Prologue: The Young Lord's Protector

In the late 1500s Sengoku Japan, Sekiro, also known as Wolf, serves as the Shinobi protector of the Divine Heir, Kuro. Bound by honor, Sekiro is composed yet ruthless, dedicated to his mission. The prologue details his initial failure to protect Kuro from Genichiro Ashina, leading to the loss of his left arm and his subsequent awakening at the Dilapidated Temple with a prosthetic arm created by Dogen.

The game begins with a cutscene depicting a battle in northern Japan and the defeat of a commander. A young man is adopted by The Owl and trained as a Shinobi, eventually becoming known as The Wolf. He is sworn to protect Kuro, the Divine Heir.

This prologue serves as a tutorial for basic game controls. Players start with low health but no immediate combat threat. Follow these steps:

Proceed forward to pick up the Ornamental Letter.
Follow on-screen instructions for basic movement.
On the snowy path, turn around to find a broken section of the floor where the letter was dropped.
Return to the tunnel exit and continue forward.
Press Square to hug walls with white scratch marks.
Use the L button to move along the wall's edge.
Press L towards the wall's edge to trigger a "Peek" view, allowing you to see ahead without exposure.