Sekiro: 11 MAJOR Changes That Will Shock Dark Souls Fans

FromSoftware might be the most valuable and fascinating company on the planet right now.

Having gone from reinventing and revolutionising the very way we interface with third-person action across the Dark Souls games, creative lead Hidetaka Miyazaki took an unexpected swerve straight into Lovecraftian horror in Bloodborne, plying the studio's game engine to create an atmosphere of pure nightmarish intensity.

Now for Sekiro - and almost like they want to be known as a company that innovative as much as can flesh something out, like the Dark Souls trilogy - we've got another poignant tonal shift. That of Feudal Japan.

Releasing like a mix of Bloodborne's dash-happy combat, Tenchu's rooftop-hopping stealth and FromSoft's little-known horror gem Kuon, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a masterful evolution of everything we've seen so far.

However, Miyazaki and his team are being bold and steadfast. Sekiro's base foundations are completely revamped and altered from what you know. Many core systems, gameplay tropes and even character control schemes are nothing like what we associate with FromSoftware, and though I maintain they're a major positive, if you're a diehard Soulsborne fan, there's a LOT to get your head around.

Praise to Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware. This is a studio prioritising artistry and experimentation - but so much change at once might make for some sizeable growing pains.