Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the latest game by From Software, the makers of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, and like those games it’s pretty frickin’ hard. While by now players may have worked out that they shouldn’t expect to tackle a From Software game and not have it be a nightmare that punishes them at every turn, but Sekiro is a new IP. Is it possible to make the difficulty easier in the game? Are there Sekiro difficulty settings? We’ve got the answer, but it might not be what you want to hear…
Can you change the Sekiro Difficulty Mode?
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an exceedingly difficult game, and despite being a new franchise, may in some ways be even tougher than the legendary Dark Souls games. Is it possible, therefore, to make things easier on new players? Are there any Sekiro difficulty settings, or different difficulty modes? Unfortunately for anyone who would be interested in that: no. You cannot change difficulty in Sekiro, and there are no difficulty modes other than the standard Nightmarishly Hard option.
Were there any difficulty options in Dark Souls or Bloodborne?
The lack of any difficulty modes in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, at least to From Software veterans, as there wasn’t any option to change your difficulty in any of the studio’s three Dark Souls games or Bloodborne. The studio has previously addressed this lack of difficulty settings, with From Software’s president and series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki saying that they want “to bring everyone to the same level of discussion and the same level of enjoyment… We want everyone to feel elated and to join that discussion on the same level. We feel if there’s different difficulties, that’s going to segment and fragment the user base… it’s very much the same with Sekiro.”
Sekiro Soulslikes
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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the Best of the Soulslikes
It's always exciting to see a new genre emerge. You get that original hit game, the follow-ups and the attempts by other developers to recapture the magic. With the release of Sekiro, let's look back at the landscape of Souslikes so far. -
Demon's Souls
The original that kicked it all off (unless you count King's Field), Demon's Souls went under the radar on the PlayStation 3. Originally, gamers didn't know what to make of it, but anyone who stuck with it got an amazing experience that was unlike anything on the market. -
Dark Souls
By the time a new generation rolled around, From Software had moved from demons to darkness. The Dark Souls trilogy cemented the genre tropes, proving to achieve the popularity that their previous title had only hinted at. Far more than a cult success, these games proved to be influential even outside the genre. -
Bloodborne
Once things started taking off, original Demon's Souls publisher Sony had to get back in the action. Teaming with From, the result was Bloodborne. Taking things was from medieval castles and including firearms for the first time, this was the first hint that this formula was flexible. -
Lords of the Fallen
Developed by Deck13 Interactive and CI Games, Lords of the Fallen takes things in a more Norse direction. Using hammers and axes, you must fight towering gods and demons. After this game's success, the two developers split, with CI working on an upcoming sequel to this Viking Soulslike. -
Nioh
Team Ninja tried their hands at Souslikes with Nioh, a game where you control an Irish Samurai and fight yokai. The game was announced back in 2004 as Oni and changed hands multiple times before release. Originally another PlayStation 4 exclusive for the genre, the game has since come to PC with all its DLC bundled in. -
The Surge
Deck13 took what they learned from Lords of the Fallen and took the Soulslike genre into the future. The Surge has you stomping around in a mech suit fighting uncontrollable robots. Once you destroy an enemy, you can scrap their parts and convert them into weapons for you to use. A sequel is currently set to release in 2o19. -
Ashen
Developed by A44, Ashen puts players into a world without light. Each character is a muted faceless person, adding to the downtrodden vibe of the entire experience. While combat is inspired by Dark Souls, the game also features open-world exploration and novel passive multiplayer encounters. -
Immortal: Unchained
Going even more Norse than Lords of the Fallen, Immortal: Unchained finds you battling the monsters of Ragnarok. Instead of swords and spears, your character uses a mix of technologically advanced firearms to take down each and every mysterious foe. More fast-paced than other soulslikes, you'll need to duck and weave to stay alive. -
Death's Gambit
Pitched as a merger of Souslike and Castlevania, Death's Gambit is also one of the first games to take these concepts into the second dimension. You can choose from seven playable classes as you seek immortality in this labyrinth of death. -
Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption
What if you didn't have to explore a Soulslike? What if you just fought a collection of out of control boss monsters? Then, you'd have Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption. In this game, you start at your strongest and level down as you progress, adding to the challenge.
