From its announcement to its launch I could not wait for Sifu. Whenever you are excited about a game there is a bigger chance of disappointment. Was I disappointed? Nope.

nn

Reviewed on PlayStation 5

n

When Sifu was announced I was immediately taken back to my multiple play throughs of Sleeping Dogs. The way the combat looked reminded me so much of it. From the use of weapons and environment alone, that’s all I saw when watching the trailer. That is not even close to what Sifu is but I’m still not disappointed.

n

The gameplay of Sifu is extremely in-depth and very difficult to master. It’s a hard game to put it lightly. The combat works well and is fast and fluid but even the trash enemies can take you down in just a few hits. You have to dodge and counter everything you can to stay alive. n

n

Your basic fighting will be standing still and holding your block button and moving the left stick in different directions to avoid attacks. It doesn’t sound great on paper but in practice, it was a lot of fun and rewarding when you perfectly dodged every attack and counter with a combo of your own. When you are in a fight, Sifu almost feels like a rhythm game as you are dodging punches and kicks to an awesome soundtrack. Then once you have this down, you have to learn how to parry too, it’s another art form of the game.

n

nOutside of just using your fist, there are a lot of weapons to use in Sifu. Make sure to use weapons every chance you get. They are very overpowered and will help you tear through groups of enemies. The cool thing about weapons is when enemies use them if you are dodging the attacks they can actually hit other enemies which oftentimes can save you when someone is coming at you from an angle.

n

Like I already said Sifu is a hard game. I do not do well with hard games. I’m an easy mode player. Sifu did something no game has ever done for me. It made me want to practice and get better. An example of this is the first boss of the game. The first time I got to him I thought he was impossible. Now I can beat him not only without dying but without barely being hit.

nn

The presentation is absolutely gorgeous. It is stylized and beautiful and when the fights are breaking out it’s breathtaking to watch. During my time with the game, there was not a moment that I thought anything looked bad.

n

The game is very replayable. You will need to play levels multiple times to unlock the full detective board. These are the collectibles in the game. You will also unlock shortcuts in each level making your later playthroughs faster if you choose.n

The only place I can knock Sifu is the story. The story is your typical run of the mill revenge tale. It does do something a little different with the “true” ending but it’s nothing we have not seen before. The story won’t stick with you but the gameplay sure will. n

n

I typically do not 100% games. I did not 100% this game yet but I feel confident I will when this review post. Right now I only have one trophy remaining and it’s to beat the game at 25 or younger. I am at the last boss at 21 years old so I will get it!

n

UPDATE: Nailed it

n

Verdict

nn

Sifu is brutally hard but always fun. Even when I was learning the game and getting my butt kicked I was still having a great time. The game plays well and always looks stunning. This is a game I will be thinking about for a long time.

nn

Final score 9/10