Sifu- Slocap’s Martial Arts Showcase

Sifu (n.): A master or teacher in the context of martial arts, especially kung fu and tai chi.

When I started Sifu I was expecting a few things. An homage to the martial arts. Shoutouts to kung fu movies. Engrossing combat. This game checked all of those boxes and a few that I didn’t think of going in. The combat mechanics were both innovative and simple enough that a player new to this style of gameplay would find it easily accessible despite the learning curve. Players are tasked with fighting multiple grunt, mini bosses, and assassins on their journey and upon dying are resurrected by the power of ancient talismans they hold in their possession. There is a cost to resurrection though as the character will age at an increasing rate. Should the character die after all five of the talismans have been destroyed, the player will have to either start the game from scratch or go to a checkpoint, starting from the age they were when they reached said checkpoint.

The combat itself is an essential aspect of the game, the foundation that Slocap built the game on. The techniques and movements on display were inspired by Bak Mei kung fu. While the basic techniques are engrossing as is, players can unlock advanced techniques through a skill tree by spending experience points. While these skills are only available on one present run, players are able to permanently unlock them over time. Players are also able to build up a focus meter throughout the game where they can expend focus to perform significant moves such as a strong leg sweep or an eye strike. Players are also encouraged to use the environment with options such as kicking stools to throw opponents off balance or finding weapons like baseball bats and escrima sticks to even the odds against multiple opponents. The ode to cinema comes in some of my favorite fight scenes where the camera will move to make the game resemble a side scroller in what appears to be Slocap’s take in hallway fight scenes that became very prevalent in Marvel series Daredevil. Other typical scenarios would see players walking into an ambush room and fighting multiple enemies off at once and having an enemy enter a frenzied state, acting as a mini boss of sorts.

The story of the game see players going on a quest of vengeance against five assassins that attacked their father’s school and killed their father. A story that may have also been inspired Bak Mei and the legend of the Five Elders of Shaolin. The group had also attempted to murder the child, but said child was resurrected with the power of the talismans. After spending eight years in isolation, the player goes on a single night journey, reaching all five of the assassins who have since become bosses of their own districts. With strong personalities like Sean, the Fighter and Yang, the Leader, you’d think the potential for intense dialogue would be high. Unfortunately the game puts a large focus on the gameplay, with most of the storytelling coming in the form of collectibles discoverable throughout the five levels. While one can applaud the decision to focus on the strengths of the game (what little dialogue there is mostly comes across as wooden and phoned in,) a lack of strong revelations leaves the only reward to besting a difficult challenge up to the player and how they value their own time and effort. Include the decision to add a segment to a fight that seems wholly unnecessary after the player has already devoted what one can presume to be thirty to forty hours of gameplay and the ending falls short of the emotional high players have been seeking after being treated to the SoulsBorne franchise and its counterparts.

Overall this game does provide intense martial arts combat, good camera work, and a clear strong direction that helps it to stand out as an independent title. It’ll be interesting to see if it remains ahead of the pack of independent titles still set to release in the second half of the year. It’s overall story concept is intriguing and befitting of a kung fu legend, though the delivery is stunted at times with weak vocal performances and dialogue that grows repetitive very quickly. While I’d be tempted to score it higher for the journey it took me on as a player, the failed delivery of an ending (and I’m not talking about the first ending,) saw me ending the game with a negative experience and I walked away asking myself what I had just spent all my time working towards. I’ll give a 7 out of 10 simply based on the strengths of it’s combat and the accessibility a game of this difficulty maintained.

Sifu available on PS4, PS5, & PC.