I’mma go even further and say that if doesn’t actually work all that well in Sekiro either. Have you ever replayed that game? You end up skipping absolutely everything you can because there’s just no player expression to be found in 80% of fights. Isshin’s a masterpiece but there are 3 Headlesses - ThreadSky

phirmth.bsky.social • 2 days ago

I’mma go even further and say that if doesn’t actually work all that well in Sekiro either. Have you ever replayed that game? You end up skipping absolutely everything you can because there’s just no player expression to be found in 80% of fights. Isshin’s a masterpiece but there are 3 Headlesses

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swolekat.info•2 days ago

Honestly this is my biggest issue with Sekiro compared to the rest of fromsoft's catalogue. I feel like in other games there are multiple ways to overcome enemies but in Sekiro if I don't play the game this one specific way then I get to eat dirt. I know it's a "me" thing but it never rally clicked.

phirmth.bsky.social•2 days ago

I’m all for games providing a single specific experience as opposed to “play it your way,” but yeah, it’s just not gonna work out for everyone that way (and gets worse with repeat playthroughs)

finetalpies.bsky.social•1 day ago

I am just an old man, but maybe the heightened importance people have started placing on a game's ability to entertain you for hundreds of hours is not reasonable or healthy for players or the artform.

phirmth.bsky.social•1 day ago

Some games are great for short one-off experiences! Some of my favorite games I've played recently fall into that category! I just think that parry-obsessed gameplay like this isn't deep enough to merit being emulated across every game out there and I think replayability is a good indicator of depth

finetalpies.bsky.social•1 day ago

Yeah I love Sekiro a lot but I also loved Halo then watched as every game after it just started thoughtlessly copying its mechanics, it's an exasperating process.
Seemingly little consideration is given to which popular games deserve an entire genre of copycats.

finetalpies.bsky.social•1 day ago

I have replayed it multiple times, I was not motivated to skip things. Player expression can be important but it also, isn't, not really. And I don't even know if like, using different swords or wearing different hats even counts as it.

phirmth.bsky.social•1 day ago

I'm not talking about using different equipment, I'm talking about how I don't really get to make choices from moment to moment in a sekiro fight. Two players of equal skill levels would go through the same fight in the same way because it's more or less an execution test

finetalpies.bsky.social•1 day ago

I disagree but that's fine. It's a difficult hypothetical to test but if we imagined a skill level as like, a 50% chance to beat a given boss I imagine playstyles at that level would be pretty distinct, even if the distinctions could be in what mistakes they make, I don't see why that wouldn't count

phirmth.bsky.social•1 day ago

DMC5 doesn't have "builds" it just has a big toolset that's always available to the player, and multiple viable strategies at any moment. Fights are a lot more freeform as a result, whereas a Sekiro fight often boils down to sight-reading sheet music

phirmth.bsky.social•1 day ago

I replayed Sekiro a few times because I wanted to fight bosses I'd missed, and by my last playthrough a lot of it felt rote. It scratches the same itch as getting a full combo in MuseDash. And that has its place, when it works it works, but it's not what I want every action game to be

finetalpies.bsky.social•1 day ago

Yeahhh, action games are always having a tough time. I probably prefer people trying to rip off Sekiro than ripping off Arkham Asylum, but that's gonna be primarily because of my exposure levels (I'm not really keeping up with modern games these days)
Why is it so much to ask for healthy variety =<

phirmth.bsky.social•2 days ago

The game has like 15 prosthetic tools but they mostly function identically to being handed a bow in a Zelda game and then fighting a boss with a big exposed eyeball. When everything works it’s the best thing FromSoft’s made, but IMO that accounts for like maybe a third of the game’s runtime

cerezafae.bsky.social•2 days ago

The vast amount of BAD BOSSES really do shoot the game in the knees, and even then a vast amount of the skills - which many can work with the tools - just don't work cuz you can't swap them like you can tools. Player expression was dead before it got a chance.

phirmth.bsky.social•2 days ago

I think the prosthetic tool button should have just been something you hold down which then turns every other button on the controller into a different tool. Jump becomes grapple, attack becomes shuriken, guard becomes umbrella, etc. Let me actually use each tool when it’s relevant!

cerezafae.bsky.social•2 days ago

100%!!! Honestly one of the best mods for sekiro is a mod that gives you a wheel to select your tools/skills from and it makes the game flow and play way better cuz you get to choose what you want in combat, and not in bonfires only.

ryn.bsky.lgbt•2 days ago

WOW THIS IS A BRUTAL TAKE

I AGREE

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