Sekiro is a hard game, and depending on how you approach the combat, might be one of From’s most difficult games to date. You’re going to be dying a lot. You’re going to be cursing a lot. You might even break a controller or two.
While I considered going with the headline “Top 10 Ways to Break a Controller While Playing Sekiro,” I’m committed to my craft and don’t have a spare $600 to blow on 10 disposable controllers, not to mention the added costs of entries like “Throw it at your TV” and “Hammer it repeatedly into the drywall.”
I don’t actually recall intentionally breaking a controller in my life due to being mad at a game, but hey, that’s probably because I’m so zen and instead opt to hurl every curse word I know at the incessant difficulty that faces me. Take a page from my book and use cuss words. It could end up saving you money on buying a new controller, replacing your TV, or having to do drywall repair.
While it should go without saying, the following article is explicit and may be considered not suitable for work or other environments where cursing is frowned upon. You probably shouldn’t be reading this on your phone in church, just saying.
Top 10 Curse Words to Use While Playing Sekiro
How the fuck…?
-I used this one a lot. Useful when you have no idea how the enemy broke your block or your deflect missed. Sekiro is a game about learning the enemy (as well as your own skills), which mean that learning process comes with plenty of “how the fucks” as you figure out exactly where you miscalculated. This one soon turns into “Oh! That’s how the fuck,” as realization clicks within your mind and you figure out the fight. Doesn’t mean you’ll actually win though. Just means that you know how you’re supposed to win.
Godammit…
-Another one that got used frequently. Best used in an exasperated sigh when you’ve had enough and are simply done. Alternatively, can be used repeatedly during long fights anytime you make a mistake. This is the “I’ve clashed with this enemy way, way, way too many times” curse, when you start making stupid mistakes even when you know what you are supposed to be doing. You start using this one, it’s a good hint it might be time to take a break. Your mind is numbing and skills probably aren’t going to improve this session.
Take that you cockwaffle!
-This one wouldn’t have cropped up in my natural vernacular, but I had to try it out at the suggestion of our copy editor Jenni Lada, and turns out it ended up being a banger! When you finally fell a foe, usually reserved for lesser bosses that are more annoying than difficult, toss this great insult their way. I found myself way too worked up with the bigger bosses to use this one on them. I also called enemies cockwaffles as I would kill basic scrubs in an effort to feel good about myself after failing to a boss for the millionth time.
Mother Fuzznugget!
-So you’ve finally figured the big boss man out, eh? You’ve got all of its patterns down. You’ve got the timing. Deflect, attack, deflect, deflect, dodge roll… Its posture meter is nearly full, with only one deathblow remaining, and then it happens. When that boss you think you’ve got in the bag ends up catching a lucky strike and killing you, sometimes throwing you off of your groove so badly that you whither from full health to death in a matter of moment. All right, you got me… so I didn’t say fuzznugget. Sue me.
Son of a bitch!
-A great all-purpose curse. I tended to pepper this one in at various places, often combined with other curses too (“Mother fuzznugget son of a bitch” was always a good one). Alternatively, it can be used a lot like “godammit,” but in a less exasperated way. Miss that grapple? “Son of a bitch.” Fail a block against a basic enemy? “Son of a bitch.” Get seen while trying to be stealthy? “Son of a bitch.”
What the shit?
–Sekiro is a game that is all about discovery. Discovering beautiful new environments. Discovering the mysteries of its story. Discovering a new enemy and their awe-inspiring new ways to kill you. This curse is the curse of discovery. When some stunning new thing throws a curveball at you (like stumbling upon a headless enemy you can’t even damage as they kill you with sheer terror deep in a cave), this curse appropriately betrays your own bewilderment as a seemingly impossible new element comes up, which tends to happen a lot.
[incoherent grumbling]
-At your wit’s end, your curses won’t even have form anymore. You’ll be grumbling incoherently. I promise though, behind every one of those grumbles, grunts, and gurgles were slews of curses though.
Asshole!
-When you want to blame the enemy for all your problems. Nope, it’s definitely not the fact that you overextended, or mistimed the deflect, or got impatient and rushed into an opening that wasn’t there. Nope, definitely that other asshole on the screen there that screwed things up. That asshole with his stupid spear, or that other asshole with his dumb flaming horns, or that old asshole with his gun and asshole cronies.
Any combination of cuss words
-During my time with Sekiro, I was throwing out curse word combos that I didn’t even know were possible. “Assfuckbitchmonkey” might have been one, because it just felt good to get some expletive out. Feel free to make up your own, or rather, just go with the flow as the game makes you say things out loud you never thought you would. Best if you have a stenographer standing by to record these new discoveries.
Sorry….
-Not so much a curse as an apology to your loved ones and those forced to be around you while you battle your way through Sekiro’s challenging swaths of enemies. It’s best to pair this one with puppy dog eyes to try to earn points after cursing way too much (and for the inevitable cursing that will continue when you start playing again).
Cussing a lot may help keep your controllers intact, but we can’t say the same for your relationships with the people around you. Use this strategy for anger release with caution. Controllers might be expensive, but the counseling it could take to repair damaged bonds with family and friends will probably be even more pricey.
If you’ve yet to pick up Sekiro and understand why it might warrant the curse words above, make sure to check out our review of what is possibly FromSoftware’s best game to date. We’ve also got some tips and tricks that could help cut down on that cursing just a little bit; some lessons that we had to learn the hard way as we struggled through the game.
