Sekiro:
Shadows Die Twice
The approach to RPG action games with high
difficulty is something that has been firmly attached to the game made from
From Software. Developers who are widely known from the mecha franchise Another
Century and Armored Core have given birth to a very difficult RPG game
franchise through Demon's Souls to Bloodborne. Even though it sounds
troublesome, a very challenging gameplay formula becomes a separate addiction
and makes many gamers fall in love with their games. Armed with the trust of
the fans, they finally returned to developing the latest game with a similar
approach to the formula through Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
The game originally planned as the latest Tenchu
series is an action game with a typical RPG element approach from the
Soulsborne series. In addition to presenting a clearer storyline with its own
main characters, Sekiro also comes with many new reshapes that make the
gameplay tempo faster, challenging and strategic at the same time. KotGa crew
themselves have had the opportunity to play this game at several special
events, and finally the time to try out the final version has come. Armed with
several days of playing experience and a little comparison of the demo version,
KotGa Crew has summarized the impressions in the review below.
Storyline
Just like other Souls games, the storyline in
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice starts with a cinematic cutscene that tells the
background of conflict and an introduction to the main character. In this game
you will act as a shinobi named "Sekiro" or "The Wolf"
(only designation), who is given the task of protecting his new master. At the
beginning of the introduction to the story, Sekiro was a small teenager who was
trapped in a major battle and was discovered by shinobi The Owl, who later
appointed him as his student and adopted son.
Because the Kuro master is a descendant of an
ancient clan blessed with mysterious powers to raise the dead, he has become
the target of Ashina's top brass, including Genichiro Ashina who succeeded in
killing Sekiro and then kidnapping the Kuro master. Sekiro then rose again at a
nearby temple inhabited by a Buddha sculptor, as well as the person who cared
for and gave the Prosthetic Arm as the hand of his broken successor.
Capitalizing firmly on his duty, Sekiro finally embarked on a journey of
revenge to save the kidnapped master.
This is where the storyline will depend entirely on
the action you take. You can explore an area and get a picture of a story from
a more different perspective, such as how you could go back in time 3 years ago
and have to deal with a conflict of attack by bandits at Hirata Estate. If
there are things that make the KotGa Crew fall in love with the story in this
game, that is how each character has their respective important roles and red
thread searches that are easier to understand.
A thousand
ways to become a Shinobi
Another similarity that can be found in Sekiro is
the existence of homebase which is still maintained. The initial temple which
is the place of the engraver has the same role as Firelink Shrine in Dark
Souls, where you can return to this place and get access to various upgrades
which will later explain the KotGa Crew.
Before complaining that the gameplay is too
difficult, please note that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a different game from
Soulsborne series. Although there are many similarities that can be seen
between the two, Sekiro is a game that requires players to take the mechanism
seriously. In this game you act as a Shinobi with high mobility and very agile
ability. Armed with these abilities alone, players can use it to try out
different styles of play, both stealth and close combat using high speed.
The portion of the gameplay itself is divided into
battles and exploration. For the fight, you will be equipped with a short
Katana named Kusabimaru and various special Trick Tool from Shinobi Prosthetic.
The role of the stealth element in this game is quite essential, because you
can kill enemies secretly by launching "Death Blow." If you are
involved in a direct fight, then you have to prepare in an intense battle of
swords. Every enemy in Sekiro has a strong defense that is hard to penetrate,
so giving a stagger effect to launch Death Blow is the most effective way. To
do this, you must fill the enemy "Posture" bar by consistently launching
and deflecting attacks. Posture itself is an indicator that shows the
resistance of the enemy to withstand attacks (similar to stamina), so if the
bar is full, then there are moments for a split second for you to finish them
off. Posture is not only possessed by enemies, because the characters you play
also have their own Posture. You can attack the attack by pressing the Block
button, but the posture of your character will increase more than doing a
perfect defect. Fending off attacks plays a very important role every time you
are faced with a fight. Because in addition to not consuming a lot of Posture,
perfect blocking can also make enemies pushed and open opportunities for you to
launch a slash counter or increase enemy posture faster. So as you can see,
hold and fend off attacks are two very different actions in this game.
Each enemy sometimes also has three different
attacks that cannot be defended such as Thrust, Grab and Swing attacks. This
type of attack is always marked with a red kanji that appears just before they
launch it, so you will have a moment to react and anticipate the attack. Thrust
attacks can usually be anticipated by launching Mikiri Counter or parry that
uses legs to step on enemy weapons, Grab attacks with side-step movements, and
Swing by jumping, at least those are the most effective ways you can practice. If
all that still isn't challenging, this game has several types of enemies with a
layered health bar and a very strong defense mechanism. The example itself can
be seen from the many mini-bosses that you will encounter on the way until
spirit-type monsters like Headless are immune to physical attacks. Learn the
weaknesses of the enemy and explore the style of play like a Shinobi are two
main keys for those of you who want to survive in this game, so even though
there is one enemy or area that feels impossible to conquer, surely there are
always different ways that only a true shinobi can do.
You can improve your fighting abilities and other
passive effects by accessing the skill tree. You can unlock new skills after
getting enough XP skills from enemies that have been successfully killed. The
stronger the enemy you fight, the greater the XP skill you get to access more
expensive skills. Besides the usual skills, Sekiro is also equipped with
Ninjutsu abilities that are very unique and effective, but you can only use
these skills by consuming Spirit Emblems.
