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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (new From Software game)

Ivan

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tumblr_mfd60rtMW81ritbuto2_500.gif
 

Talby

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Not great timing considering Nioh came out just last year. It kinda takes the wind out of its sails. This looks like it will be quite good, but it's hard to get too hyped for something very similar to a game I recently put 200 hours into.

I bet Miyazaki feels bad, cuz he really wanted to make his dark Japan myth game, but someone beat him to it. :cry:
 

Big Wrangle

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They can overshadow Nioh, since that game's level design really pales in comparison. And this game feels more like Tenchu imo.
 

L'Montes

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If you played a Souls game offline then you didn't really play a Souls game.

If you don't at least play offline the first time in a souls game, you basically spoil the entire game with all the secrets and ambushes being telegraphed by messages and bloodstains.
 

toro

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Yeah, Activision has a great heart ... or maybe they are just testing waters.
 

L'Montes

Educated
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Huh... well, as far as the "Nioh" comparisons go, and stealing thunder... Nioh 2 also on the way...

 

L'Montes

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This was posted elsewhere:

  1. Shadow die Twice is the message to the players that you will, again, die many times.
  2. There are many endings.
  3. Chinese letter effect will be translated for the Western audiences.
  4. We are deeply following Activision's code; joyfulness, comfort and the proper onboarding process, which is our's weakness(笑=lol).
  5. Like other Soulborne series, feeling of accomplishment in overcoming difficulties is an important concept.
  6. Enjoy killing enemies wisely.
  7. Exploring the vertical and horizontal directions of the 3-dimensional map with a Kaginawa*, etc. *Kaginawa : A tool that enables to move to a road without a road or to an unreachable place, and there are various kinds of 'ninja-gite' made with karakuri, such as axe and shuriken.
  8. The map is connected to each other seamlessly but there are some exceptions.
  9. Resurrection system (resurrected on the spot after death) is designed not to disturb the tempo of a game more than is necessary. There is a limit on the number of times. I'm also working on a special adjustment.
  10. By the fixed protagonist and fixed class, we removed the restrictions imposed by multiplayer. So there's no multiplayer.

From an interview with Miyazaki?
 

ZoddGuts

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It's obvious they went with Activision as publisher in order for From to own their IP this time around. Namco/Sony owns The Souls/Bloodborne series.
 

paintinggrey

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Jan 29, 2013
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I really hope they keep the mystery/minimalist way of story telling, please god dont go the traditional way. One of the best things I enjoyed about all the souls how it really pulls the strings of the players curiousity. Well for me at least.
 

Kitchen Utensil

Guest
I really hope they keep the mystery/minimalist way of story telling, please god dont go the traditional way. One of the best things I enjoyed about all the souls how it really pulls the strings of the players curiousity. Well for me at least.

This and too much handholding are my biggest worries. And both seem to be justified, I think they already mentioned somewhere story telling would be more "straight forward" and Activision would be helping them with "ease of play, accessibility". Both things don't sound very good.
 

paintinggrey

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I really hope they keep the mystery/minimalist way of story telling, please god dont go the traditional way. One of the best things I enjoyed about all the souls how it really pulls the strings of the players curiousity. Well for me at least.

This and too much handholding are my biggest worries. And both seem to be justified, I think they already mentioned somewhere story telling would be more "straight forward" and Activision would be helping them with "ease of play, accessibility". Both things don't sound very good.

:negative:
 

Lutte

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While the mention of accessibility is worrying, the bit of straightforwardness in the story isn't in itself.
How many games set at the end of the world do you fucking want before you get tired of the formula? Most of the cryptic side of the souls series comes from the fact that almost everyone is either dead or has gone hollow. You meet very, very few NPCs and naturally most don't know much more than you do. Everyone else is a mindless zombie or a corpse. That's why it can be somewhat justified that you can't really piece together an understanding of history and what is going on.

If the leaks about Sekiro are true, then it's set in a world that is still mostly functioning. Of course the story telling would be more straightforward. That doesn't mean all elements of mystery would disappear. There's a cult that fears the end of the world that operated for hundreds of years. Is the end of the world really coming? Is it not? What did the cult do to try to prevent it from happening? Were they successful in their actions and thus justified in committing atrocities, or did nothing work and it's going to happen anyway?

