Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Video Game 2019) Poster

(2019 Video Game)

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10/10
A masterpiece and bench mark game
manojmagecha26 March 2019
When you think of action adventure look no further than Sekiro. From software have developed a game that combines the best gameplay mechanics with stunning visuals and a very original story line. Uncharted, metal gear solid, assassin's creed, tomb raider, dynasty warriors; imagine all these games mixed into one! And you get Sekiro! Yes it's somewhat challenging! BUT you will learn to progress by learning new combat skills, engaging with the enemy in a certain way, and timing your movements to perfection. This game is not for anyone who is impatient, but more tailored towards someone who seeks gaming perfection and appreciates there's more to a game then cut-scenes and mindless hack&slash attacks. I cannot stress enough how excellent and exciting this game is. How much detail has gone into the gameplay, and how much progressive gameplay there is. Brilliant a must have!
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8/10
Cool
louietoomer30 June 2019
This game is pretty cool

I'm not good at it but it's pretty cool
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9/10
I don't blame you for quitting this game, but I also think you're making a big mistake.
MatthewOfDuncan24 April 2020
Okay, I'm not going to sugar coat it, this game is astronomically hard. In fact, it should be illegal to make a game this hard and not include an "easy mode." However, this is also one of the reasons why this game so dang satisfying to beat. So many people think that giving players more freedom and power makes a great game, and in many cases, this is true, but not with this game. When I played through this game my first time, I couldn't believe how difficult it was. I'd consider myself a pretty cool-headed fellow, but there were countless times where this game made my blood boil. However, once I finally beat the game and started it over, I couldn't believe that I was playing the same game. I was beating enemies significantly faster, and I was dying significantly less. It was as if an "easy mode" had been turned on, but it wasn't because of the game, it was all because of me; because of MY skill, MY finesse. Now THAT'S power to the player; THAT'S freedom of play.

P.S. Pro-tip, if you're playing this game like dark souls and bloodborne, you're doing it wrong.
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9/10
A masterpiece of sword combat
DMMMUFFIN3 July 2021
Being honest it's the most beautiful game with epic battles, incredible music, with incredible combat system...but it's not perfect and sadly it's level design it's not that great in my opinión compares with other Miyazaki games.
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10/10
One of the beste fromsoftware games
nikolai_schueck-info11 April 2019
The combat system is the best of all time The fights especially the ones with the samurais (human enemies) are very hard but even dying isnt that bad cause youre always learning from youre mistakes and its very satisfying to win Fighting system: 11/10 Story: 7/10 its okay but not really special World Building: 8/10 its no dark souls but also very great Action: 10/10 Gameplay: 10/10 Graphics: also 10/10
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10/10
Masterpiece
thuttunen939 July 2019
This game is absolutely perfect. Original story, much easier to understand than that of dark souls trilogy, more npc:s and dialogue. Multiple endings and ng+ add to replay value.

Combat is a blast, if you die, its 100% your fault and this time grinding away to level up or acquiring better weapons is not the way to proceed, this game puts pressure on player to invest time and work to learn different bosses movesets and weaknesses and fight accordingly. There is lots of skills and gadgets to find and acquire in the game world to help you in your Journey and many of them can be upgraded with materials gathered in game.

Graphics are stunning on just regular xbox one, can't imagine how good they would be on pc.

Soundtrack is amazing aswell, there wasn't a single situation where I thought music didn't fit perfectly.

Bosses are many and varied from easy to insane and require lot of player skill to overcome.

All in all, this game has everything you might want from fantasy action game, don't let the difficulty scare you away from this game, its worth it.
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10/10
What a fantastic game
jofall-606736 May 2019
After beating this game, I wanted to play it again. When I beat it again, I chose a different path to get a different ending then beat it again. This is perhaps FromSoftware's finest work they've put out...
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9/10
Too easy
HigherLevelThinker29 August 2020
I would've given the game a 10/10 but since the game is too easy it only gets a 9/10. If you want to play a hard game, go ahead and buy Spongebob Battle For Bikini Bottom: Rehydrated.
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9/10
My way or the highway
Sekiro to me is one of the prime examples of a "git gud" game. Without a doubt it's harder than Dark Souls. In DS if you suck as a knight you can try a mage, here we don't have that. The game looks deep into your soul and says "my way or the highway" and I gotta respect that. In Sekiro you can't use summons or call other players for help. You just have to "git gud" in the game. The only time I managed to cheese a boss was the Demon of Hatred 40hrs into my first play-through. Learn the patterns of your enemy and learn to deflect and you shall be fine. By the end I was in love with Sekiro and the lessons that the game tried to teach me. I guess my main problem is the story it's not interesting enough.

