***Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice***

[Borsch]

Man, I hope Bloodborne comes to PC

That is where we are all different, I am completely indifferent to Bloodborne. Hack'n'slash about a Victorian gentleman with a pistol and massive handsaw? I much prefer DS3's knights and Sekiro's samurai. My most awaited game for the PC is Ghost of Tsushima (although I've already accepted that it is inferior to Sekiro in most ways). And maybe Elden Ring, I'm still on the fence about its aesthetics

 

[strumpusplunket]

Umbrella is a legitimate cheese strategy to almost any problem in the game, I think of it as a crutch to help players get through some tough spots where they would otherwise give up. In my case it was the Shichiman warrior on the first playthrough, I could not fathom facing him without my purple umbrella (I was weak ). It can be used to cheese the super fast samurai, the centipede warrior thing and so on. It even cancels Chained Ogre grab attacks I'd say use it in case of desperation, but just know that it is never essential. Snake Eyes's musket can be sidestepped for example . The crow feathers prosthetic is a similarly powerful crutch.

Yeah, I thought as much. I've only been using it against cannon-wielding enemies, and they deserve it since bringing a damn cannon to a sword fight is just rude.

Shichimen didn't give me any problems aside from an early terror death I had to res from, but the ape...

At this stage of your progression, the ape should absolutely be intimidated by Sekiro

Well, he didn't seem very intimdated! That is one very angry ape.

I mean, granted I did run up and spray him with fire while his back was turned

Spoiler

, and ended up cutting his head off.

But then he did kill me with some sort of terror scream, so I figure we should at least be even.

I died in the exact same way to the same terror scream three times in succesion last night and that's just unforgivable, so I decided I was playing too late at night and went to bed to come back later today. It doesn't seem toooooo bad apart from that, tbf. First phase seems it can be brute-forced with fire and mortal draws during his recovery animations, and second phase is generally easy enough to deflect and has some moves that seem to leave him open for ages. I can see the tell for the damn scream too, but three stupid times in a row I just tried to escape it just by backstepping, died, cursed my sloppy play and then played all flustered until my non-ressable death.

 

[Amatsubu]

That is where we are all different, I am completely indifferent to Bloodborne. Hack'n'slash about a Victorian gentleman with a pistol and massive handsaw? I much prefer DS3's knights and Sekiro's samurai.

Hard to judge without playing it TBH, it's a full-on Souls title with the best level design, lore and atmosphere in the franchise, and some of the best bosses as well. The setting is a massive plus because it's no the same hackneyed dark medieval knight aesthetic we've seen to death an it's also different that it initially seems. On top of that, it has the hardest content should anyone want to test their patience.

I can say that pretty confidently because I had also been pretty indifferent towards it until I actually tried it but I won't force you to think otherwise

 

[strumpusplunket]

As I thought, feeling a bit more focused and got the ape on my first try today. Nice change from last night's debacle and pleased to say I successfully ran out of range of every terror scream this time. Wasn't too bad when I had my head on right. An enjoyable fight, actually. I messed up my parries a few times, got too greedy a few times, misread a sweep once, and so all in all I used up all my gourds by the end. But I did manage it without needing to resurrect, which I will take as a positive. A good bit of variation from the more human bosses I'd been fighting up to that point.

I now realise I don't really have any idea what I'm supposed to be doing next. I know I've met several key NPCs and there's been some talk of divine heirs to... something and I was sent... somewhere to get... something... for... some purpose. But then I just went and wondered around every area until I couldn't go any further, and I can't recall what the point of it all was.

Ummm.

Nope, can't remember. I guess I'll wonder around speaking to all the characters again until one of them reminds me what I'm supposed to be doing next.

 

[Borsch]

Hard to judge without playing it TBH, it's a full-on Souls title with the best level design, lore and atmosphere in the franchise, and some of the best bosses as well.

I will definitely try it. Also agree that BB level design is probably the best, just in terms of sheer amount of hand crafted features and vast gothic/Victorian architecture complexes.

I now realise I don't really have any idea what I'm supposed to be doing next.

Hint: there is a newly opened cave in the ape arena

 

[jrwagh333]

I just picked this up in Google Stadia as it was on sale for a good price. Very excited to play it.

 

[Borsch]

I just picked this up in Google Stadia as it was on sale for a good price. Very excited to play it.

Nice, on Stadia of all places... Let us know how you get on! I thought about getting Stadia's Sekiro as a gift for someone without a gaming PC, but decided against it in the end as I wasn't sure about Stadia's input delay. Sekiro does not need superhuman reflexes to be enjoyed, but reaction times and timings in general are certainly not trivially loose. I remember turning on Vsync by accident at some point and its negative effect was immediately apparent- I could still play and do well, but something felt off.

 

[jrwagh333]

Nice, on Stadia of all places... Let us know how you get on! I thought about getting Stadia's Sekiro as a gift for someone without a gaming PC, but decided against it in the end as I wasn't sure about Stadia's input delay. Sekiro does not need superhuman reflexes to be enjoyed, but reaction times and timings in general are certainly not trivially loose. I remember turning on Vsync by accident at some point and its negative effect was immediately apparent- I could still play and do well, but something felt off.

I will, for me, I've been playing most things on Stadia, including DOOM Eternal and it's been great. I do play with a controller though and not Mouse and Keyboard - So that maybe why I'm not feeling the latency as much.

 

[Borsch]

Nice, I'll need to try it on Stadia at some point. They do steam-like refunds as well, I now learn.

I do play with a controller though and not Mouse and Keyboard

it's the best way to play Sekiro, can't even imagine playing with mouse and keys, although some do

 

[strumpusplunket]

Hint: there is a newly opened cave in the ape arena

Ahh. I will check that out. Did not notice! Cheers.

