Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a stealth game if you want it to be

In my 30 minutes with Sekiro I infiltrate a castle, and while I can see the direct path winding through the grounds beneath me - comparable in layout if not aesthetic to any other Souls game - the difference is that the battlements and trees that loom above the stronghold can be explored. As I’m a ninja, this is pretty appropriate. The grapple hook - the only gadget in your prosthetic arm that you can always use, whichever other you have equipped - ties this all together. Grapple points are highlighted in the world with grey circles that light up green when they’re in range. In so many more ways, our character is more manoeuvrable than anything we had in the Dark Souls games: there are dedicated jump and crouch buttons (crouching while in long grass helps keep you hidden), and I can hug walls and hang from ledges - more Solid Snake than the undead warriors of FromSoft’s other games. It raises a smile to see developer FromSoftware’s renowned brilliance for level design effortlessly encompass these new mechanics. Some grapple points can only be targeted when you’re in mid-flight from an earlier grapple - they’re too far when you’re on the ground, and the angle isn’t right once you’ve landed. Certain paths are hidden behind these double-grapples, while others require you to jump and then grab a ledge in midair. These avenues open new angles of attack on enemies and new paths through the level, as well as a fearsome secret miniboss. I often see ledges or greyed-out grapple targets and wonder: ‘How can I get there?’.