X
- M
- Activision
- M
- Activision
- M
- Activision
- M
- Activision
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Released On: Mar 22, 2019
8.6
Where to Buy
Where to Buy
Metascore
Universal acclaim
Based on 88 Critic Reviews
90
85% Positive
75 Reviews
75 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
1% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Universal acclaim
Based on 88 Critic Reviews
90
85% Positive
75 Reviews
75 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
1% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Though Sekiro feels impossibly hard at times, the level of euphoria you experience when delivering a death blow to a tricky boss or when you finally clear a castle grounds of all enemies is almost unparalleled.
A brutal and challenging game that admits few shortcuts to success. But for every cry of frustration there is a revealing discovery, and for each walk through the darkness there is an ascent towards mountains bathed by the Sun. The father of Dark Souls and Bloodborne makes us suffer again but, at the same time, provides the kind of experience that allows us to emerge reinforced at the other side.
User Score
Generally favorable
Based on 5,247 User Ratings
8.6
84% Positive
4406 Ratings
4406 Ratings
6% Mixed
290 Ratings
290 Ratings
11% Negative
551 Ratings
551 Ratings
User Score
Generally favorable
Based on 5,247 User Ratings
8.6
84% Positive
4406 Ratings
4406 Ratings
6% Mixed
290 Ratings
290 Ratings
11% Negative
551 Ratings
551 Ratings
Title: A Soulslike Triumph of Perseverance - 10/10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the epitome of a Soulslike experience, and it revels in the unrelenting suffering that comes with each encounter. FromSoftware, the studio renowned for its challenging and immersive titles, has crafted a masterpiece that embraces the essence of the Soulslike genre, demanding players to endure countless trials and tribulations. As an ardent fan of their previous works, I came to Sekiro with high expectations, and it not only met but far exceeded them.
1. Unforgiving Combat Mastery (10/10)
Sekiro's combat system is a relentless and unforgiving test of one's mettle. It's a dance of death that demands precision, timing, and tactical brilliance with each strike. The posture system, a departure from traditional health bars, intensifies the suffering, rewarding players who can perfectly parry, deflect, and break their foes' posture for the exhilarating coup de grâce. Every enemy is a harsh teacher, a puzzle to be solved with every encounter, where a single misstep can lead to agonizing defeat after agonizing defeat.
2. A World Steeped in Desolation (10/10)
Sekiro masterfully crafts an atmospheric rendition of Japan's Sengoku era, invoking a sense of desolation and melancholy. From the crumbling Ashina Castle to the ominous depths of the Sunken Valley, the game's world is painstakingly detailed, hiding secrets around every corner. Level design, a hallmark of FromSoftware, is a labyrinthine masterpiece, intertwining paths that encourage exploration and discovery. The attention to detail immerses players in a world teeming with sorrow and peril.
3. The Agony of Storytelling (10/10)
Sekiro's narrative is a gripping journey filled with morally complex characters, where suffering and vengeance are the central themes. The story delves into questions of honor, loyalty, and the harrowing price of retribution. The silent protagonist, Wolf, compels players to wrestle with their emotions, and his relentless journey will haunt players long after the controller is set aside.
4. Aesthetic Torture (10/10)
Sekiro's visuals and audio are an exercise in tormenting beauty. Environments are exquisitely rendered, characters pulsate with raw emotion, and the haunting soundtrack, composed by Yuka Kitamura, gnaws at your soul, amplifying the game's somber atmosphere. Sekiro's artistic direction pushes the boundaries of visual and auditory artistry, plunging players into a world where suffering and beauty coexist.
5. Excruciating Boss Encounters (10/10)
Sekiro's bosses stand as monuments of anguish and triumph, embodying the very essence of the Soulslike genre. They are punishing and unrelenting, designed to push players to the brink of despair. Each boss requires meticulous strategy and demands patience, making each victory a euphoric release of frustration after numerous, agonizing attempts. Whether facing the towering Guardian Ape, the enigmatic Owl, or the relentless Genichiro, the road to success is paved with suffering, making each triumph that much sweeter.
In summary, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a testament to the Soulslike genre, a relentless trial of skill and perseverance that few games can match. FromSoftware has crafted an experience that revels in the player's suffering, a symphony of agony and ecstasy. If you seek a gaming journey that will test your resolve, Sekiro is the crucible where your determination will be forged anew with every grueling encounter.
Surrender to the brutal beauty of this masterpiece, and prepare to die countless times on your path to glory.
Report
PlayStation 4
Report
PlayStation 4
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the hardest game created by From Software and is also their most ambitious IP. It is a great example of game and combat design.
As you’ve probably expected from FromSoft at this point, Sekiro is a game that relishes in its ability to challenge and punish the player with little to no room for error. The developer’s methods of storytelling may start to feel a tad stale at this point, but the game still manages to capture that immense feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment like no other.
Sekiro is a worthy heir to the Souls-like dynasty. It's not a new chapter of the old franchises, is another interpretation of From Software's philosophy, and another hardcore masterpiece.
