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Oct 31, 2017
14,991
Some of you may recall a thread where I was a tad inflammatory and I do apologize for that; I get in certain moods (especially when my ADHD meds aren't in my system) where I lose my sense of mindfulness and also lose control over my emotions.

Anyways, a couple of weeks ago, I re-downloaded Sekiro and told myself "ok I'll give this game ONE more chance"

AbsoluteTotalGermanwirehairedpointer-max-1mb.gif


I managed to beat the mini-boss I was stuck on.

And eventually got to Lady Butterfly.

BriskImperturbableAidi-size_restricted.gif


Oddly enough, I wasn't discouraged. I died to her like 50-60+ times, but eventually I got to the point where I barely took damage. I found it to be really fun, actually. As of right now all my favorite fights in the game are ones where you're just encouraged to deflect perfectly until their posture is ruined and you can deal the deathblow.

And then it was mostly smooth sailing from there. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I beat Genichiro, I beat the Guardian Ape, and I even beat the Headless Ape with its stupid Lover Companion on my first try!!

I'm mostly shocked, because I generally don't like hard games. But with Sekiro? Well, though there is some jank in the design, and I kind of hate how it basically requires a walkthrough/online help (unless you want it to take forever, and with me it already has lol. I'm 45 hours in and I definitely have a bit to go). I think it's just a fucking brilliant game in general.

The further I go, the more awed I am. I love the NPC's, I love the design of every location, I love how every location looks, exploring is SO rewarding, and I never get tired of using the hookshot. And it just feels like there's so much effort put into it that I just have to see it through eventually.

BitesizedSpicyBudgie-size_restricted.gif


Maybe there'll be situations later in the game that'll cause me to think it's insurmountable, but as of right now, I've realized that there's no boss that's impossible; if anything, it's just learning the timing.

Even though I've gotten this far, I can't say I've "gotten good" at all, because that requires:

1. Remembering to not spam any button because that'll screw you over
2. Remembering to be aggressive, but not too aggressive.

And that's really hard, depending on the mood I'm in!

I'm currently stuck on Owl, but I've went from "wtf I can't get one fucking hit in" with my first few deaths, to almost killing him. I'm sure I'll get him eventually.

It's just that the game really does require a LOT of energy. At least for me. I think I've only been able to do this because, tbh, the past few weeks have been the least productive weeks for me in recent memory lol. Not to say that to beat this game you have to be an unproductive person, but for someone like me who isn't used to playing hard games, and is prone to being emotional and super anxious, something like this can really drain your energy.

That said, even if I never beat this game (which I don't think will be the case, because, again, I know that it all comes down to getting timing and movesets down, even if that'll take me 100+ tries), and even though I do think it'd be more enjoyable if I could kinda grind my way through tbh, I still think it's an absolutely brilliant game, and I want to say that it's one of my favorite games of all time at this point. Absolutely everything (except the camera and the stealth mechanic) was crafted with so much care, it's almost unbelievable. And even though there's usually only one way to beat something, there's MANY ways to make fights a little easier, such as using the Deathblow that possesses an enemy and can distract the boss/mini-boss for a little bit.

It's just so fucking weird and cool. I still have absolutely no idea how to use the Umbrella correctly, but it looks fucking amazing and I love seeing it spin. Some of the animation work in this game is truly incredible. And shit like the Monkey boss fight was a pleasant surprise. Sometimes, if I feel like taking a break from a boss or mini-boss, I'll just boot up the game and re-explore some areas.

I can gush about the game all day long honestly. Even though it's flawed and even though I wish I was better at it.





Can't believe I'm saying this, but at 45 hours in: I'm enamored with this fucking game.
 

BlackSalad

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,223
Yeah it's a great game and very rewarding once the combat system clicks. You have the best still to come, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the last boss!
 

Camwi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,375
Well, though there is some jank in the design, and I kind of hate how it basically requires a walkthrough/online help (unless you want it to take forever, and with me it already has lol. I'm 45 hours in and I definitely have a bit to go).
There are those of us that never wanted it to end. That game is a masterpiece.
 

Rocketz

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,912
Metro Detroit
I'm basically where you are at as well. I haven't tried to fight Owl yet but I know he's waiting at the top.

A year ago I dropped it pretty quick but I took the time to learn how to play the game before jumping back in (plus series x making it 60FPS). Been having a blast.
 

Tatsu91

Banned
Apr 7, 2019
3,147
Some of you may recall a thread where I was a tad inflammatory and I do apologize for that; I get in certain moods (especially when my ADHD meds aren't in my system) where I lose my sense of mindfulness and also lose control over my emotions.

