The current Trophy data for Sifu on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 tells quite an interesting story. Obviously the game's only been out for the best part of a week, but it's already abundantly clear that most players are having a hard time. See? We weren't lying when we said it was really bloody tough in our Sifu PS5 review!
Okay, let's start with the positives. 97% of players have beaten the Prologue (in which you can't actually die). Hooray! No, but seriously, this next one is genuinely impressive: 80% of players have beaten the first proper level, which is a really good start.
It does go downhill from there, though, and rather dramatically. The competition rate for the game's second level represents a gigantic drop-off, falling to just 27%. This suggests that the Sifu's second stage is kicking just about everyone's arse.
If you've played through Sifu, this probably doesn't come as much of a surprise. That second level is arguably the game's biggest difficulty spike — and beating the boss can feel like you're smashing your head off a brick wall until you're totally used to the defensive avoid mechanic.
As you'd expect, the Trophy gains get cut with every subsequent level — by around half each time. Only 3% of players have beaten the fifth boss.
- Beat the Prologue - Common, 97%
- Beat the First Boss - Common, 80%
- Beat the Second Boss - Rare, 27%
- Beat the Third Boss - Very Rare, 11%
- Beat the Fourth Boss - Very Rare, 7%
- Beat the Fifth Boss - Ultra Rare, 3%
As for other notable Trophies...
- Platinum Trophy - Ultra Rare, 0.3%
- Beat the game aged 50 or less - Ultra Rare, 1%
- Beat the game aged 25 or less - Ultra Rare, 0.6%
Yep, it's not easy. But have you beaten Sifu? Where are you up to in your own playthrough? Don't forget to dodge in the comments section below.
Comments 50
I can see the developers releasing a patch that lowers the difficulty if too many people are complaining about it.
I really want to get Sifu but I don't wanna drop kick my PS5 out the window!
The first time I beat the second boss, I was like....67 years old, and now I have done everything in the game, platinumed it after about 25 hours, and I'm waiting for more content.
Second boss is a huge barrier, but I think it's masterfully designed. After that boss, I played the game completely different from when I first started playing the game, and that helped me a lot with the other bosses and many of the other enemies too.
You really have to try a little harder each time you attempt a run... As for overall difficulty, aside from the excellent combat system and superb aer direction, the difficulty is really the only thing this game has going for it, and that's enough to make it a really great experience. I could see the developers adding an auto-evade or auto-parry mechanic after a while, but a big part of the game is to basically die repeatedly.
It's a niche title. It's a great game, but it's admittedly very niche, and I think that's fine if it stays that way honestly.
I was sitting on the fence anyway because of the game’s reported high difficulty...this has just put me off completely now!
@Constable_What Here's one thing that I haven't really gotten from all the discussions about the difficulty of this game: Is it difficult in a "You feel a level of accomplishment and achievement when you finally get past the level that's giving you trouble" kinda way or is it difficult in a "The game cheatin" kinda way?
I finished it a couple nights ago actually. My biggest struggle was the 3rd area by a mile. After that though I crushed the 4th level only aging up 2 times and finished the last level at age 57. Great game! I intend to get back to it a little later but I really liked it.
Edit: On second thought, I'm pretty good at it but I don't think I have it in me to beat the game under age 25! So maybe I'll just count my blessings and leave it at I beat the final boss.
When you approach this game defensively it becomes so much easier. This game isn’t a brawler even though it looks like one.
If you’re having trouble, don’t let enemies surround you and tap R2 to backdash out of pressure. Remember you can just hold L1 to guard if you’re overwhelmed (but dash away when you see glowing limbs). Eventually you will want to start high and low dodging. Take your time with it.
Honestly once you get defence down, watching your gameplay back is like a slick HK kung fu film, with your character seamlessly slipping, dodging, partying attacks and all the enemies getting completely bamboozled. It’s almost like the game trains you to be a kung fu master.
Returnal gave my dualsense drifting problems so i might skip this one..
I platinumed the game yesterday at around 19 hours but I feel like I played the game very differently than most. I mastered each level before moving on to the next and ended up beating the game for the first time at age 24. It’s definitely a difficult game but all the enemy types and bosses have clear tells. As a hint for players struggling don’t worry about low attacks. Just block the one low in their sequence and dodge the high attacks. Go for a parry every now and then but hold L1 in case you miss. Prioritize upgrading structure throughout.
