Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Retrospective

A look back on Sekiro five years after its release.
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#sekiro #fromsoftware #sekiroshadowsdietwice

[@acritical]

Correction: The link between vitality and posture *_is_* something the game explains, just before the Lady Butterfly fight with a pop-up box.

[@MsOpportunity68]

If you do the training with Hanbei the Undying, it also has a section that does the same.

[@nomercy8989]

I still remember how I was fighting Genichiro for 8 hours straight only to realize there is a second phase haha

[@00spiderwolfman]

Ikr it’s one of those “but wait there’s more!!!” Kinda moments

[@comedianmelvinstewart]

I feel your pain fought him for like 6 hours

[@thimotedubois6116]

Same here

[@resid3nt3v1l]

I beat him 2ed try i was in the zone that day. but owl and father owl were by far the hardest bosses for me.

[@charaznable8072]

Then your heart probably sank when you finally beat the 2nd phase to find out there's a 3rd lol.

[@levicurtis6669]

"Sekiro is my favorite fromsoft game" a fellow man of culture I see

[@georgen5882]

I don’t understand why there isn’t more love for Sekiro as a game. Is it hard? Sure, at times very hard. But as someone who was new to souls games very late in my gaming career in 2020-2021, it’s easily the best FS game from everything I have seen and played since. Elden Ring casts too wide of a shadow for what the game is at its core, which is fun, but it also extremely derivative of what came before and doesn’t really bring anything new to the table at all in relation to combat. Sure, you can argue summons and other nonsense, but it’s the same basic and antiquated combat we had in demons souls. At least lords of the fallen did something different with spell casting. Sekiro is so well designed you only need to parry and dodge any given boss to beat that game. Everything else you can do is just a bonus. And let us not forget the lack of stamina, which is a godsend. As difficult as that game was, I never felt like I got punished for doing the right thing, unlike almost every other FS game and clones like Lies of P. I feel like people just gave up way too soon on it and didn’t give it a chance to shine. To be fair, it does take until Genichiro or later to really get that “oh ok…I see what this game is about now” moment. But it just has the IT factor where once you learn how to beat headless ape you walk into his arena and you know he hears your boss music playing and not the other way around. You just become death incarnate and nothing can or will stop you. Such a good game.

[@levicurtis6669]

@@georgen5882 it was my first, and I regret nothing

[@alexico909]

I think all from soft games are an example of the first one will be your favourite because you put so much effort into mastering it before you move onto the next one, because you simply want to be better, and ready Edit: mine being DS3, played it to oblivion, sekiro though, once you get good at parry is so good

[@amdg01007]

@@georgen5882 amen 100. Especially the point that beyond attack and Perry everything else is bonus. That shows a well designed game. If you can’t develop skill, then what’s the point in “gaming”. Any top game should allow you to win with just core combat otherwise it’s just brainless. And I have TV for that.

[@Gwynbleidd_117]

Sekiro is the only FromSoft game I like lol. DS 2 & 3 and Bloodborne all just felt so clunky to me, the combat never clicked. Sekiro is the fucking shit. Best combat system hands down

[@jamiebarvian]

Is no one gonna talk about that mikiri counter transition at 12:34 thats wild

[@PR1ME98]

* Chefs kiss *

[@mycology5242]

Cool match cut

[@takeyourheart3030]

It was sick.

[@chunkymead]

He does it again at around 40:35, madlad

[@catpyjamas]

Scrolled down to comments to mention it after noting the timestamp, was pleased to see others have risen to the occasion!

[@PR1ME98]

The sense of accomplishment this game delivers is unlike any other in my opinion. Some of these boss battles feel so real with how much of a struggle the player has to endure.

[@OmniOmar2]

The fact that this was a side project while they were working on Elden ring shows how amazing from software is

[@austin0_bandit05]

It wasnt a "side project". This whole "A Team" "B Team" stuff has been debunked since DS2.

[@boshwa20]

And this side project was better than Elden Ring

[@pyatig]

Not to mention this side project won GOTY

[@gingerd2098]

@@boshwa20nope, not even close!

[@zosonte129]

@@gingerd2098 Nah it is

[@TifffanyTaylor]

Sekiro is like: Shing clang Ting! Woosh tch Bam! Sound effects so satisfying you cant help but smile. 😅

[@seanoconnor5473]

Parrying and combat in every other game is just substandard.

