Third-person brawler death mechanics are a growing trend in games like Dark Souls or Hades. The player character has a special pendant that resurrects them and allows them to continue fighting, but doing so ages them. Do this too many times, and it is game over, at least for that run.
Sifu has some roguelike mechanics. For example, the player can permanently unlock skills and items that persist between playthroughs, making encounters easier than before or opening new pathways, skipping many fights. In addition to the player's own knowledge, this helps them to preserve against the incredible odds stacked against them.
The game is quite challenging with no difficulty settings, and even Sifu's developers have tips for players. Players will go through the same areas over and over again. Enemies don't change position, and the level layouts are the same. This does mean that players can get better through repetition, but since the game is mostly linear, it's not the most exciting element to replay a level. Getting it right in the first few tries should be what players aim for, and there are strategies that help with this.
Beginner Tips & Strategies For Sifu
The most important skill that players new to Sifu need to learn is patience. Some players may be inclined to mash buttons to get them through combat. This can work at the beginning of the game, but it will repeatedly end in the player's demise as they progress through the game. Instead, players must use the skills they learn to win in Sifu. Some enemies can block or dodge attacks, so it becomes a battle to wear the enemy down before going for the killing blow.
There are several combos that players should know at the beginning of the game and more that can be unlocked as they gain experience. It's worth memorizing a few of these. In between missions, players can practice at the Wuguan, which serves as the hub in between missions. They can try out new moves they have learned and put them to the test against either a ive AI or one that fights back. They also can pick up weapons and experiment with them. Again, it's worth putting in the time to practice, as martial artists do in real life, even those in film.
Players should have some moves they can execute well. They don't need to know every combo in the game, but they should get good at blocking and dodging attacks and have some go-to moves to use in combat. Bruce Lee once said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." Luckily, players don't need to practice a kick 10,000 times in Sifu, but they should be able to reliably pull off a combo and know when it is the best time to use it.
Picking up weapons whenever possible is generally preferable to being unarmed. This is true even if it's a bottle. Throwing a bottle at an enemy can interrupt their attacks, or at least stun them, allowing the players to get some hits or deal with other enemies in Sifu. Enemies will sometimes dodge thrown bottles though, so be careful when using this. Equally important is that it denies enemies the chance to pick up the weapon and do extra damage to the player.
Attacking and Defending in Sifu
One of the moves that players should get as soon as they can is Charged Backfist. It's easy to use and is especially deadly when combined with weapons. In fact, when using a bladed weapon, it can outright kill even the largest enemies other than bosses. Doing this gives the player an achievement too. Using this attack will destroy the weapon, so make sure to use it on the most dangerous enemy in a room. Players can pair it with the Eye Strike focus attack, which stuns the enemy, giving them enough time to charge up their attack and deliver a major blow in Sifu.
Strong Sweep is a great focus attack to use in tough battles as well. It knocks enemies on the ground, which means they can follow up with ground attacks giving the player breathing room to deal with other enemies in the room. Having said that, players shouldn't become too reliant on focus attacks. Most enemies are affected by focus attacks, but not all. Players will need to learn how to take down formidable enemies without using focus. Besides, focus only replenishes through combat.
Knowing how to block is also essential. Just like practicing with new attacks, players should also practice getting down the timing for blocking. Blocking attacks can be difficult, and some can't be blocked at all. For these, players will need to dodge. Dodging from a fight in Sifu is a useful tool as players can recover and deal with enemies once they don't get overwhelmed. Parrying is useful too, but it isn't easy to pull off. For those players who have trouble with it, don't worry too much about not being able to parry. The game can still be beaten without it.
The last tip for beginners is to start a level at as low an age as possible, as it gives them more chances to complete it. When players beat the boss of a level, they keep their current age for the next level as well. So, if they beat The Squats at age 50, they will start The Club also at age 50. Instead of attempting The Club, it might be worth it to go back and do The Squats again to beat the level at a younger age and with a lower death counter in Sifu. They can also get more XP for permanently unlocking skills. The death counter works in interesting ways. Say a player is age 35, with a death counter at 5. When they die, they will go up to age 40, where if their death counter was only at 2, they would go to 37. Players want to keep their death counter as low as possible. They can reset their death counter to 0 at shrines in exchange for XP.
Sifu is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.
