If you’ve played the Dark Souls games (of course you have), you will know that they take quite an unusual approach to presenting their stories. It isn’t presented directly, and it’s up to the player to piece together what exactly is going on through more passive means, which can end leaving players confused about what’s going on. The developers have now revealed that while the approach to storytelling will remain the same with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it will still be easier to make sense of.
Speaking to Polygon, Director Hidetaka Miyazaki discussed how the story in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will be easier to relate to and understand. He said, “There’s still going to be this kind of fragmented element to it. You’re still going to have to explore it to a find all the clues and depth for yourself. We feel like it’s not going to change too much in that sense. Our approach to storytelling has not changed. This time we do have the fixed protagonist. We feel like he creates the axes for the main core of the story. The characters, they revolve around him as well. This allows us to frame the story and the settings in a much simpler light than previously. So it’s going to be initially easier to understand and easier to relate to.”
We also learn in the same interview that stealth will play a very important role in the game, and how sneaking by enemies undetected will allow you to learn lots of important details. Miyazaki-san explained, “Stealth elements […] allow you to sneak undetected, to an extent. While you’re undetected, you can eavesdrop on enemies to get hints about other enemy weaknesses, strategic hints about how to approach the map and certain situations, or [learn] story details as well. This is a kind of a new element … and it relates nicely to be the theme of the shinobi.”
Finally, the director also confirmed that there will be a New Game Plus mode, and that they are currently working on it. All in all, it looks like things are looking great for the game, and we may even see more of it in beta. Of course, the gameplay video and trailer we’ve seen so far had already suggested that this is going to be something epic. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is set to release for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on March 22, 2019.