Ok those figures suggest that the game is too hard. I don't mind a game being hard, I'm a huge fan of Demon's Souls and all the like-minded games, but when only 1% of people playing the game get to compete it at the mid-level target of 50yr old or less aging then some balancing is required. Having said that it really depends on who the developer has made the game for. If its for only folk who are super-commited, more skillful with faster than average reactions then fair enough leave it as it is.
Haven't had much time to play it but I'm on stage 2 aged 25 and I've got further in every attempt so it's just a case of repition and remembering to unlock those skills.
@jonnythejet13 wow msn congrats 9n the plat m8, thats a good one for the collection. Im starting to get used to the game now still stuck in 2nd area but getting there now.
Yeah, that's where I am, and haven't even reached the boss yet! Only played an hour or 2 so far though, so by no means finished with it. My feeling is I mastered Sekiro eventually, so I must be able to master this!
Like Returnal, you have to find the better way to play this game. I’ve done level 1 and 2 numerous times refining my skills along with making sure I have the best shrine rewards. Gain health, gain focus and the one beside it seem to be the best.
I actually find the second level manageable, and avoiding the final boss’ attacks are very easy. With that said, getting to him can result in a couple of deaths. Most of the enemies are fine, but there are a couple that are tough - the ones with the sweep and high kick, in particular. Other than that, I can get to the third stages boss before I die completely.
I made it to the third boss on my second day of playing. Proud of myself haha. Great game though it’s so much fun when you actually start kicking ass. Had to watch a YouTube video to figure out how to beat the second boss. Have to do the same for the third boss.
@Nightcrawler71
If the game is actually fun to learn and very rewarding, I'm all for it.
Just like Furi for instance. Incredible game and getting better fits it perfectly, especially here. Protagonist gets stronger and stronger, player gets better and better.
Some games just do it for the difficulty gimmick tho (The Surge and other Soulslikes for instance) This one isn't
@allblaxx There's really only one instance where I thought they game was being cheap, and it's at the very end of it when you fight the final boss, and you are not allowed to use a mechanic in the game that is really easy to rely on. I just don't think that that is good game design to be honest, it's inconsistent and made what should have been a memorable fight more of a slog than it should have slog than it should have been.
I guess I would say that it's really satisfying to feel like you earned a victory or to see how you've progressed as a player rather than progressing your character.
This reminds me of Freedom Planet when it launched in a way. That game was just brutal at launch so the developers made some adjustments to it over time.
Wait I just realised, this is talking about the second level. Level 2 in the Lion King was kicking people's arses too. hahaha I'm sorry Idk but that dormant memory in my brain just got triggered now reading this Article
Many times these kinds of dropoffs are not due to difficulty, rather due to people realizing they don't like the game and stop playing.
Imagine spending that much time developing a game that nearly three quarters of the players won't see 3 out of the 5 levels. I'm all for difficult games but whats the point if most people won't see your work.
I was playing it today. The jump from the first level to the second is Brutal!! I’m still yet to clear it but I’m getting better and better learning slowly. Just need to take the boss down. Class game I’m loving it.
I'll pass on this now
Stories about trophies with context to the games they come from are my favourite. More please.
get gud @Smash41
@Constable_What How many Platinums do you have?
@Dr-M I have 24.
@Constable_What How was getting the plat in Sifu? You have to beat the game no older than 25 right? Sounds tough but I guess the cheat is to get good right?
Second level was pss easy!
What is the point In playing a game that has no sense of progress? It's like playing a game with no beginning or end?
Why do current Devs test the time and patience of gamers? And this is called fun these days? Smdh
Was this game marketed to be be really difficult ? Or just how it turned out?
I'm just thinking will there be so many people going on about difficulty when Elden ring gets released on 2 weeks but we've been warned about it and know the type of game
Beat the last boss last night, very good game! Not going to be replaying it for the true ending though, it was stressful enough
@Jeevz yeah, this is pretty much more harder than ninja gaiden, no damage, perfect timing for bosses to survive, good luck to the saints who complete this mess, wish there was more enjoyable games 😏😏
@Uromastryx the red flags were already there at fixed difficulty and everything else just came flooding out on how predictable this game was, the selected masochist incels are having fun on this and that's about it...
I have beaten the game. A superb game. It ain't that hard. I'm glad, I'm not on Twitter to see all these crybabies whining about a challenging game. Although, I do agree the second area is the most challenging, which lies within its level design of the shortcut still having The Trial to go through every time. Besides that, the boss is really manageable once you understand that evading his attacks is better than dodging em. At least, that worked for me.
