Sekiro is a great game but imo it is FromSofts weakest game since Dark Souls 2

[DWarriorSN]

These threads always kind of bum me out. I love Dark Souls and I love Sekiro. So I see people going "Sekiro is awesome" and I nod along, and then they add "so much better than boring retreads like Dark Souls 3" and I shake my head. Then I see people going "No, Dark Souls is amazing" or "Bloodborne is a masterpiece" and I nod along, then I see "unlike Sekiro which is so boring and repetitive" and I shake my head again.

Here's my damn ranking and I'll die on that hill, dammit:

Demon's Souls = Dark Souls = Dark Souls 2 = Dark Souls 3 = Bloodborne = Sekiro

Click to shrink...

This.

I do have some sort of internal ranking but it still love all the game regardless.

 

[jimboton]

Bloodborne>Dark Souls 3>Sekiro.

They're all great of course. That said Dark Souls 2 (let alone Dark Souls) is superior to all three, at least on everything that's not strictly combat.

I have hope Elden Ring will break the trend of increasingly watered down exploration in From games as getting lost in a huge interconnected world is the best part of Souls.

 

[My Blue Heaven]

it's okay even though dark souls 2 sucks it's still got drip and is invited to the souls cookout. DS3 can stay home

 

[Nameless]

Agreed 100%. However it's due to the nature of the genres - Character Action vs RPG. I do love Sekiro for what it is, but combat has always been secondary in terms of what I come to FromSoft experiences for, which is the exploration + discovery, worldbuilding, lore, atmosphrere, art-direction, and of course fashion. In these area Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne especially tower far, far above Sekiro. That's not even factoring in the lack of PvP/Invading.

 

[Soul Lab]

weakest lvl design my ass.
The placement of buildings, trees etc to use as traversal/stealth tools in encounter areas is incredible

 

[Billdrew]

I will concede that the music is rather average, but I absolutely love the level design and encounters. It's on par with Bloodbourne for me, but I love both for different reasons

 

[hydrophilic attack]

it's a really good game

sekiro > dark souls 3 > bloodborne

in my opinion

 

[Necron]

Objection!

I still prefer Bloodborne but Sekiro is #2 in my ranking.

 

[entremet]

Sekiro is my fav is my favorite FROM game so I disagree.

 

[Deleted member 45414]

If only other companies' games were as weak as Sekiro then...

 

[Roytheone]

I really enjoyed sekiro...after making some tweaks to the game using cheat engine. Without those tweaks I wasn't having fun. I would rank them:

dark souls > bloodborne=dark souls 3 > sekiro with cheat engine tweaks > dark souls 2 > sekiro without the cheat engine tweaks

 

[spman2099]

These threads always kind of bum me out. I love Dark Souls and I love Sekiro. So I see people going "Sekiro is awesome" and I nod along, and then they add "so much better than boring retreads like Dark Souls 3" and I shake my head. Then I see people going "No, Dark Souls is amazing" or "Bloodborne is a masterpiece" and I nod along, then I see "unlike Sekiro which is so boring and repetitive" and I shake my head again.

Here's my damn ranking and I'll die on that hill, dammit:

Demon's Souls = Dark Souls = Dark Souls 2 = Dark Souls 3 = Bloodborne = Sekiro

Click to shrink...

I don't agree with this ranking, but I respect the hell out of it. Truth be told, I don't think there is a dud in the mix. That being said, I do feel like Bloodborne and Sekiro really stand tall (for me at least). Still, the rest of the games in the series are absolute gems, too. So, I respect that a lot of people will have a different favorite and I am totally cool with that.

It is too bad that Sekiro alienated some From fans, as I think that game is magnificent. But you can't please everyone (especially when you set out to make a game that plays fundamentally different).

As for my rankings...

Bloodborne = Sekiro > Demon's Souls (in my heart) = Dark Souls = Dark Souls 3 > Demon's Souls (in reality) > Dark Souls 2 (though I still think it is an excellent game)

weakest lvl design my ass.
The placement of buildings, trees etc to use as traversal/stealth tools in encounter areas is incredible

Click to shrink...

I think Sekiro has the straight-up best levels in terms of encounter design. I think in terms of aesthetics (and atmosphere) it matches Bloodborne (which is a colossal accomplishment). I think in terms of having satisfying shortcuts, it is probably the worst. That being said, while I do wish the world of Sekiro folded into itself in that supremely satisfying way other FromSoftware games do, I don't think it is enough of an issue to invalidate all its does right. It definitely has some of the best world design in a video game (in my opinion).

