An extremely late review of the hardest game I've ever played: Sekiro

Hey there. Long time no see. I haven't posted anything in over a year and that's no good. Why was I gone for so long? To make a long story short, I lost motivation to work on the blog. For a very long time. So this blog kind of became a zombie blog. No new content but somehow still getting views. In the meantime I started writing my own original stories, but none of them are at a state where I feel comfortable sharing them on the Internet. So until my original work is complete, I am going to try and revive the blog. And I am going to attempt to stick to a monthly/bi-monthly schedule, so something like this doesn't happen again. With that spiel out of the way, I want to introduce you to one of, if not the single most difficult game I ever played... Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Image from Wikipedia.org

Sekiro was developed by From Software and published by Activision (before they were bought out by Microsoft), and was released in 2019. To say From Software is a one trick pony is to do them a disservice. They are more like a one trick unicorn. They only really make one kind of game (that being Gothic Horror adventure games with deliberately steep learning curves and mysterious storylines that the player has to figure out themselves), but they have gotten so good at that one style of game that they have refined that one style to near perfection. Of course, the problem with this is that if you don't like From Software's style, you're probably going to find their entire catalogue off putting. And no game embodies the "one trick unicorn" mindset better than Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Now, I love the From Software games. They are true artists, with a clear passion for their work. And indeed, I consider Sekiro to one of their finest works. It's not their best game, but it's definitely in the top three. But explaining why I like this game is complicated. Hence, the purpose of this review. Quick content warning, though. This game is rated M for Mature by the ESRB, meaning it is intended for audiences 17 years old or older. The review itself will keep things (somewhat) family friendly, but this is not the kind of game you want to give Little Timmy to keep him distracted for five minutes. Not unless you want a broken controller. Or nightmares about undead monkeys.

So what exactly is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice? Sekiro is an action-adventure game created and directed by gaming legend Hidetaka Miyazaki, who is most well known for his work on the Dark Souls trilogy. This game is technically considered a part of the Souls Borne series, but it is often regarded as the black sheep of the series. This is due to its more straightforward narrative and lack of series standard features, such as multiplayer or character customization. Despite its status as the "black sheep" of From Software's catalogue, Sekiro was their first game to win the Game of the Year Award, cementing the developers' status as legitimate titans in the video game industry and not just a niche studio. 

Taking place in Sengoku Era Japan, you play the role of a Shinobi known only as the Wolf. In case you're unfamiliar with Japanese history, the Sengoku period was regarded as the darkest and bloodiest time in the country's history. It was almost a hundred years of nonstop civil warfare, bloodshed and violence. But while this war wages on, the Wolf is tasked with protecting a small child named Kuro. And protecting Kuro is important because he possesses the power to grant immortality to anyone of his choosing. In other words, Kuro is a walking Fountain of Youth. Despite taking place in a real historical setting, Sekiro has a lot of fantasy elements, so don't expect the game to be historically accurate.

Anyway, Kuro and Sekiro planned to flee the country to keep the power of immortality out of the wrong hands. Unfortunately, a samurai named Genichiro blocked their escape route. The player is then dropped into a scripted boss fight that a first time player has no chance of actually winning. And this is done to teach the player one valuable lesson: You are going to fail in this game. A lot. And that's okay. Sekiro is a game that has earned a reputation, rightfully so, as one of the most challenging video games ever made. But with enough time and practice, you can defeat people like Genichiro without breaking a sweat. But back on topic. Genichiro chops off the Wolf's left arm and kidnaps Kuro. The Wolf did not die, for Kuro's immortality blessing was protecting him. But he was now missing an arm. So a mysterious elder called the Sculptor gives the Wolf a wooden prosthetic that can be customized with a wide array of gadgets. The game starts for real here.

The plot for the first half of the game is surprisingly simple. The Wolf is honor bound to rescue Kuro by any means necessary. But he is free to explore the world however he wishes as long as he works towards that goal. And one of the biggest departures from From Software's usual storytelling style is that the Wolf is an actual character. Normally, Souls Borne protagonists are mute but customizable heroes, serving as self-inserts for the player. But the Wolf is a predetermined protagonist, with his own personality and motivations. And your enjoyment of Sekiro is going to come down to whether you are okay with playing as an established character instead of a self-insert. I personally really like the Wolf. He's very serious and uptight, only speaks when spoken to first and even then, he keeps conversations brief and to the point. The Wolf has lived an extremely hard life, being an orphan adopted by Japan's most dangerous assassins, and the only thing keeping him sane is his determination and loyalty to Kuro. And for From Software's first attempt at a predesigned hero, the Wolf works well. He fits the gloomy, Gothic Horror inspired worlds that From Software are known for while having a journey that feels more personal because he has a very clear goal to work towards and a very clear villain to stop.

