Sekiro : Shadows Die Twice

[ThreeFour]

Like all From games they're only difficult till you've learned their attack patterns. They'll pop you in a few hits to start with but then you learn how to not get hit and when your opening to attack is. 

 

I think most struggled with this as it doesn't really have the freedom the other games had in its combat. It pretty much forces you to play the parry system. Dodging is strictly for certain situations. Which is how most played the other games. Dodging through attacks or turtling the hits. At the start it was just reaction to dodge when I was in striking distance and had to quickly get myself out of that habit. The parry system is a lot more forgiving, so once you get used to it things are a lot easier. 

 

I've not had chance to really settle in. Only having a few hours a week on it. I'm up to 

Spoiler

A boss that I can only assume was inspired by Chaos the Ape from Primal Rage ? "Guardian Ape" farting n lobbing shit everywhere. 

 

Only had a couple of goes on him as I was retiring for the night. Thought I'd done him on my second go, I was all ready with the smug face...till he got up again ??

 

Hopefully over the Easter break I can get some good progress in. No idea how far I'm in. Halfway I'd guess? ?

[Rikzilla]

Well over half way I’d say. He’s my favourite boss of the game.

 

He’s fun the second time too

[ThreeFour]

Wait now what? ?

 

Well over. Interesting. Feels like I've hardly touched it but looking back I've done some good exploring. Went as far as I could before realising I had to face the only boss who's troubled me yet. By then I'd grown up good, so I slapped him ?

 

 

[DisturbedSwan]

Yeah exactly @RikSP @ThreeFour.

 

Without sounding like a cunt, I actually found the whole game relatively easy aside from a few mini-bosses/bosses really. The only bosses that gave me issues - requiring over 25+ tries - were Genichiro and Saint. The only mini-bosses that gave me issues were Chained Ogre and Seven Spears ver. 1 and that was pretty much it. 

 

Every other boss/mini-boss I managed to overcome within 5-15. tries. As you both say once you figure out how to play it, recognise enemy patterns it becomes pretty simple, I guess I learned quicker than most as I very rarely banged my head up against the wall with it. I think being so adept at old school Assassin's Creed combat (i.e. parrying like fuck) as well as playing Nioh made sure I adapted quicker than others it seems.

 

I just loved spending time in that world, beating all the bosses and a huge amount of mini-bosses. I think I finished all the mini-bosses apart from the few apparition types as I just couldn't be arsed, and 1 end-game regular mini-boss. Think I finished all the regular bosses for the story route I chose including the optional DoH too but I'd have to double check that.

[ThreeFour]

It seems very generous with its bonfire/Idols. Some right Infront of the boss. Some within literally 20 feet of one another ? another thing that eased the progression. 

 

Still. Excellent game. 

 

Favourite Prosthetic?

Spoiler

Utility I'd probably say Shurikens but I am enjoying the Loaded Spear. Always enjoyed a good poke. Just found one that spins them around so I can give them a rear poke. Useful. 

 

[radiofloyd]

One more boss down.

 

Quote

Beat the Guardian Ape on my third try today. I guess I do remember how this game works lol, I had tried him on Tuesday after being away for a few days and I was fighti]g like an idiot who had just started the game. But I guess today something kicked back in and I was able to take him down fairly methodically. 

I wouldn’t have known that he re-appears in the Ashina Depths only for Blakey mentioned it on here, in fact I’m not sure if I would ever have gone back to that area (the cavern before the Hidden Forest save point). But knowing that he does, I went back to give him a lash. I warped to that save point and used the grappling hook to get back to the ledge outside the cavern, and something strange happened. I was attacked by two new enemies. They were silvery and ghost like and they hit quite hard (but a double Ichimonji brought up a deathblow quickly) and they dropped 600 skill points each. Anyway I went into the cavern and fought the Guardian Ape again. I was locked into him and jumped down from above but the game wouldn’t allow me a stealth deathblow, lame. But it was pretty easy to get the first deathblow, then I knew he would summon a friend so I busted out my new prosthetic whistle thing thinking I would get his friend to turn on him. But no joy. I guess the whistle only works on regular mobs. Lame again. 

Anyway, i died, but it occurred to me that for anyone who hadn’t already explored the Ashina Depths, they would have to kill this boss to continue right? Since I’ve already explored the Mibu Village I can just warp past him, for now. Anyway, that’s what I’m going to do next, continue in the Mibu village.

 

[one-armed dwarf]

I started playing this. I'm bad at it.

 

Tbf, too much royal guarding has given me bad habits here where you're only supposed to press parry once, so this will take a while to get good at. I am at chained ogre.

 

I don't love it or anything so far, but it reminds me of playing Onimusha 2 on Issen* mode which is one of those games I often forget just how good it was. I feel that much more than Tenchu so far.

 

 

* A really hard mode where you can only damage enemies with timed counterattacks. The feedback in that game so reminds me of this a bit.

