Sifu
Developer/publisher Sloclap
Format PC, PS4, PS5 (tested)
Release Out now
Stop. Breathe. Try again. For all the gorgeously choreographed punches and kicks and offered by Sifu, its most defining action might be this: putting the controller down for the duration of one long exhale and repeating a mantra. It’s a ritual of acceptance and preparation that takes a while to settle into. The initial urge is to mash the attack buttons, which rewards you with fight animations as carefully crafted as lines of poetry. Until, inevitably, a sweeping leg or a length of pipe to the skull puts a hard caesura in your flow. Your warrior drops, and what seemed moments before like an appreciative audience takes the opportunity to put the boot in. And just like that – you’re dead.
At this point, you’re given the chance to rise from the grave with a single input, the only cost a small chunk of your fighter’s lifespan: a little grey up top, a few more lines on the skin. But in truth, you’re best taking that moment of quiet, considering your options. How many combatants were there? Which way should you strike first? Are you best off packing it all in and starting over?