The problem with DoH is that it’s got very uncharacteristic moves for a Sekiro boss in addition to being gigantic. Many have said that they’d see DoH being a Bloodborne borne, for example, vs being a Sekiro boss.
In my first playthrough, I managed to beat it after many attempts. In subsequent playthroughs, I just didn’t wanna bother, so I tried the cheese because nailing that is fun in and of itself.
In later playthroughs, I just don’t fight it at all because I don’t really enjoy the fight as much. It’s cool from a story perspective, the design and vibe is awesome as well, just not that fun to fight.
Totally fair. Sekiro was my first fromsoft since Tenchu. I had no frame of reference other than the game so I just ploughed on. Took a looong time and it was very stressful at first. Once I’d done it without the charm though, the patterns got really locked in so I look forward to the challenge on subsequent playthroughs.
Totally agree! Next to Lies of P, Sekiro is my favourite soulslike and probably remains the one I’ve played through the most (possibly tied with Lies of P) and the one I’m probably best at. Even though I’m very comfortable with the base game of Lies of P and can knock out a regular playthrough pretty well, I’m just better at Sekiro. Once you know the parry timings of bosses, a lot of them become trivial.
I remember when I first tried the final boss (specifically not saying their name since I don’t know where you’ve finished or if anyone’s reading who’s not finished yet) in my first playthrough… That was fucking rough. It probably took me like three straight days of attempts and a lot of guides to get it. Nowadays, I can usually first-try them without too much sweat. You just know what’s coming and know what to do.
It’s a really special game and such a shame that we won’t get a sequel. I had heard Lies of P is similar. Just waiting for a healthy sale to give it a try.
Lies of P is, in essence, a love letter to Bloodborne in terms of vibes and atmosphere with a bit of Sekiro sprinkled in for good measure.
Level design reminds you of Dark Souls games with shortcuts and interconnectedness, although toned down a little, combat is a mix of Sekiro and Bloodborne and is really fast-paced, and the story is pretty good overall. They chose a more direct approach to storytelling and make following NPC quests easier and less obfuscated, both of which I like a lot.
The DLC is the cherry on top and makes an already great game even better.
Unfortunately, the devs decided that AI > artistic integrity by looking for AI specialists to make the creative process “more streamlined”. Major red flag for me. If they don’t change their course, I probably won’t be playing the sequel even though I’d really love to. There’s been a few nods here and there to a possible direction but as much as I’d like to see that, I don’t wanna support AI in video games.
What platform are you playing on? Last I’ve heard, a PC demo doesn’t exist? But it should still be available on PS5 - that’s how I’ve first played it.
I’m on ps5. Lies of P is on my wishlist but the sales haven’t been low enough yet. I never played Bloodborne though. I tried it back in the day but immediately bounced off. Now knowing that I do like punishing games, I’d love to give it a retry. However, as it likely won’t get a 60fps patch, I probably never will. I loved Elden Ring until I didn’t but I was always wanting the combat to be like Sekiro. Apparently 9 Sols has a similar flow. I’ve started it but not yet properly sunk my teeth into it. I started Hitman for the first time this year and it’s pretty much all I’ve played in 2026!
Yea, 9 Sols is like a mix between Sekiro and Hollow Knight. Not sure how much of a Metroidvania it is, but it’s a sidescroller at least and reminds you of Sekiro with its combat. The story is apparently pretty good too.
Also don’t vibe with Elden Ring too much. Closest you’d to Sekiro is the Reflecting Hardtear, or whatever it’s called, that kinda allows you to deflect like in Sekiro but not really.
My fiancée and I have got two save files with a combined total of like 300h+, but despite that I’m not the biggest fan. I appreciate the game and what it did for the genre, but I prefer others.
I never cheesed the Demon of Hatred. The game had taught me to enjoy the punishment by that point so I just learned the patterns like a regular chump.
