Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition

Peak souls game after Bloodborne. If you are looking for fast paced and fluid CINEMA combat this is definitely the game.
However bare in mind its gameplay mechanics match nothing of those of other souls game but they are very fun to play with and unique to this game.

This game is very combat based, very fast-paced combat and that's the main USP for this game. I thought it's a nice japanese themed game, something like prince of persia, boy I was so wrong.

It's not a bad game, but it's not for me. You can't play this game at end of hard working day for chilling, it's too difficult.

I've played over 1000 hours on PS4/5 got the plat. As soon as i downloaded it on Steam i knew it was going to be an amazing decision. I know i'm only 30 hours in on my 4th play through but oh my. I can play forever. Favourite game for me 10/10

The hardest, the most challenging and the most satisfying game ever!!!!. In some games it is hard and difficult because of our build, items or equipment and blame them as the problem, but in Sekiro it is difficult and hard because I am the problem i am to blame for the difficult level, I need to get good. After we get good and master the different game mechanics damn ohhh boyyyyy it is so satisfying,it made me fell like i'm a god in this world.

The art and the characters design are also top tier. There are many cool side characters and bosses, many hidden areas to explore over all it a 10/10 for me

Easily my favorite game of all time in terms of combat. I love this style of game where you need to focus more on timing and deflection and really learning the enemies' moves rather than just running and rolling and dodging. That said, there are certain minibosses/bosses that do require you to basically just rely on running and dodging, and due to this game's combat being clearly designed for deflection, those fights can feel really janky and infuriating. The camera angle / lock-on can also be really janky and infuriating at times, especially if you get boxed into a corner. But, it's a fromsoft game, so I can't complain that it's hard. Despite it being hard, it's nice that you don't really lose much for dying (you get reset back to your last chekpoint, and lose half your money and half the experience towards your next level, which isn't really a big issue most of the time). The story is also pretty decent; it's nothing too phenomenal, but good enough that I was still fairly invested in it on my first playthrough. I won't delve too much into the story though, as I feel the main point of this game is the combat. Overall, this game is phenomenal. I have never been able to bring myself to complete a second run of any other game, no matter how much I loved it. That said, I am currently on my third run, and plan to do more after this. It's a great game, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a challenge.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is something else. While it’s a game from the same minds that brought us Dark Souls, don’t go into it thinking it’s just another Soulslike — it’s not, and I think that’s what makes it so wild.

First off, forget stamina bars and RPG elements; they don’t exist here. There’s no leveling up your stats, no changing armor for different buffs, and you’re not going to find a sweet spot for magic builds or heavy weapon setups. This is pure, unfiltered skill-based combat, and if that sounds intimidating, well... it is. But it’s also what makes Sekiro such a standout.

I’ve gotta be honest: the combat is what’s going to make or break this game for most people. You’ve got one sword and a whole lot of grit, and that’s pretty much it. The core of the gameplay is all about attacking and parrying. It’s super focused, and that’s intentional. From Software knew exactly what they were doing by designing each fight to challenge your mastery of this single skill set. At first, I found it pretty brutal. There’s no fallback to a ranged build or summonings — it’s just you and your katana, one-on-one with whatever nightmare is staring you down. But once you get the hang of parrying, deflecting, and the glorious Mikiri Counter, the combat transforms from punishing to exhilarating.

The posture system is where Sekiro really sets itself apart. Unlike most games where you’re chipping away at a health bar, here you’re breaking down an enemy’s posture. Every parry, deflect, and attack fills up their posture gauge, and when it’s maxed out, you’re rewarded with a death blow that can end the fight or push them to the next phase. It’s so satisfying that I’d argue it’s one of the best mechanics From Software has ever come up with. One thing to keep in mind: attacking is still important because a lower health bar means you’re going to deal more posture damage. So, finding that balance between pressing your attack and keeping up with deflections is key. It’s a dance, and when you nail it, it feels absolutely incredible.

Now, the game has its lows as well, the steep learning curve is real, and some fights had me on the edge of rage-quitting. But even at my most frustrated, I couldn’t shake the feeling that every death was my fault. The combat is precise, and it rewards practice and timing like nothing else. It’s the type of game where you can come back a week later, fight the same boss, and suddenly it clicks because you’ve gotten better.

TL;DR; If you’re into From Software games and want to test your skills with a fresh take on combat, Sekiro is a must-play. It’s a game that’ll have you cursing your reflexes one minute and feeling like an unstoppable sword master the next. And that’s the magic of it. Absolutely recommended. Just know what you’re getting into — this isn’t your typical Souls game, and that’s kind of the best part. 9/10

Fantastic combat system, even better than elden ring

This game is amazing. The combat is dynamic and fun, the world building is insane, and it feels distinctly soul-like, while still being different from their previous games.