[@Diabeticninja90]

It’s a crime they didn’t make a part two to this and bloodborne I’m so hurt

[@MacDibs]

Their best 2

[@warchildsilver]

I used to feel the same way - at the very least give me a new Tenshu game - but lately I've felt that Sekiro (and Bloodborne) are in my top 5 games of all time, and a sequel would likely not be as good, and at worst dilute what makes these games so impactful.

[@Diabeticninja90]

Idk bro I think a sequel to sekiro would go crazy man , like how can you fuk it up ? And blood borne would be the tricky one

[@AProblemOfficer]

@@warchildsilverI wouldn’t care if it’s not a direct sequel or even in the same universe, I just want the same core mechanics.

[@soulcleric]

How can they not make a sequel to a game of the year winner. Feels criminal

[@cbmlmz]

All of my friends that love souls haven't even touched this game, this video explains why I so desperately push it as my favorite

[@norbertcsaszar4746]

Because its not a Souls game. I love them both,but Sekiro is completely different from DS/BB/ER , so the fans might not care or even hate Sekiro. I like it,but the more i play i realize its a glorified rythm game with barely any RPG elements,also i'm not too into Japanese settings and lore,but thats personal.

[@corbey1157]

​@@norbertcsaszar4746i'd say if you like other fromsoft works you might as well give their other games a try.

[@Belak-gq3wt]

@@norbertcsaszar4746but it is a souls game. It’s not a pure souls game, but it has most of the elements of the previous titles. Innovation is not reinvention.

[@firstdonuts]

​​@@norbertcsaszar4746I dropped the game halfway. It was very janky, spamming side step broke 2 of the bosses entirely, grapple completely trivialized Gyobu, and owl was just ok. I ran around the arena waiting for him to use one of three openings he uses to close distance, and he went down second try. The gaurdian ape fight was good, the giant purple ghost dude with the glaive was top teir, and the snake eyes poison lake encounter was good too. But then they went and did what fromsoft does best, which is taking a good fight like guardian ape, and ganking you with 2 of them. Snake eyes overused, and yiur encouraged to run past em most the time anyways. And the purple ghost enemies you find in caves are horrendous. Magic spam fest till use confetti, and then they become a baby fight. On top of all that, all the areas in the castle walls look the same, and it gets boring real quick to fight normal enemies you can just grapple away from like batman. I think its easily one of the worst fromsoft tittles, down there with Elden Ring

[@firstdonuts]

​​@@norbertcsaszar4746 I agree. Its nothing like dark souls in actual combat. I personally think the movement is overkill, and makes the game trash. Dropped it maybe halfway after beating owl for the second time.

[@Jagzin909]

It’s crazy how different people experience bosses differently. I found Owl Father to be not only the most challenging boss but also the most satisfying to overcome by far

[@AProblemOfficer]

I struggled with great shinobi owl so much that when I got to father owl it didn’t feel that much different. Oh how much I suffered at the top of ashina castle to get to that point though.

[@certainlynotmalo1.0.06]

Absolutely. The Owl Father was for me one of the best fights, just the right amount of challenge. I had a pretty easy time with the demon of hatred (in Sekiro terms. He was easier than Father Owl for sure, at least for me.), but struggled heaviy with Ishin. I was about 6 hours in and finally getting the hang of it, but then... my ps4 died before i could beat him. That's bugging me since then every few months when i think about that game... One day i will buy that game again and whoop his ass. I just have to. And now i'm asking myself why the hell i didn't i do that ages ago?🤦

[@thepope2184]

i was really disappointed with owl father tbh, i had him hyped up to me but when i finally got to him and beat him first try i just didnt really get why hes seen as hard, cant say the same for isshin though bro had me stuck for 4 hours

[@danielcharles3553]

I like both Owl fights. Ishin Fight is for me the best. I felt like a million bucks after

[@seanoconnor5473]

Demon of Hatred and Sword Saint are the hardest fights for me. Owl Father is my absolute favorite fight in Sekiro. It’s just perfect.

