Chapter 705 - 705: The Return of the Dragon

"Conditions for achieving Sekiro's perfect ending?"

Zack was a little surprised by the content of the post.

As for whether Sekiro had hidden endings, Zack had a general idea.

He knew for sure there were hidden endings.

After all, this was standard practice for Souls-like games.

Some content required players to collect things. For example, in Bloodborne, to achieve the "Good Children" ending, you needed to collect three Umbilical Cords to successfully unlock it.

In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the conditions to unlock endings became even more demanding.

First, you had to ensure the story hadn't reached the point of defeating the Divine Dragon. Before that, you needed to obtain a book called "The Immortality Sutra" from Senpo Temple, then talk to the Divine Heir in the inner sanctum of Senpo Temple.

Then, you had to ask for rice three times in a row to trigger the subsequent plot about wanting to eat persimmons. After that, the rice delivered to the Wolf would change from ordinary rice to Kuro's rice.

Taking the rice to Kuro would earn you a Sweet Rice Ball. Eating it and expressing how delicious it was would allow you to continue with the subsequent quests.

Obtaining a book called "The Return of the Dragon" from Senpo Temple would unlock a new method for dealing with the Dragon's Heritage.

That is, to return the Dragon's Heritage to where it came from.

But before that, you would need dried persimmons and fresh persimmons.

Unlike the regular persimmons you could buy from the merchant at Senpo Temple.

At least, from the content of the post, Zack felt that without the guide, even if he played eight playthroughs, he might not have been able to discover the conditions for this hidden ending.

To get the dried persimmons, you needed to enter through the tunnel in Bodhisattva Valley. Here, you would see a giant python, but the success rate of trying to charge through directly was very low. You needed to use puppet string manipulation to control a pitiable monkey as bait before sneaking in.

And the so-called fresh persimmon was actually the heart of the White Serpent. You needed to use puppet string manipulation in Senpo Temple to control a kite-flying 'rat,' then use the kite to travel to the bottom of the canyon to perform a shinobi execution on the White Serpent to obtain the key item for "The Return of the Dragon," the Divine Child's Tear.

Finally, after defeating Isshin Ashina, the Wolf could bring Kuro to the Divine Heir, and Kuro and the Divine Heir would merge, embarking on the path of "The Return of the Dragon."

Of course, besides this happy ending, there was also a total wipeout ending, where the Wolf transformed into an Ashura.

Ema, Isshin, Genichiro, Owl, and Kuro – none of them were spared. He transformed into an Ashura who only knew how to kill.

As a Souls-like game, it's normal for every player to have different opinions on different endings.

You could say that in any Souls-like game, there are players who support a particular ending and express their approval.

Just like some support extinguishing the flame, some support linking the flame, and some support becoming the Lord of Hollows.

When it came to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the first batch of players who finished the game, just like when they played Souls-like games before, discussed the game's plot, its endings, and what the true ending really was.

But this time, some players believed that the Divine Heir committing suicide to sever the Dragon's Heritage was the true ending. Others thought that the Wolf committing suicide to sever immortality aligned with the Wolf's identity. Still others believed that the happy ending of "The Return of the Dragon" was the true ending, since whether it was severing immortality or cutting off the Dragon's Heritage, neither fundamentally solved the issue of immortality.

Players who supported the first two endings felt that the endless cycle was the core of Souls-like games.

Just like in Bloodborne and Dark Souls, whether it was linking the flame, extinguishing the flame, or becoming a Great One, in a conceptual sense, it was still a cycle.

The three factions of players argued fiercely. As for the Ashura ending, it was ignored by many players.

On one hand, it was emotionally difficult to accept, because in the Ashura ending, the Wolf's performance was that of a complete killing machine.

Although in the game, the Wolf always had a stoic expression, he was still far from an Ashura who only knew how to kill.

On the other hand, before fighting the elderly Isshin, you had to beat up Ema, who was considered the wife by many players.

Unlike Dark Souls and Bloodborne before, in those games you could also attack the Doll or the Fire Keeper, but it was different from Sekiro.

Because this time, the game normally doesn't let you hit them, but the plot forces you to.

In Dark Souls and Bloodborne, you might feel a little guilty at first if you hit someone, but as you kept playing, you got used to it.

However, even so, there were still quite a few players who deliberately started a second playthrough to go through the Ashura path.

The reason wasn't to complete all the game's endings, but simply because they saw the cool "hug kill" of Miss Ema in the Ashura ending videos circulating online.

Ema, who was known for her "soft sword," it wouldn't be right not to spar with her.

...…

As many high-level players revealed the conditions for Sekiro's four different endings and made videos and guides.

In related gaming communities and forums, many players were discussing.

Although many players still complained that the game was incredibly difficult.

Some were stuck on Lady Butterfly, some on Genichiro Ashina, some after fighting the Great Ape and then got stuck on the Guardian Ape duo in the Sunken Valley. Some were stuck on the Father Owl and Isshin.

These bosses were all part of the main progression. Even though the suffering and masochism of Souls-like games were well-known, there were still many players who were utterly defeated.

After all, the biggest difference compared to Dark Souls and Bloodborne was that in Sekiro, there was no more "sun knight" to help you out.

Furthermore, players with less skill who intended to compensate with grinding and build a "tanky" character in their first playthrough also couldn't do it.

Because if you couldn't defeat bosses, you couldn't get Prayer Beads or Combat Memories. All you could do was farm for experience to upgrade your skills, but this had little to do with your direct combat power.

Without enough skill, using these skills would actually make your boss fights even more difficult.

However, there was one thing in the game that received universal praise from players.

That was Sekiro's "The Return of the Dragon" ending.

As a game designer who often delivered "sad" endings, even though Lucas had previously stated on the official blog that the endings of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice would satisfy players.

Without seeing them, it still made people uneasy.

Especially since most players, on their first playthrough, ended up with Kuro's suicide or Sekiro's suicide.

But with the appearance of "The Return of the Dragon" ending, many players breathed a sigh of relief.

As Souls-like games were designed with a lot of white space for players to fill in with their own imagination.

You could say that everyone has their own "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" in their hearts, and different people will have different interpretations.

But at least, as one of the officially designated endings, in "The Return of the Dragon" ending, Ema, Kuro, the Divine Child, and the Wolf all survived, and there was hope for them to continue living.

(End of Chapter)

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