Not having to design encounters around multiple builds and weapons as well as pvp is what makes this combat so good. Everything is fine tuned to interact with just the sword and prosthetics and it just leads to FromSofts best PvE experience and best boss fights. Love this game
Yeah but it also leads to people having extremely similar experiences in all of the boss fights. One of the things that made the Dark Souls series so great was the build variety and how everyone could have a completely different experience with the boss fights and combat because of what build and weapon they chose
@@GodJack2099 very valid point! I simply meant that for this game specifically it was cool to see Fromsoft not have to make encounters for multiple builds and weapons and skills and make a more curated focused system. Of course there’s drawbacks as well like limited build variety but as a stand alone game I liked watching Fromsoft flex their muscles a bit and show that they can make a game such as this. I love dark souls as well but I thought this game was a cool fresh take on what we were “familiar” with.
@@GodJack2099 Ah yes so great that everyone will argue over what is the "correct" way to fight a boss instead of having a well designed boss for one clear playstyle
@@GodJack2099 and why would I at all have a shared boss experience with someone who played their entire game different than me? "Oh, wow, you used Comet Azur! We can really discuss what we liked about the boss now and your experience will be just as valid as mine! I'm sure I'll respect your opinions about the boss."
Vaaty points out that the straw doll is an exaggerated form of the twisted ropes seen in Japanese temples and entrance gates that simbolizes holiness. So the doll being colossal reflects the colossal holiness of the following area.
I don't think Isshin was mindless when he was brought back to life. Over the past week Isshin switched to Wolf's side because he finally decided that Ginichiros scheming was enough. But when Genichiro (HIS SON) kills himself in order to bring his dad back from the dead Isshin now has to honor the decision his son made. Which unfortunately means he has to kill Wolf
@@quintinwright8487 aside from that, genichiro really fucked up by not having isshin ask sekiro atleast help fight off the ministry, this whole the guy was hellbent on finding a way to become immortal under kuro's power but forgets to tend to his people and lead his troops to battle.
One amazing detail on the Divine Dragon is that is possibly a native from East Asia, either China or Korea. One hint can be seen in the sword it holds, a seven-branched sword. This sword is based on a real historical sword that was gifted from the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje to a Yamato ruler.
In the Dragon's Heritage ending, you end up travelling to the West, to the homeplace of the Divine Dragon. I hoped that it would be a DLC or the location for the second Sekiro game, if there's ever going to be one.
Although I'd love a Sekiro sequel or DLC, I'd be very surprised if it actually happened. Miyazaki has said that he doesn't like making sequels. He made Dark Souls and wanted to work on Bloodborne but the B team at Fromsoft made Dark Souls 2 which turned out to be pretty disappointing and so Miyazaki had to come back and work on DS3.
From the first fight with Genichiro i was hoping we'd get a DLC with a Tomoe fight. Not only did she teach everyone the lightning moves, she was also at least as strong as Isshin in his prime while also just sounding like a badass. Would have also given Fromsoft an opportunity to make a lightning fight more interesting than what we got with isshin and Genichiro ...
Man, I just want to fight a literal shura. A six armed fighter with a weapon in each hand sounds so fucking sick for a boss. And in general the formula has so much room for sick bosses. And like, the game has a lot of room for improvement, being the game that strayed the most from their preexisting formula. I want a sequel so bad, man. It's so sad there'll probably never be one.
It is heavily implied but never directly stated that Tomoe was an Okami warrior woman. Everything about her is reminiscent of them; her fighting style, the lightning, her penchant for the flute, and the fact that she came WITH Takeru to Ashina, she must have been with him in the Divine Realm when they left. Your description of the bell charms and how Buddha was allowing Wolf to confront his feelings about his foster father is great. I still crack a smile when you beat Owl (Father) and he congratulates you. “Beaten by my own son… the feeling is not entirely unpleasant…” I was always under the impression that the Divine Dragon missing it’s left arm and bearing a gash on it’s chest was because of Kuro and Wolf. Wolf, obviously, lost his arm, and Kuro cuts his chest with the Mortal Blade to draw blood for the endings. Perhaps those of the Dragon’s Heritage and the Oathsworn have a direct connection to the Divine Dragon and the wounds they suffer are inflicted upon the Dragon, but the branch being taken from the Everblossom by Takeru may be why he began getting sick. Anyway, this game is a goddamn masterpiece and one of my favorite games of all time. The story, characters, lore, music, world design, the combat (easily the most rewarding combat system I have ever played) everything is top tier. I am extremely sad we never got DLC as I was under the impression we would get more lore about Tomoe or Sekijo.
