Sekiro (隻狼): A Historical "Review"
Sekiro (隻狼): A Historical "Review"
This is something definitely new for this blog; I'm going to talk about a videogame! And if you are not familiar with my content but you were looking for the review itself of the game Sekiro ( Fromsoftware, 2019) I want to be honest, you are not going to find a normal review below here.
In fact in this post, I want to talk about the history and the context in which the game is set: Japan during the Sengoku period (戦国時代).
To be fair, I know that it is a game and it supposed to have fantasy elements in it, but nevertheless it is a good opportunity to talk about the true history behind the setting and the aesthetic of the game itself.
Sekiro is extremely bounded to some aspect of Japanese culture and if you are looking for those elements, especially the martial ones, this post is definitely for you.
First of all, I have to say, I'm impressed. Besides the gameplay, the map design, the plot and characters involved in this game which I'm not qualified to consider since I'm very casual when it comes to videogames, the Japanese aesthetic of this game is almost flawless from my personal point of view.
In fact in this post, I want to talk about the history and the context in which the game is set: Japan during the Sengoku period (戦国時代).
To be fair, I know that it is a game and it supposed to have fantasy elements in it, but nevertheless it is a good opportunity to talk about the true history behind the setting and the aesthetic of the game itself.
Sekiro is extremely bounded to some aspect of Japanese culture and if you are looking for those elements, especially the martial ones, this post is definitely for you.
First of all, I have to say, I'm impressed. Besides the gameplay, the map design, the plot and characters involved in this game which I'm not qualified to consider since I'm very casual when it comes to videogames, the Japanese aesthetic of this game is almost flawless from my personal point of view.
The research behind the historical details of this game is superb. Mind you, I haven't had the opportunity to play the game yet ( but this article needed to be done!) and to avoid spoilers I've limited myself to some online screenshots and the first two areas of the game but as far as I've seen, it is few millimeters below perfection.
There are of course few concepts here and there that I think are totally off, but they are just a minority; so without further ado, let's dive in this fantastic universe.
There are of course few concepts here and there that I think are totally off, but they are just a minority; so without further ado, let's dive in this fantastic universe.
Arms & Armors of the Soldiers
I would like to point out that a good amount of the game's enemies are fantastical oversized monsters or animals; however, the samurai and the ashigaru have an almost perfect look.
I would argue that the armors of the generals and the guards/thugs you can find in the early game is likely to be the best Japanese realistic armor I have ever seen in a videogame. Not only that, but the state of decay of some of those gears is exactly the one you will expected from a neglected real armor: and this is so Sengoku!
I would like to point out that a good amount of the game's enemies are fantastical oversized monsters or animals; however, the samurai and the ashigaru have an almost perfect look.
I would argue that the armors of the generals and the guards/thugs you can find in the early game is likely to be the best Japanese realistic armor I have ever seen in a videogame. Not only that, but the state of decay of some of those gears is exactly the one you will expected from a neglected real armor: and this is so Sengoku!
Here there is definitely a feeling of the sengoku era (and a snapshot from Kurosawa - the Hidden Fortress indeed). The armor behave exactly as it should behave when it is damaged liked that.
Another pic from the start of the game; here a Jizamurai/ashigaru with the iconic jingasa; note how realistic is the kusari pattern on his koshino kote.
An ingame screenshot; here an almost naked thugs with a hachigane on his forehead, a pair of koshino/kusari kote and a pair of tsubo suneate. The armor is indeed very accurate as far as I can see.
Another screenshot; the red warriors samurai have a Sendai do with shino suneate, a zunari kabuto (right) and a jingasa (left) and shinokote; even the hinges of the armor are done correctly!!
Another pic from the start of the game; here a Jizamurai/ashigaru with the iconic jingasa; note how realistic is the kusari pattern on his koshino kote.
An ingame screenshot; here an almost naked thugs with a hachigane on his forehead, a pair of koshino/kusari kote and a pair of tsubo suneate. The armor is indeed very accurate as far as I can see.
