Sony’s latest State of Play seemed like it was geared almost entirely toward known PS4 and PS5 games, with updates related to everything from AAA titleFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketo indie games likeSolar Ash.It was pretty short on new announcements, but develop Sloclap did sneak one in amongst the other more famous games.Sifuis what Sloclap had to offer, and it looks like a significant boon to the PlayStation. After all, martial arts games are fairly hard to come by nowadays, so it’s good to have this unique title under the PS4 and PS5’s belt.
Sifuisn’t Sloclap’s first foray into martial arts games, though. A few years ago, it came out withAbsolver,an action RPG unique in that its martial arts elements were presented largely through a deck building system. It got some attention for its strikingly involved combat. It was up to the player to come up with a strong set of moves for their character to use in combat with NPCs and other players alike. Critics agreed that, whileAbsolverwasn’t perfect, it had a lot of bright ideas that showed potential on Sloclap’s part. There’s no doubt that Sloclap will be thinking a lot aboutAbsolverwhile working onSifu, and there’s plenty for it to learn.
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Training With Absolver
One of the biggest criticisms thatAbsolverreceived was that there wasn’t enough for players to do in the open world of Adal. While combat was great, there wasn’t much to do in between finding new opponents or grinding to improve moves. It’s unclear for nowifSifuis an open world game, but it’d make sense if it was. It’s set in a large unidentified city, so it would make sense ifSifu’s protagonist could explore the city to complete side objectives when he’s not fighting criminals across the city on his quest for revenge. IfSifudoes let the player explore the city at their own rate, there ought to be lots of shops, clubs, and other landmarks where players can meet interesting characters and gain skills, resources, and so on to keep players engages between missions.
Another thingSifucan take fromits predecessor is the need for accessibility.Absolverplayers generally loved its refreshing combat system, but many critics agreed thatAbsolverwas hurt by the lack of a tutorial. That meant there was a steep learning curve to the game that might intimidate or frustrate some players.Sifuis all about a young man trying to master a kung fu, so it only seems natural that the game opens with a significant tutorial. Players would benefit from getting taught the basics of Pak-Mei Kung Fu at the same time as the protagonist.
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Making the Action Count
One more criticism thatAbsolverfrequently received was its lack of emphasis on the story. Critics frequently said that the game felt heavily geared toward its combat, and didn’t dedicate enough time to narrative.Sifuis already well positionedto do well in that regard, though. Its trailer implies a heavy focus on story; the protagonist has some deeply personal mission to complete, and not even death will stop him from achieving his goals.
It seems probable that Sony is pretty interested inSifuif it had Sloclap present the game alongside some much more famous games on their wayto the PS4 and PS5. The hope, then, is that Sloclap has learned a lot from its work onAbsolverand is working hard to play to its strengths while also moving beyond that game’s weaker points.Sifuhas an opportunity to be a very unique action game in the PlayStation’s repertoire if Sloclap can deliver on its concept. It’d be great to see a very new studio like Sloclap make a name for itself with a possible hit likeSifu.
Sifureleases in 2021 for PS4, PS5, and PC.
