FromSoftware’s Souls games are known for their nearly-cruel difficulty and have sparked sadistic memes like “git gud” thrown at frustrated newbies when they complain about the challenge. Apparently, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice won’t require such massive skills, or at least you won’t need to git “insanely” gud as explained by Directror Hidetaka Miyazaki himself in a recent interview on the PlayStation Blog.
According to the gaming industry’s most ruthless developer, the game lets you approach challenges in a lot of different ways, and if you play it smart, you can get through situations that your pure skills may not be sufficient to cope with.
“There are two key things about battle in Sekiro. In combat, one of the key aspects that’s important in this game is the violence of the clashing of swords. The other thing is the verticality and dynamic movement that you’re allowed.
That dynamism is in the combat, as well. There are lots of different ways to approach a battle, such as stealth, or using your arm tools. Attacking from above, for example. Some of your ninja tools can take advantage of an enemy’s weakness, as well. Or, if you want, you can just go straight in with your sword.
There are lots of different things you can do that will help you in battle. The game is designed in such a way that even if you’re not insanely good at the game, you can figure out how to get through it if you think about it and play it smart.”
Miyazaki-san also talked about the resurrection mechanic in the game, explaining that ninjas are different from knights because they take more risks and are more vulnerable. One screwup can result in death, and having to run back every single time isn’t good for the tempo of the game. Being able to resurrect on the spot (which won’t be available every single time) helps to mitigate that, and allows “that riskier edge of the knife type gameplay.”
Another important factor in the idea is that it allows players to kill ingeniously, as a ninja is so resourceful that he can even use his own death as a weapon. The story itself is also focused on the concept of resurrection.
That being said, Miyazaki-san is clear in mentioning that resurrection was not introduced to make the game easier. As a matter of fact, it can make it harder, because it allows the developers to push riskier combat situations where the player can die at any moment.
The game is balanced around this, and the presence of the resurrection mechanic does not mean that players won’t be afraid of death.
So, there you have it: if you play smart, you won’t need “insane” skills to progress, but you’re still gonna die (and resurrect) a whole lot. Looks like Miyazaki-san found new and more subtle ways to torture his players.
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. You can also read what else sets the game apart from Souls games, why multiplayer was dropped in favor of a single-player focus, and our preview.
You can already pre-order your copy on Amazon.
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