Summary
Sifu is the mobile port of the well-regarded third-person Kung Fu brawler, a revenge story built around cinematic martial arts combat and a mechanic where you age every time you die. The core game remains strong, but reviews indicate the mobile version currently struggles with significant optimization problems.
Gameplay
Combat revolves around dodging, parrying, striking and chaining combos against groups of enemies who don’t wait their turn. Positioning and the environment matter: throwable objects, makeshift weapons, windows and ledges all come into play across locations like a nightclub, an art gallery and a high-rise office building.
The developer highlights new mobile touch controls, a reworked camera and full controller support. Players note the touch layout can be customized, including opacity, but buttons are limited to one side of the screen, and several report buttons occasionally failing to register mid-fight. The game is demanding and has a learning curve.
Progression & Meta
Progression centers on the aging system: a mysterious amulet revives the character after each death, but at the cost of years. This encourages learning from mistakes and replaying stages more cleanly. Unique Pak-Mei Kung Fu skills can be unlocked along the way.
The full story campaign is included. However, a number of players point out that the PC version’s arena mode and some outfits appear to be missing from the mobile release.
Monetization & Ads
Sifu is a premium game priced at $7.99 on the U.S. store. According to the store listing, it has no ads and no in-app purchases, so the entire campaign is available after purchase.
The game downloads a large amount of additional data on first launch, and the developer recommends using Wi-Fi. Many players report this download getting stuck near the end.
Who Is It For?
A good fit for fans of challenging, skill-based melee combat and martial arts movies. Players who already know Sifu from PC or console say the mobile version stays faithful to the original, and those who play with a controller tend to have a smoother time.
The developer warns that devices under 6 GB of RAM may see performance issues or crashes, and reviews show frame drops even on high-end phones. Players on mid-range or older hardware, or anyone expecting a polished port right now, may want to wait for further updates.
💬 What players say
👍 Most praised
- They say the game plays essentially the same as the PC and console versions
- Some are happy to finally have Sifu on mobile and find it runs well on their high-end devices
- Controller play is described as smooth and enjoyable
👎 Most common complaints
- Many report heavy frame drops and ask for graphics settings
- Touch buttons such as block or attack sometimes stop responding
- Players describe the resource download freezing at 96% and frequent crashes
Summarized from the 40 most helpful user reviews on Google Play; not verbatim quotes.
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Tight, cinematic Kung Fu combat carried over from the original
- Aging-on-death mechanic gives retries a distinctive twist
- One-time price with no ads or in-app purchases
- Full controller support and customizable touch layout
- Complete story campaign on mobile
Cons
- Frequent frame drops reported, with no graphics settings to adjust
- Touch buttons sometimes stop responding during fights
- Additional data download stalling and crashes reported by many players
- Arena mode from the PC version reportedly absent
Score
Excellent core combat and a fair premium model are held back by widespread performance, control and download issues in the mobile port.
Our editor works in the mobile game industry, so reviews may be biased. How we review and score games →
Frequently asked questions
Is Sifu free?
No. Sifu is a paid game: it costs $7.99 on Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store).
Does Sifu have ads?
No, Sifu does not show ads.
Is Sifu worth playing?
We give Sifu 6.8/10. Excellent core combat and a fair premium model are held back by widespread performance, control and download issues in the mobile port.
Which platforms is Sifu available on?
Sifu is available on Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store).
