FromSoftware returns to develop a work that inherently has a brand model but that innovates in the combat system and in greater verticality

FromSoftware knows how to impregnate all its works with its seal. Each of the titles they have developed carries an implicit message from the designer to the player and a very personal gameplay . Sekiro, shadow die twitce could not be less. Demon's Souls, Dark's Souls and Bloodborne were his last big hits, with rave reviews from a very devoted audience.

Sekiro does not have that seal so marked. He shapes a new game system with patterns common to the company, such as the paramount importance of combining reflexes and searching for the enemy's weak points. He polishes it until it is very different from its predecessors, although the sketch is the same.

Difficulty has always been a common denominator for the developer. He has never made games that are easy, bearable and with a simple learning curve . It doesn't even give clues on how to beat your rivals, although there are more explicit tips in this installment. There have been few who usually complain about this, although in this case it has had more echo in social networks.

Dark Souls formula change

Every time you take on a FromSoftware game, you know that adapting to the environment and the enemy's movements and attacks is essential if you want to progress through the story. In this case it is even more convoluted because more possibilities are opened in the reading of the rivals and the defense tasks are complicated. Parrying (defending yourself from the enemy with a counterattack) becomes more important than ever here.

To jump to the conclusion that Sekiro is more complicated would be to not know how to read the imprint of the brand. He has new challenges , such as the new way to dodge the opponent's attacks with more possibilities, because it is no longer enough to just roll. But that is precisely what FromSoftware wants. That we learn from the new problems that arise and know how to cope with them. Die and learn, that is the main premise to reach a minimum understanding of combat, essential if one does not want to end up crazy.

Stealth is especially important . The face-to-face confrontation is always present, but on more than one occasion we will have to take advantage of the heights or some elusive gaps to defeat our enemy without being seen.

And patience is also a virtue that prevails in Sekiro, shadows die twice . Spying on some clashes between rivals can give us some clues on how to advance in the level or defeat the fearful final boss .

Unlike its predecessor, Dark Souls , this game is essentially less of an RPG . You can't switch primary weapons, there are no classes to choose and specialize in, and the only things you can upgrade are new skills as you level up.

Terrifying final bosses

The Japanese video game studio has always been a step above the rest when it comes to final boss design . It was part of his own idiosyncrasy. They are also a backbone of the game.

Each one has a different soundtrack , so their importance intensifies, giving them their own personality not only manifested through their movements and attacks.

Knowing how to counterattack at the right moment will be essential to be able to defeat them, as well as controlling your nerves , studying how you act and not losing patience.

Ninja, as in Tenchu

The popular Tenchu ​​saga was the beginning of those that today make up FromSoftware. As a kind of wink, Feudal Japan is recovered to capture the atmosphere where the story takes place, whose protagonist is a ninja. In fact, even during the incubation of the video game, the creators studied the possibility of resuming the franchise, a fact that they finally discarded, perhaps due to a problem with the licenses.

The highest authority on the game, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has not hidden that he has been an inspiration for Sekiro . The oldest even have their dose of nostalgia satisfied: the way to finish off enemies, the great importance of heights and attacks from the roof...

The story places us in a fictional and fanciful Sengoku period in Japan, a time when civil war reigned in Japan and confronted different claimants to the throne and their retinues. Mythology also plays an important role in the plot.

The protagonist is Sekiro, a ninja who challenges his greatest enemy in order to rescue his master. The environments where he moves are beautiful , with a spectacular design and a great influence on the gameplay . The wonderful sunsets, the bridges that connect vertiginous gorges, the fire that little by little eats up the village... Any detail of the scenarios are complements that embellish the aesthetics of the work.

FromSoftware and its fashion games

One of the developer's strengths has always been its touch when it comes to creating deep narrative worlds that appeal to players' curiosity, giving them a dose of mystery that encourages them to continue the plot. On this occasion, Sekiro makes it easier to learn about its history and that one can soak up its history to the fullest: it is more intuitive, although it continues to present itself as we are used to, through the memories of the final bosses that we defeated and interactive objects distributed by levels.

The narrative also diversifies. At a certain point in the plot, our actions can change the course of the story , forcing us to go through different scenarios and enemies. This was common in previous works, but here it is even more accentuated if possible: its ending differs depending on the history of the game. This makes the video game fully playable and not monotonous. Discovering its 4 different outcomes can take us a total of 40 hours.

For the first time, the protagonist has a voice . Accustomed to a customized character that does not dialogue with other interlocutors and that depended a lot on the imagination, Sekiro seems to be taken from a traditional ninja movie. He could very well be Hakira Kurosawa's eighth samurai.

A Victorian-style city, another from feudal Japan, a medieval one... FromSoftware's games are an ode to the knowledge of past times and the history of different civilizations.