I think what you said is valid, they don't explain it well.. and that's the case for a bunch of things, using the inlore explanation for a lot of the tools, which is.. often kind of nonsense lol. The loading screen tips are genuinely valid, and many many many many many hours in, I often find a loading screen that explains something I wasn't quite sure of, or sadly often a loading screen will show up explaining something I just had figured out that would have been useful. I will say The control prompts are a little confusing as well for specific actions, and this might just be a design language I'm not familiar with, but regardless, spelling it out would have solved the problem rather than just showing buttons with arrows and occasionally hold. I'm still not exactly sure how to do the flamethrower lol.. I know I've done it on accident a few times, but I genuinely sat down and tried to figure it out, and there's like only so many combinations of two buttons you can do lol... Granted this is a thing that you can work out in practice, and training buddy is quite useful, when utilized.. But also even that is kind of frustrating as The situations with him are rarely if ever replicated for the particular move set or technique.. Honestly, the biggest fix for this would have been either a third tab on the item and function description, that plainly told you what it did outside of the lore.. and all of the things it did lol.. and maybe how to use it.. and definitely when the exceptions to the rules existed.. like with The anti-air death blow. I could be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure those tutorial tips only exist in the loading screen, and just that would have been a godsend to be able to thumb through.. For the most part though the game logic is consistent, and that's where the exceptions are more irritating or frustrating as quite often I find that they're actually is a logic to it and there's a layer that I missed in that.. so when It does break the rules or the consistency on the rare occasion it makes it even more frustrating because the default would be to be thinking about what you're doing wrong at a certain point... And sometimes you're not. Fortunately, there's a lot of tutorial and guides and some are good some are not.. and it's very nature is a practice sandbox of sorts, with many sections in the game seemingly designed around practice.. for instance the spear adepts right outside the no-go hall with a bonfire right inside, and three of the no damage cricket rotten monks that you can get your health back real quick and then pop right out again.. I kind of wish The game didn't resort to that, or require it, or maybe rather I kind of wish the game didn't encourage it perhaps? As it does kind of ruin the other aspects in the story environments and flow.. I can't tell you a section of the game that I haven't looped a million times.. and it's fun.. But like.. It really is sad where you have these incredible areas like the meebu village section, which is designed to be a farming spot, there's there's no way to look at it any other way.. and Just the sheer amount of repetition in order to buff up the next experience rank, especially when you get into the later sections of things.. Granted I kind of set myself up for that, by grinding the opening section, I didn't know what to do with the points because it didn't really quite explain them lol, and then when I did I only had the first of the arts, thinking that was all there was.. so by the time I got to the second scroll, I had already maxed out the first one, making the grind even grindier.. and it wasn't until like a week ago that I figured out death only drops you to the beginning of each experience level.. I was spending all my points thinking I was just going to keep losing them if I didn't spend them lol. And a lot of this information is delivered over time.. like you mentioned with the lady butterfly thing, and that's like information that should be upfront, or at the very least accessible in plain speak rather than lore speak as like an index.. I think one of the funnier ones was getting stuck at the castle, because I did not understand that I was supposed to put the bell on that one particular idol in that room full of idols.. because all it said was pray at one of the idols.. I for some reason it never occurred to me because I never seemed to go or look in that particular direction I guess in that room.. had no idea that was a thing or that there was a prompt there. Also had no idea what that even meant.. that it was like opening up a past section in the story.. and it seemed like the game knew that lol like pretty much everybody but me knew that, like it was some sort of common knowledge or an end joke I wasn't a part of. I'm being rather whiny, I really do like this game for a lot of reasons.. But there's definitely some silliness, and the fact that it's silly makes it more frustrating because it could have been easily avoided and thus avoided a lot of issues lol. And like I've got the patience for it.. most people don't even know how to open up an options menu anymore, sadly.. especially if they're streamers.. And I can see a lot of that being at least partial credit to why a lot of people have bounced off when they might have not.. I'm not saying to be handholding I'm just saying.. basic information that you're putting in the loading screens... Like I don't know maybe make it available.. or maybe just you know explain what things do in normal speak rather than a paragraph of lore talking about a thing about a thing that has nothing to do with a thing and then a brief sentence at the end that has like a minor resemblance to something that you could possibly decode into something that explains what the thing does.
I don’t understand why there isn’t more love for Sekiro as a game. Is it hard? Sure, at times very hard. But as someone who was new to souls games very late in my gaming career in 2020-2021, it’s easily the best FS game from everything I have seen and played since. Elden Ring casts too wide of a shadow for what the game is at its core, which is fun, but it also extremely derivative of what came before and doesn’t really bring anything new to the table at all in relation to combat. Sure, you can argue summons and other nonsense, but it’s the same basic and antiquated combat we had in demons souls. At least lords of the fallen did something different with spell casting. Sekiro is so well designed you only need to parry and dodge any given boss to beat that game. Everything else you can do is just a bonus. And let us not forget the lack of stamina, which is a godsend. As difficult as that game was, I never felt like I got punished for doing the right thing, unlike almost every other FS game and clones like Lies of P. I feel like people just gave up way too soon on it and didn’t give it a chance to shine. To be fair, it does take until Genichiro or later to really get that “oh ok…I see what this game is about now” moment. But it just has the IT factor where once you learn how to beat headless ape you walk into his arena and you know he hears your boss music playing and not the other way around. You just become death incarnate and nothing can or will stop you. Such a good game.
I think all from soft games are an example of the first one will be your favourite because you put so much effort into mastering it before you move onto the next one, because you simply want to be better, and ready Edit: mine being DS3, played it to oblivion, sekiro though, once you get good at parry is so good
@@georgen5882 amen 100. Especially the point that beyond attack and Perry everything else is bonus. That shows a well designed game. If you can’t develop skill, then what’s the point in “gaming”. Any top game should allow you to win with just core combat otherwise it’s just brainless. And I have TV for that.
Sekiro is the only FromSoft game I like lol. DS 2 & 3 and Bloodborne all just felt so clunky to me, the combat never clicked. Sekiro is the fucking shit. Best combat system hands down
I feel like Sekiro doesn't get enough credit for its amazing animations. The way that deflections into deathblows chain together in particular is impressive. Especially considering even most basic enemies have unique animations for deathblows depending on if it was a deflection, mikiri counter, or attack that put them into deathblow. It also amazes me how fast From Software puts these games out. In a span of 4 years, we got Sekiro, Elden Ring, and Armored Core 6. All masterpieces in my humble opinion. Truly impressive
@@pre-violetmelain2984 I mean, it took me over 40 hours to explore and beat pretty much everything in the DLC. That's definitely full game material to me. I've seen plenty of full priced games that are shorter than that.
The sense of accomplishment this game delivers is unlike any other in my opinion. Some of these boss battles feel so real with how much of a struggle the player has to endure.
I remember obtaining the mortal blade in my first playthrough, hearing that it can sever immortality, and immediately going, "wait, that means i can finally end the training guy's suffering" I warped back as soon as i could, and helping him was... bittersweet, for sure
Because its not a Souls game. I love them both,but Sekiro is completely different from DS/BB/ER , so the fans might not care or even hate Sekiro. I like it,but the more i play i realize its a glorified rythm game with barely any RPG elements,also i'm not too into Japanese settings and lore,but thats personal.
@@norbertcsaszar4746but it is a souls game. It’s not a pure souls game, but it has most of the elements of the previous titles. Innovation is not reinvention.
@@norbertcsaszar4746I dropped the game halfway. It was very janky, spamming side step broke 2 of the bosses entirely, grapple completely trivialized Gyobu, and owl was just ok. I ran around the arena waiting for him to use one of three openings he uses to close distance, and he went down second try. The gaurdian ape fight was good, the giant purple ghost dude with the glaive was top teir, and the snake eyes poison lake encounter was good too. But then they went and did what fromsoft does best, which is taking a good fight like guardian ape, and ganking you with 2 of them. Snake eyes overused, and yiur encouraged to run past em most the time anyways. And the purple ghost enemies you find in caves are horrendous. Magic spam fest till use confetti, and then they become a baby fight. On top of all that, all the areas in the castle walls look the same, and it gets boring real quick to fight normal enemies you can just grapple away from like batman. I think its easily one of the worst fromsoft tittles, down there with Elden Ring
@@norbertcsaszar4746 I agree. Its nothing like dark souls in actual combat. I personally think the movement is overkill, and makes the game trash. Dropped it maybe halfway after beating owl for the second time.
It’s crazy how different people experience bosses differently. I found Owl Father to be not only the most challenging boss but also the most satisfying to overcome by far
I struggled with great shinobi owl so much that when I got to father owl it didn’t feel that much different. Oh how much I suffered at the top of ashina castle to get to that point though.