Game is insanely good, boss fights were all extremely well designed. The combat system deviates from the traditional souls series games, so the learning curve is steep. Once the combat finally clicks, its a lot of fun and the bosses you think are impossible become doable, still ridiculously difficult, but doable. Hardest overall game I've ever played. Elden Ring DLC final boss is still the hardest boss of all time, but the game as a whole was more difficult. 9/10 game in my opinion, only thing I could ask to have changed is the janky camera at the worst possible moments mid boss fights.

literally one of the greatest games in the industry. i enjoyed playing every min, although i had some issues trying to get the achievements and it glitched and didn't pop up for me so i had to do a whole new game. but it's been a pleasure. (10/10) highly recommended.

Couldn't get my xbox controller working for the life of me. I tried everything under the sun... Unplugging everything not necessary to my computer (keyboard, mouse, webcam, 3dmouse, microphone, etc...), uninstalling and reinstalling, disabling steam input turning it to default and enabling steam input. Even fiddled with device manager. My controller works fine with every other game. Nothing I tried could get my controller to work. I smell a refund in my future unless I can get this sorted out in under 2 hours...

Edit: I found a fix. This was the fix for me..,. go to device manger click view and select "Sort by connection". Look and see if there are any "HID-compliant game controllers" other than the one you are using. If so disable it and restart your computer. (I have a 3Dconnexion 3-d mouse so I had to disable the 3Dconnexion KMJ emulator, HID-compliant game controller... If there are other controllers that steam is picking up I think you will see them in steam controller settings... or at least I could) Goodluck hope this works!

this game beat my ass because I hesitated every time before every strike, before every parry. At a certain point you unlock ultra instinct and your body and weapon are one and flow swiftly like water cutting through the toughest of challenges. In the end I completed the whole game unlocking every achievement.

It's an amazing game that I believe everyone who enjoys DS type games should try out. It may feel a little hard at the start but when you get used to it the fighting is smooth and feels incredible.

TIP: If you are going for achievements make sure your steam profile is online because there is a bug that some achievements don't trigger if you are offline which sadly has me missing the final achievement which is for getting all other achievements. (People have said that they got given the achievement randomly at a future time so here is hoping for that.)

Absolute masterpiece. Only downside is even Sekiro cant make double bosses enjoyable.

True to how FromSoft always works, this game is a gem. It is difficult, but fair. If you pay attention and keep trying you will get better and surprise yourself with how much improvement there was from minute 1 to hour 10. It might sometimes feel like you are getting worse, but that is normal just keep at it.

FromSoftware never lets you down. I've just finished the game and I can say I feel fullfilled after learning how to dominate the mechanics and conclude. Story, gameplay, difficulty, beauty. 10/10

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☑ Old Fashioned
☐ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☑ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☑ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

The hardest and most rewarding game I've ever played, and that's coming from a Dark Souls enjoyer. The combat is the most simple, but satisfying fighting system in gaming.

This game was awesome. Having come to this after Elden Ring, the tightly focused level design was a welcome relief, and the timing-intensive, parry-focused combat was much better than the usual dodge roll spamming. Boss fights are the centerpiece of the game. They're hard but fair, and there's more of a genuine sense of learning and improving than other games in this genre. I'm not much into action games and I'm the type of person who usually gets discouraged or bored pretty quickly when dying in them, but I found myself getting drawn into studying bosses' movesets enough to play through to completion. Somehow despite all the intentional punishment mechanics for dying in Sekiro, it's never actually discouraging.

The regular moment to moment gameplay of grappling around and running through levels ganking random enemies and getting into quick sword fights feels fast and refreshing. Everything in this game is fun, both when you're getting clobbered repeatedly and the periods in between.

The game is already a little dated graphically in 2024, but there are mods for texture upscaling and lighting/shadow improvements to give a decent vanilla+ experience on PC.

I originally bought and played this when it first came out on Xbox and decided to revisit years later when I moved to pc and the game still holds up as in my opinion one of the best games of all time. If u like souls-like games with a good challenge, this will not disappoint, I only which there were other options for weapons or options for builds but this game isn’t centered around that. The story is beautiful and it always has u coming back to revisit it. After beating the game 9 times over the years and achieving every ending, each and every single playthru feels just as exciting as the last.

Bought this game a second time to experience it on PC.

Hesitation is defeat. Move forward in ferocious fashion and claim victory with your blood-stained hands.

Hesitation is Defeat. Most satisfying combat to master out of any game I have played.

