Gaming

People Are Freaking Out About This Screaming Ninja In ‘Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice’

by Amanda Yeo  27 March 2019
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

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Last week, ninja game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was released, and thousands of players eagerly jumped in to die way more than twice. However, there’s one particular enemy that has been catching many ninjas off guard.

Sekiro follows a one-armed ninja ninjaing his way through 16th century Japan in order to rescue his kidnapped lord. Developed by the studio behind the Dark Souls games, FromSoftware, Sekiro has a lot in common with the series – most notably its ridiculously punishing boss fights. Dark Souls is what I imagine Purgatory to be like, while Sekiro is Purgatory with samurai.

These gruelling battles are challenging enough, but they aren’t the only thing players need to be wary of. Many Sekiro players are being brought low by an unexpected assault from an unexpected location.

Spoiler warning in case you want at least one of your many, many deaths to be a surprise.

In Ashina Castle, the fourth area of the game, players take to the rooftops to battle enemies and infiltrate the building. Just a regular day in the life of a ninja thirsting for revenge.

After you defeat a few enemies, there’s a moment where the roof seems clear. It seems as though you can take a moment and prepare for the next leg of the area.

And then a man literally falls screaming from the sky.

Despite initial appearances, this howling flesh missile isn’t so much flying as falling with style. He drops from a large kite tethered to the corner of the roof, where he was presumably hanging out in the hopes of getting the literal drop on some hapless ninja.

It’s a ridiculous but highly effective strategy. When you’re on a rooftop, in the open air, the last thing you’re looking out for is death from above.

Via Polygon, YouTuber SaneTBD put together a montage of surprised players reacting to a screaming feathered man landing on top of them from on high. It contains a lot of swearing.

He’s annoying, but I can’t help but bear a grudging respect for this determined aerial assailant. You have to admire an assassin so dedicated to his avian aesthetic. And, judging by his distinctive yell of “wooooooo”, he’s having the time of his life.