[@dangerguy32]

nother tip: when Owl throws firecrackers, dodge directly behind his offhand (his left shoulder) and youll be safely behind him for free counters

[@ramrodbldm9876]

That's nothing new kid

[@dangerguy32]

@@ramrodbldm9876 what a thoughtful and important addition you've added "kid"

[@gnuhgnauqneyugn]

@@ramrodbldm9876 That's new to me, kid

[@firstdonuts]

not even necessary. You can run in circles around the arena as far from him as you can, and he will open with 1 of 3 moves, of which 2 are very well telegraphed lunging slash type attacks. Then 2-3 free hits for you, and repeat. People pretend this game is hard, but it is just as easy to cheese as dark souls if not more since the enemy AI cant seem to handle the side step mechanic in this game. I literally spammed side step+ attack and stunlocked lady butterfly fir the entire fight aside from when I had to wait the ads out. And I almost did the exact same thing to genichiro i think his name was. Just abuse the overkill movement in this game and you will easily beat half the bosses probably.

[@dangerguy32]

@@firstdonuts yeah but thats a much more boring way to play lol its Sekiro baby we gotta get IN THERE

[@Ginkami]

I remember obtaining the mortal blade in my first playthrough, hearing that it can sever immortality, and immediately going, "wait, that means i can finally end the training guy's suffering" I warped back as soon as i could, and helping him was... bittersweet, for sure

[@eldudereno204]

I've got to look up some guides on how to try and get the mortal blade.

[@battousai2089]

Five years later, it is still a masterpiece.

[@lisprn-tt1tu]

I so often missed the Land of Ashina while wandering around the Lands Between...

[@voices0000]

This. The memories of Sekiro made watching the ER bosses do their anime flips while I'm waiting for my turn to play so much harder.

[@lisprn-tt1tu]

@@voices0000 Same here. After Sekiro, I was expecting equally innovative combat system for Elden Ring. After playing it for one hour, I thought for myself "Seems like I bought a mega-DLC for Dark Souls 3. Yeah. Fine. Here we go." That I enjoyed more realistic horse riding in RDR2 just before ER didn't help either.

[@nahfrfrman120]

​@lisprn-tt1tu there is no way you just compared rdr2 to a mid evil magical rig souls game also I think your wrong you just want elden ring to be sekiro when they are to different games and you also just thibk that elden ring is dark souls when it is not

[@monkymoment4182]

@@nahfrfrman120mid evil

[@Idontevenknowman779]

@@nahfrfrman120elden ring literally is dark souls though, lol

[@zarreyex]

The transition from corrupt to true monk with a mikiri was clean asl

[@Ryosashi]

i just platinumed this game 3 days ago n it was one of if not thee best experience i’ve ever had

[@ramrodbldm9876]

Go touch grass now

[@Ryosashi]

@@ramrodbldm9876 it only took me a year to do

[@zacheryburgett1602]

Truly the greatest game I’ve ever played. Really hope From either revisits the concept or just makes an outright sequel.

[@warchildsilver]

Or a new Tenshu game at the very least! One of my favourite series in videogaming and Sekiro is the closest thing we've gotten for a sequel.

[@JBrandonMercer123]

While I agree that Sekiro is the most difficult FromSoft game, the call for an easy mode isn't exclusive to Sekiro. Every FromSoft game gets people to call for an easy mode.

[@Chief81]

Yep, and I love the fact that FROM and Myizaki everytime are like “nah, get good” and don’t bow down to certain gamers in which ultimately would go against Myizaki’s design philosophy with his/FROMs games. He always talks about overcoming difficult enemies/challenges being rewarding and having a great sense of accomplishment which - if you’ve played their games - is absolutely true.

[@Kairac112]

Sekiro was my first Fromsoft game. I loved every moment. After, I played Dark Souls I, II, III then Bloodborne and I loved them all.

[@MonarchDWolf]

Shuriken, umbrella, and firecrackers were my go-to's as well. Axe, spear, flame vent, and Sabimaru for less generalized setups. Only used the whistle against DoH to blast through phase 3. Divine abduction just never appealed to me.

[@boiboh2954]

Worth mentioning about the True Monk fight: her second phase has her warping around the stage, and strangely if you grapple up to the tree branch and she teleports under you, you can actually get a falling death blow and end the phase. Source: replayed the game earlier this year

[@TheIcarusEffect]

Sekiro is my favourite fromsoft game. Elden ring had great world exploration but sekiro is just the most fun to master

[@chrismassey7783]

Yeah I bet you do

[@gamble777888]

It has hands down the best combat. To me I think the "magic" of exploring the world of Elden Ring is my peak From experience overall, but I think no one can argue Sekiro has the better combat, and I totally get why it would be someone's favorite From game. It's a masterpiece for sure.

