Sifu: Gameplay Tips and DLC Announcement

The Sifu game brings back memories of my early days with sekiro: shadow dies twice. Of course, the storylines and combat techniques are completely different, but beating these games is freaking difficult. Aragami 2 is another one, but not up to the level of the aforementioned games. Sifu is a third-person kung fu action game that uses a revenge narrative as the basis for setting up its rogue-like genre. Players would set out to seek vengeance against five accomplished fighters who raided the character’s home and killed (his/her) father when they were kids.

Sifu is hard to play and I can’t stress that enough. In fact, several fans and early reviews have expressed concern about Sifu’s extreme difficulty. Sloclap who is the brain behind Sifu, however, has acknowledged the issue and is assisting gamers with some last-minute tips.

According to the post, Sloclap believes that not every player will benefit from these tips. However, players who have struggled with Sifu so far will benefit from some developer hints in order to progress more smoothly. Sloclap Community Manager Felix Garczynski advises that the vital way to telegraphing Sifu’s enemies is to familiarise oneself with parries, dodges and perfect the timing of each.

Things To Keep In Mind While Playing Sifu

To begin with, Sifu utilizes age as a progress indicator as well as a punishment for failure. Players will begin at the age of 20 and will not be able to gain any more years after they reach the age of 70. Crossing the 70-year-old mark would result in the character’s final death and the game will restart. However, the frequency of deaths can worsen the situation. Meaning your chances could be lesser than 50. When a player dies twice in a succession, it adds three years to their lifespan (a year for the first death and 2 for the second). Also, there is no progress loss upon each death as you will continue from where you died. In light of this, players must use extreme caution and consideration, which is a big aspect of Sifu.

In a nutshell, the best way to play sifu effectively is to be good offensively and defensively. This will significantly require patience and practice to get good at. Players will be unable to button-mash their way through even the most basic encounters without suffering damage. One wrong move might result in the character losing a significant amount of health or adding years to their lifespan. Just like many other rogue-like games, sifu has a basic light and heavy attack when it comes to offensive moves. However, the game has several modifications that can be used in various scenarios. For instance, players can sweep the leg of a blocking opponent or throw a staggered opponent into a gang.

Sifu’s Combat Essential

Sifu does have a ‘dodge’, but this isn’t the type where players will constantly roll out of the way of attacks. The best tools for opening an opponent up for attack are a good block, parry, and evade. Early on, blocking will suffice, but players will soon need to learn to time their parries in response to basic enemy attacks. As a result, the ‘avoid’ becomes a crucial tool, as it can keep more fatal moves from landing. Blocking is the simplest line of defense, but it comes with a price. The player character and foes each have a meter called “Structure”. This determines how long they can take hits before staggering and being vulnerable to a more powerful strike. While a broken structure prompts a one-hit kill move on the enemy, it’s more like certain death to the player character. Above all, blocking still gets the job done on a basic level.

Evading or ‘avoiding’ on the other hand is more difficult to pull off, but it’s also a more gratifying move. A well-timed evade can literally slow down time, allowing for a powerful offensive reaction. When an enemy does a powerful move, the only way to avoid incurring lethal damage is to evade or ‘avoid’ it. It takes some time to get used to depending on the experience of players. Holding the block button and then moving the joystick down to duck or up to lift the leg accomplishes this. Players can make it through Sifu without ever mastering the timing of a parry, but without evading, it’s practically impossible. Weapons in Sifu can also help players get an advantage over larger groups, so keep a watch out for them. Many opponents may enter fights with weapons drawn, therefore being aware of one’s surroundings is essential in sifu.

Boss Encounters and Shrines

In Sifu, boss fights are a totally different beast, and undoubtedly one of the game’s highlights. The game already includes a range of enemies, some of which are quick to punish mistakes and others who are simply very fast. The bosses themselves, with their own weapons and move sets, add a significant amount of difficulty to the game. The bosses might be devastating if Sifu is difficult, to begin with. It’s likely to be the element that frustrates gamers the most if they’re having trouble. However, the sense of accomplishment when beating a boss in sifu is really exhilarating. It feels as if you’ve genuinely beaten an opponent by observing and exploiting their moves raw.

Shrines can also be found scattered across each level, and these unlock upgrades that are more useful but only last for a run. Players can only buy one item, but it can be anything from additional health on finishing moves to extra structure, weapon durability, or a bigger focus bar. These unlocks have varying costs (in terms of XP or score), but they feel like the most significant upgrades for each run.

How Long To Beat Sifu?

In Sifu, progress takes various forms. The most obvious is completing a level, which can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes depending on skill and familiarity. After defeating a boss, the game “locks in” the player’s age. This will allow players to advance to the next level at any time, but only at that age. Players can replay previous levels to try to improve their efficiency and age, but moving on has its perks as well, thanks to shortcut unlocks. Sifu is made more difficult by the fact that there will be no way to lower the level. As a result, some players will undoubtedly take longer to complete the game than others. However, in general, it appears that the game will take roughly 10 hours to complete from beginning to end.

Post-Launch DLC and Multiplayer

Despite the game’s difficult learning curve and aging mechanics, many players are already looking forward to more content. Sloclap has stated its intent to continue development on sifu, however, multiplayer will not be inclusive. Garczynski stated “Sifu will remain single-player only” and reinforced the company’s “focus on creating an immersive and distinctive single-player experience.” He didn’t say much about Sifu’s future, but he did hint at the post-launch craft that’s in the works. New levels and bosses are likely to be in store for Sifu gamers. Those who appreciate a good challenge will be on the lookout for new trophies to add to their collection. One thing is certain: multiplayer is not in the cards for fans of the brawler game. Sloclap revealed almost a year ago that Sifu will be a complete single-player story, so this decision came as no surprise.

Above all, Sifu is a one-of-a-kind rogue-like action game that captures that John Wick feeling. Sifu isn’t afraid to punish players, but it does it in a way that is both addictive and satisfying. The difficulty will, without a doubt, turn off a large number of players. However, without it, Sloclap’s attention to detail in the combat and animations of sifu would be wasted.

Sifu is now available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.