In a post on the official PlayStation Blog, the monthly PlayStation Plus games for March have been revealed. Headlining the additions is developer Slowcap's stylish and gritty beat-em-up Sifu. For racing fans, EA Sports F1 23 is one of the other games being added in March. Hello Neighbor 2 and Destiny 2: Witch Queen are th?e other t??wo titles joining the lineup. All four games are are being added for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

A good month because of Sifu alone

If you haven't had the opportunity to play Sifu, this is your chance. Our very own ??Eric "Queen's Blood Master" Van All?en gave it a solid 9/10 when it was released two years ago, praising Slowcap's ability to tread the line between challenge and reward. According to Eric, "Sifu is a ch?allenge worth taking on and overcoming. It’s a story of vengeance with a little heart at the end, and though it might n??ot land perfectly, it’s got a lot of style and action to back it up."

As for EA Sports F1 23, I'll admit I'm not a racing game fan myself. But just yesterday EA confirmed F1 24 will launch in May, so it makes sense to see this last year's release joining PS+. According to the PlayStation Blog, F1 23 features a new "Braking Point" story m??ode with high-speed dram??a and heated rivalries in the realistic racing simulator.

Next up is developer Eerie Guest and tinyBuild's sequel to the hit stealth-centric title Hello Neighbor. In Hello Neighbor 2, players must investigate the seem?ingly quiet town of Raven Brooks to uncover the dark secrets of their neighbors and solve the case of Mr. Peterson, the infamous antagonist from the first game.

Rounding out the new additions for March is Destiny 2: Witch Queen. The Witch Queen is the Year 5 major expansion for Destiny 2 that released in 2022. The standalone expansion does not require any dependencies on previous DLC, and you only need to have the original Destiny 2 which is available? free o??f cost to all PlayStation Plus members.

All four games above will join ?the Pla?yStation Plus lineup on March 5, and be available through April 1.

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Enter the Arenas

If you’ve been holding off on diving into Sifu until its new expansion hits the inte?rnet waves, then your time is almost here. Sloclap has announced that they’ll be dropping the first DLC, the Arenas Expansion, on March 28, 2023.

The Arenas Expansion for Sifu bulks up the core game with an estimated 10 hours of content. This is the sum of 9 new areas, 45 new challenges, and 5 game modes. Among these modes are wave-based survival, time attack, king-of-the-hill style capture, targeted manhunt, and something called “performance mode.�It looks like “performance mode�is about avoiding damage. You can see for yourself in the new trailer.

[embed]//youtu.be/n7604ZHgc5M[/embed]

Originally released in February 2022, Sifu became something of a beat-’em-up darling. If you haven’t played it before, Sifu is a game about what it’s like to be in your 30s. Time stops mattering, your body seems to age rapidly, and every failure is a ne??w reason to feel obsolete. Mixed with this poignant theme is a tale?? about martial arts and vengeance.

Personally, I bounced off Sifu for basically no reason at all. I really need to circle back to it. I enjoyed what I played, but I think I got distracted by something neat. The Arenas DLC might be a good? excuse t?o do so.

Sifu’s Arenas expansion ??will be a free upgrade to the base ??game, and it will release on March 28. It’s currently available on PS4, PS5, and PC. Alongside the DLC, the game will also become available on Steam and Xbox.

The post Sifu?? Are??nas expansion gets March 28 release date alongside new trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

New ways to beat up some baddies arrive next year

Martial arts brawler Sifu is heading to new platforms in the new year, and it'll have a new mode too. Developer Sloclap is bringing Sifu to Xbox and Steam in March 2023, as wel??l as a new Arenas mode.

Up to this point, Sifu has been available on PlayStation consoles, PC via Epic, and the Nintendo Switch. When it arrives on Xbox and Steam, it'll go for $39.99. That will include the free updates the game has received in the time since launch, including the recent fall update with a Replay Editor and the upcoming Arenas mode update.

Arenas mode, which will be part of a free update this spring, will add nine new maps ?with special challenges. Completing the arena challenges will unlock new modifiers, as well as add some alternative moves to the protagonist's arsenal. It's always nice to have some extra tricks up your sleeve when enacting your vengeance, right? The Arenas will also unlock new cheats and special new outfits, too.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXW_4aIEV3Q

On a quest for revenge

Sifu was one of the earlier hits of 2022, arriving just at the start of February. Following a mar??tial arts student whose master is slain by a rival organization. As the student, you go on a quest for vengeance, fueled by a magical artifact that lets you spring back to life at the cost of years of your life.

It's a really fun brawler, and fitting follow-up to Sloclap's previous game Absolver. With the new updates, it seems like a lot has been added to freshen up the experience, and a special Arenas mode is a no-brainer for Sifu. Looks like there will be a good reason to get back i?nto the brawl next year.

The post Sifu heads to Xbox, Steam, an??d gets an Arenas mode next March appeared first on Destructoid.

Can you even buy a PS5 yet?

2022 has been a pretty action-packed year for Sony's premier gaming brand. And while arguably the first year that saw its two-year-old platform, PlayStation 5, accelerate its sales past the 25 million mark, the past 12 months have still seen ??a wide variety of new releases squeezed onto its best-selling predecessor, PS4, hardware that simply refuses to go gently into that good night.

Even visual stunners such as Guerrilla Games' Horizon Forbidden West and Sony Santa Monica's God of War Ragnarok were causing the PS4?'s modest CPU to sweat away, ensuring that the full transition to the ninth generation remains mired in a strange limbo. It's a good situation for the players, as the PS4 has an incredible install base of over 100 million users. But, as someone who previ??ously worked retail for many generations, I can't remember a gaming generation that took this long to become mainline.

Still, there were some PS5-only releases, many of which boasted incredible visuals, dazzling effects, and very welcome high-speed load times. All in, it's a pretty good time to be a PlayStation owner. Many new titles are still compatible with PS4, while its bigger brother spearheads the charge into the next half-decade of gaming... Even if the physical console itself is still far, far too large for anybody's TV stand.

Here are the nominees for Destructoid's Best PlayStation Game of 2022:

• Cult of The Lamb
• Elden Ring
• God of War: Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Sifu
• Stranger in Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
• Stray

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Best PlayStation Game of 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.

Poundland Police Story

It's knuckle-up time, as developer Sloclap has released a new update for its time-hopping brawler Sifu �The fall u??pdate, now available on all platforms, adds several new features, skins, and game modifiers for the super-challenging beat-'em-up adventu??re.

