Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (new From Software game)

[Puteo]

So how good would you people say the game is right now?

It's a good game buried under some seriously obtuse design decisions that will absolutely infuriate you constantly in the beginning hours and often later on.

eg: the game tells you about its rock-paper-scissors blocking system: block a stab, jump a swing, and dodge a grab. The tutorial and tip system will beat this into your head.
Then the game immediately introduces a miniboss with a near-instagib long-range lunging grab that can only be countered by jumping; WTF From?

If you can get over the heavy trial-and-error-based method of figuring out how to do things then you'll find a good game that will give you the same sort of enjoyment as Dark Souls. However, I do struggle to recommend it even though I am still playing the game because when you get stuck, you really get stuck and it's not a hell of a lot of fun. Compare that to another ultra-hard game like God Hand and even there when the game was kicking your ass you always felt like you were making progress because you would get that little bit further each time.

With Sekiro it's all: You picked rock when you should have picked laser-scissors, fuck you. Go spend 5 minutes stealth killing guys for another chance to get instagibbed in 5 seconds for trying something new.

The 83% rating on steam is not entirely unfair, I'd probably give it 85% although it feels wrong considering how much love they put into it.

 

[Agame]

So I assume y'all have finished the game now? How do you rate the story/presentation as compared to DS?

 

[cvv]

Very cheap putting the violet ninja in that tight cave.. I'm not saying I can beat him, but the camera is making the fight even harder

As usual, brick wall bosses become easy once you figure out the trick. With the violet ninja, it's side stepping and hitting his health. Don't jump or block or anything, just side step - hit. Unlike most bosses his tracking is bad so you can get away with it.

 

[PrettyDeadman]

So how good would you people say the game is right now?

It's a good game buried under some seriously obtuse design decisions that will absolutely infuriate you constantly in the beginning hours and often later on.

eg: the game tells you about its rock-paper-scissors blocking system: block a stab, jump a swing, and dodge a grab. The tutorial and tip system will beat this into your head.
Then the game immediately introduces a miniboss with a near-instagib long-range lunging grab that can only be countered by jumping; WTF From?

The grab is countered by dodging (i.e. getting away from it, whether by pressing the dodge button, jumping, running away, roping away or whatever). Would you prefer the game to be some type of pavlovian shit where you see yellow light and press the button as a reflex to automatically avoid any attacks without any regard to what is actually going on on a screen?

 

[Sentinel]

Very cheap putting the violet ninja in that tight cave.. I'm not saying I can beat him, but the camera is making the fight even harder

jump on him from above for an easy critical to start off. oil + fire is useful for chipping down is HP (which makes damaging posture easier) and use attacks that focus on health over posture (thrusting attack, dodge r1...)

 

[Silva]

Anyone playing at peasant consoles? Is 30 fps acceptable ? ( I've played original DS and BB like that so it's not a problem for me in principle, but there's games and games.)

 

[cvv]

People who think Chained Ogre is unfair should stop playing this game immediately and spare themselves a chunk of mental health.

 

[Cromwell]

There are only 4 confetti in the game, you prolly mean something else. It's called Divine Confetti.

I have 5 in inventory.

That Flaming Bull boss was just shit. Yopu have to get the bull into a corner, control the camer with your chin and dodge round it cutting at its ass and occasionally spamming firecracker. Just terrible.

they always manage to make some bosses that are infuriating. I spend hours upon hours to learn to fight against the stupid old hag then I get a miniboss that throws all that out of the window and makes me jump around like a retard in the hopes I dont get hit, manage to hit it in the ass dont lose sight and dont get cornered because then I am dead again.

 

[Puteo]

So how good would you people say the game is right now?

It's a good game buried under some seriously obtuse design decisions that will absolutely infuriate you constantly in the beginning hours and often later on.

eg: the game tells you about its rock-paper-scissors blocking system: block a stab, jump a swing, and dodge a grab. The tutorial and tip system will beat this into your head.
Then the game immediately introduces a miniboss with a near-instagib long-range lunging grab that can only be countered by jumping; WTF From?

The grab is countered by dodging (i.e. getting away from it, whether by pressing the dodge button, jumping, running away, roping away or whatever). Would you prefer the game to be some type of pavlovian shit where you see yellow light and press the button as a reflex to automatically avoid any attacks without any regard to what is actually going on on a screen?

Incorrect. The counter to the lunge-grab is to jump on his head like mario. Sounds like you never figured it out - which is my point. It looks nothing like the sweep attacks a jump is supposed to be used for. How is any player supposed to know without rote trial-and-error that his giant invisible hitbox and turn-on-a-dime tracking only extend to the horizontal dimension?

I am generally not a big stickler for realism in my games but if a game can't stick anywhere near the rules they set up themselves then it's just bad design.

 

[randir14]

Question for people who are mid/late in the game, boss and story spoiler:

Spoiler

I killed the gorilla boss but he came back to life. Do I need to get the Mortal Blade first?

 

[Hobo Elf]

Almost beat Genichiro on my 3rd try. Got him to half health

Spoiler

on his 3rd true form.

Gameplay still hasn't clicked with me even though I'm getting more into the rhythm of the game. I keep saying it, but maybe it really is time to just accept the reality that this game isn't for me. I keep going back to try it again and again, but I just can't get into it.

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

I feel like if you don't enjoy Genchiro or Butterfly girl you probably just don't like the game

 

[Vorark]

Anyone playing at peasant consoles? Is 30 fps acceptable ? ( I've played original DS and BB like that so it's not a problem for me in principle, but there's games and games.)

There have been talks about frame pacing issues, a la BB and DS3 on PS4.