The problem with DoH is that it’s got very uncharacteristic moves for a Sekiro boss in addition to being gigantic. Many have said that they’d see DoH being a Bloodborne borne, for example, vs being a Sekiro boss.
In my first playthrough, I managed to beat it after many attempts. In subsequent playthroughs, I just didn’t wanna bother, so I tried the cheese because nailing that is fun in and of itself.
In later playthroughs, I just don’t fight it at all because I don’t really enjoy the fight as much. It’s cool from a story perspective, the design and vibe is awesome as well, just not that fun to fight.
Totally fair. Sekiro was my first fromsoft since Tenchu. I had no frame of reference other than the game so I just ploughed on. Took a looong time and it was very stressful at first. Once I’d done it without the charm though, the patterns got really locked in so I look forward to the challenge on subsequent playthroughs.
Totally agree! Next to Lies of P, Sekiro is my favourite soulslike and probably remains the one I’ve played through the most (possibly tied with Lies of P) and the one I’m probably best at. Even though I’m very comfortable with the base game of Lies of P and can knock out a regular playthrough pretty well, I’m just better at Sekiro. Once you know the parry timings of bosses, a lot of them become trivial.
I remember when I first tried the final boss (specifically not saying their name since I don’t know where you’ve finished or if anyone’s reading who’s not finished yet) in my first playthrough… That was fucking rough. It probably took me like three straight days of attempts and a lot of guides to get it. Nowadays, I can usually first-try them without too much sweat. You just know what’s coming and know what to do.
It’s a really special game and such a shame that we won’t get a sequel. I had heard Lies of P is similar. Just waiting for a healthy sale to give it a try.
Lies of P is pretty good, but a little less polished than Sekiro. The parry timings are tight and many bosses have “parry or get fucked” moves.
Sounds right up my boulevard!
Lies of P is, in essence, a love letter to Bloodborne in terms of vibes and atmosphere with a bit of Sekiro sprinkled in for good measure.
Level design reminds you of Dark Souls games with shortcuts and interconnectedness, although toned down a little, combat is a mix of Sekiro and Bloodborne and is really fast-paced, and the story is pretty good overall. They chose a more direct approach to storytelling and make following NPC quests easier and less obfuscated, both of which I like a lot.
The DLC is the cherry on top and makes an already great game even better.
Unfortunately, the devs decided that AI > artistic integrity by looking for AI specialists to make the creative process “more streamlined”. Major red flag for me. If they don’t change their course, I probably won’t be playing the sequel even though I’d really love to. There’s been a few nods here and there to a possible direction but as much as I’d like to see that, I don’t wanna support AI in video games.
What platform are you playing on? Last I’ve heard, a PC demo doesn’t exist? But it should still be available on PS5 - that’s how I’ve first played it.
I’m on ps5. Lies of P is on my wishlist but the sales haven’t been low enough yet. I never played Bloodborne though. I tried it back in the day but immediately bounced off. Now knowing that I do like punishing games, I’d love to give it a retry. However, as it likely won’t get a 60fps patch, I probably never will. I loved Elden Ring until I didn’t but I was always wanting the combat to be like Sekiro. Apparently 9 Sols has a similar flow. I’ve started it but not yet properly sunk my teeth into it. I started Hitman for the first time this year and it’s pretty much all I’ve played in 2026!
Yea, 9 Sols is like a mix between Sekiro and Hollow Knight. Not sure how much of a Metroidvania it is, but it’s a sidescroller at least and reminds you of Sekiro with its combat. The story is apparently pretty good too.
Also don’t vibe with Elden Ring too much. Closest you’d to Sekiro is the Reflecting Hardtear, or whatever it’s called, that kinda allows you to deflect like in Sekiro but not really.
My fiancée and I have got two save files with a combined total of like 300h+, but despite that I’m not the biggest fan. I appreciate the game and what it did for the genre, but I prefer others.
Hollow Knight is also in my backlog, waiting for it’s time. Thanks for the recommendations!