Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the latest game from Dark Souls and Bloodborne developer From Software. Here is everything we know about the new game, including its setting and combat changes. Sekiro is due to release on March 22 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, along with a collector’s edition.
Following the release of Bloodborne in 2015 and Dark Souls III the next year, developer From Software largely went quiet. A direct sequel in the Souls series seemed unlikely, with a potential Bloodborne follow-up among the most frequently predicted games the studio was working on, but neither turned out to be director Hidetaka Miyazaki’s next major project.
Instead, the studio partnered with Activision to create Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Lifting elements from the Souls-like genre without fitting its mold exactly, Sekiro is a brutal and adrenaline-packed action game that represents the next stage of From Software, and it’s shaping up to be one of the studio’s best games. Here is everything we know about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Rather than take place in a fantasy world like Bloodborne or the Souls games, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is set in 16th century Sengoku Japan, a period characterized by war. As the “one-armed wolf,” you’re sworn to protect the young “descendent of an ancient bloodline,” but ultimately fail to stop her capture. With the Ashina clan threatening your life, you must rescue her.
The “one-armed wolf” name comes as a result of your character losing his arm during the kidnapping, and it’s replaced with a prosthetic limb that gives him access to a number of different tools and abilities.
Despite taking place in Japan, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is far from a realistic game – instead, it blends fantasy elements into the historical setting. In the gameplay footage we’ve seen thus far, many of the enemies you fight are monsters, similar to the enemies in the Souls-like Nioh. Among them is a giant ogre creature capable of crushing humans beneath its feet, as well as an enormous snake.
The protagonist himself is also supernatural, and this is what the Shadows Die Twice name is referring to. Upon death, he’s capable of reviving himself on the spot and continuing to engage in battle. The exact reason behind this is unknown, but the feature was subtly revealed in a trailer before the full game title was even announced.
