Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Is It Really That Hard? Let’s Settle This.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has a reputation. It is known for its extreme difficulty. This game challenges players in a way few others do. Many see it as part of the FromSoftware lineage. But is it truly the hardest of them all? Let’s explore this together and find out.
Sekiro vs. The FromSoftware Gauntlet: Who Wins?
FromSoftware. This name ignites passion or frustration. Sekiro stands tall among its peers. But where does it rank when compared to others?
Dark Souls Series: The Granddaddy of Pain
The debate rages on about which game holds the title for hardest difficulty. Players argue if Sekiro grapples the crown from Dark Souls. Many veterans of the series favor Sekiro’s unique design. They believe its challenges surpass even the Dark Souls games. Boss fights against Owl or Isshin the Sword Saint serve as supreme tests of skill. Sekiro pushes players to internalize a specific combat style. This makes it arguably one of the toughest games FromSoftware has created.
But there is a connection to Dark Souls. While Sekiro shares roots with it, there are key differences. The mechanics of deflection and grappling are unique to Sekiro. In Dark Souls, movement is grounded, and defense is limited. Sekiro takes on a different personality.
Elden Ring: Open World, Open Wounds, But Is It Harder?
People often compare Sekiro to Elden Ring. Is Sekiro more difficult? Many say yes. Some even argue that Elden Ring fails to make the top three hardest FromSoftware titles. Is this a fair claim? While some may reminisce about Demon’s Souls, it is often Sekiro that emerges as the toughest game.
Elden Ring provides vast worlds and diverse builds. Sekiro focuses on direct encounters and precise maneuvers. In Elden Ring, you have summons and alternative strategies that ease tough encounters. Sekiro relies on stealth, which rarely suffices against bosses. Narratively, Sekiro tells a compact story, whereas Elden Ring offers a grander adventure.
Bloodborne: Gothic Horror or Just Plain Hard?
How does Sekiro compare to Bloodborne? Combat in Sekiro is certainly more challenging. It demands precision and concentration. Players must read enemy movements closely, responding with timed counters. Bloodborne can feel aggressive yet predictable. Sekiro’s attacks require quicker reactions. The game’s subtle telegraphing adds difficulty. In summary, Sekiro raises the bar even higher than Bloodborne and Dark Souls.
Sekiro: The Undisputed Hardest FromSoftware Game?
Fans often echo the same sentiment: Sekiro stands as the hardest FromSoftware game. Its notoriety confirms this claim. Mastering this game needs skill, patience, and at times, luck. Its reputation comes from a lack of shortcuts or power leveling. Sekiro tests player skill in a direct manner. For many, yes, Sekiro is truly the hardest.
Sekiro Steps Out of the FromSoftware Ring: How Does It Fare Elsewhere?
Sekiro may reign supreme in its category. But what happens when we compare it to different titles? Let’s examine other challenging games.
Ghost of Tsushima: Samurai Standoff or Shinobi Showdown?
Which game is tougher: Ghost of Tsushima or Sekiro? Some assert that Ghost of Tsushima can surpass Sekiro’s difficulty if played under strict conditions. Once players learn enemy patterns in Sekiro, they can exploit weaknesses. But when comparing them directly without adjustments, many still favor Sekiro.
Cuphead: Run-and-Gun Rogues Gallery of Pain
Games like Ninja Gaiden II, Sekiro, and Cuphead get mentioned in the same breath for their punishing difficulty. Cuphead, known for its artistic style, offers challenging boss encounters that test timing and memory. It delivers intense player engagement and demands commitment.
Sifu: Kung Fu Fury or Shinobi Stealth?
What about Sifu? Many consider its difficulty level similar to that of Sekiro. But for completionists, Sifu might push players even harder. The pursuit of 100% requires deeper learning and might bring a different kind of satisfaction. Both games offer their own unique challenges.
Decoding Sekiro’s Difficulty: What Makes It Tick?
Sekiro isn’t hard without reason. It’s a carefully designed challenge, structured to test players on multiple levels. What elements contribute to its reputation?
Sekiro: A Pinnacle of Gaming Difficulty?
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice often earns praise as one of the hardest games created. It ranks high among gamers’ lists of difficulty. Many deem it a pinnacle of challenge in gaming history. Its ruthless mechanics elevate the standard of difficulty, even compared to past FromSoftware installments.
The Trifecta of Terror: Precision, Patience, and Punishment
Sekiro deserves its title as the hardest game. It demands precision, patience, and resilience. Combat focuses not on sheer power but on accurate timing and reflexes. Players must carefully observe enemy movements and respond in split seconds. Errors are punished severely. A single hit can lead to major setbacks. Death becomes an expected aspect of gameplay.
