Sifu to get post-launch accessibility improvements

For years the debate surrounding video game difficulty, creator’s intent and accessibility has been a hot topic. One thing that all can agree on however is the fact that accessibility options are never a bad thing. Developer Sloclap has now realised this, and as such will be adding new accessibility options to the recently released Sifu.

Sifu is a martial arts action game which offers a harsh but fair gameplay loop featuring combat mechanics not dissimilar to a 2D fighting game. Having only one difficulty option, Sifu’s potential was limited due to the number of fans unable to play and complete the game, either thanks to its difficulty, its controls, or a combination of it all. Fortunately, the game has now been announced to be getting an update.

Taking to Twitter, Steve Saylor the Blind Gamer – an advocate and spokesperson for accessibility in gaming – revealed that Sifu would soon be getting a number of accessibility improvements, saying: “Hey! So it's weird I get to help break news but yes #Sifu is getting #accessibility updates post-launch.”

No date was given for this patch, but when it does go live, it should bring with it improved captions; a high contrast mode on PS4 and PS5 (this was already available on PC but not console); and difficulty modes in the vein of Metroid Dread – meaning both an easier and harder mode.

Currently, these are all of the features announced to be added. While much needed, games such as The Last of Us Part II (and many first-party Sony games) offer dozens of accessibility options, and so hopefully the announced improvements are part of the first wave of updates for Sifu. If not, well, the current list of announced features will still be highly appreciated.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of Sifu? What other accessibility options would you like to see added? Should accessibility options be a standard for video games? Let us know down below.

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