Sekiro ( 隻狼 ) : A Historical "Review"









This is something definitely new for this blog; I'm going to talk about a videogame! And if you are not familiar with my content but you were looking for the review itself of the game Sekiro ( Fromsoftware, 2019) I want to be honest, you are not going to find a normal review below here.



In fact in this post, I want to talk about the history and the context in which the game is set: Japan during the Sengoku period ( 戦国時代 ).



To be fair, I know that it is a game and it supposed to have fantasy elements in it, but nevertheless it is a good opportunity to talk about the true history behind the setting and the aesthetic of the game itself.

Sekiro is extremely bounded to some aspect of Japanese culture and if you are looking for those elements, especially the martial ones, this post is definitely for you.



First of all, I have to say, I'm impressed. Besides the gameplay, the map design, the plot and characters involved in this game which I'm not qualified to consider since I'm very casual when it comes to videogames, the Japanese aesthetic of this game is almost flawless from my personal point of view.

The research behind the historical details of this game is superb. Mind you, I haven't had the opportunity to play the game yet ( but this article needed to be done!) and to avoid spoilers I've limited myself to some online screenshots and the first two areas of the game but as far as I've seen, it is few millimeters below perfection.



There are of course few concepts here and there that I think are totally off, but they are just a minority; so without further ado, let's dive in this fantastic universe.









Arms & Armors of the Soldiers



I would like to point out that a good amount of the game's enemies are fantastical oversized monsters or animals; however, the samurai and the ashigaru have an almost perfect look.

I would argue that the armors of the generals and the guards/thugs you can find in the early game is likely to be the best Japanese realistic armor I have ever seen in a videogame. Not only that, but the state of decay of some of those gears is exactly the one you will expected from a neglected real armor: and this is so Sengoku!









Here there is definitely a feeling of the sengoku era (and a snapshot from Kurosawa - the Hidden Fortress indeed). The armor behave exactly as it should behave when it is damaged liked that.







Another pic from the start of the game; here a Jizamurai/ashigaru with the iconic jingasa; note how realistic is the koshino kote. Another pic from the start of the game; here a Jizamurai/ashigaru with the iconic jingasa; note how realistic is the kusari pattern on his







An ingame screenshot; here an almost naked thugs with a hachigane on his forehead, a pair of koshino/kusari kote and a pair of tsubo suneate. The armor is indeed very accurate as far as I can see.







Another screenshot; the red warriors samurai have a Sendai do with shino suneate, a zunari kabuto (right) and a jingasa (left) and shinokote; even the hinges of the armor are done correctly!!









off in the sense that they are Edo period haidate (you can tell it because the lack of a strap to hold them in place on the legs and the strip of cloth at the sides; nevertheless, the armor behave as it should when fighting and the animations are done extremely well). The rest is pretty much extremely accurate.

The general is wearing what looks like to be a laced nuinobe do under his jinbaori, with a zunari kabuto fitted with horns waidate, tsubo kote, kawara haidate and tsubo suneate.

He is also carrying a very long nodachi.

I would have loved to see a more The armor of one of the first "minibosses"; if I have to be nitpicky, only the haidate shown here arein the sense that they are Edo period haidate (you can tell it because the lack of a strap to hold them in place on the legs and the strip of cloth at the sides; nevertheless, the armor behave as it should when fighting and the animations are done extremely well). The rest is pretty muchThe general is wearing what looks like to be a laced nuinobe do under his jinbaori, with a zunari kabuto fitted with horns waidate, tsubo kote, kawara haidate and tsubo suneate.He is also carrying a very long nodachi.I would have loved to see a more complete tosei gusoku set , but I'm quite happy nevertheless!







