FromSoftware’s games have always felt unique not only thanks to their brutal difficulty but also because of their innovative interpretations of multiplayer. Games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne can be enjoyed alone if you prefer, but a big part of their lasting appeal lies in the unique summon-based cooperative and PvP multiplayer components that they also offer. However, the recently unveiled Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will be deviating from the Soulsborne norm in many ways, and that includes not having any sort of multiplayer component.
Speaking in a recent E3 interview with GameSpot, FromSoftware’s Yasuhiro Kitao highlighted a number of ways in which Sekiro will deviate strongly from the studio’s previous games. For one thing, players won’t be able to pick any sort of starting class that defines their character’s attributes, they’ll always play as the pre-defined ninja archetype. Some fans may chafe at the removal of player choice, but Kitao said this decision allowed Sekiro’s design team to focus wholly on making the game’s movement and combat mechanics feel as deep and polished as possible.
After that, when asked whether Sekiro would have either local or online multiplayer components, Kitao didn’t mince words, confirming that there will not be any form of multiplayer in the game. Again, this might rub some Soulsborne purists the wrong way, but Kitao stressed that Sekiro was designed from the ground up to be a purely single-player experience. New mechanics such as the customizable ‘shinobi arm’ and the ability to resurrect yourself upon death will help in making Sekiro’s combat stand out, but unlike in previous FromSoftware games, players won’t be able to summon each other for help if a boss encounter proves to be too challenging.
Of course, there is still the possibility that Sekiro players will be able to summon and fight alongside NPC allies during the game’s boss fights (a mechanic which was also present in the Dark Souls trilogy and Bloodborne), but as of this writing such a possibility hasn’t yet been confirmed on From’s end. Meanwhile, if Sekiro’s lack of multiplayer is making you long for the days of Dark Souls, rest assured that FromSoftware isn’t entirely done with its original grim fantasy series just yet.