Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)

[drahkon]

Progressed some more and have beaten a few of the what I assume to be "bigger" bosses:

Spoiler

Lady Butterfly - easy, but of course it had to be one of those bosses who summons stupid little mobs during the fight; well, running around the room or using snap seeds worked
Guardian Ape - surprisingly not that bad; I read that this is one of the bigger walls players hit, but I beat him on my second try...running around and chipping away at his health did the trick 
Folding Screen Monkeys - meh, what a boring "fight"

Very disappointing major boss fights so far (aside from Genichiro). I enjoyed the mini-bosses a lot more.

Yeah, I'm not feeling it. I think this might be From Software's weakest entry for me, unless something changes drastically.

[Hero-of-Time]

Sorry to hear the game isn't hitting the right notes with you, drahkon. Shame.  

Spoiler

The Guardian Ape is such a cool fight, especially if you aren't aware of its second phase. I bet there are loads of YT vids of people's reactions hen they thought they had killed it.  However, I do think it's one of the easier fights in the game. The arena is huge and its moves are well telegraphed and easily avoided.

As for the monkeys, yeah, very weird boss battle. It was certainly different, I'll give them that.

 

[drahkon]

7 hours ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Sorry to hear the game isn't hitting the right notes with you, drahkon. Shame.  

It's a weird one. It hits so many right notes, but just as many wrong notes.  

I may enter the "endgame" soon? I've spoiled myself 'cause I looked at a trophy guide and it seems that I'm one boss away from "shit going down". Hopefully the game steps it up a bit  

[Sheikah]

I thought Sekiro was one of the strongest entries from FS. There is something to be said for limiting choice - I found with bosses and even many enemies you had to be clever and study the enemy to defeat them. Compare this to many Souls games and you have so many options to almost cheese any enemy (including co-op) that the experience sometimes feels less refined and too easy.

It's also easily the most different game from all of the others made from Demon's Souls onwards. I really enjoyed it.

[drahkon]

After fighting...

Spoiler

...Guardian Ape I progressed some more in another area: Ashina Depths.

First mini-boss was fun, but it was a reused one.
Second not-really-mini-boss was...Headless Ape. Really?
Anyways, I wondered: What could the second phase be like? I expected more attacks and patterns to learn. But no...one more ape joins the fray turning this fight into yet another annoying one.

It wasn't hard, just annoying. Especially with the arena being smaller than the Guardian Ape one and the camera being even worse than in other Souls games.  

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by drahkon

[Hero-of-Time]

26 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

I thought Sekiro was one of the strongest entries from FS. There is something to be said for limiting choice - I found with bosses and even many enemies you had to be clever and study the enemy to defeat them. Compare this to many Souls games and you have so many options to almost cheese any enemy (including co-op) that the experience sometimes feels less refined and too easy.

It's also easily the most different game from all of the others made from Demon's Souls onwards. I really enjoyed it.

It's my fav out of all of the FS Souls type games. I would love them to do a sequel but I can't see it happening. One of my nephews played it for the first time at the back end of last year and it's also his favourite. Saying that, he's playing Elden Ring at the moment so that may take the top spot.

You mention the lack of co-op and I think it's one of the game's greatest features. As you said, in all the other Souls games you can call for help and essentially sit back and let others do the work but here you have to put in the work yourself. 

I'm gutted I've now played all of FS offerings. Their games are something else. I have Nioh 2 sat on the shelf and may fire that up some time soon. I know it's not made by FS but I really enjoyed the first game.

[Sheikah]

It's my fav out of all of the FS Souls type games. I would love them to do a sequel but I can't see it happening. One of my nephews played it for the first time at the back end of last year and it's also his favourite. Saying that, he's playing Elden Ring at the moment so that may take the top spot.
You mention the lack of co-op and I think it's one of the game's greatest features. As you said, in all the other Souls games you can call for help and essentially sit back and let others do the work but here you have to put in the work yourself. 
I'm gutted I've now played all of FS offerings. Their games are something else. I have Nioh 2 sat on the shelf and may fire that up some time soon. I know it's not made by FS but I really enjoyed the first game.

Nioh 2 is great, you're in for a treat.

[drahkon]

Cleaned up some areas to acquire certain items.

I think I've beaten all (mini-)bosses and have all the Prayer Beads available before the endgame. 