Absolutely. The Owl Father was for me one of the best fights, just the right amount of challenge. I had a pretty easy time with the demon of hatred (in Sekiro terms. He was easier than Father Owl for sure, at least for me.), but struggled heaviy with Ishin. I was about 6 hours in and finally getting the hang of it, but then... my ps4 died before i could beat him. That's bugging me since then every few months when i think about that game... One day i will buy that game again and whoop his ass. I just have to. And now i'm asking myself why the hell i didn't i do that ages ago?🤦
i was really disappointed with owl father tbh, i had him hyped up to me but when i finally got to him and beat him first try i just didnt really get why hes seen as hard, cant say the same for isshin though bro had me stuck for 4 hours
Hell yeah, deathblow sound, Mikiri Counter sound, like you said the cling clang TING of attack/deflect exchanges...everything in this game is just so top notch and a dopamine rush. I had about 500 hours into Sekiro last year, then played Nioh and Lies of P. Eventually, Lies of P just made me wanna replay Sekiro, and now I have another 200 hours into Sekiro 😅
I used to feel the same way - at the very least give me a new Tenshu game - but lately I've felt that Sekiro (and Bloodborne) are in my top 5 games of all time, and a sequel would likely not be as good, and at worst dilute what makes these games so impactful.
There might never be a game like this again. The choreography and flow of fights once you learn it is straight out of films and anime. The exhilarating feel it gives once you grasp how the game goes is unbeatable
Sekiro is one of the best games i played, i was unemployed, so I just played and plat it for two months. Never got so much pleasure and sense of achievement with a game. I still remember it a lot, i relaunch it from time to time and still remembers many fights and patterns. It's a really unique feeling
I love your analysis, but you forgot one important mechanic: If you hold the block button, holding the blocking pose steadys your posture and reduces your built-posture down to zero immediately. It saved my life every time it was too high.
Yeah it's weird that he didn't mention that, and looking at this video's footage I don't think he knows about it, but it kinda pauses combat so he probably wouldn't wanna use it much anyways, since it seems like he's a fast moving one
You also have the additional method if tanking a lesser attack ( like genichiro’s jump arrow volley to max out the meter and reset it. If you need to get to zero without waiting the time holding block
@@ZomboidManiayeah he clearly only does R1 and L1 lmao. He didn’t use the prosthetic a single time in boss fight footage here. Even on bosses like chained ogre and Gyobu who are designed to teach you how useful the prosthetic tools are. Firecrackers against Gyobu are huge.
not even necessary. You can run in circles around the arena as far from him as you can, and he will open with 1 of 3 moves, of which 2 are very well telegraphed lunging slash type attacks. Then 2-3 free hits for you, and repeat. People pretend this game is hard, but it is just as easy to cheese as dark souls if not more since the enemy AI cant seem to handle the side step mechanic in this game. I literally spammed side step+ attack and stunlocked lady butterfly fir the entire fight aside from when I had to wait the ads out. And I almost did the exact same thing to genichiro i think his name was. Just abuse the overkill movement in this game and you will easily beat half the bosses probably.
@@voices0000 Same here. After Sekiro, I was expecting equally innovative combat system for Elden Ring. After playing it for one hour, I thought for myself "Seems like I bought a mega-DLC for Dark Souls 3. Yeah. Fine. Here we go." That I enjoyed more realistic horse riding in RDR2 just before ER didn't help either.
@lisprn-tt1tu there is no way you just compared rdr2 to a mid evil magical rig souls game also I think your wrong you just want elden ring to be sekiro when they are to different games and you also just thibk that elden ring is dark souls when it is not
Worth mentioning about the True Monk fight: her second phase has her warping around the stage, and strangely if you grapple up to the tree branch and she teleports under you, you can actually get a falling death blow and end the phase. Source: replayed the game earlier this year
I really love the little cheeses like that. Reminds me of how you can use the spear drag on headless ape after deflecting his big over head blow for huge damage by ripping the centipede out.
SEKIRO serves as pretty strong evidence that the trope “games just take longer to develop these days” is a choice, not an inevitability. This game was cranked out right after DARK SOULS III (and was developed concurrently with early work on ELDEN RING), and it’s one of the GoATs.
@@owenseaborne3517 Heyo, thanks for your reply. To the extent that this is true, I was saying that this is a choice, not an inevitability. “Games just take longer to develop these days” isn’t some incorrigible law of physics akin to “the total entropy in the Universe will always increase.” There’s not much one could say to convince me that the dev cycle for SKULL & BONES needed to be nearly five times as long as the dev cycle for SEKIRO (and God only knows how much larger a budget it had). Gamers resent being told to tolerate longer dev cycles when the resulting juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze.
@@patrickowens89I have no experience so I’m talking out of my ass but it’s my educated guess that FromSoft has their formula down and their creative process is pretty streamlined. Not arguing for either or, just making a potential observation.
@@owenseaborne3517 the problem is that a lot of aaa companies have too much bureaucracy and the managers try to play things too "safe", both Thor and Timothy Cain (ex Bethesda) have explained this.
Well, there's a 3 year gap between Dark Souls III and Sekiro, which isn't bad compared to other studios, but when you consider that 2011 gave us Dark Souls 1 + AotA, 2012 gave us Armored Core V, 2013 gave us Armored Core Verdict Day, 2014 gave us Dark Souls 2 + Lost Crowns DLC, 2015 gave us Bloodborne + Old Hunters + Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin, then 2016 gave us Dark Souls III with two DLC's releasing within a year after its release, waiting 3 years only for one game (which is also considerably shorter and more basic than their previous games) to come out is a relatively long wait. I know Deracine came out in 2018 but let's be honest, no one owns a PSVR and cares to play it, it's a throwaway IP basically. :D Then there was another 3 year wait until Elden Ring, now we're waiting 2.5 years just for a DLC to come out. So while From is still slightly better off than other studios in terms of development time, they're not too far behind.
It has hands down the best combat. To me I think the "magic" of exploring the world of Elden Ring is my peak From experience overall, but I think no one can argue Sekiro has the better combat, and I totally get why it would be someone's favorite From game. It's a masterpiece for sure.
Usually I wouldn't comment on a vid like this. But I ended up watching the whole thing because I love how you handled it. A lot of people on UA-cam are in it for motives. I'm happy that you made the video out of love and not primarily money. You definitly deserve more subscribers. And the cut from corrupted monk mikricounter to the other monk form mikiri was brilliant and I mean it. And talking about cheesey boss targeting while playing the clip of emma, ik what you meant.
I honestly couldn't believe it when I beat SS isshin, when he said "Migoto ja, Sekiro" which translates basically to "Beautifully done" I almost teared up lol
Shuriken, umbrella, and firecrackers were my go-to's as well. Axe, spear, flame vent, and Sabimaru for less generalized setups. Only used the whistle against DoH to blast through phase 3. Divine abduction just never appealed to me.
The whistle is great anywhere with animals, I used it against the monkeys. And it's great to lure some people one by one, like in front of Senpou Temple
Whistle is also helpful for killing the Shinobi in Hirata Estate Jouzou 2.0. Summon him to the tall grass with a delayed whistle and stealth deathblow him without aggroing Jouzou, then it's a 1 on 1 fight with a miniboss with only 1 health bar.
About the Mist Raven...it's amazing. Learn to use it against Owl. It's a bit weird, you go into a stance, and if you get attacked while in that stance, you counter with a badass attack while not taking any damage. When maxed out, it wrecks. I highly recommend learning that tool.
which makes himself using it in inner an even greater thing. My favorite thing from Sekiro is how the bosses moves are extremely grounded in the Lore. Owl, Ishin and Genishiro all share moves with you and with the mobs you fight along the way. Emma has a grab exactly like Old man Isshin, who teach her how to fight. That's beautiful
Sekiro is my favorite game period. You aren't joking about the sense of accomplishment gained from sticking it out. Especially the first time you best Ishin! Then all over again when you replay without the charm.
Sekiro and Bloodborne are Miyazaki’s favorite games. Shortly before the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, he said that the development of Bloodborne was his first opportunity to break away from Dark Souls combat in pursuit of the combat system he wants for FromSoftware games. Shields were taken away in Bloodborne and mocked in the item description because he wanted to change the relationship between offense and defense. He says that Sekiro’s combat was a “turning point” and that he wants to revisit it to refine it because he’s not done developing it yet because he feels the studio can “kick it up a notch”. Seeing how different Elden Ring and Sekiro’s combats systems are, if he thinks Sekiro was a step forward, then he must think Elden Ring was a step back.
