BRAWLER REVIVAL

Become a kung fu master in SIFU

- Tyler Wilde

NEED TO KNOW

WHAT IS IT? A challenging single-player brawler inspired by kung fu and martial arts movies

EXPECT TO PAY £32

DEVELOPER Sloclap

PUBLISHER Sloclap

REVIEWED ON Intel Core i5-9600K, 16GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 2070 Super

MULTIPLAYER No

LINK sifugame.comyou may as well start from the beginning and grind out some permanent skill unlocks.

Was Sifu’s final cutscene worth the frustration I endured to see it? Not really, but at risk of sounding like I’m quoting some misattributed kung fu aphorism, the experience of mastering Sifu’s combat is what mattered and I couldn’t get enough of it. That’s down to some of the most enjoyable melee combat ever –fluid, funny, improvisational – and a devilish structure that taunted me with its contemptible fairness.

Sifu is a single player-only brawler with just five levels, each of which ends in a two-stage boss fight. Except for the final boss’ annoying immunity to certain attacks, there are no tricks. The bosses can all be defeated just like any other opponent, and the opening credits even show you how to fight them. When you make it to the second phase of a boss fight, Sifu even restores all your health. It’s so charitable that every time I died, I said a few short words of gratitude through my clenched teeth.