The core of the new update lies in an exciting new Replay Editor, which will let players take a directorial eye to their highlight reels of window-smashing, chair-tossing carnage. The editor features a free-moving camera, cut 'n' copy tools, speed modifiers, and visual effects, all of which might not quite have you recreating the best fist-throwing flick since Yes, Madam, but will allow you to showcase your finest fights at the hea??rt-stopping best. Annnnnnd ACTION!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwrXvBGYtO4

In addition to the replay editor, the Sifu Fall update also includes a selection of brand-new game modifiers. These? include the youth-sapping "Vampire" mode, a "Free Throw" option for all you grappler fans, and the mighty "Touch of Death" modifier for Bruce Lee-style one-punch knockouts. Three new outfits have also been added to the protagonist's wardrobe, including two versions of the "?Wing Chung" ensemble, and a bonus "Stunt Double" outfit for Deluxe Edition owners �which contains the perfect jacket for those late-night drives.

Sifu is available now on PlayStation, PC,?? a?nd Nintendo Switch.

The post Get your Tsui Hark on with the new Sifu repl?ay editor appeared first on Destructoid.

Fight for a new high score

Sloclap's Sifu is already a fairly challenging game to conquer. But for those who want even more of a mountain to climb, a Sifu update is adding some new modifi?ers and a scoring sy?stem later this month to really up the bar.

The summer update for Sifu goes live on August 31, and adds several new features. Gameplay modifiers are a big one, letting those who have already mastered the motions in Sifu impose even more challenge.

Sifu's new modifiers can change a number of things. Maybe it takes away guarding, or reduces your main character to a single hit point.?? Or maybe it makes things a bit easier, letting the player ignore enemies' guard or stopping them from picking up weapons.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CeRPCV_bog

Two examples were shown off in today's trailer. One is a "hardcore run," where enemies are stronger, the?? player has only one health, and they cannot guard or use the pendant. The "fun run," meanwhile, imposes "bu??llet time" and low gravity, along with weaker enemies and a gold weapon.

Setting the pace

A new scoring system also arrives as part of the summer update, with mechanics that will analyze all the moves you do fo?r smoothness, efficiency, and variety. This will also be tracked level-over-level, so you can see your current high score in an area and whether you broke it.

Lastly, there are some special outfits for Sifu players who want some extra style. The Enforcer armor will be available for anyone with the Deluxe Edition, giving t??he prota?gonist some tactical armor.

The Master Hand, meanwhile, will be available for all Sifu players. ?This slick trench coat and hat ensemble has one goal in mind: don't get hit.? An enemy's strike knocks the hat off your head. And you can't go about your quest for vengeance without your stylish hat.

Sifu was already pretty tough (in a rewarding way) when I played it earlier this year, so th??e thought of?? adding more challenge is daunting. But some of the fun modifiers do sound like a good time.

Those who have a copy of Sifu will be able to check it all out wh??en the update goes live on August 31.

The post Sifu ??gets some n?ew gameplay modifiers in an update this month appeared first on Destructoid.

They Fight

Good morning, darling friends of Destructoid, and welcome to Whatcha Been Playing? As always, I hope that the week has been kind to you and yours, and that the weekend br??ings with it the promise of good rest, good times, and good weather. It is the weekend, Evo weekend at that, and I'll be sure to stay semi-tuned into the goings-on in Las Vegas.

New fighting game reveals! What are we going to get? Who are we going to see join the Street Fighter 6 roster? What does Season 2 have in store for Guilty Gear Strive? and are Mileena and Mokap destined to join the roster of MultiVersus? All* of these questions will be answered over the coming 48 hours, spotlit alongside hundreds of digital smackdowns and more than a few instances of "Ok... And now we're ready to... Are we?.. Ok... Ok... Now... so we'r?e going to take a break right now, guys."

Yup, Evo is back, baby.

I Fight

As VS Fighting X bears down on me, I remain deep in training. Oh, not with video games, that's a lost cause, friend. I'm in deep psychological training for a weekend of being in an exhibition center filled with screaming fighting game players �essentially my first "en masse" gathering since February 2020. It's going to be so loud, and my anxiety will absolutely be triggered by the ex?perience. But, I'm determined to face the crowd, see some friends, play some games, ??and drown in pools.

I will, of course, be doing my very best to follow all social distancing protocols. I'm stocked up on quality masks, the venue is large and open-plan, I won't be shaking hands or sharing controllers, and will be spending more than my fair share of time outdoors. I ain't caught COVID yet and I'm not about to start now. But I have to brave the great outdoors sometime. This pandemic isn't going away anytime soon, and I'm missing out on the twilight years of my knees. I'll be ok. But, hoo boy, it's going to be weeeeird.

Oh... I've also been playing Sifu, freshly inspired by these delightful fighting game mods.

We Fight

But that's enough about me and my humidity. It's time for you to grasp the mic. Often imitated, never duplicated, Whatcha Been Playing? has become something of a weekly highlight for myself and, I hope, for many of you. I always enjoy reading about the general weekly discourse that has been haunting your social hours. And the r??est of the co?mmunity enjoys hearing about it too. So, whether it's your first time here, or your 200th, my sincere thanks for taking time out of your weekend to stop in. Here's to you and here's to your Saturday. I hope that it's a wicked one.

Have a wonderful weekend, from all of us at Destru??ctoid.

The post Whatcha been playing this week, Destructoid? appeared first on Destructoid.

Rivals Schooled

As if Sloclap's vengeance-fueled adventure Sifu wasn't badass enough, the hard-hitting action-RPG has been given an e?xtra injection of coolness via a series of super funky fan mods. The skin-swaps all??ow PC players to replace the protagonist with some famous faces from the world of one-on-one fighting games.

Designed and uploaded by talented modder Dodylectable, the fun roster of guest stars includes recognizable characters such as Ken and Sakura from Street Fighter, Kazuya Mishima from Tekken and... erm... Gordon Freeman from Half-Life. Almost as if commissioned by yer boy Moyse, Dodylectable has also created mods of two of my all-time favorite characters: The King of Fighters' Leona Heidern and Street Fighter's Korean assassin, Juri.

Check out the Sakura mod in action in the below video, uploaded by YouTuber Kuroha Zone.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNTUJ3hmDNg

Given the sublime use of motion, impact, and momentum that makes Sifu's combat such a (literal) smash hit, it is amazing how snugly Sakura fits into the adventu??re, bopping brains and taking names as she battles her ??way through the mean avenues and alleyways of China's criminal underground. The fact that Ms. Kasugano is still wearing her school uniform, (complete with backpack), only adds to the excitement �as if she embarked upon this path of complete destruction right after classes closed.

