BigBossBalrog Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 5 minutes ago, The Good Doctor said: Endgame Genichiro: Suspiciously easy. Isshin Ashina: Now that makes sense. This fight is so intense, but I am loving every second of it. I got Isshin down to his final heath bar on my second attempt, but it cost me two resurrections and all of my gourd seeds. Then he struck me with lightning and it was game over. I suck at the lightning deflections. Also, what the hell is homie doing with a semi-auto pistol in 1600s Japan?! I swear, FromSoft pulled out all the stops with this one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBossBalrog Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 And yeah, prepare for one of, if not the greatest fights in gaming It made me chuckle a bit when you said Isshin must have been a demon of a fight in his prime...which you now get to witness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 1 hour ago, BigBossBalrog said: Once the initial shock subsided, I actually like when he breaks out the pistol. It gives me a bit of a breather where all I need to do is block. 1 hour ago, BigBossBalrog said: And yeah, prepare for one of, if not the greatest fights in gaming It made me chuckle a bit when you said Isshin must have been a demon of a fight in his prime...which you now get to witness. I can understand why the Ministry feared him. They have a powerful army and really good spies, but no boss-tier units besides the Lone Shadows. Isshin could indeed probably wipe the floor with their current invasion force. He’s just that good. Only exception may be Owl. He might have been able to take down Isshin with some underhanded shit. Or just become unkillable through Kuro’s blood. 1 Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 2 Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 What an incredible fight! Everything about it was excellent, music, presentation, fun as hell combat, and it pushes you to the absolute limits by testing every skill you’ve learned throughout the game. 1 Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBossBalrog Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 13 minutes ago, The Good Doctor said: What an incredible fight. Everything about it was excellent, music, presentation, fun as hell combat, and it pushes you to the absolute limits by testing every single skill you’ve learned throughout the game. I love how the deathblow is framed as sepuku. A very honorable send-off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 Just now, BigBossBalrog said: I love how the deathblow is framed as sepuku. A very honorable send-off. Yeah, that was awesome. Sadly, because I killed him on that little slope, the animation screwed up and it looked like Wolf was levitating while he did it. Kinda ruined the moment. Good thing the fight is replayable. 1 Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBossBalrog Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 Which ending did you get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 1 minute ago, BigBossBalrog said: Which ending did you get? Haven’t finished yet. I just killed Isshin and paused it. Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBossBalrog Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 6 minutes ago, The Good Doctor said: Haven’t finished yet. I just killed Isshin and paused it. All of them are very good for different reasons, but if you have it I advise choosing "Aromatic Flower". It's my second favorite ending 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 2 hours ago, BigBossBalrog said: All of them are very good for different reasons, but if you have it I advise choosing "Aromatic Flower". It's my second favorite ending I reloaded the save to see all three. But this was the first one I went with and by far the most emotionally poignant. I also think it’s the best and most fitting to the story. Definitely my favorite. Wolf giving his life so his master can finally know true humanity fits well with his character and feels well earned since you have to defeat the memory of Owl to even achieve it. It is the ending that involves the most growth and development for both him and Kuro, and I love the tone of it. Plus it’s the only one where Kuro actually lives and it feels like Wolf has done his duty. The Divine Dragon ending is clearly intended as the "good" one, in that Wolf gets to live and so does a version of Kuro, albeit through the Divine Child. I like the way it sends them off on a new adventure, and feel it’s the best suited for future stories if FromSoft ever decides to tell them. But the Divine Child was so distant to most of the storyline that it felt a little random by the time I finally got to make the choice. The ending where Kuro dies and Wolf ends up in the Sculptor’s old place is just depressing but it gets points for bringing everything back full circle and hitting pretty hard. 2 Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBossBalrog Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 6 minutes ago, The Good Doctor said: I reloaded the save to see all three. But this was the first one I went with and by far the most emotionally poignant. I also think it’s the best and most fitting to the story. Definitely my favorite. Hide contents Wolf giving his life so his master can finally know true humanity fits well with his character and feels well earned since you have to defeat the memory of Owl to even achieve it. It is the ending that involves the most growth and development for both him and Kuro, and I love the tone of it. Plus it’s the only one where Kuro actually lives and it feels like Wolf has done his duty. The Divine Dragon ending is clearly intended as the "good" one, in that Wolf gets to live and so does a version of Kuro, albeit through the Divine Child. I like the way it sends them