The combat in Sekiro has the sharpest learning curve, but once you’ve learnt it you can master it. Then you feel like a god on subsequent play throughs, making Genichiro, Ishiin, and that damn aoe your plaything
I know I did. Absolutely demolishing Genichiro, Father Owl, and Sword Saint after basically training for 11 playthroughs was quite literally one of the best experiences of my gaming life. I can't remember anything so empowering and exciting.
@@melonmazing515 Sword Saint owned my ass for so long, as soon as he pulls out the gun I panicked and that put me on the back foot. Owl and Father Owl are probably my 2 favourite fights
There's literally no feeling better than engaging in The Dance™ with a boss, beating them and realising you didn't take a hit. It's the one game FromSoft has made that made me feel I'd truly mastered it's combat after beating the whole game no hit (after like 2 years of trying)
The Owl also uses all the shinobi tricks. If you charge your attack on him he will perform a mikiri counter and damage our posture meter. Also when you die to him for the first time, he has dialogue "One. The parent is absolute". and if you resurrect once and then die he has extra dialogue "Two. The Master is absolute." But if you use the jizo doll to gain one more life and then die he has a secret dialogue "Third. Fear is absolute. There is no shame in losing a fight. But you must take revenge by all means!"
I think the Hirata Estate stuff could be more of a lucid dream. That would explain Sekiro being able to experience it as himself as a memory, but it doesn't actually happen in real time. It also means that he can subconsciously see all of the pieces of the puzzle put together in this experience itself, figuring out why he had to kill Lady Butterfly as well as what would've happened if he had to face Owl instead
@@SirGuidemere91 I know this is a joke, but the actual explanation of his gun is even funnier. It's not a glock, it's a matchlock... and if you listen to the rapid fire sound, you can hear him pulling back the hammer every time. Dude has crazy dexterity.
@@fahimtajwaar2521 Most of the items you bring back can be summed up as being a matter of gameplay. Can't have an area without items or money, right? The aromatic flower is the only item that can't be as easily explained as that. But even that can have its reasons, for example him going through the memory letting him understand the location of the flower, which he then picks up in a theoretical skipped sequence where he goes and finds it.
43:28 I disagree, I believe he remembers who wolf is and the time his older version spent with him. I believe this Isshin wants to respect his dying grandson's wish but is also testing us in battle. He reminds us whenever we die that "Hesitation is defeat" and when we do finally kill him he says "Well done, Sekiro". Great Video 👍
My interpretation was while the Internal Ministry’s forces indeed broke into ashina castle, the bulk of their army was attacked on the outskirts and immolated by the demon of hatred. Again, this is just my interpretation, but it helps give that part of the story some closure and a sense of, let’s call it, “poetic irony”, as the Ashina foot soldiers always said that ashina was safe as long as the the demon (Our boy Gyobu) held the gate. And with Gyobu dead, and Ashina about to fall, who should appear but a true demon born of the flames, hellbent on destroying the invaders hounding the gates. Ashina will still fall, there is no salvation there. But through the demon and Sekiro’s dual assaults, the central forces were halted in their advance, likely giving those at the castle time to escape.
Plus, there's all that talk about how those with red eyes fear fire. The Ministry infuses nearly all of their guns and cannons with fire, and they find a demon made of fire.
In 14:52 there's actually a dialogue when you give a specific sake to Emma, she'll tell you that she saw Genichiro in the mountains learning to redirect lightning from the storm clouds. Another thing to point out is the Sakura Dance technique, where it's stated that Genichiro learned this ability from Tomoe and uses it against us in the Inner Genichiro fight. This thing can reverse lightning just like how the Way of Tomoe is more on catching and redirecting lightning rather than summoning it.
16:51 interestingly, you canonically don't really "resurrect soon after" but instead, time reverts back to when you were alive. This is why (minor) enemies respawn, boss intro cutscenes play any time you trigger the boss fight (unlike in previous Fromsoft titles, where you do canonically resurrect soon after) and even why only true death furthers Dragonrot, and your resurrection ability doesn't (because they're two distinct aspects of Wolf's immortality.) There is also at least one NPC who questions how many times you must've died, though it's been a while since I played the game so I don't remember the details
About the part in the Hirata estate where you find the wounded Owl, if you attack him, it pass right through him. Because it's a illusion, probably made by Lady Butterfly
@@dylangeorgeson6580 His videos for a very long time now have been lower quality, with less info and he's constantly selling crap. That, and he's started leaning too much into his voice and talking slower and slower. He just doesn't work as hard as he used to since he got comfortable and richer. He even abandonded his BB series.