//twitter.com/ChrisxMoyse/status/1492994731353255939?s=20&t=unq02Sbg?fNGQK4dd??Q-VM9A

From Sifu's initial announcement, I have frequently referenced how desperately I want to see Japanese cinematic superstar Etsuko Shihomi modded into the game. While the Sister Street Fighter is sadly yet to make her Sifu debut, these mods make the prospect of such a creation even more tantalizing to me. I'll continue to dream. In the meantime, school's out... and I know a girl who h??as some no?ses to bust.

Sifu is available now on PlayStation and PC (via Epic Games Store). You can find Sakura and Dodylectable's other creations over at the Nexus Mods website.

The post Fantastic mod sees Street Fighter’s Sakura take on the villains of Sifu appeared first on Destructoid.

Boards don't hit back...

Developer Sloclap has released the first major update to its knuckle-busting brawler RPG, Sifu. Now available on both PC and PlayStation platforms, the content drop brings with i??t all-new in-game features, ?designed to test the mettle of the finest, (and oldest) martial arts masters across the globe.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQKooHfAzy8

First on the agenda, the Sifu Spring Content Update adds three difficulty options, Student, Disciple, and Master. Each mode carries with it adjusted A.I., tweaked enemy response time, and alterations to the rapidity of the protagonist's aging. Disciple represents Sifu's core difficulty, so those who have struggled (or dominat??ed?) thus far should look to one of the other options to fine-tune the challenge.

In addition to the new difficulty settings, the update includes two new outfits for all players, as well as one extra outfit for Deluxe Edition owners. These new duds can be applied by visiting the in-game Wuguan. An advanced training mode has also been added to Sifu, which will allow players to practice against all previously defeated enemies and bosses in order to get an attack strategy down pat. I want to see you all become Jackie Chan in Project A, stat.

Finally, a run of technical tweaks including bug fixes, improved mouse & keyboard support, a Dark Mode, HUD sharpness, and other minor adjustments have been made across the board, hoping to make your journey for vengeance more focused than ever before. Just remember to dig two graves.

Sifu is available now on PC and PlayStation.

The post Sifu update now live, bringing new ??difficulty options, outfits, and training? mode appeared first on Destructoid.

Choose your own fisticuffs with a new update, including the "original" level of difficulty

Sifu players who want a smoother go of this whole revenge thing will be able to select the much-easier Student difficulty with a free update on Tuesday, May 3. With this setting, you'll face opponents who use less complicated combos and aren't as antsy; you'll also have more health, and age slower as you fall and rise again to ultimately finish the job.

On the flipside, developer Sloclap is also introducing a terrifying �yet potentially thrilling �Master difficulty for honed players who want to go up against new, more "intricate" boss attack patterns. And th??at even goes for the hired goons: the developers use the word "relentless," so expect zero chill. The no-hit YouTube runs will be insane.

Or, if you're just now coming into Sifu and you want to see what the original fuss was all about, there's always the middle ground, Disciple difficulty, which is the "classic Sifu experience" from launch. Remember Eric's struggles? That review was a nail-biter!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5btgDf-clfw

You can see a?ll three difficulty settings �?Student, Disciple, and Master �in action.

This difficulty update is actually just the first stop on the 2022 Sifu roadmap �we're also getting updates in summer, fall, and winter. There's a visual recap below, but to quickly round it all up, the updates range from gameplay modifiers to a replay editor to combat arenas. Outfits too, of course! Dressing up is a key part of the power fantasy.

[caption id="attachment_319531" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{The 2022 content schedule for Sifu, starting with the difficulty update on May 3.}[/caption]

Taking a moment to stop and reflect on this game, it's nice to know that Sloclap can continue supporting it all year. These additions, particularly reaching players on the lower and even higher ends of the skill spectrum, further solidify Sifu as a great action game.

Speaking of, Sifu had over a million players as of March 3, 2022.

As for difficulty in games in general, I'll keep it as short as possible: more often than not, I appreciate working up to the hardest, most brutal challenges in video games in a way that feels within reach, not hopeless. With that in mind, flexibility is often the key �which is why I am all for Sifu rounding itself out with two new thoughtful-sound?ing difficulties.

Depending on the situation, I am not opposed to temporarily "evening the odds" through better character builds or tactics, accessibility modifiers, online tips 'n' tricks, you name it; we all have our breaking points. I'm also perfectly okay with the idea of running into a brick wall for hours on end out of ??pure spite. There's a time and a place for both!

The post Sifu shows off its new Student and Master difficulty ??levels appeared first on Destructoid.

Step into the (Elden) ring

Believe it or don't, the arrival of April officially sees us one-third into 2022. It seems like only yesterday that I was watching the clock strike midnight and thinking about how mu??ch promise the new year would bring, and, just like that, we're already four months into the year and I've already lost al??l of that well-intended hope!

Jesting aside, (I'm not jesting), there's no denying that the opening chunk of 2022 has brought with it a boatload of grand?? releases �many of which were simply late to the party having been held over from 2021. These delays resulted in something of an embarrassment of riches for video game fans, particularly across February and March, as many heavy heavy-hitters came? out swinging, providing fans of all genres with what must be the biggest opening salvo in modern memory.

While many of us tend to find our Game of the Year d??uring the busy spring and fall periods, it seems that we've already been gifted a huge selection of great-to-excellent titles to choose from in 2?022.

Whether it's FromSoftware's fantasy adventure Elden Ring, Nintendo's period piece Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Guerrilla Games' stunning Horizon: Forbidden West, Sloclap's hard-hitting dust-up Sifu, or even the colorful silliness of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, truly there has already been a five-star release for everybody. And that's without even mentioning the slew of fantastic indie games such as Norco, Tunic, Nobody Saves the World, and Infernax.

And so, I open the floor to you, our beloved community, to ask what one title is currently frontrunner for your Game of the Year 2022. There is still everything to play for. Not only will you have not experienced everything 2022 has offered so far, but there are still a whopping eight months of releases ahead until the arrival of the much-vaunted "awards season". Regardless, there is likely to be something currently crowned King of the Hill, prepared to fend off all-comers as the r??est of the year pla?ys out...

...Cause baby, it ain't ove?r 'til it's ooooooooo-veeeeeeerrrrr...

The post One third into 2022: What’s your early frontrunner for Game of the Year? appeared first on Destructoid.