With that said, story for me in souls is mostly just helping the atmosphere, the gameplay is what really keeps me going and as long as they give some meat to the game I'm in. From the trailer it looks like there'll be a lot of active parrying going on, rather than just dodging things or trading hits. Seems like an interesting take to follow for a souls game.
 

Tehdagah

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If you played a Souls game offline then you didn't really play a Souls game.

If you don't at least play offline the first time in a souls game, you basically spoil the entire game with all the secrets and ambushes being telegraphed by messages and bloodstains.
This is counterbalanced by people creating fake messages or trying to lure the player into traps.
 

Damned Registrations

Furry Weeaboo Nazi Nihilist
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Messages
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If you played a Souls game offline then you didn't really play a Souls game.

If you don't at least play offline the first time in a souls game, you basically spoil the entire game with all the secrets and ambushes being telegraphed by messages and bloodstains.
This is counterbalanced by people creating fake messages or trying to lure the player into traps.
Not really. Fake messages about walls or mimics take no time to verify, and anything important like an actual secret or bonfire or npc will have 10 times as many messages. Even if you don't read them half the time they're literally inside the fake wall or whatever. The only fake messages that might kill you are the 'lulz, jump off this cliff' type, which will also have bloodstains.

Besides, the only other thing online play offers is pvp and coop. Coop is obviously cancer, and even if the pvp were good instead of someone faxing you a backstab (or an account ban) over their 56k modem, you'd still pretty much never see it on a first run through because you'll be hollow anyways.
 

Wirdschowerdn

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http://www.shacknews.com/article/105530/e3-2018-sekiro-shadows-die-twice-preview-soulsbourne-ninja

E3 2018: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Preview: Soulsbourne Ninja

Written By Sam Chandler
Dark Souls meets Tenchu. That is all you need to know, but here’s more.

FromSoftware’s latest game, revealed at last year’s E3, has finally received a name: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. This 1500s Japan-inspired title is part Dark Souls part Tenchu, and looks to be in-line with From’s style of offerings. I was lucky enough to sit down and watch a guided demo of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and long-time fans of the Soulsborne game will be pleased with the direction Sekiro appears to be taking.

The demo started with the main character perched below a tree, overlooking an ancient Japanese castle. The long drop to the ground is of no consequence thanks to the grappling hook built into the Shinobi Prosthetic - the main character’s off-hand trick-weapon of sorts. With a press of the button, the Shinobi Prosthetic changes its tool from a wooden axe for cutting through enemy shields to a shuriken burst for a ranged attack. Later in the demo, the main character can be seen using an ability call “Blood Smoke”, a massive area of effect mist move that is very expensive to use.

Sekiro-Shadows-Die-Twice-Vertical-Grappling-Movement.jpg

Its combat is exceptionally fast, more akin to Bloodborne than Dark Souls, but with the added verticality of grappling, and for the first time in a Soulsborne game, actual jumping. While all the previous titles have a sprint-jump functionality, Sekiro allows the player to immediately jump without the need of the running build-up.

Level design utilized a lot of vertical space, consisting of archways and rooftops that the main character ran across in order to get a better position on a group of enemies. After taking down a flintlock sniper with a swift kill, our guide leapt to the ground and engaged the remaining enemies.

Sekiro-Shadows-Die-Twice-Combat.jpg

Sekiro introduces a new stamina-like mechanic currently called “Posture.” Whenever a player, or an enemy combatant, successfully parries an attack, they drain the posture of the opponent and when the posture stat reaches a critical level, it places the character at a significant disadvantage and susceptible to a strong attack.

Beyond the combat, Sekiro also utilizes some light stealth mechanics. Entering long grass creates an on-screen effect where the edges are blurred, signifying that the main character is hidden from the view of enemies. He can also stick to the wall and shimmy across walls to avoid being seen.

