Summary
- Boss battles in Sekiro prioritize skill and technique over upgrades or builds.
- The lack of cheesy strategies makes boss battles challenging but fair.
- Future Soulslike games should aim to emulate Sekiro's approach to combat design.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is considered one of the hardest titles by FromSoftware. While difficult, it never goes beyond unfair, as it's a Souslike that punishes players for being too cautious or aggressive in combat and greatly rewards those who properly utilize the game mechanics. This is most clear during boss battles, each designed to show and even teach what should and shouldn't be done in combat. Fights against major enemies in Sekiro can be considered the pinnacle of balance by FromSoftware, with one particular aspect being the likely reason for such a claim.
The boss battles of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are one of the game's biggest draws, attracting attention to how well they are crafted. FromSoftware may have struck the perfect balance with their combat design, as each requires proper skill and technique to beat rather than preparing the right builds. Although there are things that can help make the bosses somewhat easier, players can use nothing but Wolf's sword and still overcome many fights. They are carefully developed in a way that allows them to be taken down regardless of the player's strength, making it hopeful that future FromSoftware games could follow in Sekiro's footsteps in that aspect.
A Potential Sekiro Sequel Would Face a Major Fork in the Road
If a Sekiro sequel ever sees the light of day, which many are hoping it will, it will need to contend with one key design issue.
Why the Balance of Sekiro’s Boss Battles Can Be Considered the Best Among All the Other Games by FromSoftware
The boss battles of Sekiro are different from those of Dark Souls and other Souslike, and it's because of their unique qualities and how they mesh well with the gameplay mechanics that make them enjoyable and memorable. They have been praised as some of the best that FromSoftware has produced, mainly because of the following:
- Upgrades can only help to a point, as beating the bosses focuses more on how well players learn their patterns without the option of overpowering fights with brute strength
- Nearly every skill, from the Mikiri counter to the Mortal Draw, is effective during a fight, and it's up to players to decide which ones suit their playstyles best
- Players have the option to choose to use their prosthetic tools, optional weapons that can be of great help during fights, often, rarely, or not at all, allowing for diverse ways of handling boss battles and even regular combat
Sekiro has some of the most satisfying bosses to beat, especially compared to other Souslikes and similar games. Though not all of Sekiro's bosses are hits, the majority do a superb job of challenging the game's combat system. Future Soulslike titles may want to consider using such fights as a basis for their own, as doing so could allow them to reach the same level of success and adoration that FromSoftware's creation has managed to achieve.
What Sekiro’s Boss Battles Lack That Makes Them So Good and Balanced
With Sekiro being one of the Souslike games with rigid combat, one of the main things that makes it feel good to participate in its boss battles is the lack of cheesy strategies. There is no way to overcome the majority without learning attack patterns, properly utilizing skills and items, and then deflecting, dodging, or counterattacking at the right moments. Though there are clear weaknesses, such as using firecrackers on human bosses, taking advantage of them doesn't guarantee victory and could be costly if overly relied upon. No cheese means Sekiro has little to no instant-win conditions, requiring players to understand what needs to be done to beat the game's biggest obstacles. Future boss battles in other Soulslike titles can decide to follow that path, and doing so might leave them off for the better.
FromSoftware's next game has a huge mountain to climb when creating good boss battles, especially if Sekiro's is set as the standard. Allowing players to beat major enemies regardless of what they have or their progress is the mark of good design, and it's something many Soulslike games should aspire to have. So long as Sekiro is there as a point of comparison, there is hope that more titles will follow in its footsteps in designing boss battles and other important combat aspects.
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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.