off on a new adventure, and feel it’s the best suited for future stories if FromSoft ever decides to tell them. But the Divine Child was so distant to most of the storyline that it felt a little random by the time I finally got to make the choice. The ending where Kuro dies and Wolf ends up in the Sculptor’s old place is just depressing but it gets points for bringing everything back full circle and hitting pretty hard. I think "Purification" fits well with the Buddhist themes of karma and immortality present throughout the story. As the Sculptor shows, you cannot escape your karma. And Wolf is tethered by killing so many people (that's why the ghosts start appearing in old areas) and their karma that binds him to his victims; he served Owl as a Shinobi and did who knows what. Yet through his sacrifice to someone who showed him great kindness, Wolf gets to cross the river Sanzu to the afterlife and then rebirth as someone unethered by his karma: redeemed, and having escaped his fate of succumbing to Shura. BTW: I did say my second favorite And you get my favorite by siding with Owl (and it's really convenient, because it ends the game much earlier) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBossBalrog Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 Oh and Isshin's stuff says alot about him. "Isshin coveted strength and all manner of techniques throughout his mortal struggle. He wished for war until his final hour, and that is precisely what he got." "At his peak, Isshin Ashina devoted himself to deadly conflict in pursuit of strength. A single-minded killing machine of a man. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 5 minutes ago, BigBossBalrog said: Reveal hidden contents I think "Purification" fits well with the Buddhist themes of karma and immortality present throughout the story. As the Sculptor shows, you cannot escape your karma. And Wolf is tethered by killing so many people (that's why the ghosts start appearing in old areas) and their karma that binds him to his victims; he served Owl as a Shinobi and did who knows what. Yet through his sacrifice to someone who showed him great kindness, Wolf gets to cross the river Sanzu to the afterlife and then rebirth as someone unethered by his karma: redeemed, and having escaped his fate of succumbing to Shura. BTW: I did say my second favorite And you get my favorite by siding with Owl (and it's really convenient, because it ends the game much earlier) I already started NG+2, so I'll definitely be checking that out next. I must say, it is suuuuper satisfying to return to the beginning area with all of my skills and abilities and absolutely bulldoze Genichiro without any difficulty. Shame it doesn’t change the outcome, but it felt good to lose because of some dirty move in a cutscene rather than because I wasn’t good enough. Genichiro is my punching bag at this point. 1 Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBossBalrog Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 4 minutes ago, The Good Doctor said: I already started NG+, so I'll definitely be checking that out next. I must say, it is suuuuper satisfying to return to the beginning area with all of my skills and abilities and absolutely bulldoze Genichiro without any difficulty. Shame it doesn’t change the outcome, but it felt good to lose because of some dirty move in a cutscene rather than because I wasn’t good enough. Genichiro is my punching bag at this point. "A shinobi would know the difference between honor and victory." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 Just now, BigBossBalrog said: "A shinobi would know the difference between honor and victory." I liked that line. Seemed a good way to both set Wolf on the path of doing whatever it takes to win and it fits well with Genichiro being the guy willing to resort to heresies for his cause. Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBossBalrog Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 4 minutes ago, The Good Doctor said: I liked that line. Seemed a good way to both set Wolf on the path of doing whatever it takes to win and it fits well with Genichiro being the guy willing to resort to heresies for his cause. Isshin's kind of the same way; his codified sword technique is literally "do whatever it takes to win". Though that seems to be based on your own personal ability. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 Just now, BigBossBalrog said: Isshin's kind of the same way; his codified sword technique is literally "do whatever it takes to win". Though that seems to be based on your own personal ability. Yeah, they’re both all about min-maxing to get the win. The difference is that Genichiro opted to multiclass to make up for his shortcomings. Meanwhile, Isshin is like: "what shortcomings?" 1 Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBossBalrog Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 Welp. Prepare for another one hundred years of Civil War! Time to be the Samurai we were meant to be boys! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCzarsHussar Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 8 hours ago, BigBossBalrog said: Welp. Prepare for another one hundred years of Civil War! Time to be the Samurai we were meant to be boys! Yari Samurai looking ass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCzarsHussar Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 @The Good Doctor Excellent work Doc! Sword Saint Isshin is one of the coolest bosses Fromsoft has made. Is argue it's better than Soul of Cinder and Radabeast 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 5 Author Share Posted August 5 2 hours ago, TheCzarsHussar said: @The Good Doctor Excellent work Doc! Sword Saint Isshin is one of the coolest bosses Fromsoft has made. Is argue it's better than Soul of Cinder and Radabeast I agree. And gameplay-wise, it’s no contest. He’s simply their best final boss by far. While I’d forgotten who exactly the final boss of Sekiro was (I was expecting another form of Genichiro…), I had heard for years that he was Fromsoft’s hardest fight besides maybe Malenia, but Isshin actually only took me five attempts. That’s not at all to say those statements are incorrect; it’s a testament to how well-designed the combat is in this game that once you’ve mastered each mechanic, you can consistently beat almost every boss. None of them ever pull out any unfair bullshit or change the formula (Demon of Hatred might be the one exception) so much that they feel insurmountable. And there are no cheese builds so the game forces you to git gud. Isshin may be one of From’s toughest bosses, but if you’ve beaten everything leading up to him, then you’re already gud enough to beat him as well. The progression and learning curve is perfect. Excellent game all around. Loved it. Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 5 Author Share Posted August 5 Owl (Father) was the boss who challenged me the most. He was the first to pull out all the stops and really force me to get significantly better at the game, but after doing that, I felt like I could take on anything, and pretty much did from that point on. Very fitting that Wolf’s mentor would be the one who made me good at the game. Isshin is definitely the "toughest" and I’d have struggled with him way more if I hadn’t improved so much beforehand. I can go back to Owl now and stomp him, but I reckon that Isshin will always take some pretty serious effort. Genichiro is still one of my favorites but he’s a punching bag at this point. Man has six health bars across the entire game and I’m coming for all of ‘em. I love how he’s basically a progress marker for your skills at the beginning, middle, and end of the game. ^ Those three are my favorites. Demon of Hatred is probably my least favorite. Despite having some of the best lore, being one of the best characters, and having one of the most emotional ends, the mechanics did not play to Sekiro’s strengths and felt too divorced from the normal flow of the game. He gave me the most trouble after Owl, but it felt less because I wasn’t good enough and more because it was such a drastic shift from how I’d learned to fight everything else in the game. I don’t really have anything bad to say about any of the other main bosses. Lady Butterfly, the Guardian Ape, and Corrupted Monk would be among the best fights in most other games. Divine Dragon was a total gimmick, but a fun one, and the first Owl fight ended up being a solid prelude to the real deal. 1 Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCzarsHussar Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 4 minutes ago, The Good Doctor said: Owl (Father) was the boss who challenged me the most. He was the first to pull out all the stops and really force me to get significantly better at the game, but after doing that, I felt like I could take on anything, and pretty much did from that point on. Very fitting that Wolf’s mentor would be the one who made me good at the game. Isshin is definitely the "toughest" and I’d have struggled with him way more if I hadn’t improved so much beforehand. I can go back to Owl now and stomp him, but I reckon that Isshin will always take some pretty serious effort. Genichiro is still one of my favorites but he’s a punching bag at this point. Man has six health bars across the entire game and I’m coming for all of ‘em. ^ Those three are my favorites. Demon of Hatred is probably my least favorite. Despite having some of the best lore, being one of the best characters, and having one of the most emotional ends, the mechanics did not play to Sekiro’s strengths and felt too divorced from the normal flow of the game. He gave me the most trouble after Owl, but it felt less because I wasn’t good enough and more because it was such a drastic shift from how I’d learned to fight everything else in the game. I don’t really have anything bad to say about any of the other main bosses. Lady Butterfly, the Guardian Ape, and Corrupted Monk would be among the best fights in most other games. Divine Dragon was a total gimmick, but a fun one, and the first Owl fight ended up being a solid prelude to the real deal. We ironically had opposite difficulty experiences. Owl Father was by no means easy but I got him in around the same attempts you took out Isshin (probably a few more tries). But Sword Saint Isshin took me almost two hours if memory serves But I was getting sloppier the angrier I got. I probably said the saltiest things to myself about how bad the boss was during it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Good Doctor Posted August 5 Author Share Posted August 5 1 hour ago, TheCzarsHussar said: We ironically had opposite difficulty experiences. Owl Father was by no means easy but I got him in around the same attempts you took out Isshin (probably a few more tries). But Sword Saint Isshin took me almost two hours if memory serves But I was getting sloppier the angrier I got. I probably said the saltiest things to myself about how bad the boss was during it I think my experience with Owl benefitted me quite a bit in the long run. I credit the struggle I had with his fight for why I did so well against Isshin. It really helped me a lot with getting down the timing and instinct for jumping sweeps, countering thrusts, and escaping AoEs. Hard to pick a favorite as I loved both for different reasons. Throw in Genichiro and I don’t think there’s a boss in any other FromSoft game that tops them for me. Even when losing, I never felt salty or cheated, which speaks volumes to their design. Quote * Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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