Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice does enough to distinguish itself from previous games developed by From Software, but follows some of the same design philosophies. The biggest change comes in the moment to moment combat department. Even though Bloodborne focused on a more offensive style, Sekiro marks the first drastic shift in how you approach fights. Players can now utilise stealth and kill unaware enemies in one hit. I did find the stealth to be underdeveloped and unreliable however, as most of the time, enemies would see the kill and become alert. This often forced me to retreat, thereby allowing me to repeat the process and take down enemies one by one. It was a slow and boring method, but trying to fight all of the enemies at once is extremely difficult. I wish that stealth was either made more viable or completely removed from the game.
Fighting multiple enemies is also a big issue as Sekiro is filled with forced mini-bosses that are often surrounded by four or more enemies. This can lead to a lot of frustration as every time you die, you have to deal with the other enemies in addition to the mini-boss, which makes the whole process tedious.
But combat remains excellent, probably the best in any game made by From Software. Posture is a big differentiator as, when you fill enough of a metre that signifies you breaking posture, you can execute a killing blow. This means that players need to constantly focus on deflecting blows, instead of guarding or dodging. This is also true for bosses and mini-bosses, but most of them have nodes which determine the number of times a killing blow needs to be executed in order to defeat them. You also earn XP for killing enemies, that can be spent on both passive and active skills.
Players have access to a prosthetic tool, such as an axe, spear or firecrackers that use a limited resource but can have devastating effects. For example, the firecrackers make enemies stop mid attack, allowing you to utilise an active skill. All of them can also be upgraded if you have enough materials.
The way death works as a gameplay mechanic has also been changed. Upon dying, you can resurrect on the spot and continuing fighting. This is naturally extremely limited, but can make a massive difference if you had made a mistake during the fight. Upon fully dying, your gold and XP is halved. There is a chance to prevent that, called Unseen Aid, which ties into another mechanic of Sekiro. Dragonrot spreads gradually for every death, which reduces the chance of getting Unseen Aid.
Due to the exciting new grappling hook and movement options, the world design is not as tight or interconnected as previous games. In fact, the number of shortcuts available in the world is extremely limited. As a result of this, Idols, that take the place of bonfires, are more easily available. While I did miss the level design of the Souls series, this approach allows for more engaging traversal through the world.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is familiar, but different enough to feel fresh. I dislike its implementation of stealth and mini-bosses, but its challenging and rewarding just like previous games made by From Software. The combat may be different, but the core identity and design remain just as exciting.
