FromSoftware has released its latest game and Dark Souls appears nowhere in the title. The dawn of a new age is upon us! Instead of Bloodborne's intense combat and unforgiving bosses, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice o🍃ffers punishing battle mechanics with little room for error and enemies capable of demolishing💞 the eponymous shinobi's health with a single swing. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Hovering just shy of an average score of 90 on , Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice seems set to go down as another in a long line of FromSoftware masterpieces. Is the action-adventure game without flaws? No, but the good outweighs the bad by quite a comprehensive margin. FromSoftware veterans can look forward to challenging albeit fair combat, while Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's stealth system makes the overall experience marginally more welcoming to 💧newcomers than some ✅of the studio's previous output.

A convincing argument can be made for neither Dark Souls or Bloodborne qualifying as RPGs; however, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice avoids this discussion completely by removing stats from the equation. Even though the campaign is often quite linear, FromSoftware's interpr🐻etation of Sengoku-era Japan holds many secrets just waiting to be discovered! In the name of research, we purposefully lost approximately 20 times against each boss to ensure no trick went undiscovere🐻d. The other dozen or so losses were just for fun.

Here are 30 things everyone completely missed in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice!

30 Too Easy? Ring The 🌳Demon Bell!

Via gosunoob.com

SpoilerSekiro: Shadows Die Twice is quite challenging. Regardless of someone's familiarity with FromSoftware's previous projects, 2019's shinobi adventure will provide a couple of noteworthy roadblocks. Game Overs shall happen. Sekiro (Wolf) will frequently succumb to a blade or massive monster. Similar to Dark Souls II and Demon's SoulsSekiro: Shadows Die Twice punishes failure by spreading a which cꦅauses NPCs to gradually turn against the protagonist. Help is not coming.

If for some reason you feel the game is too easy, ring the  to bestow all enemies with a stat boost.

29 Painting Equals S🍌ecret Passage 💜

Via IGN.com

FromSoftware's worlds might not cover the same amount of ground as a Ubisoft or Rockstar project, but the studio's maps tend to be dense. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's slightly more linear approach means players are unlikely to become too lost or acci🌳dentally stumble into an area too soon. Nevertheless, Japan still has its fair share of secret passages.

typically serve to emphasize that a hidden chamber is in close proximity. Keep ☂an eye ope๊n for these symbols, as the associated rooms tend to house some incredibly useful items.

28 🦂 The Grea🧸t Optional Boss (Part 1)

Via dualshockers.com

Although a secret passage with a hidden Prayer Bead is a cool surprise, it does not come close to replicating the excitement resulting from discovering an optional boss. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's key enemy encounters are unequivocally the game's greates🍨t (and most frustrating) component. More are definiꦰtely welcome.

The Great Serpent appears three time🅠s throughout the campaign, but the defini🦂tive encounter is totally missable. Originally showing up at Ashen Castle's gate and later at Gun Fort, the third and optional meeting requires grappling to a secret area in Mt. Kongo's Senpou Temple.

27 ܫ Purification Ending

Via YouTube.com (Boss Fight Database)

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice requires four 🅘playthroughs to view all the endings. Depending on the chosen route, different bosses are encountered along the way, th𓆉erefore the alterations amount to more than merely different final cutscenes.

A key moment in determining the ultimate outcome is when OWL asks Wolf to betray or stay loyal to his master. The reqꦓuires opting for the latter and then eavesdropping on a conversation between Emma and Kuro. Talk to Emma at the Old Grave before headi💞ng to the Dilapidated Temple to eavesdrop some more.

26 🐻ꦕ Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Is Not Dark Souls

Via pushsquare.com

Dark Souls is not Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The former's RPG elements permit the application of various playstyles. Prefer to keep the shield up at all times and wait for a moment to strike? Dark Souls allows it. Want to assume a more aggressive stance? Dark Souls allows it.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice expects fights to proceed a certain way. ꦯThat is ꦏnot to say personal agency plays no part, but taking the initiative is often not viable. Boss fights punish those who rush in blindly and aggressively. Stick to a defensive strategy and wait for a moment to strike.

25 Shuriken: The Ultimate Disruptor ♐ 𓆏

Via holdtoreset.com

Alongside an unremovable kꦛatana, Wolf comes equipped with a handy Prosthetic Arm permitting the attachment of various secondary weapons. Becoming comfortable with the Grapple Hook is crucial to winning fights and traversing the land, while the additional items help ease some of the pressure along the way.

The Loaded Shuriken ranks among the least interesting tools aꦉt Sekiro's disposal; however, the projectile can be the difference between victory and defeat. A boss' special attacks are near꧅ impossible to stop, but throwing a shuriken during the wind-up sequence often stops them in their tracks.

24 ♛ Names Hold Meanꦡing

Via wccftech.com

Prayer Beads increase Sekiro's health bar. Simple, right? Due to stats not real𝓀ly being a thing, one cannot grind and drop points into vitality to allow🍃 for the survival of an extra blow or two. How are these items found? Some are located in chests or in secret passages, while others are dropped by special enemies.

Besides standard foes an𒈔d bosses with their own isolated areas, Wolf battles quite an extensive number of mini-bosses. If an enemy comes with a name, they are classified as the latter. Exceptions aside, a named enemy is prone to leave a Prayer Bead.

23 🐻 Grabbed? Jump Rather Than Dodge ⭕

Via polygon.com

At one point or another, an enemy is going to grab Sekiro from the front or back. Hopefully, it is the former, as the latter produces a few rather questionable moments. If caught between a rock and a zombie samurai, one may feel the urge to quickly dodge out of harm's way. This is unlikely to work. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice reduces dodging to a 💖situational skill rather than an exhaustive get out of jail free card.

Obviously, preemptively dodging theꦯ grab is an option, but a time will come when the sidestep fails. When this happens, attempt to jump rather than dodge.

22 🤡 Lilac Umbrella Is A Ghost's Kryptonite

Via sekiroshadowsdietwice.wiki.fextralife.com

Youkai (apparitions) make an appearance during the later stages and present a convincing case for being Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's hardest common foes. Often attacking in groups and following unpredictable patterns, pre🥃pare to experience a lot of hardship when facing off against any of these enemies.

Alternatively, equip the Phoenix's Lilac Umbrella to reduce these encounters to a minor annoyance. The prosthetic tool uses Spirit Emblems to basically surround Wolf with ♔a temporary forcefield that prevents damage from apparitions.

21 Sekiro: Shadows Die Tw෴ice Is Not Bloodborne

Via dualshockers.com

Bloodborne punishes Dark Souls veterans accustomed to cowering behind a shield. Dodging is a core mechanic that must be mastered for the game to be completed. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice punishes Bloodborne veterans accustomed to constantly dodging enemy a෴ttacks without a care in the world.

Sekiro is a highly trained ninja, so the dude is quite nimble on his feet. However, blocking and parrying are far more essential to vic꧃tory than a brisk sidestep. Dodging has its place, but parrying is the name of the game.