 

[Silva]

It sounds like the game is more bosses-centric than Soulsborne. Don't know if I'd like that. I get too stressed with bosses and need the stroll of levels to relax.

On the other hand, combat sounds more "technical" in a way, with distinct techniques prone for different situations that the player must assess correctly. Makes sense?

It's not so much boss centric as it is that getting from idol to idol is really easy and then when you do get to a boss everything comes to a screeching halt.

Thanks. Are the bosses more huh, multidimensional or something? I mean, reading people's descriptions it seems every boss is a fucking Elfriede, and I hate the kind of "learn every little different muscle spasm from her body till you know how react to them all blindfolded and beat her" kinda battle.

 

[Filthy Sauce]

Ug. I just spent 2 hours trying to kill that dungeon boss that throws spirit bombs everywhere. I gave up and looked it up - you need magic mcguffins to do damage to the boss. Killed the boss fast... Not only that, it sort of stunlocked him and he didn't even throw out anything but his basic attack. Not exactly a fan of this. What a waste of a boss. They did the same to that giant in ds3. It's fucking lazy.

 

[Sentinel]

It's not a boss.

 

[Jenkem]

where can i farm ako's sugar dammit

 

[TheHeroOfTime]

eg: the game tells you about its rock-paper-scissors blocking system: block a stab, jump a swing, and dodge a grab. The tutorial and tip system will beat this into your head.
Then the game immediately introduces a miniboss with a near-instagib long-range lunging grab that can only be countered by jumping; WTF From?

That's not how the system works.

There is horizontal and vertical attacks (Grabs included). You can block everything except the unblockable attacks (When the red kanji appears). You can parry everything except horizontal unblockable attacks. To dodge vertical attacks you must use a side step, to dodge horizontal ones you must jump. And grabs attacks must be dodged with a jump or a side step depending of the type too. This is what that inmortal fella will teach to you.

 

[Hobo Elf]

It sounds like the game is more bosses-centric than Soulsborne. Don't know if I'd like that. I get too stressed with bosses and need the stroll of levels to relax.

On the other hand, combat sounds more "technical" in a way, with distinct techniques prone for different situations that the player must assess correctly. Makes sense?

It's not so much boss centric as it is that getting from idol to idol is really easy and then when you do get to a boss everything comes to a screeching halt.

Thanks. Are the bosses more huh, multidimensional or something? I mean, reading people's descriptions it seems every boss is a fucking Elfriede, and I hate the kind of "learn every little different muscle spasm from her body till you know how react to them all blindfolded and beat her" kinda battle.

Most (but not all) mini-bosses can be deathblowed to burn through one bar of HP right off the bat and you can engage - disengage them as you wish, although they will heal their HP immediately if you disengage them for too long so deathblowing > hiding > deathblowing mini-bosses is not possible. The more traditional fog gate bosses typically don't have anything you grapple with your hook and are just purely sword fencing where knowing their rhythm perfectly is the only way to win.

 

[Filthy Sauce]

It's not a boss.

Don't push me, man. I'm butthurt as hell right now.

 

[toro]

eg: the game tells you about its rock-paper-scissors blocking system: block a stab, jump a swing, and dodge a grab. The tutorial and tip system will beat this into your head.
Then the game immediately introduces a miniboss with a near-instagib long-range lunging grab that can only be countered by jumping; WTF From?

That's not how the system works.

There is horizontal and vertical attacks (Grabs included). You can block everything except the unblockable attacks (When the red kanji appears). You can parry everything except horizontal unblockable attacks. To dodge vertical attacks you must use a side step, to dodge horizontal ones you must jump. And grabs attacks must be dodged with a jump or a side step depending of the type too. This is what that inmortal fella will teach to you.

Blablabla ... please show me how to dodge pike/spear users.

 

[Ivan]

put your foot down on it & counter

 

[Sentinel]

eg: the game tells you about its rock-paper-scissors blocking system: block a stab, jump a swing, and dodge a grab. The tutorial and tip system will beat this into your head.
Then the game immediately introduces a miniboss with a near-instagib long-range lunging grab that can only be countered by jumping; WTF From?

That's not how the system works.

There is horizontal and vertical attacks (Grabs included). You can block everything except the unblockable attacks (When the red kanji appears). You can parry everything except horizontal unblockable attacks. To dodge vertical attacks you must use a side step, to dodge horizontal ones you must jump. And grabs attacks must be dodged with a jump or a side step depending of the type too. This is what that inmortal fella will teach to you.

Blablabla ... please show me how to dodge pike/spear users.

Deflect thrust attacks or Mikiri counter them. Double Jump on sweep spear attacks.

 

[Felix]

One thing is a true incline in this game: You can actually jump.

 

[toro]

eg: the game tells you about its rock-paper-scissors blocking system: block a stab, jump a swing, and dodge a grab. The tutorial and tip system will beat this into your head.
Then the game immediately introduces a miniboss with a near-instagib long-range lunging grab that can only be countered by jumping; WTF From?

That's not how the system works.

There is horizontal and vertical attacks (Grabs included). You can block everything except the unblockable attacks (When the red kanji appears). You can parry everything except horizontal unblockable attacks. To dodge vertical attacks you must use a side step, to dodge horizontal ones you must jump. And grabs attacks must be dodged with a jump or a side step depending of the type too. This is what that inmortal fella will teach to you.

Blablabla ... please show me how to dodge pike/spear users.

Deflect thrust attacks or Mikiri counter them. Double Jump on sweep spear attacks.

The only thing I did not kill yet is the general with the Spear.

I honestly don't know what to do ... when he attacks there are like 3 consecutive red signs which pop on the screen. I don't see shit.

In 10 fights I managed to pull off a Mikiri once. GG.