Sifu. Best short games of 2022 - under 10 hours-long!

Sifu, Sloclap, 2022

Another beat 'em up on this list, this time not isometric. And also one that's experimenting a bit with the formula. Sifu is distinguished by its unique mechanics, where the hero grows older with each defeat. This entails a limited number of the attempts and a possibility of the character's permanent death. That was until one of the last patches appeared – the developers listened to the feedback of the community and took care to lower the difficulty level in a post-release update. So if you were afraid of the game's originally high entry treshold, you don't have to anymore.

The plot of Sifu tells the story of a kung-fu adept whose goal is to avenge his murdered family. There's not much time – only a single day. However, he will be helped by an artifact that – as already mentioned – will allow him to survive a number of mortal defeats in combat. The construction of the game is typical for the genre – we travel through subsequent locations and kick the asses of anyone who dares stand in our way, including bosses. The novelty, however, is the use of the environment and a strongly cinematic feel – the game was created in the spirit of classic brawler movies. It's also worth mentioning the previous work of Sloclap studio, Absolver, which also aroused interest due to its interesting combat system.