This is how I interpret how the bells work. You see, there's a tiny mistake that you made. The first bell belongs to Kuro, it was called Young Lord's Bell Charm. It was probably given to or picked up by the old maid who is very loyal to Kuro. Anyway, why this minor detail matter? It's because I think the Buddha is showing memories of the bell's owner. In other words, the first Hirata that you saw is how Kuro remember how the events took place. This is why you saw Owl dying cause that is what Kuro believed to had happen back then. Which is why Kuro is surprised seeing Owl again later at the top of the castle. This is also why it ends with fighting Lady Butterfly cause he saw Wolf saving him from Lady Butterfly. However, he did not see it was Owl who backstab Wolf later. He came back moments later and saw Wolf already dead and he missed seeing Owl. The second bell named Father's Bell Charm belongs to Owl. So the Buddha shows how Owl remember about Hirata. This is why more truth about the events were shown like the interior ministry ninjas' involvement. There is also another strange property of the bell memory is that it acts like a tiny world of its own where you can affect it and vice versa. Remember, you could only interact with Pot Noble through the memory and somehow doing the precious bait quest in the present day can kill him or turn him into a carp? If you kill Anayama in the memory, he will die in the present day. And of course you could keep the prosthetic tools that you can pick up from the memory.
@Gingy at 19:12 you ask why the centipedes grant the people they bind with immortality, it is explained partly in game and partly in the official comic about Hanbei's life. First, we know the people of Ashina worship the waters of Ashina, and that many items relating to the water has special effects, and we later find out that these special effect are because the rivers in Ashina originates from the dragon palace, thus containing very small fragments of the dragon's sanctity and power. One good example of this is the divine confetti, where it is able to damage ghosts because it is soaked in water(presumably water by the miibu village). Over the ages of the dragon residing in Japan and consequently rivers that are closer down streams running for ages, sediments of these blessed river form in the riverbeds and soil nearby. Eel liver in Sekiro can resist lightning a bit because the eel can somewhat mimic a dragon, thus obtaining a mere fraction of its power. Centipedes kinda falls in the same category while also already being associated with longevity in Japanese. Having these qualifications the centipedes that live in the soils of sediments that later become the developed version of rejuvenating water pioneered by Emma's teacher and maker of the Prosthetic arm, the centipedes gradually absorb the sediments, further condensing it and along with mimicing dragon and symbolizing longevity, is able to mimic a fraction of the dragons power, essentially becoming a much more potent and natural variant of the rejuvenating water, or a much weaker and diluted version of the Divine heritage depending on how you look at it. 48:00 I personally think that at least in the purification ending though Emma has vowed to only use her blade to slay shura, she will probably make an exception to both protect Kuro, whom she loves dearly, and honor Wolf's sacrifice, who also meant a lot to her, and we can see in the shura ending that she is tough as nail to crack and has the reflexes to squat Owl's shurikens aside so by laying low, abandoning the title of the divine heir and using force when necessary, it is not surprising that she and Kuro can just hide and watch the central ministry take Ashina, bid Wolf farewell, and then depart from the land of Reeds
13:28 That's actually not him messing up.. it's a known way to draw your sword in Kendo.. To me it shows the first time he was more reserved and defensive.. while the second time he is more eager and "aggressive"
@@jurivjerdha2467 Bro... like I said that is a KNOWN way to draw your sword in kendo... In the same way they respectfully put their sword back into the hilt..
@@obiwanshinobi87 sure when they try and “break” the seal usually requires a more precise movement with more force to it . In this video he just seemed like he missed tbh
This is how you do a story! First 10 minutes are dedicated to laying the groundwork and establishing a few characters, a reason why the main character is doing what he is doing and the gameplay mechanics
You are wrong about the mibu village people, they do die… but they are literally the only enemies that respawn in the game without resting in the buddha statues and that should tell you something. Also, there is someone else who has entered the illusions of halls that you didn’t mention. It was either Tomoe or Genichiro seeking to get the mortal blade but they failed to defeat the monkeys.
