Beat that Boss

 Sekiro's Difficulty: A Discussion from a Souls Perspective  First and foremost, I don't believe that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice needs an easy mode. This includes any mode that decreases the amount of damage that enemies deal, that increases the amount of damage you inflict, that slows down the world, that depopulates the zones, or that otherwise fundamentally changes the design of the game. On the other hand, I want as many people as possible to be able to enjoy the trials and tribulations of Sekiro for the experience that it is. There is a conversation to be had here between these two ideologies if we can only sift through the poisonous swamp of mistrust and knee-jerk reactions. The Shared Experience of a Single Player Game The first illusion that I want to dispel is that the majority of the Soulsborne community is jealously guarding their hobby, only allowing the 'worthy' to join their ranks, and that they are opposed to an easy mode because they are elitis...

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Review: The Evolution of a Genre No Spoilers In a recent interview with Polygon, Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of From Software and the creative director of Sekiro, expressed a desire to substantially evolve the tried and true Dark Souls formula saying, "Keeping it fresh - providing something new - that is what's going to lead to a better game." From that aspiration, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was born and, while there are certainly elements that are reminiscent of their previous work, this game is a different beast entirely. And what a beautiful beast it is. Each risk that the game takes pays off in dividends. From the tensely satisfying combat loop that relies on player confidence to the robust stealth systems that reward clever thinking, Sekiro succeeds on delivering the promise of being a super badass ninja in an unforgiving, merciless world. Sekiro's Story and the Best of Both Worlds The story of Sekiro follows Wolf,...