Home > The Fast and the Furi-ous - Furi Review
Originally published on Nintendo Castle.
Describing Furi in one sentence will not do the game any justice, as it is more than its outer shell suggests. At the most basic, it is a boss rush shoot-em-up combined with one-on-one close range combat sequences at certain sections of a battle. It is extremely challenging and not for the faint of heart, demanding the most from the player. Does the game live up to its furious moniker, or does it fall flat on its face?
Platforms: PC, PS4, XBox One, Switch [Reviewed]
Developer: The Game Bakers
Release: January 11, 2018 (Switch)
MSRP: $19.99
Press Copy provided by The Game Bakers
The Game Bakers have produced a shockingly different experience from their largely mobile focused games of the past, Furi was clearly designed for home systems. While initially releasing for Playstation 4 and PC in 2016, it finally hits the Nintendo Switch with surprisingly successful results. Furi performs admirably on the hybrid machine, though it suffers from occasional moments of stutter which can impede on the gameplay, but they are infrequent enough to not be a major issue. Effort has definitely been put to making this as smooth an experience as possible in both docked and portable mode, but it definitely plays best while docked.
Visually the game is shockingly stylish, almost style of substance. Takashi Okazaki, the creator of Afro Samurai, designed the many boss characters in the game and it certainly shows. Each character is visually distinct from the last and stands out on the screen, which prevents them from blending into the background. The player character, a nameless inmate sporting a glowing katana, is also visually striking both up close and from a distance. These visual details help the game itself too, as when things get hectic in the heat of the moment it helps to be able to see both yourself and your opponent.
As much as the title suggests a furious style of gameplay, the game actually rewards patience and perseverance whilst punishing reckless play. The core combat is deceptively simple. Y to attack, right stick to shoot in the direction it’s pointed at, B to dodge in the direction you’re facing and A to parry. There are also charged forms of the melee attack, by holding down Y, and shooting, this time holding ZR, and these sacrifice movement for power. It doesn’t take long to learn the basics, but absolute mastery is demanded from the player to actually succeed.
Pattern recognition and patience is the key to success. You have to learn when best to attack and parry up close, or when to sit back and shoot from afar. Once you begin to recognise a boss’ tells the battles become second nature, which is crucial as the chances are very high that you will end up repeating phases as you edge towards victory.
It is immensely rewarding to see your efforts pay off, but the constant cycles of failure might be very off-putting to some. In-between battles you are given a moment of rest as you are tasked with slowly making your way to the next arena. While the down-time is certainly welcome, it is simply just a moment to dump exposition on the player and nothing else. Fortunately there is a practise mode which is unlocked as soon as you beat a boss, so any repeat playthroughs can skip straight to them.
Rating Furi is difficult, almost as difficult as the game itself. It is immensely rewarding to diligent or stubborn players, but equally as disheartening to less motivated players. If you can stomach the challenge and have a competitive streak, Furi is right up your alley, but if you prefer to sit back with a more calming experience you will find nothing in Furi. It is a short but rewarding experience for anyone with the patience and skill to take it on.
Pros
- Tight and responsive controls
- Simple but deep gameplay
- Very challenging and rewarding gameplay
- Extremely stylish
- Doesn’t overstay its welcome
Cons
- Potentially off-putting difficulty
- Not much else to do outside of core gameplay
Verdict
Good
Good games are simply that: good. They are generally fun to play but might be lacking in longevity, replay value, or presentation. These games might be good buying decisions for some people but not for others. Some otherwise great games may fall into this category if they are priced unreasonably high. The devil is in the details.
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