No Easy Way Out: The Lack of Difficulty Settings
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has a fearsome reputation for difficulty, but there are no safety nets. It has no easy or medium modes. This is a game crafted for those willing to embrace its challenge fully. Players face a binary choice: embrace the trials or walk away.
The Inevitable Wall: Steep Learning Curve Ahead
New players should prepare for challenges. Sekiro presents a steep learning curve, especially for those new to FromSoftware’s style. Expect to struggle initially. You may reconsider your choices along the way. Yet the satisfaction felt when overcoming hurdles is unmatched.
Decoding the DNA of Difficulty: Aspects of Sekiro’s Challenge
Sekiro’s challenge isn’t abstract; it’s part of the game’s foundation. Key aspects define its difficulty and player experience.
Combat: A Symphony of Steel and Deflection
Sekiro’s combat isn’t mindless button-mashing; it requires careful orchestration.
Deflect or Die: The Art of Parry
The essence of Sekiro’s combat is deflection. This tactic is essential for both defense and offense. Mastering parries can break enemy defenses, opening avenues for heavy damage. Engaging enemies isn’t about avoiding attacks; it’s about meeting their blows with precise counterattacks.
against blade, in a shower of sparks and calculated counters.
Timing is Everything: The Rhythm of Combat
Sekiro demands precise timing. Parrying, aggressive attacks, and strategic retreats rely on timing. Learn the rhythm of enemies. Internalize attack patterns. Respond with precision. Remember Cuphead? Sekiro shares demanding gameplay. Both share traits with Ninja Gaiden II as challenging combat.
Dodge? It’s an Option, Not a Lifestyle
You *can* dodge in Sekiro. But dodging isn’t your main survival tool. It’s a supplementary tactic for repositioning or evading unblockable attacks. Sekiro’s combat is based on blocking and deflecting, not on becoming an evasive blur.
Boss Battles: Trials by Fire
Sekiro’s bosses are legendary for their brutality. They test your skill and patience.
Bosses: Prepare to be Tested. Repeatedly.
The game is full of difficult encounters, especially bosses. They punish mistakes ruthlessly. You will die a lot. Each death teaches you about their attack patterns and weaknesses. Sekiro’s boss fights need strategies and pattern recognition. Rote memorization? That’s essential.
Pattern Recognition: The Key to Victory
To defeat Sekiro’s bosses, learn their movements. Anticipate strikes. Adapt your strategy. Observation and adaptation are weapons. Sekiro’s combat is a lesson in pattern recognition and reactive gameplay.
Mini-Bosses: Stepping Stones to Suffering
Don’t think mini-bosses provide a break. They can be just as difficult, sometimes even harder than regular bosses.
Mini-Boss Mayhem: Not So Mini in Challenge
Mini-Bosses in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice aren’t easy. They are special, tough enemies. Each poses a formidable obstacle.
Unblockable Onslaught: Prepare to Adapt
These mini-bosses are trickier. They have diverse attacks, some being undeflectable. This forces you to change tactics and learn when to deflect or dodge. They are deadly and demand respect.
New Game Plus (NG+): The Challenge Escalates
Think you’ve mastered Sekiro? NG+ proves otherwise.
NG+: Difficulty Cranked Up to Eleven
In NG+, difficulty escalates. Enemies hit harder and are more aggressive. Toughness increases significantly. NG+7 is seen as peak difficulty, a true test of Sekiro skill.
Enemy Placement Shuffle: A Nasty Surprise
NG+ changes more than stats. Some locations have different enemy placements or new types. Just when you think you know all ambushes, Sekiro surprises you, preventing reliance on muscle memory. Sekiro’s difficulty increases with each NG+ run up to NG+7.
Charmless Run: For the Truly Mad (or Masochistic)
Want true Sekiro hell? Try a “Charmless” playthrough. Refusing Kuro’s Charm makes it brutally hard. Perfect deflects become mandatory. Mistimed deflects cause damage, making every encounter a high-stakes gamble.
Endings: Even Victory Can Be Hard Earned
Achieving the “good” ending isn’t easy in Sekiro.
Dragon’s Homecoming: The Hardest Path to Hope
The “Dragon’s Homecoming” ending is the hardest to unlock. It needs precise actions and deep understanding of Sekiro’s lore and mechanics. Yet, it’s considered one of the most optimistic endings in FromSoftware’s bleak world.
The Subjectivity of Suffering: Factors Affecting Perceived Difficulty
Difficulty varies. What one player finds hard, another may find manageable. Several factors shape your experience with Sekiro’s challenges.
Player Skill and Experience: The Great Equalizer
Your gaming background and reflexes play large roles in your Sekiro journey.
Mastering the Blade: Mechanics Make the Master
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is hard, but it is meant to be mastered. The challenge is the point. It’s a test of learning, adapting, and internalizing the combat system. Those dedicated to mastering mechanics find difficulty can become exhilarating.