I adore Sekiro, it is not only my favourite Fromsoft game by quite a margin but also one of my favourite games of all time. The combat is fantastic, the story is just vague enough to be interesting while also offering a distinct narrative, and the linear progression and single weapon choice, while something fans of the other games might dislike, is preferable to me as it means I never have to worry about having the wrong equipment, putting a point into the wrong stat or not being a high enough level for an area.
There's a lot of story that isn't spelled out, like how the rice is actually eggs of infestation. The source of the "false" dragon blood. 27:20 Lady Butterfly is loosely based on the Madame Butterfly opera. She loved Owl but lied to herself that he loved her when, in fact, he only had eyes for his ambition and his legacy. She must've realised that she had no place in his future and decided to kill Wolf and steal Kuro's blood out of jealousy/heartbreak.
The named blackhat quest line, the past visions npcs in the main timeline, the lady in senpou, daughter at fountainhead, villager with the pot on his head, tha vendor talking about spirits of kids or soldiers. There were tons of what I'd argue were compelling quests and stories. I think the fact the game offered like 6 times the amount of npcs is causing you to feel like that. Normally an npc is on from soft for a quest line
34:35 you CAN know of the existence of the second mortal blade before eavesdropping the conversation between Emma and Isshin. I was returning a lot to Kuro’s room to upgrade my Gourd, and one time he said something that he was in the library. If you go talk with him, he gives you the black scroll. When you read the description it tells you about the black mortal blade. I thought that was the one you were getting, but after seeing ours was red, I instantly knew that someone had the other one and meant that it was a boss fight.
my only complaint with this video is that in my opinion it is much easier to find the old ladies bell charm than owl's given that the latter is hidden behind a series of events that have to be triggered. Nonetheless great video dude!
Actually both Hirata bells are optional. I was actually surprised when you said that Owl's bell was unmissable because it needs to be aquired by basically pestering Emma lol.
The mibu villagers are definitely immortal, they just resurrect at specific locations. I don’t think the okami drank the rejuvenating waters, just the waters of the palace which does not make them immortal but does make them carp like.
I'm just now learning how to play....got to lady butterfly second phase, it's tough but it's not impossible just different to souls. Really like the focus, it's not trying to be an rpg it's a sword fighting adventure story
Hi. New subscriber here. Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your content. I am glad RU-vid's algorithms finaly decided to recommend your stuff to me ! Keep going.
I've never been able to get into Souls games, but I do enjoy your content enough to watch hours of you explaining their games. Excellent quality as always.
This vid was timed perfectly for me I recently started replaying Sekiro again for the 4th time now but doing a base stats play through , such a good game I’d say my favorite of all time !
As of the meaning of "true ending", you might want to check out The Tale of The Princess Kaguya(かぐや姫の物語). The ending is saddening and somewhat terrifying but it's a "good" ending. Something like the beyond or the heaven can be compelling if you can get into the context a little bit, it'll be very underwhelming if you don't though.
those weird immortal centipedes remind me of the "centipede" like alien from anim shingeki no kyojin, humans afflicted with them could regenerate lethal damage or turn into huge titans and both were hiding in the water :D
I feel like I'm the prologue were you said that is "unfortunate" that the story is very Japanese centric cause that will make other people not know a lot of people know references that easy, I think it's kind very america centric way of thinking. I'm not from the U.S. and most of the popular media is made in the USA, so a lot of "coming knowledge" in that type of media is very foreign for me, but that doesn't take away the enjoyment out of a product. Saying that Bloodborne is ok cause is Victorian and sekiro is not so much cause is Japanese doesn't make sense to me, both are very rooted in the culture they are inspired in
47:00 The old lady points directly to where we need to go in order to get the serpent visceras, as well as having a monk who straight up gives you the item that triggers the quest line for the frozen tears
the giant stick-man taking you to the fountainhead palace is a reference to the sacred ropes (shimenawa) found across the entrance of shinto shrines to mark their sacredness. It makes sense that you are brought there by a shimenawa stick-man since the fountainhead palace is where the Divine Dragon resides.
