Sifuhas undoubtedly been one of the year’s best indie games.From developer Sloclap, the studio behind 2017’s immersive beat-em-upAbsolver,Sifuis a martial arts extravaganza pitting the player against hordes of highly skilled, sometimes even armed fighters across five unique and branching levels. Despite a high difficulty curve, the game received strong reviews thanks to its robust fighting mechanics and striking art style. To coincide with the game’s Xbox and Steam launch in March, a new Arenas Mode has been announced, offering players additional ways to experienceSifu’s excellent combat.
UponSifu’s release in February, Sloclap promised fans that the game would receive regular post-launch updates, and it’s refreshing to see the French developer has been true to its word, releasing a number of significant updates throughout the year. These updates have included new outfits, additional difficulty options that give players an easier experience with Student difficulty or a tougher one with Master difficulty, as well as introducing various gameplay modifiers that allow for things like unbreakable weapons.Arenas Mode could well be the biggest new update yet, and the best part is that it’s coming at no additional cost for gamers who already own the title.
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Arenas Mode Should Breathe New Life into Sifu
Thanks to a combination of one of the most impactful and fluid combat systems in the beat-em-up genre, an art style that strikes a balance between cartoony and realistic, and an innovative twist on theRoguelike formulathat sees the protagonist age with each death,Sifumade quite an impression on those who played it. It tasks the player with hunting down five martial artists in a quest for revenge after they slaughter the protagonist’s master and leave them for dead. A simple but effective narrative perfectly compliments what is clearly the game’s main focus: the combat. Players can use a variety of techniques, including punches, kicks, counters, and throws, as well as interact with the environment in a number of ways in order to cause damage to their opponents.
The fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled combat is built for battling hordes of enemies, and this makes the new Arenas Mode particularly intriguing. While Sloclap hasn’t gone into much detail yet regarding what this mode may entail, the name seems to allude to arena-style fights, something which, along withtough boss fights,Sifuseems built for. The short announcement trailer seems to reinforce this by showing the protagonist battling numerous enemies in a variety of different arenas, including stages from the game, as well as what appears to be a giant green screen and a huge helipad. New moves and outfits will also release alongside this, too.
One of the game’s only drawbacks is its length. Despite each stage having multiple paths and routes, ultimately it only contains five levels. The fact that this new update coincides withthe game’s Xbox and Steam releases, which are currently the only major video game platforms thatSifuisn’t playable on, is likely no coincidence. Sloclap will be hoping that the new Arenas Mode will result in a spike in the game’s player base, and serve to appease those fans who are craving more levels to fight their way through.
The trailer promises that more news regarding Arenas Mode will be forthcoming. It is unknown how long these free post-launch updates will continue, but, despite rumors surfacing earlier in the year thatSloclap is working on a new 3D action game, it seems the developer is not yet done withSifu. Gamers who initially completed the beat-em-up earlier this year may find themselves dusting their copy off and booting the game back up when this next update releases in March.
Sifuis available on PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. It is due for release on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One in March 2023.
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