Some of the mini-bosses are trivialized by certain items. E.g.: Headless. Use Divine Confetti before the fight begins then enter the fray and immediately use the finger whistle Malcontent. It stuns the Headless for a stupidly long time. You can do this twice to easily dispatch of the boss. Great tactics which I used for all 4 (!!!) of those..
The other mini-bosses weren't any trouble, either, because you've fought against them at least once before and they don't really change much.

Now I'm going to do some prep work for the endings and enter the endgame. Really hope it ramps up a bit. 

Even though I'm prepping for the different endings, I'm still not sure if I'll go for the Platinum. So far, Sekiro is not a game I'd be happy to play again.  

[drahkon]

On 4/5/2022 at 12:13 PM, Sheikah said:

  Spoilers (Reveal hidden contents)

You have to get the bell before defeating the Divine Dragon, which is in the Divine Realm at the end of the Fountainhead Palace area. This is quite close to the endgame, and only accessible if you chose to stay loyal to Kuro. You won't be able to get the bell once you defeat the dragon.

  Extra spoilers on specifics: (Reveal hidden contents)

1. After staying loyal to Kuro and defeating Owl, talk and exhaust all dialogues with Kuro and Emma, then rest on the idol.
2. Stay behind the wall at the back of the room, behind the incense burner; the wall has holes so you can see Kuro, now eavesdrop on him talking about doing what must be done.
3. Rest and Emma will move upstairs; talk to her and choose to agree that Kuro must live.
4. Rest again and talk with Emma; she will mention visiting Tomoe's tomb.
5. Travel to the Old Grave idol in Ashina Castle and cross the smaller gates to the left facing the idol, which leads to the cemetery, and talk to Emma; she will talk about consulting the "Orangutan” (Sculptor’s nickname).
6. Travel to Dilapidated Temple and go around the temple to the back wall with a hole on it. Eavesdrop from there on Emma and the Sculptor.
7. Now talk with Emma about what you overheard and ask her what she is hiding. She will lend you the Father's Bell Charm; you must pray with it on the Kind Faced Buddha statue in that very same room (the one you prayed upon to visit Hirata Estate for the first time). This will transport you to another version of the Hirata Estate.

 

 

Sorry to bother you again, but I'm reading conflicting reports.

I now got the item necessary to access the area again. Do you remember if I can progress the story further now and not get locked out of "the past"?

[Sheikah]

As long as you've got the specific bell you can go any time prior to beating the game. If you really want to be sure, use the bell and actually visit the past, then leave. Then you're definitely safe.

[drahkon]

10 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

As long as you've got the specific bell you can go any time prior to beating the game. If you really want to be sure, use the bell and actually visit the past, then leave. Then you're definitely safe.

Perfect, thanks  

Just reached a new area and was greeted with a boss immediately after the first idol  Sadly it was another reused boss. It wasn't too bad actually, as this one actually had two phases vastly different to the initial version.
Nothing too difficult, though. Had to give it 3 tries in order to get the second and third phases down. Then it was smooth sailing.

[drahkon]

Two more major bosses down.

Spoiler

Divine Dragon - in good old Souls fashion there had to be a boss that looks intimidating only for it to be stupidly easy  It was a spectacle, though, and pretty cool  

Demon of Hatred - very fun fight; large, strong, fire demon, loved it. Took me 6 attempts and playing like a madman during my winning try  

You know what? The endgame's pretty cool. While regular enemies still mostly spend time in groups of 3 or more, the boss fights have been great. Usually one-on-one or with a few mobs that are easily dispatched. 
However, having to go through a certain area for the third freaking time is getting a little old, to be honest.

Up next: Getting the last two Prayer Beads. Gotta find the mini-bosses first, though.  
And then visiting the past one more time to clean up that area. Supposedly, the hardest fight awaits there. Can't wait.

Edited April 9, 2022 by drahkon

[drahkon]

While watching Bundesliga I farmed some materials and by extension exp. Managed to acquire all materials needed for upgrades (except 4 Lapis Lazuli...might get them in NG+) and quite a few skill points. 

Also got the remaining two Prayer Beads. Wasn't surprised to see them being guarded by two re-used mini-bosses  

And then it was time...

Spoiler

Owl (Father)
Wasn't too different from Great Shinobi Owl. Pretty much the same moveset, just a little more aggressive and a lot more powerful. 