Thanks. This was 🔥🔥🔥. I just beat the first owl in the game and realized I had no idea what was actually going on. And this helped perfectly! Wonderful game♥️
Owl’s bell is a lot harder to get than the old woman’s. Eavesdropping, talking and running back and forth vs. finding kuro’s bell charm along the main path
@@plantman1093 eh, DS3s lord of hollows ending was easily achieved by just taking Yoel’s levels untill Yuri appears and then not finding Horus in Smouldering Lake. Bloodborne’s new beginnings ending could be reached through semi-regular exploration
Bugs and worms granting immortality is a common theme in Japanese stories. You can see it in Blade of the Immortal and even Fate/Stay Night. As for why centipedes in particular, if you've ever come across a Japanese centipede you'll understand why. They are very hard to kill. While more of a folktale than actual advice, my landlady in Kyoto had rules for how to deal with a centipede in the house if you saw one: 1. Pour boiling water on it. 2. Cut it in half. 3. Put each half in separate plastic bags. 4. THEN throw away the bags. I'm pretty sure this was overkill, even for the centipedes, but that gives you an idea of Japanese folk beliefs surrounding them. As mentioned in at least one other comment I saw, the figure that takes you is made of rope, which is used often to denote sacred spaces in Japan. The paper charms in the temple are often seen in temples and shrines as well, often as warding spells. Smaller straw dolls can also be used to cast curses, like a voodoo doll, in Japanese folk magic traditions. Dragons and their connection to the divine are more common knowledge, so I don't think I need to go into that. THIS dragon seems to be the personification (dragon-ification?) of the Everbloom tree, which is also how Japanese kami (and yokai, there's a lot of overlap there) work. The search for immortality was also a staple of Japanese history. Heck, even in Princess Mononoke, which also takes place during the Sengoku Jidai, it's mentioned that the emperor is searching for a way to become immortal, and thus the hunt for the Deer God/Forest Spirit depending on your language. As for the Okami women being allowed in sacred spaces, THAT is a pun. Japanese culture LOVES puns. See, okami is the word for wolf. But it can also be read as Great God. So now you also know why the game Okami is about Amaterasu in the form of a wolf. I'm sure there an intended relation here with Sekiro's main character. (amusingly, the word for owl, Fukuro, can also mean "bag". Do with that information what you will). (also, I haven't played Sekiro so I'm not sure how these names are actually being read out because kanji has lots of alternative readings). Anyway, Tomoe being an Okami woman and also having a connection to the divine realm isn't a coincidence. Another common theme in Japanese literature is the inevitable passing of time, and all things fading away, which I think is the main read in the final ending. The dragon, the water, and immortality leaving. Though since you fight Genichiro in a field of autumn grass under the full moon (this imagery is very related to moon-viewing season), it also brings to mind the story of Princess Kaguya, who came from the moon and inevitably needs to return there. As for the Divine Child, you can read this as all immortality leaving the world, or as an extension of monks "leaving the world behind." This phrasing is used a lot in the Tale of Genji to mean someone becoming a monk, and the Divine Child is seen wearing a monk's headdress. Regarding Owl carrying Genichiro's head-- the cutting off of heads as trophies was also very common in Japanese history. Even as late as the end of the Edo Period, after execution the heads of criminals would be displayed. Owl was likely collecting heads as proof of death. Finally, Kuro and Emma being able to escape Ashina isn't too much a leap-- once they were outside and not dressed as nobility, who would care about them? It's not like the soldiers are indiscriminately killing everyone who happens to be traveling. They may be brutal in a siege (typical in Japanese warfare) but if they don't know someone is important, why would they bother to kill them? As far as they know, Emma and Kuro are just a mother and child. The funniest thing to me was listening to your opening about the obscurity of symbolism from Japanese storytelling, the brief explanation of what Sengoku was, and thinking, "What? Doesn't anyone watch Inuyasha anymore?" (as a disclaimer, the things talked about above are not from Inuyasha, though there's a lot of overlap because it's also a fantasy set in the Sengoku Jidai)
I think I have to agree Purification is probably the best ending. Conceptually I like the idea of a secret ending where all the main characters survive but this one is especially odd, and the requirements to see it sour it a lot.
