How Sekiro sets itself apart 

Big thanks to Activision for sponsoring this video. Sekiro's different approach in design philosophy gives it its own identity in a way that really distinguishes it from Miyazaki's other games. With many players having concluded their first playthrough of Elden Ring, Sekiro's a great game to follow it up with. It's similar enough you won't miss a beat, but different enough it'll be a refreshing change of pace.

As wise man once said: "Hesitation is defeat" The moment the combat clicked for me was honestly one of the most mind blowing things I experienced in gaming. It was like I could suddenly see the outline of the flow combat, as I persisted through the game my eyes were able to keep up, my reflexes got sharper and I just couldn't stop! I hope one day we'll get to explore more of the world of sekiro, hands down a true masterpiece.

The fact they're sponsoring you to make sekiro videos gives me hope that we might see sequel someday. Great video as always

The feeling of once having genichiro as a superior then an equal, then finally not even a threat is incredible

I have no problem calling Sekiro my favorite FromSoft game and one of my favorite games of all time. It just feels so satisfying to play, with bosses that are fun to fight over and over again. I still find myself booting up Sekiro now and then just to fight Isshin again, and I'm still discovering new tricks and clever ways to use the shinobi tools.

The fact that Sekiro can deviate so significantly from the Souls formula and yet remain as engaging and deep as Miyazaki’s other game attests to his genius. To this day Sekiro has my favorite combat in any video game, ever.

That Tenchu level 1 music brought a little tear to my eye. Nice of you to honor one classic with another.

I think Sekiro is the one "Souls" game that could be considered separate from the others. Even with Elden Ring diverging from many staples of the series, Sekiro is still incredibly unique. The singular combat system, a traditional story, a traditional protagonist, the inclusion of a map, being able to rematch bosses, a skill tree, a sub-title, the focus on action over RPG mechanics, PAUSING. And yet, despite all of that, Sekiro is still unquestionably a Souls game, due to doors needing to be opened from specific sides. Edit: Also stealth and jumping.

What they nailed in Sekiro was the feeling of personal growth the more you play. At first you have no idea where anyone is, how they fight, and how to differentiate between their unblockables, so exploring and fighting are a cautious affair if not a downright struggle. Once you do know where to go and when to deflect/dodge/jump/sneak/pressure, you fly through levels and bosses alike and it's so satisfying.

People who started this series with Elden Ring will be in for a surprise when they boot up this gem. Definition of Git Gud. When you finally hit that last death blow on Ishiin, and your hands are cramped, mind mushed, you feel like you truly beat this game all on your own guides or no. Thank you for covering it Zullie. Just a man and his Katana

Sekiro forever be the greatest combat system Fromsoft created. 👏

Loved the fact you used the Tenchu OST for this since Sekiro is in a way the successor of Tenchu. Lovely stuff.

The voice acting and direction in this game is amazing. Hearing the sculptor carving and speaking in that silent room still gives chills down my spine. Isshin brings so much strength, confidence and leadership just in the way he speaks. It's amazing how they manage to make me care and like a character in just a few sentences of dialogue.

Even though I've played the other From games more in total, I'm so much better at the combat in Sekiro than I ever was in Dark Souls or am in Elden Ring. Learning to master not just yourself but your enemies is incredibly challenging but equally rewarding. Beating Inner Isshin first try in the gauntlets of strength will always be one of my favorite moments in gaming.

Something that stands out to me about Sekiro is how Kuro changes the player's relationship with the game. With Kuro, you have a strong reason to succeed, which is his well-being. In addition to directing the plot, it also offers a more pointed moral compass than the rest of the games. Ignoring the Shura ending, Sekiro doesn't usually commit immoral acts like killing innocents (he literally can't kill NPCs).

Honestly, Sekiro is the best game that Fromsoft has made, I was honestly getting a bit worn out on the souls design, but Sekiro being so different, while still having the basics really brought me back into enjoying it. I just wish Elden Ring was more like it.

I like that there's a difference between money and skill/exp rather than just souls/bloodEchoes/runes.