Predictability and Cheese: Exploiting the Cracks
Ghost of Tsushima may seem harder… until you start “cheesing” Sekiro’s bosses. Once you understand attack patterns, you can exploit weaknesses and trivialize encounters. Patterns become predictable, allowing for strategic advantages.
Cheese Tactics: When Skill Meets Savvy Exploitation
Ghost of Tsushima is tough at max settings, but Sekiro offers ways to “cheese.” Players find ways to exploit enemy AI or combine items strategically for an edge. “Cheesing” is not only brute force; it’s smart exploitation of game systems.
Accessibility: The Elephant in the Room (or Lack Thereof)
Sekiro’s lack of accessibility options is often discussed.
No Easy Mode: Challenge or Barrier?
Sekiro lacks an easy mode deliberately. It commits to a specific vision of difficulty and rejects compromising its challenge. For some, that’s admirable; for others, it’s a barrier that might exclude potential players.
Mods to the Rescue? Player-Made Solutions
The modding community addresses accessibility issues. Player-created mods offer adjusted difficulty for those wanting less punitive experiences. These are testaments to player ingenuity and solutions for those finding Sekiro’s challenge overwhelming.
Time Investment: How Long Will You Suffer… I Mean, Play?
So, are you brave enough to tackle Sekiro? Let’s discuss commitment. How much time do you need for this brutal world?
Completion Time: The Long Road to Victory
Prepare for a marathon journey.
Main Story: A 30-Hour Gauntlet
You need about 30 hours for the main story. That’s just to reach credits, focusing on main objectives will take around 30 hours.
100% Completion: The 70-Hour Odyssey
If aiming for 100% completion – side quests, collectibles, all endings – prepare for roughly 70 hours immersed in Sekiro’s world. Complete the main story in about 30 hours, but 100% may take close to 70.
Completion Rate: A Testament to Tenacity
The numbers reveal Sekiro’s demanding nature.
Single-Digit Success: A Rare Achievement
Steam data shows only 9.4% of players completed Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Less than 10% of players finish the game. Around 9.4% of players achieved completion according to Steam statistics.
Compared to its Siblings: A Telling Tale
Sekiro’s completion rate is low but higher than some FromSoftware titles, surpassing Dark Souls 2’s 5.1% and Dark Souls 3’s 4.5%. Yet it falls slightly below Elden Ring’s 10.1%. This shows Sekiro is harshly challenging, yet may be slightly more approachable or encourage player persistence.
New Game Plus Considerations:
What Carries Over, What Doesn’t?
Venturing into NG+? Here’s what to know.
Difficulty Ramp-Up: Prepare for Round Two
Yes, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice becomes harder with each NG+ playthrough, up to NG+7. Enemies hit harder, and encounter placements shift. The challenge escalates, rewarding mastery while punishing complacency. Sekiro’s difficulty increases in each New Game Plus (NG+) playthrough.
Inventory Inheritance: What You Keep, What You Lose
Great news for hoarders! Almost everything accumulates in NG+. Upgrades, items, skills all carry over. Key Items and the Mortal Blade are excluded. They reset for the new playthrough. Everything else passes along, except certain Key Items and the Mortal Blade.
Game Design: The Architecture of Anguish
Sekiro’s difficulty isn’t an accident. It’s crafted, woven into the game’s structure and mechanics.
Linearity: A Focused Path to Pain
Sekiro’s level design is linear when compared to the sprawling world of Dark Souls.
Linearity vs. Openness: Different Flavors of Exploration
Is Sekiro more linear than Dark Souls? In structure, yes. Sekiro guides players along defined paths, focusing progression and encounters. Dark Souls provides labyrinthine freedom for exploration and pathfinding. Each design has merits, but Sekiro’s linearity sharpens its intense difficulty curve.
Combat System: A Departure from Souls Tradition
Sekiro’s combat evolved, departing from the Souls formula.
Beyond Souls: A Unique Combat Identity
Sekiro shares DNA with Soulslike games. But its core mechanics—deflection, posture, grappling hook—are distinct. They don’t fit into traditional Souls playbooks. FromSoftware limited overpowered defenses and movement in its Souls games. Sekiro adopts a more aggressive, reactive combat style. While there are similarities, these core mechanics are not neatly translated into traditional Souls gameplay.
Deflection and Posture: The Heart of Combat
Sekiro’s combat centers on deflection and posture. Precise parrying serves offense as well as defense. Deflecting attacks builds enemy posture, leading to a “deathblow.” The “posture” mechanic is central to success. Mastering it requires precise parries to break opponent posture and land a “deathblow,” which can quickly finish fights. Master deflection and posture for mastery over Sekiro.
Story and Lore: Intrigue Amidst the Intensity
Sekiro isn’t all about combat; it weaves a rich narrative.
