Sifu review: A perfect balance of style and difficulty

digitaltrends.com:

Throughout my time playing Sifu, one phrase kept going through my mind. “You can do better,” I told myself as I was knocked out by a boss for the umpteenth time. Or when I was smacked down by a simple enemy. Or when I was hit by someone that I had previously taken out without a scratch. Improvement was always on my mind.

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. 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.

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. 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.

For some, the challenge that Sifu presents won’t be worth it, as they spiral into a loop of dying and getting back up. 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.

Easily the most divisive part of Sifu is the game’s aging mechanic. 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. 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.

Every time the hero goes down in Sifu, they can get back up thanks to a magic