Sekiro’s combat is second to none. It does make the game pretty easy once you’ve mastered it, but going from getting hammered by grunts to making isshin and owl back peddle the whole fight is one of the best feelings in gaming

I got elden ring not expecting to get any other souls game but to just “try it,” but I had an incredible amount of fun for tens of hours. Once I finished elden ring for the second time I wanted more, I saw gameplay of sekiro and instantly thought that’s too hard for me but I bought it and am about 20 hours in, it’s been the most fun I’ve probably ever had in a game the combat and gameplay is just amazing 10/10

Sekiro was truly something special, without a doubt their best work to this date and an unsurpassed masterpiece.

I didn't like Sekiro at first, but I'm glad I pushed through my initial resistance to being "forced" to play the game a certain way. I think Sekiro is one of the tightest games I've ever played in terms of combat flow. It really turned combat into a dance rather than the sword and board I was used to playing in Souls. Now I highly recommend it to everyone who wants a challenge. Super excellent game.

I played through it a third time after playing Elden Ring twice and imo this is the greatest Miyazaki game. It is just so beautiful in so many ways. I much rather have a game like this that focuses much more on the single player experience. The horror elements also make it so damn memorable.

Loved the inclusion of the Tenchu OST!! Such a small but relevant detail!! I adored those games growing up and always felt like Sekrio was a spiritual successor in some ways (Noriyuki Asakura did the music for both afterall!) I only recently found out FromSoftware were the publishers for the later installments. If FS don't make a Sekiro sequel, I'd love it if they revived Tenchu!!

Even with Elden Ring’s open world and improvements on other Souls games, Sekiro remains my favourite given its more involved story, the beautifully satisfying combat and the traversal of Ashina. Really hope it gets a sequel

The boss battles are by far my favorite thing in Sekiro. I spent hours upon hours mastering them to be able to beat some of the boss gauntlets and it was by far the most fun I ever had in a From Software game. While some of the Souls games do better with experimenting and using a variety of builds, none of them have the refined boss and enemy encounters that Sekiro has, partially due to the Souls games having to accommodate such a large pool of different playstyles. When I went into a boss battle in Sekiro I knew I would be dying multiple times because you're forced to have to learn the bosses moveset for when the sparse openings for you to attack present themselves. Meanwhile I can fumble my way through most Souls games bosses the first try because the fights are much faster.

Thank you for the insight, but thank you even more for the "punish the evil merchant", it's one of the best tracks out there and sure takes me back in time. It's the only one that I don't have from FromSoftware and I regret it to let my ex keep my copy.

I still think it's a shame that this incredible game had no DLC content (outside of boss rematches).

The Tenchu music in the background brings me back, great touch!

I like the tenchu sound track you put in! This game will always be more of a Tenchu than a souls-like.

we need sekiro 2 :(

One further interesting thing I noticed when I watched others playing was that although the tools we had were the same, the way we played would differ significantly. Some play more aggressively, some more defensive and totally different reactions to boss attack patterns. The game may have limited customisation but I honestly think there was a lot of room for players to develop and express their own style of fighting in Sekiro.

4:33 I think that the part about the game being more intimate is spot-on. I personally felt a much more intimate connection with the game *in general.* Whether you're in combat-where you more frequently get to grapple and impale your enemies with up-close-and-personal Deathblows-or just interacting with the other characters. They feel much more like people than just NPC's. And the combat feels much more intense and brutal.

Despite how aggressive and fast paced Sekiro is, it actually feels more like a “defensive” game instead of an offensive one. Yes you attack, but you must also deflect and wear down your enemies through attrition, rather than just raw damage. In a way, the speed of the game and low latency of deflects actually facilitates this defensive style. Latency in your actions is low, so you are able to react to your opponents. This is opposed to using great swords in other From games. They are so slow you have to go on the offensive as you don’t always have time or the speed to play reactively.

Sekiro was made like a traditional Japanese sword folded a thousand times, so refined, such a singular mind of a game, an object of reverence. Elden ring is amazing but sekiro is my favorite game yet

Its awesome to see you get the recognition of a sponsorship, you're truly one of the premier channels talking about these games today.

