Is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice worth playing in 2022?

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was released on March 22, 2019. The Soulslike game garnered massive popularity and even won the Game of the Year title at The Game Awards in 2019.

However, two years since its release, it begs to raise the question of what the status of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is in 2022.

The Soulslike genre, in general, grew popular due to the challenge that it posed to the players. Every Souls game since Demons' Souls has been about dying several times but persevering in the end through knowledge and experience.

Souls games are relentless, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is not very different from that. However, this game captured a much larger audience than others due to its setting and environment.

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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was probably the greatest creation of Hidetaka Miyazaki

While Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was released back in 2019, there is no denying that it is one of the greatest games of all time. In truth, despite having a niche audience, From Software's titles are usually held in high regard.

The same can be said about this game as well. Since Sekiro's release, there has not been a single game that has captured the same essence. Probably the only title that comes close to it is Ghost of Tsushima, however, the style is completely different.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice introduced a very unique style of combat that relied on posture. It was a game that deviated away from slow Soulslike combat and focused more on aggression and counters.

Simply put, in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, players need to keep deflecting enemy attacks till their posture bar is full. Once that happens, they can land a death blow.

However, if players try to dodge and chip enemy health, then the fights will take a lot longer and, in all probability, lead to certain death. This is because enemies in Sekiro hit very hard and have a bunch of tricks up their sleeves.

In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the bosses are indeed a test of learning and endurance. Every fight teaches something to the players, and if they refuse to learn, they will be punished hard.

This is something that makes Sekiro extremely brutal and yet rewarding. Once players understand the combat, there is no other game that can match Sekiro. Apart from that, players are provided with a variety of tools of their own to use in battle.

However, it is not just the combat, as Sekiro has a very deep and intricate lore. The game has multiple endings and each one of them requires players to explore the game even more.

Set in feudal Japan, Sekiro takes players to vibrant locations filled with dangerous enemies to fight and secrets to unravel. This is probably the only Souls game that makes sure players do not have to go through hundreds of item descriptions to understand what they are doing.

Thus, the question of whether or not this game is worth it in 2022 is futile. This is because Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is probably the greatest game ever by Hidetaka Miyazaki. His vision and way of thinking hit the mark perfectly, and in truth, even he will find it hard to surpass Sekiro.

Note: The article reflects the views of the writer.