Another screenshot; the red warriors samurai have a Sendai do with shino suneate, a zunari kabuto (right) and a jingasa (left) and shinokote; even the hinges of the armor are done correctly!!
The armor of one of the first "minibosses"; if I have to be nitpicky, only the haidate shown here are off in the sense that they are Edo period haidate (you can tell it because the lack of a strap to hold them in place on the legs and the strip of cloth at the sides; nevertheless, the armor behave as it should when fighting and the animations are done extremely well). The rest is pretty much extremely accurate.
The general is wearing what looks like to be a laced nuinobe do under his jinbaori, with a zunari kabuto fitted with horns waidate, tsubo kote, kawara haidate and tsubo suneate.
He is also carrying a very long nodachi.
I would have loved to see a more complete tosei gusoku set, but I'm quite happy nevertheless!
Another detail that I loved about the game was the introduction of not-so-mainstream Japanese weapons: along side naginatas, katana and nodachi we get axes, kanabo, and hammers as well. There are also arquebuses, early handgonnes and a version of the yumi called kago yumi.
In this screenshot a thug wearing an Okegawa do, with a pair of shino kote, shino suneate and a masakari axe. He is also wearing the classic zunari kabuto and on his shoulders there is a pair of kobire made of kikko brigandine. Every details look realistic, except for the excessive amount of ropes and overall decay, but that's the spirit of the game and I love it!
Another big surprise for me; hand held shields! Although there are few examples of big tate shields being used like hand held tower shields, I can see where the game has borrowed from:
Beside those weapons, there are spears and other exotic fantasy weapon that are still grounded in history like a double head tsukushi naginata and I'm glad to see them having some space in a Japanese themed videogame.
I cannot say anything expect well done! There are more screenshots I would like to talk about, but I think that the message has been received: the arms and armor of Sekiro look well grounded on the real 16th century ones.
The general is wearing what looks like to be a laced nuinobe do under his jinbaori, with a zunari kabuto fitted with horns waidate, tsubo kote, kawara haidate and tsubo suneate.
He is also carrying a very long nodachi.
I would have loved to see a more complete tosei gusoku set, but I'm quite happy nevertheless!
Another detail that I loved about the game was the introduction of not-so-mainstream Japanese weapons: along side naginatas, katana and nodachi we get axes, kanabo, and hammers as well. There are also arquebuses, early handgonnes and a version of the yumi called kago yumi.
In this screenshot a thug wearing an Okegawa do, with a pair of shino kote, shino suneate and a masakari axe. He is also wearing the classic zunari kabuto and on his shoulders there is a pair of kobire made of kikko brigandine. Every details look realistic, except for the excessive amount of ropes and overall decay, but that's the spirit of the game and I love it!
Another big surprise for me; hand held shields! Although there are few examples of big tate shields being used like hand held tower shields, I can see where the game has borrowed from:
Beside those weapons, there are spears and other exotic fantasy weapon that are still grounded in history like a double head tsukushi naginata and I'm glad to see them having some space in a Japanese themed videogame.
I cannot say anything expect well done! There are more screenshots I would like to talk about, but I think that the message has been received: the arms and armor of Sekiro look well grounded on the real 16th century ones.
Architecture and Environment
Another thing that I was really happy to see is the atmosphere you could get from the landscapes, the architectures and the general environment in Sekiro.
The buildings are just gorgeous and are extremely accurate as well!
The Ashina castle looks genuine and authentic; the only flaw: its massive size. Historically, castles as big as that one never existed at all, but nevertheless, the general design as well as the state of decay is the same you could expect from a late 16th century Japanese castle.Not only that, but even temples, pagodas, estates and normal houses are detailed and accurate as well. In fact I was delighted by the amount of care that you can see in the interior of the houses; from the destroyed ones to the highly decorated mansion, everything fit inside the image of 16th century Japan and it is beautiful.
