Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software)

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is not an RPG. There are no stats to level up and no armor or weapons to collect and equip. There are no classes to choose from. There is no multiplayer of any kind. You'll have no souls to reclaim after dying, and—from the looks of it—no checkpoint bonfires to kindle.

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The character always wields the same katana in his right hand, but his left hand can swap between a ton of tools that have offensive and utilitarian uses. An axe, for example, might help you destroy enemy shields. The demo showcased a Shinobi Firecracker, which could stun enemies, as well as a torch addon that could set them alight. There's also a shield that can block damage.

These tools will combo with your sword attacks in surprising ways. During the demo, the player thrust his katana through his torch-arm, igniting it so each swing would deal fire damage.

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It's hard not to want to read into the "Shadows Die Twice" part of Sekiro's name. From Software wasn't willing to explain it in depth, but there is an entirely new death system at play here. Instead of restarting at a checkpoint, when you die you can revive yourself and immediately jump back into combat. The crazy part: as soon as you die your enemies will lose interest in you and go back to what they were doing. This turns death "into an opportunity" to surprise enemies by reviving when they don't expect it and getting in a few instakills.

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pc gamer article said:

This all comes together in boss battles, which look more challenging than ever. Near the end of the demo, we were ambushed by the Corrupted Monk, a terrifyingly large woman with a naginata. True to Dark Souls, she came at us with an agile barrage of attacks that, with the help of the Kanji characters appearing above our heads, could be predicted and dodged or blocked.

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