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Sifu Beginner Guide: Parrying, Avoiding Attacks, and Managing Age

Master Sifu’s two key defenses, watch for boss recovery windows, and understand how deaths raise your age without weakening your character.

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In Sifu, survival depends on learning both Parry and Avoid, then choosing the response that fits the incoming attack. Against bosses, watch a full pattern, defend first, and counter when the sequence leaves a clear opening. Death makes each later death add more years, but aging does not make your character weaker—and a failed run can still teach you patterns and unlock lasting progress.

Parry or Avoid: which defense should you use?

Parry is a timed deflection, not simply holding block. A correctly timed parry can disrupt an opponent’s Structure—their ability to maintain a stance and attack or defend—and create a chance to counter or throw them. Avoid moves your character’s body clear of the strike, ducking under or jumping over it. Both are core defenses; neither is the right answer to every attack. Sloclap recommends learning both and practicing their timing (developer tips, February 7, 2022; combat overview).

Defense What it does When it can help
Parry Deflects a blow with precise timing; can disrupt Structure and create a counter opportunity. When you can read the strike and want to interrupt or punish the opponent.
Avoid Moves you out of the strike’s path by ducking or jumping. When evading the attack is the safer choice, especially while learning its timing or pattern.

Use the prompts in the game’s controls for your platform and settings; button mappings can vary. The useful question is not “Which defense is best?” but “What is this attack, and can I confidently time a deflection?”

How to learn a boss’s attack patterns

  1. Watch before committing. Give the boss room to show the sequence. Notice the rhythm, direction, and whether an attack appears to require ducking, jumping, or a timed parry.
  2. Defend while you learn. Block and use Avoid to stay alive as you identify the pattern. Try parries when you can recognize the timing, rather than treating every strike as a parry test.
  3. Wait for recovery. Attack after the sequence ends or the boss leaves a clear opening. Sloclap’s beginner guidance emphasizes observing, defending, and countering at the end of a pattern rather than rushing in (PlayStation.Blog).
  4. Adjust one decision at a time. If an attack keeps catching you, focus on recognizing that move and choosing a safer response before adding more offense.

For controlled practice, the official game news page describes an advanced training mode for practicing against enemy types, and an update announcement lists training and difficulty features. The exact interface depends on the installed version and settings, so check the game’s current menus rather than relying on a specific menu path (Sifu news; Spring 2022 update notes).

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#1 Best Overall
Sifu (PS5)
  • On the path of vengeance: The hunt for enemies will take you through hidden corners of the city, from gang-ridden suburbs to cold hallways of corporate towers; You’ve got one day, and countless enemies; For every mistake, time will be the price to pay
  • Adaptation is the way: Careful positioning and clever use of the environment are key to survival; Use everything at your disposal: throwable objects, makeshift weapons, windows, ledges... The odds are stacked against you, and you’ll be offered no mercy
  • Training never ends: Kung Fu is mastery through practice, a path for both the body and the mind; Learn from your errors, unlock unique skills, and find the strength within yourself to master the devastating techniques of Pak-Mei Kung-Fu
  • All the fights have been choregraphed by a real Kung Fu master
  • A unique graphic style and a game filled with epic levels and unforgettable backgrounds

What happens to your age when you die?

Your character starts at age 20. The death counter determines how many years are added by each subsequent death: the first adds one year, the second adds two, and the third adds three. The counter can be lowered or reset at shrines or by defeating certain enemies, including chapter bosses. Completing a chapter resets the counter, but does not make you younger; age carries forward. Sloclap explains these mechanics in its November 18, 2021 overview of the death and aging systems.

There is no way to reverse age. A game over occurs when your character has aged beyond the pendant’s ability to revive them. But age itself does not reduce your abilities: Sloclap’s Felix Garczynski wrote, “getting older has no drawbacks on your abilities and you will be able to complete the game at any age” (PlayStation.Blog).