[@DjAmneziA]

Tenchu bro. Thank Me later.

[@Plus_Escapee]

About the Mist Raven...it's amazing. Learn to use it against Owl. It's a bit weird, you go into a stance, and if you get attacked while in that stance, you counter with a badass attack while not taking any damage. When maxed out, it wrecks. I highly recommend learning that tool.

[@cisafrulli]

Good video, can't think of any point you might have missed, beautiful vocabulary, you gained a new subscriber

[@arberrexha7312]

I love your analysis, but you forgot one important mechanic: If you hold the block button, holding the blocking pose steadys your posture and reduces your built-posture down to zero immediately. It saved my life every time it was too high.

[@voices0000]

Maybe he didn't find out about it. Sure took me 3 playthroughs.

[@allenpoppin]

53:20 I remember the scream I made the moment the second ape dropped in. I had to pause and take a moment to collect myself because the first one was already terrifying enough. I'm on my second playthrough 5 years later and I learned that if you focus your attention on the first ape and are able to kill it while dodging both, the second ape is automatically is defeated and disappears with the first.

[@agpra1568]

This game is very wang wang bang wang pow but sometimes it can also be clang clang ding clang bong

[@InternetGeorge]

Great video, kept my attention as I deep cleaned the flat, cheers!

[@williammorales-gonzalez1637]

The better YOU get, the better the GAME gets! That's been my recent analysis after now my 6th playthrough, absolute artwork man!🤘❤🤘Indeed Fromsoft's BEST!!

[@krillin2591]

Amazing video man, I recently platted Sekiro and this was a phenomenal capstone on it all.

[@rbelljr29]

Lady butterfly had me shook for a year...I played everything BUT sekiro because I couldn't cut it. Now I'm at NG+7 with the last 2 runs being charmless, and demon bell activated, 1 achievement from 100%. No game instills gamer pride in you like this does. 10/10.

[@topsykrett1744]

Ishin demands perfection. He will settle for nothing less. If you succeed, he honors you for your strength

[@ReyemNeirda]

Sekiro is one of the best games i played, i was unemployed, so I just played and plat it for two months. Never got so much pleasure and sense of achievement with a game. I still remember it a lot, i relaunch it from time to time and still remembers many fights and patterns. It's a really unique feeling

[@Blue_Torch]

Sekiro is my favorite game period. You aren't joking about the sense of accomplishment gained from sticking it out. Especially the first time you best Ishin! Then all over again when you replay without the charm.

[@buttlerubbies747]

Shit I remember I subscribed to you because the Warcraft 3 retrospective! Hell yeah man glad you’re doing good

[@johnbroussard494]

After more than 1000 in Elden Ring and waiting on the dlc I played Lies of P and then Sekiro. Sekiro is my favorite game now. Followed by Elden Ring. The combat is superb.

[@SiothieGaming]

Great Video! Great content on the channel all round

[@kevinr7216]

Woh I’ve weirdly been getting the urge to replay this a week or so ago, and you release this vid 7 days ago 😂

[@kizunadragon9]

Sekiro demands the best from you, but it also gives the best. If you fail to master it's combat it will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought, but if you do master it's combat, you become unstoppable.

[@soulsbornepgamingchannel3755]

No souls/game quiet makes you feel the way sekiro combat does , it is indeed a very special masterpiece and my favourite souls game hands down closely followed by bloodborne and darksoul no game since has quiet took the innovation parry/deflect and progressed it , imagine Elden ring with Sekiro deflect mechanics (Sekiro is the only souls game I have platinum) and the hardest in my opinion bring on bloodborne 2 and Sekiro 2

[@gamble777888]

Shadow of the Erdtree is speculated to include weapons that will add Sekiro-like mechanics. Pure conjecture based on the trailer but it would be awesome if true.

[@GAMING-CELT]

My platinum trophy video has me finishing old isshin with a mikiri counter , I will never delete that video lol

[@Foxycourderoy]

This is one of my favorite games ever. I loved everything about it. You truly had to git gud but that was not a chore. Once you figured out mechanics it became about watching your opponent and waiting to counter or attack. I know in theory that's how all Souls games are but because of how the game was set up, it felt very different with Sekiro. I felt the way the game guided you to the next challenge, prepared you for it in a different way. BB may still be my favorite and Fallout is up there but Sekiro has such a big place in my game loving heart

[@JamesGowan]

What an amazing game. I had such a great time with this one!

