The merciless martial arts title Sifu will soon receive more accessibility options, including alternate difficulty modes and more effective captions. Sloclap's intense action game, based on the style and tone of classic kung fu films, puts players a the path for revenge where every death gradually ages the player character. While Sifu difficulty options were not available at launch, many gamers have requested a way to make the title more accessible.
Sifu centers around a young martial arts student's quest for revenge after five villains attack his dojo and murder his sensei. Fighting their way through armies of foes, players must master an in-depth combat system consisting of over 100 different attacks and combos. Different strikes, parries and environmental attacks make for truly complex encounters, and if the player is defeated the protagonist ages by several years. Aging increases attack power but decreases health, making for more brutal battles. While Sloclap recently revealed that the game will not receive any multiplayer content, the developer did reveal that some form of post-launch DLC for Sifu is in the works.
As revealed by accessibility advocate Steve Saylor (via Twitter) and reported by Can I Play That?, Sifu will receive a number of accessibility features through post-launch updates. These updates will include highly-requested difficulty modes, allowing players to make the experience easier or harder based on their comfort level. Other accessibility options will include better captions, which could potentially translate information like ambient sounds into text. Pausing the game during dialogue and silencing footsteps when walking into obstacles may also be added, with both options making the game easier for certain gamers to pick up.
While many players have struggled with the fast-paced combat of Sifu, others seem to have already mastered the recently-released martial arts epic. One particularly skilled gamer recently completed a 40-minute no death Sifu speedrun to demonstrate their kung fu dominance. Players age each time they die in Sifu, but the skillful speedrunner was able to complete the game in under an hour while still at the starting age of 20. This speedrun further demonstrates the need for alternate difficulty modes, since some gamers would embrace a greater challenge.
With its distinct art style and unique aging mechanic, Sifu is an adventure that any gamer should be able to enjoy. Unrelenting combat and a lack of accessibility options made it impossible for some to experience the vengeful journey, but post-launch updates will soon rectify that issue. For gamers in need of certain accommodations, or those who simply seek a greater challenge, Sifu's difficulty modes and accessibility options will be a fantastic addition.
Sifu is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC.
Sources: Steve Saylor/Twitter, Can I Play That?