Had his aggressiveness figured out by attempt #4, reached the second phase in attempt #5 and finally won in my 8th battle with him. Even though this fight took me more tries, I found Demon of Hatred to be more difficult to beat.  

I'll say it again: These last few bosses were a lot more fun than the earlier ones.  The game has redeemed itself a little.

Looks like I'm headed towards the end now. 

Edited April 9, 2022 by drahkon

[drahkon]

27 hours played and the final boss has been killed.
Probably the best fight of the game.

Spoiler

Of course, Genichiro had to appear again...why not re-use yet another boss fight.  

Isshin, the Sword Saint, however, was great. Basically the perfect enemy to use all the skills you've learned against.
His first phase was pretty easy. Only one move caught me off guard more than I'd like to admit. It's an insanely fast dash towards you with a quick hit. Cost me a few sips of my healing gourd.
Second phase was interesting. Didn't expect a gun. But a gun means: I pull out the umbrella, -ella, -ella, eh eh eh. Once I got his two gun moves figured out, it wasn't too bad.
Third phase only added one move: Lighting strike. Not too difficult to deal with and a pretty sweet move counter as you can dish out a lot of vitality damage with it.

Took me about 30 minutes worth of tries to take him down.

Now that I've seen almost everything (still need one more playthrough for the final ending and some extra bosses) I can fairly say: Easily the worst FromSoftware Souls game for me.
It has great combat mechanics and they work really well with most (mini-)bosses, but they fall apart as soon as you have to fight more than 2 enemies. I'll say it again: Maybe I suck and I simply don't know how to deal with a group of enemies, but never in my playthrough have I thought I was adequately equipped with means to dispatch more than 2 enemies at once (eventually you get an ability that makes stealth OP, though). Even with upgraded prosthetic tools it was annoying. And that meant I eventually skipped all regular enemies. Especially once I realized that practicing against them is not necessary and it's all about understanding the bosses  

Speaking of: This game features some of my favourite boss fights ever. 

Spoiler

Demon of Hatred is Sekiro's best boss. It was the most difficult one for me, too.
Isshin, the Sword Saint is the logical conclusion to your journey and tests everything you've learned before. Makes it #2.
#3: Owl (Father) - should've been the story fight. It wasn't too different from that one and aside from one or two new moves and higher damage output it really wasn't that much harder. Still: Very fun fight  

One of my biggest criticisms: The devs got lazy. The final 10-15 hours are basically the same as the first. You run through one area three (!!!) times...and the changes don't make it nearly as unique as the devs apparently thought they would. And how many times do I have to fight the same bosses?
It worked in Elden Ring because that game is huge. But even then it became a little annoying towards the end (granted, if you don't explore every nook and cranny it's not a big deal). But Sekiro is a much shorter and more condensed experience that it got old very fast.

Well, for now my journey is over. I will eventually go for the Platinum, but I need a break first. NG+ will be pretty straightforward, though. Only the critical path and quite a bit of farming is necessary, it seems.  

Edited April 10, 2022 by drahkon

[Sheikah]

