Sekiro plays almost exactly like Bloodborne with this rad combat mod

Bloodborne will probably never come to PC, but I'm also a stubborn idiot that will believe what he wants, and I believe that anything can happen. At least between now and the time Sony decides to chill and do the right thing, we have the Bloodborne Combat Mod for Sekiro, created by ModDB user thefifthmatt.

And it works as advertised, rejiggering Sekiro's parry-focused combat to prioritize dashing and Bloodborne's beloved rally system. For the unfamiliar, Bloodborne is a dodge-heavy game. While you can parry enemy attacks with bullets (yeah, it's tight), quick dashes with fairly generous invincibility frames are how you avoid most damage in Bloodborne. 

It's a nice fit for Sekiro, which has a dash move of its own and breathless combat to match. But, as the mod notes detail, Sekiro's dash move has only six invincibility frames. The mod bumps it up to 16 frames by default, but allows for a more difficult 11 frame dash in "Beast Mode." A more generous dash was added to accommodate Sekiro's meaner enemies, which have better tracking and longer hit frames, according to the mod notes. The dash also works as a counter for those special sweeping, jump, and thrust attacks. 

Most interesting is the rally system. In Bloodborne, if you take damage from an enemy there's a short window of time in which you can gain that health back as long as you return the damage. And you'll likely get hurt plenty—blocking doesn't deflect attacks anymore. It's another perfect fit for Sekiro, whose posture system also rewards constant aggression. I love the idea of focusing more on positioning, flanking enemies and avoiding sword clashes to find flesh and return health. 

The mod even reconfigures Sekiro's posture system to stand in for Bloodborne's stamina meter. Attacks and dodges 'hurt' your posture, so you're penalized for swinging and dashing all over with reckless abandon. 

To try it for yourself, first you'll need to nab the Sekiro Mod Engine. Then just download the Bloodborne Combat Mod and follow the installation instructions on the mod page.

I've yet to try it myself, but I can imagine it'll make some fights much easier, and some fights stupid hard. For any Souls fan turned off by Sekiro's more rigid combat system, this might do the trick. For me, knowing it exists is enough. This is the universe throwing me a bone, winking, letting me know that Bloodborne on PC is an inevitably, a fixed point in time, capital-T Truth.

(It's never happening.)

James Davenport

James is stuck in an endless loop, playing the Dark Souls games on repeat until Elden Ring and Silksong set him free. He's a truffle pig for indie horror and weird FPS games too, seeking out games that actively hurt to play. Otherwise he's wandering Austin, identifying mushrooms and doodling grackles.