I didn't even know I had this tenchu ost stored in my mind, but the "aiooooioo" immediately brought back memories. A sound choice!

sekiro is a very underrated game imho. the combat style is by far the best of all fromsoft games! its a gem that u really have to master. i will never forget the moment i got my final killing blow on isshin. i think i was at my personal peak in my gaming history! i have never been that good in elden ring or in dark souls …

Sekiro is awesome, it deserves a Sequel and DLC

Him having only the katana lets me wondering, how it would be if they would do a game specifically for every other major weapon type we know from soulsborne respectively in a style that would benefit them the most. From the big bong hammers, axes or ultra greatswords to daggers, swords, or spears. Maybe even a great focus on shields or bows. Even solo magic could be interesting. Big weapon types would be less agile, but their incredible strength could be used to actually break things, like houses or even bigger bosses. Axes could maybe even cut limbs of these behemoths. Magicians could be more floating or maybe flying. Spears and swords could be paired with shields and have a more natural fighting style because of it. There is so much potential, when you can create worlds around these weapons and their playstyle.

That Tenchu track hits some kinda way all these years later. Still slaps.

The music from Tenchu really took be back. So many great memories of those games.

The rematch with Genichiro was incredible. I die countless time during that, but once the flow of battle clicked, it felt amazing. Especially when your perfect parries clangs, the sound effects of successful mikiri counters or successful jumping and countering, sound like a beautiful, satisfying tune that add so much to the experience. The best part of the combat is that your successful defend also add to your progress of defeating the bosses (by breaking their posture), making it much more engaging than the just a simple dodge roll. You can also interrupt enemies when they're executing a combo, for example throwing shuriken at enemies who jump to use an attack like Lady Butterfly. Instead of the bosses punish you for being greedy, you can also punish them. So overall the combat doesn't just require timely dodges, but suitable respond to an enemy moveset.

Deep cuts back to the best game soundtrack, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins.

i am currently on my first playthrough and i love this game. bought it right after beating elden ring to find it was a lot more challenging. i just made it to fountainhead palace and got shocked in the lake lol.

Tenchu 1 still remains as the best ninja game with the most authentic OST. Still sounds beautiful despite being 25 years old.

Sekiro was my first from software game. It started a chain reaction which led me to play almost all of their games. It holds a special place in my heart for my love of video games. I hope one day we do get to see more of this world and its characters.

I wouldn't call Sekiro "overlooked" didn't it win like tons of GOTY awards

Sekiro is a triumph, and my favorite moment that I think about constantly, comes from the purification ending. Sekiro takes hold of the mortal blade, announces his death as condemnation of the last immortal, and his final words to a slumbering lord Kuro are that he live on and discover all a mortal life can offer. Then we get a shot, a short, simple shot of Sekiro holding the blade to his neck. Even in this, after all he’s gone through, he hesitates just one moment. To breathe, to steel himself, before doing the deed. And the Sakura flowers that fall from his body perfectly encapsulate his entire character arc, its an ending that never fails to move me.

Zulie - your presentation style for your videos is the most relaxing thing I always look forward to

Love the use of Tenchu music. After recently replaying Wrath of Heaven I was kind of astonished how much Sekiro took inspiration from it, tweaked them and expanded it tenfold. Many abilities and techniques in Sekiro have reference to the unlockable Shinobi Arts in Tenchu, including Puppeteer Ninjitsu (which was Shinobi Mind Control in Tenchu).

Sekiro is one of that few games you can't think a bad thing bout it; it's a masterpiece.

Great overview, hope players who started on elden ring see this and give it a shot. While it may not be my favorite fromsoft game mainly because of my nostalgia for ds1, it is easily the best designed.

The Tenchu tracks are so nostalgic. Great video.

that tenchu musiq hit me right in the nostalgia feels, late night playing the playstation 1 as a youngster.

After Sekiros excellent refined combat I had such high hopes for Elden Ring. Sadly they went back to the very antiquated and limited movement and combat system, while I like Elden Ring I feel like From Software should try to actually redesign how combat works in the Souls games.

This also applies to Bloodborne as it’s more focused, limited in equipment and builds but every weapon is at least an 8/10. This is why I prefer smaller, more refined experiences and why Sekiro and Bloodborne are my favourite FS games. We need a Sekiro sequel so bad. The open ending where he leaves with the rice girl is perfect for a continuation.

