SIFU [2022] PS5 REVIEW
🏆 MASTERPIECE 🏆
Sifu is a rewarding beat-'em-up game with a simple yet brilliant revenge Story & martial arts theme that was released in 2022. Developer Sloclap delivered one of the most vibrant and powerful tributes to the Pak Mei style of kung fu with addictive gameplay mechanics and a simple combat loop that requires long hours to master but will reward you in unique ways.
IS ONE LIFE ENOUGH TO KNOW KUNGFU?
The game features a great combat system with extraordinary gameplay mechanics, bone-breaking fast hits, and a steep learning curve that will require you to practice long hours to master the necessary skills to become Sifu. The way the game handles death is refreshing, as you'll die, die, and die again in order to learn, adapt and overcome. Sifu is a punishingly difficult game that won't appeal to everyone. I guess you can speed run the 5 levels on the easy difficulty setting, but medium and hard require a mastery of its combat mechanics, so those looking for a challenging game that demands skill and improvement from the player will find exactly that in Sifu. The game rewards you truly in unique ways. Every room you enter is like a combat puzzle that needs to be solved and then mastered. After getting your ass kicked so many times before, finally crushing everyone without even getting a hit, makes you feel not only a badass but also there is wisdom and calm after the learning process, you are not only trying to master violence, but you are also learning to master yourself. Parries, dodges, blocks, combos, and improvised weapons are at the core gameplay experience.
It's an excellent modern beat-'em-up with deep combat mechanics and a fascinating aging system that sets it apart from anything seen before. By leaving some choices up to the player: the way you progress from one chapter to the next is up to you, if died too many times you are not going to make it to the final act, but it's up to you. The way you invest your XP on your skills forces you to make some choices about temporal and permanent unlocks, or the way you use shrines to boost your character, there is a simple and clear constant decision-making process behind the moment-to-moment combat that is just brilliant.
MINIMALISTIC & BEAUTIFUL CREATIVE DESIGN
The concept art look and feel style of Sifu is staggering and beautiful. It works so well to immerse players into a rewarding exploration of its world, whether it be a nightclub or a glossy museum the game looks stunning. The audio is equally as impressive as the visuals. Punches, blocks, and weapon strikes sound as good as they look delivering the ultimate "feel" to combat. The soundtrack composed by artist Howie Lee combines traditional instruments and melodies with modern sounds making the world come alive. It's all so simple and perfect. I can just relax at the hideout, listening to the soundtrack and moving the camera around. There is no way to say enough good things about how Sifu looks, sounds, feels, and plays.
CONCLUSION
I'm still amazed that I've spent so many hours playing a five-level game, replaying them over and over again. My 1st hours with the game were very frustrating, the enemies were so tough. But as soon as you begin to master the timing of the combat loop, you start becoming so badass. I love how powerful you feel by the end :)
The combat is challenging but fun, I love the art style and music, and the gameplay encounters with the bosses were great. Too bad they didn't add any depth to those characters. I also really appreciated that more difficulty modes were added later on. I liked Sifu so much that I replayed it several times to get my age as low as I could before fighting Yang and finding all of the collectibles for the Detective Board kept me invested during my playthrough.
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