Hesitation is defeat
I used to watch videos of Sekiro, thinking how good that combat must feel, but I was definitely not good enough for it. Turns out, I was. It’s not that hard. It does require a honing of your reflexes more than Souls games, but you don’t need to acquire sports-level skills. Unfortunately, you might have to give up drinking. No more of that fine monkey sake for you. But it’s worth it, the combat is the most satisfying in a Souls or Soulslike game.
The most wonderful thing about the combat is how well they've managed to implement the idea that "hesitation is defeat". You'll often get a lot of free hits or you'll be able to dodge some attacks by just pressing on with what you were doing, but, if you hesitate and try to change the approach, you'll be severely punished, often to death by some bosses.
Alongside pure combat, there are a lot of buffs, debuffs, and very cool gadgets and skills that will help you throughout the game. They do make a lot of difference, you can basically cheese some bosses with them (which you shouldn’t, because, again, the combat is simply the best). However, it would have been nice to have more than one weapon. I really enjoyed stealth, too, but it leads to the usual silliness, like enemies you were just slashing a minute ago forgetting about you. And, of course, there’s the grappling hook, which adds verticality and can be used in some fights.
Sekiro has to be the most beautiful game made by From Software. It abandons the grimdark aesthetic of Soulsborne in favor of beautiful landscapes and interiors with vibrant colors (it can look a bit washed out, but you can make it look superbly with Reshade on PC). We get it, Miyazaki, medieval Europe is ugly and filthy, medieval Japan is beautiful and clean.
The fluid motions and animations are in stark contrast to the usual jankiness of Soulsborne games, at least when it comes to the playable character. At the time I’m writing this, From Software has two games in development, hopefully at least one of them will be like Sekiro, not back to janky again.
The game is filled with subtle references, which only persons of culture will understand, like big black cocks and ape shit. From Software heard you were going apeshit playing their games, so they’ve designed an ape boss that throws shit at you. And you know who also goes apeshit frequently? Kratos. So, the ape looks like him.
There’s also a lot of bullshit (can’t have a FS game without that). You can’t parry a spinning attack, but you can parry a raging bull, a dude coming down from a kite like a rocket, and the huge sword of a dragon. The worst bullshit, though, is the terror mechanic. You die when it builds up. The Wolf has a bad heart, I suppose. On the other hand, a lot of the bosses and minibosses are just skilled warriors, not giant beings whose toes you have to stab repeatedly in order to kill them. The biggest boss in the game is also the easiest one. And for nostalgia’s sake, there’s a boss that seems plucked from a Soulsborne game, often considered to be the toughest in the game. Appropriately, it is an optional boss, as are those who build up terror (with the exception of the ape shit boss).
Minor complaints aside, the game is amazing. What isn’t amazing, though, is the story. It’s the usual fantasy story FS has gotten us used to, only that it’s set in Japan this time around. It’s told in a straightforward way, but it’s not exactly exciting. You’re not blown away by anything that happens and you’re not dying to find out what happens next. Maybe some people care about the characters, but I couldn’t, and no amount of VaatiVydia gentle telling their sad stories with soft chords in the background will make me care about them, either.
With Sekiro, From Software have shown that they can do very different action games while keeping the core and difficulty of their grand RPG series. They can make combat systems and general gameplay that don’t feel twenty years old. Here, they have created their most beautiful world yet (counting Elden Ring) and a slick, smooth gameplay. It’s a shame only that they haven’t been able to keep a high level when it comes to story and characterization. Maybe next time.
am tempted to try this