Is it a great game? Yes. Did I personally enjoy it? No. A personal 6/10. Recommending it solely because it is unfair for the game when It was my own mistake for assuming it was a souls-like.

I recommend you watch video reviews to see actual game play and combat. I always do this but for Sekiro I was just assuming a lot of things because I love Dark Souls so much and wanted more.

You play one way, and one way only. If it does not click for you it won't be an enjoyable experience. If it does click it's an easy 9 or 10/10. Maybe later down the road I'll give it another chance and look at it from a different perspective once i'm done with souls-likes. Playing this directly after finishing Dark Souls 3 could have ruined it for me personally. Instead I started playing Nioh 1 and 2 and have been having a better time.

Defenitely worth giving a try and if you don't like the first 2 hours just refund, nothing really changes. Parry is 95% of your defensive and dodge/jump/side stepping is the other 5% only because some attacks cannot be parried. Perfect parry also serves as a major factor in offence to posture break. When people call this a rhythm game they mean it.

fun game but there a certain part where you get to a mountain and there a bell do not ring the bell it makes the game even harder than it already is but other than that good game 8/10

Incredible, fascinating, gorgeous, fantastic, mindblowing, challenging - this game has it all. I really loved it and am definitely going for a NG+ later on. FromSoftware is so great at perfecting their games!

I played Sekiro on the Ps4 for the first time and since then I couldn't stop playing it. After 2 years I bought it on my pc and I still wasn't bored of this game. I wish I could play it for the first time again… I recommend Sekiro so much no wonder it got GOTY.

honestly compared to other souls games, at first it was harder to get into. but once you realize what you're doing and you actually get good at the game?




oh boy, it hits

very good game, EVEN IF I SHITTED MY PANTS A COUPLE TIMES, i recommend it to everyone who's into Souls series

After the 73rd time throwing the controller across the room, startling pets and irritating your wife.

There will come a day where something clicks and you finally beat the boss you've been stuck on for a embarrassing amount of time.. was it luck? was it autistic levels of trial and error?

Who knows who cares your finally making progress in the game and feeling insurmountable.

Right up until you reach the next area and hit a even harder boss that makes the previous one feel like part of a beginning tutorial..

This game is incredibly frustrating but equally rewarding once you prevail. Highly recommended 10/10

Has an excellent fast-paced combat system that forces you to truly engage with the game's mechanics and make use of every tool in your arsenal to triumph. It also probably has the highest percentage of good bosses out of any Fromsoft game, with there being many contenders for Fromsoft's best bosses overall and only a few notable exceptions in terms of quality (and even then they aren't as bad as some of Soulsborne's worst offenders)

Mini boss quality is less consistent however, with many of them locking permanent upgrades behind frustrating instakills and the presence of gank squads. Inability to deal with groups of enemies effectively also leads to exploring levels being more of a chore to deal with until you find the upgrades you need and can go to the next boss instead of something actually enjoyable considering the combat is at it's best when it's 1v1 instead of groups of enemies.

The presence of the resurrection system does however ensure that you don't feel *as* cheated by instakills and other frustrating scenarios as you would otherwise, and it recharging on deathblows gives you more leeway in exploration and some breathing room between boss phases.

And even though only having a single weapon leads to more polished mechanics surrounding it, it also led to exploration not feeling as rewarding considering there's not much to find other than ultimately inconsequential consumables.

Grinding is also an issue that pops up in later parts of the game, with upgrades requiring significantly more materials than what can be found by exploring, as well as large amounts of gold, but none of these upgrades are truly essential, so it's usually just a matter of prioritising.

Strongly recommend for anyone in love with Fromsoftware's boss design and wants to experience the same difficulty they're known for in a new way.

Masterpiece

Nothing else to be said
Combat is amazing and addicting, replayable and storyline is great
and add mods after some time, you got a solid game that you can play for hundreds if not thousands of hours
Definetly my favourite game of all time, and my favorite FromSoft game
if possible get it on sale
played it for few years and still enjoy it like always
it does take time to learn mechanics such as deflecting and tools, but the old fromsoft saying goes Get Gud
don't give up on anything and be persistent, you will die more than twice, but you will overcome the game, don't give up

Hesitation is defeat (took me 3 days to beat SS isshin the first time)

11/10 would do it again in every lifetime

This boss is not as hard as poeple make it to be. Don't get me wrong it's difficult and i definitly did struggle at the beginning, but once you get good it really ain't that bad. I definitly reccomend

Really sad From Software abandoned their tighter, unique design style and went off with the Elden Ring route. Sekiro is their last classic, hopefully it won't stay as such.

