Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Has “Friendlier” Tutorials Than Previous FromSoftware Titles

From its more open-ended exploration, to its more dynamic boss battles, to the new progression mechanics at play, to how the combat itself functions at a core level, FromSoftware’s upcoming Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is going to be quite different from the Soulsborne titles that have previously come out of the studio. One more way it’s going to be different is by being a lot friendlier when it comes to tutorials.

Recently, while speaking with Game Informer, Sekiro’s lead game designer Masaru Yamamura explained that as compared to previous FromSoftware titles, where there wasn’t much tutorializing involved, Sekiro will do that a lot more willingly.

“We’re actually being very friendly with our tutorials this time,” Yamamura explained. “Probably more so than you’re used to with our previous titles.”

When asked about whether that was a decision that FromSoftware made internally, or whether that was something that comes from publishers Activision, Yamamutra suggested that the answer lies somewhere in between. According to Yamamura, the function of these tutorials isn’t going to be how to teach players the systems and mechanics of the game, but rather to explain their appeal.

“Initially, it was a piece of advice from Activision,” said Yamamura, “to go friendlier on the tutorials side. But as we began creating the game, we realized the tutorial is not necessarily for teaching the game and the mechanics, but for conveying the appeal of the game. Particularly to players who are used to our previous titles- these people would play [Sekiro] and not really get it, and not really understand that appeal, and try and play it from a Dark Souls or a Bloodborne perspective. And so in the end, it was really us going to Activision and saying, ‘we need to teach this a little bit more here, and we need to be a little bit friendlier here.'”

That said, FromSoftware is also aware of the fact that the millions of fans of their previous games actually enjoyed the lack of tutorials, and that having to learn the game by themselves was a large part of the appeal for them. As such, the studio has strived to strike a balance between the two approaches in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. 

“We understand that we have players who have made a bit of a thing about From games not teaching the player anything, not guiding them at all, and letting them get lost in the world, and learning all the systems themselves,” Yamamura said. “And we don’t want to disappoint those users. We feel like we have come to a nice middle ground and found a nice compromise, where we can teach the appeal of the game and teach them the mechanics without being too overbearing, without disappointing those fans.”

Recently, the Sekiro developers also spoke about the lack of a corpse run in the game, and how exploration and combat will work in conjunction with each other. Read more about both stories through the links. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice launches on March 22 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.