The reveal of beat-'em-up action game Sifu first came during Sony's PlayStation State of Play back in February. Since the game's reveal, independent developer and publisher Sloclap has been nearly silent concerning updates and news on Sifu's current development.
Sloclap, whose debut indie title was Absolver, has been relatively active on Twitter since Sifu's reveal. The developer has shared creative GIFs of combat gameplay that are both new and previously seen in the Sifu gameplay footage montage from the February State of Play.
However, Sloclap has recently taken to Twitter to tease an upcoming gameplay reveal that is currently slated for an unknown date or time. Said post does not feature new gameplay in particular, but news being shared about upcoming footage may please fans nonetheless. Further, with E3 and Summer Game Fest 2021 arriving soon in June, it is possible fans will not have to wait long before hearing upcoming news about the game or seeing more of what Sifu's gameplay has to offer.
Sifu's tight third-person-perspective, over-the-shoulder camera angle concentrates on the game's hand-to-hand Kung Fu combat. The game's combat appears responsively fluid, combining parries and counters with environmental interactions and contextual projectiles. For example, the player is able to slam an enemy into an adjacent desk or hurl a bottle at an enemy, although enemies are also capable of catching projectiles. Consequently, a combination of button input mastery and tactful improvisation appear paramount in Sifu.
Considering the extensive breadth of combat that Sloclap was able to achieve in Absolver, players may anticipate a high-octane exchange of creative back-and-forth blows in exciting environments. Previous GIFs and trailers of Sifu have shared the imagery of gritty locales such as bottlenecked hallways with chipped paint, and others have shared imagery of fantastical blood-red landscapes.
Fans have suggested that Sifu's atmospheric and cinematic design is reminiscent of John Wick, Oldboy, The Raid, or Marvel's Daredevil television show, where the protagonists of either medium are tasked with facing a seemingly overwhelming number of assailants in narrow passageways. But perhaps Sifu's most defining mechanic is its death system, where in-game player deaths age the protagonist character.
Sloclap's announcement of another gameplay video may choose to either show extended gameplay footage, or perhaps the developer will share more insight into the game's elusive narrative. Either way, fans awaiting fresh information about the game may expectantly anticipate news in the coming months.
Sifu releases for PC, PS4, and PS5 in 2021.