Furi PS4 Review - A really good hack and slash shmup

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July is upon us along with a couple of new games for PS Plus, and one stood out among the rest of them called “Furi” by developer The Game Bakers. Furi is a fast paced hackn-slash shoot-em-up game, and it’s bloody hard too, really darn hard. So if you’re looking for a game that will cause you to go bold quicker than “Dark Souls” would, then look no further than “Furi”! And what’s Furi short for? Furious and that’s what it will do to you! This boss rush game will present you with one hell of a challenge, and it´s the kind of challenge that will make you feel really proud of if you manage to beat the game.

And “if” you find the game to be a “little” too jarring for your taste, then fair not! Because there is an easy mode available. However, by doing so you can’t unlock trophies. And it makes the game incredibly easy (obviously), so much so that you’ll kill bosses in one or two minutes rather than the ten or fifteen. I would take on medium with no doubt! It’s worth playing through once just to get to grips with the basics or just to enjoy the story. So, what about the harder modes then? Well, on the tougher difficulties, the leap in difficulty is pretty high. So it’s certainly a case of “Git Gud or go home” kind of thing.

The environments in “Furi” are truly fantastic, and that gives justice to the Sci-fi setting.

The story is pretty short and the game can be beaten in a few hours, there aren’t any leader-boards or Co-Op options. You are an unknown protagonist held captive sentenced to eternal torcher, luckily you are freed by a masked character. And his motives for freeing you are somewhat hazy, but he provides exposition before each boss encounter as you walk to your next fight. The main objective is going from place to place killing the jailers that have been keeping you imprisoned.

Visually, “Furi” is stunning. Because during the quiet moments when you walk from place to place you really get a chance to take in some of the game´s breath-taking views and excellent are work. The colors are vibrant, and the character art direction is both interesting and unique. Furthermore, the soundtrack is pretty darn good. And featuring the Synth music gives you that feeling of what people thought the future would be during the 80s. It’s also worth noting you can activate an “Auto Pilot” while walking by pressing X this gives you a short break to take in the game’s story and surroundings rather than wrestling with the joystick trying to go in the right direction.

Two men enter, one man leaves!

The combat aspects of “Furi” is pretty solid as well. You can attack with your blade or pistol, there’s a counter and also a quick dodge. And you’ll need to use all the skills available to you to fight back the ever-increasing difficult boss battles. Each one will test your metal. You will need a Zen like focus and plenty of patience when tackling each boss, and you’ll need to time counters and dodges perfectly. Each boss has a different attack pattern some will specialize in close quarters. Others are ranged, and some are a mix of both. The length of the battles depends on the difficulty, medium and upwards Furi’s battles can take up to twenty minutes! After a while, you do start to feel like you’re being grinded down, death can come quickly and when being constantly assaulted can lead to frustration. I’d recommend playing in short doses because things get really tedious during later levels, and the final boss will leave you screaming.

The hero in “Furi” is pretty damn bad-ass.

In overall, “Furi” is a really good game. However, there are a few things, which hold it back from being an excellent title. And a perfect example of that would be “Furi´s” difficulty. As it might put off wider audiences. Then you have the tedious and lengthy boss battles. Which might be a huge turn off for some players, while others will embrace the challenge with open arms. So”Furi” will with no doubts (whatsoever) please the niche crowd that enjoys games that offer a solid challenge. The visuals, music and combat are at a high standard. It’s a good offering for PS Plus. However, it might not sit in everyone’s library for long, and please don’t break your DualShock 4 controller, just take a deep breath and try again!

Pros:
+ Great Visuals
+ Good Combat
+ Good Challenge

Cons:
– Hard as nails
– Boss battles tend to be too long
– Not much replay value

Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound/music: 5/5
Controls: 5/5
Replay value: 2/5

tgg grade 4 out of 5

Verdict: 4/5
Game Bakers hack-and-slash/shoot-em-up “Furi “is a good game in overall (despite its flaws), with no doubt. And “Furi” will most definitely test your metal, and those who are able to beat the game on the hardest difficulty will earn their place in Valhalla.

Title: Furi
Developer: The Game Bakers
Format: PS4, PC
Genre: Hack N Slash/Shoot-em-up
Resolution: 1080p 60FPS
Release date: 2016-05-07
Difficulty: Easy to OMG KILL ME
Spent time: 2 Hours
Average grade internationally: 79.27 % Gamerankings.com
PEGI age rating: 16
Price: £20
Install Size: 3.7GB