[one-armed dwarf]

So I beat the first "proper" boss in this. Real talk, I don't think I like this game. I'm not in tune with its whole approach to fighting I think, where I feel it's trying to funnel me to a single, most effective playstyle. I'm trying to avoid being too conservative while fighting these enemies but when you don't know the game very well that is sort of a foolish approach I think.

 

One thing that's hurting my enjoyment is From's tech and how inputs are buffered and everything has a hard commit to it. All their games are like this and it isn't anywhere near as onerous in this game as it is in Dark Souls, for instance. But it prevents you from sort of multiplexing parries and attacks and makes you commit to one or the other, which feels restrictive. It's a very deliberate balancing decision that I can't criticise really, but it leaves me feeling suffocated when this isn't an ARPG like BloodBorne but a full fledged action game. There's no really diversity so far in how you fight things, each combat "puzzle" seems to not have many solutions. But this isn't a super informed impression I have of things yet because I'm so near the beginning and still very rubbish at it.

 

It's frustrating cause all the components here are obviously brilliant and a very parry-focused game is something I should love. But this just makes me want to play MGR instead, so far anyway

 

Captured some fights. It's all a bit janky and nooby so far but still

Spoiler

Ogre guy

 

 

Random general dude and his henchman

 

Cunt on a horse

 

General guarding the castle with asshole snipers

 

 

[radiofloyd]

Spoiler

Yeah beating the Guardian Ape seems to make the Mibu Village harder, there are at least three areas where those new ghost type enemies appear, one is on the bridge to the Corrupted Monk boss fight. 

 

[one-armed dwarf]

So I found a fight I really like, it's that bloke at the top of the castle. Much more cool than the horse man.

 

I'm still not having a good time tho sadly. The seeming lack of openness in Sekiro's combat makes me feel like I'm playing DDR. I get why it's so strict and disciplined with how it wants you to play, but I don't like having games decide that for me.

 

It seems you need to thread a needle between passivity and aggression that I'm just not very good at. It's very Shinobi, but I am not ☹️

[ThreeFour]

That's one of the issues with it. You're not alone. 

 

I got used it and carried on. There's still nothing quite like it and offers similar feelings in exploration and mystery. 

 

Have you fought the old granny? 

Spoiler

Lady Butterfly ?

 

[one-armed dwarf]

All I'm saying is that things would be greatly improved if Shinobi learned to surf rockets into samurai's faces. They would solve much more problems with this approach ?

 

Spoiler

I've not done that one, no. I'm on the second boss I think. Gunicheerios or something

 

[ThreeFour]

I didn't defeat him until later (assuming you've not been other routes). 

 

Stick with it. Otherwise you shall ever been known as a wuss ?

[Rikzilla]

To be honest mate I was exactly the same when I started playing it, go back a few pages and you’ll see I fucking hated the game. I was not having a good time at all and was frustrated to almost tears several times so I totally get you. 

 

I stuck with it (mostly because I couldn’t afford to not play a game I just spent £50 on AND because I have a FromSoft dedicated YouTube channel) and by the end I fell in love with it.

 

I’m playing through it again and now I completely understand how it wants me to play I’m having a blast, it’s an absolute masterpiece.

 

I really hope it clicks for you guys soon and you start having fun with it, it’d be a real shame if you didn’t. 

[one-armed dwarf]

I did not lose my arm in the great ninja wars to be called a "wuss" ?

 

Oh it's on

[ThreeFour]

? good. 

 

You might finish before me, such is the time I get on it (ever day off I've had, so has the wife, so gaming time is fucked ?). 

 

Update for those wanting to click on the mystery box

Spoiler

I defeated Ape. Went on to sneak past the snake. Then went back to 'old beggar rice woman', then big monk, who I whisked away, which led me to Black hat Badger - across the kite - killed Snake, then went to my idol down near Watermill - killed Orin whispy ghost lady, and finally saved to face Corrupted Monk next time. *Breath* quite a bit done last session. 

I caught a glimpse of some other people's posts to suggest I may have missed a confrontation. Wether I go find it I dunno ?

[Rikzilla]

3 -4 hours into the channel's playthrough and we've just beaten the Blazing Bull. 

 

I have a feeling this playthrough is going to be a little quicker than the first ?

[one-armed dwarf]

I ran around in circles stabbing that bull in the bum

 

#masterninja right here.

 

[one-armed dwarf]

This game is going to give me a heart attack I swear

 

Healing items are a trap sometimes, there's times you need to do the dance with death and rely on posture alone

 

??

Spoiler

 

Yesterday also I beat the first phase of the gunicheerio guy but he had a second phase which was all lightning ?

 

[ThreeFour]

Nice. I enjoyed that fight myself. If I can offer any advice it's to punish their unblockable strikes. Usually Mikiri counter thing for a thrust or jump on their head for a sweep. Helps boost up their posture damage. I'm sure you know this though.

 

Might try n get on later myself.