Sekiro-Shadows-Die-Twice-Story.jpg

Not a lot of story was revealed, and the guides made a point of stating that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is not heavily story driven, which should be a sweet melody for those who love the obscurity of the Soulsborne titles. The snippet of story on display showed off The Young Lord, whom the player character serves. Unfortunately, the Young Lord gets kidnapped near the start of the game for his bloodline, and when attempting to retrieve him, the protagonist loses his arm.

This is where the name of the game comes into play. While Sekiro isn’t the name of the protagonist, it does mean “one-armed wolf”, which is an accurate description of the main character. In terms of choosing the character you play, it was noted that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice deviates from the norm in that it offers no class suggestions or options, instead, the main character is a ninja and that is what the player will play. Furthermore, it’s not a stat-based game like Dark Souls or Bloodborne, the focus is on upgrading gear, though this will work in a different way.

Sekiro-Shadows-Die-Twice-One-Armed-Wolf.jpg

As we watched the guide play through, he took a path down a ravine, using the grappling hook to leap from outcropping to outcropping, all while avoiding a giant serpent. Though the encounter with the serpent was merely “run away”, it was promised this encounter would be larger in the game. Hidden in this canyon was a Shinobi Door, a wooden passage used by ninjas to get around unnoticed, which the player can use as a kind of shortcut.

The playthrough reached its climax with a multi-phase boss fight against an opponent called the Corrupted Monk. The ideology of the “clash of swords” was evident during the fight on every successful block - a bone-rattling clang would reverberate out across the boss arena as sparks flew from the katana. After a certain amount of damage was dealt (the HUD was off so no real information was evident), fog rolled in and the monk split into several shadows that constantly assaulted the guide. The attempt came to a close with a swift death of our guide, followed by the words “DEATH” appearing on-screen.

Though it was a short live demo, and despite the HUD being turned off, what was shown looked exceptionally promising. The combat looked slick, responsive, and offered enough differences to feel fresh while retaining enough similarities to feel familiar. With Hidetaka Miyazaki at the helm, and with how good Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is looking, I’m quietly confident this will become one of my favorite games when it launches sometime in early 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.
 

Infinitron

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https://www.pcgamer.com/embargoed-1...erything-weve-come-to-expect-from-dark-souls/

Sekiro, From Software's next game, subverts nearly everything we've come to expect from Dark Souls
For every system that From Software strips away, there's is one that is completely new.

When I watched Sekiro's debut during Microsoft's press conference at E3 2018, I knew this was going to be a different kind of Dark Souls. The Japanese setting, the comparatively bright environments, and a flippin' grappling hook were all obvious clues. But I still made the assumption that Sekiro would just be another riff on the same formula. If Bloodborne was the metal cover song of Dark Souls, then surely Sekiro was just the traditional Japanese cover?

I couldn't have been more wrong. A lengthy demo of Sekiro I watched on Monday made me realize From Software's new game boils away so much of Dark Souls' cherished design that the two could scarcely feel more different. And yes, that's a good thing. Here's everything you need to know.

The biggest changes
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is not an RPG. There are no stats to level up and no armor or weapons to collect and equip. There are no classes to choose from. There is no multiplayer of any kind. You'll have no souls to reclaim after dying, and—from the looks of it—no checkpoint bonfires to kindle.

For the Dark Souls diehards, that list of have nots might be terrifying to read. But for every idea Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice strips away from the Dark Souls formula, a new one is introduced.

Set in 1500s Sengoku-era Japan, you play as an unnamed shinobi charged with protecting a young lord with a mystical lineage. Then a powerful samurai attacks, kidnapping the lord and lopping off your arm (Sekiro translates to "one-armed wolf"). You're left for dead, but as the title implies, it doesn't stick.

In the same way that Dark Souls and Bloodborne reimagined medieval and Victorian time periods, Sekiro is a reimagining of medieval Japan—but one that feels more rooted in history. Most of the enemies we encountered in the demo were human warriors, a big change from Souls' undead and Bloodborne's blood-crazed wolfmen.

