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Sekiro is a great game but imo it is FromSofts weakest game since Dark Souls 2
- Thread starter Toriko
- Start date
I really wanted to get into Sekiro, but I'm really bad at parrying in these games. I just can't get into grips with the timing no matter how much I try.
So when Sekiro was essentially 'parry or lose' I gave up after ten hours or so. It sucks, because the game had lot of great stuff in it.
So when Sekiro was essentially 'parry or lose' I gave up after ten hours or so. It sucks, because the game had lot of great stuff in it.
You're right, OP.
Sekiro is overall a good game with so many flaws like reused enemies/bosses, repetitive combat, useless skills, unbalanced skilltree progression (100% it's a real pain), lack of different areas, useless money system, poor lore compared to Bloodborne/Souls and no NG+ differences to make it better. It's also the hardest game for newcomers. And parry system gets old really fast.
It's a good game, it's fun, but weak and overrated I don't know why.
It's far away from the quality of Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3. Thanks God Elden Ring it's more Souls than Sekiro!
Sekiro is overall a good game with so many flaws like reused enemies/bosses, repetitive combat, useless skills, unbalanced skilltree progression (100% it's a real pain), lack of different areas, useless money system, poor lore compared to Bloodborne/Souls and no NG+ differences to make it better. It's also the hardest game for newcomers. And parry system gets old really fast.
It's a good game, it's fun, but weak and overrated I don't know why.
It's far away from the quality of Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3. Thanks God Elden Ring it's more Souls than Sekiro!
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Couldn't disagree more. To me it's their strongest base game so far, but let down by not having DLC, which is usually the strongest content.
Agreed about enemy variety, though. It's probably the number one reason why I want a sequel to it, since storywise there's reason to go a little crazier while moving on with the story.
Agreed about enemy variety, though. It's probably the number one reason why I want a sequel to it, since storywise there's reason to go a little crazier while moving on with the story.
I have to agree. The game has so many balance issues that really sour the experience. Almost all of the combat arts in the game are either completely worthless or cheese-tier. Same goes for prosthetics. There's no in-between and nothing to make you want to replay the game.
In comparison even though Bloodborne is a technical mess, the weapon balance is fantastically done. Every single weapon is viable as a main weapon and the distribution of them means with the exception of one or two means you can take your pick and do a new playthrough with new weapons which vastly changes how you approach each encounter and boss.
In comparison even though Bloodborne is a technical mess, the weapon balance is fantastically done. Every single weapon is viable as a main weapon and the distribution of them means with the exception of one or two means you can take your pick and do a new playthrough with new weapons which vastly changes how you approach each encounter and boss.
You're not wrong, but you're just describing Dark Souls, which actually does this better than Bloodborne due to simply having more options available. If Bloodborne put too many awesome weapons in the first 15 minutes of the game, you'd be left with nothing, so there are quite a few builds that have you beating some of the coolest bosses before you can even start using them. Weapon balance is also good from the perspective of "anything is viable", but the better weapons are waaaay better than the worse ones.
In that sense, it's not that different from Sekiro's prosthetic and combat arts balance. Mortal Draw makes almost everything else irrelevant, but so does the Saw Cleaver in Bloodborne, which you can get as literally your first weapon. Or the Sellsword Twinblades in Dark Souls 3.
I don't disagree Sekiro's combat has issues that are particular to it, but ironically solving them would likely result in more challenge, which was already too high according to many From Software fans, so it's hard to get around. For example, the game gets criticized for being "mash R1 until it's time to mash L1", but that's often not really the optimal way of dealing with bosses, which means that the issue is that the game lets you succeed by doing that in the first place. So in order to solve that issue, they'd have to kill players relying on this strategy even more than they already do. Just not allowing you to mash L1 and taking chip damage if you don't time your parries correctly is already gated behind an optional, post-game Hard Mode.
Playing DS 2 for the first time right now. Sekiro remains king for me. That said, I loathe combat variety in most souls titles because, in the PvE, they often don't actually encourage that variety. There's constant hints, resistances, or encounter design that actively discourages certain play styles in a way I find disingenuous. With Bloodborne and Sekiro (especially Sekiro), the combat variety is narrowed so I much more clearly understand what the game wants out of me. Also, idols/bonfires near boss doors. Just the best.
demon's souls is what you want. the game is more open to viable wild builds compared to dark souls
Got the platinum. I LOVE Demon's Souls for this exact reason.
Sekiro = Bloodborne = Dark Souls 3
There's not that option in theb poll and I can't really decide. Sekiro is maybe best game overall and best combat but least possibilities and not an RPG. It's definitely not a worse game, it's probably my favourite to play, moment to moment gameplay wise.
There's not that option in theb poll and I can't really decide. Sekiro is maybe best game overall and best combat but least possibilities and not an RPG. It's definitely not a worse game, it's probably my favourite to play, moment to moment gameplay wise.
dark souls as it went on unfortunately devolved into a hit stuff with melee weapon game to its own detriment, DS3 being the worst about that.