Speaking of villains, the main villain of this game is Genichiro, the samurai from the start of the game. Genichiro is a man with a surprisingly sympathetic motive. He was adopted into a family of samurai warriors called the Ashina Clan. Genichiro genuinely loves the clan like the family he never had. And he will commit any atrocity he can to save his family from the war. This is why Genichiro kidnapped Kuro in the first place. He wants Kuro to bless his army with immortality so they can outlast their enemies in a battle of attrition. Kuro refuses to cooperate because every time someone is blessed with immortality, a random person in the world is infected with a deadly disease called Dragon-Rot. So blessing an army would cause a plague. Genichiro knows this, and doesn't care. He is so desperate to win the war he is willing to cause a global pandemic. 

You fight Genichiro multiple times throughout the story, and I'm going to be honest, Genichiro was the boss that got me to like this game. Up until the second duel with Genichiro, I had very mixed feelings on Sekiro. Sure, I liked the samurai aesthetic and the combat against regular enemies, but the first few bosses were frustrating to deal with, and I had to take multiple breaks to calm down in between each attempt. I pushed as far into the campaign as I did more out of stubbornness than actual enjoyment or fun. But Genichiro redeemed the game in my eyes. He was the best showcase of Sekiro's combat up until that point, and I didn't even mind losing to him because he had a perfectly polished duel. Utilizing swordsmanship and archery in equal measure to keep you on your toes. He's fast, but predictable. His attacks have a good rhythm that makes learning how to deflect easier the longer the fight goes on. But most importantly, fighting him was actually fun! And the bosses that came after Genichiro's second duel were even better! The only reason why I consider Elden Ring (another Souls-Borne that won Game of the Year) to be a better game than Sekiro is because the bosses before the Genichiro rematch are too annoying and frustrating for their own good. If Sekiro had a better early game experience it would surpass Elden Ring in my eyes. That isn't to say that Sekiro is a bad game. Both of these games are excellent showcases of From Software's talent and passion. I just feel Elden Ring is a slightly better experience overall because of its more beginner friendly early game.

The game's story takes a weird turn when you finally reunite with Kuro. You see, Kuro has grown to resent his immortality powers. So he starts cooking up a plan to erase the very concept of immortality from reality. At this point the Wolf's goal changes from simply rescuing Kuro to helping him complete a ritual known as Immortal Severance. From here, the story can branch off into one of four endings, based on which version of the ritual you perform. These endings play out in the typical fashion for Miyazaki stories. Here's a mild spoiler warning for the remainder of this section of the review. There's a bittersweet ending where your journey's end mirrors the beginning in a cyclical manner, a more positive ending where the hero sacrifices themselves to give the future generations a better future, and a weird ending hidden behind an elaborate puzzle. There's also a bad ending choice that can be made halfway through the game, which ends the story early and locks you out of the entire second half of the game. Personally I liked most of these endings, though I feel that the "heroic sacrifice" ending is the one that stays truest to the Wolf's characterization. But I did get the weird ending on my first playthrough simply because this game's weird ending is called the Dragon's Homecoming, which is the coolest sounding name for anything in any video game ever. Like, I saw the names of the different endings (which are vague enough to not spoil their contents) while looking at the PS4 Trophy requirements, saw "Dragon's Homecoming" and decided I would go for that ending simply because that sounds cooler than all the other options combined.

Image from sekirothegame.com

But that's enough for the story. What about gameplay? If I had to describe Sekiro in one word, it would be "speed." This game is fast. Very fast. The Wolf moves remarkably faster than any other Souls-Borne character, at least so far. But almost every enemy in the game can match that speed or even surpass it. So how do you defend yourself against such foes? Deflecting. Now, a quick history lesson for anyone unfamiliar with From Software. All of their Souls-Borne games had a deflect ability. And in every game besides Sekiro, it was (in my opinion) too risky to use because it was impossible to tell what could be deflected and what could not unless you looked up that information ahead of time. Sekiro solves this problem with two very simple solutions. First, almost every attack can be deflected. And second, the few attacks in the game that can't be deflected have a clear visual and audio telegraph warning you ahead of time. These are known as Perilous Attacks. If you hear a violin shriek or see a red Japanese symbol floating above your head, that is your cue to get out of the way. But aside from Perilous Attacks, everything in the game can be deflected. Regardless of size, speed or power. You can deflect a charging bull, throwing knives from other Shinobi, body slams from a King Kong sized ape, and everything in between so long as it not a Perilous Attack.