27 hours played and the final boss has been killed.
Probably the best fight of the game.
Spoiler Of course, Genichiro had to appear again...why not re-use yet another boss fight. [emoji14] 
Isshin, the Sword Saint, however, was great. Basically the perfect enemy to use all the skills you've learned against.
His first phase was pretty easy. Only one move caught me off guard more than I'd like to admit. It's an insanely fast dash towards you with a quick hit. Cost me a few sips of my healing gourd.
Second phase was interesting. Didn't expect a gun. But a gun means: I pull out the umbrella, -ella, -ella, eh eh eh. Once I got his two gun moves figured out, it wasn't too bad.
Third phase only added one move: Lighting strike. Not too difficult to deal with and a pretty sweet move counter as you can dish out a lot of vitality damage with it.
Took me about 30 minutes worth of tries to take him down.
Now that I've seen almost everything (still need one more playthrough for the final ending and some extra bosses) I can fairly say: Easily the worst FromSoftware Souls game for me.
It has great combat mechanics and they work really well with most (mini-)bosses, but they fall apart as soon as you have to fight more than 2 enemies. I'll say it again: Maybe I suck and I simply don't know how to deal with a group of enemies, but never in my playthrough have I thought I was adequately equipped with means to dispatch more than 2 enemies at once (eventually you get an ability that makes stealth OP, though). Even with upgraded prosthetic tools it was annoying. And that meant I eventually skipped all regular enemies. Especially once I realized that practicing against them is not necessary and it's all about understanding the bosses  
Speaking of: This game features some of my favourite boss fights ever. 
Spoiler Demon of Hatred is Sekiro's best boss. It was the most difficult one for me, too.
Isshin, the Sword Saint is the logical conclusion to your journey and tests everything you've learned before. Makes it #2.
#3: Owl (Father) - should've been the story fight. It wasn't too different from that one and aside from one or two new moves and higher damage output it really wasn't that much harder. Still: Very fun fight [emoji3] 
One of my biggest criticisms: The devs got lazy. The final 10-15 hours are basically the same as the first. You run through one area three (!!!) times...and the changes don't make it nearly as unique as the devs apparently thought they would. And how many times do I have to fight the same bosses?
It worked in Elden Ring because that game is huge. But even then it became a little annoying towards the end (granted, if you don't explore every nook and cranny it's not a big deal). But Sekiro is a much shorter and more condensed experience that it got old very fast.
Well, for now my journey is over. I will eventually go for the Platinum, but I need a break first. NG+ will be pretty straightforward, though. Only the critical path and quite a bit of farming is necessary, it seems. [emoji3] 

I'm surprised to hear your comments about reusing content. Sekiro wasn't that bad in that regard at all I thought. Where bosses were repurposed (e.g. the guardian ape) they were sufficiently made different.

Elden Ring on the other hand, no matter how big it is, reuses quite a lot of content. All of the catacombs and mines dungeons looked very similar. You would see the same sorts of enemies show up in multiple areas. Dragon bosses were very similar. Not saying there wasn't a lot of original content too, but there was far more repeated content in Elden Ring and it was far more noticeable. I could give loads more examples. I'm not dissing Elden Ring for this though, it's a huge game so naturally there would be a fair bit of repeated content.

[drahkon]

2 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

(e.g. the guardian ape) they were sufficiently made different.

Headless Ape is literally Guardian Ape's second phase (i.e. Headless Ape) just with one more ape added after the first deathblow. And that ape, while annoying, is easily killed and then it's just Headless Ape by itself.
You fight most of the mini-bosses twice and other than maybe one or two moves (or for example a different element infused in their weapons - looking at you drunken dudes) nothing changes. 

4 minutes ago, Sheikah said:

there was far more repeated content in Elden Ring and it was far more noticeable.

Disagree with the last part. Since Sekiro is actually a pretty short game (unless you die over and over again) it was more noticeable to me here.

[Sheikah]

So they repeated the guardian ape boss once (with changes), and some other side bosses once.

 

In Elden Ring they repeated these crystal bosses time and time again as the bosses of dungeons:

 

 

Then they even put them as regular mobs late game. Same for dragon enemies, the same basic dragon was repeated countless times.

 

There's also several instances of that giant moving bladed cart that can usually one hit kill you in catacombs. At least 5 instances of that I'd say.

 

In fact nearly every dungeon in Elden Ring was a crystal themed one, a mine, caves or catacombs. With plenty of bosses being repeated among them.

 

Think of how many times you killed those same tree spirit things to get beads for your wondrous flask too.

[drahkon]

Look, I agree that both games did this.

However for me, Sekiro is the worse offender just because it's such a condensed game compared to Elden Ring. And in the latter game it didn't bother me for 90% of my play time.  

[drahkon]

Farming for the remaining 42 skillpoints is gonna take 6-7 hours (maybe more)...

Oh yeah, I couldn't take a break  Managed to get to the endgame and acquire the remaining materials for upgrading all tools in about 3 hours. Man, this game is easy when you've practiced and don't have to deal with all the bullshit  

Edited April 10, 2022 by drahkon

[drahkon]

I had to do it  
Farming for exp was quite relaxing. Put on the Conan O'Brien podcast and just enjoyed some comedic banter while slashing the same guy over and over again  

I'm happy that I went for the Platinum in the end. Made me fight all the bosses which I wouldn't have battled against if I hadn't gone for the trophies. Made my opinion of the game a little better.

Edited April 12, 2022 by drahkon