Reviews Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Reviews

lashman

Dead & Forgotten
Sep 5, 2018
30,370
85,147
113


Game Information

Game Title: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Platforms:
  • PlayStation 4 (Mar 22, 2019)
  • Xbox One (Mar 22, 2019)
  • PC (Mar 22, 2019)
Trailer:
Developer: FromSoftware

Publishers: Activision, 方块游戏 (Asia)

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 92 average - 100% recommended

Critic Reviews


Daily Star - Rebecca Stow - 5 / 5 stars
While Sekiro certainly shares DNA with the previous Soulsborne games, fundamental sword-fighting battle mechanic changes leave it feeling fresh. However, as the old saying goes, when you live by the sword, you die by the sword, and players need to be aware that this is a game that will see you die many, many times.

Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 10 / 10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a welcome change for the developer solidifying FromSoftware's skills and expertise in tackling bigger challenges and improving on past successes. A superb effort all around; whether it's the intricate combat system, the world and how you explore it, or the relentless challenge by the world and its bosses, this is an epic journey that never lets go of you. If you're looking for a challenging game with blisteringly fast action that you'll have to work hard to conquer then Don't Think Twice.

Telegraph - Tom Hoggins - 5 / 5 stars
After a particular troubling encounter with a boss, I finally felled the great oaf in a spectacular fountain of blood with only a sliver of my own health remaining. I leapt from my seat, heart racing, any maddening moments forgotten, made worthwhile in an unbridled moment of thrilling triumph. In creating those moments, and in its ability to forge its own inimitable style of video games, From Software remain peerless.

PowerUp! - Leo Stevenson - 9.9 / 10
I feel bad for any other games releasing in 2019 because as far as I'm concerned, Sekiro Shadows Die Twice has game of the year, all sewn up.

WellPlayed - Jordan Garcia - 9.5 / 10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an incredible game that was crafted from the ashes of a Tenchu reboot

GamingTrend - Bryan Lawver - 95 / 100
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice manages to live up to its monstrously high expectations in nearly every way. Its high-risk combat system is as satisfying as it is punishing, and its level design begs you to explore every inch of the world. While its locations and enemies aren't as varied as in previous From Software games, you'll hardly notice when you're locking swords with opponents across several beautiful settings. Sekiro tells an intriguing tale about loyalty and mortality packed with surprises and easy-to-miss side stories.

IGN - Brandin Tyrrel - 9.5 / 10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a stylish, focused stealth-action take on the FromSoftware formula that evolves in a different and refreshing direction. It may be a bit easier than a Souls game, but it's something amazing all its own.

PlayStation LifeStyle - Chandler Wood - 9.5 / 10
Sekiro is challenging, but fair—a game with the goal of allowing the player to grow, rather than the avatar. It blends mechanics and narrative in a way that is too rare in games today, allowing for a deep level of immersion that begs for just one more clash of blades no matter how difficult the encounters get. Seeing each one to its bloody finish is well worth the trials it takes to get there.

Atomix - Alberto Desfassiaux - Spanish - 95 / 100
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a masterpiece that you can not miss for nothing.

IGN Spain - Juan García - Spanish - 9.3 / 10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an excellent evolution of the Soulsborne formula, changing almost everything but maintaining the essence: the feeling that despite dying, we can succeed.

Glitched Africa - Marco Cocomello - 9.2 / 10
From Software delivers yet another exceptional game that reinvents the hardcore RPG formula

TrueGaming - Arabic - 9 / 10
Sekiro gave me an overwhelming sense of freedom in gameplay as there is a whole lot of technique and tools that'll make you feel like a true Ninja once you've mastered them.

TheSixthAxis - Jason Coles - 9 / 10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an incredible blend of story, gameplay and world design. I don't think it trumps Bloodborne, personally, but it may well be the next best game that FromSoftware has created.

Attack of the Fanboy - Kyle Hanson - 4.5 / 5 stars
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a truly new expression of the design philosophy that FromSoftware has spent years refining. Shifting gears a bit in the setting, story, and gameplay, the spirit of Dark Souls is still clearly the driving factor here.

Game Informer - Daniel Tack - 9 / 10
Sekiro is a wild ride through narrative twists and shocking boss battles, and an amazing triumph or crushing defeat is only ever seconds away

GameSpot - Tamoor Hussain - 9 / 10
From Software takes its unique brand of challenging gameplay to the stealth-action genre, and delivers something unforgettable.

Gameblog - Jonathan Bushle - French - 9 / 10
Sekiro is a wonderfull game, with great fights, a lot of exploration and a nice, very nice artistic direction. A must have.

GameMAG - Russian - 9 / 10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is another great game from FromSoftware that changes the usual formula and creates something new and great on a familiar foundation.