[@patrickowens89]

SEKIRO serves as pretty strong evidence that the trope “games just take longer to develop these days” is a choice, not an inevitability. This game was cranked out right after DARK SOULS III (and was developed concurrently with early work on ELDEN RING), and it’s one of the GoATs.

[@owenseaborne3517]

It's not a trope lmao games do actually take longer

[@patrickowens89]

@@owenseaborne3517 Heyo, thanks for your reply. To the extent that this is true, I was saying that this is a choice, not an inevitability. “Games just take longer to develop these days” isn’t some incorrigible law of physics akin to “the total entropy in the Universe will always increase.” There’s not much one could say to convince me that the dev cycle for SKULL & BONES needed to be nearly five times as long as the dev cycle for SEKIRO (and God only knows how much larger a budget it had). Gamers resent being told to tolerate longer dev cycles when the resulting juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze.

[@AProblemOfficer]

@@patrickowens89I have no experience so I’m talking out of my ass but it’s my educated guess that FromSoft has their formula down and their creative process is pretty streamlined. Not arguing for either or, just making a potential observation.

[@Ghorda9]

@@owenseaborne3517 the problem is that a lot of aaa companies have too much bureaucracy and the managers try to play things too "safe", both Thor and Timothy Cain (ex Bethesda) have explained this.

[@SpektronPS]

Well, there's a 3 year gap between Dark Souls III and Sekiro, which isn't bad compared to other studios, but when you consider that 2011 gave us Dark Souls 1 + AotA, 2012 gave us Armored Core V, 2013 gave us Armored Core Verdict Day, 2014 gave us Dark Souls 2 + Lost Crowns DLC, 2015 gave us Bloodborne + Old Hunters + Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin, then 2016 gave us Dark Souls III with two DLC's releasing within a year after its release, waiting 3 years only for one game (which is also considerably shorter and more basic than their previous games) to come out is a relatively long wait. I know Deracine came out in 2018 but let's be honest, no one owns a PSVR and cares to play it, it's a throwaway IP basically. :D Then there was another 3 year wait until Elden Ring, now we're waiting 2.5 years just for a DLC to come out. So while From is still slightly better off than other studios in terms of development time, they're not too far behind.

[@oshoke04]

this was my first ever fromsoft game. i like the fact that it's based mostly on skills rather than on leveling up the character. i didn't really end up using prosthetics either, just relied on learning the combat. that's a great thing about this game imo

[@St._Matthew]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 i love the breakdown and detoand i absolutely loved playing this game… Blocking and deflecting > panic rolling in Elden Ring

[@Pro_faii]

I have never seen someone deflect the ogres attacks. He’s truly built different.

[@buttocksboy]

you can deflect literally every attack in the game so long as it doesn't have the perilous symbol pop up.

[@jamesarthurkimbell]

Ogre is way easier at close range, where he'll do mostly normal attacks instead of big jumps and dives

[@cthulhulives2]

I didn't use the sabimaru for my first couple playthroughs but found it to be pretty much mandatory for Fountainhead Palace and the nonpoison Snake Eyes fight, since it instantly staggers and poisons any of the warrior women.

[@mrdoggo6091]

Isshin give the best advice on how to play sekiro. "Hesitation is defeat"

[@NickHunter]

Gaming press: Miyazaki needs to add difficulty modes for Sekiro Miyazaki: I have, harder and harderer

[@user-su2et1or7o]

Man I remember spending HOURS fighting Giyobu and now I use Isshin as a warm up 😂. The sense of progression and improvement is unrivaled.

[@mAeX135]

Sekiro's combat is the pinnacle of combat design!

[@TK_OATS]

That was a brilliant watch. Sekiro is an excellent game.

[@acritical]

Thanks a lot.

[@brentontariocanada7935]

My first from software game was elden ring! Finished it 3 times! Then finished lies of p, armor core 6, God of war, hogwarts legacy, now im playing sekiro, I beat it last week . I love sekiro amazing game. I'm so happy elden ring came around and opened my eyes to from software. Next up is dragons dogma 2 coming out March 22nd.

[@mcsasquatch]

Sekiro with mouse and keyboard sounds psychotic to me. I can’t imagine anything outside of FPS or MMO being ‘easier’ with m&k.

