Sifu dates its Arenas expansion and Steam release in a reference-filled trailer

rockpapershotgun.com:

Martial arts brawler Sifu has put a date on its upcoming Arenas expansion and Steam release: March 28th. We’ve known about the free update since last April’s roadmap, but developer Sloclap have finally released a trailer detailing the new modes in the expansion. All very exciting stuff for fans of the kickpunching adventure, although, if you’re my kind of nerd, you likely got a kick out of all the film references in the trailer.

So what’s new in the Arenas update? At the end of the month, we’ll be getting 5 new game modes, 9 new arenas to fight in, and 45 challenges, along with some added outfits and modifiers - all of which are on display in the newest trailer.

The new modes include the wave-based Survive mode, Time Attack mode which is a race against the clock, Performance mode - complete with scores and score multipliers - the king of the hill-esque Capture mode, and Manhunt, a mode that requires you to assassinate one foe, while other baddies badger you. The trailer also shows off more of Sifu’s new stunning arenas like a rain-drenched street and vertigo-inducing helipad.

Film talk time! Sloclap have talked at length about Sifu’s silver screen inspirations, so it’s no surprise to see some homages to modern martial arts films in this newest trailer. Sifu’s sprint through the yellow-tinted apartments reminded me of The Raid, and the final rainy fight had to be a reference to The Grandmaster - he’s wearing a white hat and leather coat for crying out loud. A reliable Redditor even spotted Uma Thurman’s iconic yellow tracksuit from Kill Bill. That was all I had, but do let me know if you caught any other hidden details.

Sifu launched a year ago as an Epic Games exclusive and it’s been getting updates ever since,