Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 301 sampled Steam reviews (270 positive / 31 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Combat16% mention it
- Story & writing12% mention it
- Visuals & art7% mention it
- Difficulty & balance4% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Combat13% mention it
- Progression & loot13% mention it
- Bugs & crashes10% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
77%
60 reviews
5-15h
91%
94 reviews
15-40h
94%
104 reviews
40-100h
91%
34 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 81 | 114 |
| Creator reviews (4 tracked) | – | 89 | 5 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 92% | 86 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 91% | 85 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Sep 12, 2023) · 300 reviews sampled · 18811 total reviews in window · weighted 200 up / 17.8 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (163)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Sifu is an action-heavy roguelite love letter to the kung fu film. But as the characters in those films are plagued by challenge and strife, so too may be the player.”
read full review ↗ - 100
- 90
“As a whole, the Nintendo Switch version of Sifu is very good. The action fighting game has a reliable theme, good visual elements, interesting combat with smooth mechanics, a decent challenge level with a multitude of controls/moves, and a solid story.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“If don't mind some challenge, and if you enjoy combat-oriented gameplay with martial arts theme, then Sifu is something you should try on. It's a nice mix of Fighting Force and Sekiro.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Except for camera problems and the occasional minor bug, I have nothing to complain about the game. Yes, one might argue that the absence of procedurally generated location games is detrimental, but the title with the locations it has worked great as far as possible. Sifu thus takes a recommendation of 9 points out of 10. The difficulty is pleasantly balanced, so the good old statement "git gud" really applies here.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Spectacular, brutal, and tense ride, unfortunately without a flashing finish line.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Though Sifu features a few dialogue choices and scenes throughout its campaign where you don’t have to fight anyone, its surface-level engagement with martial arts film iconography betrays a lack of humanity that feels typical of works created well outside of the culture that they intend to depict. The game’s story grouses about the downsides of seeking vengeance, but this is plainly the work of people who like to fast forward to the fight scenes.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Sifu is an absolute blast. What started as an unassuming project has turned out to be one of the best beat 'em ups I've played in a while. It has an interesting story, a high-quality combat system, and a perfectly executed character progression system. Unfortunately, not everything is polished yet, which drags the game down a bit, including the music, which tends to fade completely from the player's awareness.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Sifu was one of the best games of the year when it launched on other platforms, and it's no different now on Switch. Its hardcore combat that pushes you to the limits of your skill, paired with a smart ageing mechanic, makes for one of the most satisfying gaming experiences in the beat 'em up genre. While the Switch port is obviously a bit downgraded from the PS5 version, it's still a more than valid option for Nintendo-only gamers and those keen to try this kung-fu brawler out on the go.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“My view on Sifu is so complicated. Sloclap clearly has a lot of talent and their team has made something special on the pure gameplay side of things, although some decisions have been a bit misguided. Even with the best intentions, the impact is clear. We need to be more thoughtful with the stories that we tell and I hope that Sloclap takes this moment to listen rather than push away. Utilizing imagery of a culture carelessly is a bad look through and through, particularly in a time when members of the AAPI community are facing unprecedented harassment and violence. Ultimately, it's your decision to buy this game or not. I loved a lot about Sifu, in learning and growing through its death mechanics; in its musical and visual artistry; and in its deeply satisfying combat systems. But we can't ignore the conversation surrounding the game and its impact on the communities it claims to represent.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Should you overcome SIFU, you’ll find a game that has few peers, which will stick with you long after beating it.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“But it didn't and despite my efforts, Sifu constantly met me with a passing disinterest in its subjects and a reckless deployment of imagery it didn't seem to entirely understand, all the while passing itself off as admiration. Its weak writing and poor characterization strips the game's characters and settings of tension and texture and the lens of the game's creators seems to forget the people and culture at the heart of the movies they love to invoke. I don't think I can square that away and I'm not sure anyone should have to.”
read full review ↗
Geek to Geek Media
Stryftek
Pure Nintendo
GameMAG
INDIANTVCZ
3DNews
Slant Magazine
Gaming Professors
Nintendo Life
video games are good
Seasoned Gaming
Paste Magazine…and 151 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Sifu | Patch Note 1.24Sep 12, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- Out Now: Sifu's Final Content UpdateSep 7, 2023
- Sifu | Final Title Update Reveal TeaserJul 4, 2023
- Sifu | Patch Note 1.22May 11, 2023significant · resets scoring window