Anyways, a couple of weeks ago, I re-downloaded Sekiro and told myself "ok I'll give this game ONE more chance"

AbsoluteTotalGermanwirehairedpointer-max-1mb.gif


I managed to beat the mini-boss I was stuck on.

And eventually got to Lady Butterfly.

BriskImperturbableAidi-size_restricted.gif


Oddly enough, I wasn't discouraged. I died to her like 50-60+ times, but eventually I got to the point where I barely took damage. I found it to be really fun, actually. As of right now all my favorite fights in the game are ones where you're just encouraged to deflect perfectly until their posture is ruined and you can deal the deathblow.

And then it was mostly smooth sailing from there. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I beat Genichiro, I beat the Guardian Ape, and I even beat the Headless Ape with its stupid Lover Companion on my first try!!

I'm mostly shocked, because I generally don't like hard games. But with Sekiro? Well, though there is some jank in the design, and I kind of hate how it basically requires a walkthrough/online help (unless you want it to take forever, and with me it already has lol. I'm 45 hours in and I definitely have a bit to go). I think it's just a fucking brilliant game in general.

The further I go, the more awed I am. I love the NPC's, I love the design of every location, I love how every location looks, exploring is SO rewarding, and I never get tired of using the hookshot. And it just feels like there's so much effort put into it that I just have to see it through eventually.

BitesizedSpicyBudgie-size_restricted.gif


Maybe there'll be situations later in the game that'll cause me to think it's insurmountable, but as of right now, I've realized that there's no boss that's impossible; if anything, it's just learning the timing.

Even though I've gotten this far, I can't say I've "gotten good" at all, because that requires:

1. Remembering to not spam any button because that'll screw you over
2. Remembering to be aggressive, but not too aggressive.

And that's really hard, depending on the mood I'm in!

I'm currently stuck on Owl, but I've went from "wtf I can't get one fucking hit in" with my first few deaths, to almost killing him. I'm sure I'll get him eventually.

It's just that the game really does require a LOT of energy. At least for me. I think I've only been able to do this because, tbh, the past few weeks have been the least productive weeks for me in recent memory lol. Not to say that to beat this game you have to be an unproductive person, but for someone like me who isn't used to playing hard games, and is prone to being emotional and super anxious, something like this can really drain your energy.

That said, even if I never beat this game (which I don't think will be the case, because, again, I know that it all comes down to getting timing and movesets down, even if that'll take me 100+ tries), and even though I do think it'd be more enjoyable if I could kinda grind my way through tbh, I still think it's an absolutely brilliant game, and I want to say that it's one of my favorite games of all time at this point. Absolutely everything (except the camera and the stealth mechanic) was crafted with so much care, it's almost unbelievable. And even though there's usually only one way to beat something, there's MANY ways to make fights a little easier, such as using the Deathblow that possesses an enemy and can distract the boss/mini-boss for a little bit.

It's just so fucking weird and cool. I still have absolutely no idea how to use the Umbrella correctly, but it looks fucking amazing and I love seeing it spin. Some of the animation work in this game is truly incredible. And shit like the Monkey boss fight was a pleasant surprise. Sometimes, if I feel like taking a break from a boss or mini-boss, I'll just boot up the game and re-explore some areas.

I can gush about the game all day long honestly. Even though it's flawed and even though I wish I was better at it.





Can't believe I'm saying this, but at 45 hours in: I'm enamored with this fucking game.
Games a toughie i managed to beat lady butterfly without parrying.
 

Sellda

Member
Oct 25, 2017
506
SamE, I played this last Christmas. It was as so good, the feeling is amazing after you be beat the boss after dying 50 times
 

LookAtMeGo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,136
a parallel universe
I'm stuck on the very last boss. I've beat all bosses but this last one. I spent forever on it and just gave up. Incredible game though I dunno if I'll ever actually beat it. Loved my time with it.
 

TeenageFBI

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,228
There are tougher bosses than Lady Butterfly but the real key is clicking with the parry system. Sounds like you're at that point. She's still one of the harder bosses, especially if you fight her early on so you have a good shot at the rest of the game.

And yeah, I agree, Sekiro is a masterpiece.
 

TimeFire

Avenger
Nov 26, 2017
9,625
Brazil
Welcome to the Souls community, OP. That's the rush that keep us coming back to this franchise. Try tackling the other games in the series with your newfound mindset!
 