[@user-eq1sm1qb7h]

Played this for the very first time after beating Elden ring about 6 months ago.... I'm being completely honest when I say I've never loved and appreciated and been so curious/dumbfounded/shocked through the entire game. Such an amazing masterpiece

[@jatt7109]

Sekiro has the best combat of any game ever made

[@-EelsivarT-]

It's fromsofts greatest title and my favorite game ever you will remember ur first playthrough

[@LloydChristmas08]

In terms of gaming, I’ve never felt more accomplishment than finally beating Sekiro. Truly rewarding to get through it.

[@isimperialist]

I beat Sekiro in 2 weeks.... Best game I've ever played.

[@ThePlKLE]

Sekiro is really cool. The way i see it, it isn't a souls game at all in its gameplay. It's an action game with souls level design

[@Timquan.]

I always said this game was an earthbending simulator. "There is no different angle clever idea or trickty trick thats going to move that rock. You got to face it head on!" When i addopted this method it made me realize how beautiful the combat was and how satisfying it is to smash through oppenents and bosses. Watching as the boss matches your ferocity in combat altering their moveset, using the most appropriate move to end u at a moments notice. It all felt so real and intimate, a deadly dance that feels as if there are actually two people going at it. This combat system defenitely revolutionized gaming.

[@BrandonScottPartin]

Before playing Sekiro, I was just beginning with FromSoft games starting with Bloodborne and then Dark Souls, I purchased Sekiro when it came out and spent many hours on the first few bosses but something about the combat makes you want to try one more time. The major hurdle for me was the first Genichiro fight at the Ashina Castle, I spent hours and hours in that fight and got extremely frustrated but once I got to the last few tries before beating him, it really clicked into place. It requires a ton of patience but is extremely rewarding gameplay experience that I rarely have received from other games. I've gotten frustrated at this game many times but I always want to come back to it and try again.

[@CStelTV]

Great review, thanks!

[@nomercy8989]

Some players and EVEN journalists. Not sure if that was meant to trigger but it sure as hell did

[@bhjkn9423]

To be fair to journalists, it is there job to beat games. If I find a game hard I can keep going or quit. Even if it takes twice the average playtime, it's no big deal. When a reviewer plays a game and can't win, that either means not getting out the review in time or at all. I'd rather the situation didn't exist in the first place, but actual money is on the line. As someone who takes well above average time to beat games, I would never want to make reviewing my job

[@chukadoo1871]

​@@bhjkn9423but to be fair to players, journalists are hardly the same thing. more so than beating the game, their profession requires the ability to describe what you are playing. you can give a comprehensive review without spoiling the game or seeing all the content yourself. we don't ask journalists to be good at the games, and it's understandable that often-times journalists may be out of their element when it comes to genre. but games like dark souls and other FS titles have kinda been made assuming discovery and progress will be a sort of communal effort. time spent in their world. if a reviewer doesn't have the time or honesty to recognize that, then the games weren't made for them. imo ofc

[@swampyg8571]

Sekiro was a masterpiece. It is actually tied for me with Bloodborne as my favorite FromSoft games. Elden Ring is second, and DS3 is third. But I can easily play all of these games for hours on end over and over. No feeling quite like it.

[@hawkbirdtree3660]

Awesome video. I found that if you like souls games, I highly recommend learning to play an instrument; because they remind me so much of something that does not hold your hands, but becomes easier with practice, time, and observation. After that, you keep looking for a harder challenges in future playthroughs/songs.

[@tristan8922]

i used to feel the same way about Unseen Aid and dragonrot but on subsequent playthroughs I really like the mechanic. Is it useless? yeah, pretty much from a game perspective. However, the little bit of world-building it provides really sets the tone of the game. In a lot of games immortality is treated like a pure bonus. Sekiro is eager to remind you of the corrupting side effects of your dance with death. All your friends and allies become progressively ill as you cheat death time after time. It introduces a mild bit of Role-playing into an otherwise role-playing-lite game. An Ethics check. Great video essay! subscribed

[@cinammorollgaming]

ur juzou fight is so clean oml

[@i_forgot_to_care__229]

I love this game, i just recently got all of tbe achievements for it

[@rosssinclair8346]

Ghost of Thusima is hands down s master piece and in my top 3. But for some reason i haven't played Sekiro yet even though i bought it two years ago. If i love ghost fo you recommend this, will i love it?

