Game Maker: Starting by Healing the Players

The map's malice, the regular enemies' malice, and the still-difficult boss fights certainly gave players a hard time.

Especially as the story progressed and new areas unlocked, players realized that Ashina's Genichiro was truly just a beginner's teacher.

Why would the Sword Saint, Isshin Ashina, be afflicted with a fatal illness, and why would the Ashina country fall?

Because the outside world is simply too dangerous!

Not to mention the Seven Ashina Spears and Headless that hide in the water and in tunnels.

Just the regular enemies alone could give players enough trouble.

In Senpou Temple, the weapon masters truly embodied the idea that even the sweeping monks are boss-level existences.

The Twin Monkey, the Violet-robed Ninja Lone Shadows, and the incredibly large Taro Masters – while not true main bosses, these guys would basically give players a lot of trouble when first encountered.

Besides all that, there were the maps that were designed to make players get lost.

Getting lost is an essential part of the Soulslike game experience.

In Dark Souls, you get lost in the Farron Keep; in the prequel, you're lost in the Blighttown; and in Bloodborne, the Forbidden Woods make you confused.

And it's the same in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

The map that players universally agree is the most sickening is the Hidden Forest.

With its winding paths and mist-filled woods, it could easily make players wander for half an hour to an hour.

And you also have to face attacks from illusions and Headless, which is just full of malice.

As for maps that don't make players lose their way, they're not any better.

Especially when players collect essential items like the Immortal Blade, Water Lily, and Stones and head to the Divine Realm.

At this point, the game's malice really begins to start.

Because here, players will find that any ordinary enemy is comparable to Ashina's Genichiro.

Why say that?

Floating Passage, Genichiro Ashina's signature skill, is used by any of the sword-wielding women here.

When facing two or three of these sword-wielding women at once, that swift and brutal Floating Passage would leave countless players dumbfounded.

And the 'strongest' boss of the Hidden Forest, the Mist Noble, whom players killed earlier, can be found in abundance here.

And though they appear weak, they possess a very potent ability: draining posture.

Once too much posture is drained, the Wolf in the game will instantly become incredibly frail, their health bar reduced to a single sliver, unable to run or block, attacking slowly, and if there are enemies nearby, they're basically guaranteed to die.

At the same time, here players will encounter an Ogre similar to the one in Ashina Castle, but this time it's a Sakura Bull instead of a fire bull.

As for sneaking underwater, that's even worse.

Finally, Genichiro Ashina's proud technique, the Ashina's Way of the Thunderclap, which he learned from the Ashina's Way of the Thunder, is a skill even dogs know here.

If not dealt with beforehand, you can experience the joy of underwater lightning strikes.

Especially in VR mode, besides encountering lightning strikes, players will once again face a colossal creature like a white snake: the Great Serpent.

In the first-person underwater view, many players were so scared they peed themselves, turning it into a horror game.

But despite all this, the popularity of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was soaring.

Its heat on streaming platforms was explosive.

Countless streamers were brutally defeated, and viewers watched with great enjoyment.

And unlike previous Soulslike games, in the past, when players watched streamers suffer, many found it very entertaining, especially those with their cameras on.

The expressions of sheer agony were particularly amusing, but over time, it became less interesting because most of the time was spent running.

Furthermore, previous Soulslike games were generally turn-based, even Bloodborne, which encouraged aggression.

But Sekiro is different. The sword clashes and parries in the game greatly increased its watchability.

With the spread of streamers and the game's popularity, many people tried it out of curiosity, even though they were beaten.

But unlike Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's "deflection" combat system made the game lean more towards the joy of action-packed swordplay, making many players a bit addicted. This is a different gaming experience than Dark Souls and Bloodborne. The sense of failure from dying in the game is actually lower.

After a few days of hard work, the first batch of players who bought Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and had a natural talent for this type of game had already reached the final part of the story. Zack was no exception.

He had explored almost every map in the game.

From the Mibu Village, he obtained the "Sakura" stone, and in the Sunken Valley, after a fierce battle with the Guardian Ape, he acquired the "Dragonspring" Lotus. In Ashina Castle's main tower, he killed his "Father" Owl, and by returning to the Hirata Estate three years prior, he uncovered the truth.

It turned out that the "Father" Owl, the one they trusted, was the real mastermind!

Three years ago, the Hirata Estate was suddenly attacked by bandits, the defenses were overwhelmed, and the estate was engulfed in flames.

Wolf, as Kuro's shinobi, went to the Hirata Estate to rescue him. Upon entering the estate, Wolf found his injured "Father."

His "Father" told Wolf that Lady Butterfly had betrayed Ashina, attempting to seize Kuro's immortality, and instructed Wolf to save the young lord and eliminate Lady Butterfly.

And when Wolf reached the underground Buddha Hall and saw Kuro under a genjutsu, he mistakenly believed his "Father's" words to be true.

But this was just a trap. Owl's true goal was to stage a savior act, making Kuro sign the Dragon's Heritage contract with him. Even in the worst-case scenario, it would be to make Kuro sign a contract with Wolf.

Owl believed that as Wolf's "Father," Wolf would definitely not betray him.

But clearly, his plan only succeeded halfway. At the top of Ashina Castle, Wolf has two choices: the first is to obey his "Father" Owl's command, and the second is to choose to protect Kuro.

Without any hesitation, Zack chose to disobey his "Father." It must be said that compared to the Divine Dragon, who looks fearsome but is weak in battle,

Owl was definitely the strongest boss he had experienced since Genichiro.

That firecracker technique completely stunned Zack.

After completing everything, looking at the burning Ashina Castle, Zack made his way to the Ashina Reservoir.

Next was the final battle.

The white pampas grass field.

A familiar scene.

Just like when Wolf first escaped the tunnel with Kuro.

Looking at Isshin Ashina, the Way of Tomoe, Zack felt a sense of emotion.

Although many players online jokingly call Isshin "Scumichiro."

It was just taking advantage of players' initial lack of familiarity with the game to torment them.

Once players became proficient, they realized that this "Scumichiro" was actually weak.

Plus, some players deliberately started new games, wanting to see if defeating Genichiro at the start would end the game immediately.

But they discovered that if they defeated Genichiro, he would then sneak attack and cut off Wolf's arm.

And as he left, he would say: "Don't blame me for being dishonorable."

This made countless players complain.

You're already sneak attacking, and you don't want to be blamed for dishonor!

Initially, Zack also called Genichiro "Scumichiro."

But as the game progressed, Zack's opinion slowly changed.

Because in the game, you can clearly feel what's in Genichiro's heart.

He always wants to protect Ashina, no matter the cost.

A person who is difficult to completely hate, including his "two-faced" "Father," also possesses personal charm as a villain.

You can feel his admiration and care for Wolf, but for his ambition, Owl can abandon everything.

And Kuro.

If Genichiro wanted to obtain immortality for the future of Ashina,

Then Kuro wanting to sever immortality is for the future of the Ashina people.

Senpou Temple, which has deviated from its path by researching immortality, the Mibu Village turned into a hellscape due to the "Nigh-Eternal" spring water, the Divine Realm where people are neither human nor ghost, the story of the absent but omnipresent Tomoe and Jizo, and the immortal samurai acting as sparring partners in rundown temples… The sights and sounds along the way have solidified a belief in countless players.

That immortality is not a divine miracle, but a terrible curse.

Severing immortality has become a common belief among all players.

And now, it's finally time to bring it all to a close.

(End of Chapter)

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