Sekiro is possibly the most well-made game I’ve ever played. I know that’s a bit of a high praise, and I’d like to point out that I’m going to be going through the Dark Souls trilogy again soon, and getting 100% completion on all of them for the first time, so my opinion may change in the future, but for now, Sekiro remains the best game I’ve played. It’s also the closest thing to perfect I’ve ever played as well.
I’ll be honest, when I first played Sekiro, I thought it looked awesome but was just too frustrating to play. Being a Souls veteran, I found the deflection mechanic too difficult to figure out and my dodge instincts were too strong to undo. I quit it for a while. But eventually I was drawn back to it, and I gave it a real chance. I’m glad I did. Once it finally clicked, it quickly became an obsession. 100 hours later and I had all achievements, played through a number of NG+ and did almost everything I could do in the game other than challenge runs or modding. I’ve played it more since then and it’s never gotten boring, despite not being an RPG which is the only genre I’d usually replay. The combat is immensely satisfying, and the rush I felt after killing bosses is unlike anything I’ve felt in another game, Souls or otherwise. I think that’s largely due to the combat really requiring you to be good at the game. With Souls games you can sort of get away with dodging away and only attacking when you’re ready and then backing off. If you’re patient you can beat the game without needing to become tuned into the game. With Sekiro it demands you to git gud or you’re not getting anywhere. What this means is that once you finally do beat a tough boss, you know it’s because you’re good at the game. There’s no over-leveling or upgrading your sword or anything like that. The only way you’re beating the boss is by getting better at the game.
Another point to touch on that I’ve only briefly mentioned so far is the visuals. Man, this game is stunning. It’s only 4 years old so the graphics are obviously still holding up, but the art style is also just so good (though, that’s no surprise, FromSoft are masters of art design). I won’t spoil anything but assuming you do the good ending, the last area of the game has one of the most breathtakingly beautiful scenes I’ve ever seen. The colour palate is just incredible. If you’ve ever played Elden Ring and can remember that first time seeing the royal capital, when the music kicks in and the area message pops up, it’s like that, but somehow sustains that feeling all the while you’re exploring. Truly incredible.
I could count the flaws of this game on one hand, and none are very big, which I think is the only time I could ever say that about a video game. As I already mentioned, the closest to perfect I’ve ever experienced.
I could go on but at some point people would probably stop reading, so I’ll wrap things up here, but if you’re reading this just after I’ve posted it, the game is currently on sale on Steam for half price and I’d highly highly highly suggest picking it up. I’d also be more than happy to help out anyone with this game if you’re stuck, I’ve got a good amount of experience playing it. I’d also be happy to answer any questions anyone has. I’m making the poor decision to post this shortly before going to bed so I might take a few hours to respond but I suppose that isn’t too bad for a patient community, eh?
Sekiro is the only souls game I’ve been able to get into. I don’t know what it is about it, but every other souls game I’ve dropped early on while Sekiro I actually beat. The mechanics are so satisfying and it wasn’t as confusing and overwhelming to play as some other From Soft games have been in my experience. 10/10
Funny, most people I’ve spoken to have had the opposite experience. They could get into Souls/Bloodborne/Elden Ring easily enough but not Sekiro. Sekiro definitely took me the longest to get into but once I got into it, it became my favourite game very quickly. I’m going through all the SoulsBorne games and 100% completing them all so maybe my opinions will change, I’ve only 100%-ed Elden Ring and Sekiro, but I’m currently on Dark Souls and going to do the other two afterwards, so one of those might take the cake. I also feel like if I had a PS4 my favourite would be Bloodborne but it’s hard to say. Sekiro is just so good
Sekiro is the only Micheal Zaki game I haven’t been able to finish. It feels like I need robot-like reflexes and the ability to see through all the anime effects in the end game fights. It’s super fast and also distracting/obstructed by effects that even if I could time the super fast parries, I can’t really see the cue.
I like the setting and the stealth actually is done better than any other game Fromsoft has (other than maybe Tenchu), including Elden Ring. But the combat system is frustrating.
The fact you have to engage in straight face to face combat instead of stealth killing everyone, even bosses, when you’re playing as a ninja is kind of a disappointment to me. Mostly because I can’t beat my dad! 😩
Funny, I think of the combat system as the best I’ve ever experienced. It forces you to be good at it. The rush I feel after beating a boss is unmatched because of that. At least in Dark Souls/Elden Ring I can over-level to make it easier but there’s none of that in Sekiro. I’m required to get good, which means when I beat a boss I know I did well.
I also think the fight against Owl at the top of Ashina castle is probably my favourite fight in the game. That or the one with the Guardian Ape. No rush compares to when I finally killed the final boss on NG+ though, that was one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced playing a game. Probably the absolute best actually. It was incredible.
I don’t mind the limited weapons and skills forcing me to git gud, really. It’s what I need to git gud at that causes my dismay. The timing and rhythm just doesn’t hit right to me. 🤷🏻♂️ It is still a great game, don’t get me wrong. I would just like to see all of it lol
That’s fair. I personally love the things it asks me to git gud at so that’s probably why I enjoyed the game so much.
I’m coming up to the end of the game now on my first playthrough. I’m at the Shura ending point. But I’ll carry through because I think the section you’re talking about that looks breathtaking is after where I’m up to.
I’m playing it after Elden Ring, which was my first Souls game. I loved Elden Ring. The most memorable boss fights I’ve experienced. Can’t remember audibly gasping like I did the first time I fought Radahn and couldn’t work out where he’d disappeared to.
I have to agree that Sekiro really does require that you get good at the game, or you aren’t progressing anywhere. There’s no shortcuts. To the point where I hit a bit of slump and stopped playing for a few weeks, thinking I wasn’t going to go back to it. But I picked it up again while I was waiting for some other game to install and it was like I’d never left.
I’m looking forward to the rest of my playthrough.
I’m not sure exactly how far you are but it’s possible you’ve locked yourself into the Shura ending, in which case you’ve locked yourself out of the final location in the game. Shura ends the game quite a bit early, actually. It is still a great experience though and the Shura-specific bosses are awesome.
I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying your time, it truly is a masterpiece.
