I’ve got a long week behind me, so I’m really looking forward to some gaming. I’ve recently picked up TUNIC, which I will likely be continuing - having lots of fun with it. The mix between a Zelda-like with some Dark Souls sprinkled in makes for a really interesting combination. The lore being told through the instruction manual makes for a really interesting approach to storytelling, seeing it all unravel in real-time and all the mental puzzle pieces falling into place.
Speaking of lore, should FromSoft make their lore more approachable? It’s been memed on to death that FS’s lore is notoriously hard to parse if you don’t have a PhD in Soulsology or are super attentive to every minute detail the game presents to you.
To me, it sometimes feels a little too cryptic. Don’t get me wrong - I love FS games for their environmental storytelling and the mystery surrounding most happenings. But sometimes I just prefer to have it laid out before me and not be that difficult to understand. I feel like having a Wiki or a YouTube video open to even understand the basics of the story can feel a little silly sometimes. But I’d be lying if I said I don’t enjoy all the different interpretations to the lore that leaves us with.
Take the story of Bloodborne, for example. There are so many video essays discussing all the numerous theories surrounding the game (Visceral Femininity by Honey Bat is fucking amazing) that recontextualise the story in such an enriching way that any game with more direct storytelling just can’t ever achieve.
However, a mix of direct and indirect storytelling is still awesome too. Sekiro is one of the few FromSoft games that, more or less, tells you exactly what is happening and why - it’s easy to follow along. Nevertheless, since it’s rooted in Japanese folklore and culture, a lot of bits are unspoken and left to the player to make sense of, so video essayists and lore enjoyers have something to chew on to.
What’s your take on this? Do you ever get frustrated with the “read a random item description” approach to lore?
At least to me it’s that conceptually the game is really solid, has a strong identity, and that is beautifully suported by the art direction and a very good use of the unreal engine, plus all the other good stuff I mentioned.
Regarding the spoiler… I feel that it was a deliberate choice to encourage a replay. I also missed the subtitles of Pulcinella’s last dialogue so if there was a hint there I missed it completely. An either/or option good have been better game design, but I kinda see why they did it. At least I got the stone! Will be going for.a ranged build next time to see how that performs.
Lastly, I remember you said you locked in on the parrying during the Spaventa fight, and I gotta say. if you managed to parry all his ranged shit, damn, I tip my hat to you sir!
Definitely, also on top of that I think the mask lines and elemental stuff was novel enough to charm me a bit, too. Like, a game where you’d deliberately afflict yourself with a status affliction is kind of cool. And I definitely found myself using both the items that afflict you with Dizzy and Wicked to buff myself for some fights.
Ranged it strong, it just needs some skill tree building to ensure a constant flow of mask lines. Combine the node that fills lines when you drink an amber with the one that has a chance to fill all other lines when one is used and you can really sling some spells. If you want to retain any semblance of a challenge you probably want to avoid Jaws of the Chimera, it can one-shot most bosses even in NG+. Weapons wise you have like Vermilion Pastoral, Nethuns Finger, Warrior Deity and Waning Petal to choose from I think. If you want to commit to the full ranged build, that is. For me I had one of my masks as a fully ranged spell slinger and the other two as melee setups, and it worked out well. Lots of weapons with elemental scaling and a couple of them with ardor scaling too.
Also unrelated but you probably need to follow a guide on NG+ if you want the true ending. At least I did. I guess unintuitive NPC quests are a genre hallmark so… mission accomplished there?
I did, it took me a bit though. Also if it makes you feel better I died to his second phase the first time I saw it. Very embarrassing, I was still in surprise of the reveal and kind of chuckling and the little bastard punked me with bombs. But yeah I don’t know, the gunfire barrage has a rhythm to it, I don’t remember now but I think it was five shots. So you just go one-two-three-four-five on the parry button when it’s time. Maybe I was just having a good day. I don’t know. But I really enjoyed the Spaventa fight.
damn, did we even play the same game? Hahaha. What level were you at by the end?
An easy enough rhythm one would think, yet somehow I was getting hit by the second to last shot every time. ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!
Oh I can’t remember. For the end of NG or end of NG+? I could reinstall and check for the latter if you want me to, for the former I have no idea.
But yeah, Jaws of the Chimera is not really balanced. It’s a super nuke with the gimmick that it has the slowest charge rate in the game. If you play it “fair” it’s probably fine: by the time you charge it the boss fight is almost over anyway - and it won’t be uncommon to fight bosses where it never even gets fully charged before it’s over. But who cares about that when you can pair it with three spammable fast-charge lines that each have a chance of instantly charging Chimera when you click them? You just fish for a proc with throwaway lines and then click Chimera and delete the health bar.
But don’t worry, there are other strong and less abusive mask lines too you can use if you want something more fair.
Maybe years of guitar helped with the rhythm or something for me? I can’t explain it. Take solace in the fact that I struggled continuously with a lot of other stuff in the game, especially some normal mobs like the halberd wielding automatons with their delayed overhead slam that would just merk me every time. Crabs too, but I feel like crabs are just demons in souls games. Both DS3 and ER crabs were my absolute nemesis, could never figure out how to handle them.
