Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Director Wants Players To Constantly Feel Near Death

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice made a splash when it was revealed at E3. The new game from the studio that brought you games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne looked a little different from the games they had recently become known for, including the death mechanics. From the trailer, it looked like dying was not necessarily a loss of progress, which is a big change from the Souls titles.

In an interview in the latest EDGE Magazine, director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained this isn't to make the game easier.

"We were dying a lot, and it just spoiled the game’s tempo," Miyazaki told EDGE. "We needed something that would address that frequency of death, and the resurrection system did a lot to solve that. We hope that it’s not going to be something that makes the game easier; it’s not going to numb the player to death. It’s going to make them feel they’re constantly at death’s door. It’s something they’re going to have to be aware of at every single encounter, and is going to be tuned to that sense of trepidation.

"It suits our ninja protagonist quite well," he continued. "This is a cold-blooded warrior who will use even his own death as an advantage, as a way to turn the tide and gain a strategic advantage."

It seems like the game is being built with the idea that you will die a lot but wants to avoid resetting the tempo every single time you do. It should be interesting to see how they pull it off when Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2019.

[Source: EDGE via GamesRadar]

I'm definitely interested to see how they make this work. I imagine you'll lose something when you die, because I can't imagine it's not punitive at all. I can't wait to find out more about this game.