And you want to be deflecting as much as possible. Every time you deflect an enemy's attack, you deal damage to the enemy's Posture. Think of it as a second health bar for enemies. If an enemy's Posture is completely broken, the Wolf can perform a one hit KO move called a Shinobi Deathblow. Generally speaking, it is often both faster and safer to break enemy Posture with deflections and finish them off with a Deathblow than it is to defeat the enemy with normal attacks. Especially since some enemies don't give you any time to attack directly, meaning you have no choice but to use deflections to break through their Posture. And when you are deflecting a seemingly endless barrage of blows and finally pull off that Deathblow at the end, you feel like a master swordsman. In that regard, Sekiro might have the best sword duels in video game history. Just keep in mind that the Wolf also has Posture of his own, and yes, if the Wolf's Posture is completely broken then he too becomes susceptible to a Deathblow. There's also a stealth system that lets you sneak past enemies or slay them quietly, though it is a very simple system and said enemies will lose track of you just mere minutes after spotting you. One cheeky thing you can do is use stealth to sneak up on certain bosses and perform a free Deathblow on them, which skips over the entire first half of the boss battle. This sadly doesn't work on every boss. But when it does work, it feels cathartic. 

One of the biggest points of contention among From Software fans is that the Wolf cannot be customized. The rest of the Souls-Borne series have a huge selection of weapons, armor and magic spells that let you handcraft your character's fighting style to your exact liking. Sekiro doesn't offer any of these options. You start the game with a katana and you end the game with that same katana. There is some customization in the form of the Shinobi Tools and Combat Arts, but these are supplements to the main fighting style, not replacements or alternatives. Shinobi Tools are gadgets that can be attached to the Wolf's prosthetic arm, and you equip up to three of them at one time. Each one is custom-tailored for specific threats. For example, The Loaded Axe can break through enemy shields while the Flame Vent can be used to set foes on fire. All Tools use a limited ammo source called Spirit Emblems, which make it so you cannot use the Tools recklessly. The only exception to this rule is the Grappling Hook, which not only has infinite uses, but is always equipped to the Prosthetic no matter what. This sounds overpowered, but the Grappling Hook is used almost exclusively for traversal, so it balances itself out. Combat Arts are special attacks that can be performed by pressing the attack and deflect buttons at the same time. These are special attacks have some additional utility on top of doing damage. For example, "Double Ichimonji" restores the Wolf's Posture with every use, while "High Monk" can be used to jump over certain Perilous Attacks. You can only have one Combat Art equipped at a time. 

Image from sekirothegame.com

But there is one thing I have to address in this review. The difficulty. Sekiro is a hard game. There is no easy mode, or any equivalent thereof. And unlike the rest of the Souls-Borne series, there is no co-op mode that lets you team up with other players if you get stuck. And to add insult to injury, if you die multiple times in a row, a random friendly character or merchant will get infected with Dragon Rot, pausing any storyline or business that character is involved in until you find a cure. Combine all this with the limited customization, you get what is often considered the hardest game From Software has ever made. The biggest flaw with this game is that its difficulty feels very frontloaded. You start the game with only one healing potion instead of the series standard three potions, and the items needed to upgraded the Wolf's health and defenses are locked behind some deceptively tough bosses. The first three or so areas feel much harder than the rest of the game for these reasons, but if you can push past those grueling first areas and get some upgrades, the rest of the playthrough becomes much more manageable. 

