Sifu is the martial arts game you never knew you needed
Seemingly from nowhere, during the recent PlayStation State of Play presentation, a trailer was shown that could stir the nunchucks out of anyone! From indie developer Sloclap, who you may know as the developer of Absolver, their new game, Sifu, showcases pure kung-fu greatness.
Set over the course of a single day, you play the role of a student out for vengeance against the five evil masters who murdered his family (see – every kung-fu film ever). Your journey will take you through gang-riddled slums and bleak corporate tower buildings as you assassinate each of these masters. The story may be as cliched as they come, but much like the films, the story is just a plot device that brings you to the next load of action. And how good does that action look?
As fans of the action-packed cult classic film, The Raid, we instantly spotted similarities in the scenes showcased during the trailer that matched the locations and brutal combat of The Raid. Although it’s hard to tell from just a trailer, the combat appears to be freeform, somewhat similar to the combat mechanics of the Batman Arkham or Yakuza series. Makeshift weapons and environmental attacks can be utilised, and you’ll need to make sure to position yourself carefully to maximise damage and minimise harm to yourself.
The game’s tagline provides a clue to a gameplay mechanic that can easily be missed based on the trailer – Is one life enough to have Kung Fu?
A sifu is a kung-fu master, and in the game, you will be developing your character until you become a sifu yourself. From early reports, this is designed to be a hard game, in the vein of Dark Souls, so expect to take a lot of beatings. We see the character ageing significantly as his skills increase, seemingly related to defeat in battle. When he gets knocked down he appears to age notably when he rises.
With flying feet and fists, the trailer looks stunning, and we here at Total Gaming Addicts want to play it now! Hopefully, we won’t have too long to wait.
Sifu is tentatively scheduled for a Fall 2021 release window and will be available on PS4, PS5 and Windows PC (Epic Games Store).
Check out the official website for more info
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!