Another thing that I was really happy to see is the atmosphere you could get from the landscapes, the architectures and the general environment in Sekiro.
The buildings are just gorgeous and are extremely accurate as well!
The Ashina castle looks genuine and authentic; the only flaw: its massive size. Historically, castles as big as that one never existed at all, but nevertheless, the general design as well as the state of decay is the same you could expect from a late 16th century Japanese castle.Not only that, but even temples, pagodas, estates and normal houses are detailed and accurate as well. In fact I was delighted by the amount of care that you can see in the interior of the houses; from the destroyed ones to the highly decorated mansion, everything fit inside the image of 16th century Japan and it is beautiful.
An overview of the entire castle; it is simply amazing and accurate, although a little too huge to be realistic. The gates, the stairs, the stone foundations and the rooftops: everything is in the right place.
A section of the castle; here you can see the walls with the iconic foundation in stones and the top in plaster and wood, with the classic Japanese style roof tiles. In addition to that, throughout the level you could find wooden towers, tate shields placed on the ground and taketaba rolled bulletproof "shields"; all of them are very accurate and detailed.
Matsumoto castle; a real Japanese castle, not so different from the one portrayed in Sekiro. They did an amazing job.
The forest around Senpou temple looks gorgeous and very immersive; that's the kind of forest you could expect to see while doing a Buddhist pilgrimage in Japan. Not only that, but even the monk's outfit is done very well.
An artistic view of Senpou temple; unfortunately I wasn't able to obtain a better screenshot in which the temple is more visible, but it remind me a lot of Kiyomizudera during the fall season:
Religious architecture and holy places in general are done in a beautiful way indeed in this game.
Combat, Esotericism and Buddhism
I didn't expect the combat system and overall look of this game to look authentic and real: and in fact, it is not. After all, there are supernatural powers and fantasy mechanized arms, and I'm fine with that since it is a game indeed. However, I was surprised to see that almost all the finishers that Sekiro use to kill the enemy once their posture is broken are aimed at uncovered spot of the armor, namely the armpit or the throat. This is extremely accurate and there is an extra care in the animation for the majority of the time, so I was pleased to see that armor works in this game!
An artistic view of Senpou temple; unfortunately I wasn't able to obtain a better screenshot in which the temple is more visible, but it remind me a lot of Kiyomizudera during the fall season:
Religious architecture and holy places in general are done in a beautiful way indeed in this game.
Combat, Esotericism and Buddhism
I didn't expect the combat system and overall look of this game to look authentic and real: and in fact, it is not. After all, there are supernatural powers and fantasy mechanized arms, and I'm fine with that since it is a game indeed. However, I was surprised to see that almost all the finishers that Sekiro use to kill the enemy once their posture is broken are aimed at uncovered spot of the armor, namely the armpit or the throat. This is extremely accurate and there is an extra care in the animation for the majority of the time, so I was pleased to see that armor works in this game!
In fact the whole concept of breaking the enemy posture and killing them with a precise, aimed strike at the unarmored zone is quite realistic and allow for great gameplay in my opinion.
I was also surprised to see that the pictures used to describe the skills have the same look & design (or a very closed style) of the real martial arts scrolls that survived in Japan:
Not only the esoteric texts are present in the game, but there is also a strong Buddhist component that is worth exploring:
A burning statue of Guan yin, also known as Kannon Bosatsu (観音菩薩) in Japanese, the Buddhist deity of pity.
The Sculptor's idols that work as checkpoints are indeed a representation of a Buddhist arhat, in particular a starving ones, also known as arakan (阿羅漢) in Japanese.
Buddhist monks nearby Buddhist statues in Senpou temple. Throughout the temple, is full of similar Buddha statues which are also found in Japan and are quite detailed. Not only that, but the monks in this picture are carrying a shakujō (錫杖), a Buddhist staff with rings.
