4.5/5 ★ – bruce97's review of Sifu.

From the very first moment to the very last, Sifu is a non stop, unforgiving revenge tale as you go from level to level and beat up anyone and everyone. The biggest draw of this game is of course the combat. The martial arts combat in this game is second to none. Really, I can’t think of a single other game that even comes close to Sifu. That includes Sleeping Dogs and the Arkham games. When the combat clicks with you, you’ll be mowing down thugs like they’re made of paper. It’s like watching an old school martial arts movie and you’re the Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee character and you’re untouchable. That is when it clicks though, because Sifu is hard. It’s hard enough that I know a lot of people will be put off by the repetition the game expects you to go through to perfect every level before you move on to the next. That and the rogue like structure that sends you back to the beginning of the level when you game over, not necessarily when you die. Every time you die, your character ages by a year or more depending on how much trouble you’re having on your run. This system does add a cool element to the game as the more you age, not only do you come closer to your eventual death, but your health and damage output change too, meaning you may have to rethink your strategy going forward. Back to the difficulty, in this game you will die a lot. I think a lot of people will equate deaths with difficulty. Meaning they may see themselves die a few times and get frustrated and quit, lumping this in with souls like games instead of a rogue like where death garners experience which will help you succeed next time. Once you figure the game out it’s not too difficult, it’s not easy but it’s not unbeatable. Personally I adore the challenge of this game and have been playing it non stop in my attempt to get the platinum trophy, which is something I very rarely do. The art style in this game is beautiful too, I really love the watercolour art style and the way the characters and environments look. Whether you’re fighting in a snowy forests area or a neon nightclub, the locations are a great backdrop to the brutal action they host. The only drawback of this game is how basic the story is. It’s a very straightforward revenge tale as you track down and kill the 5 assassins that kill your mentor. That’s pretty much it. Personally I don’t mind this too much as I think it puts the emphasis on the gameplay, which they know is the star of the show. If you’re looking for a story filled with depth and twists then Sifu definitely isn’t for you. If you want a brutal, polished action game then I cannot recommend this highly enough. Sifu is definitely a GOTY contender for 2020 and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.