Advertising for back catalogue done right. Don’t blast me with a flashy trailer, have an expert instead showing me the details and the beauty.

love that you used Tenchu's soundtrack for this - excellent OST

Man, the Tenchu music in the background. Nostalgia hits hard.

Props for using Tenchu music! I immediately recognized it!

The use of Tenchu music is absolute class.

Love Sekiro and happy to see you getting sponsored to make a video that already seems right in your wheelhouse and interests! A longer overview video like this really goes to show how well you've refined your presentation craft, from the writing to editing and camerawork.

Couldn't help but laugh when the music for Tenchu: Stealth Assassin started playing. Tenchu is the first thing I thought of when I first saw Sekiro and, because of how exhausted I still am from it, the reason I never got into Sekiro.

Your video summed up why Sekiro is my favourite game of all time. Putting the tenchu ost is a very nice touch too!!

That Tenchu soundtrack took me back. *Thanks for the Content* !

Another great video of curiosities. Also those Tenchu songs... Magnificent touch to match Sekiro, the tone and to remember one of the old, forgotten and great games of From Software catalogue.

Hey look, my favorite new subscribed channel of 2022 does a two-parter on my favorite game of all time. This made my day. Sekiro was a masterpiece. It takes the faster and more aggressive combat of Bloodborne (my *previous* favorite game of all time), favors a rhythmic back-and-forth of trading purposeful blows in lieu of high-speed dodges and incentive for desperation attacks, and proceeds to expertly file down and polish away any rough edges or impurities that the open-ended RPG elements of Soulsbourne past always contended with, as your video points out very well. The story is definitely an artfully thematic and tautly paced narrative for an action game, but I think it goes further and resonates in a timeless way, with how it shows three generations of a once-great family and its retainers clashing over how to save themselves at a time of moral corruption and violent upheaval, with potentially tragic results. While it doesn't go all out on lengthy dialogue or ponderous world-building, it knows what it wants to say and knows how to say it, with an economy of scope that keeps its themes of struggle, death, rebirth and redemption front-and-center. Sekiro's journey from broken down reject, not even worth the effort to be bound in captivity, to unstoppable force of nature, defying every obstacle *including death* to regain his purpose and uphold his oath, is something to behold. It resonated with me as I emerged from my own absolute personal Armageddon, giving me inspiration to face my challenges with mindfulness and sense of purpose, and I ultimately credit the game's strong Buddhist sensibilities as being my gateway to Zen Buddhism, which has helped me discover how to achieve and maintain balance in a world wobbling on the brink. This is an Activision ruse to piggyback off another game's huge success that I can *100% get behind.* If you liked Elden Ring and want more, play this. If you liked Elden Ring but felt it got a little too copy-pasted and imbalanced, definitely play this. If you can appreciate an immaculately thought out action game, and long for a gameplay experience that is both white-knuckle aggression and laser-focused mindfulness, stop doing yourself a disservice and play this game. I also recommend it to those who like great game stories too. Looking forward to part 2!

When the tenchu music came in I got so excited

I really love having a predetermined character even in rpgs. When I play FF7, I would MUCH rather have cloud, than to make some typical character creation.

Glad to see the attention the game is getting again. It's my favorite game after Twilight Princess, and I think it will always be a classic to me going forward. The fact you parry the attacks of enemies and bosses over dodging and poking really make you feel powerful and better immerse you into the game and fights I find. You'll fell like you're actually battling with a sword saint, master ninja, or giant monkey with no head etc. Probably some of the best action gameplay that's satisfying to learn and master since like the Arkham games. It may not be as big as Elden Ring size or time wise and the story (while being amazing as usual from FromSoft) may be shorter and more straightforward as other entries, but if you're a souls or Action game fan and you haven't tried it yet I recommend it highly. Although stealth in Sekiro is better overall than it is in elden ring, its still not a true stealth game compared to like Metal gear or others, but it still does it overall well. The number of ways to play and approach situations definitely contributed to elden rings design philosophy. Last note, if your a player that raged at Melenia, that boss is literally Sekiro. A warrior with a katana, prosthetic gear, afflicted with rot (Sekiro is afflicted Dragon Rot similar to Melenia's Scarlet Rot that intensifies on use), and serve a divine childlike leader (Kuro the Divine Heir similar to Miquella an enternal child). Even her Water Fowl dance is very similar to Sekiro's Floating/Spiral Cloud Passage abilities, so if you ever want to be essentially Melenia for an entire playthrough, Sekiro is the game to play.