Not only the esoteric texts are present in the game, but there is also a strong Buddhist component that is worth exploring:
The Sculptor's idols that work as checkpoints are indeed a representation of a Buddhist arhat, in particular a starving ones, also known as arakan (阿羅漢) in Japanese.
On top of that one can also find several other Buddhist references, especially nearby temples, like Nioh or Four Heavenly Kings statues as well. Said statues are rendered with care and precision and allow the player to get an intense Japanese vibe in my opinion. Under this lens, the game is quite immersive in my opinion.
As far as I have seen, the only real issue I feel to criticize is the usage of the common Ninja-Samurai trope; in the game, we are told that the Samurai aren't able to perform some of the Shinobi's techniques, as if the two were completely separated entities.
This is of course not true, but I have to say that said cliché fit in the narrative - after all, Sekiro is able to defeat death and the laws of physiques so it is quite true that other normal people wouldn't be able to perform said techniques.
So that's all for this article; I hope you were able to find new insights hidden inside the game's lore with this reading, thank you for your time!
As far as I have seen, the only real issue I feel to criticize is the usage of the common Ninja-Samurai trope; in the game, we are told that the Samurai aren't able to perform some of the Shinobi's techniques, as if the two were completely separated entities.
This is of course not true, but I have to say that said cliché fit in the narrative - after all, Sekiro is able to defeat death and the laws of physiques so it is quite true that other normal people wouldn't be able to perform said techniques.
So that's all for this article; I hope you were able to find new insights hidden inside the game's lore with this reading, thank you for your time!
Excellent review, Gunsen! and I highly agree--- I too also adore Sekiro because of it's ability to balance both fantasy and historical accuracy into one rich cohesive world...
ReplyDeleteAbout the game saying that Samurai cannot practice Shinobi techniques... It is true to some extent cause in real life you still had Samurai who never practiced or are not even knowledgeable in Ninjutsu, some can be very under-qualified and don't have the talent to perform espionage works (but that's why you get a Samurai who could do that job)...
If Miyazaki and Fromsoftware truly thought that Samurai and Shinobi were separate classes--- They would of had most of the more high-damaging combat techniques put into the Shinobi skill tree to imply that they are separate warriors with their own unique fighting styles, but the game actually features the Ashina Arts aka the Samurai Skill Tree in the game, where most of the high-damaging combat moves and passives come from that would help you in combat... Which thematically fits that Samurai are more suited for open combat then a Shinobi...
There is another clue in the narrative which subtly tells that Miyzaki and Fromsoftware may clearly be aware of the fact that Samurai and Ninja were not separate classes because of BS moral codes and that being a Ninja was simply a job, but that would be walking into spoilers territory lol (if you wanna talk about it, I can show it to you through email exchange!)
*espionage works so that might not exactly be implying that they are separate...
DeleteThank you!
DeleteI will play the game and eventually find out, thank you for the advice though! Honestly, as soon as I've seen the line in which the sculptor implies that Samurai cannot do Ninja techniques I had that feeling of the classical trope
No problem! definitely play it and you find other bits besides the Samurai arts being used as a skill tree...
DeleteIt definitely almost sounded like that was case, but the Sculptor was rather vague about what he meant by saying that, the more I looked into in context... He could potentially be referring to the more advanced mystical Ninjutsu techniques that some Samurai might not have the capacity to pull off, but some Samurai like Sekiro can--- especially considering what we can pull off in the game...
And especially since he mentioned nothing about the Bushido code restricting Samurai from practicing such techniques, I am certain he's not implying anything like that...
In a interview with Miyzazki, he referred to Sekiro as Lord Kuro's (the young boy) retainer and anyone to my knowledge who is in the service of a powerful daimyo or wealthy lord, is automatically ascended to the title and rank of Samurai (at least in context with the Sengoku Era), making Sekiro a bushi and shinobi by nature.
