FromSoftware has something of a reputation, known for its highly-acclaimed “Dark Souls” series and the spin-off “Bloodborne.” Anyone who knows anything about those games knows that they are kind of hard. The big deal with “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” is just how normal the game actually is. It feels like something to ease new players into FromSoftware’s brutal gameplay loop of die, retry, die again, leading to some controversial opinions on the game needing an “easy mode.” Despite that, it seems to hit a bizarre midpoint in difficulty that might disappoint hardcore fans but still give rookies a good wedgie until they find themselves at the trade-in line. 

For those who are not familiar with “Dark Souls” or FromSoftware’s signature style, most players will go through levels getting constantly ambushed and demolished. You die. A lot. However, death is not the end, as you respawn at the nearest bonfire, having lost all of the money and experience you gained before your last hurrah. The goal is to finally memorize all of the traps, level up and break through. Not only that, but the player is given little to no direction on the actual plotline. Instead, they need to piece together bits and pieces via environmental details and item descriptions.

The biggest change comes in the form of the storyline, which again will be good for some and bad for others. Instead of having a silent knight (like in “Dark Souls”), the player takes on the role of Sekiro, the Wolf, meaning that the story is told in a traditional manner, losing that brand of subtly that drew fans into the world of Lordran. Sekiro’s feudal Japan setting just cannot compare.

This is not to say that all the changes fall flat. The new mobility system is a lot more manageable. Dark Souls games would mostly have players wandering down narrow hallways hwoping they do not slip off a cliff and into the next bonfire. Here things have a lot more nuance. The levels are decorated with a ton of grappling points for players to attach their new hook-shot arm onto and silently catapult themselves around the map. 

This plays into the new stealth mechanics, which can be hit or miss. The Wolf does not seem to handle fights against multiple opponents as well and must constantly readjust his positioning if he wants to survive. Using stealth is almost a guaranteed instant kill, so hiding in tall grass (because of course it is tall grass) and sticking to rooftops can help assure that the player never has to face the brunt of the hoard all at once. Even when caught, Sekiro can use his mobility to run away and suck his thumb while the player revaluates their tactics.

Memorizing these levels is crucial to success, more so than other FromSoftware games, considering that leveling up is not as crucial to one’s success. Instead of being able to upgrade one’s health or damage by defeating enemies, these can only be improved by coming across secret areas, which are incredibly abundant. Experience points only allows players to purchase new skills, which still need to be found in the environment, but these still require razor sharp skill to pull off. So, the only thing that will get players through is their prowess. 

Overall, it is certainly an interesting creation and has this visceral fun factor that does not go away even after players die 50 times. The improvements will either excite or deflate people on an individual basis, but the strength of its game-play will keep it afloat for most.

Image from Gamespot via YouTube