I can never parse the story for these games. I know there are tons of lore channels and such. But the subtle story telling approach from FROM games don't click with me at all.
I adore them otherwise.
My only complaint about Sekiro was that I wanted more fantastical locations and bosses that are the Asian equivalent of Dark Souls and Bloodborne. All things considered, the environments and most bosses/enemies are quite restrained compared to Froms past titles. I wanted to see more Guardian Ape bosses and less generic generals, or at least more of a balance. There's just so much more I think they could have done with the aesthetic.
I'm on board with the level design complaints. The open design worked pretty well for Ashina Castle but I'd have preferred the interwoven design for everything else. It seemed so easy to just run through everything rather than learn the design of the world.
I disagree with most everything else though. The art direction is From's best aside from maybe Bloodborne. It's just such a stunningly beautiful game despite not being a graphical powerhouse. Also the soundtrack during average combat encounters isn't that good but the boss soundtracks and main menu theme kick ass.
Most of the game is From at their absolute best however...
There are only so many ways to improve health and attack but it all comes down to skill and in a game where some of the boss battles are an absolute grind, that isn't a great thing. The final boss just asks for the player to do way too much and in a game where upgrades are capped, that doesn't feel good.
Again, Sekiro does so much exceptionally well but damn is the actual game frustrating at times. I almost don't want to compare it to Soulsborne because of the play style limitations in comparison.
I disagree with most everything else though. The art direction is From's best aside from maybe Bloodborne. It's just such a stunningly beautiful game despite not being a graphical powerhouse. Also the soundtrack during average combat encounters isn't that good but the boss soundtracks and main menu theme kick ass.
Most of the game is From at their absolute best however...
The lack of customization options really hurts it for me compared to From's other games. There's one single way to play the game and if you don't do it and do it perfectly, you're fucked.
There are only so many ways to improve health and attack but it all comes down to skill and in a game where some of the boss battles are an absolute grind, that isn't a great thing. The final boss just asks for the player to do way too much and in a game where upgrades are capped, that doesn't feel good.
Again, Sekiro does so much exceptionally well but damn is the actual game frustrating at times. I almost don't want to compare it to Soulsborne because of the play style limitations in comparison.
After playing Sekiro it's way hard for me to go back to From's other games. The movement, speed, and fluidity of the game is just so damn fun. Everything else now feels like molasses.
My hope is Eldin Ring takes more elements from Sekiro than Dark Souls or Bloodborne.
My hope is Eldin Ring takes more elements from Sekiro than Dark Souls or Bloodborne.
Soulsborne games are system driven, Sekiro is not. That's at the bottom of it, why it's a lesser game by far.
edit: I believe this stems from From's disappointment that people played Souls games "wrong" by using shields so much. So they decided to strictly enforce how you play Sekiro by removing systems that enable diverse gameplay styles. And considering how much parry is emphasized, I think they were especially salty about it not being popular in Souls games.
edit: I believe this stems from From's disappointment that people played Souls games "wrong" by using shields so much. So they decided to strictly enforce how you play Sekiro by removing systems that enable diverse gameplay styles. And considering how much parry is emphasized, I think they were especially salty about it not being popular in Souls games.
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Déraciné was really good, though. A really atmospheric throwback to Froms older adventure games. Not everything they make has to be built around the skeleton of Demon's Souls.
Also just spent the last two weeks playing (and platinuming it today)...I would say it's the least ambitious game of the "souls" franchise. The moment to moment combat is very satisfying, especially many of the bosses. Deflecting is so awesome and makes you feel like a boss (especially against bosses). I do like the stealth focus actually, finding ways to deathblow bosses and multienemy encounters preemptively is satisfying. The game definitely feels one noted however. I think the tools could have been better utilized to take advantage of unique enemy weaknesses to make more encounters more 'puzzle like'. I did actually enjoy the level design personally quite a bit. Only thing is replaying on NG+ and on you realize just how small the game actually is, but what's there is top notch IMO. So yeah I think it is their "worst" game this gen simply for how shallow it is, even if the core combat is amazing. But still an incredible ride.
Also total side note I was surprised by how not hard the game ended up being after all the hype of the difficultly, just like other souls game, patience goes on long way
Also total side note I was surprised by how not hard the game ended up being after all the hype of the difficultly, just like other souls game, patience goes on long way
If they could find a way to add such customization and systems, while maintaining the basic combat' in a sequel it could be the best
I honestly thought DS3, Bloodborne, and Sekiro were From's best three games, as much as I have a huge soft spot for DS1. From absolutely killed it this gen.
It was the first of the Souls games where I was like..."Yeah, this is too fucking hard." Got about halfway through.
This simply is not true. At all.
I never parry in games. Ever. I mean it. I will not even consider parrying to be an option in other games.
In Sekiro it's an actual pretty generous window in comparison to other games where the parrying mechanics are cruel and half-assed
Maybe a more accurate way of wording what you wrote was "you either like timing or you don't"
It makes sense that I love Sekiro's combat because, for example, some of my favorite turn-based combat systems revolve around timing
I don't understand this.
