How Sekiro demonstrates the power of small changes

The video games industry is no different than others out there. That means that it typically favours the latest, greatest thing over an established technology, and sometimes might even overhype new IP at the expense of an established, high-quality series.

When it comes to game developers, they feel this pressure in other ways, and that typically results in their attempts at reinventing the wheel so often when it comes to certain games. Of course, if they don’t try to do this, audiences will complain endlessly about how the sequel “isn’t different enough.”

Mind you, this could be the sequel to a triple-A, modern classic – you know, the type that makes the record books – and still some highly vocal members of the gaming community will wonder why the new game is so much like the old game.

The result of this phenomenon is that we sometimes end up with crap that tries to do something different but ends being a disaster. It’s really tragic when it strikes well-known game series.

But one recent sales and critical success is showing that, far from being a negative, small, iterative improvements can have a huge impact on a game’s reception. Naturally, we’re talking about From Software and their latest masterpiece, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – evolution through iteration?

Anybody familiar with a From Software title knows that they tend to be some of the toughest games out there, and people love them because of that. Yet, the differences between Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls 1,2, and 3, as well as Bloodborne, are not as massive as they might seem at first glance. Outside of a different aesthetic between them, the core gameplay is very, very similar. You can add Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to that list of games, and it is probably going to be just as legendary in the long run.

So, why does From Software keep enjoying success even if the games it releases aren’t that different from one another? Quality has a lot to do with it, but also just a good-old-fashioned approach like sticking to what works.

Back in the day, some publishers really abused this. One need only look at the NES library of Mega Man games or the many iterations of Street Fighter II (both, interestingly, from the same company). When you consider how expensive game development is becoming, perhaps it would be better if more creators just did the same.

If the goal is making quality games, and money, then this approach is really a no brainer. But it just isn’t as sexy as doing something new, even if that doesn’t work out.

Still, that doesn’t diminish that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is demonstrating how powerful iterative changes can be. Perhaps the game’s success will serve as a sign to other developers to tune out the people who beg for something different.

Then again, asking developers to buck convention is a tall order but the argument that you have to be new and “innovative” to be the best around is just not true.