Lady butterfly had me shook for a year...I played everything BUT sekiro because I couldn't cut it. Now I'm at NG+7 with the last 2 runs being charmless, and demon bell activated, 1 achievement from 100%. No game instills gamer pride in you like this does. 10/10.
Lady Butterfly is the boss that checks to see if you're still playing it like a souls game. Up until her it's completely possible to get by without learning parry but she gonna shut ya down quick
A year is crazyyyy, I mean I've been fighting her for the last day now and I'm THIS close to beating her, I just keep getting hit and stun locked by those stupid floating balls 😢😢
I always said this game was an earthbending simulator. "There is no different angle clever idea or trickty trick thats going to move that rock. You got to face it head on!" When i addopted this method it made me realize how beautiful the combat was and how satisfying it is to smash through oppenents and bosses. Watching as the boss matches your ferocity in combat altering their moveset, using the most appropriate move to end u at a moments notice. It all felt so real and intimate, a deadly dance that feels as if there are actually two people going at it. This combat system defenitely revolutionized gaming.
this was my first ever fromsoft game. i like the fact that it's based mostly on skills rather than on leveling up the character. i didn't really end up using prosthetics either, just relied on learning the combat. that's a great thing about this game imo
That's a good opportunity to toss firecrackers, break an enemy, vault over them for a backstab, then Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu them to return to stealth and backstab another enemy. Alternatively, a Mortal Draw has a lot of sweeping damage, or Bestowal Ninjutsu gives you a ton of splash damage and a MASSIVE damage boost. I started focusing on picking off weak enemies in gank fights so I could pop Bestowal and an Ako's and just obliterated enemies with it
@@IloveGorgeousGeorge im not saying its impossible its just not fun sekiro combat is realy good and realy fun in a 1 on 1 and just kinda falls appart if u go to much higher
I think that’s why the stealth is emphasized so much. It’s not meant to be played like other fromsoft games. You’re a shinobi and the combat reflects that.
While I agree that Sekiro is the most difficult FromSoft game, the call for an easy mode isn't exclusive to Sekiro. Every FromSoft game gets people to call for an easy mode.
Yep, and I love the fact that FROM and Myizaki everytime are like “nah, get good” and don’t bow down to certain gamers in which ultimately would go against Myizaki’s design philosophy with his/FROMs games. He always talks about overcoming difficult enemies/challenges being rewarding and having a great sense of accomplishment which - if you’ve played their games - is absolutely true.
@@vtubersubs3803 Haven't played BB or DS. But Sekiro is far easier than any of the Dark Souls games. I can drop into Sekiro, right now, after months, and kill every single boss without dying and without cheese. I cannot do that with any of the Dark Souls games.
@@KaNoMikoProductions I don't think you're convinced Sekiro is easier than it really is, I think you're convinced Souls games are harder than they really are. If you pick wretch and roll up to a fight with no armor then yeah, it's almost certainly harder, but pretty much every game has at least one build that completely breaks the game and lets you waltz through, like DS1's pyromancy or Elden Ring's bleed or one-shot magic builds. Sekiro forces you to master its mechanics. It's not terribly difficult to do, and once you do the game almost becomes a power fantasy, but that is your only option to progress, and before you master its mechanics, it will mercilessly kill you over and over and over until you do.
This is one of my favorite games ever. I loved everything about it. You truly had to git gud but that was not a chore. Once you figured out mechanics it became about watching your opponent and waiting to counter or attack. I know in theory that's how all Souls games are but because of how the game was set up, it felt very different with Sekiro. I felt the way the game guided you to the next challenge, prepared you for it in a different way. BB may still be my favorite and Fallout is up there but Sekiro has such a big place in my game loving heart
To be fair to journalists, it is there job to beat games. If I find a game hard I can keep going or quit. Even if it takes twice the average playtime, it's no big deal. When a reviewer plays a game and can't win, that either means not getting out the review in time or at all. I'd rather the situation didn't exist in the first place, but actual money is on the line. As someone who takes well above average time to beat games, I would never want to make reviewing my job
@@dAWwr906but to be fair to players, journalists are hardly the same thing. more so than beating the game, their profession requires the ability to describe what you are playing. you can give a comprehensive review without spoiling the game or seeing all the content yourself. we don't ask journalists to be good at the games, and it's understandable that often-times journalists may be out of their element when it comes to genre. but games like dark souls and other FS titles have kinda been made assuming discovery and progress will be a sort of communal effort. time spent in their world. if a reviewer doesn't have the time or honesty to recognize that, then the games weren't made for them. imo ofc
I’ve played all the Souls games since Demons Souls and finished them all multiple times. I was hotly anticipating Sekiro but just could not get past the mid game Genshiro fight. I gave up and 5 years later picked it back up and just got good… after hours and hours of trial and error. I finally beat the game today. Finally beating Isshin the sword saint was one of the biggest adrenaline dumps I’ve ever experienced in my 30 years of gaming!
After more than 1000 in Elden Ring and waiting on the dlc I played Lies of P and then Sekiro. Sekiro is my favorite game now. Followed by Elden Ring. The combat is superb.
I actually beat Sekiro for the first time a few weeks ago. I had never played a fromsoft game prior and I left the experience thinking it was probably the greatest game I'd ever played. Then I went and played Bloodborne (bc everyone told me those were everyone's 2 favorite fromsoft games) and I think there are so many interesting parallels but also ways they take different approaches to gameplay. In the end I can't say I loved Bloodborne nearly as much as Sekiro--my objectives were confusing, the combat felt way more jank and unpolished, and the level/weapons progression systems were obtuse, even after watching guides. I think Sekiro is a beautiful case of why game design is so important. When I was done with Bloodborne, I realized that, while the weighty and more patient combat was fun, the real reason why I felt engrossed was the world, just teeming with weird, optional, and troll secrets. That's what I felt the game was designed around: how does the player see x, go to y, and end back up at x. That philosophy is how combat in Sekiro is designed. How does player see an attack, learn the timing of an attack, and come to the same conclusion as always: that relentless attack mixed with parries lead to a win. And it's why combat in sekiro is the greatest combat out of any video game I've ever played.
Sekiro have never left my mind. I played it when it was released, finished it, and then played it two years later, and then played it once this year. In the gaming industry games comes and goes, they have their moments and then people move on, but Sekiro was and is a too special game to be forgotten like that.
53:20 I remember the scream I made the moment the second ape dropped in. I had to pause and take a moment to collect myself because the first one was already terrifying enough. I'm on my second playthrough 5 years later and I learned that if you focus your attention on the first ape and are able to kill it while dodging both, the second ape is automatically is defeated and disappears with the first.
Stealth is really not as underdeveloped as so many people claim. You can clear out entire encounters using nothing but stealth. You just need to experiment with it. Whistles, ceramic shards and sugars help a lot. You also need to level up for stealth if you wanna depend on it. There’s many stealth dedicated keystones in the upgrade trees but people ignore them for some reason and wonder why enemies keep detecting them.
Played this for the very first time after beating Elden ring about 6 months ago.... I'm being completely honest when I say I've never loved and appreciated and been so curious/dumbfounded/shocked through the entire game. Such an amazing masterpiece
The better YOU get, the better the GAME gets! That's been my recent analysis after now my 6th playthrough, absolute artwork man!🤘❤🤘Indeed Fromsoft's BEST!!
I think you missed the centipede in Mt. Senpou Temple. That one has a bigger arena for you to learn the pattern before you get to the one in the Gun Fort.
Sekiro demands the best from you, but it also gives the best. If you fail to master it's combat it will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought, but if you do master it's combat, you become unstoppable.
This game made me truly respect its combat system. I remember defeating lady butterfly when the game first came out and i just felt more annoyed than satisfied. Didnt toucht the game for years. Now, i finally decided to try it once more but how the game wants me to play it. Been having so much fun and it makes me want to learn how every enemy fights so i can be prepared to face them. Superb game with a learning curve.
Guardian ape was insane. Just the way he moves and behaves was fucking crazy. I still remember the feeling I got after I finally beat him. I put the controller down and just shut my eyes for a few seconds
Did you notice that inner Genichiro has basically a variation of Malenia’s waterfowl dance special move from Elden ring? It looks kinda similar. @12:34
My first from software game was elden ring! Finished it 3 times! Then finished lies of p, armor core 6, God of war, hogwarts legacy, now im playing sekiro, I beat it last week . I love sekiro amazing game. I'm so happy elden ring came around and opened my eyes to from software. Next up is dragons dogma 2 coming out March 22nd.
