Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - Isshin the Sword Saint
Isshin the Sword Saint, the final boss of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, proved to be a significant challenge for many players, with some putting the game down for years until finally getting around to beating it. Several players share their experiences in the thread, including one person who says they’ve been putting the game away since it came out, until now.
“I’ve been putting this game away since it came out,” they write. “I’ve tried again and again and again to beat Isshin and I just couldn’t do it. It’s the only thing stopping me from 100%. But I can’t beat him.”
Others respond with praise, calling the poster brave for finally beating the fight and sharing their own experiences struggling with it. “I can relate,” someone else writes. “I just put the game down for four years because of him.”
Isshin is a difficult fight on normal difficulty, and many players resorted to turning down the difficulty to easy or finding strategies to exploit his weaknesses. But regardless of what players did, it seems that the fight was simply too much for many, causing them to put the game away for years.
This is nothing compared to another notorious boss fight. The unnamed ninja enemy in Sekiro early on is a stumbling block for one player, who says they gave up on the game because they couldn’t beat it.
In another instance, Ghost n Goblins’ first level is a notorious roadblock that discouraged many players from continuing on with the game. In the comments, someone writes that they heard the first level in the 2013 game Divinity: Original Sin is particularly challenging, and the player replies that they gave up on that one as well.
Other examples include Shao Khan in Mortal Kombat 9, which led some players to uninstall the game in frustration. There are countless other examples of difficult boss fights in games that led players to question their sanity.
There are also games that are difficult simply because of their gameplay or mechanics, like the White Palace in Hollow Knight, which many players considered too difficult to continue. Some players suggest using the Hiveblood charm, which allows you to take double the amount of damage, or relying on the Dream Nail, which allows you to heal yourself.
Elden Ring’s two stone gargoyles in the underground world are also mentioned. There is also the Alpha 152 from Dead or Alive 4, which players label as cheap and difficult due to its input-reading mechanics.
Another example is the Water Temple in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. While players can find solace in the desert temple, which features a memorable boss fight, the Water Temple is the source of a lot of frustration. Some players found it difficult to learn the patterns and execute the required moves, resulting in several deaths.
Another secret boss in Kingdom Hearts 3 proved to be a challenge even for players who completed the game on hard mode. The Batmobile sections in Batman: Arkham Knight were also a point of contention for some players.
This is not to say that all of these are necessarily bad games. In fact, some of these games are considered some of the best of all time. But the point is that even the best games can have frustrating parts, and acknowledging that can be relieving.
For other games, this can simply be a matter of adjusting how you play. One player says their issue with the unnamed ninja in Sekiro was that they were trying to fight the enemy straight on instead of using the environment. “Combat in Sekiro is a rhythm game,” they write. “Learn the enemy’s attacks and dodge accordingly.”
Another example is the Emperor’s tank in Valkyria Chronicles. While some players had trouble with the final boss fights in TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge and Metroid Prime 2, the Emperor’s tank is a frustrating battle that many players have trouble with.
The best way to handle this is to take breaks, either from the game itself or from difficult parts of it. If you find that you’re getting frustrated and not enjoying the game, it’s usually best to take a break and come back to it later.
