Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice cover art

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

A rhythm-parry action game about reading scripted tells with frame-tight timing.

On Steam ↗
Here's the argument for where this game sits - disagree freely.
Match your experience?
EXECUTION9 /10READS2 /10VARIANCE0 /10OPTIMIZATION7 /10

the cheat-test profile

The four axes - the argument

Each axis is rated on its own - how far one cheat would trivialize the game here. They don't trade off; low on all four means the game is an experience, not a contest.

  1. Execution

    cheat: Aimbot - perfect inputs

    9/10

    Frame-perfect parries are the entire combat system.

  2. Reads

    cheat: Out-predict an adaptive opponent

    2/10

    Mikiri and perilous tells are scripted, not adaptive.

  3. Variance

    cheat: See what's hidden / map the RNG

    0/10

    Almost no randomness; encounters are deterministic.

  4. Optimization

    cheat: A perfect solver / coach

    7/10

    Boss decks and prosthetic choices are fully learnable.

How to read this

Each axis is named by the cheat that would break the game along it. Execution is the hands. Reads is out-thinking an adaptive opponent. Variance is hidden information & RNG. Optimization is the solvable systems layer. A game's region is the top one or two axes.

These four aren't one rating split four ways - they're independent 0-10 questions. A 9 on one axis takes nothing from the others, and a game low on all four isn't missing data: it's telling you there's no skill here to cheat.

The basis is how the majority actually plays this game - not a niche mode or a personal run. For a game with very different modes (a story campaign versus ranked multiplayer), that's the version most people mean.

Compare with

Similar games

see all →

Ranked by shared genre first, then by how closely the cheat-test profile matches - a cross-genre tag means a pick matched on skill profile alone.

Elden Ring cover art

Elden Ring

Practiced Mastery · open-world soulslike

E
R
V
O
Elden Ring
Ghost of Tsushima cover art

Ghost of Tsushima

Practiced Mastery · open-world action

E
R
V
O
Ghost of Tsushima
Nioh cover art

Nioh

Practiced Mastery · action RPG

E
R
V
O
Nioh
Hollow Knight: Silksong cover art

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Practiced Mastery · metroidvania

E
R
V
O
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Dark Souls III cover art

Dark Souls III

Practiced Mastery · action RPG

E
R
V
O
Dark Souls III
Bloodborne cover art

Bloodborne

Practiced Mastery · action RPG

E
R
V
O
Bloodborne

Game details

Released
2019
Developer
FromSoftware
Platforms
Stadia, PS4, PC, XONE
Modes
Single player
IGDB critics
90/100
IGDB users
90/100
AdventureActionFantasyHistoricalStealth