We continue with some of the remaining coverage of last month’s Tokyo Games Show 2018. Just like our previous article on the PC Renaissance, this is not directly linked to Linux games, but more PC games means more games we will be able to play on Linux thanks to Steam Play / Proton. The following is from Ben Murden who accompanied me at the TGS2018.

15 minutes is really not enough time to fully grasp the combat in Sekiro, like with all of the Soulsborne games. However, it became clear that this is quite a different game from From Software’s previous work. Firstly, movement around the environment is much more active and kinetic, thanks to the grappling hook and dedicated jump button. Secondly, there are stealth mechanics in the game, and it’s entirely possible to avoid many fights all together, or sneakily remove enemies from the reeds.

Finally, when engaging larger enemies, it feels like dodging is much less the focus. Instead, there appears to be a poise mechanic, represented by a bar that expands from its center, and causes a stagger state when filled, much like parries do in Dark Souls. The player has one at the bottom of the screen, and larger enemies get one over their heads. It takes much more to stagger the large enemies than a single well-timed parry, requiring multiple blocks and clean hits in order to break the enemy’s poise and land devastating blows.

Looking forward to getting more time with this one. It is scheduled to release in March 2019.