
  5. Flound4er
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    Playing through Sekiro for the first time was the greatest gaming experience of my life. Never has a game meant so much to me. Like all the Souls, this game is pure immersion--It speaks to you in every detail. And the difficulty drives you deep into the this immersive experience, where you find yourself gritting your teeth, riveted to the screen and fighting with all your might to justPlaying through Sekiro for the first time was the greatest gaming experience of my life. Never has a game meant so much to me. Like all the Souls, this game is pure immersion--It speaks to you in every detail. And the difficulty drives you deep into the this immersive experience, where you find yourself gritting your teeth, riveted to the screen and fighting with all your might to just stay in it a little longer. To deflect and to dodge and to land just one more hit! Time and again, Sekiro had me falling out of my chair, stunned with the realization of what I must do... Twice! The resurrection mechanic just further enriches the experience, forcing you to become the ultimate shinobi master and and not only beat a boss, but completely to annihilate it... or at the very least to just barely out-live it, surviving and succeeding by the tiniest of margins. What a game! As a Souls fan (both dark souls and various other souls-like games), this game is just a treasure. It excels in areas Dark Souls cannot. Being provided with only one main weapon means makes for a finely tuned PVE combat experience that is much more immersive than the other Souls games... and you don't have any choice about it! You are forced to master these new mechanics, and quickly find yourself grappling around, sprinting, dodging, deflecting, and then destroying enemies and bosses that will leave your breathless with their magnificence. I could say more, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I implore you to not watch any videos of anyone else playing this game. No streams, no youtube, no reading about it. Just play the game. You just stumbled upon the greatest 1-player game of all time. Immerse yourself in it. Enjoy the experience.… Expand
  6. Immunium720
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    Every other action game seems kinda bad after playing this. Masterpiece of a game.
  7. Sergantsl1piner
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    I normally don't write reviews about games especially critically acclaimed games such as this one. Sekiro, however really deserved something to be said about it. I have never been a fan of the souls series but i respect what they done for gaming and the difficulty they presented so i expected to be frustrated while figuring out the initial learning curve. The first playthrough of this gameI normally don't write reviews about games especially critically acclaimed games such as this one. Sekiro, however really deserved something to be said about it. I have never been a fan of the souls series but i respect what they done for gaming and the difficulty they presented so i expected to be frustrated while figuring out the initial learning curve. The first playthrough of this game was one of the most challenging experiences I have ever had in gaming, but when I finally understood the game mechanics and practiced them i truly understood what a work of art it actually is. It reminded of actual fighting and how a split second opening can make or break a battle.… Expand
  8. Tominator10
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    I fought Genichiro and boom baby, there's that feeling I had back in the day playing DS1 for the first time, learning a boss, improving with every death, finally breezing through phase 1 only to repeat the process for phase 2 and so on. What an epic fight that was. Finally beat him and decided to put my excitement into a review. Love this game.
  9. Beeps3
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    Sekiro has an extremely brutal design philosophy that defies conventional wisdom. When I heard people complaining about the difficulty of the game and how you apparently needed to "flawless" bosses/memorize movesets in order to beat them, I instinctively shrugged such complaints off. Similar statements were made about all of the previous games, and they were never true.
  10. Mathew453
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    I was bored, and saw that this game won game of the year, so I bought it.

    After playing this game for two and a half hours, dying repeatedly to the game's first mini-boss, I contacted steam and demanded a refund for a game I simply couldn't play. ...but I couldn't get it out of my head. I got the game again for Christmas, and after finally killing that first mini-boss, I couldn't    I was bored, and saw that this game won game of the year, so I bought it.

    After playing this game for two and a half hours, dying repeatedly to the game's first mini-boss, I contacted steam and demanded a refund for a game I simply couldn't play.

    ...but I couldn't get it out of my head.

    I got the game again for Christmas, and after finally killing that first mini-boss, I couldn't get over how I felt. I kept going, perfecting the fighting style until I reached the game's first real boss. It knocked me down again. I fought that boss over and over again until the swordplay became a lethal kind of dance. I felt invincible. After the first boss, I went onto the next one, and the next, until I completed the game's first ending. Then I played it all again, exploring the abilities, fighting styles, and story arcs that I hadn't tried before. I reached the game's truly final boss and killed it in one try because the game had trained me to fight so well. It was by far the most rewarding experience any video game has ever given me. After over 150 hours, I earned every single achievement.

    From someone who refunded this game the first day they played it, from someone who would have never been remotely interested in Japanese culture otherwise, let me tell you that Sekiro is one of a kind. Not only is the combat an art-form in and of itself, but the story is moving and the characters compelling.

