It’s time for From Software to show Nioh how it’s done. No offense to Nioh, which is a damn good game, but Sekiro looks like the genuine Souls experience brought to a setting of samurais and Japanese mythology. And I could not be more excited.
If you’ve played a Souls game or Bloodborne, you’ll recognize the style right away in this trailer. The style and animations are right out of those games. However, there are some very intriguing differences. From Software looks to have continued the faster-paced gameplay of Bloodborne. A grappling hook provides new mobility and options both in exploration and combat. The main character has a prosthetic arm that factors into gameplay as well. Surely that’s what happened with the shield sequence, right?
There were also some stealth elements, which makes me very excited. After all, before developing Demon’s Souls, From Software developed entries in the Tenchu series. I am excited for the potential of expanded stealth gameplay in the already excellent Soulsborne formula. Along with the secondary title of “Shadows Die Twice”, we also see the main character come back to life after dying to a large enemy. Does this hint at a second life bar, or some mechanism by which the player gets a second chance after their initial death?
Other than these new elements, the trailer has a lot of what you’d expect; big bosses, giant monsters, death and resurrection, and what will almost certainly be more of the brilliant gameplay From Software is known for. They’re one of the most reliably excellent developers in gaming. Get hype.