Would I Actually Like Sekiro?

[happyninja42]

So, I really fucking hate Dark Souls. I found them to be boring as hell when I tried them, and visually to be dreary and too much of a spankfest inspired by HR Geiger if he humped Tolkien, and they had some weird medieval alien baby thing.

But I do like samurai/ninja stuff. So part of me keeps looking at Sekiro and going "hmmm....maybe?" But then the rest of me goes "Yeah but, you hated the combat in Jedi: Fallen Order, and that viking-esque clone, and the 2 Souls games you tried and couldn't stomach....this will probably be more of the same."

So, since I know there is a ton of people on this forum that can't stop talking about the Souls games, I'm curious if Sekiro is different enough where I might like it. Specifically it seems to, you know, actually have a PLOT, that is illustrated in the game itself, unlike Souls, that seems content to just leave everything up to speculation and codex entries.

I'd actually like to hear from someone who also doesn't like Souls, but maybe likes Sekiro, as to what is different enough for you to like it, assuming there are people like that.

 

[Ezekiel]

No, you wouldn't.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

From what I've heard, in terms of combat mechanics, Sekiro is basically Dark Souls except with an emphasis on parrying instead of dodge-rolling.

 

[BrawlMan]

Sekiro is the Metal Gear Rising of Dark Souls games. I did not like it and I am a big MGR fan. They go way overboard on the difficulty.

 

[Ezekiel]

From what I've heard, in terms of combat mechanics, Sekiro is basically Dark Souls except with an emphasis on parrying instead of dodge-rolling.

Also more an emphasis on fast, consecutive hitting, to break down the enemy's poise and deliver massive damage. Most other damage is minuscule.

Sekiro is the only one of the five games I never finished. Gave up on the last boss after maybe ten tries. I'm sure I could have if I still had the patience I had back when I first played Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, but I just don't care enough now when I got so much else I wanna do, like watch movies.

Problem with FromSoftware's games is that being known for difficult, punishing combat went to their heads and they now feel they have to give the fans what they've come to expect.

 

[happyninja42]

Sekiro is the Metal Gear Rising of Dark Souls games. I did not like it and I am a big MGR fan. They go way overboard on the difficulty.

Whenever anyone mentions that game, all I think of is TFS's Renegade For Life playthrough of that game, and how hilarious it was.

From what I've heard, in terms of combat mechanics, Sekiro is basically Dark Souls except with an emphasis on parrying instead of dodge-rolling.

Also more an emphasis on fast, consecutive hitting, to break down the enemy's poise and deliver massive damage. Most other damage is minuscule.

Sekiro is the only one of the five games I never finished. Gave up on the last boss after maybe ten tries. I'm sure I could have if I still had the patience I had back when I first played Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, but I just don't care enough now when I got so much else I wanna do, like watch movies.

Yeah I was aware of those bits from various short playthroughs I've watched, so I knew that was different from Souls. But then it still seemed to center around the concept of "die a million times until you finally figure these dumb fights out" style of game design, that is apparently so popular with the Souls franchise. But then there were things like stealth kills, bypassing fights with the hook and stuff, and so again I was like "hmmmm....."

Mostly it's due to me recently playing Ghost of Tsushima, which I know is not like FromSoft's stuff, but playing it, I kept thinking about similarities to Sekiro, at least on a surface level. But I am skeptical that it will be more Souls-esque than I would enjoy.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I don't know. I think (I hope) I got through at least half of Sekiro and there isn't really much plot going on, though it's less cryptic than Souls. The combat isn't really Souls-like, it's not deliberate but quick, there's no stamina stopping you from attacking or dodging, though you can only block/parry so much until you get overwhelmed. Where it is like Souls is in difficulty and it's far more difficult than Souls as it requires far more skill on the part of the player than Souls (though there are super cheap ways of killing the bosses and mini-bosses). The combat is really a super elaborate Simon Says in knowing what move to counter the unblockable attacks. It uses Souls "design" for really no reason besides it's all From knows how to do, there's no reason for it having "bonfires" and respawning enemies. Also, you may have to farm to get spirit emblems (?) that allow you to use your ninja "tools" depending on how much you die and use said tools. To me, Sekiro has more in common with Shadow of the Colossus than Souls because the core game is the (mini)boss fights and everything inbetween is pretty weak. The stealth is as basic as your typical action game that also has stealth and the common enemies are so easy they're hardly a way to practice and "git gud" at the combat so they shouldn't even be in the game honestly. There's some areas that have mini-bosses near normal enemies and you gotta to basically clear out all the normies every time you wanna have another go at the mini-boss (or save scum by quitting out the game) because the combat system sucks for multiple enemies (another From game with lock-on AGAIN).

