Prologue – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
FromSoftware has this thing about starting you off, comfortably learning the gameplay, and then smacking you down as a reminder that failure is also a mechanic. Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 1 – we’ve seen some variation on this throughout, but for the most part, these sequences are quick.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a bit more prolonged for several reasons. Becoming comfortable with the combat doesn’t take long, but there’s a fair amount of sneaking and platforming. There are also several story sequences to parse through before you finally fight Genichiro, get your arm sliced off, and wake up as Sekiro proper.
Again, it’s all perfectly justifiable, but it’s not exactly easy to rush through. Even if you build up your skills and defeat Genichiro in the early going, you’ll still suffer a severed arm due to shinobi shenanigans.
