Sifu hits the Epic Games Store today. The Kung Fu action game is the story of a student on a path of revenge, hunting down and defeating the five assassins who killed their family.

It’s a game inspired by a vast number of martial arts movies, where a single hero is assailed from every direction, pulling off incredible blocks and counters. Eventually. There’s definitely a difficulty curve to Sifu, but it’s nothing that patience, practice, and wisdom won’t overcome. You’ll have to supply the patience and practice yourself. For wisdom, we asked developer Sloclap for a few tips to help you grow into a martial arts master capable of taking down rooms of enemies. Here’s what they suggested.
 

Parrying and dodging is as important as punching

Work on defensive parries and dodging as much as your offensive skills. During the mission selection mode, you can return to the Wuguan instead of stepping into the main game. There’s a room there that allows you to train. Go there, and work on parrying.

Defense might not seem as important in the early game, but using them from the first fight onwards will make them a big part of your overall strategy, and you’ll need to master them. A parry has a number of benefits: timing it correctly will block an attack and potentially stagger an attacking opponent, leaving them open to a counter. A single press of either of your main attack buttons after a parry will give you a more potent strike, and you can unlock combos that will throw them or shift their position.

A dodge away from a group of attackers can be a difference-maker if you’re in danger of being overwhelmed.

Control crowds

It won’t be long before you’re in the middle of a scrum, fighting several attackers at once. The first rule of fighting a crowd is to make sure you can see where most of them are. That’s easier if you’re a few steps away from them and not in the middle.

Your combos have a few moves that can help you with crowd control. As you progress, you’ll have the opportunity to unlock new combos that help against multiple assailants. A Spin Hook Kick has enough of an ark to knock down a group of enemies. Environmental Mastery will let you throw any item or weapon from the ground directly at someone, keeping them stunned and out of reach. If you’re surrounded, Crooked Foot will easily let you turn a parry into a knockdown.

If all else fails, run away. You can back off, or leap over tables, to create space. 

Unlocks start out as temporary

You can spend XP on new combos when you die in Sifu. This adds some of the moves mentioned above before bringing you back to life (aged a few years, thanks to a magic pendant). As long as you have enough life in the pendant, you can carry on. If you die fully, that progress--the acquired moves--will be lost. 

You can permanently unlock combos and moves in the skill tree. If you unlock the same move five times, you’ll be given the opportunity to unlock it permanently. 

Recognize danger

Armed enemies are your first priority in a fight. If you beat them, not only do you take out a dangerous foe, but you can also grab their weapon and use it. Enemies with silver and gold health bars are stronger than standard foes. They take longer to beat and hit harder. It’s worth dodging them until you’ve defeated a few of the standard fighters.
 

Always take enemies down!
Not only are takedowns guaranteed to wipe out an enemy, but they’ll also give you a small health boost. If you have a shot, take it.

Sifu is out now on the Epic Games Store.