 

[BrawlMan]

Mostly it's due to me recently playing Ghost of Tsushima, which I know is not like FromSoft's stuff, but playing it, I kept thinking about similarities to Sekiro, at least on a surface level. But I am skeptical that it will be more Souls-esque than I would enjoy.

If anything, Ghost takes more from Nioh & Heavenly Sword (of all games) with its stance switching system in terms of combat. On know you mentioned surface level stuff with Sekiro, yet I did mention in the V1 Thread, that 2019-2021(?) are the years and rebirth of the samurai and ninja, with Nioh being the start of it. Platforming wise, Ghost takes more from Uncharted's platforming (though I find Ghost's platforming more fun) and Assassin's Creed in terms of open, but more natural, organic, and fluid structure. Oh, and Breathe of the Wild.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

No, you would not like Sekiro.

I really like Sekiro, but it is very much an acquired taste and definitely not for everyone.

In fact, I didn't even like Sekiro when I first started playing and it took probably a good 8 hours of gameplay before the combat actually started clicking with me.

It's an incredibly rewarding game once you understand what it wants from you and how to play it properly, but it wants a lot from you.

 

[fOx]

You would hate it.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

It’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself moreso than anyone else doing it for you. If you play on PC you can get a refund on Steam if you don’t like it. Not sure what PSN’s policy is lately.

Having said that, Sekiro is more a rhythm game than anything. Sure there’s platforming, stealth, hack n slash combat, but you won’t excel unless you have a good defense, and that begins with learning your opponents’ rhythms. The game has Souls-like window dressings with inventories and progression structure but it’s still more action based with no stamina meter. That’s replaced by the posture meter which governs the rhythm game I mentioned.

Case in point, will you like it? Well, you’ll never really know til you try.

 

[SupahEwok]

Do you like Tomb Raider's exploration and puzzle solving?

Do you like Uncharted's cinemagraphic style of storytelling?

Do you like Assassin's Creed's environment traversal system?

Do you like Just Cause's destruction and chaos mechanics?

Do you like God of War's action fighting gameplay?

Do you like Soul Caliber's fighting system?

Do you like Symphony of the Night's atmosphere?

Do you like Jade Empire's characters and take on wuxia storytelling?

Do you like Tetris' spatial problem solving mechanics?

Do you like Kinect Star Wars' dance system?

Do you like Ace Attorney's humor?

Do you like the Yakuza series' tone?

If the answer to any of these questions was yes or no, the answer to your original question may be either yes or no.

 

[fOx]

Do you like Tomb Raider's exploration and puzzle solving?

Do you like Uncharted's cinemagraphic style of storytelling?

Do you like Assassin's Creed's environment traversal system?

Do you like Just Cause's destruction and chaos mechanics?

Do you like God of War's action fighting gameplay?

Do you like Soul Caliber's fighting system?

Do you like Symphony of the Night's atmosphere?

Do you like Jade Empire's characters and take on wuxia storytelling?

Do you like Tetris' spatial problem solving mechanics?

Do you like Kinect Star Wars' dance system?

Do you like Ace Attorney's humor?

Do you like the Yakuza series' tone?

If the answer to any of these questions was yes or no, the answer to your original question may be either yes or no.

What if the answer to all of them was "we should overthrow the capitalist pigs that enslave our sons and prostitute our daughters, and usher in a new age egalitarian, communal living?"

 

[SupahEwok]

What if the answer to all of them was "we should overthrow the capitalist pigs that enslave our sons and prostitute our daughters, and usher in a new age egalitarian, communal living?"

Then your answer is "on FBI watchlist."

 

[happyninja42]

It’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself moreso than anyone else doing it for you. If you play on PC you can get a refund on Steam if you don’t like it. Not sure what PSN’s policy is lately.