Camera complaint is understandable, in smaller arenas like giraffe and lone shadow, or with faster bigger enemies like ape duo. But to break the camera on the horse guy or guardian ape, you really have to go out of your way to do that. For the most part, just a little bit of mindful positioning can guarantee no camera issues.
Really good video! Just a few days ago I started to replay Sekiro for the first time after 100%ing it at release. Guess I wanted to see if my experience of it still holds up after these years and playing other Souls Likes like Lies of P recently. A lot of what you say in your video resonates with my experience. I really enjoyed the structure and editing. Although it would have been peak if the seamless cut at 12:33 would have happend at the same time as you said 'the seamless blending (of offense and defense)...' But maybe that's just me. I would have enjoyed a section on Sekiro's treatment of items, namely that it relies a lot on consumables, since they are a core part of the game. I think consumables are inherently somewhat flawed with the worst offender being divine confetti, only becoming available infinitely very late into the game. Also spirit emblems which I had a lack of at the very start of the game but later on you have so many that you don't even have to think about using prosthetic tools sparingly. So why have it as a consumable? Especially since you can infinitely buy them, but buying them early on which is the only time you will really do that eats into the economy for purchasing prosthetic tools and gourd seeds. (Rant over) Maybe your opinion differs on this, however, what I intended to say is that I would have enjoyed a section on items, since you are doing a great job of capturing the experience in terms of story, level design and combat already. Keep up the good work!
@@Ghorda9 That may be so, at the same time is that not something the average player will know, or in my opinion can be expected to know. If you believe they should be expected to know and that for that reason confetti is in effect infinitely obtainable at that point in the game, then why not just let a vendor sell it and cut the farming? Or better yet, let the player eventually get a non consumable version akin to the gourd flasks (but perhaps without the generic dmg boost so it's only effective for apparitions). Just putting out ideas since expecting people to know and expecting them to farm cannot be a serious solution to this flaw in the game.
@@destructionsword they drop often enough that players will usually see at least one drop the first time they clear the area, also you don't need confetti to progress the game, all the shaman warriors and headless are optional and stay where they are the entire game.
By the way, when Owl does the firecrackers into sword attack you can just dodge into him after parrying the shoulder and sword attack, preferably dodging forward to the right, and you'll end up behind him while avoiding the explosion. Since you're behind him you get two hits in that he can't block, although he can vanish in the Owl Father boss. It looks really cool to do and it turns that attack into a good opening.
Sekiro is my personal favorite fromsoft game, with that in mind it took me 3 reinstalls at genshiro to understand the “rhythm” combat aspect to the game
34:24 the shinobi hunter in Hirata Estate caused me to quit 2 separate times for years before my friend mentioned Mikiri counter and I've now beaten Sekiro nearly 20 times and gotten all achievements on 2 different gaming platforms. Steam and Playstation.
not going to mention how owl tricks the player by begging for mercy and then attacks you? i loved this moment because it adds character to owl trough gameplay instead of a cutscene
Ghost of Thusima is hands down s master piece and in my top 3. But for some reason i haven't played Sekiro yet even though i bought it two years ago. If i love ghost fo you recommend this, will i love it?
I remember struggling for days with the Guardian ape. When I finally won, i savored the moment examining the dead ape’s carcass and decapitated head… only for it squirm back to life with a sword with my name on it
Sekiro was my first from software game I'd ever played and I fell in love ....got every ending and every achievement and did every gauntlet of strength, since then I've also played Elden ring now too and sekiro is my favourite by far
that sense of accomplishment you're talking about is vehemently screaming, "FUCK YES, AND FUCK YOUUUUUUUU" after finally clearing butterfly, owl, or ape on your first playthrough 🤣
Top 3 game of all time for me personally. Changed the way I viewed gaming. A large part of me once and sequel, but a small part likes that this masterpiece only has one entry
I’m a firm believer that sekiro was from softs magnum opus it’s balance is near flawless, the combat is easily the most polished and refined of all their games and tells a good story with believable choices, and the actual setting is one of their best
![The Complete Story of Destiny! From origins to Shadowkeep [Timeline and Lore explained]](/img/n.gif)
Correction: The link between vitality and posture *_is_* something the game explains, just before the Lady Butterfly fight with a pop-up box.
If you do the training with Hanbei the Undying, it also has a section that does the same.
Very very good video with under 10 000 subs , well done
Genchiro took me 2 weeks 😂 1-2 hours a night before "I'll try tomorrow" I finally beat the 2nd phase after 1 week.. and then, the lightning... 🥲
I remember, it says that lady butterfly regenerates her posture very quickly so you're better off focusing on hitting her
I think what you said is valid, they don't explain it well.. and that's the case for a bunch of things, using the inlore explanation for a lot of the tools, which is.. often kind of nonsense lol. The loading screen tips are genuinely valid, and many many many many many hours in, I often find a loading screen that explains something I wasn't quite sure of, or sadly often a loading screen will show up explaining something I just had figured out that would have been useful.
I will say The control prompts are a little confusing as well for specific actions, and this might just be a design language I'm not familiar with, but regardless, spelling it out would have solved the problem rather than just showing buttons with arrows and occasionally hold.
I'm still not exactly sure how to do the flamethrower lol.. I know I've done it on accident a few times, but I genuinely sat down and tried to figure it out, and there's like only so many combinations of two buttons you can do lol... Granted this is a thing that you can work out in practice, and training buddy is quite useful, when utilized.. But also even that is kind of frustrating as The situations with him are rarely if ever replicated for the particular move set or technique..
Honestly, the biggest fix for this would have been either a third tab on the item and function description, that plainly told you what it did outside of the lore.. and all of the things it did lol.. and maybe how to use it.. and definitely when the exceptions to the rules existed.. like with The anti-air death blow.
I could be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure those tutorial tips only exist in the loading screen, and just that would have been a godsend to be able to thumb through..
For the most part though the game logic is consistent, and that's where the exceptions are more irritating or frustrating as quite often I find that they're actually is a logic to it and there's a layer that I missed in that.. so when It does break the rules or the consistency on the rare occasion it makes it even more frustrating because the default would be to be thinking about what you're doing wrong at a certain point... And sometimes you're not.
Fortunately, there's a lot of tutorial and guides and some are good some are not.. and it's very nature is a practice sandbox of sorts, with many sections in the game seemingly designed around practice.. for instance the spear adepts right outside the no-go hall with a bonfire right inside, and three of the no damage cricket rotten monks that you can get your health back real quick and then pop right out again..
I kind of wish The game didn't resort to that, or require it, or maybe rather I kind of wish the game didn't encourage it perhaps? As it does kind of ruin the other aspects in the story environments and flow.. I can't tell you a section of the game that I haven't looped a million times.. and it's fun.. But like.. It really is sad where you have these incredible areas like the meebu village section, which is designed to be a farming spot, there's there's no way to look at it any other way.. and Just the sheer amount of repetition in order to buff up the next experience rank, especially when you get into the later sections of things..
Granted I kind of set myself up for that, by grinding the opening section, I didn't know what to do with the points because it didn't really quite explain them lol, and then when I did I only had the first of the arts, thinking that was all there was.. so by the time I got to the second scroll, I had already maxed out the first one, making the grind even grindier..
and it wasn't until like a week ago that I figured out death only drops you to the beginning of each experience level.. I was spending all my points thinking I was just going to keep losing them if I didn't spend them lol.
And a lot of this information is delivered over time.. like you mentioned with the lady butterfly thing, and that's like information that should be upfront, or at the very least accessible in plain speak rather than lore speak as like an index..
I think one of the funnier ones was getting stuck at the castle, because I did not understand that I was supposed to put the bell on that one particular idol in that room full of idols.. because all it said was pray at one of the idols.. I for some reason it never occurred to me because I never seemed to go or look in that particular direction I guess in that room.. had no idea that was a thing or that there was a prompt there. Also had no idea what that even meant.. that it was like opening up a past section in the story.. and it seemed like the game knew that lol like pretty much everybody but me knew that, like it was some sort of common knowledge or an end joke I wasn't a part of.
I'm being rather whiny, I really do like this game for a lot of reasons.. But there's definitely some silliness, and the fact that it's silly makes it more frustrating because it could have been easily avoided and thus avoided a lot of issues lol. And like I've got the patience for it.. most people don't even know how to open up an options menu anymore, sadly.. especially if they're streamers..
And I can see a lot of that being at least partial credit to why a lot of people have bounced off when they might have not.. I'm not saying to be handholding I'm just saying.. basic information that you're putting in the loading screens... Like I don't know maybe make it available.. or maybe just you know explain what things do in normal speak rather than a paragraph of lore talking about a thing about a thing that has nothing to do with a thing and then a brief sentence at the end that has like a minor resemblance to something that you could possibly decode into something that explains what the thing does.
