Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s Resurrection Mechanic Doesn’t Make the Game Easy, Says Producer

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice differs from FromSoftware’s Soulsborne titles in many, many ways, but the one that’s been touted most commonly is its resurrection mechanic, which allows players to revive themselves upon death for a second crack at their enemies. The concern with such a mechanic, of course, is that it could make the game easier, which is the last thing anyone would want in a game made by From.

The studio has talked in the past about this, assuring fans that the game’s still going to be very challenging, and that the resurrection mechanic won’t make it any easier. Recently, while speaking in an interview with the PlayStation Blog, Activision’s Robert Conkey, who is serving as producer on the game, did the same.

“FromSoftware iterated on the resurrection system quite a bit, and I think it landed in a really great place,” said Conkey, when asked about how the mechanic has grown and changed during development. “The idea was to ensure the player could experience intense combat as a fragile but powerful shinobi, while still giving the player some leeway to really push their limits and take some risks.

“It also allows the player some opportunities to use death to their advantage by luring enemies into a false sense of security. Some astute players may have noticed, but the E3/Gamescom demo also featured an item that allows you to cause your own death specifically for the purpose of taking this advantage.”

“Of course, FromSoftware needed to make sure this mechanic didn’t make the game too easy (and don’t worry, it hasn’t),” he continued. “The game has been tuned around the fact that players have this ability. So while it makes for a different flow than what you’ve seen in previous titles, the level of challenge you’d expect is very much intact.”

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice launches for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 22. Take a look at its recently released launch trailer through here. On the Xbox One (and presumably the PS4), its file size will be less than 13 GB.