As I said, Sekiro is not an RPG. From Software's Yasuhiro Kitao describes it as an action adventure game, making it sound more akin to Zelda where exploration will yield new items that help you progress. You won't be making your own character or leveling up stats, but you will be finding all manner of cool gadgets that attach to your 'Shinobi Prosthetic' that replaces your lost hand. If you liked how Bloodborne's weapons transformed into wildly different types, you'll probably love this new system.

The character always wields the same katana in his right hand, but his left hand can swap between a ton of tools that have offensive and utilitarian uses. An axe, for example, might help you destroy enemy shields. The demo showcased a Shinobi Firecracker, which could stun enemies, as well as a torch addon that could set them alight. There's also a shield that can block damage.

These tools will combo with your sword attacks in surprising ways. During the demo, the player thrust his katana through his torch-arm, igniting it so each swing would deal fire damage.

Then, of course, comes the grappling hook. Environments in Sekiro are designed with verticality in mind, and you're free to use your grappling hook to leap onto cliffs, rooftops, and more. From what I saw, the grappling hook feels natural to use and isn't locked down to specific grapple points. It even has uses in combat, like pulling enemies in or using it to get behind an enemy for a deadly slash.

The combat
While Kitao was unwilling to give too many specifics on combat systems, I can safely say that Sekiro is unlike anything we've seen in other From Software games. Instead of hacking away at an enemy's health bar, Kitao says famed director Hidetaka Miyazaki wanted to capture the feel of "swords clashing."

While there's still HP, combat revolves around 'posture.' When you attack an enemy, they'll easily block your attack but will lose posture each time. Once lowered enough, they'll be open to a gory finishing move, but the same goes for you. As enemies attack, blocking lowers your posture unless you block perfectly (similar to parrying in Dark Souls). With a perfect block you'll actually throw the enemy off balance and lower their posture instead.

In this way, combat in Sekiro feels more authentic to a sword duel: A battle of attrition as each tries desperately to create an opening to deliver a fatal strike. Once you finally trip a foe up enough, you can hit them with a 'Shinobi Death Blow'—a gleefully bloody finisher that kills weaker enemies instantly.

There's a ton to unpack here, though. Your Shinobi Prosthetic plays an obvious role, as attachments like the axe can shatter a shield and leave an enemy vulnerable. But what really caught me off guard were Kanji symbols that would appear above the player's head. I was told that these symbols have different functions, but a common one was the Kanji character for danger. When it appeared, it signaled the enemy was about to deliver a special attack.

Knowing what that special attack is and how you can avoid it, however, requires reading their animations. Like any traditional enemy, you'll come to memorize different patterns of attack. But there's additional wrinkles here. Some enemies, I'm told, will use sweep attacks to knock you down that cannot be blocked. The only way to avoid them is by using—get this—the jump button. Yup, Sekiro has a dedicated jump button.

Sekiro also has "light stealth mechanics." Instantly fatal stealth kills on enemies can help even the odds. You can press up against walls, hang off of ledges, and crouch in grass to stay hidden. If anyone wanders too close, you can finish them off Assassin's Creed style.

What's great about this is how it changes the approach to combat. Instead of facing most enemies head-on like you would in Dark Souls (or cheesing the hell out of them if you're a wimp like me), Sekiro's stealth and more open environments play to all sorts of strategies. In one encounter, the shinobi killed off an enemy sniper and then leapt onto a trailing guard, turning what should have been a five versus one fight into a much more approachable three on one.

In one scene, an old woman came creeping through a building we were hiding in. I was told that if she spotted us, she'd alert the guards. So we slit her throat instead. Sekiro is definitely a stealth game—and grim as hell, too.

This all comes together in boss battles, which look more challenging than ever. Near the end of the demo, we were ambushed by the Corrupted Monk, a terrifyingly large woman with a naginata. True to Dark Souls, she came at us with an agile barrage of attacks that, with the help of the Kanji characters appearing above our heads, could be predicted and dodged or blocked.

Seeing how the katana and Shinobi Prosthetic comboed together with the grappling hook, jumps, and blocks made combat feel even more aggressive and fatal than Bloodborne's. The bridge we dueled on was covered in cherry blossom petals that billowed in response to each attack, turning the fight into a mesmerizing dance.