Shinobi
Prosthetic
Besides relying on his experience as a shinobi,
Sekiro is also equipped with his new strength, the Shinobi Prosthetic. More
than a substitute hand, the Shinobi Prosthetic has a vast potential power. You
can embed a Shinobi Tool and make it a new weapon starting from Loaded Shuriken
to attack enemies from a distance, Flame Vent to spit out embers that can burn
enemies, Firecracker to disrupt the enemy's focus and weaken monsters and
animals, Loaded Umbrella that can withstand strong attacks enemies with shields
resembling umbrellas, and many others.
The Prosthetic Shinobi can also be used as a Grappling
Hook that allows you to access higher or far beyond places. This tool makes
exploration much more exciting, because you can control your character more
freely without any narrow spaces. Exploration is also an important key for you
to get special items such as various kinds of normal Trick Tool, which you can
later attach to a Shinobi Prosthetic. All areas in this game have unique
atmosphere, enemy type, and different backgrounds, so you will never feel a
boring moment while exploring.
All the important items that you get later can be
brought back to Dilapitated Temple. This main homebase is a place that gives
you access to a variety of special facilities such as upgrading Shinobi
Prosthetic capabilities or installing a new Trick Tool by visiting the engraver,
enhancing the ability of Healing Gourd by giving Gourd Seed to the doctor Emma,
or practicing new moves facing the Undead Soldier. .
The ability of a Shinobi Prosthetic is indeed very
useful in turning things around in any difficult battle, but you cannot always
use them at any time. Each Trick Tool will consume a special item called the
Spirit Emblem so that it can be used. This item can be obtained in several
random places, after killing the enemy, or by buying it through Sculptor's Idol
or a special checkpoint similar to "Bonfire" in this game. Because
it's not an item that is always easy to get, you certainly have to take into
account the best moment to use it.
Death is not
the end
It may only take a few minutes before you are
presented with the "DEATH" starch which is clearly displayed on the
screen. Death is something that is very common in the Soulsborne game, and
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is also one of them. Instead of throwing players to
the last checkpoint, this game comes with its own unique mechanism through a
Resurrection system that allows characters to return to life once more after
being killed. The mysterious power that comes from the Kuro master and ties the
shinobi is indeed very useful, but there are negative influences that also
follow him.
So when your character dies and you continue to
raise it continuously, Ashina's territory, especially those who have ties with
Sekiro (like the engraver or other NPCs) will be affected by the plague called
Dragonrot. This disease arises when the power to rise from the dead takes life
energy from someone. Because of this, those affected will become weaker and
show signs of bad health such as coughs mixed with blood. If it appears,
Dragonrot can make some side quests stop temporarily and also reduce the chance
to get Unseen Aid. Unseen Aid itself is a kind of assistance obtained when your
character dies, where XP Skill and the Sen currency you get will not be
deducted as a penalty. Dragonrot itself can be cured with a special item called
Dragon's Blood Droplet, which you will need to use when resting on the
Sculptor's Idol.
If Dragonrot is not a problem that matters to you,
continuous death when faced with a difficult enemy can give you a feeling of
frustration as well as addiction. At least this is what the KotGa Crew feels
when dealing with several bosses like Lady Butterfly. When successfully
defeating the first phase of this boss, KotGa Crew felt the sensation of
playing that was very exciting and even willing to die again in order to fight
the boss again. You will not always feel this sensation, because there must be
some moments where the boss must be fought it becomes very difficult and more
stressful. Instead of decreasing Difficulty, you can make this game even more
difficult by ringing the Demon Bell, which is a giant bell that can multiply
the enemy's strength.
Conclusion
Behind the heavy struggle and the many deaths that
have to be taken to be able to enjoy Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the experience
of playing the KotGa Crew get from this game really really hit. More than just
a Tenchu successor or a typical Soulsborne type game with a high level of
difficulty, Sekiro comes with its own strong identity as an action game that is
unique, cool, charming, and ready to test your skills and patience. Starting
from the storyline and expansive gameplay that can continue to be explored to
the end, it seems that there is no single moment where the game is absent from
new surprises.
Most players will probably give a negative response
to the high level of difficulty and are not friendly with new players, but this
is the approach that has become the hallmark of the game made from From
Software, so it certainly cannot be criticized for granted. That's why KotGa
crew has difficulty finding the disadvantages of this game, because based on
the playing experience and seeing the overall quality, Sekiro: Shadows Die
Twice is a game that is full of perfection. So whether you are a fan of
Soulsborne series or not, this one game you must play at least once a lifetime.
Reference:
- Google.com
- Yahoo.com
- https://www.kotakgame.com
<div align="center"><br><a href="http://www.freegaming.de/onlinegames/Sports-%7C-Olympic-Games/Turtles-Snookers-free-Sports-Game.html" title="Turtles Snookers free Sports Game">Turtles Snookers free Sports Game</a><br><object align="middle" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" height="420" id="3560545250.swf" width="550"><param name="movie" value="http://www.freegaming.de/components/flash/3560545250.swf" /><br><param name="quality" value="high" /><br><param name="bgcolor" value="#e8ffff" /><br><param name="menu" value="false" /><br><comment><embed src="http://www.freegaming.de/components/flash/3560545250.swf?affiliate_id=941efa0f97e566c4" quality="high" bgcolor="#e8ffff" width="550" height="420" name="3560545250.swf" menu="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><noembed></noembed></comment></object><br>Play free <a href="http://www.freegaming.de/" title="Games online">Games</a> - a game from <a href="http://www.freegaming.de/onlinegames/Sports-%7C-Olympic-Games.html" title="Sports | Olympic Games">Sports | Olympic Games</a></div>