Having said that, Sekiro is more a rhythm game than anything. Sure there’s platforming, stealth, hack n slash combat, but you won’t excel unless you have a good defense, and that begins with learning your opponents’ rhythms. The game has Souls-like window dressings with inventories and progression structure but it’s still more action based with no stamina meter. That’s replaced by the posture meter which governs the rhythm game I mentioned.

Case in point, will you like it? Well, you’ll never really know til you try.

Yes I am aware that none of you are in my head, I'm asking for a general idea, based on how similar it is to the other Souls games. Games that I have dabbled with and didn't like.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

What if the answer to all of them was "we should overthrow the capitalist pigs that enslave our sons and prostitute our daughters, and usher in a new age egalitarian, communal living?"

Then we probably wouldn't get very many video games.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Yes I am aware that none of you are in my head, I'm asking for a general idea, based on how similar it is to the other Souls games. Games that I have dabbled with and didn't like.

In addition to what I said above, it’s visually more pleasing than Souls. No GoT by any means, but there are some nice looking natural landscapes with forests and mountains, sunlight, etc. It’s still a game with some dark fantasy undertones though, to match the themes. You’re essentially a Shinobi protecting a divine heir child from a warlord, and at some points things can turn for the weird.

Progress is not linear or marked on a map. It’s still pretty cryptic in that sense like Souls. In terms of general gameplay and combat mechanics it’s much quicker and mobile with the grappling hook. Your prosthetic items and abilities are where the extra depth comes from in terms of tactics. I haven’t played Nioh, but if that game’s copying Souls to an extent then this game does so with Tenchu more than anything.

Lastly, the difficulty. It’s got a steeper curve for various reasons, and I’ve heard some people say it’s more difficult than Souls but also others say it’s the easiest of all the SoulsBorne games. Probably because once you learn the rhythm aspect to the combat that’s really all you need to do well. The upgrade system and inventories, skill trees, consumable items, etc. are all there to make things easier and add variety, but the sword is of course the most vital aspect to it all.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Probably not, considering it's just Soulsborne, but slightly faster. It has the same shitty camera and shitty lock-on as the other Fromsoft games.

 

[Dalisclock]

So, I really fucking hate Dark Souls. I found them to be boring as hell when I tried them, and visually to be dreary and too much of a spankfest inspired by HR Geiger if he humped Tolkien, and they had some weird medieval alien baby thing.

But I do like samurai/ninja stuff. So part of me keeps looking at Sekiro and going "hmmm....maybe?" But then the rest of me goes "Yeah but, you hated the combat in Jedi: Fallen Order, and that viking-esque clone, and the 2 Souls games you tried and couldn't stomach....this will probably be more of the same."

So, since I know there is a ton of people on this forum that can't stop talking about the Souls games, I'm curious if Sekiro is different enough where I might like it. Specifically it seems to, you know, actually have a PLOT, that is illustrated in the game itself, unlike Souls, that seems content to just leave everything up to speculation and codex entries.

I'd actually like to hear from someone who also doesn't like Souls, but maybe likes Sekiro, as to what is different enough for you to like it, assuming there are people like that.

So, on the bright side, Sekiro does have a plot of sorts (while keeping a lot of the item lore stuff) and it's a lot more colorful then the Souls games.

However, it still plays a lot like a Souls games but with a much bigger emphasis on parrying and breaking defense. In some ways it's far harder then Souls is, though they did compensate by shortening the distance between respawn points and boss fights a lot in many cases(in some cases, the respawn point is right outside the boss arena). The fact that both Stealth and grapping are now viable can trivialize the actual levels in terms of difficulty, but the bosses/mini-bosses can rarely, if ever, be taken advantage of by either.

I really liked it but some of the bosses infuriated me(particularly the final boss) so while I appreciated a lot of it's charm, I can completely understand anyone not enjoying it. So likely, you won't enjoy it.

TL;DR If the Souls thing doesn't work for you, Sekiro is very unlikely to change your mind.

 

[xmbts]

I'm going to say you probably wouldn't like it, it does present it's plot a lot more clearly and it's rather different from standard souls stuff by having jumping and stealth options but the boss encounters are pretty much souls but with much more limited viable options to approach them.

Now if you're dying for the aesthetic, Ghost of Tsushima might scratch that itch, but I don't know anything about that game.