Sifu Reviews
Should you overcome SIFU, you’ll find a game that has few peers, which will stick with you long after beating it.
Sifu is a must-have game for anyone who enjoys martial arts. It has a solid combat system, but its main disadvantage is a steep learning curve.
Fans of Absolver will adore Sifu’s mechanics and style, but don’t expect the kind of stance-based combat Absolver did so well. Sifu is a strictly combo and skill based affair. You won’t fail for using the wrong move, you’ll fail for not observing your opponent and striking at the right time. Sifu is a game I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a whole new approach to the staling rogue-like genre.
Despite some frustrating design choices around progression and a camera which isn’t as consistent as I’d like, I had more fun with Sifu than the vast majority of action games on the market. At the end of the day, it just feels too good to play for me to deny. Even as I replayed levels dozens of times when I really wanted to see what was ahead, I couldn’t put the controller down. That’s the sign of a master right there.
Sifu made me regequit handful of times and yet it quickly became one of my favorites, especially thanks to its bald and punishing learning curve, that pushes you into mastering all sorts of moves and combos. French studio Sloclap delivers a typical revenge story, that is wrapped in a clever level design and excellent gameplay mechanics.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Fans of beat-'em-ups or kung fu movies will instantly fall in love with Sifu. If you can handle replaying levels multiple times, it's a must buy.
Sifu is a memorable game. It is also a hard game that rewards patience and the willingness to perfect yourself. It is not perfect, but it is fair. One of the few negative aspects we encountered is the camera control that in some scenes it is not just a pain in the ass, but it can cost you an entire run. Another thing we would have oved to see is a more detailed character building, where the story is not just a frame for the action.
With Sifu, developer Sloclap has delivered one of the most striking and original roguelikes we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. Like the process of actually learning a martial art, this is a game that requires practice and patience – and the rewards speak for themselves. The first time we encountered a key target, for example, we aged so much that we died and had to try again. And when we did finally manage to beat him, we did so at an age in the 50s. But after yet more practice, we later returned to emerge victorious in battle at the fresh age of just 21 years old, which set us up with a much better chance of overcoming the other targets on our list. It’s achievements like this that spur you on, giving Sifu a kind of magnetism that’s rarely found elsewhere.
Spectacular, brutal, and tense ride, unfortunately without a flashing finish line.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Despite a of couple hang-ups, Sifu should be commended for injecting a sense of danger and realism back into the beat ‘em up genre.
Sifu was one of the best games of the year when it launched on other platforms, and it's no different now on Switch. Its hardcore combat that pushes you to the limits of your skill, paired with a smart ageing mechanic, makes for one of the most satisfying gaming experiences in the beat 'em up genre. While the Switch port is obviously a bit downgraded from the PS5 version, it's still a more than valid option for Nintendo-only gamers and those keen to try this kung-fu brawler out on the go.
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 preaches patience as it brutalizes your very existence in every way imaginable. But if you stick with it, and continue to learn from your mistakes, you'll eventually get your revenge and find the peace you were looking for.
Sifu is a martial arts epic that prides itself on authenticity and realism yet without losing any of the fun and addictive gameplay. It's great to see the lengths that the developer Sloclap have to go to create a genuine experience. Although tough and gruelling at times Sifu can be seen as one of the best martial games on the market that will greatly impress purists of the genre.
If don't mind some challenge, and if you enjoy combat-oriented gameplay with martial arts theme, then Sifu is something you should try on. It's a nice mix of Fighting Force and Sekiro.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Sifu doesn't pull any punches. It's a consistently challenging and demanding beat-'em-up, but persistence pays off. You'll be hard pressed to find a more rewarding game on PlayStation - especially one that's so visually striking and polished. Some quibbles with combat mechanics aside, Sifu is a knockout.
As someone who adores games like Spelunky for forcing the player to digest every bit of information, Sifu strikes that exact same spot with the force of a freight train, delivering a combat system that is truly unrivalled. As a game, it's one of the most engaging I've played in some time, it's just a shame that it won't appeal to all players thanks to its surprising difficulty and that it took some developmental liberties with representing Asian voices.
Sifu's incredibly satisfying combat can make you feel like an action-movie hero, but its challenging encounters and roguelike progression could leave less dedicated players feeling defeated.
The coup of Sifu is that this process mirrors that of the hero; I was continually tempted to ditch my progress and start afresh, furnished with new knowledge at the expense of a little more life.
Sifu is an incredible journey. Featuring top-notch animations, music tracks, and visuals that are hard to match by even a big-budget animation studio, you will find your jaw-dropping as you make your journey through this story of revenge.