Kung fu action game Sifu won't have traditional difficulty options - at least at launch.
Speaking to MP1st in a new interview, SloClap producer Pierre Tarno confirmed that Sifu won't have difficulty levels that you'd typically find in other action games. "We want Sifu to challenge players and to encourage them to learn, improve and adapt," Tarno said, adding that the ability to "rise up from death" would help new and inexperienced players.
If you're unfamiliar, SloClap previously outlined Sifu's different approach to difficulty. Every time the player dies in the action-packed game, the player character ages, which offers the player increased offensive power at the cost of their health pool. In other words, you'll be a lot stronger each time you die, but a lot flimsier and prone to death as well.
Additionally, revives are actually finite in Sifu. It's possible to completely diminish your revives by dying and aging to such a great degree that you can't come back from death, and this will force you to restart the chapter that you're currently playing through. It's primed to be a pretty brutal system, but one that encourages the player to change their play style each time they die, and keep them on their toes.
Sifu launches on February 8, 2022, for PC, PS4, and PS5, having just recently moved its release date up two weeks out of late February. While this is no doubt good news for those who can't wait to get their hands on SloClap's new game, it's also good news for the game itself, as it'll be launching outside a wildly busy period including Destiny 2's Witch Queen update, Elden Ring, and other heavy hitters.
Check out our upcoming PS5 games guide for a complete list of all the other games you've got to look forward to on Sony's new-gen console over the next few months and beyond.