Fury Unleashed Review (PS4)

good
key review info
  • Game: Fury Unleashed
  • Platform: Playstation 4
  • Show system requirements
  • Reviewed on:
Fury Unleashed key art

Awesome Games Studio has been working for almost five years on a game that combines cartoon-like graphics with Rambo level violence and a difficulty level that makes you question your sanity when it comes to choosing videogames. Being a game equally inspired by Metal Slug and Comix Zone, Fury Unleashed is a love letter to all the fans of the Megadrive era which ticks all the right boxes.

We are swimming lately in a sea of indie games, with titles representing all genres of videogames and even cross genres. Although most of them still lack in one department or another, you can find unexpected success stories, like this rogue-lite game of polish pedigree. Fury Unleashed offers over 20 hours of fun, being honest, if difficult 2D action platformer, which sticks to its origins without trying to innovate or revolutionize anything.

If you like to push yourself to become better and better, the classic, combo-based gameplay will challenge you and punish you for even the smallest mistakes. If you are old enough to remember Contra or the already mentioned Metal Slug series, you know exactly what to expect. If you are in the least curious about these legendary names, Fury Unleashed is like a modern gateway to a period when videogames involved skills and perseverance.

If nothing of this rings any bell so far, think about any movie made by Schwarzenegger or Stallone when they still had bulging muscles. Fury Unleashed is an action movie with a lot of bloodshed, built around a tough as nails hero who spits lead like a turret, jumps around like an athlete high on adrenaline, beats his enemies to a pulp with a baseball bat or guts them with a Rambo knife. The key to success is to link all your actions into one endless brutal ballet performance.

Fury Unleashed
Fury Unleashed
Fury Unleashed
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The offense is still the best defense, but you have to plan your route and adapt on the go so you can keep the combo counter as high as possible. All this mayhem is born from the mind of a comic creator down on his luck, but as in any good B category movie, the story is just an excuse to frame the action. Presented as frames of a virtual comic book, you will visit a jungle landscape taking on zombies and voodoo priests, you will clean-up a secret neo-Nazi camp and you will also take on aliens using their own spaceships.

Each level is randomly generated from various building elements, the game mixing and matching different enemy types, including 40 mini-bosses, a number of missions, various traps, contraptions, weapons, and traders. The abundance of loot crates placed in the levels, combined with the merchants placed generously, ensures that you will always have an entire arsenal at your service. And you will need all the advantages you can get since Fury Unleashed is very difficult to even on Normal mode.

True to its rogue-lite inspiration, it is built around the idea of trial and error: you will die a lot, and we mean A LOT, and you will get resurrected at the beginning of the level, going at it again and again until you succeed. During this long and tedious process, you will get better at the game, and the challenges will become somewhat more manageable. Most missions were conceived in order to help you get better by practicing one feature or another like using only melee weapons or keeping a high combo counter.

Although you need some time to master it, the combo system is actually fair, and due to the precise control scheme, it can prove to be a lot of fun. The gameplay encourages you to link all your actions in a deadly series of combos, rewarding excellence with hit points or shield points, making it easier to keep the count high. The higher the combo count, the more damage you do and since this count does not reset among the levels, in theory, and if you are good enough, you can finish the entire game in one uninterrupted series of combos. Also, there are in-game portals which you can access only if you visit them with a certain number of combos still active.

Fury Unleashed
Fury Unleashed
Fury Unleashed
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On the other hand, if you do not learn this “always moving” approach, the game will prove frustrating and will seem unfair. If this type of gameplay is not your cup of tea, but you are still attracted by the visual style of the game, you can choose a lower difficulty setting which makes the game more docile. Lowering the difficulty and fidgeting with various settings turns Fury Unleashed into a walk in the park and reduces completely the accumulated frustration. Trying to reward only the masochists and the best players, the producers decided to disable a big chunk of trophies you can earn in the game while playing in easy mode.

But not just you need to get better, your character needs to improve as well. Maintaining the general theme your hero will not earn experience vanquishing his enemies, but rather ink which is used both to improve his skills and unlock access to new levels. Investing in the talent tree you can make your life considerably easier by increasing crit chance, by unlocking additional grenades, by increasing the life points, shield points, and so on.

While beyond the resource itself Fury Unleashed does not present any originality in this area, the skill tree is well thought out, all enhancements working hand in hand and contributing towards the dream of an endless combo. Moreover, despite the fact that all the levels are randomly generated the balance is implemented in a way that allows for a very fun coop mode. The technical proves of the developers also shows in the level of details both in menus and in the game, which looks surprisingly polished for an indie title.

Fury Unleashed
Fury Unleashed
Fury Unleashed
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The Good

  • Fun gameplay once you mastered the mechanics
  • Great level of attention for details
  • Good replay value

The Bad

  • Missions repeat too often
  • Forgettable soundtrack
  • Can be frustrating at times

Conclusion

Fury Unleashed is fun if you are a fan of games like Binding of Isaac. It offers non-stop action and challenges you to become better after each failure. The randomly generated levels keep you on your toes, while the different weapons, cosmetical items, and then mix and match the style of level design will make you keep coming back for more. You will thoroughly enjoy this game and you will love it even when it will frustrate you.

On the other end of the scale are those who would not touch games like Dead Cells despite its gorgeous visuals. Those will consider Fury Unleashed a waste of time and not even the easier game mode might convince them otherwise. This mode is ideal for streamers as presented by the producers themselves, allowing them to focus not just on the game, but their audience as well. And this solution is brilliant since watching it played by someone who mastered the game mechanics, can make Fury Unleashed more fun than actually playing it.

story 7
gameplay 8
concept 7
graphics 8
audio 7
multiplayer 8
final rating 7
Editor's review
good
 
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Fury Unleashed screenshots (26 Images)

Fury Unleashed key art
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