Here's Your First Look At Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Gameplay

Gamescom is one of the best opportunities developers and publishers will have all year to show off their upcoming games, and From Software clearly doesn't want to waste it. Today, along with Activision, From Software gave us our first look at gameplay for its upcoming title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. There's a lot of anticipation behind this title, mostly because it's one of the first From Software is focusing on after wrapping up the Dark Souls trilogy.

The gameplay trailer lasts just a hair over five-and-a-half minutes and shows the player character – a shinobi who's out for revenge – exploring an area called Ashina Castle Grounds. While you might expect Sekiro to play like a Dark Souls game, it immediately becomes clear that it's quite a bit different.

Your character's prosthetic left arm grants him access to a variety of different abilities, from summoning different types of weapons to using a grappling hook to quickly traverse the environment or close the distance between himself and an enemy. The grappling hook is actually used frequently throughout the gameplay video, suggesting that it'll be one of your primary tools as you explore the world of Sekiro.

Still, it isn't as if this game has nothing in common with Dark Souls. While combat seems to be fast paced, it appears that you still need to wait for openings before you can safely attack your enemies. Button mashing, in other words, will likely get you nowhere in this game, just as it doesn't in Dark Souls.

So, perhaps its appropriate to say that while Sekiro has its roots in Dark Souls, From Software has put in the work to make sure that it stands out from the massively popular trilogy. In the end, it looks great – particularly if you're a fan of this combat style – and we're sure this gameplay demo will have From Software fan eager to see more. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is currently scheduled to launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 22, 2019.