Absolver’s developer returns with a kung fu revenge fantasy

Developer/publisher-Sloclap 

Format-PC, PS4, PS5 

Origin-France

Release-2021

Your master is dead, and you’re on a mission to take down the five assassins responsible for his demise. Each is protected by an army of goons that you need to defeat single-handedly using flurries of beautifully executed kung fu strikes and the occasional thrown table leg. Sifu is a singleplayer brawler from Paris-based Sloclap, creator of gorgeous PvP battler Absolver. Though the clean art style and expertly choreographed attacks are heavily reminiscent of the studio’s previous title, Sifu has a meaner edge. In one set-piece, your character battles a dozen enemies in a narrow corridor, slamming them against walls, hurling dropped machetes and kicking them through barriers.

Sloclap wants to capture a gritty form of kung fu that draws from the Pak Mei school of martial arts. It’s a quick, direct style. “It’s not a show. It’s not a sport,” creative director Jordan Layani tells us. “When you think of kung fu, you can think of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. We’re looking for something that is more grounded, more credible.”

Layani is a kung fu practitioner under the tutelage of master Benjamin Culos, who consulted on Sifu to ensure the authenticity of the combat system. “We have very regular workshops with the design team and the animators to discuss the moves, the combos, the properties of different attacks,” Layani explains. The decisive strikes we’ve seen convey a brisk sense of impact that gives the overall impression of a carefully choreographed cinematic fight scene, although each move is dictated by the player. Watching Culos, it’s immediately obvious how his hand strikes and sudden takedowns have influenced the game.