I understand why people didn’t like the newer combat system relying on Parry’s however, I loved it, for me it was a welcomed new combat system which helped to make Sekiro more of its own game, also I loved the Setting in Japan and the story was great, a solid FromSoft game for sure
I absolutely loved the deflect. I know other games have done similiar things, but for From specifically its the first time you are put on the same level of the boss you're fighting. There's no running away, no rolling everywhere, no cowardice. You can destroy any boss by deflecting and attacking only.
honestly wolf sacrificing himself for his lord sounds apt. the relationship between kuro and wolf is like that of a lord and their retainer, the lord would make the orders and have their own goals and the retainer would be rewarded for fulfilling their every wish, the idea of a retainer giving up their well being or their life was not an uncommon occurance as their was even a large group of retainers who's lord actually died when they were not there to stop it so went undercover to enact revenge for their lord. the idea of wolf actually choosing to kill himself in order for his lord to live a free and happy life is probably exactly what a retainer would have likely done with how loyal wolf seems to be towards lord kuro. especially when you go historic where a lord could simply tell you to die or commit seppuku or even ask for your family's death if they so desired and you would have a choice as to whether you would carry it out.
I kinda missed the second bell because to get it you have to go behind the temple and eavesdrop on Emma and The Sculptor which I never even thought about doing.
i actually just beat this game this week It was my first souls game and i fucking loved it From the combat to the atmosphere but especially the story It was a wonderful tragic tale. But i have two things One, could Genichiro have handled things better, like instead of focusing solely on the immortal blood of Kuro, imagine if he just tried to get Sekiro to help him save Ashina. I do not believe that would've been impossible. We see in the game that the Interior Ministry has no issue kicking Sekiro's ass, so just imagine if Genichiro wasn't so fixated on the immortal blood as the only way to save Ashina and instead worked with us to save it. Food for thought ALSO one more thing The sword saint isshin fight isn't a mindless Isshin. The black blade not only brought him back at his peak, it also tied him to Genichiro's will. It's why Isshin states at the start as he was crawling out, this was your last wish. Essentially he is here to fulfill that wish because the black blade ties him to that. Sword Saint Isshin is Genichiro's last card to play. So isshin is insanely focused one thing, defeating you to save Ashina because that is what Genichiro believed he had to do. Defeat you to gain Lord Kuro
This isn't a souls game. Even From outright stated that Sekiro is it's own thing (also the Moonlight Greatsword is omitted). Play DS1 for the best (imo) "true" souls experience. The build variety and movement really add up and it ends up feeling really different.
You have to remember that Genichiro's goal is at odds against Kuro's (and in turn, Sekiro's) wish of ending the Dragon's Heritage, as he wanted to use it to his advantage. If they did go to war, it would be endless (the Interior Ministry had way more troops than what was seen in game) and the dragonrot epidemic as a result of the thousands of times that Sekiro would die would wipe out a lot of the people of Ashina anyway, which is exactly what Kuro wants to prevent (well that, and the usage of the heritage by those in power).
I don't think Genichiro would have ever allied with Sekiro for two reasons: as long as Sekiro is alive, Kuro would never take Genichiro in as his protector (and thus denies him of dragon immortality), and two, the whole first half of the game Sekiro kills many of Ashina troops to get to Kuro, including Gyoubu, who was instrumental in guarding the outer wall, several generals, an Ashina Elite, and one of the Seven Spears. It's one of the reasons why Genichiro is an interesting character though. He would always be at odds with Wolf
I love fighting system in this game. Once you get comfortable enough to move past simple strike and deflect sword fight, everything becomes amazingly fluid and open with skills and prosthetic arm. I disagree with common statement that Shinobi prosthetic use is situational. Combinations prosthetic with skills are vital for combat flow.
Sadly I doubt anyone will see this but @35:00 That giant “rope monster” might be a reference to shimenawa. It’s a rope they tie above and around thresholds to symbolize passage. They also symbolize the “boundary between the sacred and the profane.” That rope monster being the rite of passage in corporeal twine.
Playing NG+ on Sekrio rn nd I will always love this game Along with Horizon Zero Dawn it's one of the only single player games I leave installed on my PS4 after I'm done with the majority of the trophies The boss rush nd gauntlets are another reason that holds me along with the moment to moment combat
Sekiro is probably my favorite souls game together with Bloodborne and I played through both of them only once. I kinda want to replay them but at the same time the experience was so complete and fulfilling that I might not want to soil the impression I have.
