Sifu Review – STRENGTH IN DEFEAT!

Sifu has almost everything you’re looking for in a Kung Fu fighting game. It features a very linear approach with lots of enemies and many, many combos and bosses to test yourself against. An intriguing system for when you die as well as a basic, yet interesting revenge story.

The Downfall of Sifu

Sifu begins by getting you to control a character by the name of Yang. The mission? To storm the place of his old teacher killing everyone. Only to finally face his old teacher and murder him in cold blood. Yang and his entourage then find the child of his old teacher and kill them as well, or so they think. This time the child is saved by a special Talisman. Said child then proceeds to spend years training, only to go on a revenge trip and take out every member of the group that killed their father.

This is about all that happens in the story. There are extra pamphlets and notes to read so you can learn about the people you are after. However, as far as story progression goes, you as the player aren’t given a lot. Interestingly enough though, this doesn’t stop the game from being fun. It just shifts the focus onto gameplay instead of story progression. Plus, all you need is a desire for revenge in this game and then it just goes “there’s the enemies, go kill”

Getting Revenge

The gameplay for Sifu is very straightforward. Yet very difficult to master. Sifu is a classic fighting game but with linear levels as opposed to an arena. However, everything else is similar, with many many combos to learn. You are given a parry to block attackers or to “parry” their attacks and this opens up many opportunities for you. You can also come across many weapons through each level. Weapons like glass bottles, pipes, sticks, baseball bats, and staffs. With each of these having its own moves and durability.

Through each level, you try to find the main enemy who was a part of the group that killed your father. However, you get many little bosses throughout. Either they are just tougher enemies or actual mini-boss battles. All of these fights are very difficult and it is very easy to end up dead. But don’t worry as the special talisman is able to revive you. The cost? Your life. Reviving costs years off your life. Don’t be too afraid of dying though as this allows you to level up your character to become stronger. That is if you don’t go to the skill tree.

The World Sifu Left Behind

The world design for Sifu is alright, nothing spectacular. The animation style is relatively basic and the graphics are fine. Honestly, the best part about the world in Sifu is going to your skill tree. Yes!! when I say skill tree I mean a physical tree that allows you to spend XP to level your character up with new abilities. Everything else is just fine, although when playing this game on the Switch it played relatively well for both handheld and docked. However, there were a few glitches, and on a couple of occasions, it lagged during fights. It plays fine, but if you’re concerned maybe get it on a different console.

Decision

Sifu, in a nutshell, is a load of fun. Running through levels and taking everyone out with some awesome Kung Fu moves. Only to take out a boss at the end. The only problem is the difficulty, this game is not for the faint of heart. Even on the easiest difficulty, it can still challenge you. That being said, even with the challenging gameplay, the sometimes glitchy nature, and the generic revenge story, it is still a lot of fun. Just maybe play it on something other than a switch.

By Dillon Van Der Putten – Reviewed on Nintendo Switch

Good

Sifu is a great game for those who love fighting games. Lots of combos to learn, and some awesome finishers to go with it. However, the story is a basic revenge story and the levels are very linear. If this doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, don’t bother. However, if it does, maybe get it on something other than the Switch, just a suggestion.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by Sloclap. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.