Press Start - James Mitchell - 9 / 10
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an intelligent reinvention of the tried and true SoulsBorne formula. It successfully manages to strike a delectable balance between difficult and enjoyable, without the frustrating moments players might’ve experienced in Dark Souls or Bloodborne. Owing to its fast-paced combat that rewards an aggressive approach, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is both fulfilling and satisfying and easily the best of FromSoftware’s games yet.

COGconnected - Garrett Drake - 88 / 100
Overall, I can’t get enough of Sekiro despite being terrible at playing it. It’s a great evolution of the Soulsborne experience with impressive new traversal and combat mechanics in a beautiful world loaded with odd characters and challenging enemies.

Fextralife - 8.8 / 10
Sekiro is a great realization of a fantastical Shinobi journey, with challenging but rewarding action-packed gameplay and intricate level design that encourages exploration. Sekiro stands on its own next to acclaimed Souls titles and puts FromSoftware on the action stage with a flourish. At first you hit a wall, then you become the wall the game hits against, and it feels wonderful.

Hardcore Gamer - Kevin Dunsmore - 4 / 5
Death is one of many constants players have come to expect from a From Software title alongside a well-designed world, a gameplay loop that rewards risk and experimentation, and a fair challenge.

Polygon - Dave Tach - Unscored
Sekiro meets me with just as much effort and enthusiasm as I’ve put into it. It lets me know I’m capable and skilled, and that I can figure it out.

Kotaku - Natalie Degraffinried - Unscored
In all, Sekiro has been difficult to master but has never felt unfair. I found myself actually, sincerely getting good, and the process felt great.

USgamer - John Learned - Unscored
Little hints and echoes to FromSoft’s past output is in there for those looking hard, but Sekiro is its own one-armed animal.

I’m now several hours in, and I cannot stop thinking about it now that I’ve torn myself away for a moment.

Destructoid - Chris Carter - Unscored
It's another keeper so long as you're ready to strap in for a tough ride.

Hobby Consolas - David Martinez - Spanish - Unscored
Sekiro refines the Dark Souls gameplay, adding stealth mechanics and a perfect combat system based on evading and parring attacks. The japanese setting, art style and open map design complete an amazing game, which, again, can be too difficult for some players. Review in process.

Forbes - Erik Kain - Unscored
I'm in no hurry to be done with the world of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It's the best game I've played since Bloodborne.

VG247 - Kirk McKeand - Unscored
It’s FromSoftware at its most confident, at its most unapologetic. It’s Bloodborne but faster, with fewer crutches yet somehow more fair. It’s also one of the best games released so far in what’s already looking like a strong 2019.

Windows Central - Asher Madan - Unscored
It's definitely harder than Dark Souls, but the sense of satisfaction you feel after defeating powerful titans is a reward in itself. The more you play, the stronger you become. I can't wait to see where this title takes me in terms of story and gameplay when I'm close to the end.

PCGamesN - Richard Scott-Jones - Unscored
Sekiro is probably the most difficult FromSoft game since Demon’s Souls, but that’s an oversimplification. There is a moment when the new combat system just ‘clicks’ – though it’ll keep screwing with you after that point, of course – and with a little thought, observation, and determination, you’ll often be able to find some trick to give you an edge.

Digital Chumps - Eric Layman - Unscored
I still have a lot of game ahead of me, but it’s clear that Sekiro thrives on the relationship between engagement and posture.

Stevivor - Luke Lawrie - Unscored
Sekrio: Shadows Die Twice continues FromSoftware’s dominance, showcasing that it’s on another level when it comes creating action games in fantastical worlds. You’re going to die, and you’re go die a lot. But these brilliant gameplay systems that come together to form experiences that we don’t see in other triple-A games is why people get excited for what Hidetaka Miyazaki is doing at FromSoftware.

Spaziogames - Domenico Musicò - Italian - Unscored
[Review in progress] You will hate Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for its difficulty, just as you hated Demon's Souls and Dark Souls your first time; but you will love it in equal measure.
 
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RionaaM

Vogon Poetry Appreciator
Sep 6, 2018
887
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So should I or should I not cancel my preorder? :p

Here's hoping I like it way more than Dark Souls.
 
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r3n4ud

Dr. Boom Boom
Oct 17, 2018
607
1,889
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Glad the game is getting so-so reviews. Makes the wait to play it next year tolerable.
 
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Anteater

Hentai Specialist
Sep 20, 2018
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Kinda finished RE2, DMC5, Hitman and Kiwami, I know 3 of those games are meant to be replayed but I'll take a break and start Sekiro
 
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jim2point0

MetaMember
Dec 24, 2018
190
695
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Another fun game to hack to bits on PC before "playing" it :)

Still not finished DMC5. Maybe I'll try and sprint through the rest of that tonight.
 