@Jeevz It wasn't too too bad. I was able to do that after getting the true ending of the game, and getting the trophy for killing the final boss at Age 50, and by then all of my runs were really well optimized.
The trick is focusing on perfecting the first stage. It's by far the easiest, and then concentrating on only dying once on the second and third stages. You can afford to die in the forth stage, but if you're only dying once in the 2nd and 3rd the 4th stage is REALLY easy. The boss in particular is easy if you know how to avoid and just rush her down.
The final boss is a boss that really needs to be perfected, but if you can memorize all of his combos, and his moves (he has 3 combos he does and 2 moves that he can do in 1st phase and 5 combos and 4 moves he can do in his 2nd phase) you can probably beat him without dying or dying only once or twice once you know those patterns, but he killed me, and not joking, around a hundred times (probably less, but close to that amount). It was pretty tedious, but I ended up getting the Prodigal Son trophy only dying twice (once right before fighting the 2nd boss, and once to the 1st phase of the 3rd boss) and completing the game at age 22.
That wasn't the last trophy I got though. There's one where you have to hit 3 enemies with a single attack and I had a lot of trouble doing that for some reason.
@lolwhatno
Well apparently he can see the future, cause that's exactly what's happening, post launch patch will have difficulty settings 👀
I have no problem on the first stage. I didn't start the second stage yet, but considering my protag already old after the first boss, I don't think I can beat the second stage lol.
It's quite the misdirection: the first level lulls you in with a false sense of security, like "huh, this ain't so bad, I'm just mashing the buttons and getting through the like a breeze." Then BAM, you hit level 2 (The Club) and you come against a brick wall. It separates the men from the boys certainly; however it DOES get slightly easier once you get past that one. Don't give up guys!
Ps5 I beat first level without dying
Second level I beat at 33 age I’m try beat that Age level see if get that lower I like competition it make me want to do better
Hopefully In future if they make sifu 2 with online play where you & your friend play together & do some awesome team work damage together & add nunchucks to the game to
I just beat the game last night. Right now i'm doing my 2nd run sparing the bosses for talismans & true ending.
Its not "impossibly" difficult once you figure out the high/low parries & blocks, when to avoid & when to exploit. Highly recommend everyone to get the "sweep focus" & "running sweep" permanent upgrades asap.
Congratulations to everyone who beat the game pre difficulty patch.
There, validation for your efforts. Now you can let others "cheese" their way to the credits.
I'm here not to brag, but I've beaten the game 3 times the first one was a normal way (my character was at age 70 or so), the second one I did it with no Death but it took restarts A LOT before finally I managed to beat Yang with "almost empty health bar" at the very end, the third one was the good ending where I didn't care about death anymore 😂. Yes, this game is not for everybody and it will piss you off easily. To be fair, I almost threw my Dualsense lol. No matters you have beaten the game 2 or 3 times, play it again and I can guarantee you can still die unless you have a natural spider sense with super reflex.
Just check on my youtube channel if you wanna see. And here is my good ending and also where I got my platinum: https://youtu.be/Rl9klKACihM
Game is equally fun and frustrating. The challenge to learn the mechanics as well as timing is well worth the play. Sad the game isn't longer but proud to say I at least beat the game but the true ending is a pain because I always kill Sean when I want to spare him 😭
It only took me 3 or 4 attempts to take down the boss for the first time, so I didn't have too much trouble with The Club, but I'm guessing that most people are having a problem simply because the game never really emphasizes the importance of using the avoid mechanic with L1 and the Left Stick as opposed to dodges and parries, probably giving the impression that they're all equally viable ways of defending yourself, when that simply isn't the case.
Other than that the only thing I can think of is that maybe people are focusing on other perks rather than unlocking their second focus bar asap. Because that thing is a life saver if you don't have the skills to avoid everything he throws at you.
When I added the second one, my age when beating the level fell from 38 to 28, and all the way down to 20 on my first run with all 3.
@Constable_What hey thanks for the thorough reply. Appreciate it. Not sure I'll ever play this but now I understand what I'd be getting myself into. Cheers
@Nerdfather1 third boss is a piece of ***** I’m trying to get the prodigal son trophy but she’s the reason I can’t make it to the final boss at 20 flat 😂
@Jeevz No problem! It's a tough game, but I think it's also a very quality title. Definitely niche, but that's good in this industry.
@Constable_What Yeah I'm intrigued but my attention is focused on OlliOlli World right now then KoF15, Horizon 2 and GT7. Great times!
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