Summary
Mastering the difficulty ofSekiro: Shadows Die Twicecomes primarily from tuning to the individual rhythm of every boss, and the overall basic rhythm of the parry-based combat itself. This is shown off as early as the initial intendedloss against Genichiroat the start of the game, but reaches a heavy crescendo by the time players challenge Lady Butterfly in Hirata Estate.
What makes Lady Butterfly stand out against other bosses inSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis the way that players might be compelled to fight her, but not forced to get through her for progression. This then lets players put off the task of adjusting to the game’s difficulty until it becomes absolutely necessary while rewarding those who become familiar withSekiro’s pacing right from the start.
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An Early Bar of Sekiro’s Rhythm
The gameplay ofSekirohas been called many things among theSoulsbornecommunity, from the most difficult in the series to a limited constraint of build variety that either lends to true mastery or removes the opportunity for differing play styles. However, one description that has proliferated among fans over the years is thatSekirois the FromSoftware version of a rhythm game, with the sound of clashing swords replacing the accompanying music. As a result, understanding the underlying rhythm ofSekiro’s toughest bosses is as satisfyingas finding the flow state that comes from nailingThrough the Fire and FlamesinClone Hero.
This rhythm is also one key to why many fans of FromSoftware’s other games might bounce off ofSekiroat first, as getting tuned to the game’s tempo is a new concept for theSoulsborneseries. Fortunately for new players, there is a helpful tutorial that applies little pressure on actual progress to help get acclimated for how to properly playSekiroin the form of Lady Butterfly. Located in the Hirata Estate flashback level, Lady Butterfly appears as an initially optional boss who earns her place as one ofFromSoftware’s hardest bossesby being significantly more aggressive than previous encounters.
While boss aggression adds difficulty to bosses inSekiroas much as any otherSoulsbornetitle, it also gives ample opportunity for players to learn the rhythm of attacks to turn potential damage taken into returned posture damage. This means that when Lady Butterfly launches out aggressive strings of attacks, players suddenly have the opportunity to turn her attacks into a path toward victory. Considering that up until the point when players can first arrive at Hirata Estate there are no other bosses that attack this aggressively or quickly, Lady Butterfly becomes the highest bar for themost difficult moments inSekirothat are still to come.
Facing Lady Butterfly Early, or Saving for Later
It should be noted that while Lady Butterfly isn’t an immediate obstacle to progression, she does become a necessary part of the mid to late game, and is actually balanced around the point that she blockades. This offers players two options when they first find Lady Butterfly, to either keep fighting what would be the hardest possible boss to fight at this point or to save her for later after gathering some extra prayer beads, gourd seeds, and memories. However, in the case ofSekiro’s more limited build variety thanotherSoulsbornecombat systems, this might better be seen as a learning experience that can be challenged with limited resources rather than something to save for later.
So, while it is certainly an option to put this difficult fight on the back burner at this point in the game, it could be worth taking the time to get in tune with Lady Butterfly’s fast-paced combat rhythm. This is a difficulty spike that players will have to overcome at a certain point when traveling acrossSekiro’s beautiful and brutally punishing world, and could best be tackled earlier rather than later. Having a handle on the rhythm ofSekiro’s most difficult encounters early could then help players remain in tune all the way to the credits.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
