Sekiro Shadows Die Twice

The latest game from FromSoftware is out and Sekiro is ready to give you a challenge.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the latest game from developer FromSoftware, creators of Bloodborne and Dark Souls. Much like other the other games released by FromSoftware Sekiro is tough. But if you can get past the difficulty then it’s very rewarding.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an action-adventure game played from a third person perspective. The game follows a shinobi known as Sekiro and his story of revenge on his samurai attacker.

Unlike other games in the Souls series, the game doesn’t have as many RPG features. For example character creation, multiplayer elements and levelling up abilities. It does include however gear upgrades, skill trees and a little bit of character customisation.

Combat is tough, but rewarding when you get the hand of it. Rather than beating down health bars Sekiro attack’s enemy’s balance and poise looking for an opportunity to strike a killing blow. There’s stealth elements allowing you to sneak up on enemies to deliver a stealth kill from behind.

As well as your trusty Katana Sekiro can use a variety of tools such as a grappling hook. There are more tools available later on in the game to provide variety to the combat and world traversal.

The game is fast and movement feels really good. You can sneak up on enemies stealth style. You creep through the reeds and gaining a positional upper hand on your enemies. Running and jumping feels fluid as you can double jump up and over walls. You can also cling onto ledges to get to those harder to reach spots.

The game takes place in 16th century Sengoku Japan. Sekiro is a shinobi who was left for dead after a battle with a mysterious samurai. Sekiro’s lord is then kidnapped and the shinobi is left for dead, mortally wounded. The game’s default language is Japanese with English subtitles which really helps with the whole feel for the game.

The focus of the game is the incredibly difficult series of boss battles. Practice is the name of the game as you have to know every move, every defence and attack. Bosses come at you with an intensity which makes you feel breathless at times. It can be super frustrating getting so close to the end only to get chopped down with a single blow. However here in lies the ultimate satisfaction – learning the move set, understanding your opponent’s attacks even before they do to win. I don’t think I’ve ever played a game where every single move counts like it does in Sekiro.

I’m only a few hours into the game but I’m having a great time with the game so far. I’m new to the Souls series although I have heard a lot of good things about FromSoftware’s previous titles. Having heard those good things I’m really happy I picked up Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

If you’re up for the challenge and enjoy action-adventure games then this might be for you. We’ll be back in a few weeks with a full review of the game.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available now for Xbox One, PS4 and PC now.