While we hopelessly wait for another game, check out these Neo and Agent Smith mods

I blinked and I missed it! The Sifu modding community has been very productive over the last month, whipping up a bunch of character-swapping mods that you'd hope and expect to see. From Batman to Bruce Lee to Shaggy, 2B, and even Yusuke Urameshi, the choice is yours. But for my time and enjoyment, there's no topping the mods based on The Matrix.

Yep,? it's Neo versus ??an Agent Smith army. The results speak for themselves.

//twitter.com/Naxshe22/status/1503196559130828802

I'm sitting here nodding at my screen like a fool as the bodies hit the floor. Yes. Yesss.

For the complete Matrix experience, there are a few Sifu mods to grab from Halfmillz over ??on Nexus Mods, including one for sounds and another for the right color palette:

• The Matrix - Neo (The One Suit Physics)
• Agent Smith to All Enemies
• The Matrix ReShade
• The Matrix Combat Sound Effects

Of course, if you really want to feel like The One �enough to effortlessly swat down Smith after Smith in a cinematic skirmish �then you'll need to train. Sifu is no cakewalk. As Eric broke it down in his review, it's a "ch?allenge worth taking on and overcoming."

Or you could resort to other tactics for a leg up. Just tell yourse?lf it's a simulation.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=poLPKdc-zTY

I thought the playable Matrix Awakens tech demo for Unreal Engine 5 was ultimately worth a download (especially pre-Resurrections), but when it co?mes ?right down to it, I just wanna pummel a bunch of sharp-dressed men as Neo in a sick action game.

This is my favorite world-colliding mod moment since Jafar strolled into Final Fantasy XV.

The post The Matrix works so well in Sifu appeared first on Destructoid.

Vengeance is Yours

Sloclap's challenging martial-arts adventure Sifu has hit a meaty milestone of one million sales since its February launch on PlayStation, PC, and X??box platforms. Despite this impressive accolade, however, it appears that the number of protagonists that have found the path to vengeance is decidedly lower.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wJUhfFy-Xo

According to the developer, only around 150,000 players have faced off and defeated the villainous final boss, Yang, with just over 45% of players passing Sifu's difficult second stage! Of course, these numbers do not take into account players who are yet to boot up the title, or have perhaps since been distracted by the flurry of February releases, but it's still a signpost for the hardiness of Sifu's story.

"We are thrilled by the reception of Sifu from both fans and press alike," said Pierre Tarno of Sloclap. "We set out to create an authentic, kung fu action game that paid homage to our favorite kung fu films. We’re thankful for ou??r fans around the world but we are especially humbled by the incredible reception the game has had in China. Our internal metric of success was how well the game was received there and knowing that fans in China are the largest segment of our sales outside of North America and the positive reviews from Chinese critics means a lot to us."

Sifu is available digitally on PlayStation and PC (via Epic Games Store), a physical release launches May 3. If you haven't already, be sure to check out the excellent live-action trailer right here.

The post Sifu hits one million sales, and many more bad guys’ jaws appeared first on Destructoid.

But how many have found justice?

Last week saw the long-awaited launch of Sloclap's face-busting RPG brawler, Sifu. Whether full of pent-up frustration or simply up for the ruc??k, it appears that a lot of people were ready to start throwing fists, as the studio has announced that the title has shifted over 500,000 copies on PlayStation and ??PC.

"We’re humbled that more than half a million of you have embarked on your path of vengeance so far," reads a succinct message on the official Sloclap Twitter. "From everyone at Sloclap, THANK YOU."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FQ1YO3Ks2U

Sifu, which launched on February 8 after a lengthy delay, is the tale of a young martial artist who chooses to dedicate his life to the destruction of those responsible for slaying his family. As our protagonist falls time and again on their do-or-die quest, they return to the battle �older, wiser, and exceedingly more dangerous �as they shape their body and their skillset to overcome the odds.

The bone-breaking RPG won universal praise from critics for its dynamic action and interesting choice to blend the brawler, RPG, and roguelike genres together. It has also been regularly noted that Sifu is something of a real challenge, often stacking the deck against the player and encouraging patience??, practice, and adaptation to the increasingly dangerous situations the protagonist faces.

Sifu is available now on PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out Eric Van Allen's review for Destructoid. Incidentally, if you haven't already, be sure to take a look at the excellent live-action short right here.

//twitter.com/SifuGame/status/1492153978494271493?s=20&t=??iQIJUUsuYz8-oEMKXiR??NEQ

The post Sifu has already seen 500,000 vengeful pl?ayers th??row down appeared first on Destructoid.

Improving with age

Vengeance is at the core of Sifu. Behind the style, the music, the action and the fists, Sifu is a story of revenge. It is a climb up a mountain, as you climb higher and get kicked back down. Finishing Sifu means not just mastering its systems, but becoming so attuned with them that you stop thinking so darn much. The re??ward, thank?fully, is worth it.

Sifu is the story of a young student, who sees their master cut down by a gang of five intruders before them. After training for years, the student embarks on a simple quest: cross five names off a list, and avenge your master. Each? boss has their own level, themed and built ar??ound them, and filled with dozens upon dozens of goons to beat up.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FQ1YO3Ks2U

Sifu (PC [reviewed], PS4, PS5)
Developer: Sloclap
Publisher: Sloclap
Released: February 8, 2022
MSRP: $39.99

Developer Sloclap has already tackled the 3D martial arts brawler to some success with its previous game, Absolver. But where Absolver was a fantasy world of deck-building brawling, Sifu is focused; the move set is light and strong strikes, dodging, and parrying. Different combinations open ?up, but this isn't the complex stance system.

The difficulty comes in just how easily you can die. It is so, so e??asy to get surrounded and suffer an unstoppable onslaught of fists and feet until you perish. Luckily, you have more than jus?t martial arts on your side. Your family's medallion allows you to recover and get back up, at the cost of time. Every time the student falls, they can get back up by foregoing years of their life.

It starts out easy enough: die at 20, your death counter goes up to one, and you rise at age 21. The next fall will up your death counter, and thus add more years to your penance. Soon, you're not los??ing a year on each recovery, but five or six. And you hurtle ever closer towards your 70s, the decade at which you will stop getting back up.

To put it bluntly, Sifu is difficult. It's one of the harder games I've played in recent memory, and it demands a lot of you. Part of that difficulty is in the moment-to-moment fighting. Mana??ging a crowd of enemies can be tough, especially when they start to use deadly weapons and switch up attacks, going for sweeps and hitting with such strength that your strikes won't stagger them.

