Unlike other martial arts video games, SIFU has a different combat system which makes it 
more realistic as much as possible because the character can counter or parry with its enemies creating a more deadly manoeuvre to take-down opponents with ease, players can also grab weapons such as swords, BO’s and knives that can be used to take down enemies. The game’s narrative is fairly tragic and full of vengeance which is why the game is more about getting revenge on his Father’s killer. Most of the enemies are gangsters, and drug traffickers who are considered to be members of the criminal underworld. The visuals of the game can be seen as high-quality 3D graphics making it more cartoonish, unlike other video games where the graphics are very intense and realistic especially if paired with powerful graphics cards, the game also features alternative endings depending on the player’s decision in letting the bosses live or killed them in the final scene.
The strong side of the game is the story it tells to its players since it is family-related and has captured the hearts and minds of the players, plus there have not been any martial arts games that emphasize the culture, discipline, and dark side of martial arts especially being 
able to link it with organized crime. Revolving around tragedy and the quest in getting good old fashion revenge for a death of a loved one is something that can only be seen in movies adapting it into a video game format has given the players a unique taste, despite the combat system being similar into other video game genres such as the Batman Arkham Series. Its initial ratings are on average between 7-9 star ratings based on the IGN and Game Spot, the public perception has also been very positive because there has been no significant difference whether the player is playing it on a console or pc platform.
It has a unique system where your character ages every time you are defeated. In the intro, you control Yang. You fight your way through the Sifus dojo with your Henchmen before defeating and killing the Sifu. The Sifus son and main character of the game who is only a child attacks you and is defeated. 8 Years pass and now you control the Sifus, son or daughter, depending on your choice. The main character has been in training all that time to enact his revenge on their father’s killers. Every time you are killed whether by a boss or mid-level your character goes away trains some more and returns in a few years looking notably older. His hair starts turning grey, wrinkles appear and his beard gets longer. Soon enough you are looking like a classic Kung Fu master from a Shaw Brothers movie. As you age you get stronger but your total HP gets lower. As you get stronger and gain XP, more moves can be unlocked and sorted into categories. You start to challenge yourself to defeat levels while ageing as little as possible but the game is tough. When I first played, bearing in mind you are only 21 when you start your quest, it took me to the age of 45 just to beat the first boss. Only you age. You will start the level again like nothing’s happened, everyone looks the same even though years have supposed to have passed.
The weak side of the game is the short story narrative and combat repetition because once your character has its stats maxed the sense of accomplishment and achievement will significantly dropdown, there is also the lack of trophies and challenges for players who want to finish the by 100% to truly enjoy the games entire perspective. Another downside of the game is the lack of character customization such as additional clothing and weaponry aside from the old-school stat line of the character. This has been one of the critical comments of gamers because the majority of the games in the 21st century have full character customization making them similar to the role-playing game, and since it had come out in February 2022 it has been considered to be one of the games that are demanding when it comes graphics making it unplayable for old pc and hardware components.
Despite having mixed strong and weak points the entire game can still be fun for gamers who just want to explore and try out new video game releases. Especially now that we are in the era of more powerful PC hardware and consoles that can truly maximize the gaming experience despite the heavy price tag, regardless of the positive and negative criticism of the game SIFU no one can deny that it has been one of the new video games that are capable of being able to run on more powerful gaming consoles and PC hardware. Perhaps the developers of this game would also be able to develop a more exciting sequel and DLC content for this game since most players tend to criticize it for being too short which can be an advantage for the developers because they can create a longer and more exciting content for the game itself. The specs of the game include 20GB of storage taking up little storage to both PC and console storage.
Overall this is one of the coolest games to play in the year 2022, if the gamer wants to play a not too intensive game and just wants to relax, this game is perfect as a pastime. The martial arts combat system can be addicting especially if the player wants to master the art of parrying and counter-attacks, even the mastering of balancing the stat lines and the usage of different weapons that are normally being used in martial arts. It can also be played on some PC that has older versions of graphics cards, as long as the graphical setting is down to a minimum. But to fully enjoy the game it is more immersed when it is being played on the play station 5 because of the higher refresh rate and 4K resolution running at 60 frames per second, along with the haptic feedback of the play station 5 the game can be an out of this world gaming experience. As a gamer, I would gladly recommend this game because the simple is a fun game to play whether PC or console platform. This easily deserves a place in my top martial arts games ever list which I might now have to go back and re-edit.
Rating 4/5 belts
