Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition Reviews

Sekiro stands out from other FromSoftware titles with a unique combat system — and it makes it brilliantly. It has level design, boss fights, and enemy variety on par with the studio’s best work, and like their other games, it’s both challenging and rewarding to play. In my opinion, out of the FromSoftware games I’ve played (Elden Ring, Dark Souls 3, and Sekiro), this is the hardest. That said, it’s definitely not a game for everyone, so I strongly recommend trying it first before buying.

I consider Sekiro a brilliant masterpiece that delivers incredibly tight and gratifying combat wrapped in a gripping atmosphere with beautiful style. The pure satisfaction of mastering its challenges - which are genuinely hard but never unfair - is second to none. Even after multiple playthroughs, it still easily stands as one of my all-time favorites.

Sword fighting is unmatched. It was pure fun except for the camera. It is not as difficult as I heard before starting it. There's also stupid boss arenas but other than that it's perfectly balanced.

Back when the game initially released I tried to play this game but I couldn't really get into it, I was dark souls pilled and couldn't grasp my head around the whole parrying mechanic being so vital. 6 years later, revisiting this game deciding to finally give it a chance: I've cleared thru probably about 80% of the game so far writing this. Even if you're not good at parrying, 100% give this game a try. It does take a bit getting used to the combat but when you do its a very enjoyable time.

the frame cap has problems camera is shit ( ur biggest enemy ) input reading is laughable like any other fs game game wont fit 21:9 using controller = more input lag hit boxes are not fixed after many many years the hook is not working well in fast movements mini bosses are harder than the main bosses ( not a problem to be honest ) side characters are sometimes annoying sound design is perfect but music is mehhh im using high setting and i have m2 ssd but pop ups are common some issues like the aspect ratio are for all from software games its not rpg / its not souls like / its not action adventure its sekiro overall ~8 i gave ds 1 9/10 ds 2 9.5/10 elden ring 9/10 ( soet 9.5/10 ) demon souls 8.5/10 as souls like games

Sekiro is one of my favorite Souls-like games. It plays a bit differently than Dark Souls or Elden Ring, but you can still clearly feel the quality we’ve come to expect from FromSoft. I can only recommend it to everyone. While the slightly different gameplay may feel unusual for Dark Souls fans at first, once it “clicks,” you simply can’t put it down. It’s no coincidence that the game became Game of the Year. [h2]Achievements[/h2] [b]Required time:[/b] 35-50 hours [b]Difficulty (in my opinion):[/b] 8 out of 10 [b]DLCs required for 100%?:[/b] No As for the achievements, the biggest challenge is probably getting all the endings. You’ll need almost three full playthroughs – or even four, depending on how you approach it. There’s a lot to keep in mind, and it can be somewhat convoluted at times. For that, I once again recommend the excellent guides by Cynic 0055. Beyond that, all tools need to be fully upgraded and every skill acquired, so I’d also suggest using a guide to avoid missing anything.

I think Sekiro is the most close-to perfect game out of every game I've ever played. I won't lie, my first playthrough, I was extremely close to just refunding the game and forgetting about it. It is super difficult to learn. Every enemy is different, no boss fights the same, they all have a different and unique set of moves which makes it very enjoyable, yet frustrating at the beginning. When you first meet Genichiro and get absolutely obliterated by him, you can tell the game isn't going to be easy. Start of the game, I do have a slight flaw, and it's that the bosses at the very start don't really teach you great mechanics in my opinion. Chained Ogre doesn't really teach you to parry, you CAN but I feel like everyone just dodges all his attacks, and Gyobou also has some awkward parries for your first playthrough, I don't think I actually focused on parries at all when I first fought him. Then finally Bull, you get punished for parrying which is a big design flaw for the start of the game as the game is focused around this one mechanic. All of this aside, progressing after this gives you the perfect opportunities to learn. The Ashina Elite boss, teaches you quick parries. Then Genichiro, has a mix of fast attacks and some easier ones, perfect for teaching how the game is meant to be played. The map also doesn't feel super confusing. Playing through Dark Souls 3 I always feel very lost and just no idea where to go, however I found it way easier to navigate my way around in Sekiro. The map layout is fantastic, it's a beautiful looking map. Finally, the main mechanic: parrying. The single most satisfying thing I have ever done in any game. It takes time to learn it for each enemy, however hearing that sound of a perfect parry is the most rewarding sound ever, and the sounds for this game truly are a 10/10. My one criticism with this game comes with how the story ends. [spoiler ]I found it quite lazy that you go on this massive search for the Mortal Blade and you go through all these difficult and gruelling challenges. Then Genichiro shows up one final time and just happens to have... a second one. It didn't really make a lot of sense to me and thought it could've been written better. From memory, I don't remember hearing about a Second one prior to the final boss fight? Maybe some lore on there being 2 would've been nice, but it felt like they were running out of ideas on how to end the story so it just happened. [/spoiler] That said, I still think the story was interesting, my first playthroughs I did want to learn more, it was enjoyable. Overall, the game has very little to improve upon. I've done 10 New-Game+ playthroughs. Mods make this game super replayable with the new attack patters and increased difficulty, Resurrection mod is some of the most fun I've had replaying the game and adds a new level of satisfaction when re-learning all the attacks and timings. Genuinely a 9.9/10 game.

As from software soulsborne games fan, I have to say that this game has the best mechanic to fight/play is so fun, the game is short, is the only souls that really is understandable with the history xD, the only thing i didnt like it was that some bosses were repetitive, like two monks, two serpents, 23894 headless etc etc but overall this game is 100% reccomended. If you see it hard at the start is okay is normal. You will overcome it not worries <3 PRAISE THE SUN

I was born in 1995, and on my third birthday in 1998, I got a bootleg Famicom console (third world country problems). That day changed my life. Since then, I've been playing video games regularly. One of the games I want to mention is The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy (1991). I played it endlessly as a kid. The game had a small overworld map, but in my childish mind, it felt enormous. In the top-left corner of the map was a castle. I managed to reach it a few times but never beat it. I always thought, “Well, this must be the endgame.” It wasn’t. One day, just before going shopping with my parents, I beat it, and the joy and satisfaction I felt was beyond words. I didn’t even turn off the console; I kept playing as soon as we got home. Fast forward a few years, the second game is Taz: Wanted (2002). It had a city-themed hub world, and one of the museum levels had a part that was so obscure for me at the time that I couldn’t beat it for months. I kept replaying the earlier levels, never getting tired of them, but longing to move forward. One day, I finally beat that section with my dad. The joy was so intense I couldn’t sleep well that night. I even woke up at 7 AM the next day, excited to keep going. I tell these stories because Sekiro somehow managed to bring back that exact same feeling after all these years. I've played countless games since then, many filled with great emotional moments, but Sekiro did the impossible: it recreated the pure magic I thought was lost to childhood. Sekiro is a masterpiece. Its gameplay and design are beyond incredible. It's a work of art that everyone should experience at least once. Fun fact: I actually lost weight beating the final boss.

This combat system is remarkable. I've never played a game that so effectively evokes the feeling of having a cinematic sword fight. The emphasis on parrying creates an amazing sense of "back and forth" in the combat. The boss fights are challenging, but they also feel fair. I died many times, but each death felt like a learning experience, and I sensed that I was making tangible progress toward success. Sekiro is difficult compared to other Souls games. The leveling system in other Souls games, along with different builds, allows you to have a better matchup or make the content much easier. While Sekiro has nearly fixed difficulty, it forces you to focus on learning and mastering basic deflecting, Mikiri, dodging, and deathblows. 10/10 Would die again.