"This money feels even harder to obtain than in Dark Souls and Bloodborne!"
Zhang Yi looked utterly Frustrated.
Compared to the souls and Blood Echoes carried in Bloodborne and Dark Souls, the money in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice had a far weaker sense of presence.
In Bloodborne and Dark Souls, the amount of souls directly correlated to one's Attribute values, as souls could be used to level up. This was one of the souls' primary functions.
However, in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, there was no such leveling system. Instead, it was replaced by Gourd Seeds and Prayer Beads.
As for the Combat Memory that increased attack power, after defeating Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa, Zhang Yi finally understood where it came from.
Unlike Gourd Seeds and Prayer Beads, Combat Memory seemed to require defeating major named bosses.
For example, Genichiro Ashina, who appeared in the promotional trailer, as well as the massive white ape and the Divine Dragon.
After killing monsters, in addition to earning coins, players could also fill a blue experience bar.
Like coins, a portion of this blue experience bar would be deducted upon death.
As for the so-called Unseen Aid, Zhang Yi outright ignored it.
On one hand, the probability of Unseen Aid decreased as his death count increased. On the other hand, he simply didn't trust his own luck.
Back in World of Warcraft, Old Song's notoriously Unlucky King-tier luck overshadowed everyone else's presence. But in reality, Zhang Yi's own luck fluctuated between sunny and cloudy. Unless Unseen Aid was guaranteed at 100%, he felt it wasn't particularly meaningful.
Dying once meant losing a chunk of money, but at least he'd learned his lesson about Skill Points.
However, retaining money was genuinely difficult. Earlier, at the hillside where the Guardian Charm Bell grandma was, buying Robert's Firecrackers had already cost him 500 coins.
Primarily, money was just too hard to hold onto. Although the Shop sold Money Pouches, which could be considered a form of Bank, the issue was that these weren't infinite. Sometimes, you'd inevitably have excess.
This left him carrying nearly 200 Paper Effigies. Zhang Yi figured these would last him until he Cleared the Game.
But money? That was truly scarce.
Especially after defeating Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa, when he discovered a Remnant Merchant nearby selling a Gourd Seed for 1,000 coins.
It nearly killed him. He had to scrape together every last coin, repeatedly grinding mobs via Sculptor's Idols, selling 20-coin Pellets, the 100-coin Bundled Jizo Statue he'd picked up at Bamboo Slope, and even a few Ash Lumps and Ceramic Shards for spare changeâall just to scrounge up that 1,000 coins.
Compared to the money-grinding Part, Zhang Yi actually found the boss fights far less challenging. At least, that was his impression so far.
The Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa in the training grounds? He'd only needed six or seven attempts.
Despite the boss's imposing, fierce appearance on horseback, the Sense of Oppression Zhang Yi felt was nowhere near as intense as the Purple-clad Shinobi he'd encountered earlier at Hirata Estate. Frankly, he even found the Chained Ogre easier to handle.
Initially unfamiliar with the boss's moveset, the massive halberd attacks had overwhelmed him. But after a few deaths and some practice, Zhang Yi realized this boss was practically a free win.
The horseback charge out of the gate looked awesome, but during the boss's dramatic pose, Zhang Yi could land four or five free hits.
Moreover, the boss's aggressive intent was surprisingly low. It mostly trotted around on its horse, and at a distance, a grappling hook prompt would appear.
Using the grappling hook to close the gap, combined with the Grappling Hook Attack Skill he'd unlocked in the Prosthetic Tool Skill Tree using Skill Points, he could stun the boss and land even more free hits.
Additionally, the firecrackers he'd bankrupted himself to buy for 500 coins could also spook Gyoubu's horse, leaving it frozen in place.
All he had to do was dodge the boss's occasional attacks, grapple over when the prompt appeared, andâwhether it was an illusion or notâGyoubu felt far more fragile than previous bosses.
Furthermore, unlike the Samurai Generals, Kusabimaru's strikes against Gyoubu rarely triggered Sword Clashes. Each slash landed as solidly as those against the Chained Ogre.
After a few rounds, Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa fell to his blade.
With proper use of items and Skills, Souls-like games had become... easy?
Zhang Yi wasn't the only one who felt this way. Many players familiar with Souls-like games, especially those who enjoyed studying mechanics, were equally surprised by Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's differences.
Numerous clever players were already posting real-time guides online as they played.
"This time, Mr. Chen went too far with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice! It's way too easy!"
"Exactly! The Chained Ogre is a free winâShinobi Execution for one life, Flame Vent for the other. It lacks that hard-earnedćĺ°ąć."
"True. And if you ignore the Prayer Beads and Gourd Seeds, you can even skip the Samurai Generals entirely!"
"Totally! And Gyoubu looks so intimidating, but a single grappling hook tames him."
"Same here. There's also the Blazing Bull in Ashina Castleâprotip: firecrackers work wonders."
"All the bosses are pushovers. Honestly, the mobs feel like the real threats. That Purple-clad Shinobi in Hirata Estate, the Tengu on Ashina Castle's Rooftops, and those Taro Troop guys are brutal."
Of course, plenty of players pushed back:
"Who said that? Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is brutally hard! I've beaten Dark Souls eight playthroughs, but I'm still suffering against the Shinobi Hunter!"
"Agreed. The Combat System is completely different. The sword clashing sounds cool, but I've seen the 'artistic' text way too many times."
"Thank god Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a VR version, unlike the original Dark Souls. Otherwise, with 'one death = one cigarette,' my health and wallet would both be wrecked."
"If you think it's easy, you're just cheesing!"
Regardless, many players genuinely felt Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was significantly easier than Dark Souls and Bloodborne.
This was largely due to the game's exceptionally well-designed Level Design and clear tutorials.
Combined with the assassination mechanics, most playersâprovided they weren't hopelessly unskilled or blindly rushing through without reading story or key informationâreached Ashina Castle without much trouble.
But from this point onward, players who'd initially found the game easy began to reconsider as they progressed.
They also learned a harsh lesson: the consequences of cheesing.
(End of Chapter) <