I still remember how I was fighting Genichiro for 8 hours straight only to realize there is a second phase haha
Ikr it’s one of those “but wait there’s more!!!” Kinda moments
I feel your pain fought him for like 6 hours
Same here
I beat him 2ed try i was in the zone that day. but owl and father owl were by far the hardest bosses for me.
Then your heart probably sank when you finally beat the 2nd phase to find out there's a 3rd lol.
"Sekiro is my favorite fromsoft game" a fellow man of culture I see
I don’t understand why there isn’t more love for Sekiro as a game. Is it hard? Sure, at times very hard. But as someone who was new to souls games very late in my gaming career in 2020-2021, it’s easily the best FS game from everything I have seen and played since. Elden Ring casts too wide of a shadow for what the game is at its core, which is fun, but it also extremely derivative of what came before and doesn’t really bring anything new to the table at all in relation to combat. Sure, you can argue summons and other nonsense, but it’s the same basic and antiquated combat we had in demons souls. At least lords of the fallen did something different with spell casting. Sekiro is so well designed you only need to parry and dodge any given boss to beat that game. Everything else you can do is just a bonus. And let us not forget the lack of stamina, which is a godsend. As difficult as that game was, I never felt like I got punished for doing the right thing, unlike almost every other FS game and clones like Lies of P. I feel like people just gave up way too soon on it and didn’t give it a chance to shine. To be fair, it does take until Genichiro or later to really get that “oh ok…I see what this game is about now” moment. But it just has the IT factor where once you learn how to beat headless ape you walk into his arena and you know he hears your boss music playing and not the other way around. You just become death incarnate and nothing can or will stop you. Such a good game.
@@georgen5882 it was my first, and I regret nothing
I think all from soft games are an example of the first one will be your favourite because you put so much effort into mastering it before you move onto the next one, because you simply want to be better, and ready
Edit: mine being DS3, played it to oblivion, sekiro though, once you get good at parry is so good
@@georgen5882 amen 100. Especially the point that beyond attack and Perry everything else is bonus. That shows a well designed game. If you can’t develop skill, then what’s the point in “gaming”. Any top game should allow you to win with just core combat otherwise it’s just brainless. And I have TV for that.
Sekiro is the only FromSoft game I like lol. DS 2 & 3 and Bloodborne all just felt so clunky to me, the combat never clicked. Sekiro is the fucking shit. Best combat system hands down
I feel like Sekiro doesn't get enough credit for its amazing animations. The way that deflections into deathblows chain together in particular is impressive. Especially considering even most basic enemies have unique animations for deathblows depending on if it was a deflection, mikiri counter, or attack that put them into deathblow.
It also amazes me how fast From Software puts these games out. In a span of 4 years, we got Sekiro, Elden Ring, and Armored Core 6. All masterpieces in my humble opinion. Truly impressive
Then they drop a DLC for Elden Ring that might as well be another game
@@seadee2834u exaggerating fr
And this game is 12 gigas
@@pre-violetmelain2984
I mean, it took me over 40 hours to explore and beat pretty much everything in the DLC. That's definitely full game material to me. I've seen plenty of full priced games that are shorter than that.
@@seadee2834it’s barely a full dlc let alone a full game.
Is no one gonna talk about that mikiri counter transition at 12:34 thats wild
* Chefs kiss *
Cool match cut
It was sick.
He does it again at around 40:35, madlad
Scrolled down to comments to mention it after noting the timestamp, was pleased to see others have risen to the occasion!
The sense of accomplishment this game delivers is unlike any other in my opinion. Some of these boss battles feel so real with how much of a struggle the player has to endure.
Yea when I defeat a boss my hands shake like crazy
Hands shaking and heart beating a million times a minute lol 👋🏽🫀😅
The fact that this was a side project while they were working on Elden ring shows how amazing from software is
It wasnt a "side project". This whole "A Team" "B Team" stuff has been debunked since DS2.
And this side project was better than Elden Ring
Not to mention this side project won GOTY
@@boshwa20nope, not even close!
@@gingerd2098 Nah it is
I remember obtaining the mortal blade in my first playthrough, hearing that it can sever immortality, and immediately going, "wait, that means i can finally end the training guy's suffering"
I warped back as soon as i could, and helping him was... bittersweet, for sure
I've got to look up some guides on how to try and get the mortal blade.
@@eldudereno204 you get it by just doing the story
@@billgates6566 my dumbass, still had to look up a guide. But I eventually got it. It can be quite useful. In some situations.
@@eldudereno204 yeah it’s overpowered as for a lot of fights
Centipedes... Can't live with them.. also can't die...
Five years later, it is still a masterpiece.
All of my friends that love souls haven't even touched this game, this video explains why I so desperately push it as my favorite
Because its not a Souls game. I love them both,but Sekiro is completely different from DS/BB/ER , so the fans might not care or even hate Sekiro. I like it,but the more i play i realize its a glorified rythm game with barely any RPG elements,also i'm not too into Japanese settings and lore,but thats personal.
@@norbertcsaszar4746i'd say if you like other fromsoft works you might as well give their other games a try.
@@norbertcsaszar4746but it is a souls game. It’s not a pure souls game, but it has most of the elements of the previous titles. Innovation is not reinvention.
@@norbertcsaszar4746I dropped the game halfway. It was very janky, spamming side step broke 2 of the bosses entirely, grapple completely trivialized Gyobu, and owl was just ok. I ran around the arena waiting for him to use one of three openings he uses to close distance, and he went down second try.
The gaurdian ape fight was good, the giant purple ghost dude with the glaive was top teir, and the snake eyes poison lake encounter was good too. But then they went and did what fromsoft does best, which is taking a good fight like guardian ape, and ganking you with 2 of them. Snake eyes overused, and yiur encouraged to run past em most the time anyways. And the purple ghost enemies you find in caves are horrendous. Magic spam fest till use confetti, and then they become a baby fight.
On top of all that, all the areas in the castle walls look the same, and it gets boring real quick to fight normal enemies you can just grapple away from like batman.
I think its easily one of the worst fromsoft tittles, down there with Elden Ring
@@norbertcsaszar4746 I agree. Its nothing like dark souls in actual combat. I personally think the movement is overkill, and makes the game trash. Dropped it maybe halfway after beating owl for the second time.
It’s crazy how different people experience bosses differently. I found Owl Father to be not only the most challenging boss but also the most satisfying to overcome by far
I struggled with great shinobi owl so much that when I got to father owl it didn’t feel that much different. Oh how much I suffered at the top of ashina castle to get to that point though.
Absolutely. The Owl Father was for me one of the best fights, just the right amount of challenge. I had a pretty easy time with the demon of hatred (in Sekiro terms. He was easier than Father Owl for sure, at least for me.), but struggled heaviy with Ishin. I was about 6 hours in and finally getting the hang of it, but then... my ps4 died before i could beat him. That's bugging me since then every few months when i think about that game...
One day i will buy that game again and whoop his ass. I just have to. And now i'm asking myself why the hell i didn't i do that ages ago?🤦
i was really disappointed with owl father tbh, i had him hyped up to me but when i finally got to him and beat him first try i just didnt really get why hes seen as hard, cant say the same for isshin though bro had me stuck for 4 hours
I like both Owl fights.
Ishin Fight is for me the best. I felt like a million bucks after
Demon of Hatred and Sword Saint are the hardest fights for me. Owl Father is my absolute favorite fight in Sekiro. It’s just perfect.
Sekiro has the best combat of any game ever made
Step forward ghosts of tsushima
Here I am! However, I do think that Sifu actually has the best combat of any game ever.
@@w1ldcard1986Sekiro combat stands head and shoulders above ghost of Tsushima
I'm still in love with Ninja Gaiden Black and the more recent Devil May Cry games, but Sekiro is up there.
I think sifu does sekiro’s combat slightly better
Sekiro is like: Shing clang Ting! Woosh tch Bam!
Sound effects so satisfying you cant help but smile. 😅
Parrying and combat in every other game is just substandard.
Hell yeah, deathblow sound, Mikiri Counter sound, like you said the cling clang TING of attack/deflect exchanges...everything in this game is just so top notch and a dopamine rush.
I had about 500 hours into Sekiro last year, then played Nioh and Lies of P. Eventually, Lies of P just made me wanna replay Sekiro, and now I have another 200 hours into Sekiro 😅
The transition from corrupt to true monk with a mikiri was clean asl
It’s a crime they didn’t make a part two to this and bloodborne I’m so hurt
Their best 2
I used to feel the same way - at the very least give me a new Tenshu game - but lately I've felt that Sekiro (and Bloodborne) are in my top 5 games of all time, and a sequel would likely not be as good, and at worst dilute what makes these games so impactful.
