The events of Sifu unfold over the course of one day. A comprehensive combat system is presented with the ability to use the environment for your own purposes. You will need to adapt to each fight and situation. You can pick up various items and dropped weapons from defeated enemies. Positioning plays a huge role in survival. The player is able to throw knives, use homemade weapons, smash windows with the heads of bandits and much more.
By defeating opponents, you gain access to new skills and abilities, allowing you to master the forbidden techniques of master Pak Mei. There are 150 available to unlock in total. You can carry out combinations using various combinations of strikes. The protagonist is able to block enemy attacks, dodge blows and parry attacks. A successful parry can cause enormous damage to opponents. You can also throw adversaries from heights and ledges.
In story dialogues you are allowed to choose your answers. Some of them may lead to the conflict being resolved without a fight. A unique mechanic is the death of the main character. After death, the protagonist is reborn from the control point, but at the same time ages several years. After each completed level, access to a special detective board opens, which saves information about the world or characters.