SIFU

Sifu gets a lot more right than not, and though I typically can’t stand to play games that force heavy-handed repetitive loops, I found myself enjoying Sifu too much to put it away for long. Playing Sifu is a cycle of emotions; it’s tough, fun, frustrating, and rewarding, not always in that order. I think Sloclap did a solid job overall and I would also point out that the game is priced very reasonably at about $50, too. If you enjoy detailed, authentic martial arts action, Sifu is not only one of the only choices out there, but it’s a great one.

Sifu turned out to be exactly the game I've been waiting for since the first gameplay demos. The developers have made a rather complex combat system, which is revealed in all its splendor only when the player is thoroughly familiar with it. The game allows you to deal with most opponents very quickly, doing it in style, but for this you will have to work hard in training.

An incredibly mastered Beat Them All game with tints of Metroidvania and Rogue-like elements making the players want to run cycles after cycles.

It’s a razor-thin wire to walk in making this feel rewarding. Too far on one side, and it’s masochistic; too far on the other, and it’s not enough of a challenge. Somehow, Sloclap strikes dead center. Sifu is a challenge worth taking on and overcoming. It’s a story of vengeance with a little heart at the end, and though it might not land perfectly, it’s got a lot of style and action to back it up.

SIFU is the must-play action game of the year. Its roguelike systems shouldn't hold back anyone from jumping in and following this thrilling narrative of revenge. The entire experience is like watching a Bruce Lee movie play out with you controlling the choreography. It's as rewarding as it is brutally challenging, but I was having a blast kicking ass whether I was 25 or 55 in-game years old.

Sifu is still a solid action game that feels tailor-made for those willing to put in the time to learn the systems. The subsequent patches have opened up the game to more players who lean on either side of the difficulty spectrum, but it remains challenging even if you try to make the game as easy as possible. The main adventure is a more than satisfying romp thanks to the deep fighting system. The new Arenas mode adds loads more life to the game, even if your only interest is seeing which movies get referenced in a given scenario. Players on both the Xbox platforms and Steam are rewarded for their patience with a very good game, while the Arenas mode alone gives owners on other platforms and stores a big reason to return to Sifu.

A wonderful fighting game that is very challenging and, in return, very satisfying when the fighting system is understood. Sifu brings together several interesting elements and that works out well. All this wrapped up in a nice artistic style with matching audio makes it a delight. But it does if you look past the poor voice-acting and the generic story. Not really points to worry about if you go purely by the excellent gameplay.

Sifu is a wild game: On the one hand you have a game with a good, yet flawed story and subpar soundtrack and on the other hand you have a punch to the face which is the amazing gameplay of Sifu, knocking some sense into you and reminding the player that gameplay is, and always will be, king.

Sifu will show no mercy. It's a well thought out game, superbly combining an addictive gameplay and a unique combat system, that high challenge and martial arts enthusiasts will enjoy to the fullest.

SIFU has quite a few highlights in scene style and action design, and its hardcore combat lets you know the true meaning of talented pupils are trained by strict masters. The "easy-to-die" gameplay is extremely merciless to the player, and only through blood and sweat can you transcend. All this, of course, comes at the cost of deterring many players from the game.

Sifu will test your patience, but learning how to coolly dismantle a room full of goons with virtual kung fu is worth the pain.

Sifu delivers on its promises of being one of the best Kung-Fu games ever made. With incredible animation work, flowing combat, a beautiful art style, and great music; this indie beat-em-up, roguelite game deserves more than the cult following it will probably receive.

Sifu is that game that you will hate at times, but that you will want to play again after resting for a few hours. An assured return capable of challenging you with justice and without it that you will not be able to avoid until after infinite repetitions you are able to defeat once and for all.

Sifu turned out to be the classic bolt from the blue: despite expectations, the guys from Sloclap managed to outdo themselves with a title of monstrous maturity and awareness. There are some flaws, such as a non-optimal camera management and some small sporadic interpenetration that can annoy you during the execution of very fine martial arts, but the playful offer stands at impressive levels, amusing and encouraging you to do more and more and always better.