And if you want a tip for the start of the game, just DON'T give Kuro's Charm to Kuro. That was my first mistake and it's something I learned when I started NG+ because I gave it to him the first time and then I finished the game without it.

"The Kuro's Charm item is given early in the game, when you collect the Ornamental Letter. After meeting Lord Kuro in the tower and gaining your primary sword, you'll have the option to give away the Kuro's Charm. Giving away the charm increases difficulty by adding chip damage to all blocks."

Then again I finished the game without it but it was hell... that final boss was a nightmare.

9/10.
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9/10
I like it
tyler-4127312 January 2021
This game is really fun. You can see many different places and boss fight. The game is so difficult but if you got your method then you can enjoy with it.
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9/10
Somehow easier than you think
mohamadrefaa22 June 2021
Let's just start by saying I've played all soulborne games and tried this one time at my friend's ps4 and couldn't beat anyone , and found out the game is extremely hard but I thought I would give it a try and frankly found it easier than what I expected :(1) you have a lot of idol/bonefires unlike souls game I never found my self running 2 minutes all the way to a boss or out of health items before I reach the next bonefire (2) stealth is the main element of the game as you play as a ninja you don't go into a fight against 4 people no you take them one by one even the bosses you can take half of their health with stealth (3) escape way ...each time I found myself overwhelmed by enemies I just ran ,jumped and grabbed any tree I could find so I don't die and even when I die I resurrect after they walk away and I just run back to the bonefire (4) firecracker .. I can't say how easy the game has become with this item I mean you can stun bosses every time you use it you can stun any enemy in the game with it (5) gameplay ...most people depend on dodge as soul born but this is the exact opposite as dodging is optional while deflecting is the main thing as you can parry and deflect almost any attack in the game except specific moves so don't run ....attack!

But of course its fromsoftware game and it is expected to be hard and I admit its pretty hard but not as I expected If you played the game as they intended you would find it really fun ,challenging and satisfying My problem with the game is that it has many repeated bosses , useless items which made discovery and exploration not that fun and of course annoying death dragon root mechanic as the NPCs get sick and you can't complete their quests or buy from them when you die alot which is just annoying and useless other than that the game is really good and fun to beat 8.5/10.
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7/10
A great game with some idiotic concepts
rupees11 December 2020
Sekiro is not a bad game, actually pretty good. It's fun to fight and a beautiful setting. BUT there are some concepts which really annoyed me and make it to the weakest From Software game in the last years. One of these concepts is the "Unseen Aid": It should give the players the Dark Souls typical pressure to be scared of dying, but it doesnt. From start until the end of the game I was maybe ONE single time happy that Unseen Aid saved my exp. and coins. The other 3000 times I died, I didnt even cared, since you dont are able to gather so much money, or there is even nothing you need to buy with it. You won't lose that much experience neither. This leads me to the second point: In 20 years of gaming experience I never played a game that was full of so much useless items.For example, you have a limited item that gives you a boost over a short time period in strength. So far so good, but it gives you literally 20% more damage for maybe 15 seconds (!)... I mean... are you serious? Or, you have an item that gives you a higher chance of collecting money, but the effect stays for 1 min. I didnt find any sense in using any of these items and there are many other things which are really unnecessary and it would have changed nothing, if they wouldn't have integrated them into the game.
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5/10
It is ok. Nothing more, plenty less.
harmondalton3 December 2020
I got Sekiro two months ago and I've been trying to play it. I have made it to the horse guy with the huge guandao. I have not finished the game as of now and I actually don't want to. I felt like from the very beginning that the game went over the moon with difficulty. Now I've played all the souls games and I am pretty solid on parry times. I just can't make it through this game. I would estimate 300 deaths plus from the first boss to this horse guy. I found every boss to be a challenge far beyond my skill level. Over time I got tired of dying. Now I've always had a drive about me to learn and fo better everytime I die. However, there comes a point where seeing the dying screen gets frustrating. What I wish they would have done is the standard four types of difficulty (beginner, standard, master, expert/grandmaster). That would have given the chance to master bosses and there move set. For me at least, it is extremely hard to master a bosses attacks when they can basically two shot you (and some just devestate your health bar with one attack, cough cough stupid ogre). Ill end this here woth this closing remarks: this game is fun for those who can endure the rigorous mechanics of it. For others, it is just not worth the time and frustration.
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10/10
An immensely breathtaking, challenging, and satisfying experience
TheRedRex13 June 2023
Sekiro sticks out in my mind as being both one of the hardest and most rewarding video games I have ever played. It is also one of the most unique games in FromSoftware's catalogue.

