A large majority of indie titles have recently taken the gaming community by storm, and Sloclap's second title Sifu is certainly among them. Many fans have been calling for a new beat 'em up game that would primarily focus on the aspects of hand-to-hand combat, alongside skill trees and a variety of skill sets. Developers were able to do just that with Sifu, and considering its high level of praise from the point of its release up till now, it is safe to say that the title is a success.
With the occasional free updates and improvements added to the game, Sloclap has adhered to players who have requested a further challenge by adding a new difficulty system, and players will be aware of how much of an obstacle it is.
5 Mastering The Parry System
One of the most crucial steps toward the player standing their ground on the master difficulty is ensuring that the parry system is practiced to a great extent. This allows players to gradually deplete enemies' structure system whilst also having an impact on theirs, depending on the upgrades that are active.
The benefit of breaking enemies' structure is the possibility for a finisher or one less enemy who is bombarding the player with attacks. With the master difficulty, enemies tend to attack more often in groups rather than individually and hit much harder than normal. If the parry system is used to its maximum potential, this is a massive advantage for being on the back foot and defense.
4 Utilize Sweep Attack
When outnumbered by enemies who are relentless with attacks, the best strategy to remain engaged in combat and counter would certainly come down to the sweep attack for players. Not only does this work well for the majority of the time when timed correctly, but it can knock down multiple opponents in one go. This is essential for players who often need a breather from the onslaught and provides more time to strategize in the midst of battle.
In conjunction with this attack is the important use of grabbing and throwing enemies, as doing so in the same path as a fallen opponent could result in another enemy falling too. Executing this attack in the opposite direction is a huge benefit as it can result in the dodge of an attack while putting opponents on their backs. Whilst this is an advantage in many aspects, players must use this cautiously as being pushed back by another enemy's attack can lead to a fall too which is a dangerous position to be in on this difficulty.
3 Utilize Crotch Attack
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For players who are looking to stun enemies and ensure an attack hits as intended, the crotch attacks are the way to go. Similar to sweep attacks, this has the potential of dodging and doing damage to enemies simultaneously which is incredibly crucial at this difficulty level. The timing is also very important, and it's most beneficial to use while some of the enemies are in the middle of their attack.
Despite being a pivotal factor in players standing their ground and avoiding death, spamming the attack is a bad move. To execute this effectively, players will know that they must mix this up with several other attacks as this will throw enemies off leaving them open for these stunning crotch attacks.
2 Maneuver Around Enemies
Sifu's master difficulty can often include an overwhelming amount of pressure from enemies who will chase the player down and also use the environment to their advantage. This is why moving around and running into a more comfortable position is crucial to each combat encounter. Enemies can very easily subdue players and corner them, which makes survival much more difficult.
Maneuvering around enemies and using ranged attacks such as throwing bottles and other objects can contribute toward surpassing each enemy encounter, particularly those which are mixed with grunts and enemies specialized with brutal kicking attacks. Whilst this is a booster in the idea of defense, caution is very much needed as opponents also throw objects and weapons that can stun players and leave them open to deadly attacks.
1 Avoid Finishers
Out of all factors to take into account when playing on master difficulty, avoiding finishers is the hardest thing to consider and pull off in combat. Fans will be aware that getting into the latter stages of the game starting from the 'Club' section results in meeting enemies who can defend themselves from finishers and gain a buff while doing so. Even though this does not happen every time, it is possible when least expected and can happen with more than one enemy within each encounter. This introduces a case of risk or reward, as this is a way for players to regain health and clear out rooms much quicker but at a potential cost.
When engaging with enemies who have gained these buffs, players will be met with much faster movement and stronger attacks that deal a massive amount of damage. Dodging and parrying these are still very much possible in these sequences, but with other enemies who may also be buffed along with regular ones, it can lead to a very challenging experience forcing players to be on the back foot. To alleviate this, players must ensure that the number of enemies they are up against has decreased before attempting executions as this will provide a better chance of success.
Sifu is available on PS5 and PC.