I couldn’t continue the game, so I decided to start over. The first time I beat the game’s first boss, I had hit age 70. In fact, it’s extremely likely that the game’s first boss will beat you. The game isn’t forgiving in this you won’t be able to brute-force any of its bosses. While your character gets older and wiser in Sifu, you have to as well. Every attack can be dodged, leaving bosses open to a counter afterward. Some are vulnerable after a certain attack, others have moves that can be parried. The game is merciless, but the reward for solving its combat puzzles is immense. The game’s first boss attacks wildly, eventually slicing away at players with a machete, while the third starts by using a graceful weapon made of knives tied to chains but soon after drops those for a pair of kunai. Each of Sifu‘s bosses has its own style, attacks, and personality. Sifu‘s bosses are some of the most difficult boss fights I’ve encountered in any game. The game does its players a favor by granting a bit of health back after an enemy is taken down, but that doesn’t matter much when it comes to boss fights. They range in difficulty, with some basic grunts going down in a few hits while other trained fighters can block attacks and have to be approached thoughtfully. Each stage, all of which are a treat to fight through, is packed with enemies. One of Sifu‘s many goals is to stay as young as possible over the course of the game’s five levels, a massive challenge in and of itself. Their character will also do more damage to enemies, as they’re an older and wiser Kung Fu master, but it won’t matter much if punches and kicks aren’t avoided. It certainly doesn’t help that with every decade, players have less health. Increasing every time players go down, the game can quickly spiral into a cycle of dying, growing older, getting up, and dying again. The character’s age in Sifu increases by whatever number the game’s “death counter” is on. This isn’t too bad, except dying more means coming back exponentially older. The more players die, the older they get every time they come back. Instead, some time is taken away from them, and they get up older. However, they won’t be the same after coming back from the grave. In the game, all of these fights take place over the course of one night, but for the main character, it may be years until their master is avenged.Įvery time the hero goes down in Sifu, they can get back up thanks to a magic talisman they wear. Players fill the shoes of a young, 20-year-old martial artist looking to avenge their former master, who was murdered by a group of five Kung-Fu masters.
Grow upĮasily the most divisive part of Sifu is the game’s aging mechanic. But anyone who ever thought Dark Souls would be better without its bonfires is going to find a masterpiece in balancing difficult yet rewarding gameplay. And while that difficulty is almost always offset by the game’s immensely satisfying combat mechanics and its addictive progression system, being a Kung Fu master can get exhausting.įor some, the challenge that Sifu presents won’t be worth it, as they spiral into a loop of dying and getting back up. Sifu is a madly challenging game, pitting players against five bosses that they have to beat over the course of one lifespan, using 70 years’ worth of time in one night thanks to a magic talisman. Not only is the main character’s journey over the course of the game about them growing into a Kung Fu master, but you, the player, will have to improve as well.
Self-betterment is one of Sifu‘s many themes, along with revenge and forgiveness, but it’s the only one that ties both the game’s narrative and gameplay together.
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