In March 2022, I wrote the following article about Sifu, a martial arts, action-adventure game that I played on the PS4.
Since writing this article, Sifu has undergone a few updates. In May 2022, the game was upgraded to contain new features. Among these are: 1) An easier difficulty mode, 2) a harder difficulty mode, and 3) enhanced options in the training simulator.
For clarity, I have not played the game since these updates have been released. The article that I wrote regarding the punishing difficulty still seems to be relevant since the current trophy stats for the game have not improved, significantly. In the original article, the percentage of players who had completed the game by defeating the final boss after the fifth level sat at about 15%. That number has improved since the release of the software updates mentioned. But the number’s increase is minimal enough to support the case I make in the article below.
Enjoy!
Sifu, a much-awaited, kung-fu laden, bonanza of a video game delivered by developer Sloclap, has been hotly contested within the online community. Some love it. Some hate it. Some have mastered it. While others have given up on the game entirely.
When I initially sat down to write this review, I took a very mechanical approach to the writing assignment. I wanted to deconstruct the individual, major components of the game: gameplay, graphics and story. I replayed the game several times and took notes. And then I realized something important.
I was not working toward the review that I had already started to form in my head.
Don’t get me wrong. Analyzing the major game components is important. And I do that in this review article. However, I actually want to complete this analysis in the context of the social implications of a game like this. Namely: crushingly brutal and punishing, game difficulty.
Why is this a problem? I can see this question being posed with a quizzical look. The truth is that there is nothing wrong with this level of intended difficulty. But is it good for the video game industry, as a whole?
I say this to say that Sifu is indeed a hard game. It is punishingly hard. And it doesn’t help that there are glaring deficiencies with the camera, enemy targeting, and player movement. These gameplay issues only serve to make the game artificially difficult because they do not facilitate a reasonable approach to the game for most players. The issues can be overcome, but I’d argue that it’s not fun to spend time overcoming design and implementation frustrations over simply enjoying the available content. Indeed, such shortcomings in implementation are probably turning players off of the game entirely.
Look no further than the current trophy data associated with the game and posts on both Reddit and other video game focused social platforms for proof of gamers’ frustration. Here is a recent post on r/SifuGame – as related to the timing of the original posting of this article – that exemplifies some of the discourse being exchanged around the game.
Of note in the above subreddit, many users indicate that getting good at the game – described in the community as “Git gud” – requires both time and patience. After employing both of those resources with a healthy dose of skill, I have all but one trophy. And I haven’t gone back to finish doing all the finishers to get both it and the platinum trophy. This is because I’m prioritizing other entertainment options over that. However, I’m willing to consider that other gamers that play in their free time will not have the convenience of time resource needed to attain a sufficient level. This is mentioned by some users in the subreddit thread.
Let’s take a look at the game’s trophy data (note: you’ll need to hover your mouse over the appropriate row to see the true number for all PlayStation gamers). Trophies in games are awarded when certain milestones in the game are achieved. In Sifu, there are trophies awarded for defeating the bosses at the end of each level of gameplay. These are the data that we will consider.
When I initially researched this in March 2022, I noted that just about 15% of gamers had even finished the game – defeating the final boss at the end of the 5th level, The Sanctuary. As of the publishing of this article, that number has recognized a paltry increase to 21.7%. Even with the addition of an easy mode, the game has seem minimal uptick in the number of gamers whom have beaten the game.
Additionally, less than half of all players had prevailed past the second of the game’s five levels per this GamesRader article in March 2022. Reviewing the current trophy data indicates that this number has moved from a pre-easy mode 45%, to a post-easy mode 47.4%. This indicates that only about 2.4% additional players were able to progress through the game once easy mode was added. This also suggests that all of the additional players that beat the final boss were those who could already beat the second boss. It doesn’t appear that the addition of an easy mode has made the game more approachable for players whom were struggling prior to the game update.
While many players argue that the challenge of a game like Sifu is what creates both the fun and satisfaction that goes with playing a game such as this, the trophy stats seem to suggest that these players are in the minority.
Both intrinsically difficult games and high difficulty levels should definitely exist. However, should they exist as they do in Sifu? Should games release with easy modes, or should Sifu have stuck to its sole, crushing difficulty level? Does the game’s update with an easier mode indicate the game developers recognized the need for a more approachable level of difficulty? And, given the poor increase in player achievement per the trophy data, was the development team successful in making their game more accessible to a wider range of players?
Leave your answers, thoughts and feedback in the comments below.