So, what happens when you die?
It's hard not to want to read into the "Shadows Die Twice" part of Sekiro's name. From Software wasn't willing to explain it in depth, but there is an entirely new death system at play here. Instead of restarting at a checkpoint, when you die you can revive yourself and immediately jump back into combat. The crazy part: as soon as you die your enemies will lose interest in you and go back to what they were doing. This turns death "into an opportunity" to surprise enemies by reviving when they don't expect it and getting in a few instakills.

Hardcore fans might balk at this system since it seems to make Sekiro much easier. Kitao said there was a limit to how many times you could revive in combat, but wouldn't clarify more than that.

A whole new world
Similar to Dark Souls, Sekiro will feature an expansive, interconnected world that you can explore at will. It's not clear how diverse this world will feel, though, considering the one area we saw felt like a fairly typical Japanese village with a castle towering in the distance. It's certainly a more subtle look compared to Bloodborne's gothic aesthetic, but no less beautiful.

And it's no less fantastical, either. While a good many enemies were typical soldiers, there was one weird giant (who appeared in the trailer) that was obviously into wrestling considering his passion for pile-driving the player into the ground. We also saw the enormous, mountain-sized snake that appeared at the end of the announcement trailer as we tried navigating through a canyon.

Though the sequence involving the snake was cut short for time, Kitao explained that there'd be many scenes that involve "cat and mouse" games with incomprehensibly large monsters. In this particular demo, the player had to wait for moments when the snake wasn't looking make his move to traverse the canyon. I get the sense that these encounters won't be like traditional boss fights, but are more like environmental puzzles that have to be figured out. But then again, Dark Souls' infamous bridge dragon appeared that way, too, until some insane player stuck a hundred arrows in him and realized his tail could be cut off for a sword.

Speaking of swords, I already mentioned that there will be no traditional equipment system in Sekiro. Instead, new Shinobi Prosthetic attachments are found by exploring the world. I did ask if there was any kind of currency system like souls or blood echoes, and was told that there was, but it was different. From Software wasn't ready to talk about it too much. While Kitao wanted to affirm that this was not an RPG, the currency system will work with some kind of upgrade system for your gear.

There are moments where it feels hard to wrap my head around just how different Sekiro is to From Software's other games, and moments where it feels the exact same. I love that the animation for opening grand, weighty doors hasn't changed in nearly a decade. It's little details like these that pay homage to Sekiro's lineage, even if so much is new and different.

And ultimately, I think that's a good thing. I love that From Software isn't content to repeat the same formula in a different location. This is not Dark Souls: Japan, but something new and altogether uncharted. And that deep, gripping sense of mystery is what made Dark Souls so compelling in the first place. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is coming early next year.
 

Lutte

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combat revolves around 'posture.' When you attack an enemy, they'll easily block your attack but will lose posture each time. Once lowered enough, they'll be open to a gory finishing move, but the same goes for you. As enemies attack, blocking lowers your posture unless you block perfectly (similar to parrying in Dark Souls). With a perfect block you'll actually throw the enemy off balance and lower their posture instead.

This is exactly the sort of change FROM needed to do to their systems. No more inconsequential dodge spam or blocking with greatshields. More interactive and more risk reward based damage avoidance. Parry could do that in the souls, but only against specific enemies and for a good reason : it was unbalanced. It was an I win button. It wasn't difficult to execute with the right parry tool and anything vulnerable to parry was a joke, Gwyn, DS1's end boss, the biggest jokes of them all. Being overpowered is why full parry was disabled on most bosses, some could still be parried but it activated a stagger instead of riposte. Changing 1 parry = 1 insane damage riposte into something more gradual that may augment the number of times you make a mistake and get hit too is good.
 

Damned Registrations

Furry Weeaboo Nazi Nihilist
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This is starting to sound awful. Meh. For me it'll come down to how they handle the open world, but I've got little faith in that aspect. And honestly, even if it is actually open and not linear, without rpg mechanics that'll be fairly meaningless since there's no consequence of going to one area before another- your stats and gear will remain the same.
 

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