Sifu’s Oldboy Corridor is The Best Part Of The Game
Sifu has been available to all PC players via the Epic Games Store PS4 or PS5. After some delays with the Deluxe Edition’s early release on PS5. All issues are now resolved, and most players agree that the game’s combat whips are great. Some have had problems with the “run” and ageing elements. However, cracking skulls is a great skill in Sifu, as evidenced by The Squats’ first major challenge.
After completing the first level’s maze-like abandoned tenements and removing a few goons, five minutes later, you will find yourself in a corridor populated with around ten thugs. This is the first time you get to see how the odds stacked against you as a player in the game. Sifu is your new life. It’s just rooms full of people who want to see your face.
This scene is undoubtedly the most memorable part of the game, and it was shown first in the trailer. This is a powerful introduction to the game and a clear mission statement by a competent developer. It’s simply a brilliantly designed moment that could easily be one of the best aspects of any game this season. It’s a bold claim, but I’m ready to fight for it.
Many people recognize the corridor scene instantly. Some have even compared it to Daredevil’s penchant for large, one-shot fight scenes in corridors. Rama avoided machete strikes throughout the Raid’s big fight in a gallery. But there is one inspiration for such a scene, and that’s Oldboy. The camera even tilts to the side to show the Oldboy aesthetic.
Sloclap intended this to show that martial arts fans are in good hands. Sifu hopes to bring the same joy as Bruce Lee’s first screen appearance and kick your sock in a way no one else can. You’re soon able to batter dudes in a room reminiscent of The Raid’s drug lab.
These references don’t make games great by themselves, but they do create trust between the player and the developers. If you are a fan of iconic scenes in martial arts cinema, front-loading them and allowing you the opportunity to experience them is a great way to endear the game to the player. These moments might seem like a lazy rip-off, but they are like Sloclap telling the player, “Don’t worry, We Know What You Like, Sifu Is More of That.”
Sifu uses the corridor scene to illustrate the game’s progress. The corridor is easily recognizable because it was designed to be relived in the player’s mind as the first significant moment of the game. It’s also likely that you came out the other end looking much worse. Inexperienced players are more likely to be surrounded by enemies and eventually lose.
The gameplay loop of Sifu is all about repetition and knowledge. As you progress through the levels, you age as you are defeated. Eventually, you will be too old to continue. It would be best if you started over from the beginning. Either accept your level or go back to the front to achieve a better run. This means you have to go through the corridor once again. This is where Sifu’s magic begins to shine.
If you’re anything like me, this is where you record your first death or your first encounter with the death screen. You can find the corridor before you get slapped in the next room. Although I beat the boss at 67, I was still a little far from level 2 and needed to restart the game. I knew what I was doing, and the results of the second run through this corridor were much more promising. Although I still took hits, I felt more in control.
The corridor of Sifu serves to show the player that experience is more important than XP. The gallery showcases how important it is to know what to expect, master your moves, learn how to use weapons efficiently, and practice dodges and parries. You can quickly overcome any obstacle that seems impossible if you are a new player.
After just a few runs, your terrible corridor fights will become a martial arts tour de force. You can destroy entire rooms without getting hit. Sifu is a challenging game that thrives when players feel their personal growth. The first level’s corridor shows this. It does this by paying tribute (and filming) to one of the most violent fight scenes in modern history.
