"Hesitation is defeat."
I feel like kicking myself for playing this game so late. I heard so many mixed things about Sekiro, and one that really discouraged me was so many articles surrounding the game's difficulty and its lack of customization. Souls vets complained about getting to certain parts of the game, including the final boss, and not being able to win and having to drop it scared me off...
As an example, this ridiculous Polygon article gets some of the blame, but there were also plenty of Reddit posts complaining that made me think twice...
https://www.polygon.com/22580009/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-difficulty-corrupt-save-fromsoft
Well, I can confidently say after beating it - don't listen to the haters of this game! First and foremost, what you need to understand with Sekiro is that it is NOT a Souls game! So don't come in expecting one, and whatever you do, don't play it like one...
Instead, From Software crafted one of the greatest action games of all time and easily one of their best works. I put it on the pedestal of Devil May Cry and God of War as the holy trinity of action games. I hope it isn't the last time we see this more focused, parry-style gameplay and more linear, but well-crafted level design. It makes the Souls "roll spam" gameplay look downright terrible in comparison.
Another thing that made this such a great palette cleanser for me was that I decided to play it directly after completing Elden Ring. And after what I felt was a bloated and poorly designed 3rd act of Elden Ring, it made me appreciate the tightly designed and concise nature of Sekiro that much more.
Similarly, after beating ER, I didn't want to touch it again anytime soon, while with Sekiro, I played through it 4 times on NG+ for each ending back-to-back. I loved the smoothness of the combat and how much better (and easy) the game became after multiple playthroughs because of myself as the player just got better at learning the mechanics.
I still consider Bloodborne to be their best game, because I enjoy the story, atmosphere, music, and setting of it better, but Sekiro is the king and a clear #1 when it comes to From Software's combat and boss fights (the final boss is an all-timer). One of my favorite games of all time.
I feel like kicking myself for playing this game so late. I heard so many mixed things about Sekiro, and one that really discouraged me was so many articles surrounding the game's difficulty and its lack of customization. Souls vets complained about getting to certain parts of the game, including the final boss, and not being able to win and having to drop it scared me off...
As an example, this ridiculous Polygon article gets some of the blame, but there were also plenty of Reddit posts complaining that made me think twice...
https://www.polygon.com/22580009/sekiro-shadows-die-twice-difficulty-corrupt-save-fromsoft
Well, I can confidently say after beating it - don't listen to the haters of this game! First and foremost, what you need to understand with Sekiro is that it is NOT a Souls game! So don't come in expecting one, and whatever you do, don't play it like one...
Instead, From Software crafted one of the greatest action games of all time and easily one of their best works. I put it on the pedestal of Devil May Cry and God of War as the holy trinity of action games. I hope it isn't the last time we see this more focused, parry-style gameplay and more linear, but well-crafted level design. It makes the Souls "roll spam" gameplay look downright terrible in comparison.
Another thing that made this such a great palette cleanser for me was that I decided to play it directly after completing Elden Ring. And after what I felt was a bloated and poorly designed 3rd act of Elden Ring, it made me appreciate the tightly designed and concise nature of Sekiro that much more.
Similarly, after beating ER, I didn't want to touch it again anytime soon, while with Sekiro, I played through it 4 times on NG+ for each ending back-to-back. I loved the smoothness of the combat and how much better (and easy) the game became after multiple playthroughs because of myself as the player just got better at learning the mechanics.
I still consider Bloodborne to be their best game, because I enjoy the story, atmosphere, music, and setting of it better, but Sekiro is the king and a clear #1 when it comes to From Software's combat and boss fights (the final boss is an all-timer). One of my favorite games of all time.