After several outstanding games, there’s a signature style that Hidetaka Miyazaki incorporates into his art that has become instantly recognizable and influential for other studios as well. Not only does he put his heart and soul into FromSoftware games, but his work shares similar elements with one another, which makes gamers associate those aspects with the Soulsborne director.
That trend continued in the developer’s 2019 release, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which borrowed a mechanic from some of Miyazaki’s previous games but put enough of a spin on it to make it feel fresh.
Hidetaka Miyazaki Talks About the Shinobi Death Blow
Back when Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was a couple of months away from being released, Hidetaka Miyazaki talked about the origins of the shinobi death blow in the game and how it was different from other critical attacks in older FromSoftware titles. Soulsborne fans have probably used the visceral attack in Bloodborne, or if one goes further back, the riposte or backstab move from the original Dark Souls.
These attacks have always been an important aspect of FromSoftware video games, so it was only natural for them to return in the 2019 action-adventure title as well.
Upon being asked about how similar the shinobi death blow truly was to the aforementioned attacks, Hidetaka Miyazaki stated that FromSoftware feels that it “is different from a straight up riposte or a straight up visceral attack.” The Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice director justified his answer by saying that the death blow is “not just kind of a one-off one-time critical attack” like the ones from Bloodborne or Dark Souls because it can be utilized in various situations, which includes stealth.
Since a shinobi is required to be masterful in “both offense and defensive,” attacks like the death blow seem like the best option against deadly foes.
The Critical Attack in Sekiro Is Basically a Reward for Players
There are instances during intense battles in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice where the player feels helpless against an extremely strong enemy, which is where the shinobi death blow makes its entrance and provides an opportunity to turn the tides of the fight. “It’s kind of like a treat or reward for the player at the end of that struggle, that clash of swords,” stated Hidetaka Miyazaki, as he knows how much resilience it really takes to defeat FromSoftware video games.
These critical attacks let gamers find “a momentary weakness in” their foes, making the experience a little more bearable than it would have been without them.
While answering the same question, Miyazaki also gave credit to the original Tenchu games from a long time ago, which is a series that FromSoftware shares an extensive history with.
Did you like the inclusion of the shinobi death blow in Shadows Die Twice? Let us know in the comments!
