Furi (PC) review "The jailer is the key, kill him and you’ll be free."

Furi is an intensely demanding boss rush game filled with sword-parrying and bullet-hell elements. Each guardian is designed by Afro Samurai's creator, Takashi Okazaki. Presented using a unique Asian inspired style and aesthetic with hefty EDM incorporation, Furi will make your palms sweat and hairs stand on edge throughout the action packed twitch dueler.

Story
Furi’s Narrative
The jailer is the key, kill him and you’ll be free.

Awakening to a detained state, an unknown figure unshackles you. This is the catalyst that sparks the war upon the guardians; fighting, slashing, and running your way through the surrealistic world in order to piece together what is worth fighting for. Furi is about you, the hero, regaining your freedom.

Game Modes
Difficulty Settings
There are only 2 difficulty modes available for selection at first; descriptions provided below:

-Furi-
The game is designed to be challenging and demanding. This recommended difficulty level can be changed after a game over (losing to a boss), however, lowering to Promenade CANNOT be reversed.

After beating the game in Furi mode, you’ll unlock the Furier difficulty (hardcore). Beat it in Furier, you’ll unlock a Speedrun mode (compete against time or number of hits - with leaderboards). Regarding difficulty, it may be important to mention that although there is keyboard support, the game heavily recommends using a controller.

Combat
The Guardians
It is very important to understand that Furi is a boss fight game. You beat one boss, get a little bit of dialogue or cut-scene action, and then move on to the next (you cannot skip bosses). There are no items, stats, leveling system, quests, or anything of that nature to worry about. Just boss fights, plain and simple, figuratively speaking. Although this may sound repetitive, I can assure you it is not. Bosses vary wildly, each with extremely different move-sets, abilities, aggressiveness, range, arena design, weaknesses, and attack combos. QTEs will also be presented, sparingly.

Combat Controls
Furi offers a simple set of controls: shoot, slash, parry and dodge. With the exception of parrying, each action can be charged for greater effect. The button presses are also ultra-responsive for the most part - the actions are immediately executed; however, the dash does have a slight delay. The difficulty of combat revolves around perfecting your parry timing, improving reflexes, learning attack patterns, counter-attacking when appropriate, and staying calm. Nearly every move is telegraphed beforehand (shine, spark, neon glow, war cry, etc.) so there is never a need to button-mash, spam, or spray and pray.



Promenade vs. Furi
On Furi difficulty, you have 3 health bars while bosses generally have 12 (technically 6 shield bars over 6 health bars). On Promenade difficulty, you have 5 health bars while the bosses generally have 3/3 shield/health bars (sometimes less). Since Furi’s gameplay is comprised solely of boss fights, it is highly recommended to play on Furi difficulty. The challenge is a major part of the game design, and playing on Promenade may reward you with a shallow and truncated experience, especially since the difficulty levels are so drastically disparate; however, feel free to play whichever difficulty you like. Players that are new to the parrying fight-style or bullet-hell sequences may already find a challenge in Promenade mode, and there is nothing wrong with that. The real thrill of this game is seen in the eyes of your enemies as they fall, one by one.

Boss Phases
Every time bosses lose a shield bar, a weakened state will allow the player to initiate a close quartered combat zone and attack their health directly. Each shield bar of a boss also represents a phase, so-to-speak, where move-sets, abilities and aggressiveness change upon transitioning to the next phase. If the player loses an entire health bar (KO), the boss and player will both recover their current health bars (until game over). The bosses will also regain their shield bars, effectively resetting the phase. Upon transitioning to the next boss phase, the player regains all lost health and one additional health bar. Health orbs are sometimes shot out from the boss, directly or encased in hazardous orbs, and parrying will also recover health, helping prolong or deny premature deaths. It is also possible to parry certain projectiles if you’re in a pinch, or want to throw in some extra damage. The parry window is very limited; therefore, it is very important to repress the urge to spam it and time the action accordingly.

Video Gameplay
This video gameplay showcases my encounters with 3 separate bosses: The Strap, The Line, and The Scale, on Furi difficulty.



Conclusion
Longevity & Replayability
Furi is first and foremost, a boss rush, twitch fighter. There are no RPG elements, quests, missions, or anything of that nature. The combat comprises all of Furi's gameplay, and its longevity/replayability is dependent upon your desire to improve your rank (S, A, B, C, D)/speedrun times or try it on a much harder difficulty (Furier). Improving your rank will unlock boss specific artwork, and leaderboards are provided for speedrunning. The game will take approximately 7-8 hours to complete depending on your skill level on Furi difficulty (3-4 hours on Promenade difficulty). Furier difficulty takes the boss fights to a whole new level. The guardians' attack patterns will change (lengthier melee combos, wider/crazier AOE pulses and bullet-hell phases, etc.) forcing you to play in a different manner. Perfectly parrying is even more paramount to success. There are also multiple endings to this game, one of which will terminate the game prematurely. You will know which one when you get there.

Verdict
Furi…is…brutal. The incredibly varied bosses and their attack patterns will truly test your mettle. Without a large amount of focus, practice, perseverance and the will to learn, each boss fight will ultimately end up as an exercise in futility. Even though it may seem really harsh, the feeling of triumph is just astounding. With a great soundtrack, colorful visuals and amazing gameplay, Furi is definitely recommended to those seeking an action-oriented challenge.

Community review by silversuriv (July 23, 2016) silversuriv loves to review games as an escape to reality, preferring to stay on the analytical side of the spectrum. Steam