A few things that seemed incorrect in the video to me: 1: The centipedes are a result of the palace waters pooling in the valley, stagnating and becoming infested with parasites. This is the Rejuvenating Sediment. It's safe to say Genichiro would eventually end up like the infested monks. The Weeb village is somewhere inbetween - impure runoff, but not stagnant. 2: There's another form of immortality - becoming a Carp. The pot nobles and the "master" are obvious examples, but Dojun's "Red Eyes" seems to be a science based around this same mutation and it's achieved independently of the Waters. 3: Butterfly was working with Owl. She had the Sakura Drop that belonged to Tomoe. Owl had the branch of the Everblossom. They planned to take Curo for the full set and a way to make both of them immortal. But I wouldn't put it past Owl to backstab Butterfly for that sweet double immortality like Wolf has with the extra Droplet. 4: Owl didn't find the Black Blade. Tomoe found it when she was searching for a way to sever immortality, she just got the wrong mortal blade. Genichiro knew where she hid it and retrieved it when needed.
There is something about Owl’s eyes as he says Shura. Few games are able to capture emotions in facial expressions as well as they did with Owl here. That was pure terror on his face.
The bell is probably some kind of time travel, if you use any tool from your arm, Owl would comment on it, and that Wolf was able to retrieve a key item from the "memory", so yeah I think it has to be a time travel or sort of. BTW I did the best ending the first run without any guide, not to brag, I just explored a lot and invested myself in the game, it shows just how well done the game design is.
Re playing the game right now, and the game is still as good as I remember i also like how bright and beutifull the game is, unlike the more darker tone of other souls game
I played it pseudo coop, by being in voicechat with my buddy as we progressed and because we are extremely thorough with the souls games in general, we managed to get that proper severance ending right away, piecing it together through the dialogue and items we found. Was extremely satisfying! This was also on release, so information wasn't even really available.
A small side note: Ive heard a lot of grumbling on why there is a Second Mortal Blade for Genichiro to use, how its a bit of a unexplained cop out type deal But like Gingy pointed out this is a Japanism that simply doesnt translate well to Western audiences, Its a well known belief that when a japanese blacksmith crafts a blade he in fact always crafts two, the better of which would be named, and the inferior blade would remain un-named and left to fate, This leads to multiple japanese stories of legendary blades and their lesser un-named blade meeting in times of Major turning points of Fate, Clashing and deciding the fate of all involved in a conflict. Of course in this game, it seems the Opposing Twin blade was named but the themes remain the same This is my favorite Fromsoft Game to date, and thats saying a lot considering my love for the franchise
@@carlosdario9810 So basically, japanese cultural influence of a game celebrating japanese culture by japanese developers... is racist, remind me again who's reaching here? I fucking love japan and japanese culture last i checked LIKING their culture is the farthest thing from racism but sure buddy keep up your precious internet policing i promise that ill continue studying eastern cultures and celebrating my findings, and you can continue to seethe
In my opinion, isshin is one of the best final encounters of any game I've ever played. It's a masterful example of how to take the culmination of everything the game teaches the player and put it into most intense, cinematic and heart pounding final confrontation. The sense of mastery and satisfaction I got after defeating isshin has nullified every game experience I've had since. Idk, maybe that's just me?
You said, Owls bell isn't optional, it can't be missed. Yes, it can. I missed it, Hirata Owl fight and all the lore behind it on my first playthrough because I didn't eavesdrop on Kuro and Emma (I'm no stalker^^)
The second "bad" ending where you have to kill Kuro is actually my favorite because it's the most poetic and somber. It just fits in with the rest of the game's themes so well and gives us a nice resolution and allegory for the acceptance of death. Wolf doesn't want to kill his master, but he also doesn't want him to suffer. It's just a beautiful scene that's subtle and done so well where you only see the sword plunging into the tall grass. I really love that ending. It's a tear jerker. 😭
Finished last week for the first time in about 27 hrs. Last 5 hours were purely xp farming. Went for NG+ and finished it in 3-4 hours (Ashura ending which is by far he fastest). Can't wait to get the other two endings in and unlock all gauntlets. This game has absolutely everything and will be forever one of my all time favourites. The community keeps it alive with so many fresh and exciting mods as well which completely reshapes the experience. Love.
I feel like a DLC would be so easy to make for this game. Just have the first half be you Emma and the divine child be on the run from imperial forces, then you fight against like the leader of the military. He survives but is intrigued by the immortality. Then you make it to the birth place of the dragon, you meet tomoe and get like a new skill tree for lightning reversal. You team up with her to get rid of the dragon, but at the end of the DLC the military general kills tomoe and uses her as like a vessel for the dragon. You then need to fight against tomoe with the powers of the dragon. You could even add a new prosthetic that would allow you to store electricity and combine it with your combat art.
