Is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Harder Than Dark Souls?

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has made quite the impression at Gamescom 2018. Moving away from the dark-fantasy of the Dark Souls series, and even further from the macabre mystique of Bloodborne, the new stealth-action Souls game set in Sengoku Japan has some similarities for players familiar with From Software's particular style, but also a number of big surprises as well. Releasing March 22, 2019, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will be the next big step forward for the developers of the Souls series.

During Gamescom 2018, Lucy James and Tamoor Hussain spent some time playing From Software's next big game, and they came away impressed, yet equally humbled by its brutal twist on the Souls formula. Playing as a resurrected Shinobi known as The One-Armed Wolf, he acquires a powerful, multiple-purpose prosthetic arm that aids him in his quest for revenge against a powerful Samurai and his clan. On the surface, Sekiro looks very similar to From Software's past titles, however, there's a number of big changes that will catch first-time players off-guard.

Much like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Sekiro has a strong focus on bringing players into dangerous environments that house powerful enemies, traps, and large beasts that can--and often will--take you out with ease. However, Sekiro takes more of a stealthy approach compared to other Souls games, emphasizing more on the experience of being a cunning ninja. By utilizing all the skills and tools you have at your disposal, which includes stealth-kills and brutal counter-attacks that can drop an enemy in one fell swoop, you'll eventually gain the confidence to overcome what lies ahead. In our written impressions, we talked about the many challenges present in the Gamescom demo, which includes a massive snake, along with a dual against a large boss on a bridge.