Its difficulty is also inherent to its systems. Deaths rack up exponentially, and your age and death count carry over level-to-level. Even if you surpass one area just barely, you're now going into the ??next with a high age and death count, with maybe one or two lives to spare. And while your damage goes up as you age, your health goes down. Thankfully, Sloclap lets you set "best clears" of a sort to return to; going back to a level, you can start at the lowest age you reached it at, rather than completely starting over.

Clearing Sifu, at its core, means overcoming those barriers and getting better, faster, and moving forward younger. It feels like a constant uphill battle, like Sisyphus fighting through the hall in Oldboy. While playing it, I wondered how many people would see the end of this game, even the final boss of it. I wondered if I w?ould ever see it.

The good news is, if that's something you're willing to take on, Sifu can also be intensely rewarding. Mastering the moves is one thing, but learning the right mentality for Sifu pays off in amazing ways. Rooms that once intimidated me with the number of bad guys, wielding weapons and different move sets that I'd have to keep in mind, became puzzles that I dissected with ease. There are moments where the game seems to slow down, and you realize it's just you getting better. Sifu facilitates these moments incredibly well. The faster clears become a point ?of pride, as you cheerfully boast about reaching the third stage while still in your 20's.

Average rank-and-file enemies are one thing, and Sifu also has a wealth of mini-bosses and optional fights that help open up more of the world. There's a bit of exploration and discovery to do alongside the brawling, allowing y??ou to open up shortcuts to move through the le?vel faster. These don't just feel like rewards for good observation and exploration, but end up feeling like interesting choices too.

I could either fast-track my way through a level, trying to clear it at a younger age; or I could spend more time in it, beating up more enemies and banking some precious XP to spend on moves. Buy a move once, and it will be in your arsenal for that run. Over time, though, you can keep purchasin??g it, eventually permanently adding it to your skillset. Those additions were crucial to making progress and overcoming tougher enemies, but also felt like interesting choices to make in terms of what I prioritized. A fancy Focus move might be good, to spend some of that special meter, but so would being able to kick chairs at guards to take their feet out.

It all culminates in the boss fights. Good lord, the boss fights. The five targets of Sifu offer incredible match-ups, with a few being among my favorite boss fights of the last few years. Each one has their own move set and arena; each brings their own personality to the forefront, and has two-stage fights to over??come. These fighters have supernatural powers, an?d once the student has proven they are no idle threat, the targets will bring their full force to bear.

Each of those forms becomes its own problem to solve. For some, it simply speeds them up and adds more to their move set. For o??thers, it's a completely new form, with an entirely different style of fighti??ng. The boss of the Museum level is an absolute highlight. It's one moment I want everyone interested in this game to see.

Contributing to each fight, each area, and every bare-knuckle brawl is the style of Sifu. It clearly aims to follow in the footsteps of martial arts films, going for stylish angles with every takedown. Transitions between areas will move the camera to novel places, play with reality, and distort the world. Sifu is frequently surreal?, building a world that's seemingly magical. Several times it asks you to do something bizarre or strange to progress, only to then tumble further down the rabbit hole.

I do wish parts of Sifu were a bit clearer. Focus abilities can sometimes get a little finicky to target, and the camera had some trouble keeping up with the action in a few places. What ??happens in battles or with your stature isn't always clear, and some aspects of its systems took hours before I realized what they did.

Crucially, it has one aspect—a "true" route of sorts—hidden behind a mechanic that isn't explicitly spelled out, and I only discovered it by accident. It serves as the story finale, though the ending also felt like it didn't really tie everything off well. Sifu's story provides a good backdrop for action, but di?dn't stands on its own for me.

This "true" ending is behind extra, added challenge. That, alongside the general difficulty of making solid progress, might deter folks from playing through Sifu and seeing what it has to offer. It is intensely rewarding, but also demands a lot in order to see those rewards come to fruition. It took me about?? 20 hours to reach the summit, but they were some demanding hours.

I frankly don't consider myself too much of a difficulty-chaser in games, but Sifu might have changed t??hat. I had flutters of intense accomplishment when I beat a boss, just a few tries after thinking it would be impossible.? I would lament that I wasn't sure I'd be able to get to the finale, and then pump my fist in the air proudly as I managed to do so.

It's a razor-thin wire to walk in making this feel rewarding. Too far on one side, and it's masochistic; too far on the other, and it's not enough of a challenge. Somehow, Sloclap strikes dead center. Sifu is a challenge worth taking ??on and overcoming. It's a story of vengeance with a little heart at the end, and though it might not land perfectly, it's got a lot of style and action to back it up.

Vengeance, as it turns out, is not always worth it. But if you like climbing a mountain of challenge, Sifu is.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Sifu appeared first on Destructoid.

Reeling in the years

Sifu is out right now for those with the deluxe edition, and launching tomorrow for everyone else. It's a tough, punishing game with a few pointers not made readily apparent. And as the resident master here, I've got a few Sifu tips to help make fights go a little smoother.

I worked my way through Sifu, tackling both the normal and "true" ending. In truth, the most you'll want to strive for ?is mastery. The more you know what to expect and how to answer it, the better you'll progress through each encounter. Let's start with basics, though.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMcjF-S6_cg

Get comfortable with the left shoulder button

Forget others. Forget your friends, family, and loved ones. Your L1 button, or LB on an Xbox controller, is your closest friend in Sifu. It is the ligh??t at the end of your dock. It is the?? method through which you will not just win, but decisively win.

Jokes aside, the left-shoulder button is crucial. One aspect Sifu doesn't make very apparent is ?that while L1+Down dodges throws, for example, you can simply hold L1 and wait for the right moment to flick the stick down. The same can be done for ducks and the left or right avoids. Timed well, this lets you avoid almost any manner of attack: sweeps, o??verheads, and basic attacks.

An early new-player trap is getting too a?ccustomed to the Dash, or R2+direction. It has its uses, but it also has a long recovery time, and will sometimes put distance between?? you and your target that you'll need to make up. Get used to dodging in place, and you're in prime position to fire back with fists. Plus, L1 is also your parry option—a mechanic that's helpful at first, and crucial for clearing bosses under certain conditions.

Prioritize your permanent unlocks

Identify a few key abilities you feel like you can't live without, and work on getting those permanently unlocked. In each run, you can buy an ability to unlock it for that lifetime. Sifu lets? you keep re-buying it though, eventually permanently addi?ng the upgrade to your arsenal.

The choice is yours, as I've seen players with different playstyles than my own (an admittedly very defensive, reactive style) have success. A few are abso??lutely crucial to unlock, though:

• Environmental Mastery
• Pushback Cancel
• Weapon Catch
• Ground Parry
• Strong Sweep Focus

The first four options simply add more versatility and options to your move set. Environmental Mastery is a godsend for ?dealing with large groups, and Pushback Cancel helps mitigate otherwise disastrous situations. The last suggestion, Strong Sweep Focus, is an alternate to your ??Eye Strike attack that gives you more options, in my opinion. Otherwise, find moves you like and experiment.

Don't be afraid to run

There are rooms and encounters in Sifu where ??you will easily get overwhelmed. Enemies have no problem ganging up for multiple strikes and attacks together, and it can get hard to parry and dodge all of them.

When in doubt, book?? it. You can't fully run away from any encounter, but pressing in R2 and taking a quick jog around the arena can help. Isolate one en??emy in the chaos and remove them from the group. Find some environmental help or maybe a weapon sitting around, unused. Even just moving to a more ideal arena—say, a narrow hallway where it's harder to get surrounded—can help a ton.

Many of the large group fights take place in big arenas, so move around a bit. There are ple??nty of times when I'd find some hidden h??elp in a corner of a large area and kick myself for stubbornly standing still.

Spend XP in Sifu when you can

The most obvious time to dump XP into skills is with each death in Sifu. Before you rise?? again and tack on more years, you can dump XP into an?y skill you'd like.

One thing you might not have noticed is that Jade Statues, th??e upgrade stations you usually run into after getting past certain sections of each level, also let you spend XP. And even better, you can spend XP from a level clear at?? the tree in the middle of your hideout, between levels.

Don't hold your XP until you fall, as some of those upgrades?? may make the?? difference early on and save you some years. The goal, after all, is to get your age down. Which leads into...

Re-run past levels to get younger

Sifu has what I'd call an exponentially scaling difficulty slider. Die once, and yo??u lose a year. But die more, and even more years get taken away. Each one brings you not just closer to the hard-loss decade of your 70s, but accelerates the speed at which you're getting?? there.

It's tough to manage this early on. Even with some enemies taking numbers off your death counter, and Jade Statues letting you spend XP to reset your counter, you'll still age fast in the beginning. Each level retains your "b?est" clear so far; make it to The Club at age 32, and that will be your start age every time you go back, until you lower it further.

With that in mind, it can help a lot to go back and set lower clear ages. Each new area in Sifu will pose new challenges, ones that will most likely surprise you and take some years. That escalating cos??t gets easier to manage when you're starting in your 20s and not your 50s.

Plus, you will ?just naturally improve over time. Heading back to beat The Botanist, for example, gives you a chance to set a new start for The Club. Eventually, you can get a high age start at a much later level and be stuck with only a few lives to live. Going back and getting younger starts will help when tackling some of the later-game challenges.

Use your resources

The RPG player inside me always says, "Don't use potions, you might need them later." Well, in Sifu, later is close??r t?o the end. Spend resources in the here and now.

Part of ??this is the Focus meter. By hitting, striking, dodging, and parrying, your student builds up Focus. You can then spend this on a special attack, like the Eye Strike or Sweep. These are extremely helpful. Too many enemies? Eye Strike one to leave them out for a while. Enemy holding a knife or staff? Sweep them and they'll drop it. That's two birds with one sweep.

The other?? part? is weapons. I've never found the need to be precious with weapons, especially when goons have no reservation in using them against you.

Use weapons to your advantage. Take out small fries in a single hit, or rack up big Stature damage on a tough enemy. My? favorite move is to comb??o an enemy, then chuck the weapon at them for an extra hit. Sometimes the weapon will bounce back intact, and you can Weapon Catch it for another quick round.

Hope these little tips and tricks help you fight your way through to the finale of Sifu. The best advice though,? is to simply take breaks. Breathe, relax,?? let your wrists rest, and get ready for the next battle. Best of luck on your quests for vengeance.

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What price are you willing to pay?

Developer SloClap has released a slick, live-action trailer to get the hype wheels in motion for its upcoming RPG brawler, Sifu, which la?unches on PlayStation and PC platforms on February 8.

Running just short of 10 minutes, the short stars actor Alvin Hsing and is directed by Christopher Clark Cowan, (who was responsible for the brilliant action setpieces of Marvel's 2021 movie Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings). It's a dramatic, brutal, and compelling piece of marketing �a must-watch for martial-arts movie? fans. You can check it out below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv3V2C-_l1k

The mini-movie focuses on the adventure's nameless protagonist as they choose to dedicate their entire life to a path of vengeance, hunting down the clan of assassins responsible for the death of their family. Titled "At the Cost of Time", the short film looks at our hero'?s devastating decision, which will see them disregard all of their potential futures, choosing to become locked into a cycle? of violence and vengeance.

This dedication to single-minded destiny forms the core spirit of Sifu, as defeated players will merely return to the fight �a little older, a little wiser, and a lot more dangerous �determined to bring down the five assassins responsible for the tragic moment that changed the protagonist's destiny forever. Whispers on the wind are that Sifu is a challenging game, requiring determination, dedication, ?and, just like its wandering hero, time. How much will?? you give up for revenge?

Sifu launches Februar?y 8 on PlayStation and PC (via Epic Games Store).

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Delays and much-anticipated titles are all coalescing into a few months

Last year saw a good deal o??f games get moved, delayed, and pushed around. They all had to go somewhere. And as it turns out, many of those games landed in the February to April window.

I've alluded to it a few times in past news posts, but well, this is a very busy month for games. It really didn't even start with February, but last week with the launch of a new Pokemon g?ame. And it continues on through an end-of-February triple-header, right on into a stacked March, and tapering off into the spring months.

Between Dying Light 2 Stay Human, Elden Ring, and Horizon Forbidden West, there are some heavy hitters launching early this year. And that's not even counting indies like Sifu or OlliOlli World. So how'd February turn out like this?

Well, to tell it succinctly, delays. Both Dying Light 2 and Horizon Forbidden West pushed out from 2021 launch dates into 2022. Industry heads like Xbox's Phil Spencer had indicated back in 2020 that the effect of COVID-19 on game development would start to be f?elt in early 2021. The impact has reached further with each m??onth though, as studios are taking a little extra time to get things right.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_03kFqWfqs

Shifting release dates haven't just been limited to big year-over-year moves, either. Elden Ring was first set for January, before it got pushed back to Feb. 25. In a personal favorite, Sifu actually moved its release date back up. After being delayed from 2021 into 2022, developer Sloclap then moved from the end of February up to Feb. 8. Fans of specific genres get some heavy hitters in The King of Fighters XV, Total War: Warhammer III, Sol Cresta, and Monark. And of course, Destiny 2 takes on the Witch Queen.

Even February itself has to contend with stacked month-neighbors for games released. January closed out with Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and once we get into March, then we're looking at games like Gran Turismo 7, Triangle Strategy, and Babylon's Fall.

Square Enix in particular has March on lockdown, with the latter two games plus Stranger of Paradise and Chocobo GP all lined up for the month. Add in a new WWE 2K, a Rune Factory port, and a new Borderlands game, and well, March is just as packed with new games. Suddenly Saint's Row looks prescient for dodging this window.

With so many games coming out, it's hard to imagine how to keep up with everything. And honestly, the best option m??ight be to just go with the flow. The more I look at the months ahead for games and the flood that's coming, the more compelled I feel to focus in on what appeals to me. Bigger-budget games are probably going to fall by the wayside for me, in favor of niche appeals to my favorite styles of game, like fighting or tactics.

So, with a daunting lineup ahead, that's my advice to you: follow your heart. Or at ?least, your brain and what appeals most to it. Be comfortable missing out on a big game if it's not your jam. Indulge in your creature comforts. Or even take the time to deep dive into something that's passed you by instead.

For us on the coverage side, it'll be a hectic ??few months. But there certainly won't be a dearth of new games to ta??lk about.

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Take it to the streets

Publisher Microids has announced that it has signed to distribute a physical release of Sloclap's incoming brawler Sifu. The martial arts adventure will get a hard copy on PlayStation platforms in spring 2022, following Sifu's digital release in February.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0quUPdpYb7U

Sifu tells the well-worn tale of a young martial artist on a violent trail of revenge. Following on from the ruthless killing of their family, our hero lays waste to battalions of thugs, gangsters, and other dangerous folks who all have a speed date with the protagonist's fists and feet. While the tale is typical, Sifu brings a fascinating time-based gimmick to the party, as the hero ages with each and every defeat. As we all know, however, with age c??omes knowledge; with knowledge, wisdom; and with wisdom, all new ways to wreck some heads. Can you deliver your vengeance before your time runs out?

Sifu looks pretty wild, and I'm really looking forward to checking it out. We had a preview, but I didn't get the memo. Still salty. But it's all good �I'm just waiting for the PC release so we can have homebrew folk insert Etsuko Shihomi from Sister Street Fighter, Angela Mao from Lady Whirlwind, or hell, even Franco Nero from Enter the Ninja. With its blend of environmental carnage, confined spaces, and bone-breaking martial arts action. Sifu is looking to be an exciting and cathartic action-adventure, and ho??pefully, a highlight of February's packed release schedule.

Sifu launches digitally February 8, 2022 on PlayStation and PC via Epic Games Store. The Sifu physical release will follow on PlayStation in spring 2022. You can check out our own Eric van Allen's thoughts in his preview report right here.

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Sifu brings martial arts revenge flicks to interactive life

My first run through the preview build of Sifu was not wildly successful. I? imagine I sp??ent a non-insignificant portion of it with my rear on the ground. Every wild swing was met with a calculated, punishing reply, and I watched the years whittle away as I struggled to stay upright.

Yet with each blow and every year off my life, I was getting smarter. I learned patience; when to aggress and push forward, when to play back and defend. Enemies could overwhelm me in groups, but I could isol??ate them. Mastering might be too strong a word. But I was certainly learning.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVBDTVaychw

Sloclap is a studio that's no stranger to making games that will kick you down over and over. 2017's Absolver was a clever mix of deck-building, winding structure, and martial arts action. Sifu feels like a focused, re?fined version of that, while also shifting from a fantasy world to an incredibly stylish revenge flick.

The setup of Sifu is that you are a student, hunting the murderers of your family. The path is laid out before you on a board, with different photos, clippings, and notes creating a web around your targets. Given the concentrated nature of the demo, I didn't get to see much of how this affected the greater structure of Sifu. B??ut it did seem like over time, new routes and options would appear as I gained more knowledge on my board.

Your student's greatest weapon is? persistence, embodied in the mystical pendant that lets them rise from defeat at the cost of years of their life. These stack exponentially over time; my first knockdown was a minor setback, a year at most. But as I fell more and more often, the price became higher. With it, my damage would rise but my health would fall.

And I fell a lot at the beginning. Even as time wore on and I began to understand enemy routines and patterns, I could still easily get caught out. Sifu??'s op??tions are straightforward enough: light and heavy blows, with both a dodge and a dual-function guard/parry button. Simple on paper, but in practice, it was easy to feel overwhelmed.

Enemies will swarm you with numbers. They'll fly in with a punch to stop you from comboing their friend to a knockout. They pick up weapons, breaking bottles and cracking bats over your body. Of course, these options are available to you too. But you are one, and they are many. The early action set pieces of Sifu are all about managing numbers.

It helps to know combos, an?d how each of them function. Button-mashing only got me so far in Sifu, and to be fair, it did get me decent?ly far. Before long though, I realized I would need to be cognizant of which buttons and inputs did what if I wanted to best stronger enemies. My lightning strikes were potent, but only if I could parry in the first place. If my opponent tries to strike me with a heavy leg kick, that's going to be a significant punishment if I miss the parry window. So maybe I opt to dodge, but even direction is important. Dodging doesn't matter if I slide into the leg sweep.

Sifu shined brightest for me in one-on-one duels. A? favorite of mine was pretty early on in the Club area that Sloclap had sliced out. After clearing out the dance floor of foes, a tall woman wearing some kille??r boots (figuratively and literally) hops down from the railing. She gives the DJ a signal to put on some tunes, and without words, it's understood what's coming next.

Her flurry of kicks and fluid patterns, that seemed to adapt and react to how I tried to overcome them, was one of the first major hurdles in my time with Sifu. Now, when I go back, it's certainly less?? daunting than the first few times. But it's nonetheless a danger. I know I can beat her, just as much as I know she can put me on my ass and beat the literal years out of my life.

Sifu puts it all against a backdrop that veers from neon-soaked clubs and dingy back-room training areas to little bits of flora in gardens between buildings. It's a very pleasing visual experience, even though the camera felt like an opponent at times. I'd often avoid fighting in too-cramped areas ju??st to ensure I c??ould clearly see the attacks coming at me.

When it comes together, Sifu feels like playing out my martial arts action movie dreams. When I'm in the zone, I'm flowing between hits, dodging and parrying before deftly taking an enemy down. The rewards fit well too; health returns when I manage to sta?gger an enemy into a takedown, and certain markers in the stage will offer me better rewards if I arrive there with more score, XP, or at a younger age.

Of course, enemies can do the same?. Missing a takedown can power up an enemy into a much stronger foe. Guarding for too long can stun and stagger you, leading to massive damage. Some of my knockouts were almost comical, the sort of face-turnin??g, spit-blasting knockout hit you'd see in a Rocky movie. And then I'd give up more years and get back up.

It's hard to speak to the larger metagame, and what the overall structure of Sifu is. But this one section alone at least gave me an indication of what a single moment in Sifu will feel like. It can be fast, furious, even aggravati?ng as I criticize myself for rushing too far in, or not recognizing a sweep when I see it?? coming.

Then I get back up. Sifu is a game about getting knocked down and getting back up. And the longer I played, the more fun it was to see how long I could stay on my feet. How well will I fare when the full game is ?out? Well, it's certainly got me keen to try.

Sifu launches for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC on Feb. 8, 2022.

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The kung-fu fighter is moving up in time

Usually when a release date moves, it's a delay. But today, Sifu developer Sloclap announced it is moving the launch date of its martial arts action game earlier, rather than later, in 2022. Sifu will now launch on Feb. 8, 2022.

The move takes Sifu out of what was becoming an increasingly stacked end-of-February lineup. Rather than competing with the likes of Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, Sifu now sits right at the start of Februray. Which still puts it close to Dying Light 2 Stay Human, but it's a crowded start of the year ?any? way you slice it.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVBDTVaychw

Sloclap also put up a few new trailers and entries on the PlayStation Blog this morning, detailing its combat system and aging mechanic. In the former, it looks like Sifu is using a balance meter to add some extra tension to fights. Really, I'm impressed with the way Sloclap has built up its martial arts; I can see some shades of its previous game, Absolver, but also some really in?teresting ideas like its Structure system.

Then, on the aging side of things, we get a sense of the progression Sifu will have at launch. To take revenge on the five assassins, you can use a special pendant to keep rising after death, at the cost of agin??g faster. While you can build up upgrades over time, these will be lost upon an ultimate death, as you cannot simply age forever.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag0_j-QBhg8

So, it's a balancing act. Sifu looks like it will test your mettle through repetition and practice, much like Absolver did. And honestly, I'm pretty into it. Sifu has been one I've been keepin?g an eye on, and it's nice knowing that it won't have to compete with a bunch of other games for my time in late February.

Sifu will launch on PS4, PS5, and PC on Feb. 8, 2022.

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Boards don't hit back

More brawler news? More brawler news. Developer Sloclap has announced that Sifu will be cracking heads and necks on February 22, 2022, when the martial-arts melee adventure is finally let loose on PlayStation and PC platforms. The release date �alongside a new gameplay trailer —debuted as part of last night's Gamescom Opening Night Live festivities.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmNL7L2IRbA

As a quick refresher, Sifu is an action-RPG with a heavy emphasis on movie-style combat, (I feel as if I've already written that phrase earlier today...). In typical kung-fu movie fashion, Sifu?? will follow a young master on a quest for vengeance; determined to hunt down and eliminate the syndicate members responsible for the death of their entire family. Armed with some of the most violent and devastating techniques known to man, our hero will battle through seedy alleys, sleazy bars, opulent hotels, and cold, corporate office buildings, bringing death and destruction to all fools standing in their way.

Sifu is looking delightfully chaotic an?d cathartically violent, and certainly captures that frenzied spirit of its source inspirations. Frankly, I'm just looking forward to the PC release �hoping? that folk smarter than I will be able to mod out the hero with characters from various stellar martial arts movies. Imagine rocking through Sifu as Etsuko Shihomi, Moon Lee, Tony Jaa, or the dearly departed Sonny Chiba. Hoo boy, that's the ticket for your truly.

Sifu launches on February 22 for PS4, PS5, and PC (via Epic Games Store). A $50 special edition includes a digital artbook, digital soundtrack, plus two days earlier? access to the game on PlayStation platforms. Pre-orders are now live.

The post The vengeance of Sifu will be unleashed February 22,? 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.

Reeling in the years

Sifu, the action brawler about an aging martial artist, is taking a little extra time. Sloclap's next game is moving out of 2021, now targeting a windo??w of early 2022.

Developer Sloclap confirmed the delay on Twitter, saying it was hoping to release before the end of 2021 but that it wouldn't be pos?sible "without compromising quality and having the team crunch for months, neither of which is acceptable."

But in some good news, we also got a new gameplay trailer today, showing off more of Sifu's martial arts prowess in action. Sloclap previously made another martial arts action game, Absolver, and it looks like they're continuing to flex their penchant for brawling in Sifu.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy-enf5xxgQ

The trailer also showcases Sifu's aging mechanic, where the protagonist ages over time as they venture forth on their path of revenge. Over on the PlayStation Blog, Sloclap dove into a bit of how the aging mechanic works: when you fall in comb??at, you'll be able to restart instantly, though you'll age up when you do so.

Eventually, you can become too old to restart, and will have to start over, though you won't get any weaker as you age. Apparently, as the main character ages, they'll gain experience, skills, and knowledge to use in fights. It's a cool-sounding concept that I'm happy to wait a little bit longer for, so? Sloclap can really dial it in.

Sifu is now targeting an early 20??22 launch on PS4, PS5, and the Epic Games Store.

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Kung-fu fighter coming to PS5, PS4, and PC in 2021

After a surprisingly ho-hum start to this afternoon's State of Play presentation, PlayStation lifted the lid on Sifu, a new melee action game from the melee action masters at Absolver developer Sloclap. Can I interest you in an Oldboy-i?nspired hallway brawl? That's the thing that'll stick with me most after today.

This is a revenge story at its heart, as all good brawls should be. You'll rely on a magical pendant to cheat death on a ma??rtial-arts journey to avenge your family in a fictional Chinese city. Nothing's free, though – the protagonist ages each time they??'re revived. That explains the gray hair and beard.

"Careful positioning and clever use of the environment to your advantage are key to your survival," according to the developer. "Throwable objects, makeshift weapons, windows, and ledges... The odds are stacked against you, you? will have to use everything at your disposal to prevail."

Could be cool! Also, if y?ou're stuck on the pronunciation, it's "See-fu."

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