Summary
- Sekiro's natural leveling-up system is praised for not requiring grinding, making progression feel seamless.
- The game's unique approach to power progression involves skill points, essential upgrades, and optional equipment.
- FromSoftware should consider adopting Sekiro's leveling-up design for future games to enhance combat experience.
Among all the titles produced by FromSoftware, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice can be considered one of the most highly regarded. Aside from being a Soulsbourne with some of the best combat systems, it is also praised for its leveling-up design. Compared to other games of the same genre, progression in Sekiro feels natural as it never really requires players to grind to beat the game or complete optional quests. If FromSoftware decides to produce another game, perhaps it should consider adopting the level-up system that makes playing Sekir o feel seamless.
If there's any game wherein a character's strength-gaining progression feels natural, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice might be the FromSoftware creation that does it the best. One of the biggest reasons is that, unlike other Souls games or Souslike, gaining power in Sekiro isn't entirely dependent on acquiring experience points or durable armor and weapons. While leveling up and gaining more powerful attacks can make it easier for players to overcome whatever challenges they might face, they aren't entirely necessary. Even if some miss out on a few items, skills, or tools, the game does a good enough job of presenting rewards via natural progression, ensuring that Wolf, the main character, isn't too weak or strong. Should the next FromSoftware game adopt the same flow of leveling up and gaining power in Sekiro, it may become another successful title for the developer.
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How the Next FromSoftware Game Can Adopt Something Similar to Sekiro’s Leveling-up Design
Leveling up in Sekiro may seem similar to other Soulsbourne or Soulslike titles, but it has enough unique aspects that make it stand out. Because of how differently it works, getting stronger in the game feels seamless compared to others. If the next FromSoftware game wants to have a similar experience with its powering-up progression, then it should consider the following:
- Having experience points tied to unlocking only skills rather than for upgrading stats like in Elden Ring or the Dark Souls series, as doing so ensures combat is reliant on players' combat prowess rather than level and power gaps
- Having something like the Memories or Prayer Beads of Sekiro that raise only essential stats like health and power, giving players optional upgrades that reward them for getting better
- Giving players only one main weapon that cannot be upgraded but the choice of a handful of optional equipment that can, showing that powerful items aren't necessary to beat the game, but they are available if needed
Essentially, the next FromSoftware game could be less of an RPG in terms of its leveling-up system and instead focus on rewards that enhance one's ability to do combat. Sekiro has managed to come up with one that is highly praised, and while topping it may not be easy, it may be better to use what's there and improve it instead.
The Aspects of Sekiro’s Leveling-up System Which Made It More Forgiving and Desirable Explained
Experience points in Sekiro work differently compared to other Soulslke or Soulsborne titles. If a game like Dark Souls carries the constant risk of losing one's hard-earned experience, Sekiro's is more forgiving in that earning enough and filling the experience bar means acquiring skill points that will never be lost, regardless of the number of deaths. The option to store and secure what can make one stronger helps remove any worry about making huge mistakes, allowing more room for interesting and enjoyable actions that enhance the gameplay experience. While skill points can be seen as an underrated mechanic of Sekiro, people are likely to appreciate it should it and its benefits ever return in the next FromSoftware game.
Aside from being one of the Soulslike games with the best parrying mechanics, it's easy to see why Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice is also highly regarded for its leveling-up design. Natural strength progression is something that the FromSoftware game should try to achieve, and adopting what made Sekiro's so good is likely the way to go.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 96%
- Released
- March 22, 2019
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
WHERE TO PLAY
Carve your own clever path to vengeance in the critically acclaimed adventure from developer FromSoftware, creators of the Dark Souls series.
In Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice you are the 'one-armed wolf', a disgraced and disfigured warrior rescued from the brink of death. Bound to protect a young lord who is the descendant of an ancient bloodline, you become the target of many vicious enemies, including the dangerous Ashina clan. When the young lord is captured, nothing will stop you on a perilous quest to regain your honor, not even death itself.
Explore late 1500s Sengoku Japan, a brutal period of constant life and death conflict, as you come face to face with larger than life foes in a dark and twisted world. Unleash an arsenal of deadly prosthetic tools and powerful ninja abilities while you blend stealth, vertical traversal, and visceral head to head combat in a bloody confrontation. Take Revenge. Restore Your Honor. Kill Ingeniously.
