One of the big questions players have is whether or not Sekiro is multiplayer. Fans of Dark Souls remember messages and bloodstains fondly, and even if you were playing solo, it felt like you weren’t alone because of all the player-generated content. Players embraced the online co-op multiplayer components in those games, but what aboutthis one?
Is Sekiro multiplayer co-op local or online?
Unfortunately, one of the trademark Dark Souls features that Sekiro is missing is co-op. There’s no multiplayer present in the game. The game doesn’t feature local or online co-op, and it’s geared towards being an entirely single-player game.
I can see why From Software decided to drop multiplayer for Sekiro, though. The game differs from Dark Souls in that there’s a lot more emphasis on stealth, and having multiplayer would likely detract from that.
Does Sekiro have player messages?
One thing I would have loved to seen is player messages. These pepper the landscape throughout Dark Souls and Bloodborne and are written by players in-game. They are derived from a limited vocabulary, so they have a sort of prose that’s all their own.
Alas, Sekiro doesn’t have meme messages that tell you to jump over a cliff for a shortcut. Even worse, the crude, enigmatic sexual comedy of such notes as “horse but hole,” and “amazing chest ahead,” are nowhere to be found. In a way, it’s more immersive with their absence, but nothing broke the frustration of dying time after time like a good funny message from another player.
Does Sekiro have bloodstains?
Bloodstains are also gone. In previous games, these could be examined to show you another player’s death. The thought being that you could watch and learn from their mistake. However, with you now dying two or more times per life, the whole world would be littered with bloodstains if the featured remained.
Unfortunately, Sekiro doesn’t have any multiplayer aspects. While it’s not incredibly detrimental to the game that they’re absent, I hope it’s not something From Software excludes in all their future games.
Sekiro Soulslikes
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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the Best of the Soulslikes
It's always exciting to see a new genre emerge. You get that original hit game, the follow-ups and the attempts by other developers to recapture the magic. With the release of Sekiro, let's look back at the landscape of Souslikes so far. -
Demon's Souls
The original that kicked it all off (unless you count King's Field), Demon's Souls went under the radar on the PlayStation 3. Originally, gamers didn't know what to make of it, but anyone who stuck with it got an amazing experience that was unlike anything on the market. -
Dark Souls
By the time a new generation rolled around, From Software had moved from demons to darkness. The Dark Souls trilogy cemented the genre tropes, proving to achieve the popularity that their previous title had only hinted at. Far more than a cult success, these games proved to be influential even outside the genre. -
Bloodborne
Once things started taking off, original Demon's Souls publisher Sony had to get back in the action. Teaming with From, the result was Bloodborne. Taking things was from medieval castles and including firearms for the first time, this was the first hint that this formula was flexible. -
Lords of the Fallen
Developed by Deck13 Interactive and CI Games, Lords of the Fallen takes things in a more Norse direction. Using hammers and axes, you must fight towering gods and demons. After this game's success, the two developers split, with CI working on an upcoming sequel to this Viking Soulslike. -
Nioh
Team Ninja tried their hands at Souslikes with Nioh, a game where you control an Irish Samurai and fight yokai. The game was announced back in 2004 as Oni and changed hands multiple times before release. Originally another PlayStation 4 exclusive for the genre, the game has since come to PC with all its DLC bundled in. -
The Surge
Deck13 took what they learned from Lords of the Fallen and took the Soulslike genre into the future. The Surge has you stomping around in a mech suit fighting uncontrollable robots. Once you destroy an enemy, you can scrap their parts and convert them into weapons for you to use. A sequel is currently set to release in 2o19. -
Ashen
Developed by A44, Ashen puts players into a world without light. Each character is a muted faceless person, adding to the downtrodden vibe of the entire experience. While combat is inspired by Dark Souls, the game also features open-world exploration and novel passive multiplayer encounters. -
Immortal: Unchained
Going even more Norse than Lords of the Fallen, Immortal: Unchained finds you battling the monsters of Ragnarok. Instead of swords and spears, your character uses a mix of technologically advanced firearms to take down each and every mysterious foe. More fast-paced than other soulslikes, you'll need to duck and weave to stay alive. -
Death's Gambit
Pitched as a merger of Souslike and Castlevania, Death's Gambit is also one of the first games to take these concepts into the second dimension. You can choose from seven playable classes as you seek immortality in this labyrinth of death. -
Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption
What if you didn't have to explore a Soulslike? What if you just fought a collection of out of control boss monsters? Then, you'd have Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption. In this game, you start at your strongest and level down as you progress, adding to the challenge.