Ah, the Tenchu level 1 theme in the background; takes me back to when I first played Tenchu Stealth Assassins on the PlayStation when I was a kid!

While having played and finished every SoulsBorneRing: Shadows die twice Game I really dislike Sekiro, for the combat feels boring and I really do not like dex builds in general. Being forced into this build while having every other game of the series allow you to build your own experience in combat felt wrong. Yes the movement was a great plus, but that is the only quality that even made me finish the game. Bosses felt less of a spectacle, except the odd few, the combat felt like I was always on the defence and the story felt off, even for souls games. Additionally the mechanic of being able to come back to life after dying also made me lazy while fighting, knowing that I can just revive and get a free hit in. I can get why people would like Sekiro, but at least for me it is barely better than base game Dark Souls 2.

Happy for you to finally get sponsored, Zullie! While the comment section is filled with the usual unconditional praise for every facet of FROM's design, and I appreciate and respect the community's passion for their games, I feel I have a very divergent feeling with Sekiro as a whole. I feel some of its design is actually a lot more clunky/faulty than people seem to admit, reminiscent of a lot of old FROM mistakes (pre-souls era, where most of my favorite FROM games are /from/... haha). To keep most relevance with the video, one of my main critiques of the game is the boss design. I feel this is where the experience falls apart the most. (tl;dr: the bosses in Sekiro are extremely linear / only one designed solution or approach) The video explains that, yes, Sekiro is more of a pure action game, instead of an action-rpg-- maybe so far as to say it's closer to a character action game similar to that of Bayonetta or DMC. These are all games, like Sekiro, that have a central character (or a few in DMC's case) that has a fixed moveset in addition to a customizable toolkit to give the combat a bit more personalization (ie: the weapons in Bayonetta/DMC, the skills/tools in Sekiro). In Bayonetta/DMC, while the bosses have weapon combinations that are definitely more effective against them than others, it feels as though any combination/approach you want to take is still designed to be viable and enjoyable. Whereas, in Sekiro, I feel on the whole the bosses boil down to "which tool/item/etc. trivializes this encounter?" This leaves Sekiro's boss encounter design feeling more like a point-and-click style "try the item(s) you think works against the problem until you get it right" type of puzzle rather than a test of your overall creativity and prowess with the given tools at your disposal. There's a lot less freedom in the designed approaches, leaving the boss fights feeling extremely antiquated and rigid, like some sort of classic NES-era encounter design. I don't want to go too in-depth to avoid spoilers, but the most egregious example of this I can think of off the top of my head is how the loaded umbrella is basically required for certain fights. I feel like this focus on "one correct solution" is major design trap that has poisoned the game's design philosophy in many areas. I think it's possible to both have a clear, focused vision with a small handful of mechanics while still encouraging freedom in the player's chosen approaches to potential problems/encounters. A game like Super Mario 64 demonstrates this well. Everyone can do the same four or five moves that Mario has, but any given approach to obtaining a specific star can vary wildly. The player is given a lot of freedom to create their own approach to solving the problem (navigating the level to collect the star) with this focused, predefined moveset. I think Sekiro does demonstrate something similar to this with the general level design, which is where I think Sekiro shines the brightest, as you have a lot of freedom to push through any given level in a variety of ways, mostly thanks to the grappling hook, ledge mechanics, and very intelligent use of spatial verticality. It makes you feel smart/clever for taking a path you feel that you personally routed, even if it's all by design... and I feel this sort of evocation of the prideful wit of the player befits the idea of playing as a shinobi far more, making me really wish that the other areas of design could have followed suit.

This describes so many things I love about this game perfectly. People are always confused when I say Sekiro is my absolute favorite FromSoft game because it’s so much smaller, stripped down and minimal than all their other games. But what’s funny is that’s precisely why I love it so much. Don’t get me wrong, Elden Ring is a VERY close second. I feel like they learned a lot about constructing narrative from Sekiro and Georgie boy, but I just have this urge to jump back in and play Sekiro again and again and again.

