Top-rated souls-like 50% off on Steam for a limited time

The critically acclaimed souls-like action game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is 50% off on Steam for a limited time. Developed by FromSoftware, the game puts you in the shoes of a shinobi on a quest to rescue his lord.   

The gameplay is a mix of stealth, exploration, and brutal sword combat that demands precision. Unlike souls games, there are no character creation options or RPG skill trees to tinker with. Gear upgrades are limited to your prosthetic arm, which can be buffed with various tools to unlock new abilities. 

What makes Sekiro unique is the posture system during combat. Instead of whittling down an enemy's health bar, emphasis is placed on breaking their posture. Every time you trade blows with an enemy, a gauge fills up above their head, which shows you how close you are to breaking their stance.  

Once their posture is broken, the enemy cannot defend themselves, allowing you to kill them outright or do heavy damage. Mikiri counters add another layer of depth. They let you counter thrust attacks and deal massive damage to enemy posture gauges. Finally, you can deflect enemy attacks by pressing the guard button at the right time. 

This rock-paper-scissors push and pull of learning when to deflect or counter attacks forms the core of Sekiro's combat, balanced out by the fact you have your own posture gauge to worry about. Block too many attacks, and you will leave yourself open to critical hits. You can mitigate this by performing perfect deflects that don't damage your posture, but they need to be timed and are harder to pull off. 

Tying the game together is an interesting storyline set during the late 1500s Sengoku Japan. There are tons of foes both big and small to take down, and of course, it wouldn't be a souls-like without some of the most epic boss fights this genre has seen.  

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice GOTY Edition is 50% off until 20th March.