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Kuro

"Oh yeah? Aren't you gonna punish me?"
Dec 22, 2018
597
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What are these journalists doing? I thought this was their job, how is it under 99?
 
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TheLetdown

A six-pack of letdown.
Oct 30, 2018
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The streams I’ve seen have made the gameplay look extremely fluid. I didn’t want to watch for too long, though, since I didn’t want to catch a bunch of story and then be forced to skip it all tomorrow.
 
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Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
5,463
8,530
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Played a bit. Fun stuff. Gameplay is like Dark Souls with a bit of Nioh ninjaness thrown in although not quite as speedy as that and more rigid and with much easier stealth stuff where it wants to allow it. Environments can seem confusing, I don't think the fancy traversal skills add much to the gameplay, they only make the layouts more weird when you can reach areas with your double jumps and all the other stuff and the grappling hook. Maybe despite the verticality and weirdness you can't really get lost or anything with just one way to go every time so it could be fine after you get used to it all.

I'm also not sure how I feel about your sub weapon attachments using consumable items that don't actually auto replenish on rest like your Soulsy health stuff, it might make me not use them much. I haven't even tested out my first because of it, lol. Though it's nice to have the dude you can train on to get the hang of the different timing for stuff and the various combat techniques, that's one thing Nioh could have used.

It's not a particularly pretty game but it looks fine enough. Some cool design here and there. Nice setting too. So, again a lot like the Souls games in that, cool environments but with not the highest polycounts and fancy tech with the occasional cool vista or enemy design or poetic mood etc.. It seems limited to 60fps and occasionally seems to run at less than that without doing so according to the counter too.

Anyway, I'm liking it a lot, it feels quite fresh thanks to the setting and the different flow of the combat despite some similarities to Souls :)
 

r3n4ud

Dr. Boom Boom
Oct 17, 2018
607
1,889
93
Played a bit. Fun stuff. Gameplay is like Dark Souls with a bit of Nioh ninjaness thrown in although not quite as speedy as that and more rigid and with much easier stealth stuff where it wants to allow it. Environments can seem confusing, I don't think the fancy traversal skills add much to the gameplay, they only make the layouts more weird when you can reach areas with your double jumps and all the other stuff and the grappling hook. Maybe despite the verticality and weirdness you can't really get lost or anything with just one way to go every time so it could be fine after you get used to it all.

I'm also not sure how I feel about your sub weapon attachments using consumable items that don't actually auto replenish on rest like your Soulsy health stuff, it might make me not use them much. I haven't even tested out my first because of it, lol. Though it's nice to have the dude you can train on to get the hang of the different timing for stuff and the various combat techniques, that's one thing Nioh could have used.

It's not a particularly pretty game but it looks fine enough. Some cool design here and there. Nice setting too. So, again a lot like the Souls games in that, cool environments but with not the highest polycounts and fancy tech with the occasional cool vista or enemy design or poetic mood etc.. It seems limited to 60fps and occasionally seems to run at less than that without doing so according to the counter too.

Anyway, I'm liking it a lot, it feels quite fresh thanks to the setting and the different flow of the combat despite some similarities to Souls :)
Thanks for the impressions :weary-face:
 
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Kuro

"Oh yeah? Aren't you gonna punish me?"
Dec 22, 2018
597
806
93
This could be one of the hardest games I've ever played...
 
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Anteater

Hentai Specialist
Sep 20, 2018
1,405
2,358
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www.pixiv.net
Beat a miniboss, stupid grabs, I also don't know where I'm going, lol, I hope there's no "wrong" way in this game

Game is pretty fun so far, it still has this souls 2 movement feel to it but the controls are much more flexible, I think it's gonna take getting used to especially the jump, but I love that you have room to move vertically like jumping and kicking enemy in the air into a finisher, then there's the grappling hook, it looks fancy, and I've only played like an hour with nothing much really unlocked, looking forward to more, hopefully I don't get stuck much.

Also I'm enjoying the exploring and fighting the "normal" enemies than dark souls so far.
 
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Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
5,463
8,530
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When I wrote my first impressions I had no idea you later get to buy skills and shit as you play, so the combat system seemed kinda limited with your katana throughout plus whatever limited use sub weapon you get for your prosthetic, but it seems like you eventually get to expand your skillset and add more katana moves, more stealth stuff, more parries, more sub weapon skills, more everything. I feel like pro players will be able to decimate anything at a brisk pace with a cool flow from parry to dodge to counter for any move the enemies pull off, even stuff that seem unblockable in the beginning, so that makes it even more like a weird mix of character action and Souls games and a much more fresh experience. I think I like this combat more than Nioh which was a bit too much on the stats/RPG/loot side than I like (and maybe too many special systems too with all the stances and ki stuff but that's me, others like the technicalities) :)
 
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