izigame.me

The game was completed shortly after the release in 2022 and since there was no level of difficulty selection at the time, this review is relevant for "Disciple" level of difficulty. I've gotten both ending and replayed the game a few times to unlock all the skills and achievements.
The main concept of the game is honing your skill as a player through practice and adversities the game throws at you. Thus let's look at the game through the lens of the developers' presentation of their project. Since the devs have a very clear vision of their product, which mostly doesn't align with the modern game design, it has to be said that this game is not meant to appeal to the masses.
Sifu is a third-person beat 'em up, which successfully incorporates a few ideas from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which, apparently, are becoming the next trend in the industry, and a peculiar iteration of Freeflow Combat, popularized by the Batman Arkham series, with a few additions and changes.
Pros:
+ Complex and deep combat system:
1) A plethora of defensive mechanics, which absolutely have to be used properly depending on the situation: avoid, dodge, block and deflect. The base of the defensive gameplay is the Structure Gauge, which is affected by blocking and deflecting like this: when you get hit while blocking, the Structure Gauge is getting filled and upon reaching its maximum, the player gets stunned, which most likely will lead to death. Deflecting is basically a perfectly timed block achieved by blocking right before the hit would land. Not only this move doesn't fill the Structure Gauge, but also allows the player to perform effective counter attacks. Each successful Avoid reduces the Structure Gauge meter. Dodges have no effect on the Structure Gauge, but are useful for strategic repositioning during the fight. Such interactions stimulate the player to actively watch their defense status and make the right decisions, as ignoring these mechanics or using them incorrectly will lead to defeat, which in turn will lead to frustration. This specific unforgiving approach to combat makes this game accessible to smaller audiences, but it doesn't make it bad though.
2) The offensive arsenal is also rather varied: many various strikes, which you can tie into combos, throws, focus-attacks (effective special attacks, which spend special points meter), the ability to partially use the environment and 3 types of melee weapons. Overall, there are plenty of ways to improve your skill. This the the highest level of mastery that I've seen at the time I was writing this text, although obviously you should watch it only if you don't mind the spoilers.
+ SSStylish visuals and combat choreography.
+ Difficult bosses which challenge the player's skills.
Neutral:
• Many references to martial arts movies.
• The high barrier to entry.
• Rather controversial Aging System. The thing is that the game starts off when the main character is 20 years old. Every time you die, the character is magically resurrected, but ages 1 year. Every subsequent death adds a year to the total death counter, so if you die at age 21 with the counter showing 2 deaths, you get back to life and turn 23 now. The following death adds another one to the counter making it 3 total, and if you die again you're adding 3 years to your current age, which is 23 so you get back to life and turn 26, and so on. It might sound complicated but in practice it's much simpler. Aging 10 years reduces the character's health, but increases the damage output. Although, the main problem most players will face is reaching 70 years of age, which is the final life you get since dying at this age is permanent and sends you back to the start of the level and you're resurrected with the age you entered the level at. Thus, you need to play as clean as possible and avoid unnecessary deaths at all cost to beat this game. Though, considering the overall harshness of the game, this is easier said than done for an unprepared player, which might become a reason to quit, since not everyone will be interested in replaying the same levels to improve their personal scores. It would've been easier to manage that if Sifu had been a full-fledged roguelike, but the devs made it easier by adding an easy mode (Student) a little while after the release.
• The game is a real gem for speedrunners or players who like to improve their own scores.
• There are various types of collectibles scattered around the levels, which immerse the players into the game's lore. You can also find keys for opening the shortcuts, which are useful for future replays.
Cons:
- Sometimes the camera selects suboptimal angles which block the view. This is unacceptable for a beat 'em up where you're supposed to keep your eyes on each and every brawler and control the crowd properly.
Incredibly stylish, skill-dependent and absolutely unforgiving indie-action with a wonderful combat system, which you might not be able to beat, but it's undoubtedly worth trying.
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