Sekiro may have the most satisfying gameplay I have ever experienced in a game. The extroardinary combat, movement dynamics, and level design all combine to make Sekiro endlessly fun to play.

The combat has an unbelievably steep learning curve and can be very frustrating to get the hang of. However, once mastered, it becomes one of the most enjoyable combat systems in gaming. Instead of chipping away at enemy health bars, the combat in Sekiro involves using carefully timed strikes and deflections with your sword to wear down an enemy's "posture" (represented by a "posture bar" at the top of the screen). When the posture of the enemy has been sucessfully broken, the enemy is then left open for a fatal "deathblow" strike. The catch is that enemies can deflect as well and their attacks can also break down your posture which can leave you open for high damaging attacks. In addition, to keep you on your toes the enemies will often mix in "perilous" attacks (represented by a red warning symbol) which are much harder to deflect and often require other movements to avoid such as jumping or dodging. The beauty of this combat system is that it encourages both fast paced aggression and careful defense on the player's part. Enemy posture recovers very quickly so players need to be constantly on the attack in order to be sucessful. However, enemy and especially boss attacks can come at you in the blink of an eye and the margin of error for deflection is incredibly slim. This means that the player needs to be constantly on the attack while at the same time always being ready to deflect at a moments notice. This has the affect of making combat in Sekiro feel akin to a dance, as you rhythmically alternate between attacking and defending.

The players mastery of this phenomenal combat is rigorously put to the test by Sekiro's grueling and exhilirating boss fights. Sekiro's campaign contains numerous bosses and each one is a heart-stopping duel from start to finish. The bosses push the combat system to it's absolute limit. They recover their posture incredibly quickly, attack with lightning speed, and are often capable of killing the player in no more than two hits. Many of these bosses are some of the hardest you will encounter in any game and can take players upwards of several hours to learn. Each boss has it's own unique fighting style and rhythm that the player must know inside out in order to overcome them. However, the euphoric experience of slowly mastering these bosses is something I will never forget.

Sekiro's excellent level design and traversal mechanics are another big reason as to why it is so exciting to play. Just moving from place to place in Sekiro is very engaging thanks to the grappling hook given to the player early in the game as well as the climbing and jumping mechanics. The level design complements this agile playstyle through being much more vertical in nature than FromSoftware's other works. The imposing castles and temples that the player can explore are impressively tall and both the inside of these structures as well as the outside rooftops can be explored. In addition, forested and mountainous levels both contain numerous ledges and hanging tree branches that the player can use their grappling hook or climbing abilities on. This has the added effect of giving the player multiple options when it comes to tackling enemy encounters. By staying in high, out of reach areas, the player can avoid enemies and get a better sense of their surroundings. They can more easily pick and choose which enemies they want to take on, as well as which items they want to go for. Staying in high areas also allows players to preform stealth deathblows that can kill most enemies in a single hit if they are careful not to be seen. Utilizing agile traversal and stealth in this way encourages players to be creative and experiment with how they want to progress through the game. When these mechanics are combined with FromSoftware's stunning interconnected and non linear world design, you get some of the most fun gaming exploration of all time.

The world and level design is also backed by astonishingly detailed art direction rooted in ancient Japanese culture. The dazzling budda shrines, cherry blossoms, and spectacularly large temples are nothing short of visual eye candy.

Overall Sekiro is a hugely challenging but also completely unforgettable experience. It is not for everyone and demands extreme focus, percision, and patience from those who play it. However, those with the determination to stick with it till the end will find a remarkably enthralling adventure well worth the hundreds of gruelling deaths.
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10/10
absolutely fantastic
maxstevo22 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I think that anyone who really, and I mean really bady gets stuck, and dies to every enemy they come up against, and then proceeds to criticise the game for this, you should have probably searched up about the game and researched about the difficulty, as you often see the final boss is described as one of the hardest bosses in history. I am not that far into this game (I just beat the Blazing Bull), and so far, I have found absolutely nothing wrong with this masterpiece of a game. I'm not finding the game too easy, or too hard, which is great. I have beaten Elden Ring with some uses of summons and have got to about half of Bloodborne. I have a bit of experience with SoulsBorne games and I wanted more of a challenge with Sekiro. And I constantly think to myself that if I manage to beat Sekiro, I can almost definitely beat Dark Souls 1-3, and complete Bloodborne. And just that thought in my head that I am progressing and doing well in such an awesome, difficult, challenging and complex game sticks to me, and pushes me forward in wanting to beat it. Well, to anyone struggling on this game, kee pushing forward, don't give up and just best it, good luck.
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10/10
stellar combat
snookie-64 July 2022
I can't believe I enjoy dying in this game. The combat is so engaging and entertaining, once the Death screen is on I am keen on going back and trying it again.