 

[Tbm24]

I might be in a minority but I'm much more in favor of the more linear level design of Demons Soul and Sekiro than I am the open nature of Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

 

[Niklel]

Sekiro's super satisfying combat probably makes it my 2nd favorite FromSoft game after Bloodborne.
Level design is pretty linear, music is indeed somewhat forgettable (I miss western epic soundtrack), art direction isn't as impressive as BB or even DS3, Ashina Castle (location) is overused and enemies lack variety a bit. But that combat, though! I also love how in sekiro you are much more mobile (both vertically and horizontally) and I love that there are no traditional level ups.

BB > Sekiro > DS3 > DS > DeS > DS2

 

[Techno]

All I know is Dark Souls 2 is their worst game out of all of these.

For me it's:

Dark Souls 1 > Demon's Souls (PS3 version) > Bloodborne > Dark Souls 3 > Sekiro > > > > > > > Dark Souls 2 (chuck it in the bin where it belongs).

I'd only put Dark Souls 1 over Demon's because of the improvements they made over the original, and also I love the level design and the general world in that game. BB and Dark Souls 3 are pretty even to be honest. Sekiro is decent, but I don't think it has much replayability.

 

[Necromorph]

Bloodborne>Sekiro>or maybe same; Sekiro>Dark Souls>Demon's Souls>a dog turd>Dark Souls 2.

 

[EndlessNever]

Dark Souls 3 is the most accessible for a new player I think, but it's definitely the weakest as it is a lap of honor of what they've previously done. Bloodborne is a masterpiece and Sekiro is fantastic.

 

[RM8]

I always thought Soulsborne games were good, but Sekiro is actually fantastic. I honestly don't know how anyone can prefer the combat in Souls/Bloodborne :x Different strokes indeed.

 

[BriGuy]

The worst thing about Sekiro was the lack of armor and weapons. After a point, I just stopped picking up items or exploring off the beaten path because there was no reason to do so if all I was going to get out of it was some candy or balloons I would never use. I can see the weapons being limited to swords considering all the special moves at your disposal, but why armor? There's any number of perks and trade offs that could have factored in there.

 

[Niklel]

Dark Souls 3 is the most accessible for a new player I think,

Click to shrink...

Wouldn't Sekiro be the most accessible because of tutorials, training NPC, simplified power-ups and more linear levels? Sekiro is also more fair in ways it is trying to kill you, as there aren't any hidden traps (iirc) and you can't really accidentally roll into a pit and die while fighting someone, stuff like this.

 

[Oswen]

I wasn't that much interested in Sekiro at first, mostly because of the fixed protagonist and narrower perspective in general, that's why I didn't buy it at lauch and only got around playing it much later.

After having played it some months ago I can say that Sekiro is an amazing game, combat was great and watching the difference in how effective you could become after having learned how to play well was quite the experience; the game, despite being "smaller", felt good paced and nicely tuned, a must play for me.

I find it hard to say which FROM game of this generation is the best, they are all great despite each one of them having some shortcomings.

DS3 I feel is probably the best one of the bunch, great replayable value, bigger world and much more content (especially with DLCs), the only problem I find in it is that it doesn't feel fresh enough compared to the other games and rethreads too much on DS1 legacy and not only just from an aesthetic perspective; despite that it is, probably, still the best Souls experience overall for me.

BB is amazing and started the gen with a bang, truly the first game that made having a PS4 a must.
The whole setting is great and many of the bosses are memorable, what it lacks is in its character builds which, despite the many different weapons, feel very samey in the end.
BB, In a way, feels like the middle intermediate game between DS and Sekiro, both in scope and gameplay in general.

DS2 is a great game and I'd say that it deserves to be played and completed at least once by any Souls fan but I wouldn't say that it is better tha any From game of the last generation.
The game is vast, massive I'd say, and has amazing build potentials both for pvp and pve orientations but level/enemy design is weaker compared to the other games (even its predecessors) and the bosses, outside of DLCs ones, are not memorable or that fun to fight.
Adding to that the changes in physics and the weird pacing in general and you end up with a game that, despite the huge amount of content, feels "off", feeling more like "the best Souls-like" game than "one of the family".