Rank #2
Sifu: Vengeance Edition (PS5)
  • Sifu: Vengeance Edition Includes - Steelbook, 3 Lithographs, The Art of Sifu - 48-page artbook and Digital Soundtrack
  • On the path of vengeance: The hunt for enemies will take you through hidden corners of the city, from gang-ridden suburbs to cold hallways of corporate towers; You've got one day, and countless enemies; For every mistake, time will be the price to pay
  • Adaptation is the way: Careful positioning and clever use of the environment are key to survival; Use everything at your disposal: throwable objects, makeshift weapons, windows, ledges... The odds are stacked against you, and you'll be offered no mercy
  • Training never ends: Kung Fu is mastery through practice, a path for both the body and the mind; Learn from your errors, unlock unique skills, and find the strength within yourself to master the devastating techniques of Pak-Mei Kung-Fu
  • All the fights have been choregraphed by a real Kung Fu master; A unique graphic style and a game filled with epic levels and unforgettable backgrounds
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

What persists after a game over or chapter replay?

Completing a chapter creates a save point at the age you reached. You can continue from that point or replay a completed hideout to try for a better finishing age. Sloclap also distinguishes progress that can be lost at game over from progress that persists: run-specific unlocked skills or upgrades are lost, while permanently unlocked skills and detective-board information remain. Keep that distinction in mind when deciding whether to press on or revisit an earlier chapter (developer explanation).

An imperfect first run is not wasted. Continuing can help you learn enemy sequences, uncover secret paths, and work toward permanent unlocks; you can revisit earlier hideouts later to improve your result. As Garczynski put it, “These features will help you on your quest of revenge, but they will not replace training and practice” (PlayStation.Blog).

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Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Sifu (PS5)
Sifu (PS5)
All the fights have been choregraphed by a real Kung Fu master; A unique graphic style and a game filled with epic levels and unforgettable backgrounds
$32.99
Bestseller No. 2
Bestseller No. 3
Bestseller No. 4
Rank #4
Maneater [PS5] (PS5)
  • Fully Evolved For PlayStation5 - The next evolution of Maneater is here with full utilization of the PlayStation5 including ray-tracing, native 4K HDR support at 60 FPS, immersive feedback via the DualSense controller's haptic motors, and more! Full upgrade available to all current-gen owners to ensure that when your console evolves, Maneater will too.
  • Unique Story - Play through a full narrative, story-based campaign narrated by Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Rick and Morty) and set against the backdrop of a reality TV show.
  • Diverse, Compelling Combat - Battle fierce wildlife including other apex predators or fight against various types of human hunters ranging from town drunks all the way up to the Coast Guard.
  • Evolve Into a Legend - Feed on humans and wildlife to grow your shark, and find shark loot to evolve your shark down multiple possible paths.
  • Explore the Gulf - 7 large regions including bayous of the gulf coast, resort beaches, industrial docks, the open ocean and more. Experience a living world with a full day/night cycle.
Rank #3
Gurei - PlayStation 5
  • You are free to pick your fights against the Kami in any order. The game features a dynamic difficulty system where each enemy strength is defined by the player’s chosen path. This means that the very same Kami fought at the very beginning could also be the final boss in a different route. Hope to never leave the one you struggle most to fight last!
  • Besides sword attacks, dodges, head stomps and other basic abilities, Rei will learn a completely new skill for each defeated Kami. Those will provide further depth to your combat arsenal, be it a stronger dash, a weapon that can execute enemies, the ability to heal and many more!
  • Player choice is the ultimate power. Taking into account the vastly distinct enemies’ patterns and unique skills granted upon each victory, you will be able to decide how to approach every challenge. It won’t be easy either way, but you can always go back and try something different.
  • Gurei is a game about fighting strong enemies, but that’s not all. The Kami inhabit a surreal castle located between the human and spirit worlds. After each victory, Rei comes closer to the realm of spirits, starting to encounter peculiar characters from Japanese mythology. These creatures will add novelty and strangeness to your journey, providing commentary, unique animations, side objectives and obscure secrets.
  • You will get to know the different Kami quite well. When Rei defeats them, she absorbs their power and their personality. The defeated Kami will be carried around wherever Rei goes, and they’ll surely have stuff to talk about. Sometimes their remarks will be useful information that builds the player’s understanding of the lore and the game mechanics, but sometimes they will be... not so helpful, to put it briefly. Good luck!

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