I don't understand people who find it dull, has the best OST in the series, some of the best level design and the first game since Demon/Dark Souls to really feel like you had to learn the systems/bosses to beat them. Doesn't have that drop in quality like Souls 1 after Anor Londo, the inconsistency of Souls 2 or the feeling of "Been there, done that" of Souls 3.
Souls 1/Bloodborne and this feel about on the same level and I think From learned after Souls 3 that they need to mix up just enough to keep it fresh while keeping their signature style mostly in tact. Preference obviously comes into it as well, most of us here are partial to RPGs and I'll still go back to Souls 1 as my favourite, partly for that reason but I can appreciate that Bloodborne and Sekiro are probably just as well designed.
All games have flaws and Sekiro is no exception,
- The stealth system ultimately falls a little bit flat, it's a good idea to mix up the level design and ensure the game-play loop wasn't as repetitive but I think they should focus on making general enemy encounters more interesting instead, I don't think it's feasible for them to come up with a near perfect combat system, great level design and then have an incredible stealth system thrown in there as well. It's just too much and risks a "jack of all trades, master of none" sort of thing, fortunately, in this game only the stealth suffered and not most of the other stuff.
- After the halfway point, the repeating bosses get a little tiresome. I understand that coming up with 50 unique bosses is just too much but versing the same bosses over and over again and first trying them kind of takes away that sense of learning and accomplishment you get earlier in the game. At the very least they should have done what they did with Corrupted Monk and the Ape and given them a unique phase the second time around. I know some of them "technically" have a new phase but it's usually barely noticeable and doesn't affect your strategy much.
- A lack of variety at time with combat. Out of all their games I think learning/"mastering" (for me anyway, I'm sure I'm still a noob compared to the guys who'll be doing no damage runs on YouTube soon) the combat in this has been the most satisfying of any From game because it basically HAS to be learned. In Dark Souls you can get away with just abusing the shield the whole game and that's fine, as an RPG those games should have alternate means but I did really like learning and having to adjust to exactly what the developers intended in this one.
I think Sekiro is overall a very good game, I'm sure I'll replay it at least once more before their next game. Only thing is I honestly don't want any DLC or a sequel to this. This is very much a combat system and game where once you master it once, it's done and dusted. More of the same in a sequel would be like Dark Souls 3 but even easier and that would just be disappointing. I want them to either move to doing another RPG but once again with new combat systems OR do another Sekiro essentially, completely new world, new combat and another standalone game since I think it really worked for this. New/Fresh is clearly what works best for them with both Souls 2/3 being their most divisive games. Maybe this game is too but it's for the right reasons, most who genuinely don't like are just annoyed it's not the same as Dark Souls.
Shout out to that Forbes moron wanting an easy mode, once again these games are able having to learn something and getting a sense of accomplishment once you overcome it. If you just want to see the world, watch it on YouTube or play a game that's focused only on the level design, don't take away the accomplishment by allowing any peanut to rush to the end of the game while the people who play it properly know that what they're doing is only optional, taking away the feeling you get in previous From games.