Also, release Bloodborne on PC, you ♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

This was such a fun game to play as well as the replayability. It often felt like with the main Dark Souls titles that the NG+ levels did not match up with how strong you ended up being. So early bosses became a breeze for now good reason, the fun part about Sekiro is you had to remember what each boss did. How did they attack what could you counter or parry, what did you have to jump from or run back from. The progression also felt quite straightforward and a bit more hand-holdy (which I did not mind) compared to other souls titles. I felt much more connected and in-tune with this world which helped to urge me to discover every bit about this game. 100% a NG save was quite easy, exploring every bit of the world and fighting every mini-boss never got old because of the movement system. Farming for xp also was fun because of backstabbing and grappling and what have you was better than say Concord farming of DS3.

I would say the biggest thing keeping me from saying I liked this better than Elden Ring for example, was how limiting the prosthetic tool is on a NG playthrough. Sen is actually super restricted if you go through buying everything it wants you to as well as buying all the upgrades. But once you get to NG+ and especially NG+2 and fighting all the bosses, I had well over an abundance of Sen that it became so worthless and I had about 1k of each candy as well as a surplus of bags of Sen. Then I got to play around with different tools for different bosses, trying out different weapon arts as it felt like I could afford to do so without 'wasting' anything.

Overall would give it a solid 9/10, an amazing game that deserves all its praise and I recommendanyone to play this as the combat felt so fluid and unique!

This game is beautiful, but I believe it is way over-hyped and the promises of difficulty are over-emphasized. Don't get me wrong, it is a very difficult game, but the only boss I struggled with for more than a day was the final boss (CURSE YOU GLOCK SAINT). My biggest complaint with the game is lack of one-on-one samurai duels. When I first saw Sekiro I assumed most of the game would be this way, but there are far more big beasts and ganks than I could have imagined. Bosses like Genichiro, Owl, and the glock saint are the peaks of the game's combat, but there simply isn't enough of these fights for me to do another playthrough. I highly recommend it to someone experienced in FromSoft's crushing difficulty. Although I enjoyed the ride, I feel like I merely checked this game off my list as a FromSoft fan.

Played this game without thinking the first time, didn't like it much. Played it again because a friend asked me for my opinion on it. I got lost in the game for a week, it's not for everyone sure? But its a beautiful world. 8/10 (0-0)b

This game separates skillful gamers from casual gamers.
Boss fights require a lot of timing. I promise you'll die more than twice. I have real fun playing the game, dancing with my enemies and discovering this dark universe.

Genuinely the best melee combat in a game of all time. How this game got me feeling when I'm in tune with a boss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqYlJQ0JxLA&t=69s

Un juego magnífico. Todo es positivo, la historia, los paisajes, los escenarios, el sistema de combate - que todavía me cuesta, pero no deja de ser bueno por ello -, etc.

One of the most fluid and fun combat systems out there

Amazing game, it was actually my first game from FromSoftware and despite dying a lot, I loved it.
It's a masterpiece no wonder it got the GOTY award.
Would totally recommend to anyone interested in the souls-like genre which wants a real challenge, without farming to power level bosses option.
I really like how it has a easy to follow, linear story, in opposite from other FromSoftware games.
10/10.

The gameplay is extremely satisfying once you get a hang of it. This is easily the most difficult game I have played in a long while. Only peeve is you manualy have to go into big picture mode if you want to use a controller, just using the desktop app wont allow it for some reason. Now for the ratings:
gameplay 10/10
enjoyability 8/10
graphics 9/10
cutscenes 8/10
story 6/10
difficulty 100/10

This game is a timeless masterpiece with some of the most satisfying combat ever. Just got done 100%-ing it and every second was worth it.

I love this game

Probably the best game i have ever played. One of the very few i chased down all the achievements in,

It was the toughest gaming experience i've ever gone though, but it was also the greatest experience. I have found a grand appreciation for how difficult it is to emerge victorious. The final boss was the greatest gaming experience of my entire life. Defeating the final boss felt primal, raw, euphoric that i emerge the winner of the battle. Thank you, Fromsoft.

There is not a single bad thing i can think of when it comes to sekiro.
"Hesitation is defeat" perfectly captures its core lesson and once you sync with the rhythm, the combat becomes satisfying and addictive. At that point, nothing else matters.
While the story may not stand out, the mechanics more than make up for it and it is still a 10/10 for me.

Absolutely beautiful game! 10/10 so far, gameplay is fun and immersive and I am quickly falling in love with this game.

Hesitation is Defeat

A game where you start spending hours dying to bosses at first and ends with you being able to no hit the game and it all feels natural

10/10