Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Release date: March 22 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Sekiro isn’t for the faint of heart. In its 30-plus hours, you’ll take on the role of a loyal shinobi who is left for dead in the late 1500s Sengoku-era of Japan. What follows is a lonesome revenge tale in a visually breathtaking world that invites curiosity, exploration, and lore-mongering. But being a FromSoftware game, it severs itself from the “Soulsborne” genre to subject you to a different kind of heartless that emphasizes patience and precision. That invitation is what makes Shadows Die Twice one of the most compelling video games of this past decade. Its white-knuckled combat forgoes stat builds and arms you with a single katana, a grappling hook, and a modular prosthetic arm, forcing you to study the ins and outs of parrying and how all three tools correlate with timing, spacing, and movement. When that finally clicks, Sekiro wastes no time in rewarding you with some dope anime-esque ninja shit. It’s a weird, unforgiving, and downright harrowing game, but it’s an example of how a director and a studio can challenge their own values and principles to compose a complete work of art.