Idk bro I think a sequel to sekiro would go crazy man , like how can you fuk it up ? And blood borne would be the tricky one
@@warchildsilverI wouldn’t care if it’s not a direct sequel or even in the same universe, I just want the same core mechanics.
How can they not make a sequel to a game of the year winner. Feels criminal
Sekiro was my first Fromsoft game. I loved every moment. After, I played Dark Souls I, II, III then Bloodborne and I loved them all.
There might never be a game like this again.
The choreography and flow of fights once you learn it is straight out of films and anime.
The exhilarating feel it gives once you grasp how the game goes is unbeatable
Sekiro is one of the best games i played, i was unemployed, so I just played and plat it for two months. Never got so much pleasure and sense of achievement with a game. I still remember it a lot, i relaunch it from time to time and still remembers many fights and patterns. It's a really unique feeling
I love your analysis, but you forgot one important mechanic: If you hold the block button, holding the blocking pose steadys your posture and reduces your built-posture down to zero immediately. It saved my life every time it was too high.
Maybe he didn't find out about it.
Sure took me 3 playthroughs.
There are a few design decisions I absolutely loathe in this game. That's one of them.
Yeah it's weird that he didn't mention that, and looking at this video's footage I don't think he knows about it, but it kinda pauses combat so he probably wouldn't wanna use it much anyways, since it seems like he's a fast moving one
You also have the additional method if tanking a lesser attack ( like genichiro’s jump arrow volley to max out the meter and reset it. If you need to get to zero without waiting the time holding block
@@ZomboidManiayeah he clearly only does R1 and L1 lmao. He didn’t use the prosthetic a single time in boss fight footage here. Even on bosses like chained ogre and Gyobu who are designed to teach you how useful the prosthetic tools are. Firecrackers against Gyobu are huge.
Sekiro feel so good to play, when i beat boss in Sekiro it feels really good, but when i beat boss in ds3 or elden ring i just feel a bit of relief
nother tip: when Owl throws firecrackers, dodge directly behind his offhand (his left shoulder) and youll be safely behind him for free counters
That's nothing new kid
@@ramrodbldm9876 what a thoughtful and important addition you've added "kid"
@@ramrodbldm9876 That's new to me, kid
not even necessary. You can run in circles around the arena as far from him as you can, and he will open with 1 of 3 moves, of which 2 are very well telegraphed lunging slash type attacks. Then 2-3 free hits for you, and repeat. People pretend this game is hard, but it is just as easy to cheese as dark souls if not more since the enemy AI cant seem to handle the side step mechanic in this game. I literally spammed side step+ attack and stunlocked lady butterfly fir the entire fight aside from when I had to wait the ads out. And I almost did the exact same thing to genichiro i think his name was. Just abuse the overkill movement in this game and you will easily beat half the bosses probably.
@@firstdonuts yeah but thats a much more boring way to play lol its Sekiro baby we gotta get IN THERE
I so often missed the Land of Ashina while wandering around the Lands Between...
This. The memories of Sekiro made watching the ER bosses do their anime flips while I'm waiting for my turn to play so much harder.
@@voices0000 Same here.
After Sekiro, I was expecting equally innovative combat system for Elden Ring. After playing it for one hour, I thought for myself "Seems like I bought a mega-DLC for Dark Souls 3. Yeah. Fine. Here we go."
That I enjoyed more realistic horse riding in RDR2 just before ER didn't help either.
@lisprn-tt1tu there is no way you just compared rdr2 to a mid evil magical rig souls game also I think your wrong you just want elden ring to be sekiro when they are to different games and you also just thibk that elden ring is dark souls when it is not
@@Millze86mid evil
@@Millze86elden ring literally is dark souls though, lol
Worth mentioning about the True Monk fight: her second phase has her warping around the stage, and strangely if you grapple up to the tree branch and she teleports under you, you can actually get a falling death blow and end the phase.
Source: replayed the game earlier this year
more source: can confirm, have a vid for that
I really love the little cheeses like that. Reminds me of how you can use the spear drag on headless ape after deflecting his big over head blow for huge damage by ripping the centipede out.
SEKIRO serves as pretty strong evidence that the trope “games just take longer to develop these days” is a choice, not an inevitability. This game was cranked out right after DARK SOULS III (and was developed concurrently with early work on ELDEN RING), and it’s one of the GoATs.
It's not a trope lmao games do actually take longer
@@owenseaborne3517 Heyo, thanks for your reply. To the extent that this is true, I was saying that this is a choice, not an inevitability. “Games just take longer to develop these days” isn’t some incorrigible law of physics akin to “the total entropy in the Universe will always increase.”
There’s not much one could say to convince me that the dev cycle for SKULL & BONES needed to be nearly five times as long as the dev cycle for SEKIRO (and God only knows how much larger a budget it had).
Gamers resent being told to tolerate longer dev cycles when the resulting juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze.
@@patrickowens89I have no experience so I’m talking out of my ass but it’s my educated guess that FromSoft has their formula down and their creative process is pretty streamlined. Not arguing for either or, just making a potential observation.
@@owenseaborne3517 the problem is that a lot of aaa companies have too much bureaucracy and the managers try to play things too "safe", both Thor and Timothy Cain (ex Bethesda) have explained this.
Well, there's a 3 year gap between Dark Souls III and Sekiro, which isn't bad compared to other studios, but when you consider that 2011 gave us Dark Souls 1 + AotA, 2012 gave us Armored Core V, 2013 gave us Armored Core Verdict Day, 2014 gave us Dark Souls 2 + Lost Crowns DLC, 2015 gave us Bloodborne + Old Hunters + Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin, then 2016 gave us Dark Souls III with two DLC's releasing within a year after its release, waiting 3 years only for one game (which is also considerably shorter and more basic than their previous games) to come out is a relatively long wait.
I know Deracine came out in 2018 but let's be honest, no one owns a PSVR and cares to play it, it's a throwaway IP basically. :D
Then there was another 3 year wait until Elden Ring, now we're waiting 2.5 years just for a DLC to come out. So while From is still slightly better off than other studios in terms of development time, they're not too far behind.
Sekiro is my favourite fromsoft game. Elden ring had great world exploration but sekiro is just the most fun to master
Yeah I bet you do
It has hands down the best combat. To me I think the "magic" of exploring the world of Elden Ring is my peak From experience overall, but I think no one can argue Sekiro has the better combat, and I totally get why it would be someone's favorite From game. It's a masterpiece for sure.
Tenchu bro. Thank Me later.
Great vid this made me pick the game back up
Usually I wouldn't comment on a vid like this. But I ended up watching the whole thing because I love how you handled it. A lot of people on UA-cam are in it for motives. I'm happy that you made the video out of love and not primarily money. You definitly deserve more subscribers. And the cut from corrupted monk mikricounter to the other monk form mikiri was brilliant and I mean it. And talking about cheesey boss targeting while playing the clip of emma, ik what you meant.
Well...done...Sekiro.
You know you've earned that praise when you complete the game.
I honestly couldn't believe it when I beat SS isshin, when he said "Migoto ja, Sekiro" which translates basically to "Beautifully done" I almost teared up lol
Ishin demands perfection. He will settle for nothing less. If you succeed, he honors you for your strength
Shuriken, umbrella, and firecrackers were my go-to's as well. Axe, spear, flame vent, and Sabimaru for less generalized setups. Only used the whistle against DoH to blast through phase 3. Divine abduction just never appealed to me.
The whistle is great anywhere with animals, I used it against the monkeys. And it's great to lure some people one by one, like in front of Senpou Temple
Whistle is also helpful for killing the Shinobi in Hirata Estate Jouzou 2.0. Summon him to the tall grass with a delayed whistle and stealth deathblow him without aggroing Jouzou, then it's a 1 on 1 fight with a miniboss with only 1 health bar.
i just platinumed this game 3 days ago n it was one of if not thee best experience i’ve ever had
Go touch grass now
@@ramrodbldm9876 it only took me a year to do
Amen, fucking love this game with all my heart
About the Mist Raven...it's amazing. Learn to use it against Owl. It's a bit weird, you go into a stance, and if you get attacked while in that stance, you counter with a badass attack while not taking any damage. When maxed out, it wrecks. I highly recommend learning that tool.
which makes himself using it in inner an even greater thing. My favorite thing from Sekiro is how the bosses moves are extremely grounded in the Lore. Owl, Ishin and Genishiro all share moves with you and with the mobs you fight along the way. Emma has a grab exactly like Old man Isshin, who teach her how to fight. That's beautiful
Good video, can't think of any point you might have missed, beautiful vocabulary, you gained a new subscriber
That was a brilliant watch. Sekiro is an excellent game.