 

[spman2099]

The worst thing about Sekiro was the lack of armor and weapons. After a point, I just stopped picking up items or exploring off the beaten path because there was no reason to do so if all I was going to get out of it was some candy or balloons I would never use. I can see the weapons being limited to swords considering all the special moves at your disposal, but why armor? There's any number of perks and trade offs that could have factored in there.

Click to shrink...

I can agree with that. I think their thought was that they should streamline the game, but I don't think some basic equipment management actually complicates anything to a degree that it would impede accessibility. I think Sekiro would be a better game with some armor/weapon options. Even if the differences were relatively minor between the different armors/weapons.

 

[Zarshack]

They're all fantastic games, the only reason I guess I can't rate Sekiro as highly is because I never got around to beating the last boss. The gameplay was a lot of fun though and I enjoyed most of the game greatly, I just couldn't bring myself to spending the time learning the last boss.

 

[DaleCooper]

Sekiro's combat system was a shiny one-trick pony. It was fine to play through the game a couple of times, but the lack of build variety or weapons really diminished any serious replay value for me. Combined with the lack of any Fashion Souls making it even more boring.

I also think that bosses like Ape of DoH was not working very well with the combat system. The boss designs were cool, but it always seemed awkward to fight them with your little tinny katana. Zapping around like a fly waiting to be squashed.

And then we have the difficulty which was turned up to 110% with some of the later bosses. While I did manage to kill ISS, I don't think it was very compelling way to spend my time. It was a "thank god, it's over" moment when I defeated him.

While I never loved DS2, the game at least had loads of content, variety and the multiplayer component to give it some longevity. If I had to pick one of the two games, I would definitely go with DS2.

 

[crespo]

If Sekiro had armor/weapon options, it would not be the masterpiece it is. If Sekiro had a more looped-together world design, it would not be the masterpiece it is. Y'all wishing for Sekiro to be something it is not have completely missed the point of the game. Sekiro is From's absolute peak effort at making you, the player, become better at playing the game. It is the epitome of From's vision of challenging the player, and it is a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

Does that require a more narrowly focused approach to combat to Sekiro? Yes.

Does that mean you can't do different builds to help you tackle a difficult encounter? Yes.

Does that make it vastly different to what you've expected from Souls games? Yes.

Do these reasons make Sekiro an inferior game?

Fuck.

No.

It is not an RPG - stop complaining that it's not an RPG. You're not a randomly chosen character out to save humanity - you are SEKIRO, out to rescue Kuro, in a world that is supremely rich in folklore and your usual From twists. Honestly the attention to detail in character and level and world designs are all top notch.

For the record: Sekiro and Bloodborne are my 10/10s, the rest are 9/10s.

Edit: you can parry all the attacks, even the kanji ones, if you're good enough.

 

[Maximo]

DS3's DLC puts it above Sekiro for me, without it I would agree Sekiro is better.

 

[Spacejaws]

I mean that just compares it to Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3, both of which are stellar games.

I placed Sekiro after Dark Souls 3, simply because it's shortish, no DLC and has less replayability. 2 playthroughs of Sekiro and I'm like ok I'm done wheread a 5th playthrough od Dark Souls 3 and I am using a unique build I've never tried before.

That said if I could base the games on 1 playthrough alone? Sekiro would take it for me.

 

[Z'ard]

It's my favourite from game after bloodborne, and honestly it's not that far behind

 

[Elandyll]

Gotta agree.

The setting/ gameplay decisions seemed off to me, so I delayed buying it even though I loved BB (my gotg) and DS3.

Ended up watching a complete walkthrough of Sekiro, trying to decide if I'd want to play it.

And nope. Looked both bland as hell, super samy in ennemies, bad level design with a ton of backtracing to the same areas, and ability tree which didn't appeal me on top of a non customizable character.
Verticality looked nice though, but a huge step down -for me-.

 

[Loud Wrong]

Bloodborne is great and all, but Sekiro craps on it from a great height. Probably the best game from last gen.

 

[DaciaJC]

It's a great game, but with virtually no build experimentation or roleplaying to speak of, there was very little incentive to continue playing after the first couple of playthroughs. In contrast, that has never been a problem with Soulsborne games for me.