    If you buy Sekiro, don't get frustrated when you hit a wall. Don't look up cheese strategies or try to savescum the game. Get back up, watch a walkthrough or two if you really need to, and vault over that wall like a f***ing shinobi. You won't regret it.    … Expand
  11. Razee1
    Jun 14, 2021
    10
    Sekiro is not a Souls game. This can't be stressed enough. Attempt to i-frame dodge through the game and you will get your ass slapped all the way back to Lordran. While it borrows certain elements from Souls, like the checkpoint system or cryptic NPC questlines, it's pretty much its own beast. And what a beast it is.

    It's one of those good news, bad news situations. Good news: the days    Sekiro is not a Souls game. This can't be stressed enough. Attempt to i-frame dodge through the game and you will get your ass slapped all the way back to Lordran. While it borrows certain elements from Souls, like the checkpoint system or cryptic NPC questlines, it's pretty much its own beast. And what a beast it is.

    It's one of those good news, bad news situations. Good news: the days when you needed to keep an eye on your stamina for every attack, block or dodge are over. Bad news: that doesn't mean the game is any less challenging. Quite the opposite, actually. Wolfie goes down in two hits tops, and at all times he's either heavily outnumbered or he gets crushed in the health bar measuring contest. And the absence of stats, gear and online co-op means there are no shortcuts. You won't be able to overlevel, no Solaire will come to your aid. It's either nut up or shut up.

    Luckily, there are ways to put you at a lesser disadvantage. Sekiro features a rudimentary stealth system and enough freedom to thin out your enemies' ranks one by one. Most of the times you can clear entire areas just by being sneaky. Apparently, Sekiro started out as a Tenchu game and I totally believe it, considering how far stealth will get you. But eventually a direct confrontation will be unavoidable. And where Souls games required you to only land that one parry, Sekiro demands that you time your blocks near perfectly several times per exchange. Combat is fast, fluid and demanding enough to make you break a sweat.

    While the areas are open and generally well-designed, they are not exactly eyecandy. Souls games are known for their sinister beauty, but that is largely absent in Sekiro. Some areas look flat-out rough. Only rarely will you get the urge to stop and soak in the atmosphere. A missed opportunity, really. And while the environments leave room for exploration, the absence of cool gear makes it feel strangely unrewarding. Also, due to the nature of combat you will see the same instakill moves and finishers quite often. A bit of variety would have been nice.

    Like the player, Sekiro faces its own set of challenges. Developer From Software has been around for over three decades, but only since the release of Demon's Souls the studio has gained a larger recognition in the West. Ever since, most of their games have been Souls games either directly or in spirit. Being widely known as the developer of Souls games came with the issue that they were expected to make nothing but Souls games - a curse, if you will. Sekiro marks the first time in a while that a major From Software title branches out far enough to be called its own thing - and be accepted by a large audience. With that leap of faith out of the way, it'll be exciting to see what they will come up with next.    … Expand
  12. Loiii2
    Jun 13, 2021
    10
    The best and most difficult game I ever played. Amazingly difficult which is what i like.
  13. Antar1
    Jun 9, 2021
    9
    History 8/10
    Gameplay 10/10
    Zones 7/10
    Lore 8/10
    Difficulty 10/10 (You learn fast)
    Bosses 10/10
  14. Manz_kingz6
    Jun 7, 2021
    10
    Best FROM game in terms of pure gameplay. Doesn't have a lot of replayability but its pure action throughout.
  15. The4headgenius
    May 31, 2021
    10
    Amazing game. very challenging and rewarding when you overcome the challenge.
  16. Opposite-noob
    May 31, 2021
    10
    No entiendo que haces aqui porque deberias estar jugando sekiro!!!
    Es simplemente el mejor juego que he jugado
    Si al principio del juego no entiendes nada como por ejemplo: Quienes son los personajes Que es lo que tienes que hacer La historia. Si bien al principio no entiendes nada es ese sentimiento de conocimiento y logro gradual el que te hace sentir INCREIBLE!!! SI NO LO TIENES    No entiendo que haces aqui porque deberias estar jugando sekiro!!!
    Es simplemente el mejor juego que he jugado
    Si al principio del juego no entiendes nada como por ejemplo:
    Quienes son los personajes
    Que es lo que tienes que hacer
    La historia.
    Si bien al principio no entiendes nada es ese sentimiento de conocimiento y logro gradual el que te hace sentir INCREIBLE!!!
    SI NO LO TIENES NO DUDES EN COMPRARLO!!!
    AL PRINCIPIO NO ENTENDERAS NADA PERO NO TE ABRUMES POR QUE POCO A POCO TE DARAS CUENTA DE TODO, ES UNA OBRA MAESTRA!!!!!    … Expand
  17. JD1872
    May 27, 2021
    1
    Love FromSoftware games in general but there is just nothing I like about this game.

