Chapter Summaries

Chen Xu explained Sekiro’s setting, exploration, stealth, and combat systems, making the team think he had softened the difficulty. He revealed that the game’s posture-focused combat and lack of co-op would force players to master its mechanics, leaving the team to reconsider how punishing Sekiro would be.

• Meng Zuo worried that following BioShock with Sekiro would be too much for players, and Chen Xu pointed to Sekiro’s ability to revive once after death.
• Chen Xu described Sekiro’s three-dimensional maps, optional routes, changing locations, and stealth mechanics that let players approach enemies strategically.
• The team concluded that Sekiro seemed player-friendly, but Chen Xu said he had not compromised on difficulty.
• Chen Xu explained that players would need to break bosses’ posture with dodges and deflections, since Sekiro had no co-op and most upgrades required defeating bosses or elite monsters.
• Chen Xu contrasted Lady Butterfly’s forgiving lessons with Genichiro’s strict tests of Mikiri Counters, attack reading, and deflections.

Chen Xu finalized Sekiro’s punishing difficulty, planned its additional challenges and collectible death screens, and assigned the team to refine the game. Meanwhile, BioShock’s influence continued to inspire designers to make tragic games, reinforcing the industry’s association between tragedy and Chen Xu.

• Qin Yi and Meng Zuo reviewed Sekiro’s design drafts and worried about its demanding combat and difficulty.
• Chen Xu confirmed that Sekiro would include higher difficulties, extra boss encounters, and a seventeen-boss gauntlet, while he planned a harder Despair Mode for after launch.
• Chen Xu asked Hutu and Yang Xin to coordinate with the art department to fix map bugs while keeping intended techniques for skipping encounters.
• Chen Xu instructed Ruan Ningxue to create ninety-nine versions of the death screen text and make collecting them earn a trophy.
• Qin Yi and the others suspected Sekiro’s difficulty would only be increased, not reduced, while BioShock’s influence led designers toward tragic games associated with Chen Xu.

Chen Xu watched players blame Nebula Games for the recent wave of tragic games while his team developed Sekiro, whose guidance and demanding combat concealed a deliberately punishing difficulty curve. He promised an exhilarating action game with a satisfying ending, prompting players to suspect that he was setting them up for another heartbreak.

• Players joked online that Chen Xu was responsible for the growing trend of games with tragic character deaths.
• Chen Xu remained pleased by the players’ resentment and focused on refining Sekiro’s level design and difficulty.
• The team discussed Sekiro’s guided hints, escalating challenges, demanding reactions, and decision to use standard controllers instead of brainwave input.
• Nebula Games prepared promotional materials highlighting Sekiro’s weapon clashes as development progressed.
• Chen Xu posted that Sekiro would be an exhilarating action game with an ending that satisfied players, and players complained while clicking the attached video.

The promotional video for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice showed Wolf battling enemies and facing Isshin Ashina, then revealed that its footage came from actual gameplay. Players erupted with excitement as the title appeared during a close-up clash between Wolf and Isshin.

• The video showed Wolf fighting the Fire Bull, the Giant Ape, and other enemies across Ashina.
• Isshin Ashina appeared as he stopped a samurai from killing himself and declared that he had to kill Wolf to save Ashina.
• Players praised the video’s action and realized that its battles and visuals came from real gameplay.
• Isshin struck Wolf down, but the Dragon’s Heritage allowed Wolf to rise again.
• Wolf and Isshin clashed once more as the title Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice appeared on screen.

As Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s promotion revealed its prosthetic tools and environments, players convinced themselves it would be an easier, hack-and-slash action game on low difficulty. When the game unlocked, Zhang Yi and Song Ren began playing, expecting to start on the lowest difficulty.

• Chen Xu and Nebula Games released Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s title, shop page, prosthetic-arm tools, and environment concept art.
• Players debated whether Sekiro was a Soulslike or a pure action game, and many decided low difficulty would make it a hack-and-slash experience.
• Players unable to find games with Sekiro’s sword-clashing feel turned to war-themed hack-and-slash games while they waited for its release.
• Zhang Yi called Song Ren as the unlock time approached, and they discussed the game’s lack of brainwave-controller support.
• Zhang Yi and Song Ren planned to start on the lowest difficulty, then began the game as its opening visuals and a weathered male voice appeared.

