Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice^[a] is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by FromSoftware and published by Activision. The game follows a shinobi known as Wolf, who attempts to take revenge on a samurai clan that imprisoned him and kidnapped his lord. The gameplay is focused on stealth, exploration, and combat, with a particular emphasis on boss battles. It takes place in a fictionalized Japan during the Sengoku period and makes strong references to Buddhist mythology and philosophy. Sekiro was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in March 2019, and for Stadia in October 2020. Lead director Hidetaka Miyazaki wanted to create a new intellectual property (IP) that marked a departure from their Dark Souls series, looking at games such as Tenchu for inspiration. Sekiro was praised by critics, who complimented its gameplay and setting, and compared it to Dark Souls, although opinions on its difficulty were mixed. It won several year-end awards and sold over five million copies by July 2020.