Sifu is one of the best martial arts games ever, though getting to the fun part is (somewhat unnecessarily) tedious.

Sifu is an incredibly frustrating, yet amazingly rewarding experience. Those who seek an unforgiving but mostly fair challenge will find something truly special with this Kung-Fu-game. It’s visuals and style are fantastic, as well as it’s stunning soundtrack! Yet, those who are easily annoyed by difficult games should be aware, that Sifu does not offer any easy-modes or level-checkpoints. It is uncompromising to the bone.

SIFU is a game that combines the sharpness and tension of an urban action with all the finesse and beauty of old-school kung fu flick. SIFU's combat system and atmosphere are highly addictive, and the advancement system will put you in front of some difficult choices. The flow and speed of the fights are impressive. You'll enjoy doing damage and hurting people in cafes, kung-fu schools, and other urban areas. All in all, this is a highly addictive and fun piece for all fans of "one man army" games.

An immensely stylish ode to kung-fu – challenging, well done, fun. It’s a bit short and the difficulty is all over the place, but you still should absolutely play it.

SIFU is a vibrant and powerful tribute to the martial arts. Sloclap undoubtedly masters its subject and the genre in which the title fits. In just two games, the Parisian studios demonstrate their know-how in the field, and in fact become recognized artisans of the video game fight. This Beat'em All hits hard and with conviction, and perpetuates this noble art of kicking and kicking in a demanding and inspired quest for revenge. The title of Sloclap, due to its raised difficulty, is intended for tenacious, even relentless players, and could discourage more than one, but learning martial arts requires self-sacrifice and self-control… like SIFU.

Sifu is a surprisingly robust and thoughtful action game that hearkens back to the quarter-munching arcade days of old, and Capcom’s cult classic, God Hand.

Sifu is a fierce and delightful test of your frustration limit, which can unleash incredibly rewarding feelings of happiness.

High difficulty accentuates every problem, like wonky camera, weird timings and unpredictable invincibility frames of enemy attacks. But at its highs, Sifu is incredibly dynamic, picturesque and rewarding, a great companion for a nostalgia trip to the VHS era. [Issue#259, p.52]

Sifu is a difficult game, requiring you to master its complex combat in order to enact your revenge. But it could have used a bit more training before entering the arena.

Sifu is a difficult game, and not always by design. But when the combat clicks, there are few games that make you feel so badass.

To my mind, this has "cult classic" written all over it, and players who take the time to master Sifu will make it sing in a way that I can't imagine. It's a big step forward for brawlers in general, which doesn't just ape the '90s beat-'em-up the way that a Mayhem Brawler or Fight'N' Rage does, but actually adds onto it. Sifu has a lot going for it, but its questionably fair difficulty curve and the relative looseness of its controls both make it hard for me to recommend to a general audience.

If Sifu is not a perfect copy, it remains a very good game. Demanding but never unfair, don't be fooled by the low number of levels because you'll have to start them several times to master the game perfectly, extending considerably its life span. Sifu remains a difficult game, a kind of beat them up die & retry, even succeed and retry. If you are looking for a game that will resist you, requiring you to master its mechanics, then your expectations will be fulfilled.

I have no doubt that a lot of people are going to love that the game is super difficult, especially if you enjoyed Absolver, but I am just not one of those people.

The game is not without some salvageable bursts of satisfaction, of which there are plenty to just about counter its middling level design and uneventful narrative alike. It’s for that reason why Sifu is spared from any less graceful a status than that of being inconsistent, rather than wholly underwhelming.

There is certainly an audience for Sifu — it’s stylish as hell, and the kind of people who are happy to spend the dozens of hours it takes to master a fighting game character might find the same sort of precision-based pleasures here that the developers’ previous game, Absolver, offered. However, Sifu’s developers set out to make the player feel like they were actually doing the fighting, but instead gave them tools suitable for a one-on-one fighting game and expected them to work against six enemies at once. They don’t.