I might have an unhealthy obsession with this

First of all, if you are not into any of these -

Feudal Japan

Ninjas

Historical Fantasy

Anime

Gaming

This article is not for you. But if you are, do read on.

I have been obsessed with ninjas ever since I started watching Naruto in early 2015. There’s just something about these sneaky, mysterious and strong bastards that appeals to me, and if I’m not wrong, largely to male fantasy. I read about them, watched movies about them, and even attempted learning ninjutsu (I did learn a couple tricks, I’m proud to say). If only, I thought, I had a good gaming laptop, I would be able to play as them too.

My wish was fulfilled in 2019, when I bought my Legion Y540, which has been my best friend ever since (lonesome vibes I know). Naturally, the first thing I did was look up “The best ninja games”. I got a plethora of suggestions, but there was one that caught my eye — Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. I must say kudos to whoever made the poster and whoever decided on such a badass name.

I went on to youtube, and watched a few minutes of its gameplay and I knew- this was the game for me, my game-soulmate, if you will. I instantly bought it and since then I have spent maybe a couple billion hours playing it- hours filled with joy, fun, anxiety, and oh dear, frustration. But never, never boredom. Genius game design, I must say. And an intriguing story too. Our protagonist, Wolf, is a one-armed ninja who…dies twice?

The Plot

Let me explain. The story is set in Japan’s Sengoku era, and our protagonist, Wolf, is the ninja personal bodyguard of a young lord, Kuro, whose blood has divine resurrective powers. Kuro has given Wolf some of his blood, rendering him immortal. He catches the sight of Prince Genichiro of Ashina, who wants to use his blood to create an army of immortal warriors to thwart the attack of the Interior ministry, who want to unify all of Japan under one flag. Genichiro kidnaps the young lord, we must embark on a journey to save him, and sever the ties of immortality with this world, as per his wishes.

With fate taking a thrilling twist, Wolf’s destiny is forever altered as he is bestowed with a powerful prosthetic arm, granting him exceptional abilities and the ability to wield formidable tools. Armed with his new appendage, Wolf embarks on a perilous quest to vanquish the army of Ashina — a formidable force comprised of skilled gunmen, deadly ninjas, fierce samurais, blazing bulls, and the formidable Prince Genichiro. On his journey, he will come face to face with giant serpent gods, humongous apes, and fearsome dragons. The game’s essence is to triumph over a diverse array of enemies using your expertly honed ninja skills and tools, and dying a billion times in the process.

“Why? Is it that hard?”

Yes, it is that hard. In fact, it is right there at the top on the list of the most challenging games ever made. But while the difficulty is great, so is the thrill of the fight, and the joy of finally vanquishing your foe. You are forced to let go of your baser instincts of flight, and instead embrace the heady rush of confrontation, which not only makes for an excellent game mechanic, but indeed is a great metaphor for life- Do not shy away from adversity, but rather face it with your head held high.

Now, while the storyline is interesting, it is not revolutionary. There have been many games with deeper, more engaging stories. Take Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, for example, where you race against your own self, running from the demonic guardian of the magical sands of time. Hard to top that, honestly. But Sekiro doesn’t try to. Sekiro’s uniqueness, you see, comes not from the story. It comes from something more crucial.

The Gameplay and Fight Mechanics

Sekiro takes the cake in the gameplay department. I touched a little on its mechanics, but there’s a lot more to be said.

1. The Checkpoints — With no shortage of checkpoints, you can restart the game from almost right where you died. Between death and another attempt, there are but a few seconds of wait.

1. Fight mechanics — Sekiro has a new posture mechanic, wherein you do not have to exhaust an enemy’s health, but only have to break his posture, upon which you can land a deathblow, taking out all the remaining life in one hit.

1. The Skill Trees- The skill mechanic is a really simple and cool one. You get skill points upon killing enemies, which you can use to buy skills in the skill trees. Each skill has a very noticeable effect on your abilities. For example, the mikiri counter would make you the nightmare of spear-bearers, and One-Mind would make you a nightmare for anyone in general.
2. The Prosthetic Tools — Remember the prosthetic arm I mentioned? It’s not just for show. Using it, you can grapple across Ashina like Spiderman, and even grapple onto some enemies for some sweet combos. Moreover, you can fit into it a bunch of tools like shuriken, firecrackers, spears and a lot more. They add a whole another level of fun to the game, and while they are not necessary, they can make your life a lot easier.

1. The Creative Freedom — Sekiro gives you a lot of tools, and consequently, a lot of creative freedom as well. You can take your enemies head on, or you can be stealthy and hide your presence until you deliver death. You could become invisible to steal some deathblows, or you could push your enemies off cliffs with your fire attacks. Just go nuts.

This is hardly a comprehensive list, but these are some of the features that I like the most. While initially it’s a tad difficult to get the hang of the fight mechanics, after a few boss fights, or at most after the first gameplay, it all almost becomes second nature to you, and as you understand the game mechanics, the game becomes more fun by the hour. And then there are the sceneries.

The Environment

The game’s environment is truly captivating, with a vibrant color palette and exquisitely crafted landscapes. The aesthetic of the game is unparalleled, and plays a major role in drawing one in and keeping them engaged. Coupled with the entrancing Japanese music, the overall experience of the game is truly otherworldly.

I have played many games throughout my life, both before and after Sekiro, but none have quite matched the gameplay experience it offers. Regrettably, I can never experience playing it for the first time again, yet I find myself returning to it repeatedly, each time discovering something new. The replayability of the game is truly exceptional and I have derived a significant amount of value from it, far exceeding its cost.

What an amazing piece of art this game is! Thankyou, FROMSOFTWARE.