Zhang Yi watched Sekiro’s opening, which introduced Ashina’s war, Isshin Ashina, and Wolf’s past before the game began with Wolf imprisoned in an abandoned well. He and Song Ren noticed the missing difficulty setting and map, and Zhang Yi tested the game’s mobility while wondering whether its familiar Soulslike features meant it would be difficult.

• Zhang Yi watched the opening show Isshin Ashina killing General Tamura and Owl taking in the orphan Wolf and training him as a shinobi.
• The game’s narration revealed that Wolf had lost Owl and his master, and a mysterious woman delivered a letter urging him to awaken for his master’s sake.
• Zhang Yi began playing as Wolf in an abandoned well and found a quest directing him to Moonview Tower, but noticed there was no difficulty setting.
• Song Ren called Zhang Yi and pointed out that the game had no map and that its highlighted quest item resembled items from Soulslike games.
• Zhang Yi experimented in the well, discovered Wolf could cling to walls and double jump, and reasoned that the lack of a stamina bar might make the game less difficult than Dark Souls or Bloodborne.

Zhang Yi explored Sekiro’s opening area, discovered its resurrection and execution mechanics, and grew excited by its Soulslike combat. He mistook a route around Shigenori Yamauchi for proof that he had outsmarted the game’s difficulty, leaving the samurai behind as he continued down the side path.

• Zhang Yi rescued Kuro, received Kusabimaru and a Healing Gourd, then died to a guard and respawned with his health and gourd restored.
• Zhang Yi learned that he could execute enemies after attacking from stealth or filling their Posture Bar with attacks and perfect blocks.
• Zhang Yi encountered Shigenori Yamauchi and noticed that the path beside him was open.
• Zhang Yi drew the samurai’s attention, ran down the side trail, and congratulated himself for avoiding the fight.

Zhang Yi reached the secret passage and faced Genichiro Ashina, but was defeated in a scripted battle and lost Wolf’s arm. Rescued by the Sculptor and given a prosthetic arm, he prepared to explore and grow stronger before rescuing Kuro.

• Zhang Yi called Song Ren to boast that he had beaten the earlier boss, leaving Song Ren stunned by his progress.
• Zhang Yi fell beneath a bridge, killed two lizards, and followed the wall to the secret passage entrance.
• Zhang Yi guided Wolf to meet Kuro, and the two encountered Genichiro Ashina in a field of white reeds.
• Genichiro Ashina defeated Wolf, severed his arm, and taunted him before taking Kuro away.
• The Sculptor rescued Wolf and fitted him with a prosthetic arm, while Emma explained that Gourd Seeds expanded the Healing Gourd.
• Zhang Yi found a practice opponent near the temple and set out to explore so he could rescue Kuro.

Zhang Yi explored Sekiro’s resurrection and prosthetic mechanics, then challenged Kawarada Nasamori and discovered how punishing the combat could be. The chapter left him defeated by the boss, having died twice.

• Zhang Yi used the grappling hook to explore, but hidden enemies and alerted wolves overwhelmed him and cost him a life.
• After Kuro’s blood enabled resurrection, Zhang Yi revived, found the Sculptor’s Idol and Shuriken, and learned about Paper Figurines and Sekiro’s unrecoverable death penalty.
• Zhang Yi returned by rooftop to the Courtyard of a Sentry Tower and chose to fight Kawarada Nasamori.
• Kawarada Nasamori attacked quickly with powerful strikes and unblockable moves, and Zhang Yi died twice while trying to understand the combat.

Zhang Yi struggled against the Samurai General and discovered that Sekiro’s lack of stamina encouraged punishing greedy attacks. After dying repeatedly, he used stealth to remove the boss’s first life and returned to the fight feeling sure he was close to victory.

• Zhang Yi found that the Samurai General could block his attacks and punish him, while Sekiro’s posture-focused combat left little room for mistakes.
• After dying four times, Zhang Yi triggered Dragonrot and learned from Emma about its effects and the power of immortality.
• Zhang Yi considered how to overcome the boss without leveling up and decided to search for a way to use the game’s mechanics to his advantage.
• Zhang Yi used the Grappling Hook and stealth to get behind the Samurai General and perform a Stealth Kill that removed the boss’s first life.
• Zhang Yi spent his Healing Gourd, Shuriken, and both lives fighting the weakened general, then returned to the Sculptor’s Idol convinced victory was close.

Zhang Yi defeated the Samurai General by patiently wearing down its health, then used the Grappling Hook to bypass a dangerous group of enemies and gathered clues about Hirata Estate. He encountered the Red Demon and died repeatedly, ending the chapter unsure how to fight it.