I probably need to speak to everyone again anyway, though, to help give a sense of purpose to whatever it is I have to do next!

it's the best way to play Sekiro, can't even imagine playing with mouse and keys, although some do

I can testify that indeed some do!

Tbf, it's really good with M&KB. Even better than DS3, I think. Feels very smooth and responsive, and I love having control over the camera and a comfortable key mapping. Having attack on RMB and deflect on left LMB (lock-on MMB), thumb resting naturally on the dodge key and pinky on either the jump or prosthetic key just feels totally natural. One of the most comfortable third-person games to play in my experience (and I do use M&KB for everything - even gave away my controller to my eldest as I was never using it).

 

[strumpusplunket]

Whoah, the Owl fight is quite a battle too, huh?

So many amzaing epic fights in this game. I might even have preferred that to the Genchiro one. He really doesn't leave much room for error and he kept pulling out moves I'd not yet seen the first few times I faced him. I somehow got within one hit on my third attempt, but actually kind of glad I didn't manage that one as I would have missed out on learning his moves and graudally feeling I could counter everything he had over the next four or five times it took me to beat him. Not many games I would say that about! The final attempt had everything - the great asthetics of the face-off, and a tense mix of circling each other, exploding into agression, defending and countering, finding openings. Just brilliantly constructed.

The bosses have been superb. It doesn't seem there's really any way to cheese them and it's so satifsying to take them down.

The next area is really beautiful as well.

Edit: But I did not like the True Monk as much, got to say. Took me fewer attempts than Owl, but felt cheaper and less satisfying to beat. Combination of a small arena, where it's very easy to get boxed in (with all the camera shenanigans that entails), and a ridiculous reach for the boss - with hitboxes that, I gotta say, I swear got me killed wihout actually touching me.

I am mildly salty about trying to mikiri the sweep with the biggest damn telegraph you could want three or four attempts in a row, but this is possibly the first boss I didn't think was that great.

 

[M1k3H]

Defeated the Guardian Ape, and not sure where to go next? Supposedly the castle area should be swarming with new enemies and not be able to be accessed via the idols, but I can access the idols and the area looks the same.

I did pick up the flower, and have also got the mortal blade and the stone after the corrupted monk.

Guardian Ape gave me a bit of a kicking initially; died 3 times in a row, but took it slow after that. Also stuck close to him to avoid him throwing his dung on me. No need to force anything, just deflect and hit or run away if he goes into rampage mode. I used the firecrackers a few times which stun him, and then hitting his head stuns him some more.

Second phase I found it easier to stay far away and wait for him to attack; deflecting his sword when he towers over you ensures he gets stunned, and can get a few hits, then run away and repeat until he's dead.

I had to use a divine grass to get some more HP back, and I must have had like 1HP when I killed him

 

[strumpusplunket]

Defeated the Guardian Ape, and not sure where to go next? Supposedly the castle area should be swarming with new enemies and not be able to be accessed via the idols, but I can access the idols and the area looks the same.

I did pick up the flower, and have also got the mortal blade and the stone after the corrupted monk.

I was a bit lost after killing the ape, too, but pretty sure that once I picked up the flower and the stone I had the idols greyed out and I had to fight my back up the castle. Have you tired talking to Kuro in the castle and then porting away again? I wonder if there's some other condition you need to meet to set the next act up?

 

[strumpusplunket]

And I'm beginning to realise I must have shut myself off from the second Hirata location. No idea what I did or didn't do, but I am a good long way through what I imagine is the last level now with no way of getting there. Only thought to check this last night and it seems I must have failed to do something hours ago.

Oh well. I am sure I will be doing a second playthrough at some point...

 

[Amatsubu]

And I'm beginning to realise I must have shut myself off from the second Hirata location. No idea what I did or didn't do, but I am a good long way through what I imagine is the last level now with no way of getting there. Only thought to check this last night and it seems I must have failed to do something hours ago.

Oh well. I am sure I will be doing a second playthrough at some point...

You'll be doing four if you want to see every ending and there are pretty obscure steps for some of them, lots of bosses to do still

You missed it and I don't believe you could've done all the steps on your first playthrough as it's just too specific.

 

[strumpusplunket]

You'll be doing four if you want to see every ending and there are pretty obscure steps for some of them, lots of bosses to do still

You missed it and I don't believe you could've done all the steps on your first playthrough as it's just too specific.

*Four* playthroughs?!

Lucky I like this game so much!

Pretty sure I will be leaving it installed once I finish to come back to for another run through every so often. It's been such a fabulous game.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Is there a config hack to remove the 60fps lock?

 

[agnes]

Is there a config hack to remove the 60fps lock?

Last I looked into this, you *can*, however, physics gets screwed up. The From Software engines physics are similar to Bethesda's ancient engine, fps bound.

 

[Amatsubu]

*Four* playthroughs?!

Lucky I like this game so much!

Pretty sure I will be leaving it installed once I finish to come back to for another run through every so often. It's been such a fabulous game.

I couldn't put it down after the first playthrough TBH, immediately went for another one and all the way till I got all the achievements It's too addicting

 

[strumpusplunket]

I couldn't put it down after the first playthrough TBH, immediately went for another one and all the way till I got all the achievements It's too addicting

Haha, I can imagine doing that. Maybe.

I suppose I do have a score to settle around that first encounter with Genchiro...

Though I do feel like I might need a break as well. Some parts of this game were pretty hard, and it's been a test of nerve and persistence in places.

I think I've tied up all the loose ends I can for this playthrough now, so the next time I play I guess I will be facing the final boss. <gulp!>