It isn't even about defeating your opponent, it's much more about learning to master the shinobi techniques and pulling them off with the required timing.

Another nice addition to From's formula here is stealth. Crowd control has apparently always been a good idea in games like these, so incorporating stealth gameplay makes perfect sense and since I'm all about stealth - I enjoy picking off enemies one by one. I'd sometimes go back to an area and clear it out, not to grind, but just cause I feel like doing it again, maybe even solve the puzzle once more, but with a better arsenal.

As for difficulty - I really can't tell if it's hard. I would struggle so hard on a fight and then when I win, I would completely forget that I was having a hard time.

The atmosphere is also amazing. FromSoftware fan or not, please check it out.
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9/10
Great and a different genre!
ccvnb1 February 2023
I would start by saying that this game changed my perspective about gaming altogether. I was always a shooter and RPG fan. Some would call Sekiro an RPG game, but I would beg to disagree. I would put this game more in the category of a rhythm game, something which I was not aware about before playing Metal Hellsinger and now Sekiro. But wait there is more to it - both Good and Bad!

Yes, I beat the game, yesterday night and felt compelled to write a few words about this INSANELY difficult sword, rhythm game. Believe me when I say the word INSANE (I have bet Elden Ring twice). I could not beat the Sekiro Final Boss on my first playthrough. Spent hours on learning skills (waste of time). Gave up and uninstalled Sekiro. Came back and tried to device a winning strategy and finally succeeded in my 2nd playthrough (NG) after acquiring all items needed to implement the strategy. Yes, so building a 'strategy' against each boss (even mini bosses) helps, even if your parrying skills suck as mine!! And that's why I don't hate the game so much any more compared to when I started and saw that it's all about parrying, no matter how many confetti, sugars you consume and skills you acquire through endless grinding. Get your 'strategy' right and you will be able to beat Sekiro.

Some parting thoughts on the general build of the game, apart from the brilliant combat style, which is a basically the major cause of a love hate relationship with the game.

  • Great graphics, sound track.


  • Mediocre storyline. Did not make any sense/difference to me, really.


  • Most explorable items are useless (except a few really good ones). And From Software is notorious for not helping/guiding the gamer on that front. The same applies to Skill Trees.


  • Too much emphasis on just ONE fighting style - parrying.


  • No levelling up of payer in terms of weapon or armor choices.


Love or Hate the game, but definitely worth buying and giving it a try!
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10/10
2019 game of the year
gaminboi1 February 2021
This game is my favourite fromsoftware game, by quite a bit. the boss fights are so much fun, this improves on the controls and the game is gorgeous.
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10/10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - A Masterful Blend of Challenge, Lore, and Combat
baileyshaw996 March 2023
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a game that is as challenging as it is rewarding. From Software's Sekiro is a masterpiece of game design, with an engaging story, stunning visuals, and gameplay that will keep you coming back for more.

One of the standout features of Sekiro is its unique combat system. The game's use of a posture-based combat system is a fresh take on the traditional hack-and-slash genre, requiring players to think tactically about each encounter. Each enemy has their own strengths and weaknesses, and mastering the combat system is essential to progress through the game.

The game's world-building is also exceptional, with an intricately designed world that is both beautiful and treacherous. The attention to detail is evident in every aspect of the game, from the stunning vistas to the gruesome death animations.

Sekiro's storyline is a compelling tale of revenge, with a cast of memorable characters that will stay with you long after the game is over. The game's themes of loyalty, honor, and sacrifice are expertly woven into the narrative, making for a truly immersive experience.

