Sifu is almost here and the reviews have started to trickle out. Sitting at 81 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic, Sifu is seeing an overall positive reception from critics.
Our reviewer, George Foster, gave Sifu a 4/5, saying "as someone who adores games like Spelunky for forcing the player to digest every bit of information, Sifu strikes that exact same spot with the force of a freight train, delivering a combat system that is truly unrivalled" but noting that the story and lack of Asian voices on the development team left something to be desired.
A large percentage of critics agree with this verdict, citing Sifu's fantastic combat system and push to make the player master every single mechanic. Some critics were on the opposite side, saying that Sifu gets in its own way and becomes far too frustrating than it needs to be. Difficulty definitely seems to be the main splitting point here, as you can see from the variety of scores:
- IGN: 9/10
- GameSpot: 9/10
- GamesRadar: 9/10
- VGC: 4/5
- We Got This Covered: 8/10
- Game Informer: 7.25/10
- GameReactor: 7/10
- Gfinity: 2/5
Although Sifu has seen a wide range of scores, going as low as a 2/5 and as high as a 9/10, the overall reception has been very positive. Some of the main elements of Sifu that are being praised are its in-depth combat systems, its great animations, its twisting level design, and its unique aging mechanic.
On the other hand, the main things being criticized are the lack of an interesting story, the detective board seeming pointless, the camera getting stuck behind objects in the scenery and the initial confusion over how some of the game's systems work.
The difficulty, one of the most surprising parts of Sifu, is the most contentious topic coming from today's reviews. Some critics think that it works well and encourages players to master the game, while others think that it's simply too hard and that the game wasn't marketed as being so tough.
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