Sifu Review Scores are in. Did Sloclap deliver on their promise of martial arts goodness? Is Sifu good, is it worth it?

Sifu has become an indie darling even before it got released. Sloclap's previous game and the spiritual predecessor of this game was Absolver, a similar game with an online multiplayer focus. Critics were impressed by that game, garnering a Metacritic score of 75% score on PC, but the online community simply didn't click. Now, we have Sifu, basically an Absolver but with a single-player focus. The question now is if the transition to a single-player experience actually made the experience much more appealing to the mainstream audience. Sadly, the answer is no, and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. We rounded up Sifu review scores from multiple sources on Metacritic to see what games journalists have to say about this martial arts fighting game.

What is Sifu?

Before we head straight to the reviews, let's discuss first what Sifu is. At its core, Sifu is a fighting game/brawler beat-em-up, where you control a character learned in the ways of martial arts. You start the game as a young student of the art on a quest to avenge your father and mentor from his murderers. The game only has five levels, each with its own unique setting, challenging enemies, and deadly boss fights. Apart from beating up bad guys, there are also a lot of collectibles that you can find in the game, each one contributing to your understanding of who you're dealing with and what killed your father. In terms of difficulty, Sifu is an unforgiving game, asking the most out of players. Mastery of the game is essential, and there will never be a single moment of a cakewalk in the entirety of its 12-ish hours of the campaign. Dying in the game advances your character's age, and you can only age so much before it's game over.

Sifu Review Scores: Metascore of 80 for the PS5

Sifu made our most anticipated lists for both the PS5 and the Q1 of 2022. Needless to say, there's a lot of hype surrounding this release. However, while Sloclap's marketing did help put a lot of eyeballs on the game, it doesn't mean that anyone who sees the game can pick it up and enjoy it. The game requires a lot of patience, attention, and dedication from the player. There's no path forward but through mastery, and the only limiting factor in the game is yourself. Completing the game's levels isn't enough – it's required that you master them to finish the story. There will be a lot of repetition – fighting the same enemies over and over again at the same level. You'll be repeating the levels until you get through them, but spend too much time dying in one level, and you'd essentially not have enough lives for the next stage. While the game as an overall package is a great beat-em-up with amazing martial arts mechanics, it's not for the faint of heart.

The game currently has a Metacritic score of 77 on PC,  71 on PS4, and 80 on PS5. The definitive way to play the game is through the most-advanced console it's available at. Let's take a look at the Sifu Review Scores some of these reviewers gave the game and their justifications for their ratings.

NME gave Sifu a review score of 5/5 stars, saying in their review: “Sifu took me 15 hours to beat and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. With such replay value and an appealing price point, it’s easy to recommend to everyone, especially if you’re into modern roguelikes or From Software games. And that’s without mentioning how it pushes past some of its inspirations with its cinematographic flair and haptic combat. Sifu is as much a tightly told vendetta story as it is a masterful brawler. It’s an easy game of the year contender, and it’s only bloody February…”

Gaming Nexus gave Sifu a review score of an exquisite 9.5/10, saying: “Sifu is the epitome of a well-made martial arts video game that infuses cultural storytelling, brutal combat and a dash of roguelike. With its beautiful art direction, excellent soundtrack, and immaculate attention to detail, it is sure to rivet the attention of anyone interested.”

Game Rant considers Sifu a must-see, giving the game a review score of 4.5/5 stars, saying: “Sifu is a one-of-a-kind rogue-like that marries an engaging setup with sublime combat mechanics. It scratches that integral itch that fuels subsequent runs, and it tries its best to avoid the feeling that time has been wasted. Progression exists in many different forms, but Sloclap's standout title pulls off one of the more impressive versions of it. Sifu shows players they are actually getting better at the game.”

IGN calls Sifu a “battle for the ages,” giving the game a 9/10, saying: “Sifu is a third person action game featuring intense hand-to-hand combat, where you are in control of a young Kung-Fu student on his path of revenge throughout the city. The hunt for the assassins of your family will take you through the hidden corners of the city, from gang-ridden suburbs to the cold hallways of corporate towers. You have one day, and countless enemies on your way. Time will be the price to pay. Kung Fu is a path for the body and the mind. Learn from your errors, unlock unique skills, and find the strength within yourself to master the devastating techniques of Pak-Mei Kung-Fu. Careful positioning and clever use of the environment to your advantage are key to your survival. Throwable objects, makeshift weapons, windows and ledges… The odds are stacked against you, you will have to use everything at your disposal to prevail.”

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But not all reviewers gave the game a high rating. In fact, I think Sifu will be a topic for discussion for years to come, with a very polarized opinion on the game's greatness. A more lukewarm review came from Dexertogiving the game a 6/10, saying: “Sifu offers plenty of unique promise, but it’s no kung-fu master yet. The difficulty spikes will be off-putting for some, but others may enjoy the challenge, but the way it stacks the odds against a player is more frustrating than fun. And yet, players looking for a new challenge might want to pick up Sifu. Even though not every design choice feels like a good one, the foundation and potential for something truly amazing are there.”

There are also those who weren't at all impressed by the game, downright giving it a low rating. Shacknews gave Sifu a 4/10, listing down its pros its branching paths, lively environments, and a banger of a soundtrack. Shacknews though didn't appreciate the game's unresponsive controls, bad camera angles, unbalanced grind, unamusing visuals, and some clipping issues.

GFinity says Sifu is “jumbled and Stressful”, and their Sifu Review Score is only 2/5. In their review, they say that Sifu “wants to be so many things. You're fighting groups of enemies, you're upgrading your abilities as though you're playing a roguelike, you're facing off against bosses who far outweigh you in strength, with an ageing mechanic working against you the entire time. It all meshes together into a game that's far too difficult and without the satisfaction that comes from making progress in a difficult game. It's like bashing your head against the wall, and unlike other games with this approach, the wall isn't starting to crumble. The wall has grown a smug, laughing face as it prepares to take away one of your character's most important abilities, just in time for the final boss battle.”

Conclusion: Is Sifu good?

We can already see a lot of people picking up the game excitedly only to never play the game again after their first time. Skill Up sums it up perfectly, saying that Sifu is a great game that's not for you. So much so is this sentiment that while Skill Up finds the game entertaining and fun, he can hardly recommend it to his viewers. So, before picking up this game, make sure that you really, really want to play this game. Watch reviews, watch streamers play the game – the experience shouldn't be tarnished by these at all. That'd be a better way to spend your time than picking up a game that you'd only touch once in your entire life.