There is no doubt that From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is impressive on all platforms, but as far as its hardware capability and frame-rate, among others, it is definitely a let-down. That said, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice becomes something else on PC and there are various reasons behind it. Basically, the nirvana delivered by the PC port is clearly magnified when switching to the game’s console versions.
On a console, Sekiro tends to build a rather confusing virtual appeal. Its gameplay becomes less consistent and even harder in some ways. Players claim that when they die on the PC version, the weight of responsibility falls on their shoulders. But on PS4 or Xbox One, it is the other way around. It is as if the experience is heavily muddled by the game’s inability to shine through these consoles.
For instance, it is difficult to judge how far ahead of time players on consoles have to hold down the parry button. It is a lot more arbitrary, especially when compared to the PC port. On the latter, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice offers a fluid process on tapping and/or using abilities.
Of course, a well-equipped rig can power the game to a certain extent. If one is to use the likes of AMD’s RX 580 or Nvidia’s GTX 1060, these GPUs can even double the performance common on consoles (at 1080). Even more so, these cards are capable of making a run at 1440p and 60 frames-per-second – even on console equivalent settings.
Moreover, the PC version of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice offers a myriad of visual presets, further exceeding its console counterparts. Sure, the Xbox One X can run at 1800p, but so does the game when played on an equivalent high setting on PC. Although some of the visual feature sets of the game on PC are thin on the ground, they somehow make significant boosts to quality. Shadows have less aliasing on them, while screen-space reflections and motion blur are a bit more refined. Lighting quality, on the other hand, is not limited, allowing more light sources to be pushed further into a distance.
It is safe to say that From Software did a great job with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice on all platforms. But if one is to say which platform the game is best played on, it is definitely the PC port. And while the number of issues runs thin on the ground, the differences are undeniably evident.