With Sekiro Shadows Die Twice proves FromSoftware still knows how to put their 'soulslike'-concept to the best of use. Although the game introduces a tremendous load of changes to the formula, it still knows how to create that same euphoric experience.
Its boss fights highlight the contrived lengths that FromSoftware has gone to in order to satisfy players’ thirst for difficulty.
This game ranks among my all-time favorites. I adore titles like 'Sekiro' and 'Bloodborne' for their innovative combat and their insistence on pushing players to improve and persevere.
Report
PlayStation 4
Report
PlayStation 4
Must have been a dry year for games for this to get game of the year. It's just got so many hateable aspects for what could have been a much better game. Bossing in this game just isn't that fun. They go on for a boringly long time and it's the same from start to finish. Remnants weren't their at launch at so people just turn them off. This leaves you with empty remnants of people just running round in a circle as if they were trying to work out what it does. You mite get the odd useful one but you'll skip over these because you have to select loads of useless ones to find the useful ones. By then you can just work out where it would take you anyway. Crosses what restore the prosthetic arm are a bootable and not restoring with the bonfire is stupid. Healing items in this game are basically non existent and it relies more on not getting hit at all. Which is fine but getting hit once by a boss is either 1 or 2 hit death. Basically making this game a 0 room for error type deal. Again this would be fine if every boss instance was just a boss but 10 enemies aswell. Some ranged, melee, boss charging at you. But your ranged attack is basically like throwing marshmallows. I've completed a few of From Softs souls games and sekiro is not really souls bourne but it's still difficult. But I find the difficulty in Sekiro more of an unfair kind. Stealth keeps breaking. You get a backstab indicator but il go to press it when it's on and il just them with my sword alerting everyone. Enemies follow you when they didn't see you go there rather then following the route you took. Say I run round a building threw some bushes and grapple onto a tree. They will skip over everything and lock onto where I am. Like how they know that? It's really immersion breaking. Or you kill an enemy 5 miles away in a noisy area and everyone will turn around and look at you? They will walk over their best mates dead corps like meh there goes another one. Why they not go into a search mode? For a game that revolves around stealth there isn't very much stealth options and the stealth is terrible. The skill tree **** and has nothing interesting out of the 10 things on it. The map design feels extremely fake and un-interesting. It's like an extremely long and narrow cliff everywhere you go in this game. Its like 10 steps to the left is 1 side and to the right is the other side. For a from software game there is literally 0 exploration. Sometimes you'll get the odd jump down onto platform area and that's about it. Think in Demon Souls or Dark souls 1 all the shortcuts leading back to the bonfire and it's awesome to see how the map felt like a giant spider web. Nope Sekiro is just 1 narrow path everywhere. Sekiro is great for is the story. But that's to be expected with these devs. And the core combat is pretty good outside of stealth and most bosses. I also love the way how everyone in the world is there for a reason. This is something From have always done that's awesome. No one just ignores you. I just felt the game could have used a little more polish in certain areas but I would imagine Activision being the publishers they had strict deadlines and had to have a meeting about what colour an NPCs clothes were. From Software have never gone back to them since so I'm guessing Bandai Namco is better to work with.
Report
PlayStation 4
This game was a huge disappointment for me at launch and it has only gotten worse after I played Elden Ring. Sekiro is japanese Dark Souls but most of the good stuff is gone.
- Worst customization of the series, because there isnt any.
- Worst gameplay of the series. Fromsoftware can make games with a hundred weapons that all feel great, so if they make a game with just one weapon it would result in absolutely god tier gameplay, right? No. Its just one dimensional Katana bashing all the time and nothing else. Not really better than using a Katana in all their other games. Gets boring after the first few areas. Also it straight up doesnt work when fighting multiple enemies at once and all the other minor problems these games have (bad camera, weird hit boxes etc) are still there.
- Worst online of the series because there isnt any as well. No coop, no pvp, nothing.
- Worst overall content of the series, most bosses and all mini bosses and even some areas get reused multiple times. 3x Ashina castle, really? This is lazy. All the other Souls games have way more content and Elden Ring is probably ten times bigger than Sekiro.
- Besides that its not better than the other games at anything. Bloodborne and DS3 still have the same or even better overall quality than Sekiro and ER and the Demon´s Souls Remake absolutely dunk on it.
If Elden Ring is a $60 game Sekiro would be $5. Good that Fromsoftware got away from this misguided garbage.
Report
PlayStation 4
Not a fan of the style of battle system, wont play any similar game anymore.
Report
PlayStation 4
Summary Your death won’t come easily. Enter the world of late 1500s Sengoku Japan; a brutal, bloody period of constant life-and-death conflict. As tensions rise, a compelling new story unfolds amongst the chaos. Introducing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a dark and twisted new gameplay experience developed by the renowned team at FromSoftware and pu...
Rated M
for Mature
Platforms:
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- PC
Initial Release Date: Mar 22, 2019
Developer:
- From Software
Publisher: Activision
Genres:
