Sifu (PS5) Review | push the box

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We expected Sifu to be tough – but we didn’t think it would be so unforgiving. It’s a classic martial arts revenge tale told across several urban stages, each featuring unique combat encounters and brutal bosses. If you thought Sifu would be a pure fantasy of kung fu power, you are in a world of mischief.

Sifu has a steep learning curve – the kind of learning curve you normally find in fighting games, or more intense action titles like Devil May Cry. But there are no difficulty options in Sifu, and outside of the brief opening level that teaches you the main moves, you’re left with a lot to figure out on your own.

There’s a lot to get you started right from the start – this isn’t the kind of action game where you can just dodge your problems or dodge your way to victory. Even when you encounter a low-health following, you need to consider spacing, groups, and environmental risks. Incoming hits can be high or low; Try to evade the error and you will be clipped. Simply put, Sifu doesn’t pull any punches – if you’ll excuse me for a pun.

We might be just three paragraphs into this review, but you probably already know if Sifu is your type of game. We have absolutely no doubt that a lot of players will consider bouncing well before they see most of what Sifu has to offer – but if you can break through that initial barrier of entry and accept every defeat as a learning opportunity, then there’s nothing like the latest SloClap.

When in the area, Sifu is ridiculously good. Pure animation and excellent sound design combine to create one of the most impressive martial arts we’ve experienced in a video game. Overcoming what once seemed an insurmountable challenge is what Sifu is all about, and when you finally run through previous levels without breaking a sweat, you realize how rewarding this game is.

However, Sifu is not without frustrations. As we have indicated, your defensive techniques are very important, the most important of which is your ability to avoid high or low attacks. These great looking evasive maneuvers should be timed, but in reality reacting to your opponent’s moves can be very difficult – sometimes to the point where they feel cheap. The catch is that most of the attacks you have to contend with are quick and rarely engulfed in such a way that you can avoid them through instinct alone.

Especially with stronger opponents, this often means battles turn out to be trial and error, and in the worst case scenario, you end up with a 50/50 ratio of guessing whether your boss is going up or down. The combat system relies so heavily on these high and low quirks that it seems like there must be a clearer narrative – something like the red “danger” kanji that appears above the enemy’s head in Sekiro when he’s about to launch a perilous attack.

In fact, Sifu has more in common with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice than you might think. You and your many opponents have two bars: a healthy bar and a standing bar. Your strength bar increases as you block or take a hit, and if you crash, you’ll be left defenseless for a few seconds – usually more than enough time for an enemy to finish the job. Meanwhile, if you smash your opponent’s stability, you’ll be able to use a very satisfying takedown attack to get rid of him.

Furthermore, dying (often frequently) is an essential part of the experience. Every time you fall into battle, your death meter increases. And then, the number of deaths you’ve accumulated is converted into years of your life. With each failure, your brave hero grows up – and once you’re in your seventies, your next death results in a blood-red game on your screen.

Explaining the similarities in Sifu is tricky, because there are a lot of permutations of how things work. When the game ends, for example, you don’t technically go back to the beginning of the game. You can try the same stage again – but your age will be set to what your youngest record is. Basically, you are looking to complete each level in the youngest possible age. This way, you’ll basically have more “lives” when you’re fighting a particularly tough battle. If you’re like us, mastering a level quickly becomes an obsession.

You can also unlock a wide range of new abilities as you progress. Powerful moves are ready to be grabbed if you stock up on enough experience points, and each new technique adds more depth to the fight. Fortunately, these skills can be unlocked permanently if you purchase them multiple times, but to be clear, there is no easy way to hunt for experience points – you just need to start with what you have.

Gradually committing to new muscle-memory moves while trying to learn the ins and outs of new enemy types can be daunting – but then again, the sense of accomplishment makes it all worthwhile. Besides, Sifu generally feels great for playing at 60fps on PlayStation 5, along with strict controls and some well-implemented DualSense functionality. Touches are used to satisfy effect here, with subtle vibrations adding weight to each hit, mass, and dodge.

But what really elevates Sifu is his often stunning artistic direction. It starts out pretty monotonous as you make your way through apartment blocks filled with gangs, but the later stages include shocking abstract visuals and vibrant colours. It unfolds into a feast for the eyes – a game that is almost as fun to watch as it is to play. It is advantageous that the levels themselves are excellently designed; Encouraging exploration at first, while allowing quick access to main battles and even boss battles once you are familiar with the layout.

Sifu will only last you a few hours if you can play the entire game at once – but the truth is that most players will spend much more time overcoming its many obstacles. The stages tend to last half an hour or so, but with enough training, you can shoot them down in ten minutes – that’s definitely part of the appeal.

conclusion

Sevo doesn’t pull any punches. It’s a challenging and constantly demanding game, but persistence pays off. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more meaningful game on PlayStation – especially one that’s visually stunning and polished. Aside from a few quirks with the combat mechanics, Sifu is a knockout punch.

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