Bloodborne vs Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Setting and Presentation
While there are plenty of games set in Feudal Japan, Sekiro manages to bring something new and fresh to the table. Disturbingly dark and bloody, Sekiro doesn’t hold anything back on the harsh realities of the era, even if the entire game and its locations are fictional.
FromSoftware has, somehow, managed to make Sekiro feel grounded in reality, while also looping in more mystical and demonic elements and creatures. It almost feels like an Akira Kurosawa film, mixed with some Quentin Tarantino, and honed down to its most brutal and bloody state.
Now that being said, Bloodborne is equally fantastic in its setting and presentation, if not more so. You can count the number of games that have done Lovecraftian horror well on one hand, and Bloodborne easily sits at the absolute top of the pile.
The decrepit and rotting city of Yarnham is as terrifying as it is wonderful to behold, and Bloodborne consistently shakes things up with new areas and aesthetics; from the ethereal Hunter’s Dream to the forsaken Nightmare Frontier.
While Sekiro is certainly bloody and barbaric, Bloodborne is downright grisly and terrifying at times, with fountains of stylized blood spraying off of enemies. Both game’s worlds are an absolute joy to explore, but Yarnham and Bloodborne still represent FromSoftware at the top of their game with aesthetic design and environmental storytelling.
Advantage: Bloodborne