Stat

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,158
The thing with Sekiro is that it actively punishes playing like Dark Souls. The best combat in any game - LOVED it. Honestly, I hate "hard" games too but I loved Sekiro and thought the final boss was easy once you got what the game wanted you to do. Fight, Block, Parry, Repeat.
 

TimeFire

Avenger
Nov 26, 2017
9,625
Brazil
Sekiro is not Souls. Sekiro has well placed checkpoints, doesn't ask you to repeat large sections for no reason and doesnt have dick move gotcha moments.

Sekiro absolutely has all of that lol

In fact, one of OP's threads were about how he was hating Sekiro because every time he died against a boss he had to kill mooks again. Not to mention, Sekiro's checkpoints aren't too different from Dark Souls 3 or Bloodborne's
 
OP
OP
pleaseinsertdisctwo
Oct 31, 2017
14,991
Welcome to the Souls community, OP. That's the rush that keep us coming back to this franchise. Try tackling the other games in the series with your newfound mindset!

Unfortunately this doesn't give me the desire to retry the Souls games. I love Sekiro because it's fast-paced and I find the combat genuinely fun, and it has an actual story and actual cutscenes. The Souls games are way too slow for me. I will say, though, that this means I'm going to keep an eye out for Elden Ring (even though it's disappointingly more Souls-like)!

Fuck the blazing bull. That fight is just as much the player against the camera as it is Sekiro against the bull.

Blazing Bull was genuinely so easy I was scared that it was going to have a crazy 2nd form as a surprise. All you have to do is use firecrackers, hit it like crazy, use firecrackers again, hit it like crazy, rinse and repeat. It took me like a minute, if even that. It's just intimidating because it's huge and you also don't think you can block anything (you can, but you don't have to). I think I just had to run away from it once and then used firecrackers again until it was dead.
 

Musubi

Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
23,611
Sekiro really has the best defense is a good offense approach to design.
 

zoodoo

Member
Oct 26, 2017
12,731
Montreal
Fuck the blazing bull. That fight is just as much the player against the camera as it is Sekiro against the bull.
I never understood the hate for the bull. It's a straight forward albeit boring boss. Stay away, let it charge, parry, hit twice, rinse and repeat, dead. What camera are people talking about? No need to lock on
 
Oct 26, 2017
19,736
I hate enemies with magnetic attacks who turn mid-air and defy physics, so I wasn't enjoying Sekiro much, but I pushed through. I finally quit after Lady Butterfly. I beat her and felt no sense of joy. That was my sign the game wasn't for me. But glad you're enjoying it, OPOP.

Some day I'll probably dive back in.
 

Xumbrega

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,080
Brasil
yep. I'm not a diehard From Soft fan but Sekiro is reeeaaally special, parrying in Sekiro has to be one of the most satisfying things in gaming
 

Patsy

Member
Jun 7, 2019
1,279
Germany
very proud of you!!! :D i also remember dying to lady butterfly so much it took me a whole afternoon or more to beat her, but after that i mostly got bosses down in 1-3 tries until the end boss pretty much which honestly felt a bit weird after struggling for so long lmao.

was scared shitless of the guardian ape bc it's, well, a huge fucking ape & avoided fighting it for as long as i could which was ridiculous bc i was positive that i'd get stuck on it and then bam, 1st try i think? got super grossed out when he lost his head & just kept fighting me so a lot of time was spent running around & trying not to look at him too much but hey i still beat it either way :3

anyway, really glad you ended up liking it & hopefully continue to like it!! and don't give up if you get stuck!! can't wait to see you at one point beat it! tbh i barely ever used the umbrella until i got to a very late game boss that was made significantly easier with it. trust me, if you don't know how to use it by then, the fight'll force you to get it if you get stuck on it lmao. it's great how versatile your arsenal is though despite still being fairly limited compared to other fromsoft games.
 

RM8

Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,898
JP
Sekiro is brutal, but it's honestly not the hardest game ever. Checkpoints are generous, you often have the chance to climb somewhere and just relax a bit during boss battles, and being sneaky (in addition to cheesing enemies) makes things relatively manageable. I'd say Doom Eternal is more difficult, for example.

It's a fantastic game! Honestly the only From game I actually love. Elden Ring being more of a Souls-like is pretty disappointing ;(
 

Fhtagn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,615
I'm still trying to learn that "good offense" doesn't mean "mash the attack button" :p

extremely key but subtle aspect of Sekiro: if you hit attack and need to block mid-swing, you can... unless you buffered a second attack already by mashing.

So, the game rewards you for pressing your attack to the limit, because you can always parry or block, unless you're mashing, in which case, no the game won't. Forced me to learn to play better.