Sekiro

Didn’t you say “never again” after completing it?

Yeah running away is not the way to play it, unless you’re a masochist

Tbf to Wunt I beat guardian ape, owl and last boss like that first run. Turns out in some respects it's actually much longer to beat them that way.

That’s how I played it too for a while, like Dark Souls basically. Stamina management and all that

It does work to a certain extent but attacking relentlessly works much more effectively

I just didn't get it. At all. And that parrying shit - nah, it was hard enough without trying to read stupid little prompts and react with the 'correct' button. Fuck Sekiro. Fuck it right up its stupid ass.

Most of the prosthetics add another element to the fights. I don't use them enough though, as it's a finite resource I hog them thinking I'll need them later. I ended my last run with 900+!

The lilac shield is amazing, especially with projected force. Then later living force is amazing as you use the flame vent then turn your sword on fire. Not only does fire do more posture damage, any hard enemy with red eyes cowers as soon as you attack with fire.

The last shuriken? (How do I not know how to spell this!?) upgrade damages enemies even when blocking and the combo upgrade allows you to rush in and close the game after using one.

The axe when used with the in air prosthetics upgrade is a beast for knocking back enemies and doing high posture damage.

Fire crackers are handy through out most of the game for stun locking enemies, especially beast classes.

The spear and poison knives are more niche but amazing when used on the correct enemies.

Then there's the upgrade tree for your skills. The various combat arts and ninja skills. One ninja skill you get later is beast mode, you execute an enemy then your sword absorbs their blood then for the next maybe twenty seconds you do bonus blood damage that utterly wrecks all enemies posture, including large tough enemies.

Mortal draw is op all the way to the end. Things like guardian ape and his girlfriend becomes easy when you can run up to his girlfriend, fire cracker her then moral draw her. Puts her posture nearly max immediately so you can kill her in ten seconds when using the right tools. The last upgrade is empowered mortal draw, it takes loads of upgrades to unlock but it wrecks everything.

Seven spears. Stealth kill first health bar then he is stunned a few seconds so you hit him with oil then hit him with flame vent which sets him on fire. Then you hit him with your combat art and back up. Then just stand there and deflect him. Most of his unblockable attacks are thrusts which are easily mikiri countered which raises his posture. He often does this large combo and every final attack of that combo is this slow power attack which when you deflect makes him fall over so then you hit him with the double ichimon? attack. He is the perfect example of if you play too scared and try and back away from him he absolutely destroys you in two hits.

It's just a case of learning the timing of the attacks really. Pretty sure that works for most encouters apart from a few.

bichii have you completed it without Kuro's Charm and ringing the Demon Bell? After that the base game is laughably easy

I've not tried it without the charm but I've rang the bell.

Good, someone else to feel my pain.

I started this on PS4 and it didn't really click after DS and Bloodborne so gave up early on. Gone back to it on PS5, determined to give it another crack and its so much smoother! Played for about 20 hours and I feel like the combat has finally clicked for me - I was spending too much time trying to dodge like in the other souls games - its so much easier when you stand right next to the enemies and parry. Up to the temple of illusions and really loving it!

It is so much easier at 60fps. It's bullshittiness is the lowest of all from games when you get used to it's different flow. Before that moment though it can be very frustrating.

It wasn't 60 at launch on consoles? Yikes.