Hopefully what I said makes sense and added a level of clarity to your minor criticism! --- Cause I was on the same boat as you when I first heard the phrase from him.
An excellent review! Outside the field of mods, samurai armor is usually depicted unrealistically in video games.
ReplyDeleteIt never occurred to you to do this but with the samurai movies? In general in the cinema they are usually somewhat better represented, even in the mainstream cinema, compared to video games.
I was recently surprised at how well-represented the armor was in The Last Samurai (it's not a very historically accurate film, but it's a good film, I think). While used by extras, I get to find kikko armor and many variations of tosei gusoku. I really wanted to tell that to someone and in part this comment is an excuse to do it, I'm sorry.
I think the idea of making historical reviews about videogames, anyway, is a great idea!
It might be fun to do that with movies too, although I think I might have issues with copyrights etc.
DeleteIn any case, Last Samurai armors were very good all things considered, excpet few details here and there. Some were actually inspired by Edo period suits which make sense with the timeperiod of the film.
In general, old Japanese movies like Kurosawa's ones have very accurate armor. The men who looked after the armors in 7 Samurai was a Myochin himself, one of the main lineage of true armor makers in Japan.
So if you want to see some good Samurai armors and movies, Kurosawa is a must see indeed!
To be fair, Seikero is lord kuro's retainer. He is technically a samurai lol. And it is true that most samurai/ humans wouldn't be able to perform moves made possible by a shinobi prosthethic.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really like how they made the Nio Do actually look scary on the schichimen warrior.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ6qqai1RBs
Also, if you actually played this game, know that you have officially made the transition from casual gamer and are slowly working your way to become a soulsborne veteran. Sadness ahead!!
:)
Hope you get a copy soon! Awesome fun, if you are a masochist I mean.
DeleteYes that's true, he is his retainer after all which makes hima Samurai in the true sense of the word!
DeleteI liked that too; armors in general are well made. Although if I have to chose what is really accurate in this game is Buddhist art; I'm interested in it and I can tell you that some statues are gorgeous and look real. As far as aesthetic goes, I really like this game.
This sets the bar high for the Ghost of Tsushima to overcome.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same too.
DeleteAlthough they would be two completely different games with two different time periods , I don't know if Gost of Tsushima will be able to match Sekiro's accuracy in Japanese aesthetic, especially arms and armors of the period, Buddhist art and architecture in general.
13th century Japan is also harder to use as a setting; I don't think we will see our hero walking in Oyoroi and shooting arrows from horseback.
Ghost of Tsushima don't have accurate Mongol or Japanese armor. They use Japanese armor from the Sengoku Period.
DeleteIt would be better if it use actual historical armor, because the O-yoroi ad Samurai as horse archer is rarely depicted in game.
I agree that Japan weaponry and armor is more limited in that era and therefore not as interesting as the 16th century.
I agree; I'm highly doubtful that it could be as accurate as Sekiro in its own context, unfortunately. But I'll be glad if they will surprise me!
DeleteI think this answer why Ghost of Tsushima will not be 100% accurate.
Deletehttps://wccftech.com/ghost-of-tsushima-historical-accuracy/
The image of Samurai fight in bulky O-yoroi on the ground is really unusual for modern image of Samurai.
I always heard that the O-yoroi is bulky when used on foot, yet we see many period depiction of Samurai in O-yoroi fighting on foot beside retainers in Do-maru.
Also what Chris Zimmerman said really show it once again:
DeleteIf you have an idea about what samurai look like or how they act or how they think, we’re going to give that to you. Most people’s idea is really based on an idea of samurai which is really more of a [16th to 18th] century idea of samurai. 13th century, historically, is pretty different. In terms of how they fought, what they wore, it doesn’t match your expectations. […] The armor that you see him wear, it’s not 13th century armor. Because, honestly, the 13th century armor is pretty jarring looking, it’s not what you’d expect. It’s really boxy. It doesn’t look aspirational.”
that 14th-15th century century Japanese armor is pretty much unknown in popular image, it could be an interesting setting too.