Fun fact! I rewrote this section more than any other part of the review, because every time I try and explain my thoughts on the difficulty in a concise manner it always devolves into me complaining about the Chained Ogre and Blazing Bull bosses. I'm pretty sure those two bosses killed me more times than the actual final boss. But with the benefit of hindsight, the Blazing Bull wasn't that bad. You just have to turn off the "logical" part of your brain when you deflect it, because the Wolf deflecting a charge from a giant bull covered in fire does not look like it should be physically possible. But it isn't considered a Perilous Attack, so despite all logic and reason, you can deflect the Blazing Bull's charges. The Chained Ogre has the opposite problem. Almost everything it does is considered a Perilous Attack. And the Ogre is fought early enough in the game that a new player might come to the conclusion that dodging is more important than deflecting, when the opposite is true. If they toned down the number of Perilous Attacks the Chained Ogre has, or maybe moved it further into the campaign when Perilous Attacks become more frequent, then it wouldn't be that bad. But if anyone quit the game because of Chained Ogre or Blazing Bull, I wouldn't blame them.

But on the subject of bosses I actually like, The Great Shinobi Owl is a personal favorite of mine. He is the Wolf's father, and as such he fights with all the same Shinobi Tools and Combat Arts that the Wolf uses. Shuriken, firecrackers and poison bombs are just a few examples of the stuff he can pull out at a moment's notice. He is a cunning and manipulative trickster, and at one point he even feigns surrender just to get some cheap hits in. Owl is as close as the Wolf gets to fighting a clone of himself, which makes this fight even more brilliant. And his theme music is so good I was literally stunned in real life by how good it was. And thanks to what can best be described as time travel shenanigans, the Wolf can challenge Owl to a rematch in the distant past, and a good fight got only better because this Owl is in his prime. As such, he moves faster, he has new combos and weapons to deal with, and he can even summon ghostly owls to assist him. And his theme music somehow got even better!

And of course, you can't talk about Sekiro without talking about the Sword Saint. Most discussion of this game online is about the Sword Saint. Spoilers again, since the Sword Saint is literally the final boss. The Sword Saint is Isshin Ashina, Genichiro's surrogate grandfather and the greatest swordsman who ever lived. Earlier in the game Isshin winds up dying of a terminal illness. Genichiro gets his hands on a magic sword called the Mortal Blade, which can bring one deceased person back to life as an immortal being, at the cost of the user's soul. So Genichiro uses the Mortal Blade to revive his grandfather, sacrificing his own life to do so. Isshin agrees to fight the Wolf, not because he wants to, but to honor his grandson's dying wish to protect the Ashina Clan and win the war. And you get a glorious, one on one duel between two immortal swordsmen, throwing everything they got to put the other down. The Sword Saint is one of the best boss battles I've ever seen in any video game ever, right up there with Nightmare King Grimm from Team Cherry's Hollow Knight. He tests your skill with every aspect of the game's combat. He has fast katana strikes that need to be deflected, and wide reaching Perilous attacks from a giant spear to test your dodging skills. He has a flintlock pistol that he can use to take potshots at you from a distance. He'll even use heretical magic to supercharge his weapons with electricity, requiring to perform deflections in midair to avoid getting zapped. And you fight him in the same open meadow at the start of the game, where you first fought Genichiro. And when you land that final Deathblow on him, Isshin's reaction isn't rage or despair, it's respect. His last words to the Wolf are congratulating him for being a splendid warrior, with no hard feelings for everything that happened. Everything about the Sword Saint, from the spectacle to the music to the actual fight, is a perfect climax to end your journey. 

Image from sekirothegame.com

On the subject of presentation, Sekiro is definitely one of the best-looking games in From Software's catalogue. While it does have traces of the Gothic Horror flair that the developers are known for, it's mixed in with this Feudal Samurai aesthetic that lets the game stand out among its peers. Some areas, like the Senpou Temple, are simply gorgeous to look at with bright colors and an almost serene atmosphere. Other areas, like Mibu Village, are decrepit shells of their former glory. And a personal favorite area of mine is the Hirata Estate, a once prestigious palace engulfed in flames. One thing I noticed is that their is a stronger focus on verticality in Sekiro compared to previous From Software games, with lots of multi-story buildings and steep cliffs. This is partly to give you places where you can reliably use the grappling hook, and partly to induce a sense of grandness and overwhelming scale. The enemy designs are also some of the best in From Software's catalogue. Surprisingly, there's not a lot of incomprehensibly twisted monstrosities, like a normal Souls-Borne game. Instead, most of the enemies are humanoid, and their designs are generally cleaner to look at. Considering the strong emphasis on sword duels, the enemies had to have these cleaner designs so you could actually tell what they are about to do and respond accordingly.