In conclusion, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a must-play for anyone who loves challenging games with deep lore and engrossing gameplay. From Software has once again delivered a game that is sure to stand the test of time, with a combat system that is both innovative and satisfying, and a world that is a joy to explore. If you're looking for a game that will test your skills and keep you engaged from start to finish, Sekiro is the game for you.
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10/10
From a Souls fan's perspective
deadpool_j25 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I was skeptical to start this game upon it's release due to it's significant differences in plot, combat and world, but I was astonished with this game. The combat was very intuitive and by the time I had finished my first playthrough (Purification ending, using a guide on the Shadows Die Twice wiki), I had defeated most of the bosses, discovered Fountainhead (The single most aesthetically pleasing and certainly challenging area From has made since Anor Londo) and was ready for round 2 as the self titled king of deflection. The areas introduce new mechanics such as Lightning Reversal, Mikiri Counters and enemies that can use them, Terror status effect and Possessing enemies to do your bidding. The story was weak in minor aspects in comparison to the millions of characters and lore behind the souls series, but is still vibrant and built enough to create an amazing atmosphere AND boasts the hardest final boss to date second only to Orphan of Kos in the form of Isshin The Sword Saint. If I can summarise, the difficulty came from learing a whole new set of skills, enemy types and bosses. If you are new to crushing difficulty, I can safely say you will pull your hair out, grind your teeth and scream every profanity known to man, but the feeling of reward at the end will be worth every second. If you are a souls veteran, you will fall In love. Easily my favourite game of 2019 and definitely in my top ten of the decade.
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9/10
Wonderful game
jokerlimitless12 March 2023
Best mechanics i have ever seen in a video game. The thing with sekiro is that it needs intense focus and patience. There are bosses with three phases and there are times when you spend incredible amount of time in the first two phase every time you fight the boss but then when you get to the third phase you get tensed up you you do a single mistake and boom you are dead all your effort for the two phase was nothing. This keeps going on and you just lose the spirit you start to assume that it's literally impossible to beat the boss. But the thing i realised in this game is that this is what it teaches you to be patient. Just keep trying. Wonderful game.
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7/10
need to love the pain before play
AvionPrince1616 February 2022
I think sekiro its a really good game. It have fantastic landscapes with some interesting fight mechanics that will make you try to master all the subtle skills and movement to fight all the bosses of the game. I need to say that the game was pretty challenging and it have some interesting story and mise en scene. If you not sure, i will recommend you to try the game and make the decision to accept the challenge or to quit like a looser!. Lol.
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3/10
Just WAY TOO HARD
dimartinomirko26 February 2020
This is going to be a very brief review. In my opinion, it would have been a spectacular game if it wasn't so hard - almost unplayable. I have played (and finished) other souls games and they are famous of being pretty challenging but this one is on a whole different level. It's a continuous struggle to fight impossibly hard bosses and you don't get much time in between to breathe and enjoy your progress in the game. I think they have gone a bit too far with this one. It's still a game after all and it should be also fun to play. Real life is hard enough - give us a break, FromSoftware! :)
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10/10
SOUL game !
OrcenAi11 January 2022
It will be a short review , that i am gonna write , not because i am a fan of souls games , or because i like to challenge myself once in a while , or because i played it at a time where i needed something good , or anything related ...

This game is a masterpiece , and i'm not talking about the art , music , the combat , production and everything , am talking about how an amazing story and plot , merged with all those things above .

A Must play (or at least try ) 10/10.
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9/10
Difficult to Learn Easy to Master
cdwanha28 January 2020
This turns on it's head the typical philosophy in the gaming world: Easy to Learn Difficult to Master. Once you "get it" all the pieces seem to come into place, and in the context of your very, VERY, VERY! frustrating struggles -- there is a HUGE sense of satisfaction when you "get gud" and absolutely destroy the foes who used to give you a hard time.

The game usually gives you multiple ways to achieve your goal, and also allows gives you multiple paths to pursue so if something appears to difficult and you die an embarrassing amount of times you can always just work on one of the others paths until you either get better or acquire better stats/gear.

The combat, though initially and maybe post intially, and maybe post-post initially is very frustrating, once you finally get it -- it's truly a masterpiece and makes you feel good for having mastered it, and successfully employing it against your foes. The introduction of a "posture" system is novel and I wish for new games that they would just straight up copy it, IP forgiving.

The game is nuanced, Even though you can look up how-to's and guides online that can teach you these things it's very satisfying to learn them yourself. On my second play-though I was still learning new things towards the end of the game that impacted the entire game.

The game trains you to look for secrets and be very observant. This doesn't become an annoying or tedious task, and you never feel cheated for having missed an item or special location.

I would give 10/10 BUT, the way to complete some of the endings, seems so convoluted and confusing that you are very unlikely to discover this on your own without having been told how to do it by someone else. Also There are some areas of the game that are just so dark and there appears to be no indication that you are safe to travel to, when the entire game teaches you that jumping into black or any kinda abyss is a bad thing there are some instances where you need to make a "leap of faith."

Good Luck!
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