The evil geniuses behind the infuriating Dark Souls trilogy and its gothic sibling Bloodborne, FromSoftware, are ready to unleash a Samurai inspired project in the same vein called Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Before you jump in to die thousands of times against epic bosses, I will try to dissect everything that needs to be known before playing, at least what has been identified due to FromSoftware being always cryptic when promoting any new title.
Story
Set in Japan’s Sengoku Era, a deceased warrior comes back for revenge after his death and the kidnapping of the Young Lord, a child he must protect. A story of revenge and seeking to complete the ultimate task of defending a child.
Knowing their previous work, expect an ambiguous narrative that will take a magnifying glass, tons of exploration, and plenty of reading to understand every detail.
Gameplay
One distinct difference from previous games by FromSoftware is the mobility, and how death plays a role in gameplay, yes death will be a core mechanic like always from these developers.
First, mobility gives more freedom when traversing levels and defeating enemies. You are equipped with a grappling hook to get higher ground. Any restrictions on the mechanic are unknown as of now.
Death’s meaning is hard to decipher, but elements are known. A reviving mechanic allows the warrior to stand right back up after death for a limited amount of times. Resurrection gives an opportunity to kill the foe who took your life since they will leave your body thinking they are victorious. Once those limited revives are out, then you will respawn at the last checkpoint.
The protagonist’s left arm is a mechanical arm that offers itself as both an ax to break down shields or to transform into a shield. The perfect blend of an offensive and defensive tool that will surely be needed in this hostile landscape.
The katana will be the only primary weapon, which loses a lot of the customization of playstyles, but the prosthetic will have plenty of tools and options to alter strategies, giving that freedom during gameplay.
Stealth allows for a new way to play for fans to master. Listening in on conversations will reveal plenty of hints about the world around you to help on the adventure. Sneaking around allows for a refreshing take on combat to assassinate unsuspecting foes.
The world opens itself up more than previous titles from the Japanese developer. Settlements to meet NPCs in and plenty of room for exploration to seek out new gear.
Progression
Progressing as a warrior differs greatly from the Souls series by focusing less on stats and more in a different direction to give more power to your style.
Defeating enemies drops gold and experience points. Once a skill point unlocks and find a specific item in the map, go to the Sculptor’s Idols, essentially a bonfire from Dark Souls, to upgrade.
Three skill trees lend themselves for new abilities. They are listed by the following: stealth, combat, and the prosthetic arm. Passive abilities and special “combat arts” moves come together with these skills to provide many different styles to tackle this Samurai based journey.
The point Miyazaki wants players to understand is that this is their adventure. People will discover upgrades along the way and figure out how they want to build their warrior as they slash through hostiles that get in their way.
Multiplayer
Sekiro‘s family of brutally difficult games ease themselves up to allow other players to join for PvP or cooperative play. Here there will be no multiplayer in any form.
PC Specs
Minimum PC System Specs
OS: Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 8 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i3-2100 | AMD FX-6300
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 | AMD Radeon HD 7950
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 25 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 11 Compatible
Recommended PC System Specs
OS: Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 8 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K | AMD Ryzen 5 1400
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | AMD Radeon RX 570
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 25 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 11 Compatible
Release
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice releases March 22 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Pre-order and support the blog* with any purchase through the links below:
Pre-order and support the blog: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – PlayStation 4
Pre-order and support the blog: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Xbox One
*Any purchase through the links above will support the blog. Purchases don’t have to be what is advertised here.
Images via FromSoftware
Video via PlayStation
Tristan Zelden 