One of my favorite bosses in terms of spectacle is the Guardian Ape due to the transition between its first and second forms. Mild spoilers, but when you defeat the Guardian Ape for the first time, the Wolf decapitates it. You get the "Shinobi Execution!" message that marks the end of a boss battle. But the gate to the next area is still closed. And the Ape's body stands back up, grabs its severed head, and keeps on fighting like nothing happened. It's a good scare that lures you into a false sense of security, especially because the "Shinobi Execution!" message makes the fake out feel more authentic. And the way the Ape's undead form moves around like a puppet being guided by invisible strings is not only unnerving, but its a hint to the Ape's true nature as a victim of one of the Senpou Temple parasites.

There is only one critique I have with the game's presentation, and that is the frame rate. Now, Sekiro has a frame rate of 60 frames per second on PS4 (the system I played it on). This is a fine framerate for an action game. But one area in the game, Ashina Castle, causes problems. Ashina Castle is by far the biggest area in the game, being a massive, well, castle that must be climbed from bottom to top and back again. Because of how big this area is, and all of the moving enemies within the castle and around its perimeter, this area causes the frame rate to slow down. The framerate does correct itself after a few seconds, but the framerate dips happened often enough in this one area that I couldn't ignore it. What's weird is that this the only area with framerate problems, the rest of the game runs just fine. This is most notable during the third and final visit to the Castle, where Central Ministry forces are added on top of the Ashina Clan enemies already in the Castle. While it is cool to see the two villain factions duking it out, the chaos they cause together is what really brings down the game's framerate. All of this is of course, not a deal breaker, just something to be aware of.

The sound design is excellent. The sound effects for the clashing of steel is clean and crisp, especially if you deflect multiple attacks in a row. The mechanical whirs and clicks of the Shinobi Prosthetic add a satisfying flair whenever you use a Shinobi Tool. But the highlight of the sound design is the sound effect for Perilous Attacks. It is a shrill violin shriek that immediately grabs your attention and alerts you to incoming danger far sooner than the red symbol that accompanies it. Whatever From Software's next Souls Borne game is, I sincerely hope they bring back Perilous Attacks just so they can add a sound effect just as iconic as that violin shriek. 

I played through the game with the Japanese voices, despite there being an official English dub. The reason I did this was because the Japanese voices were enabled by default. I'm not a "Subs over Dubs" kind of guy, but after looking up clips of the English voice acting, I can say the Japanese voices sound a lot better. Except for Gyoubu Oniwa, the first named boss you fight. His introductory speech in English is much more entertaining than it is in Japanese. In Japanese he sounds like a stern but refined soldier just trying to do his job. In English he sounds like a bloodthirsty demon screaming loud enough to wake up the dead. And because of that, the English version of Gyoubu's speech became an overnight meme back when the game first released. But the weird thing is, this is the only character I feel sounds better in English. No knock against the Japanese voice actor, for they did a splendid job. But the two takes are so wildly different that they make the same character have a completely different vibe.

Sekiro also boasts an impressive soundtrack, composed by Yuka Kitamura. Most of the music is done with traditional Japanese instruments, such as Taiko drums and Shamisen. As previously mentioned, Great Shinobi Owl's theme music is by far the best song in the game. It starts off with a slow yet intense melody, like a showdown between two skilled assassins. And then when Owl feigns surrender and hits you a cheap blow, the song speeds up and becomes more chaotic, almost as if even the orchestra itself is shocked at Owl's underhanded tactics. Another great song is the music for the Corrupted Monk boss. For the first stage of the boss the music is a fast paced flute solo, but as the fight progresses, more instruments get added in and the song grows more theatrical and menacing. And of course, the Sword Saint's theme music is a triumphant choir mixed with Taiko Drums and (what I think are) flutes, the perfect send off to your journey.

In conclusion, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a great game, though it is admittedly not for everyone. The game is legendarily hard and the early bosses leave a bad first impression, but if you stick with it, Sekiro has some of the best sword combat in the history of action games. Honestly, if you combined this game's deflections and speed with the weapon variety and exploration of Elden Ring you would have the perfect From Software game. But it still stands on its own as a really good ninja game, as long as you are willing to sit down and practice. And even if you have no desire to even touch this game, the Sekiro speed-runs are pretty cool to watch. I give Sekiro 4 out of 5 stars.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is owned by Hidetaka Miyazaki and From Software. All of the screenshots featured here do not belong to me. Please support the official release.