Themes of Honor and Sacrifice: A Narrative Undercurrent
Beneath brutal combat lies a tapestry of themes: loyalty, honor, sacrifice. These themes enhance the narrative and add emotional weight to the challenging gameplay. The game’s themes are skillfully integrated into its narrative, creating an immersive experience.
Overall Experience: Worth the Pain?
Despite the difficulty, or maybe because of it, Sekiro is critically acclaimed.
A Must-Play for the Bold: Challenge and Reward
In conclusion, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is no game for the faint-hearted. It is demanding and unforgiving. For those seeking true challenges, Sekiro provides satisfaction through overcoming daunting odds. It is a must-play for fans of deep lore and compelling gameplay.
External Voices: The Community Weighs In
How do players and critics assess Sekiro’s notorious difficulty?
Reddit Ruminations: Player Perspectives
Reddit threads overflow with player experiences about Sekiro’s difficulty.
Hardest Game Ever? The Reddit Verdict
How does Sekiro’s difficulty stack up against other hard games? Players often declare it “probably one of the hardest games ever,” especially on initial playthroughs. The community often sees Sekiro as exceptionally challenging. On an initial experience, probably one of the hardest games out there.
Sifu Showdown: Community Comparisons
Reddit also discusses comparisons with other tough games like Sifu. Players hash out which game is harder, sharing their unique perspectives. How does Sifu compare to other games? The discussions remain ongoing.
Reviews and Articles: Critical Acclaim
Critics and gaming publications praise Sekiro, prominently noting its tough nature.
Critical Darling: Acclaim for a Brutal Masterpiece
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has won widespread acclaim. Reviews highlight its combat, world design, and overall quality consistently. Sekiro is a must-play for fans of challenging games that feature deep lore.
Difficulty and Accessibility: Ongoing Conversation
Discussions surrounding Sekiro’s harsh challenge and accessibility fill reviews and articles. Its uncompromising difficulty sparks debates about inclusivity and design choices. Yes, “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” is recognized for its challenging difficulty, bringing up ongoing conversations regarding design philosophy.
Mechanics Under the Microscope: Fine-Tuning the Challenge
Let’s scrutinize specific game mechanics that shape Sekiro’s unique difficulty.
Dodging: A Tactical Tool
In Sekiro, dodging isn’t a foolproof escape like in many games.
Effectiveness of Evasion: Situational Utility
You can dodge in Sekiro, but it’s secondary to offense. It often repositions players or avoids specific attacks worth dodging instead of deflecting. Dodging primarily aids in repositioning or evading targeted attacks.
I-Frames and Timing: A Different Dodge Dance
Sekiro’s dodge features I-frames, but their function differs from Dark Souls. Timing and effectiveness require players to adapt their dodging habits uniquely. Sekiro’s dodge includes I-frames but operates distinctly compared to other ecosystems.
Stealth: Shadows and Subterfuge
Stealth plays a crucial role in Sekiro, granting strategic advantages.
Stealth as Strategy: Beyond Combat
Though primarily combat-focused, stealth proves valuable for thinning enemy ranks or setting advantageous positions. It can even allow you to skip certain encounters entirely. Stealth enhances exploration and overall experience, executed excellently within the game.
Progression: Skill, Not Stats
Sekiro skips traditional RPG leveling, solely relying on player skill for progression.
No Leveling Up? Skill is Your Stat
Sekiro stands out as FromSoftware’s hardest title because leveling up to overcome challenges isn’t possible. No grinding for stats to bulldoze through obstacles exists. Progression connects directly to mastery of mechanics, understanding enemies, and evolving skill as a shinobi.
Unseen Aid: A Glimmer of Mercy
Sekiro includes a mechanic called Unseen Aid, which can lessen the penalties from death.
Unseen Aid: A Chance at Forgiveness
In Sekiro, Unseen Aid functions as a luck-based feature offering a 30% chance to avoid losing money upon death. This small mercy softens the blow of failures. Initially, it gives a flat 30% chance not to lose money or experience when defeated.
Dragonrot: Death’s Lingering Shadow
However, death has further consequences in Sekiro beyond mere setbacks.
Dragonrot: The Price of Repeated Failure
Repeated deaths activate Dragonrot, affecting NPCs in the game world. This narrative consequence visually represents failures impacting gameplay. But repeatedly dying results in NPCs developing dragonrot.
So, is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice truly *that* hard? Yes, unequivocally. It is brutal, demanding, and unforgiving. However, it represents a masterclass in design—a meticulously crafted challenge rewarding patience and skill. It may not suit everyone. But for those brave enough to endure, Sekiro offers unmatched accomplishment and a unique gaming journey. Now go forth, Shinobi, and prepare for frequent deaths.