    Really hope they go back to the winning formula they perfected with bloodbourne and DS3 with their next release
  18. saksoka
    May 24, 2021
    10
    Honestly s teir gameplay let's make this review a jojo reference muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda
  19. Superbolonio
    May 20, 2021
    10
    El juego más difícil de From, con probablemente el gameplay más pulido e impresionante que han hecho y una ambientación y combates espectaculares. Mis únicas pegas son su historia, que no es tan buena como las de los Soulsborne, y la poca rejugabilidad. Si te gustaron las anteriores obras está también lo hará.
  20. Ukrainec2014
    May 19, 2021
    1
    Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice is one of the worst games I've played. It's so bad it's hard to describe in words. A scanty amount of tricks, no combo attacks, normal dodge and block, crooked camera and physics, terrible game design and incredible unreasonable complexity.
    I love the Ninja Gaiden series. I also love all hack and slash games, and games with a Japanese flavor. It would seem that I    Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice is one of the worst games I've played. It's so bad it's hard to describe in words. A scanty amount of tricks, no combo attacks, normal dodge and block, crooked camera and physics, terrible game design and incredible unreasonable complexity.
    I love the Ninja Gaiden series. I also love all hack and slash games, and games with a Japanese flavor. It would seem that I should have liked this game, but this is a terrible shame and a slap in the face for all slasher players.
    The only thing that should be noted in the game is good graphics and design.
    Otherwise, this is one of the main disgraces of 2019. In the game, we have only one attack, the same type of katana strike. After hitting the enemy several times, you can finish it off with the same button. AI of enemies is just as bad. If they spot you, they won't leave again until they finish you off. The game is supposedly a stealth action game, but this is unacceptable for this genre. The location design is not intuitive and there are no clues about where to go. There is no location map or visual directions in the game itself.
    If you want to see some really cool Japanese action game, play Ninja Gaiden, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, or Killer Is Dead. These games are many times better than the unfairly hyped Sekiro.    … Expand
  21. Equalizenear98
    May 17, 2021
    10
    10/10. if you are a hardcore dark souls fan you are going to love it. Amazing combat.
  22. CFMCritic
    May 15, 2021
    9
    Sekiro reminds me of Bloodborne. It's both superior and inferior to the previous fromsoftware game, i love it when Miyazaki tries something new and sekiro is a masterpiece. But RE2 was the game of the year for me and sekiro would have come to number 2. Sekiro includes some of the most delicious and awe-inspiring moments in any fromsoftware game, just like bloodborne this game surpassed mySekiro reminds me of Bloodborne. It's both superior and inferior to the previous fromsoftware game, i love it when Miyazaki tries something new and sekiro is a masterpiece. But RE2 was the game of the year for me and sekiro would have come to number 2. Sekiro includes some of the most delicious and awe-inspiring moments in any fromsoftware game, just like bloodborne this game surpassed my expectations.… Expand
  23. Despresso9
    May 14, 2021
    10
    Sekiro is the type of game that pushes you to your limits, you hate it, but then you realize you've been falling in love with it. It's one of the greatest experiences gaming has to offer, overcoming the impossible, not because of an XP system or leveling up, but because you grew up as a shinobi, your skills got better, you started getting the hang of the game, you became the shinobi.

    +    Sekiro is the type of game that pushes you to your limits, you hate it, but then you realize you've been falling in love with it. It's one of the greatest experiences gaming has to offer, overcoming the impossible, not because of an XP system or leveling up, but because you grew up as a shinobi, your skills got better, you started getting the hang of the game, you became the shinobi.

    + Awesome OST
    + Top tier gameplay
    + Shinobi boy
    + Difficult
    + Japanese lore, and setting, LOVE IT!
    + Long, but not long enough to fill the void that IT will create :(

    - The monk is using hax I swear
    - You won't find a game quite like it, so the hollow feeling will last. Forever.
    - not long enough to fill the void of finishing it :(

    10/10 a Masterpiece    … Expand
  24. Evisicrator13
    May 14, 2021
    10
    After finally beating Sekiro I only feel one emotion, satisfaction. Satisfaction that I pushed through the odds and got "gud." This game isn't like a Souls game, in fact its nothing like it. If people say Dark Souls is hard, then Sekiro is unbeatable. After beating Sekiro it really put into perspective how "easy" the souls games are. People take for granted how many tools and assist's youAfter finally beating Sekiro I only feel one emotion, satisfaction. Satisfaction that I pushed through the odds and got "gud." This game isn't like a Souls game, in fact its nothing like it. If people say Dark Souls is hard, then Sekiro is unbeatable. After beating Sekiro it really put into perspective how "easy" the souls games are. People take for granted how many tools and assist's you get throughout the souls games, magic for being able to cheese bosses, buffs to speed up kills, leveling stats to close the gap, summoning help from other players. All of these tools to help you beat any obstacle thrown at you and people still call those games hard, I was one of them, but after beating Sekiro that has all changed.