Oh, some Coelacanth lore drop, nice.
your fears for Sekiro just lost all credibility with me. XD I kid, I kid.I just asked about musical ability to the guys over on matrix the other day. Definitely an advantage in this genre, imo.
Don’t worry about it ;)
I know that it’s largely a mental block. Also you know, funny enough I never really liked rhythm games despite that, and never really got any good at them either. Though those are related I’m sure. And I’ve heard lots of people say Sekiro is a rhythm game.
And also like, I think the real block came from my DS3 playthrough grinding to a halt at the Demon Prince boss in the second DLC. I was just not having any fun anymore, and combined with some frustrations I was already having from ER (I played the DLC after Elden Ring) I was just starting to feel like you know, maybe this isn’t for me anymore. Maybe I’m being outscaled by Fromsoft in the skill/difficulty equation (and maybe combat design to an extent). And I don’t know, I have definitely started to feel less and less at ease with feeling like I suck over the past few years. What once was motivational now feels more disheartening. I don’t know if it’s age or general depression.
And so anyway, as long as I don’t attempt Sekiro I don’t have to feel like I can’t do it. It’s Schroedinger’s Game. I could do it. I don’t have to feel like it’s too hard for me until I try and fail. I know it’s stupid and I don’t know why specifically Sekiro has become this hangup, apart from all the people saying it’s the hardest Soulslike.
Anyway, whew, this became an impromptu unpaid shrink session apparently. Sorry about that 😅
Perhaps you haven’t caught on but I like talking to you, XD don’t apologize.
I kind of got a sense that that was the reason for your reservations when we talked about it the first few times, and even tho we have some good rapport, I didn’t want to overstep and ruin it by mentioning it.
Sekiro is probably the best game I have ever played, and hearing some one with your gaming resumè depriving themselves of the experience because of some self doubt seemed insane to me, I desperately wanted to knock some sense into you… Super healthy on my part, I know.
Even if soulslikes are not your main thing, you are highly skilled and Sekiro is really not that hard. Enotria felt harder to me a couple of times. :P
Hah, I don’t think there is anything that can make me stop apologizing excessively! I’ve had that bad habit for as long as I remember between social anxiety, general insecurities and difficulty reading social cues (am on the spectrum 👋). I can’t help it, although in truth it’s probably something I should go to actual therapy for.
Anyway, I’ve said it before too but I also enjoy talking to you, of course. I always look forward to the weekly thread on c/Soulslike like “oh nice, a chance to chat with Grant again”.
Look, I am not one to talk when it comes to trying to shove games I love down the throats of others, so I totally get where you’re coming from. And I mean, to a certain extent I think you’re right. And also, I’m sure Sekiro is not as hard as it’s made out to be. I just remember when it was released and all the game journalists that couldn’t actually beat it for their reviews. And I know the final boss is like a 4 phase test of concentration or whatever, and those are definitely my kryptonite. Like I alluded to before with DS3: I already hated Sister Friede (going against majority opinion there it seems) because it’s like a 12 minute slogfest or whatever, and Demon Princes was the same thing. It’s one of the things that has made me go “you know, maybe this genre isn’t for me anymore”.
I don’t know about “highly skilled”. I get by I guess, but I wouldn’t say much more than that. AI Limit was supposed to be on the easier side of Soulslikes but I’ve been stuck on Hunter of Bladers for the past hour or so…
Really? Which bits of Enotria were harder than Sekiro? Also, keep in mind I might well have had an easier time with them since I was using mask lines and elemental stuff a lot. Which again is the thing with Sekiro, right? No shortcuts. No magic, no leveling no nothing. You get it or you don’t.
Oh right, I remember your Sister Friede comment! Shit, I’m making you repeat yourself… I’m afraid I’ve locked us in a time loop, only you can break us free, you know what to do…
Anyway, here’s something dumb for your trouble.
About the 4 phase fight, first one doesn’t really count, imo.
And, over all sekiro is so different to the rest of the soulsbornes that I would find it hard to apply the slog.fest descriptor to it, at least for it’s mandatory content. Playing it is what I imagine driving a luxury sportscar auf der Autobahn with a killer playlist on a cool summer night feels like.
As for the part when I felt Enotria was harder. Well mostly what I stated above. On the fast paced fights the stamina management coupled with getting interrupted while healing, plus the parry windows being so narrow and the chipping damage left very little breathing room. Sekiro is fast paced as well, but with none of these issues.
If you wanna play Enotria somewhat “traditionally” melee is really tough as you gotta be super precise to survive. I did end up incorporating mask lines a lot, but close range ones and I wasn’t building for them so it was moslty to apply status effects or for an extra kick… also I’m a really sub optimal player, I realized I ended up not using like 400 points for the skill tree. So, user error as well :S but I like giving games a test drive in a way I know how to play ok, and Enotria punished me for it. (I’m a slow learner, ok? u.u)
For a contrary example I watched a Zullie stream when she was playing Lies of P, and she wasn’t parrying at all, and while I think the game would be so much less fun without parrying… It’s not harder if you decide to not engage with that mechanic, same with its unique weapon system, the game won’t punish you for ignoring it. It’s just less fun.
Anyway in the future if I ever mention Sekiro again, please just disregard. :P