🤺 Sekiro, Habits Die Twice

Hey you,

Today’s Listening: Strength and Discipline

So I have a problem, Sekiro is hard.

From that statement alone I'm sure I've caused at least three people to groan, and hopefully at least one of them have shared my pain.

But actually? Sekiro is kinda easy. The hard part is not panicking.

In gaming we have certain habits we've created from all other gaming experiences. There are the compulsive looters from Skyrim, the bunny hoppers from Counterstrike, and the lawnmowers from Zelda.

Each of these "habits" often carry over to other games. I haven't looked at any treasure chest the same way after Dark Souls. However the more interesting habits are the ones formed within the game itself, that are used against you.

In Sekiro, you can parry almost every attack, it is awesome. Sparks go flying, the satisfying sound, and the general sense you really are that cool. BUT when an attack is incoming that cannot be parried, it plays a specific sound and visual.

That sound has been ingrained in my brain and has me reflexively press the dodge button.

Normally, this is a good thing. However, the screwy part is when the attack actually CANNOT be avoided by dodging. This came up in the...monkey part (if you know, you know).

Turns out, the only course is to jump. The problem...is that MY FINGERS STILL PUSH DODGE INSTEAD.

Whether it is intentional or not, this is where my issues arise. And it isn't because the attack isn't telegraphed well, or is confusing...the problem is I KEEP PRESSING THE WRONG BUTTON.

Technically they could have created a different sound for when you need to jump, but I understand why they didn't...

1. That changes the game into more of a "rhythm" game than it already is

2. It would have taken away the difficulty, because perception is important

When it comes to these games, 50% of the difficulty is figuring out how to deal with each attack coming at you, if the answer was provided, the game would be much easier, and IGN wouldn't have nearly as many views on their guides.

In this way, Sekiro is still about reaction time, but about cognizant reactions, not just reflexive ones. The battle is about how to properly counter your enemy, and dance with your enemy to the death.

The game is incredible, you should play it.