Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Gameplay Footage Revealed

A debut of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’s gameplay at Gamescom gives us an in-depth look at the One-armed Wolf’s Shinobi prosthetic and the combat and maneuvers that the tool allows for.

Described by Activision producer Robert Conkey in IGN’s video as a “third-person action-adventure game with RPG elements” that comes from a collaboration between FromSoftware and Activision, the developers’ fans will know it better as the game that comes from the mind of Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki. With hard-hitting combat reminiscent of the Souls games, it might look like a spiritual continuation of the series, but Shadows Die Twice’s gameplay proves that it’s got much more to offer.

The prosthetic, for example, is a tool that provides an impressive amount of mobility with its reach and versatility through the grappling hook that’s seen in the video. Conkey and FromSoftware’s Yasuhiro Kitao mentioned the verticality aspect of the game that’s made possible with the tool, a way for players to position themselves above or below their enemies for more versatile takedowns. We see both of these scenarios in the gameplay video above that shows the protagonist leaping down on an enemy while another assassination shortly afterwards features a ledge kill.

The grappling hook is just one of the ways that players can make use of the prosthetic though with multiple ways to augment the tool, though not all of those have been revealed. Some of them can be seen in the bottom-right corner of the HUD as the player cycles between prosthetics to fulfill different purposes while the game’s creators discuss them in the gameplay video. Gamescom attendees have been able to see the various tools themselves though with the game playable now at the conference for the first time ever.

Stealth is also a mechanic in the game that players can master, a system that means more than just avoiding enemies’ gaze to sneak around. By hugging walls and other structures, players can hide from enemies and wait for the right moment to strike. When enemies walk by an unaware enemy, they can trigger a move that’ll instantly kill the opponent in a spectacularly bloody fashion.

The first gameplay for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice follows the announcement of the game’s release date that came just yesterday before Gamescom began. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is now scheduled to be released on March 22, 2019, for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.