Grats on the sponsoring! I hope your observations make it all the way back to the source someday.

I’ll say it. Sekiro is From-softwares most polished game ever. It is a masterpiece.

Sekiro is one of my favorite FS games. Great video as always Zullie! Love to see you getting the recognition you deserve.

Sekiro is a brutal challenge. The hardest of them by far. But it never felt unfair. Except having to fight Genichiro over and over to even get to Isshin. That really sucked. That’s the one thing I would fix about it.

Wow, congrats Zullie on the sponsership ! This is amazing ! Well deserved !

The Tenchu music was a real blast from the past.

Dude ur music choice is on point, also great video you brought up alot of good points!

Sekiro makes me look forward to fromsoft's next story driven game. Beautifully crafted with little to none flaws. I hope you go into depth with the psychology of the combat

I really loved the story and world design in this game.

That Tenchu soundtrack's got some funky basslines

The Tenchu Music takes me back to my days in school. Nice. Loved that game so much. Sekiro proved to be a good spiritual Successor to it.

One of the best feelings i ever had was playing Sekiro while listening to Tenchu OST, it gave me so much nostalgia, even though it didn't fit all that much

the tenchu music is painfully nostalgic.

"Some builds might be to strong or weak against some builds taking the fun out of things." *looks at lazer sorcery build*

I think one of the most satisfying changes which sets Sekiro apart from the rest of the Soulsborne series is your place within the story. In Demon's/Darks Souls and Bloodborne it feels like you've been dropped into an environment which has already dealt with countless experiences which have altered the world and it's up to you to put the right pieces together in order to get the bigger picture of what has happened and what your role is in the world presently. It's less about creating a traditional narrative and more about thrusting the player into a place where they need to determine what is happening around them and whether their course of actions were worth it in the end. With Sekiro though it feels as if you are helping create the tale which others will be sharing for years to come. It's up to you to explore the world and tackle each of the challenges along the way, from supernatural entities to renowned warriors/shinobi from across Ashina and Japan. There's still lore to appreciate which helps provide context for the other characters and locations but at its core it feels like you're taking part in an actual legendary folk tale which can end in tragedy or optimism.

Very nice choice of music there with Tenchu, nostalgia hit me right away

Thanks for using the Tenchu ost, brings back many memories! ❤

Sekiro, like its mentioned in the video, has a narrow focus but thats what made me love it way more than any of the other souls games. Insted of worrying about what build or weapon is best you just focus on the mechanics and story of the game. It was this game that made me want to try the other ones and i always try to make my character into " sekiro" or " wolf" when I played elden ring or dark souls. This game is a masterpiece and will forever hold a place in the top games that i ever played.

I only recently beat sekiro the concept of deflecting the opponent's attacks was a bit difficult for me to grasp at first but once I did I loved every second of it

Sekiro is my all time favorite Fromsoft game and it will likely never get replaced. While i enjoy other FS games, i'm not a fan of how slow the movement of older games are, and personally hate how vague the lore of them. It was the design, vibe, music and challenge that had me play them. Sekiro has none of the issues i have with them, it's fast, clear story, visually stunning, well balanced. Bonus point for setting in ancient Japan, the theme that i love most. 10/10 imo

This video is great for several reasons: 1. Unexpected Sekiro quality content. 2. Zullie getting sponsored. Yay. 3. Tenchu soundtrack. S2

sekiro is the first fromsoft game I mastered, truly love it as well as seeing you getting sponsored 3 years after the game’s release.

I have found so many games that give a rush like partying perfectly in sekiro, soon I’ll even need a second hand!

Sekiro is by far my favorite action game and from software game. I sincerely hope for a sequel

A very fitting choice for the music in the video. Tenchu was one of my favourite franchises... after it faded away for some time, Sekiro was the game that scratched the itch of stealth assassination.

Sekiros probably my favourite fromsoft in terms of gameplay. It's gameplay after you learn to not r1 and l1 spam and add in the added in gauntlets made the game so fun, I still speedrun it more than any other soulsborne just because I have it on pc, and it's speedrunning is fairly easy too