• Zhang Yi defeated the Samurai General by exploiting its attack patterns and grinding down its health, then received a Prayer Bead and Gourd Seed.
• Zhang Yi was overwhelmed by a dense group of minor enemies, lost both lives, and devised a Grappling Hook route across the rooftops to avoid them.
• An old woman gave Zhang Yi a Bell, and a merchant told him about Hirata Estate and the Flame Vent prosthetic tool.
• Zhang Yi reached the Red Demon, which broke free from its restraints and attacked him with powerful grabs and fast strikes.
• After dying to the Red Demon, Zhang Yi struggled to find a way to dodge or block its attacks.

Zhang Yi struggled against the Red Demon and explored Hirata Estate to find the Flame Vent, while Song Ren continued fighting the demon. Zhang Yi reached the estate’s pagoda but was crushed by a powerful purple ninja, leaving both his detours and the Red Demon unresolved.

• Song Ren repeatedly died to the Red Demon after his parrying-focused tactics failed against its punches and grabs.
• Zhang Yi discovered that he could stealth kill the Red Demon’s first health bar, but struggled against its more dangerous second phase.
• Zhang Yi used Kuro’s Guardian Bell to travel to Hirata Estate, found a Prosthetic Arm Axe, and obtained the Flame Vent.
• Zhang Yi explored the estate, where a spear-wielding Boss and Serpent-Hunter Juzou’s crowded group overwhelmed him, and an allied katana user was quickly killed.
• Zhang Yi bypassed Juzou to seek treasure at the three-story pagoda, where a purple ninja’s chain kicks defeated him.

Zhang Yi used the Flame Vent to defeat the Red Demon, then pushed through the Ashina route and survived the giant white snake. He reached the area near Ashina Castle and learned that Genichiro guarded its gate, while Song Ren was still struggling in Hirata Estate.

• Zhang Yi easily defeated the Red Demon with the Flame Vent and then took down General Yamauchi Noriyoshi after stealth-killing his nearby soldiers.
• Zhang Yi struggled through the giant white snake’s cliffside route, eventually hiding in a palanquin and stabbing it in the eye before escaping.
• Zhang Yi reached a new Sculptor’s Idol and overheard soldiers say that Genichiro guarded Ashina Castle’s gate.
• Zhang Yi called Song Ren, who said he was stuck fighting a powerful ninja in Hirata Estate, and teased him about his slow progress.
• Zhang Yi concluded that Hirata Estate was harder than the Ashina route and expected the rest of his journey to go smoothly.

Zhang Yi found money harder to earn than winning boss fights in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and he defeated Genichiro by using the game’s items and skills. Online, players argued over whether the game was easy or difficult, but those who had breezed through to Ashina Castle began to learn what happened when they skipped class.

• Zhang Yi struggled to save money, farming minor enemies and selling items to afford a Gourd Seed from the Merchant of the Devoted.
• Zhang Yi found Genichiro manageable after learning his attacks and using the Grappling Hook, Rope Attack, and Firecrackers to defeat him.
• Players shared guides and argued online over whether Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was easy or brutally difficult.
• Players reached Ashina Castle through the game’s level design and stealth mechanics, but later progress began to challenge those who had found it easy.

Zhang Yi struggled against the Ashina Style swordsman in Ashina Castle, then defeated him by focusing on perfect deflections. Confident and eager to reclaim his severed arm, he prepared to face Genichiro Ashina.

• Zhang Yi repeatedly died to the fast, powerful iaijutsu swordsman in the castle attic, while players elsewhere also struggled against Lady Butterfly.
• Zhang Yi and Song Ren compared their progress, with Zhang Yi describing Ashina’s research into the Mortal Blade and Song Ren reporting his repeated deaths to Lady Butterfly.
• Zhang Yi defeated the swordsman by spamming deflections and landing two consecutive perfect parries.
• Zhang Yi found a scroll about Lightning Reversal but could not tell how to learn or use the technique.
• Zhang Yi headed toward the top of the castle tower, expecting Genichiro Ashina to be an easy opponent.

After reaching the top of Ashina Castle, Zhang Yi learned more about Genichiro’s plan to use Kuro’s Dragon’s Heritage to save Ashina before facing Genichiro in battle. Genichiro repeatedly killed him, and the chapter ended with Zhang Yi still unable to clear the first phase.

