Sifu’s Option to Spare Bosses Should Be Used in More Games

gamerant.com:

Sifu does plenty of interesting things, and it is for that reason that the Sloclap title has received so much praise from critics. Its gameplay is brutally challenging but still fair, as players can master the art of parries and counters with enough time and practice. The level design rewards players for repeat visits and thorough exploration, while Sifu’s age mechanic serves as a truly unique roguelite mechanic.

However, one area of Sifu that has not gotten enough praise is its option to spare bosses. This is used to obtain the true ending of the game, with players returning to the stages to beat the bosses down but leave them alive. This option highlights how most of the bosses are not outright evil, with a few even being particularly helpful to their communities. Plenty of video games feature bosses with heartbreaking backstories and complex motivations, so giving players an option to revisit those battles and change their foes’ fates would be a nice option to see in more games.

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Whether it is used to obtain the true ending like in Sifu or simply to provide a different, non-canon take on major events, sparing bosses is something that should become more common going forward. Over the years, there have been countless examples of scenarios where players did not want to kill a boss, especially after learning more about them.

TheMetal Gear Solidseries is a prime example of this, as the franchise is full of tragic figures that were never proper villains at all. While the story is built around the Snakes being tools that are consistently manipulated by their government, an option to spare certain characters would have been incredibly interesting. While leaving