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Sifu is the Coolest Kung-fu Brawler on the Block
Kung-fu beat-em-up Sifu is gorgeous. It should be no surprise, coming as it does from the Paris, France-based Sloclap, the creators of 2017’s super stylish online fighter Absolver. But there’s much more to a successful brawler than looks alone. Ahead of the game’s February 8 launch, Intel Gaming Access caught up with Jordan Layani, creative director and lead game designer, and Guillaume Loquin, Lead character artist and Art technical director to find out if Sifu has the moves to go with the looks.
Sifu is a beat-them-all that wears its martial arts movie inspirations on its sleeve. In the game, you play a Kung-fu student whose life fell apart 8 years previously, and spent every day since training and planning vengeance. Now it’s time to execute the plan. “Movies like The Raid or the Police Story series definitely had an impact on the creative direction and gameplay ideas,” said Jordan. “Hopefully Sifu is the best kung-fu movie you’ll ever play.”
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Respect
For the Kung-fu culture fanatics at Sloclap, it was vital that their respect for the culture be reflected in every detail, from the environments to each crunching impact. “Sifu is an homage to Chinese culture, and more specifically to kung-fu,” said Jordan. One of their principal resources was French Pak Mei Kung-fu Master, Benjamin Colussi. Benjamin was trained in Foshan, China, by a Chinese Sifu, making him the perfect choice to supervise the integration of the Kung-fu moves and perform mocap for the game. “We wanted to make sure the fighting in Sifu felt both authentic and visceral - every hit should be felt and every takedown should feel stunning and rewarding, but also realistic,” continued Jordan.
Sifu | Behind The Scenes
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The story in Sifu is tied to one of its innovative game mechanics: the ageing system. Although little has been revealed about the plot, we’ve seen in trailers that when your character is killed, they come back older. Meanwhile, the fights themselves are clearly no walk in the park. “Sifu is a proper challenge,” said Jordan. “It takes training to master Kung-fu, and while death will be part of your journey, it’s also an opportunity to progress.” 
When you’ve been taken down, your pendant brings you back to life. This may initially give you a sense of invulnerability, but there’s a price to pay for immortality. “The older you get, the deadlier you become, but the more fragile as well. You’ll hit harder, but have lower health. You need to work out how to use that to your advantage,” said Jordan. And, as hinted by the apparently magical pendant, there’s more to achieving victory than skill alone, but it cuts both ways. “If you can use a form of magic to assist you in your journey, who’s to say your enemies can’t too?”
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PC-fu
When it comes to playing Sifu on PC, the extra grunt from a good system will definitely help the experience. “In Sifu, timing is critical, as the combat is really tight,” said Guillaume. “The game needs to stay sharp and stable in every situation. Also, a game controller is a must to master it.” 
Whether you’re drawn by its good looks, Kung-fu authenticity, or the promise of seriously satisfying fights, Sifu is a game to check out. “If you’re looking for an action game with stunning and authentic fighting gameplay, if you’re into martial arts, or if you just want to spend a few hours kicking some butts, Sifu will be right up your alley,” said Jordan.
“Sifu is carefully crafted by a relatively small team of passionate people,” added Guillaume. “I really think you can feel this passion and attention to detail while playing the game.”
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Gamers can expect more information about Sifu as launch approaches. Jordan is tight-lipped about what Sloclap has planned for the future beyond Sifu, but can’t resist a bit of teasing: “You can be sure that we will always find new ways to convey the amazing things that a trained human body can accomplish!”
<a href="https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/p/sifu">Pre-order Sifu on Epic Games Store</a>, out February 8, 2022.

Sifu is the Coolest Kung-fu Brawler on the Block