SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE 💀

King of Posters
1790

SO!
I know that one should never say “I love you” to a partner during sex (too easy), but…
I am now at 2/3 of Sekiro (which we could well call Sexiro, with the introduction above) and I think it’s the best game I have ever played. I normally don’t fly off SO MUCH enthusiasm but this game is simply exceptional.
The mix of combat and exploration is so great. The atmosphere, graphics and music are all lovely, and scratch a Japan-related itch that I was having since Okami. But in the end, what elevates it so much is the level of control and engagement it offers in combat. I think it’s the first game (apart from some games like Tekken) in which “get good” has so much meaning (much more than the “bloodsouls” games, which I also love).
In one case, against a spear armed elite enemy, after a furious fight, I ended up having increased heartbeat and I decide to relax for a bit before continuing playing, and it never happened to me with any game.
With Genichiro, it was a real skill check and to beat it, I had to get over the overuse of tools and button mashing, and learn for real, both its patterns and my character’s moveset. I took away any special moves (such as those that start when pushing R1 during block) in order to avoid making any slow charging attacks (so to reduce time windows in which I could have been hit).
In such fights you feel like an martial arts fighter for real, and when you can move along with the enemy without taking hits, and feeling in control, it’s super engaging and satisfying.

9 Likes
1791

wow i wish bloodsouls had taken off instead of soulsborne, which i hate even typing

9 Likes
1792

Yeah, me too

1 Like
1793

Just say “Souls game” and nobody will not understand you, and you’ll be giving Demon’s Souls its proper due

2 Likes
1794

of course yes i always say souls

i just wish if a portmanteau had to stick to gamer culture it wasn’t the worst one possible

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1795

deflecting into a posture break is the best feeling in a videogame

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1796

and the way the camera immediately, automatically slides into that tight framing as Wolf locks into the finisher pose, waiting for the player to hit the button: “Kill.”

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1797

it’s so smooth it -impossibly- feels like it was waiting for you to do so right at that moment. stuff like that is why i can never stay mad at this game no matter how hard it attempts to troll you. like the Buddha statues situated everywhere, it’s patient, trusting, observing … it wants you to win

1 Like
1798

Sekiro spoiler:

(I at least got far enough in the game to witness this.)

3 Likes
1799
3 Likes