 

[Deleted member 21411]

I liked it more than ds3 and view it as a perfect action game. Its less than bloodborne but I still believe it's a masterpiece. There's less to talk about because if the builds. It does 1 thing and does it flawlessly

 

[StrangeRoboMemory]

I think it's at the heights of their best. It's a brilliant game and I loved it to death.

 

[Lakitu]

I just wish it had a couple of more areas, then it would be up there with the very best. But currently its Bloodborne and DS3 (with DLC) for me.

 

[Jombie]

It's a great, polished game, but I'll never have the desire to replay it.

 

[NeoBob688]

I thought Sekiro had many good parts, good levels, good atmosphere, good basic gameplay loop, but it suffers like Dark Souls 2 from a design document that implements frustratingly punishing difficulty in a few spots. I think the hardest parts of Sekiro are 2-3 times harder than anything in Bloodborne, Demon's Souls, or Dark Souls 1 for me.

 

[bombermouse]

Hard disagree, it's their best game, no grinding nonsense, best combat.

 

[mojo]

The one time they tried to tell a story in a traditional way it ends up being their worst one.

 

[Kyuuji]

I wanted to like Sekiro far more than I did. I like DS3 much more than it probably has a right for me to. Bloodborne is just masterful.

 

[The Omega Man]

Funny you say that, I found Sekiro to be the best FROM Game, above any Souls Game and Bloodborne, the gameplay, design and Boss encounters are in another level of grandiose for me.

 

[DoubleTake]

I love Sekiro's combat but it definitely lacks in exploration and world design.

Where I couldn't get enough of BBs story and world, Sekiro mostly straight forward and uninteresting.

Dark Souls 3s story was much more interesting to me because it was closing the series but the world design was worse than BB and the combat a bit samey coming from the last 4 games.

Sekiro changing up the formula in terms of character progression was a doubled edged sword. Gave it the most in depth moment to moment combat mechanics but also made exploration a bit dry. Thankfully the act of playing the game is simply amazing and it has some of the best fights from has ever designed.

BB> Sekiro> DS3. All 3 miles ahead of DS2.

 

[sku]

I mean "worst since ds2" doesn't really mean anything when you're comparing it to bloodborne and ds3. The difference in quality between those games is almost negligible. Also, maybe you don't like the music and art, but you can't say they aren't strong. Combat and bosses are bar none. Bad takes, this game is incredible.

 

[Bearwolf]

Beat it, then forgot about it. However I always go back to Bloodborne and DS.

 

[Kill3r7]

I would argue that it has the best combat of any Soulsbourne game. Although I think Bloodborne is a better game.

 

[Jimmypython]

a great game up there with bloodborne. Just not for me. I suck at parry...

 

[Lemony1984]

Sekiro is the best but least replayable cos of no build variety. Dark Souls 3 is the worst but most replayable because of build variety.

And Bloodborne is right in the middle of those

All 3 are fantastic.

 

[saturnineCarrier]

It was the action game Miyazaki obviously wanted to make since BB. I hope he got that out of his system, because I'm very much not on board with the way they increasingly handled difficulty in these games. Like someone else said in the thread, it's at a point where beating a boss just leaves me feeling glad it's over. not triumphant, just glad it's over and done with.

I'm not against difficulty. I 100%ed both Hotline Miamis and Furi, I can bash my head against the same wall for a time. I just don't like how they handle that wall.

 

[Toriko]

It seems like most people think Bloodborne is the best which is good lol. I am surprised how close it is between Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro.

 

[nachum00]

Dark Souls 3 is weaker than both DS2 and Sekiro

 

[Tibarn]

IMO Sekiro is the best FROM game since Dark Souls 1 (which is still their best modern game).

Both Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 are a clear step towards action gameplay compared to Demons/Dark Souls (small or nonexistent weight penalty, heavy focus on dodging/rolling, less unique bossfights, generous stamina system...) and both have their problems (DkS III is kind of uninspired, BB runs poorly and has low enemy variety) and their highlights (Dark Souls III has the best bosses and is the most consistent game, BB has the best artstyle and unique weapons).

Sekiro goes another step forwards and offers the full action experience while keepind the great FROM elements (good art direction, amazing world interconnection), so it feels like their freshest game since Demon's Souls and having a limited weapon variety, no stamina and a more focused game style instead of some build options means that the entire game feels more polished and consistent.

Dark Souls II and Demon's Souls are FROM's weakest games btw.