Top game producer

Before the release of "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice," many players, upon learning about the game's difficulty, developed a sense of apprehension. They felt it wasn't necessary to play it themselves and would rather watch streamers play.

However, seeing the streamers suffer while gradually improving and defeating seemingly invincible bosses one by one, they were all touched. Although the game is difficult, it provides players with room for learning and growth, a feeling that other games simply cannot offer.

On the first day of release, the game only scored 7.3 points!

The main reason for the negative reviews was simple: the game was too difficult and frustrating! Many players urged Wang Jian to lower the game's difficulty or introduce an easy mode.

Many games reach their peak rating upon release, which gradually declines as more players join, due to various reasons such as different tastes, the game not living up to expectations, a lack of novelty in repeated playthroughs, or the emergence of better games in the same genre.

However, "Sekiro" was different. The number of negative reviews on the second day was only one-third of the first day's, and as time went on, the proportion of positive reviews continued to increase. By the end of the first week, the score had gradually risen to 8.5 points.

"I thought two lives would make it easier, but now I realize it just means the health bar is divided into two sections."

"After dying so many times, the 'death' character looks like the 'vegetable' character."

"Constantly deflecting is so satisfying, every small monster can be satisfying. Constantly performing Shinobi Execution is so satisfying, but frontal combat leads to a quick death. Constantly cheesing is so satisfying, but one wrong move and it's a cremation."

"I am a Parry Monster from Ashina, and everyone in Ashina Castle has taught me how to write the character for 'death'."

"A parrying game? No, it's actually a self-isolation simulator."

"Hesitation leads to defeat, decisiveness leads to failure, write '正' (zheng - correct) all over your thighs!"

"Wang Jian has fallen from grace!"

"First encounter with a BOSS:

Brain: What is this thing?

Hands: What is this thing?

After a while:

Brain: Okay, I understand now.

Hands: No, you don't!

After defeating the BOSS:

Brain: I don't understand anymore.

Hands: It doesn't matter, as long as I understand."

Faced with countless repeated deaths, players no longer complained but instead humorously made fun of it.

This shows that they recognized the game's difficulty as reasonable and that the game's quality was indeed outstanding!

First week sales: 1.5 million copies, far ahead at the top of the bestseller list, leaving the second place far behind!

Players may not feel much about this data, simply thinking it's normal for a fun game to have high sales. But those in the industry, who were originally not optimistic, were all dumbfounded!

"Wow, 'Sekiro' isn't a small game, it's priced at 268! Selling 1.5 million copies, how much money is that?"

"It's crazy, why is such a difficult game so popular? Are all the players masochists?"

"Maybe today's games are too easy! There hasn't been a real hardcore action game on the market for a long time. It's like getting tired of eating rich and fatty foods and craving coarse cornbread and sesame cakes.

While we're still trying to improve the taste of rich and fatty foods, Wang Jian has discovered this gap and provided players with cornbread. Some players who haven't eaten cornbread before initially disliked it, wondering why others have meat while you only have cornbread? But as they eat it, they realize, 'Oh, this is really good!'"

"I get it, this is called going against the grain! You can't just follow the players! Our company is planning to develop a beautiful girl raising game next. I'll suggest to the boss to create a muscular girl raising game, it will definitely sell well!"

"Um... I think your understanding might be a bit off. The success of 'Sekiro' is definitely based on its excellent quality. Such as the gorgeous BOSS battles, the highly detailed and three-dimensional map, the sense of life-and-death combat, and so on."

"No matter what, Wang Jian has once again created a dark horse!"

Among the many players of "Sekiro," there is a very special player - the game streamer Crow. Like the Wolf in the game, he is a one-armed hero.

Although Crow is one-armed, he plays such a hardcore game like "Sekiro" with one hand no less skillfully, even surpassing most able-bodied players. He has already defeated Isshin the Sword Saint and is now attempting a no-damage run.

Crow loved playing games since he was a child. However, one day, while passing by a garbage dump he often frequented, he picked up a rusty artillery shell. Because the shell misfired, he was injured on his right hand while trying to dodge, and had to have it amputated due to the severity of the injury.

After Wolf had his arm cut off by Genichiro, the Sculptor gave him the Shinobi Prosthetic, allowing him to regrow his fangs, becoming even stronger than before, transforming into Sekiro.

Operating a controller with one hand is very difficult. Crow also relied on his passion for games, practicing repeatedly, and finally mastered this superb skill. His experience is very similar to Wolf's, and he can be called a real-life Sekiro.

If ordinary players enter Crow's live stream and watch the smooth and free operation on the screen, they would never think that he is a one-armed streamer.

After streaming "Sekiro," Crow also attracted many players who came to admire him, who said: "This is the real Sekiro!"

"Watching the streamer play with one hand makes me feel like my two hands are useless!"

"It's a game, but also life."

"I am shocked and encouraged! If a one-armed person can achieve a no-damage run in 'Sekiro', then what difficulties cannot be overcome?"

The game developer Carrot's previous article, "\u003cSekiro: Shadows Die Twice\u003e Needs an Easy Mode," was widely circulated. Now, it has been dug up again by players who like to watch the fun, who commented with a smile:

"Carrot, didn't you say that if the game's difficulty isn't changed, sales would definitely be dismal? What's with the 1.5 million copies sold in the first week?"

"No one loves self-inflicted suffering and masochistic games?"

"You also said that some players may have physical defects, causing their skill level to not meet the requirements of the game. However, the one-armed streamer Crow has defeated the Sword Saint and is starting to attempt a no-damage run."

Soon, Carrot published a new article, "\u003cSekiro: Shadows Die Twice\u003e Does Not Need an Easy Mode":

"When 'Sekiro' was first released, I purchased the game. After personally experiencing it for a week, I must admit that my previous judgment was somewhat rash.

I believe that the most outstanding aspect of 'Sekiro' is its grasp of learning difficulty. When I first started playing the game, I was just a noob, but as time went on, I gradually mastered various operations and experienced a wonderful feeling of dancing on the edge of a deadly blade, dancing a ballet of death.

Failure is the greatest teacher. As long as you have a persistent heart, you can become strong.

When taking down a tricky BOSS after constant failures and persistence, there is a real urge to wave your arms and shout excitedly.

It turns out that climbing a steep mountain and reaching the top does indeed have beautiful and spectacular scenery. I think this is exactly what Wang Jian wants us to experience, the sense of accomplishment and pride that comes from overcoming difficulties."