People who enjoyed Sekiro (and other FromSoftware games, assuming they're similar), can you describe what the experience of it felt like while playing (not in retrospect) and why you enjoyed it?
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Hi, big fan of both Sekiro and your blog here! The reason I love Sekiro (and other FromSoft games, but Sekiro most) is because I greatly enjoy the fights themselves; not whatever rewards they give or make me feel! I could wax poetic about this a lot, but the basic idea [1/?]
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-- is that they wholly, entirely engage because they require all of my attention. The way the player's relation with each boss evolves throughout those 100 attempts is gorgeous to me; let me describe it. [2/?]
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First you are scared and overwhelmed; merely facing the boss is a feat in itself. Next you start to get to know the boss. You get an incredible feel for their moves, their animations, their rhythm; they demand you get to know them more precisely [3/?]
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than almost any other videogame entity does. This knowledge itself is gratifying.
Once you know the boss' moves, you move onto the next stage: experimentation. In what ways can you counter their moves without taking damage? What works? [4/?]
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What yet fails, but might be perfected? When will you have enough time to recover, and when must you be on your guard? Through this process, you attune yourself to the enemy more completely. Finally, once all the moves and strategies have been learned [5/?]
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(which can easily be done through YouTube videos if you dislike this stage -- see the hugely informative Sekiro "Git Gud" videos), it is time to execute on these plans. Your foes are still fearsome, but you can keep a cool head. [6/?]
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There is a pleasure in consistently repressing your own fear and panic, and instead to make yourself work like clockwork. Analyze the enemy's action; retrieve the corresponding counter-move; execute it. If you have time to press your advantage, do so. [7/?]
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If you need to be on your guard, watch them. Be ready at all times! You fear them still, but your fear is tempered by a newfound confidence. You are in sync with your enemy. Every mistake you make stings, but that only makes it all the more pleasurable to keep up the heat, [8/?]
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to execute your plans flawlessly and see such grand foes wither before you. [9/?]
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The enemies of Sekiro demand your respect. It is wonderful to be made to respect something, only to then trump it. This is where these games get their sense of 'class' from: The only solution that works, is to respect your problems enough to really solve them. [11/?]
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To play FromSoftware games is, in this sense, to practice a form of self-care, of self-affirmation. [12/?]
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