6 Tips To Keep You Alive in Sifu

Sifu is not a simple beat ‘em up. It’s going to take some serious concentration, skill, and patience. But fear not! After completely hammering the game for the past two weeks, I can say with confidence that I am now a Kung Fu master. So have a read through these tips if you find your main character ageing from a fresh-faced youngster, to getting ready to claim their pension before you can even reach the first boss.

1. Take It Slow!

Whilst it may be tempting to try and dispatch as many enemies in a group as quickly as possible, it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll be surrounded and dropped in an instant. Instead, take your time and keep your distance from enemies until you learn the layout of the room. Where are the weapons? Are there any areas I could be trapped in? Who should I take out first? All questions you should be asking yourself upon every combat situation, and even when you’ve made the choice of which goon to attack, don’t just try mashing the attack buttons! Instead, slow, methodical button presses almost always work in your favour, giving you enough reaction time to avoid any incoming attacks or slip away if you find yourself being ganged up on. This leads us nicely into…

2. Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and Dodge (and Block!)

Dodging is an essential skill to learn in Sifu, as it will put some distance between you and your opponent, giving you breathing room and avoiding those killer unblockable strikes. You’re also able to leap over small objects like tables or railings, which can then open up some quick strike combos if an enemy decides to leap over in pursuit.

Perhaps more tricky to master are the block and parry mechanics. Block too much and your structure bar will rise rapidly, leading to a potentially fatal combo used against you. Hit the block button with precision timing against any regular attacks, and you’ll stun an enemy and leave them open to a throw move. These are great at clearing a crowd, and even better at increasing your opponent’s structure bar. Once an enemy’s bar is completely full, it’s goodnight for them if you manage to press the on-screen button prompt in time. Not only will this flashy animation see you take them out, but it will also regain some of your lost health!

3. Take The Long Route

Defeating a mini-boss mid level usually sees the main character gaining a keycard — or something similar — which allows you to cut out the majority of the level via a shortcut the next time you run through that same stage. Using these may not always be the best course of action however, as these alternate routes are much shorter and contain less combat encounters. Which is fine if you’re just trying to hotfoot it to the boss of the level, but if you feel the need to grind for experience points to unlock abilities, then you’ll want to go the long way around. Sure, you’re more than likely to be a lot older by the time you reach the boss, but you’ll have a boatload more experience to unlock some very helpful abilities.

4. Unlock Abilities Permanently

You could theoretically unlock every ability in your first run through Sifu, although chances are you will die sooner rather than later and then, whoops, all of those abilities are gone. What the game does allow you to do though is drop experience points into these abilities, and after spending a set amount, they are learnt permanently and stay with your character for the rest of the game.

For example, if it costs 500 XP to unlock an ability for your current playthrough, you can then spend 500 XP four more times to keep this ability for good. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to save up 2000 XP; you can spend the points as and when you have them. However, if you die before the permanent unlock (after only spending, say, 1500 XP) you will need to re-unlock the ability, although thankfully you would then only need to spend 500 XP more before the move is yours forever as adding points into one upgrade is cumulative and does not reset when you need to restart.

5. Learn Those Patterns!

Each enemy has a set attack pattern that can be learnt fairly easily. It’s absolutely worth learning the pattern of attacks at the very least for some of the stronger enemies (usually represented by their glowing aura) as they will strike you hard and fast. Does a certain enemy's third combo attack always go low? Block low then! How about that one boss who does an unblockable flying kick? Best to dodge to the side before running in to get a few quick shots to the back of their head! Much like games such as DARK SOULS, if you take the time and commit to dying repeatedly, you can quickly memorise some of Sifu’s tougher opponents, making them a cakewalk the next time around.

6. Weapons Are Your Best Friends

Scattered throughout the majority of combat encounters are a variety of weapons. Blades, polearms, even chair legs can be used to devastating effect! Learn where they are in each level and make a beeline for them as soon as you spot them. Weapons can even be thrown, stunning whichever fool who thinks running at you is a smart idea, and it can then be picked back up to crack some heads. Smaller items, such as bricks and stools, can be kicked straight into an enemy (providing you have learnt this skill), tripping them up to leave them exposed to a ground and pound attack. Weapons don’t last forever though, so make sure you use the shrines scattered throughout the levels to upgrade their durability once in a while. Taking a weapon into a boss fight can give you a much-needed headstart!

So there we go, six tips and tricks from someone who has died over, and over, and over again in Sifu so you don’t have to! Although you absolutely will, sorry. Still, practice, take it easy, and — most importantly — have fun! If you have any helpful tips that I’ve missed, please leave a comment and let me know! While you're at it, don't forget to check out our review!