Sifu's narrative is seemingly simple on paper: the young character's father and Sifu is murdered by one of his students, and they fight throughout their life to avenge him. It is learned that Sifu's protagonist can defy death with a talisman pendant, but at the cost of years of their life.
Sifu can prove difficult at any in-game age, but it is ideal for players to remain as young as possible in order to afford more years lost to defeat. This practice encourages dedication to master Kung Fu and the combination of skills and techniques that the player has access to. But once Sifu has been completed with Yang defeated, players will notice that no credits appear to conclude it formally. This is because another ending waits for players to achieve it, and the following details how they may do so.
How to Unlock Sifu's True Ending and Roll Credits
In order to unlock Sifu's true ending and roll credits, it is important to note that players must first finish Sifu regularly and achieve the standard ending. While it is not explicitly stated in-game, this ending sets up for the true ending and players will then have to return to each stage and encounter each boss once more. However, this time, Sifu's bosses must be spared instead of killed. This entails breaking each boss's Structure bar twice in the second phase and resisting the urge to execute them with a finisher animation. Instead, a Spare prompt will appear with a new cutscene.
Fortunately, players hoping to achieve the true ending will not have to struggle as much as they may have during their original playthrough. Players spare bosses within the same save file as the one they had recently beaten it on, and therefore retain any and all permanently unlocked skills in Sifu. Moreover, the youngest ages that players have transitioned from stage-to-stage as are retained as well.
One hint that the ordinary ending is not the true ending is the fact that credits do not roll once Yang is defeated. Instead, players return to the waguan at age 20, and it is unclear if they have entered a New Game Plus mode or not. It is a difficult feat to spare each of Sifu's bosses rather than kill them when their health bars or Structure bars are finally whittled down, but it is a worthy challenge for players who desire more closure to Sifu's bleak narrative or want to continue to hone their skills further in a merciful approach to its bosses.
Sifu is available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.
