Xbox Game Pass free game kicks a tremendous amount of butt

When I was a teenager I spent far too much time watching Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan films over and over again. I think I must have worn out my VHS tapes of Armour of God, Police Story, and The Big Boss watching every weekend with my mates. The chaotic and frenetic movement of martial arts was always a spectacle.

This genre peaked again in the late 1990s and 2000s with The Matrix and the Western rise of stars like Donnie Yen, Jet Li, and later, Tony Yaa. While epic tales were told on the big screen with films like Kung Fu Hustle, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the crossovers into comedy with Rush Hour, video games only captured martial arts styles in 1v1 fighting games.

Before games like Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken, we had things like Double Dragon, but they never really captured the essence of a skilled martial artist moving through a world kicking the crap out of everyone they saw, and even the brilliance of fighting games don’t match the kinds of pacing we get from films like The Raid.

This is where a new addition to Xbox Game Pass comes in. Sifu, when I first played it back at release on PlayStation, blew my mind. Here was this amazingly skilled warrior who moved through everyday buildings and scenery performing fighting styles that emulated the cinematic greats. There was no need for guns, just fists and feet.

There are weapons though, because anything in the hands of a martial artist can be considered a weapon. If fists aren’t enough to knock down a big lad, then grab a bottle, or a baseball bat. Mix this up with roundhouse kicks that thwack with a sense of bone-breaking impact, or chopping blows that knock enemies flying backward.

Sifu managed to pull off something that is rare in games and that’s a grounded sense of action, while still feeling like you can take on the world. It takes a few experience points in the right places to unlock more health, various abilities, or big combos, Sifu it also takes skill. You can’t button-mash your way through this one.

Each move has to be considered, especially if you want to counter or parry an incoming attack. Chaining together moves comes at a price, leaving you open to incoming shots. And if you die, which you will, your character will age reducing your once sharp skills and ability to weather flurries of punches.

Of course, once you reach a certain age, that’s it. You’ll die permanently and start from the very beginning, working your way through bosses on a path of revenge. It’s an interesting concept that remains flexible throughout because it forces you to learn tougher enemies and remember how you once took them out. But can you get back there taking less damage, therefore fewer deaths?

You’re forever having to adapt and learn, seek out new paths through enemies. If one approach doesn’t work, you’ll die, but you can try again seeking out discarded weapons or utilising objects in the environment on which you can slam your foes. While I hate to use the Dark Souls comparison, it’s an easy one, because you will die a lot and you will have to memorise attack patterns and routes through to bosses.

I can’t sing the praises of Sifu enough, and now it’s on Xbox Game Pass, everyone has a chance to download and play it for free. Whether you want a challenge, or perhaps have a penchant for the martial arts greats, like me, you simply must give this little gem some of your time.