[@gamesdoing1551]

GOT is a great but very different game from Sekiro

[@destructionsword]

Really good video! Just a few days ago I started to replay Sekiro for the first time after 100%ing it at release. Guess I wanted to see if my experience of it still holds up after these years and playing other Souls Likes like Lies of P recently. A lot of what you say in your video resonates with my experience. I really enjoyed the structure and editing. Although it would have been peak if the seamless cut at 12:33 would have happend at the same time as you said 'the seamless blending (of offense and defense)...' But maybe that's just me. I would have enjoyed a section on Sekiro's treatment of items, namely that it relies a lot on consumables, since they are a core part of the game. I think consumables are inherently somewhat flawed with the worst offender being divine confetti, only becoming available infinitely very late into the game. Also spirit emblems which I had a lack of at the very start of the game but later on you have so many that you don't even have to think about using prosthetic tools sparingly. So why have it as a consumable? Especially since you can infinitely buy them, but buying them early on which is the only time you will really do that eats into the economy for purchasing prosthetic tools and gourd seeds. (Rant over) Maybe your opinion differs on this, however, what I intended to say is that I would have enjoyed a section on items, since you are doing a great job of capturing the experience in terms of story, level design and combat already. Keep up the good work!

[@Ghorda9]

divine confetti you can easily farm from the samurai in ashina castle.

[@destructionsword]

@@Ghorda9 That may be so, at the same time is that not something the average player will know, or in my opinion can be expected to know. If you believe they should be expected to know and that for that reason confetti is in effect infinitely obtainable at that point in the game, then why not just let a vendor sell it and cut the farming? Or better yet, let the player eventually get a non consumable version akin to the gourd flasks (but perhaps without the generic dmg boost so it's only effective for apparitions). Just putting out ideas since expecting people to know and expecting them to farm cannot be a serious solution to this flaw in the game.

[@Ghorda9]

@@destructionsword they drop often enough that players will usually see at least one drop the first time they clear the area, also you don't need confetti to progress the game, all the shaman warriors and headless are optional and stay where they are the entire game.

[@jacobxlee]

i fought the spear mini boss for a week straight (1/2 hr increments per day) and then gave up the game for a few months. I did a lot of studying and researching the attack patterns and what not and went back to the game after a long time. Still got my ass kicked a bunch for a few more days before I finally beat him. I literally screamed out loud when it actually happened LOLOLOL. It was one of the most satisfying wins, even more than the other bosses later in the game. Most of the later bosses require you to study their moves and practice their timing but they are all very satisfying once you defeat them

[@user-su2et1or7o]

20:33 I had no idea you could use saukura dance to counter lightning, that was sick af

[@lollipophugo]

With the screen monkeys, the purple one always runs into the room with the darkness if you open the door and then approach it from the opposite direction, and the green one always goes from the middle tree to the platform where if you ring the bell it is deafened and you can deathblow it. I don't know what's supposed to happen with the red one, I always use gachiin sugar to blast through this. Snake eyes went from being one of my least favourite fights to one of my favourite when I learned to parry its grab attack. The timing is not super tight, you wait for the pull animation and deflect - with this you can stay right up in their face and they become an enjoyable duel. The reason why I don't mind repetition in Sekiro compared to Elden Ring is because the samurai and snake eyes and seven spears are fun duels against whom I can struggle the first time and then express mastery against later. For this reason, I don't mind in Elden Ring repeated fights against crucible knights or bell bearing hunters, but I can't stand the ulcerated tree spirits or the death rite birds. Or like, lobsters. Where in this game I will fight as many seven spears as it wants to throw at me, but I'm not fighting the optional ogre on NG+ cycles ever because that boss is boring. Sekiro just has less encounters like this imo. Like, I'm not gonna complain about repetition in Sekiro when I legitimately wish I could fight most of the mini-bosses in reflections because it is so satisfying.

[@dagnabbitwabbit]

Lady butterfly and the ape(s) fight were truly maddening in difficulty

[@minhv5513]

I got used to playing demon bell + no charm and it does feel like the intended way to play. Playing with the two difficulty modifiers off feels incredibly easy now.

