FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is certainly one of the most intriguing games introduced at E3 2018, and today we get more information about it during a livestreamed Q&A on Twitch.
We learn that while the game is set in the Sengoku Era in Japan, it’s not the real world. It’s actually an original world and setting created by From Software based on themes from that era. For instance, there are huge castles that never existed and probably couldn’t exist physically.
There aren’t multiple classes to choose from, so you don’t make a choice up front, but you choose your playstyle as you play through the game, making decisions about what your character is going to be like.
In the meanwhile, you’re introduced to a wide variety of mechanics such as stealth and many different forms of combat, and you get to advance in these as you like.
Stealth does play a role in the game, but it’s not the focus. Being caught and getting into a fight is not a failure. Stealth is a way to even the odds and strategically approach a battle that may have seemed impossible. There are a lot of “really cool moves” that can be used from stealth that can give the player a pretty big advantage if used smartly.
Resurrection is a mechanic in the game (hence the title). The hero can resurrect on the spot after being killed. This is not something that can be done all the time, and there are going to be limitations. Players should not worry about it making the game too easy, because that’s not the case.
It’s another facet of the strategic options of the game. If you’re fighting a group of enemies and you die, you have a chance to revive and turn the fight around as they turn away from your corpse and can attack them by surprise.
FromSoftware isn’t yet going into details about the death penalty, but it’s “gonna be interesting.”
The game is a single-player action adventure, and there is no multiplayer. Multiplayer requires a different design from single-player games. This allows to design a lot of ways to face bosses and situation, and go a lot deeper into that. The team wants to really push where they can bring a single-player game.
At least initially, the story is a little easier to wrap your head around compared to other FromSoftware games. The hero has lost everything including his honor and has to rescue his young master from the Hashino clan. He also wants revenge on those who took his arm. At the beginning, the goals are pretty clear.
That being said, if players are looking for a totally story-driven game that is jam-packed with cinematics, they’re looking in the wrong place. It’s still a FromSoftware game with FromSoftware-style storytelling and “packed with lore.”
The game will come out in early 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. If you want to know more, you can check out the first trailer, and the first screenshots and details.