FromSoftware is iconic for so many reasons, especially for the advent of Dark Souls and its relatives; nobody will ever be able to take that away from them. Through the ingenuity that they've displayed in their (and by "their" I really just mean Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team) ability to provide an intricate, environmentally portrayed narrative, and then additionally supplement it with an equally free-form basis for combat and exploration systems, they've done nothing short of exhibit and establish a standard of game development that few could ever hope to replicate in our generation.
It becomes a pretty inevitable part of the conversation then, unfortunately, when that company deigns to design and develop a game that deviates from those formulas that they've so introduced and established. An inherent component of our ability to comprehend and understand the intentions of a game is comparison; why would we not immediately compare a game developed by a company famed for the formula that they've created and implemented, now, five times over the moment that they develop a game that strays from that formula?
The point that you begin enjoying Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is also the moment that you become willing to ignore the existence of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, and acknowledge it as its own, individual piece of art that stands firmly on its own as a deviation from what we've come to expect from both FromSoft and Miyazaki. Sekiro is the perfect example of a creator being able to prove that they're capable of more artistic potential than just what they're recognized for. Sekiro is Miyazaki's attempt, in my opinion, to create a solid, contained story with unambiguous narrative and thematic intentions while also still fully exhibiting his ability to tell a story without flooding you with exposition and forced necessity - it can be assured that the writing techniques he expresses in Soulsborne games is still very much intact.
Thankfully, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's genius goes so much further than Miyazaki's ability to write. It took myself three years of persistence and purpose to finally come to a point where I could say that I fully understood all of the intentions of the game, both in its writing and its overall design. Sekiro is a game that challenges your own willingness to trust yourself beyond the information presented by the game that you're playing - It isn't until you grasp your own sword's capability to act both fully offensively and fully defensively that you can claim to have any kind of skill or intuition regarding gameplay in Sekiro. Again, it was three years before I could even pretend to have a modicum of personal skill or understanding of the game's mechanics - but that does nothing to detract from the very explicit intentions expressed by the game initially. It's simply a matter of having confidence in yourself, as a player, and I think that that's a beautiful player/game experience that few games could ever hope to emulate.
Without giving out spoilers or advice that would potentially ruin one's own learning experiences in the world of the game, it's safe to say that Sekiro is a perfect example of exhibiting tight and intentional gameplay mechanics, level design, and non-linear storytelling that few developers could ever hope to recreate a feeling of in their own products. It speaks volumes that Sekiro entered development AFTER Elden Ring, despite being released three years prior - FromSoftware had a vision that, despite everything they were working toward in Elden Ring and its ability to emulate and surpass the expectations of the Souls games, they still fully applied themselves to a game that stands wholly independent of every expectation that players may put upon them due, exclusively, to the infamy of the art they had already created.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice stands tall as its own, fully developed and intentional piece of art, and as a testament to what game developers can put their minds to despite public opinion and discourse. It may go down in history as an incidental sideshow attraction for FromSoft, but I'm more than happy to continue singing its praises to those who don't know any better in the meantime. I give it five out of five stars on this site, as that's the scale I'm limited to, but there is no scale where I wouldn't grant Sekiro a perfect score. 5/5, 10/10, 100/100, whatever. It's a 100% magnificent, perfect exhibition on FromSoftware and Miyazaki's part, and I'm happy and eager to consider it among the greatest video games of all time for myself.
Hella banger of a game, for real.
It becomes a pretty inevitable part of the conversation then, unfortunately, when that company deigns to design and develop a game that deviates from those formulas that they've so introduced and established. An inherent component of our ability to comprehend and understand the intentions of a game is comparison; why would we not immediately compare a game developed by a company famed for the formula that they've created and implemented, now, five times over the moment that they develop a game that strays from that formula?
The point that you begin enjoying Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is also the moment that you become willing to ignore the existence of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, and acknowledge it as its own, individual piece of art that stands firmly on its own as a deviation from what we've come to expect from both FromSoft and Miyazaki. Sekiro is the perfect example of a creator being able to prove that they're capable of more artistic potential than just what they're recognized for. Sekiro is Miyazaki's attempt, in my opinion, to create a solid, contained story with unambiguous narrative and thematic intentions while also still fully exhibiting his ability to tell a story without flooding you with exposition and forced necessity - it can be assured that the writing techniques he expresses in Soulsborne games is still very much intact.
Thankfully, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's genius goes so much further than Miyazaki's ability to write. It took myself three years of persistence and purpose to finally come to a point where I could say that I fully understood all of the intentions of the game, both in its writing and its overall design. Sekiro is a game that challenges your own willingness to trust yourself beyond the information presented by the game that you're playing - It isn't until you grasp your own sword's capability to act both fully offensively and fully defensively that you can claim to have any kind of skill or intuition regarding gameplay in Sekiro. Again, it was three years before I could even pretend to have a modicum of personal skill or understanding of the game's mechanics - but that does nothing to detract from the very explicit intentions expressed by the game initially. It's simply a matter of having confidence in yourself, as a player, and I think that that's a beautiful player/game experience that few games could ever hope to emulate.
Without giving out spoilers or advice that would potentially ruin one's own learning experiences in the world of the game, it's safe to say that Sekiro is a perfect example of exhibiting tight and intentional gameplay mechanics, level design, and non-linear storytelling that few developers could ever hope to recreate a feeling of in their own products. It speaks volumes that Sekiro entered development AFTER Elden Ring, despite being released three years prior - FromSoftware had a vision that, despite everything they were working toward in Elden Ring and its ability to emulate and surpass the expectations of the Souls games, they still fully applied themselves to a game that stands wholly independent of every expectation that players may put upon them due, exclusively, to the infamy of the art they had already created.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice stands tall as its own, fully developed and intentional piece of art, and as a testament to what game developers can put their minds to despite public opinion and discourse. It may go down in history as an incidental sideshow attraction for FromSoft, but I'm more than happy to continue singing its praises to those who don't know any better in the meantime. I give it five out of five stars on this site, as that's the scale I'm limited to, but there is no scale where I wouldn't grant Sekiro a perfect score. 5/5, 10/10, 100/100, whatever. It's a 100% magnificent, perfect exhibition on FromSoftware and Miyazaki's part, and I'm happy and eager to consider it among the greatest video games of all time for myself.
Hella banger of a game, for real.