For one, Sekiro is the only Miyazaki game where it isn't fucking annoying and stingy with its checkpoints.
Two, it's very easy to grind for money, and you can always grind for materials and skill points (and later on, Attack Power, which DOES help despite what others may say. Though grinding for this is a LOT more time-consuming).
Three, because Sekiro isn't stingy with its checkpoints, dying is a lot less frustrating. Therefore you feel more free with experimenting and learning attack patterns and the intricacies of the combat system. At least in my experience.
I dunno maybe I just fucking hate the Souls games
Sekiro is one of the few games where I just said "this is too much for me" and stopped before throwing the disc away. Still want to give it another go, every "rythm change" in From games throws me off balance...but after dying 30+ times to an armoured dude in a bridge, MAYBE this is really too hard for me.
Dark Souls 2 was annoying, and SotFS was frustrating in places, but highly cheeseable so it evened out.
Dark Souls 2 was annoying, and SotFS was frustrating in places, but highly cheeseable so it evened out.
Interesting thread, not quite caught up. Played 4 hours of Sekiro last night and am dying to Goubu. I've played DS1, DS3 and some Bloodborne but am not a superfan and have no comment about rankings. I would like to write a bit more about Sekiro later. Basically I'm not enthusiastic yet, the game doesn't seem clear on what it wants to be. However A) early days, B) I'm not here to judge, and C) not everything is for everyone.
That's because Sekiro is an action-adventure title while Dark Souls/Bloobdorne are Action-RPGs.
No wonder there's a lack of customization or different playstyles, i guess people didn't get the memo and they keep comparing Sekiro with the Souls series. Having bonfires and enemies respawn is not enough to compare them.
It's the same thing with Ninja Gaiden and Nioh, i absolutely expect people who loved Nioh to be disappointed IF Team Ninja announces Ninja Gaiden 4 which plays completely different from Nioh.
I'm not too sure if I prefer Bloodborne to Dark Souls 3. I feel like they're the same. I don't really understand what makes Bloodborne so much better other than the setting and some enemies. I do like the parry system.
Like when it comes to level design, I definitely don't think Bloodborne has the best overall levels in the series, there are some notable ones though. Dark souls 3 also has better bosses.
I didn't complete Sekiro so I can't say. But the combat is definitely top tier
Like when it comes to level design, I definitely don't think Bloodborne has the best overall levels in the series, there are some notable ones though. Dark souls 3 also has better bosses.
I didn't complete Sekiro so I can't say. But the combat is definitely top tier
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Totally agree with all this, but I do think that the games does allow for some different builds on a smaller level with the prosthetic arm, I've seen some creative uses of it online.
I mean, by that same token, that's what Dark Souls is all about, learning enemy patters, knowing when to strike, when to block, when/where to roll... The rules for parrying are very clear, and there are enough variations to make the fights enjoyable. Hell, I rarely was as gripped as when I fought Owl and finally beat him after quite a few attempts.
For me it comes down to not really getting the appeal of the souls sequels. I view them as like rpg combat simulators rather than deep world-building exercises like DeS abd DS1. 3 is very fun and worlds above 2 but even then it's just doing what 1 did in a more redundant setting with less interesting interconnection
Sekiro is a fresh story with more sophisticated combat so it's kind of better by default for me
Sekiro is a fresh story with more sophisticated combat so it's kind of better by default for me
I hadn't really played any of the Souls games previously, but I am now and never really parry. It seems to me the window for parrying in Sekiro is way more generous, and as a result you learn to use it efficiently.
Same feeling, as mentioned above. I also liked that the checkpoints were more frequent, it avoided having to take long walks to the boss and could focus on that.
I didn't really enjoy any of the Souls games before Sekiro, and I really loved that one. That said, I have now come back to Dark Souls and I am enjoying it for what it in a different manner than Sekiro. If I have to choose, I prefer the latter, but they're just different beasts.
The only thing bringing Sekiro down a bit is a lack of fashion souls and build options, but in terms of gameplay, world and boss fights it's only second to Bloodborne.
Yeah and that's ultimately what I think the company accels at, creating worlds that have a specific focus by learing from their past outings to figure out what works and what doesn't for the particular game. Like lots of people want bloodborne 2 but I guarantee you a totally different setting and theme will be much more interesting than another iterative sequel
My personal ranking:
DS2 > DS1 > Sekiro > Bloodborne > DS3
I love bloodborne but I think the combat gets way too much credit. I found it more tedious than fun. Sekiro feels more fluid and natural.
I also disagree with the level design complaint of Sekiro, I think the levels serve the games purpose perfectly. Ashina Castle is a great example of a level that can be explored in various interconnecting ways.
DS2 > DS1 > Sekiro > Bloodborne > DS3
I love bloodborne but I think the combat gets way too much credit. I found it more tedious than fun. Sekiro feels more fluid and natural.
I also disagree with the level design complaint of Sekiro, I think the levels serve the games purpose perfectly. Ashina Castle is a great example of a level that can be explored in various interconnecting ways.