Thanks a lot.
Sekiro is my favorite game period. You aren't joking about the sense of accomplishment gained from sticking it out. Especially the first time you best Ishin! Then all over again when you replay without the charm.
Sekiro was an incredible experience. So much rage and love and skill. Loved every second
Replaying this actually. It's crazy how easy the game is after multiple play throughs
This game is very wang wang bang wang pow but sometimes it can also be clang clang ding clang bong
Truly
Real 🙏
Sekiro and Bloodborne are Miyazaki’s favorite games. Shortly before the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, he said that the development of Bloodborne was his first opportunity to break away from Dark Souls combat in pursuit of the combat system he wants for FromSoftware games. Shields were taken away in Bloodborne and mocked in the item description because he wanted to change the relationship between offense and defense. He says that Sekiro’s combat was a “turning point” and that he wants to revisit it to refine it because he’s not done developing it yet because he feels the studio can “kick it up a notch”. Seeing how different Elden Ring and Sekiro’s combats systems are, if he thinks Sekiro was a step forward, then he must think Elden Ring was a step back.
I wouldn't call ER a step back, but rather the final step the souls combat can get, while sekiro is the next stage of evolution
Lady butterfly had me shook for a year...I played everything BUT sekiro because I couldn't cut it.
Now I'm at NG+7 with the last 2 runs being charmless, and demon bell activated, 1 achievement from 100%.
No game instills gamer pride in you like this does. 10/10.
Lady Butterfly is the boss that checks to see if you're still playing it like a souls game. Up until her it's completely possible to get by without learning parry but she gonna shut ya down quick
lol she kicked my ass too. You could’ve ran straight to her fight like I did. She was my first boss fight lol. Way too underpowered at the time.
A year is crazyyyy, I mean I've been fighting her for the last day now and I'm THIS close to beating her, I just keep getting hit and stun locked by those stupid floating balls 😢😢
Which achievement are you missing after 7 playthroughs?
I always said this game was an earthbending simulator. "There is no different angle clever idea or trickty trick thats going to move that rock. You got to face it head on!" When i addopted this method it made me realize how beautiful the combat was and how satisfying it is to smash through oppenents and bosses. Watching as the boss matches your ferocity in combat altering their moveset, using the most appropriate move to end u at a moments notice. It all felt so real and intimate, a deadly dance that feels as if there are actually two people going at it. This combat system defenitely revolutionized gaming.
Truly the greatest game I’ve ever played. Really hope From either revisits the concept or just makes an outright sequel.
Or a new Tenshu game at the very least! One of my favourite series in videogaming and Sekiro is the closest thing we've gotten for a sequel.
The transition on 12:30 is immaculate. He did it again with the corrupted monk
this was my first ever fromsoft game. i like the fact that it's based mostly on skills rather than on leveling up the character. i didn't really end up using prosthetics either, just relied on learning the combat. that's a great thing about this game imo
the only thing i hate in sekerio is when your fighting more than like 3 enimies at once
That's a good opportunity to toss firecrackers, break an enemy, vault over them for a backstab, then Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu them to return to stealth and backstab another enemy. Alternatively, a Mortal Draw has a lot of sweeping damage, or Bestowal Ninjutsu gives you a ton of splash damage and a MASSIVE damage boost. I started focusing on picking off weak enemies in gank fights so I could pop Bestowal and an Ako's and just obliterated enemies with it
@@IloveGorgeousGeorge im not saying its impossible its just not fun sekiro combat is realy good and realy fun in a 1 on 1 and just kinda falls appart if u go to much higher
I think that’s why the stealth is emphasized so much. It’s not meant to be played like other fromsoft games. You’re a shinobi and the combat reflects that.
Every time you beat a new enemy first try or finally beat a new boss - the audible Ohhhhh of relief and a satisfaction is legendary
Btw they do explain the when health lowers the posture regen slower. I think it’s during the lady butterfly fight.
While I agree that Sekiro is the most difficult FromSoft game, the call for an easy mode isn't exclusive to Sekiro. Every FromSoft game gets people to call for an easy mode.
Yep, and I love the fact that FROM and Myizaki everytime are like “nah, get good” and don’t bow down to certain gamers in which ultimately would go against Myizaki’s design philosophy with his/FROMs games.
He always talks about overcoming difficult enemies/challenges being rewarding and having a great sense of accomplishment which - if you’ve played their games - is absolutely true.
I disagree, Sekiro is the easiest FromSoft game.
@@KaNoMikoProductionsDS/DaS1/BB are all much easier
@@vtubersubs3803 Haven't played BB or DS. But Sekiro is far easier than any of the Dark Souls games.
I can drop into Sekiro, right now, after months, and kill every single boss without dying and without cheese. I cannot do that with any of the Dark Souls games.
@@KaNoMikoProductions I don't think you're convinced Sekiro is easier than it really is, I think you're convinced Souls games are harder than they really are. If you pick wretch and roll up to a fight with no armor then yeah, it's almost certainly harder, but pretty much every game has at least one build that completely breaks the game and lets you waltz through, like DS1's pyromancy or Elden Ring's bleed or one-shot magic builds. Sekiro forces you to master its mechanics. It's not terribly difficult to do, and once you do the game almost becomes a power fantasy, but that is your only option to progress, and before you master its mechanics, it will mercilessly kill you over and over and over until you do.
This is one of my favorite games ever. I loved everything about it. You truly had to git gud but that was not a chore. Once you figured out mechanics it became about watching your opponent and waiting to counter or attack. I know in theory that's how all Souls games are but because of how the game was set up, it felt very different with Sekiro. I felt the way the game guided you to the next challenge, prepared you for it in a different way. BB may still be my favorite and Fallout is up there but Sekiro has such a big place in my game loving heart
Some players and EVEN journalists. Not sure if that was meant to trigger but it sure as hell did
To be fair to journalists, it is there job to beat games. If I find a game hard I can keep going or quit. Even if it takes twice the average playtime, it's no big deal. When a reviewer plays a game and can't win, that either means not getting out the review in time or at all.
I'd rather the situation didn't exist in the first place, but actual money is on the line. As someone who takes well above average time to beat games, I would never want to make reviewing my job
@@dAWwr906but to be fair to players, journalists are hardly the same thing. more so than beating the game, their profession requires the ability to describe what you are playing. you can give a comprehensive review without spoiling the game or seeing all the content yourself.
we don't ask journalists to be good at the games, and it's understandable that often-times journalists may be out of their element when it comes to genre.
but games like dark souls and other FS titles have kinda been made assuming discovery and progress will be a sort of communal effort. time spent in their world. if a reviewer doesn't have the time or honesty to recognize that, then the games weren't made for them. imo ofc
I’ve played all the Souls games since Demons Souls and finished them all multiple times. I was hotly anticipating Sekiro but just could not get past the mid game Genshiro fight. I gave up and 5 years later picked it back up and just got good… after hours and hours of trial and error. I finally beat the game today. Finally beating Isshin the sword saint was one of the biggest adrenaline dumps I’ve ever experienced in my 30 years of gaming!
After more than 1000 in Elden Ring and waiting on the dlc I played Lies of P and then Sekiro. Sekiro is my favorite game now. Followed by Elden Ring. The combat is superb.
I actually beat Sekiro for the first time a few weeks ago. I had never played a fromsoft game prior and I left the experience thinking it was probably the greatest game I'd ever played.
Then I went and played Bloodborne (bc everyone told me those were everyone's 2 favorite fromsoft games) and I think there are so many interesting parallels but also ways they take different approaches to gameplay. In the end I can't say I loved Bloodborne nearly as much as Sekiro--my objectives were confusing, the combat felt way more jank and unpolished, and the level/weapons progression systems were obtuse, even after watching guides.
I think Sekiro is a beautiful case of why game design is so important. When I was done with Bloodborne, I realized that, while the weighty and more patient combat was fun, the real reason why I felt engrossed was the world, just teeming with weird, optional, and troll secrets. That's what I felt the game was designed around: how does the player see x, go to y, and end back up at x.
That philosophy is how combat in Sekiro is designed. How does player see an attack, learn the timing of an attack, and come to the same conclusion as always: that relentless attack mixed with parries lead to a win. And it's why combat in sekiro is the greatest combat out of any video game I've ever played.