Another detail that I loved about the game was the introduction of not-so-mainstream Japanese weapons: along side kanabo , and hammers as well. There are also arquebuses,

In this screenshot a thug wearing an Okegawa do, with a pair of shino kote, shino suneate and a masakari axe. He is also wearing the classic zunari kabuto and on his shoulders there is a pair of kobire made of kikko brigandine. Every details look realistic, except for the excessive amount of ropes and overall decay, but that's the spirit of the game and I love it! Another detail that I loved about the game was the introduction of not-so-mainstream Japanese weapons: along side naginatas , katana and nodachi we get axes , and hammers as well. There are also arquebuses, early handgonnes and a version of the yumi called kago yumi.In this screenshot a thug wearing an Okegawa do, with a pair of shino kote, shino suneate and a masakari axe. He is also wearing the classic zunari kabuto and on his shoulders there is a pair of kobire made of kikko brigandine. Every details look realistic, except for the excessive amount of ropes and overall decay, but that's the spirit of the game and I love it!







Another big surprise for me; hand held shields tate shields being used like hand held tower shields, I can see where the game has borrowed from: Another big surprise for me;! Although there are few examples of bigbeing used like hand held tower shields, I can see where the game has borrowed from:









Beside those weapons, there are spears and other exotic fantasy weapon that are still grounded in history like a double head tsukushi naginata and I'm glad to see them having some space in a Japanese themed videogame.

I cannot say anything expect well done! There are more screenshots I would like to talk about, but I think that the message has been received: the arms and armor of Sekiro look well grounded on the real 16th century ones.







Architecture and Environment



Another thing that I was really happy to see is the atmosphere you could get from the landscapes, the architectures and the general environment in Sekiro.

The buildings are just gorgeous and are extremely accurate as well!

The Ashina castle looks genuine and authentic; the only flaw: its massive size. Historically, castles as big as that one never existed at all, but nevertheless, the general design as well as the state of decay is the same you could expect from a late 16th century Japanese castle. Not only that, but even temples, pagodas, estates and normal houses are detailed and accurate as well. In fact I was delighted by the amount of care that you can see in the interior of the houses; from the destroyed ones to the highly decorated mansion, everything fit inside the image of 16th century Japan and it is beautiful.







An overview of the entire castle; it is simply amazing and accurate, although a little too huge to be realistic. The gates, the stairs, the stone foundations and the rooftops: everything is in the right place.



Another thing that I was really happy to see is theyou could get from thein Sekiro.The buildings are just gorgeous and areThe Ashina castle looks genuine and authentic; the only flaw: its massive size. Historically, castles as big as that one never existed at all, but nevertheless, the general design as well as the state of decay is the same you could expect from a lateNot only that, but evenare detailed and accurate as well. In fact I was delighted by the amount of care that you can see in the interior of the houses; from the destroyed ones to the highly decorated mansion, everything fit inside the image of 16th century Japan and it is beautiful.





A section of the castle; here you can see the walls with the iconic foundation in stones and the top in plaster and wood, with the classic Japanese style roof tiles. In addition to that, throughout the level you could find wooden towers, tate shields placed on the ground and taketaba rolled bulletproof "shields"; all of them are very accurate and detailed.









Matsumoto castle; a real Japanese castle, not so different from the one portrayed in Sekiro. They did an amazing job.







The forest around Senpou temple looks gorgeous and very immersive; that's the kind of forest you could expect to see while doing a Buddhist pilgrimage in Japan. Not only that, but even the monk's outfit is done very well.







An artistic view of Senpou temple; unfortunately I wasn't able to obtain a better screenshot in which the temple is more visible, but it remind me a lot of Kiyomizudera during the fall season:



An artistic view of Senpou temple; unfortunately I wasn't able to obtain a better screenshot in which the temple is more visible, but it remind me a lot of Kiyomizudera during the fall season:



Religious architecture and holy places in general are done in a beautiful way indeed in this game.





Combat, Esotericism and Buddhism



I didn't expect the combat system and overall look of this game to look authentic and real: and in fact, it is not. After all, there are supernatural powers and fantasy mechanized arms, and I'm fine with that since it is a game indeed. However, I was surprised to see that almost all the finishers that Sekiro use to kill the enemy once their posture is broken are aimed at uncovered spot of the armor, namely the armpit or the throat. This is extremely accurate and there is an extra care in the animation for the majority of the time, so I was pleased to see that armor works in this game!



In fact the whole concept of breaking the enemy posture and killing them with a precise, aimed strike at the unarmored zone is quite realistic and allow for great gameplay in my opinion.







