Cover artwork I generate from the game data. I do not use publisher artwork.
Game profile
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
A shinobi in feudal Japan fights samurai and demons with a grappling hook and a prosthetic arm, with deflecting taking center stage over dodging. It's ruthlessly hard but extremely rewarding to master.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Soulslike / Action, set in a historical period. Visually it is going for realism, and the overall tone stays dark throughout. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. It rewards long uninterrupted stretches more than quick check-ins.
It is genuinely demanding, and repeated failure is part of how it is designed. The story matters and gives the mechanics a frame, without taking over. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It runs on 3 platforms. It sits in the mid price bracket.
What stands out
- Deflect-focused combat system
- Vertical grappling hook movement
- Iconic boss fights
This fits you if
- you are after a proper adrenaline rush
- exploring for its own sake is the point for you
- you can sit down for a proper long stretch without interruptions
- you want real resistance and are fine with dying a lot
- you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
- you prefer a darker, heavier tone
Look elsewhere if
- you want to relax and not be punished for mistakes
- you only ever get short bursts of play time
- you want something light and easy going
- you specifically want an open world to roam
What it costs you in time
About 28 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 5 weeks, or 14 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 90 out of 100, which puts it above 85 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 164 overall. That is a strong score, comfortably above what most releases manage.
For comparison, Soulslike averages 85 points across the database, so this one sits 5 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 1365 collected ratings.
Released in 2019, so it has 7 years behind it. Usually cheap by now and the rough edges are long fixed.
The facts
- Release year
- 2019
- Genres
- Soulslike, Action, Stealth
- Playtime
- approx. 28 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Demanding, punishing
- Story weight
- Present and relevant
- Play with
- Solo
- Setting
- Historical, Fantasy
- Visual style
- Realistic
- Price bracket
- Mid price
- Platforms
- PC, PlayStation, Xbox
- Critic rating
- 90 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | 2019 | approx. 28 hrs. | 90 | Mid price |
| Lies of P | 2023 | approx. 30 hrs. | 86 | Mid price |
| Nioh 3 | 2026 | approx. 55 hrs. | 90 | Full price |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 2024 | approx. 35 hrs. | 88 | Full price |
If you liked this, try these
- Lies of P Shared: Soulslike, Action, Historical
- Nioh 3 Shared: Soulslike, Action, Historical, longer
- Black Myth: Wukong Shared: Soulslike, Action, Historical
- Dark Souls III Shared: Soulslike, Action, Fantasy
- Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Shared: Soulslike, Action, Historical
- Nioh 2 Shared: Soulslike, Action, Historical, longer