Sekiro and Monster Hunter are my favorite combat of any game in my entire 30 years of gaming
Sekiro is really cool. The way i see it, it isn't a souls game at all in its gameplay. It's an action game with souls level design
5 year later, still has the best combat ever
I have never seen someone deflect the ogres attacks. He’s truly built different.
you can deflect literally every attack in the game so long as it doesn't have the perilous symbol pop up.
Ogre is way easier at close range, where he'll do mostly normal attacks instead of big jumps and dives
Sekiro have never left my mind. I played it when it was released, finished it, and then played it two years later, and then played it once this year. In the gaming industry games comes and goes, they have their moments and then people move on, but Sekiro was and is a too special game to be forgotten like that.
53:20 I remember the scream I made the moment the second ape dropped in. I had to pause and take a moment to collect myself because the first one was already terrifying enough. I'm on my second playthrough 5 years later and I learned that if you focus your attention on the first ape and are able to kill it while dodging both, the second ape is automatically is defeated and disappears with the first.
Someone once said Sekiro’s combat is a rhythm game and that’s when it clicked for me.
“Since this is UA-cam some people will be angry at that statement…” You just earned yourself a sub
Noticed you didn’t mention the friendly npc samurai while fighting juzou. You never find him?
I reckon that blue ninja guy was the only reason I beat the drunk bastard 😭
I beat Sekiro in 2 weeks.... Best game I've ever played.
Stealth is really not as underdeveloped as so many people claim. You can clear out entire encounters using nothing but stealth. You just need to experiment with it. Whistles, ceramic shards and sugars help a lot. You also need to level up for stealth if you wanna depend on it. There’s many stealth dedicated keystones in the upgrade trees but people ignore them for some reason and wonder why enemies keep detecting them.
Played this for the very first time after beating Elden ring about 6 months ago.... I'm being completely honest when I say I've never loved and appreciated and been so curious/dumbfounded/shocked through the entire game. Such an amazing masterpiece
Dude amazing video, i love videos about sekiro
The better YOU get, the better the GAME gets! That's been my recent analysis after now my 6th playthrough, absolute artwork man!🤘❤🤘Indeed Fromsoft's BEST!!
In terms of gaming, I’ve never felt more accomplishment than finally beating Sekiro. Truly rewarding to get through it.
I think you missed the centipede in Mt. Senpou Temple. That one has a bigger arena for you to learn the pattern before you get to the one in the Gun Fort.
This guy has PATH OF FUTURE HARDSHIP AND BELL DEMON activated simultaneously.
My platinum trophy video has me finishing old isshin with a mikiri counter , I will never delete that video lol
Sekiro's combat is the pinnacle of combat design!
Sekiro with mouse and keyboard sounds psychotic to me. I can’t imagine anything outside of FPS or MMO being ‘easier’ with m&k.
Sekiro demands the best from you, but it also gives the best. If you fail to master it's combat it will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought, but if you do master it's combat, you become unstoppable.
This game made me truly respect its combat system. I remember defeating lady butterfly when the game first came out and i just felt more annoyed than satisfied. Didnt toucht the game for years. Now, i finally decided to try it once more but how the game wants me to play it. Been having so much fun and it makes me want to learn how every enemy fights so i can be prepared to face them. Superb game with a learning curve.
Great video, kept my attention as I deep cleaned the flat, cheers!
Thx for this @acritical. Loved every minute. Thanks to your knowledge, skill and vocabulary
Guardian ape was insane. Just the way he moves and behaves was fucking crazy. I still remember the feeling I got after I finally beat him. I put the controller down and just shut my eyes for a few seconds
Did you notice that inner Genichiro has basically a variation of Malenia’s waterfowl dance special move from Elden ring? It looks kinda similar. @12:34
Absolutely excellent video good sir. These are my favorite types of videos I love watching for my favorite games. Please keep up the great content.
The fact that Activision didn't let them do a dlc is CRIMINAL.
My first from software game was elden ring! Finished it 3 times! Then finished lies of p, armor core 6, God of war, hogwarts legacy, now im playing sekiro, I beat it last week . I love sekiro amazing game. I'm so happy elden ring came around and opened my eyes to from software. Next up is dragons dogma 2 coming out March 22nd.
Camera complaint is understandable, in smaller arenas like giraffe and lone shadow, or with faster bigger enemies like ape duo. But to break the camera on the horse guy or guardian ape, you really have to go out of your way to do that. For the most part, just a little bit of mindful positioning can guarantee no camera issues.
Really good video! Just a few days ago I started to replay Sekiro for the first time after 100%ing it at release. Guess I wanted to see if my experience of it still holds up after these years and playing other Souls Likes like Lies of P recently. A lot of what you say in your video resonates with my experience. I really enjoyed the structure and editing. Although it would have been peak if the seamless cut at 12:33 would have happend at the same time as you said 'the seamless blending (of offense and defense)...' But maybe that's just me.
I would have enjoyed a section on Sekiro's treatment of items, namely that it relies a lot on consumables, since they are a core part of the game. I think consumables are inherently somewhat flawed with the worst offender being divine confetti, only becoming available infinitely very late into the game. Also spirit emblems which I had a lack of at the very start of the game but later on you have so many that you don't even have to think about using prosthetic tools sparingly. So why have it as a consumable? Especially since you can infinitely buy them, but buying them early on which is the only time you will really do that eats into the economy for purchasing prosthetic tools and gourd seeds. (Rant over) Maybe your opinion differs on this, however, what I intended to say is that I would have enjoyed a section on items, since you are doing a great job of capturing the experience in terms of story, level design and combat already.
Keep up the good work!
divine confetti you can easily farm from the samurai in ashina castle.
@@Ghorda9 That may be so, at the same time is that not something the average player will know, or in my opinion can be expected to know. If you believe they should be expected to know and that for that reason confetti is in effect infinitely obtainable at that point in the game, then why not just let a vendor sell it and cut the farming? Or better yet, let the player eventually get a non consumable version akin to the gourd flasks (but perhaps without the generic dmg boost so it's only effective for apparitions). Just putting out ideas since expecting people to know and expecting them to farm cannot be a serious solution to this flaw in the game.
@@destructionsword they drop often enough that players will usually see at least one drop the first time they clear the area, also you don't need confetti to progress the game, all the shaman warriors and headless are optional and stay where they are the entire game.
Five years later and I’m still playing and enjoying this game. Even after the plat.
By the way, when Owl does the firecrackers into sword attack you can just dodge into him after parrying the shoulder and sword attack, preferably dodging forward to the right, and you'll end up behind him while avoiding the explosion. Since you're behind him you get two hits in that he can't block, although he can vanish in the Owl Father boss.
It looks really cool to do and it turns that attack into a good opening.
Sekiro is my personal favorite fromsoft game, with that in mind it took me 3 reinstalls at genshiro to understand the “rhythm” combat aspect to the game
34:24 the shinobi hunter in Hirata Estate caused me to quit 2 separate times for years before my friend mentioned Mikiri counter and I've now beaten Sekiro nearly 20 times and gotten all achievements on 2 different gaming platforms. Steam and Playstation.
Man I remember spending HOURS fighting Giyobu and now I use Isshin as a warm up 😂.
The sense of progression and improvement is unrivaled.
not going to mention how owl tricks the player by begging for mercy and then attacks you? i loved this moment because it adds character to owl trough gameplay instead of a cutscene
I love how many people are playing Sekiro for the first time, or looking back as of late!
20:33 I had no idea you could use saukura dance to counter lightning, that was sick af
Amazing video man, I recently platted Sekiro and this was a phenomenal capstone on it all.
Ghost of Thusima is hands down s master piece and in my top 3. But for some reason i haven't played Sekiro yet even though i bought it two years ago. If i love ghost fo you recommend this, will i love it?
GOT is a great but very different game from Sekiro
I remember struggling for days with the Guardian ape. When I finally won, i savored the moment examining the dead ape’s carcass and decapitated head… only for it squirm back to life with a sword with my name on it
+tip -- when isshin does his 2-hit side to side attack; if u parry the first, you can parry the second just by blocking!
Sekiro was my first from software game I'd ever played and I fell in love ....got every ending and every achievement and did every gauntlet of strength, since then I've also played Elden ring now too and sekiro is my favourite by far
that sense of accomplishment you're talking about is vehemently screaming, "FUCK YES, AND FUCK YOUUUUUUUU" after finally clearing butterfly, owl, or ape on your first playthrough 🤣
Top 3 game of all time for me personally. Changed the way I viewed gaming. A large part of me once and sequel, but a small part likes that this masterpiece only has one entry
What an amazing game. I had such a great time with this one!
I’m a firm believer that sekiro was from softs magnum opus it’s balance is near flawless, the combat is easily the most polished and refined of all their games and tells a good story with believable choices, and the actual setting is one of their best