Yes, I've read similar positions too; I guess it would be interesting to "review" :').
DeleteThe Oyoroi is indeed "bulky" on foot because of its weight, which is all suported by the shoulders, the box shape and the very broad kusazuri. You can partially solve the problem with a tight belt, but the armor will still be heavy and the kusazuri will hinder your leg movement a bit, although by the 13th century they became shorter.
It is really designed to be worn on horseback
In your opinion, how do Keiko compared with Do-maru and O-yoroi?
DeleteWhy it takes a long time for the O-yoroi to be replaced?
Even after the O-yoroi is replaced or before the O-yoroi appear, I think Japanese armor are suitable for withstanding arrow and shooting arrow.
Well keiko is more similar to a do maru, while the uchikake keiko is more similar to an Oyoroi; the biggest difference was in the way the lamellae were arranged; keiko ones didn't have kozane ita so they weren't as strong as the later Oyoroi and Do maru.
DeleteThe Oyoroi take so long, although not that long (after all, by the end of the 13th century was already replaced) because it worked and because it had a special role as a form of status symbol.
However, due to the boxy shape that acted as a buffer zone, which wasn't an hindrance on horseback, the Oyoroi is the best armor of the lamellar ones capable of withstanding arrows. It has also a plate, the waki ita, on the side which was likely to receive more arrows; this is arguably the factor that made the armor boxy and thus not suited for foot combat, but at the same time it increased the arrow resistance by a lot on horseback.
I actually enjoy half-fantasy half-historical game, it allow more flexibility on using interesting game mechanic and still having the unique aesthetic of a historical period.
ReplyDeleteHey, if I could recommend an article I think one is needed for the katana
ReplyDeleteLength since there so much misinformation out there.
By the way I May email you later, I've been kind of busy so I don't know when just giving you a heads up.
Thank you! An article on the Katana and other issues concerning Japanese swords is surely on the list of things to write!
DeleteA small thing I noticed and really liked was that Sekiro's sword Kusabimaru has a fairly large and robust tsuba. You see a lot of people complaining of "small, delicate disc guards" on katana and it's nice to see a more period-accurate combat ready tsuba depicted for a change!
ReplyDeleteThat's true! Nodachi in general could have bigger guards, but even on Tachi and Katana you can see tsuba with a diameters of 10-12 cm which is quite substantial.
DeleteBut a large guard is not needed with these kind of swords; due to the curvature, the mass of the blades and the way they are balanced, when two katana blades touch each others, they seldom bind and usually slide away from the hands. This fact was also discussed in European sources when talking about sabers (the curved swords don't have a "debole" part on their blade, it is all "forte"). So with techniques and blade design, hands were safer. This is why is pointless to say that the tsuba is a minimal handguard without considering the swordmanship behind it.
And this is the reason why you see crossguards style of handguard on yari and naginata but not on Japanese swords!
Agreed pretty much completely on tsuba. It's built to its proper purpose!
DeleteThough, that period discussion on sabers interests me because I'd always understood forte and foible as mainly just a function of distance from the gripping hand(s) rather than anything inherent to the blade design; if you were to take any reasonably long object, even a metal rod or a thin tree branch, the end opposite your hand will be easier to move and control by another such object than the end nearest your hand. Does a curve affect this that much?
Apparently it does, at least through the eyes of 16th century sword's masters.
DeleteHere there is a nice explanation about that:
https://pin.it/2nwzl2ilpwigse
Curved swords are, in general, harder to displace while they are good at displacing other swords.
That is very interesting to know! I had been told by some HEMA longsword practitioners going up against properly-weighted simulated katana that it was quite hard to control in a bind; they attributed this to the katana having a greater mass per unit length than a typical longsword. Seems like that curve also played a part in that displacement resistance!
DeleteYes indeed! Curvature of the blade allow that too ;)
Delete