Speed Philippines – July 2019

WORDS ERIK PAOLO ESCUETA

REVIEWED

60 JULY 2019

THE

NUMBERS

OLD-SCHOOL TRIBULATIONS

Sekiro: Shadows

Die Twice

PLATFORMS:

PlayStation 4, Xbox

One, Windows

DEVELOPER:

FromSoftware

PUBLISHER:

Activision /

FromSoftware

NO. OF PLAYERS:

Single player

Shadows Die Twice is not an impossible game

to play—difficult but not by gameplay standards. Personally,

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice excels where it needs to be

without having to overcompensate everywhere else—the

combat is swift and subtle, the platforming perhaps

somewhat stilted but serviceable, and the story overtly

simple yet somehow surprisingly impressionable.

But when it comes to the sum of its parts, the entire

experience becomes contentious, and respectfully so,

when you consider its traditional focus.

Lone Wolf and friends

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice places you in the tabi (traditional

Japanese socks) of Shinobi Wolf, who has been charged

with protecting the Divine Heir Kuro from the Ashina Clan.

Ashina’s ruler, Genichiro, wishes to use Kuro’s blood,

known as the “Dragon Heritage,” to power an immortal

army. It is a typical war narrative that doesn’t really

innovate on the specifics but is saved by its cast through

dialogue exchanges and inherent development.

The evolving characterizations help compensate

for the slow narrative influence—from the

Sekiro: