Sifu was released in February 2022 to an overwhelmingly positive reception, garnering a cult following, and establishing studio Sloclap as an indie powerhouse in the beat ’em up genre. The studio’s previous entry Absolver presented a unique combat system and progression mechanic that hybridized fighting games and RPGs. Sloclap took the best components from Absolver, added a dash of the roguelike genre’s replayability, plus a novel approach to death/rebirth, and Sifu was born. Now a dark horse candidate for 2022’s game of the year among certain critics, Sifu’s intensely satisfying and deep combat has won many over.
RELATED: Viewers Watching The Game Awards on Twitch Will Get Drops
Sifu’s Fall Update trailer, released on December 8, with a day-and-date release for the content, includes many of the features fans have been clamoring for, as well as a few that should be a surprising yet welcome addition. A replay editor will now allow aspiring fight choreographers to hone in on their visions. Several new outfits provide an aesthetic refresher, and a couple new gameplay modifiers refresh the combat. Among the gameplay modifiers are “touch of death,” which makes each strike a one-hit KO, and “free throw,” where players can utilize the throw mechanic at any time. This update comes a month after Sifu officially launched on Switch.
Sifu’s first two title updates bolstered an already well-regarded experience, adding outfits, gameplay modifiers, a training mode, and a revised scoring system. This most recent update caps off what has been a hallmark year for Sloclap’s sophomore entry, now fine-tuned into a package easily recommended to even cursory fans of the beat ’em up and roguelike genres. Approaching the start of awards season and top-10 lists for the year, it should not be a shock to anyone to see Sifu get some due recognition.
Whatever is next for French Studio Sloclap, if it applies lessons learned from Sifu the same way it innovated from Absolver, fans should be in store for quite the treat. No plans are known about the studio’s next game, though thankfully, between the generous free updates to the game and its rock-solid foundation, gamers won’t be getting sick of Sifu anytime soon.
Sifu is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch.
MORE: 5 Ways To Combat Master Difficulty In Sifu
