Expected firmly after a first convincing title in 2017, the Parisian studio pays homage to this art this time, and does it well.
Like many cinematographic genres, the kung-fu film had its heyday thanks to stars like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan or Jet Li. On the video game side, many titles have tried to transcribe the fury, the energy and beauty of this ancestral martial art. At the start of 2022, a new challenger enters the arena to become the new reference of the genre: Sifu.
An ode to the golden age of kung fu and the ancestral art
Hidden in a piece of furniture at the Wuguan kung-fu school, the main character sees his father being murdered by a group of assailants. Five faces that will remain engraved in the memory of this child who decides to train as much as possible to exercise his revenge when the time comes. Worthy of a kung-fu movie, here is the pitch that awaits the players of Sifu, the latest video game from Sloclap. After his first title, Absolvein 2017, which already offered a fairly advanced combat system and had allowed it to make a name for itself, the Parisian studio is back with a game available on PS4, PS5 and PC on the Epic Games Store.
Thought as a tribute to the greatest martial arts films, Sifu never puts that ambition to shame. After a prologue in the skin of the villain, which allows to set up the story and, above all, to get to know the main keys, the game can finally begin. Our hero is just 20 years old. This may seem like a detail, but we particularly appreciate the opening credits which, in addition to its “kung-fuesque” sounds, allows us to play with the novice fighter to master the main keys.
Basic story, but concept as dazzling as a straight punch
If the scenario is simple (revenge, revenge and revenge), it is simply because it takes the popular route of revenge movie. The goal is simple: chain the opponents, more or less tough, to the boss and so on, in various environments. Whether it’s down an unattractive hallway or on top of a building, the fight sequences are dynamic and some evoke classic action movies like The Raid Where John Wick. But, besides revenge, Sifu is also a story of learning and, to highlight this essential aspect of kung fu (and life in general), the game of Sloclap holds a wonderful idea.
If we begin the adventure at 20, it is from the top of our 70, 75 years that we will come to the end of history. In fact, each time your health drops to zero, you come back to life having aged as many years as the number of times you have been knocked out since the start of the game. And, since the difficulty is very quickly present in Sifu, needless to say that getting old can happen very quickly. Each time you pass another decade, the character is revived with less health, but more damage. In addition, the title of Sloclap takes an RPG turn with a skill tree where it is possible to unlock excess health or new skills.
An exotic and perfectly mastered style
Visually, the title is also a journey, the studio having opted for a “painting” rendering steeped in Chinese culture. On PlayStation 4, Sifu is far from unpleasant to watch and we dare not imagine the same game on PS5 or PC, with a 4K display at 60 frames per second. Special mention to the 2D phase, when you have to overcome several opponents in a long corridor, which can remind a cult scene from the series Daredevil. However, we regret certain levels in closed spaces, the luminosity not being the most present in Sifu, and a camera sometimes gets stuck in blind spots. A point that can disturb the player in the middle of a sequence and quite simply spoil the game phase.
Becoming a kung fu ace will take a lot of time and hard work.
Classic in its grip (a trigger to ward off and different buttons to undermine opponents), the beat’em all is however far from easy to handle. To gain experience and advance your character, you will have to chain the combos. You might as well not go overboard: they are complex, varied and require some time to master them. Essential in an art like kung fu, timing is also crucial in Sifu. Whether it’s dodging, blocking, and counterattacking, parrying in time is vital to avoid losing too much health and aging.
But, whatever love you may have for the challenge or the sense of timing, there is no need to hide it: it will take time to complete this game. Like kung fu, which is learned by several years, it will be necessary to fall again and again to become an outstanding fighter. However, be careful not to fall too much, since the Game Over will make the player start from scratch! The message is simple: rushing won’t help, it’s better to take the time to master your art. A principle perfectly respected by the Sloclap studio.