    Sekiro rips away all of those tools to help you succeed and leaves you with only one thing, raw skill. The only way to beat Sekiro is to familiarize yourself with the mechanics and master them. No summons to help you fight the boss, no magic to cheese from far away, just your raw skill and determination. This game will push you to the limit, it will break you over and over again until you either push past your limits, or crumble from defeat. This game will make you relearn all over again how to play, in all honesty you'd be better off playing this game before any other souls games.

    If you're like me and so many others that have put hundreds of hours into the souls series then you will have an especially hard time with this game. All of those hours perfecting the mechanics and getting in the play-style of playing defensively, staying back and waiting will completely and utterly ruin you with this game. This game will force you to forget all of your previous knowledge and relearn everything. If you don't master the art of deflecting, counterattacking, and taking advantage of enemies you will not be able to finish this game. But once you do master those arts, oh my lord is it satisfying. Finally hitting that moment where you perfectly deflect a bosses entire chain and get the deathblow is one of the most satisfying things I have ever done in a video game. Getting to that point where you completely and utterly destroy a boss with perfect deflects and counterattacks will never cease to make me feel like a badass. This game is a master of making you feel like you are truly good at it, as well as making you feel like you are truly god awful at it. It will test your will, and if you pass, will make you feel like you can take on anything.

    It's hard, but try to not go into this game thinking its going to be another Dark Souls experience, because you will be sorely mistaken and frustrated. This is not Dark Souls, this is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and if you don't come to terms with that then you will not enjoy this game. Great game over all though, and the combat is really satisfying, performance is good but not great, try it if you like being actually challenged and tested with all of your skill.    … Expand
  25. Chulepa7
    May 14, 2021
    10
    Understandable story, really good gameplay, actually interesting characters, no ***king spooky giant skeletons in pitch-dark caves. Solid 10/10, hoping for a sequel some day.
  26. DrStrangelove1
    May 14, 2021
    10
    Don't buy it. It's so good that it has ruined other games for me. Now, any other game feels like garbage in comparison.
  27. Mirukahia0207
    May 14, 2021
    10
    PROS:
    - Story / Samurai / Shinobi folclore
    - Stealth is not boring
    - Better dynamic combat than other Souls
    - Fast , agressive combat
    - Bosses
    - Enviroment / Landscapes / Map transitions
    - Weapons / Sub-weapons / skills
    - Combos
    - Deflection / Parry system that works and feels damn good
    - Choices matter

    CONS:
    - The Headless
    - The headless
    - The headless
    - The headless
  28. 24Kamspy
    May 14, 2021
    10
    I'd like to get this out there for people like me.

    I LOVE the Dark Souls series, but I was never any good with the parry. Straight sword and shield tank. Never even tried a parry outside of the Undead Burg I was so bad. Bloodborne wasn't even an option for me (could have been the 22fps). So I finally picked up Sekiro expecting to get demolished, but figured I'd finally try it out. I    I'd like to get this out there for people like me.

    I LOVE the Dark Souls series, but I was never any good with the parry. Straight sword and shield tank. Never even tried a parry outside of the Undead Burg I was so bad. Bloodborne wasn't even an option for me (could have been the 22fps).

    So I finally picked up Sekiro expecting to get demolished, but figured I'd finally try it out. I put it off for so long because I was told it's all about the parry, and I was terrible at Dark Souls parry.

    But guess what? It's waaay easier. Just the game as a whole. Not in a "too easy" way. It's still Dark Souls hard, but the parry system is much more forgiving and I'm actually pretty good at it.

    The moral of this long post is; if you sucked at the parry in Dark Souls and are staying away from Sekiro because of it. Don't. It's awesome, and is completely different.    … Expand
  29. Zombiecat47
    May 14, 2021
    10
    In an era where full-priced games are filled to the brim with microtransactions, locked out content, or boring open worlds with equally boring cut-and-paste content, occasionally a gem like SEKIRO™: SHADOWS DIE TWICE comes along and reminds us why we play games in the first place.
  30. Berzerk50
    May 14, 2021
    10
    It's one of those games that can get frustrating to the point where you just wanna quit and play something else. But when your adrenaline kicks in and you finally defeat the boss, It gives you very satisfying feeling executing that feels like crack.
Page:

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

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 77 Critic Reviews

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