• Zhang Yi rested at the Sculptor’s Idol, grappled up to the castle tower, and watched Genichiro ask Kuro to make an immortal pact.
• Kuro refused, saying the Wolf would risk his life to save him, and Zhang Yi pieced together that Genichiro wanted the Dragon’s Heritage to rescue Ashina.
• Zhang Yi equipped Firecrackers and began fighting Genichiro, but Genichiro used his greatbow to punish him whenever he kept his distance or tried to heal.
• Genichiro broke Zhang Yi’s guard with a fast sword combo and killed him, then killed him again after he returned to the fight.
• Zhang Yi died around eight times without defeating Genichiro’s first phase, despite learning some of his moves, and lamented that he might spend the whole day fighting him.

Zhang Yi struggled through Genichiro Ashina’s first two phases before discovering that Lightning Reversal made the final phase surprisingly easy. After defeating Genichiro, he wondered whether he had grown stronger through all his repeated attempts.

• Zhang Yi repeatedly died to Genichiro Ashina’s second phase while Song Ren told him he had beaten Gyoubu and progressed through Hirata Estate to Ashina Castle.
• Zhang Yi defeated Genichiro’s first two phases, only for Genichiro to reveal his lightning power and enter a third phase.
• Zhang Yi used Lightning Reversal to reflect Genichiro’s lightning, staggering him and sharply increasing his Posture.
• Zhang Yi returned to challenge Genichiro several times, then defeated him with a deathblow after finding the third phase unexpectedly easy.
• Zhang Yi watched the scene with Emma and Kuro and wondered if his arduous training had made him stronger.

After defeating Genichiro Ashina, Zhang Yi explored Ashina and found that ordinary enemies and groups were still dangerous, though his improved combat skills helped him defeat several foes. Confidently charging a terrifying monster in the Dungeon, he was killed in two exchanges and realized his straightforward fighting style might not work against every boss.

• Zhang Yi wandered around Ashina Castle, defeated a Samurai General, and then returned to the Ashina Reservoir to look for clues.
• Zhang Yi struggled against groups of regular enemies but used what he had learned from Genichiro Ashina to defeat a Seven Ashina Spears member.
• Zhang Yi returned to the Dungeon, recognized the Purple-Clad Ninja as Lone Shadow, and killed him after learning his attacks.
• Zhang Yi explored deeper into the Dungeon and charged a monster surrounded by blue-purple orbs, thinking it was a Seven Ashina Samurai.
• The monster inflicted Terror and killed Zhang Yi's Wolf in two exchanges, leaving him baffled by its damage and resilience.

After Genichiro Ashina’s defeat, players struggled against the Terror-inflicting Seven Ashina Samurai and Headless, then faced punishing maps beyond Ashina Castle. Zhang Yi gave up on the Seven Ashina Samurai, while players continued to be tormented by the Hidden Forest, Senpou Temple, and Gun Fort.

• Zhang Yi struggled against the Seven Ashina Samurai’s Terror attacks and eventually admitted defeat after dying repeatedly.
• Players who had improved through Genichiro Ashina’s fights found that the Seven Ashina Samurai and Headless required items such as Fear Suppression Powder and Divine Confetti.
• Players became lost in the Hidden Forest, where chasing phantoms, difficult tree-jumping, and a Headless made progress difficult.
• Players at Senpou Temple struggled with poison-dart rats, groups of monks, and an armored man who kept surviving deathblows until players discovered the window execution.
• Players crossing Gun Fort were struck by distant bullets and cannon fire, as new areas continued to punish them with traps and hostile enemies.

Zhang Yi reached the final stretch of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice after uncovering Great Shinobi Owl’s betrayal and choosing to protect Kuro. He faced Genichiro at the Ashina Reservoir, ready to end the curse of immortality.

• Players struggled through the dangerous later maps and enemies, while Sekiro’s spectacle and popularity drew more streamers and players to the game.
• Zhang Yi explored the major areas, obtained the essential items, and uncovered the truth behind the attack on Hirata Estate three years earlier.
• Zhang Yi discovered that Great Shinobi Owl had staged the Hirata Estate rescue to secure Kuro’s immortality for himself.
• At the top of Ashina Castle, Zhang Yi rejected Owl’s orders and chose to protect Kuro before defeating Owl.
• Zhang Yi traveled to the Ashina Reservoir and confronted Genichiro in the field of white reeds, resolved to sever immortality.