The game is not difficult. just the learning curve is different. The game asks you to deflect parry (not block) with L1 and dodge with B. These are the difficult things. So much so that you don't take any damage by constantly parrying. Or you can dodge very well and still take no damage. Otherwise, you take damage in everything. You have to do these in a very short time period. The game is easy once you learn this and practice enough. So much so that you learn in ng+ and go directly to the bosses and finish the game serially. Apart from these, there are different skills, all of them are easy things to memorize. For example, Mikiri counter gives it at the beginning of the game. While stopping, you just press B and it happens, but in a very short interval. You use it in most fights.

Unlike Dark souls and Elden ring there is very little RPG lvling up and there is no summons/coop.

And you have to use more defence tools.

Dodge,deflect,mikiri counter and jump againts sweeps.

Dodge has less I-frames and none againts certain attack types.
+enemies track very well.

You can defeat most enemies by depleting their posture and then you can finish them off even if they have vitality left.

The less vitality you or the enemy has the slower posture regenates.

This game likely has a long learning curve and there is no easy mode.

In Sekiro you upgrade your damage(attack power) by defeating main bosses.

Very few skill point upgrades give passive benefit.
Most of them are just tools so you can style more.

The health upgrade comes primary from defeating sub bosses and rarely from exploration and merchants.

Keep in mind you can stealth kill most enemies.

Sub bosses often have many adds with them best to thin out the herd.
Do not group fight.

And most sub bosses can be stealth deathblowed for an easier fight.

No




Not if you observe & learn at least ;)

No. I beat the game 100%, and I wouldn't say I'm any better than average.

As others stated, the game is different than the soul-series in terms of how you do combat. Since you have beaten ER and the DLC you will also recognize some enemy attack patterns, namely long attack combos, BUT in Sekiro you can actually punish those; if you got through ER i doubt you will have trouble with Sekiro.
Get used to NEVER blocking and being aggressive, once the that distinct fighting style clicks, you are good. I imagine the "I was told this is by far the hardest From Software game ever." refers to the large difference in combat/fighting style in Sekiro compared to other titles.

tl;dr: No, its not too hard, esp. if you have beaten ER imho.

Out of all the fromsoft games I played Sekiro is difficult only in the first half. Like others said there is a drastic learning curve but once you get the timing done right, the whole game becomes a rhythm game. However, there is some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that can happen and you just have to accept that it was your fault because if you spam too many buttons you ♥♥♥♥ up your own rhythm and die from it

It seems so when you start, especially if you haven't played this type of game before.
But you improve a lot as you go. And its incredibly rewarding.
It's not for the impatient though, depends on your character.
If you get frustrated fast its not for you.

isshin the first sword is more diificult boss.. in my opinion. it is brutal

isshin is not that hard once you put the fight to him....
Hesistation is defeat!

Originally posted by DEXTERJR:

isshin the first sword is more diificult boss.. in my opinion. it is brutal

Originally posted by mckracken:

isshin is not that hard once you put the fight to him....
Hesistation is defeat!

Not sure which Isshin is which. I found the lightening one not too bad on my first play through. I found the fire one pretty brutal on NG+3 for the Shura ending. The first phases weren't bad, but the last phase was a bit of a headache for me.

new game plus, doesnt count.
thats not regular difficulty for this game.

Its difficult at first, but with enough time and energy spent mastering the fundamentals, it becomes a satisfying challenge. If it wasn't hard, it wouldn't be worth doing.

Keep in mind, to beat the game, you don't have to be 'amazing' at it, you just have to play the game at a 'certain skill' level... and the skill gap between merely 'good' and 'great' is massive.

You need to forget everything in Elden ring or Dark souls. You should block 90% of time, not dodging.

It's the hardest mainstream game of the past decade

No is not that hard
you do good damage if you are aggressive
beside there allays a way to cheese a fight or make it easier