Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch

Furi refines its combat to the maximum, precise and intense

There is an almost widespread trend of making games with vast worlds overflowing with content and activities to do, but Furi is not one of them. Instead of being a work that tries to do a bit of everything, this is an experience remarkably focused on a single aspect – and the result is of unmatched quality.

Story: 9

Matching the stylized direction, Furi‘s story is subjective and open to interpretation. The outermost layer of the plot shows the protagonist The Stranger in his struggle to break free from the prison where he was being held captive and tortured by his jailer.

Between the intense fights, there are moments of introspection. A mysterious man dressed as a rabbit, called The Voice, accompanies Stranger in the escape from the enormous fortress. While the protagonist never says anything, his companion gives long monologues talking about his life, the history of the place where they are trapped and countless times drops hints about who Stranger is and why he was imprisoned.

Some of the guards have personal reasons to make sure you do not escape your incarceration. Their emotional involvement shows in the way the texts are written and in the voice actors’ exceptional performances. Even during the fight there are small phrases and scenes that complement their stories and motivations, thus increasing the dramatic intensity of each of the deadly duels.

The game has multiple endings, including an alternative one that can be reached without even fighting all the enemies. There are countless ways to interpret what is happening and what has already happened. The story is subjective and curious, inviting the player to experience everything again and discuss their interpretation of the facts with other people.

Mechanics: 10

Focus is the word of the day in Furi. The game goes straight to the point, using its narrative passages only to give the player a breather and contrast with the intensity of its duels. You won’t explore the world, you won’t fight weak critters to level up, you won’t manage equipment, use items or solve puzzles: the only thing you will do in this game is face the powerful guardians of your prison, each willing to give their own life to stop you from continuing to do whatever it was you did when you were free.

All the fights follow the same pattern, which is basically made up of two game formats: each of the enemy’s health bars has a ranged combat flow followed by a moment of melee combat, progressively adding new attacks and increasing its speed and difficulty.
Like the opponents, Stranger also has his life split into bars. When one of the two fighters has a health bar depleted, the other has their current bar restored. There is an indescribable frustration in the moment when you only needed one more hit to finish a health bar and you end up losing yours – which effectively “resets” the current phase of the duel. The opposite is equally rewarding!

The ranged combat stages work like a Bullet Hell game: in a dual-stick control scheme, you must shoot your projectiles at the opponent while dodging an avalanche of lasers and shots, with the enemies’ attack patterns becoming progressively more complex and harder to navigate.
Melee combat seems slower, but it is tenser and demands quick and precise reflexes. There are attack, defense (with the possibility of a counterattack) and dodge buttons, and with this reduced toolset you must survive the enemy’s assaults and look for gaps in their defense.

In case it hasn’t been clear so far, Furi is a hard game. Like, very hard. There is a clear barrier to entry, a demand for high reflexes, concentration, precision and analytical power. The controls are simple and precise, so everything seems fair – your mistakes are exclusively yours, and you can’t blame the game for your defeat. Even the lowest difficulty is brutal and can be hard work for a normal player.
Succeeding in any duel gives immense satisfaction, and you really feel like a powerful and dangerous warrior – the kind who would need a prison of this magnitude to be contained.

Audio and visuals: 9.5

With its stylized and colorful look, its fluid and fast animation and movement and its fast, exciting music, to an unsuspecting spectator Furi can look like the choreographed fight scene of some movie.

The character design is rich in creativity and style. Each of the prison guards has their own personality, which is reflected in their look and in the excellent voice work. Adding in the beauty and strangeness of the world around you, the game does an exquisite job of seeming familiar and logical… But distinctly alien.

At times the settings and models aren’t even that detailed, but the use of colors and the profusion of visual effects make Furi a feast for the eyes! The electronic music is lively and features percussion work that helps create the tension of duels to the death – besides reinforcing the feeling of visceral combat, of skill and precision. The whole design of the game seems to have been conceived to work in synergy with this central theme.

Final thoughts

Furi goes against the tide of design trends. This is a game that stands out not by striving for variety or filling itself with optional content, but by being a concise experience focused on its central theme and mechanics. With intense and precise combat, the game offers a very high level of challenge, but even more satisfaction just from playing and winning against impossible challenges.

Score

Story = 9

Mechanics = 10

Audio and visuals = 9.5

Worth the 20 dollars? No need to think twice! A game with this level of polish is a gem that deserves to be enjoyed by everyone! If you aren’t afraid of challenges and like to practice and improve your skills, this is certainly an experience that will resonate with your gamer spirit!

Overall: 9.5

Played on the Nintendo Switch version