When Sloclap, the studio behind the martial arts action game Sifu, set out to develop the game, the Paris-based developers realized how difficult it was for Western companies to accurately portray East Asian culture. "Throughout the 20th century, the Western entertainment industry paid no attention to the way other cultural elements were used indiscriminately in their own work." Sloclap said.
With that in mind, Sloclap hired cultural advisors and kung fu masters to ensure that Master pays an accurate and respectful tribute to classic martial arts action movies. Recently, Foreign Media GameRant discussed with the Sloclap development team how to achieve this goal.
Seek design advice from the Chinese gaming industry
The story of The Master takes place in an environment clearly inspired by Oriental martial arts movies and Hollywood action movies: dirty and filthy slums, neon-lit nightclubs and glittering cityscapes. To capture the game world accurately, Sloclap said they had consultants from Chinese game studios review the content. These reviews generated "feedback on displaying text and environmental design details," among other things.
The environment isn't the only part of Master's game design Chinese consultants help. The design of the player character is also based on feedback from Sloclap's Chinese partners: "Character artists from China gave us interesting feedback, we learned a lot about Chinese's perception of facial features. ”
The studio then modified the appearance of the protagonist based on feedback from the consultants, but at the same time remained faithful to the original creative intent. Sloclap still wants Master to have "sharp and stylized art direction" and a protagonist who reflects "his status as an anti-hero driven by anger and revenge."
As for the game's soundtrack, Sloclap collaborated with composer Howie Lee. According to the studio, game localization for Chinese players is also important for developers. Its Chinese partners help translate conversations and oversee Chinese dubbing recordings, ensuring localization effectiveness and authenticity.
The martial arts moves are aided by a real kung fu master
Arguably, sifu's most important element is its kung fu action. The challenge is to learn a range of moves, dodges, and counterattacks, and use them in a variety of environments to fight against different types of enemies. It is equally important for players to master a smooth gameplay, with combos strung together to eliminate enemies as quickly as possible.
Sloclap's design team spent "a lot of time and effort" on the combat system. The studio aims to "find the right balance between aesthetics and realistic gameplay." Some of this inspiration comes from martial arts films themselves, and for the studio's creative director, the Indonesian film The Raid is the main reference point for achieving that balance.
"With Master, we want to show real kung fu in a serious and believable environment. Our goal is to gain an immersive experience as a kung fu expert facing dangerous situations. ”
Sloclap said "Master" is not a "kung fu comedy" or an "anti-gravity battle" movie like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The game is closer to the tough realism style of Raid, swapping the Indonesian pencak silat martial arts for Chinese kung fu.
Naturally, Sloclap wanted the actual combat of its games to be as realistic as possible. In this matter, the developer turned to Benjamin Colusi, the founder of the old Wei San Baimei Kung Fu School in Paris. Benjamin studied BaimeiQuan for many years in Foshan, China, and is a true kung fu master.
A love letter to a kung fu movie
Throughout the development process, Sloclap said that they were well aware of their position as a Western studio making kung fu games: "We knew that making a Chinese kung fu game and focusing on kung fu culture would be a challenge for French studios. But we strive to create authentic and well-documented work. ”
Still, the developers point out that Master is a "novel" inspired by popular culture and does not represent a "documentary" about contemporary Chinese culture.
Sloclap said the game "Master" has received "warm welcome and praise" in China. For the studios, this feedback means that their goal — a tribute to classic martial arts films, kung fu and Chinese culture — has been achieved.
Master is now available for play on PC, PS4, and PS5.