[@vishuprathikanti9352]

I actually beat Sekiro for the first time a few weeks ago. I had never played a fromsoft game prior and I left the experience thinking it was probably the greatest game I'd ever played. Then I went and played Bloodborne (bc everyone told me those were everyone's 2 favorite fromsoft games) and I think there are so many interesting parallels but also ways they take different approaches to gameplay. In the end I can't say I loved Bloodborne nearly as much as Sekiro--my objectives were confusing, the combat felt way more jank and unpolished, and the level/weapons progression systems were obtuse, even after watching guides. I think Sekiro is a beautiful case of why game design is so important. When I was done with Bloodborne, I realized that, while the weighty and more patient combat was fun, the real reason why I felt engrossed was the world, just teeming with weird, optional, and troll secrets. That's what I felt the game was designed around: how does the player see x, go to y, and end back up at x. That philosophy is how combat in Sekiro is designed. How does player see an attack, learn the timing of an attack, and come to the same conclusion as always: that relentless attack mixed with parries lead to a win. And it's why combat in sekiro is the greatest combat out of any video game I've ever played.

[@griffinkelly8694]

Firstly, I love this game, but one thing I recently noticed, and I don't know if it's cheap or just confusing, but the Headless is 1000 times easier when you don't target him. It's as if the target keeps him facing you too, not just you facing him. But when you don't target, you can easily run behind him and slice him up. So yeah, it feels like sometimes the game forces you to play a certain way, but in other instances, it's like, "forget everything you know."

[@nyquilfilthy7557]

I think you undersold how different Owl (Father) is from Great Shinobi; the way those fights flow are really distinct from each other to me. The first uses way more items and trickery, while the second fight is all about his sword techniques

[@Z-Mikes00]

it is worth noting sweeps and thrusts can be parried. but not blocked

[@ebwhy6]

Someone once said Sekiro’s combat is a rhythm game and that’s when it clicked for me.

[@Flamister76]

Greatest FromSoftware game

[@martinez5566]

This game kicked my arse so much on my first ever playthrough that by the time I got to the Sword Saint I just didn't have the energy to finish. I put it down for a couple years then came back to it. I quickly figured out I had been playing it wrong before. I was playing it like a Soulsborne, dodging all the time. Figuring out the parry system was a Eureka moment. The rest of the game fell into place. I still had difficulty, but damn I enjoyed the hell out of it. It's also my personal favourite FromSoft game. Only surpassed by my new besty Lies of P.

[@Darzs_chidane]

After all these years I didn't know you could return back to the carp attendant for additional content

[@cirnobyl9158]

Definitely agree that Charmless feels like how the game was "meant" to be played. After Charmless you can't go back anymore, it just doesn't feel right. After Charmless, I find the Resurrection mod a very nice "next step" in Sekiro.

[@Jason-of4lf]

Currently playing through Resurrection mod and just beat Owl father last night. Great mod. Genichiro,Great shinobi owl, Gyoubu were great revamps. Owl father would have been great if not for the arena. The arena single-handedly ruined the fight for me. Would have been much better if we fought Resurrection Owl father in Juzou's arena

[@tobijete776]

Great Video!

[@ed61730]

What makes sekiro so amazing is that you'll die at a boss formt he first few hits... once you kill them you'll barely take any damage.

[@jasonchotard9750]

The best way to beat the blazing bull is to scare it into charging the wall, same as the palace variant.

[@HeyItsTheWykydtron]

It's crazy to think that we've all been playing on Easy Mode all along

[@thefatedking]

Did you notice that inner Genichiro has basically a variation of Malenia’s waterfowl dance special move from Elden ring? It looks kinda similar. @12:34

[@McDudes]

Dude the chain ogre was so hard on my first playthrough took me a couple hours if I remember right. Way harder then some of the bosses lol

[@elqord.1118]

How does this not have 500k views!? You should also have >100k subs

[@Jack-bv6eu]

Noticed you didn’t mention the friendly npc samurai while fighting juzou. You never find him?

[@Jupa]

sekiro is gr8 i rate it an 8/8 yes m8

[@dontworryaboutit5490]

Did you time travel from 2011?

[@chukadoo1871]

i'd like the xomment but 8 m8

[@caillet14]

It’s my favorite too. I want a Sekiro sequel

[@Maxarcc]

Every once in a while I pick this game back up. The combat of Sekiro created an itch that an only be scratched by Sekiro.

[@JohnSekiro1]

i went from ragequitting the game at Lady Butterfly to platting the game a month later, quickly skyrocketed to my fav game of all time even after my bad first impression of it it's too good.

[@traestyles25]

This is my favorite From game by far

[@Rich-ku9tv]

Sekiro is my personal favorite fromsoft game, with that in mind it took me 3 reinstalls at genshiro to understand the “rhythm” combat aspect to the game