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Fury Unleashed Preview (Early Access) – A Comic Roguelite from Awesome Games Studio

fury unleashed
Fury Unleashed Preview (Early Access) – A Comic Roguelite from Awesome Games Studio
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Platforms: Windows PC, Steam

Game Name: Fury Unleashed

Publisher: Awesome Games Studio

Developer: Awesome Games Studio

Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG

Release Date: February 24th, 2017 (Early Access)

Fury Unleashed from Awesome Games Studio

Fury Unleashed takes the Roguelite formula and injects it into a Contra-style shooter. This mixture of fast-paced action with perma-death and randomly generated levels makes for an engaging combination. This is set against the backdrop of a comic book aesthetic, with the protagonist blasting their way through pages filled with undead, Nazis or aliens (depending on which comic is selected). The game is still very much a work in progress, but it seems that the developers are working hard to add new features and polish things up.

Not much narrative is provided or necessary in Fury Unleashed; the hero has lost their powers, and in order to recover them, they must revisit their previous battles and regain their strength. Either a male or female protagonist can be selected, and a few customization options are available, although I found that the comic text always referred to the character as a male. Hopefully this will be corrected in future updates.

The Illustrated Eye

The comics and the levels they contain are unlocked sequentially, with an undead-infested jungle being the first available. I found the action to be immediately gripping, and a combo system makes blasting through screen after screen of enemies almost rhythmic.

A variety of weapons are available, ranging from a painfully average SMG starting weapon and more powerful tools like rocket launchers, sniper rifles and more. These also come with a selection of modifiers that make for fun upgrades, such as freezing enemies or a bottomless magazine.

Between runs, the hero can be upgraded with various improvements bought with ink gathered from slain enemies. Unfortunately, while there are several aspects that can be improved, the game’s combo system is so strong that upgrades on that path are considerably more effective than anything else (tool tips between levels even suggest buying these upgrades early).

Nonetheless, I managed to direct enough points to other areas to build toward a critical hit focus, and I had a lot of fun buffing my damage this way.

In terms of challenge, Fury Unleashed does a great job of providing a constant threat; health is a rare commodity and whilst it can be bought from a vendor it’s best to try and use the combo system to maintain a steady flow of healing. A wide variety of bosses are strewn through the game and these provide both a fun obstacle and a source of powerful gear.

The visuals of Fury Unleashed are excellent and the comic book style is portrayed with loving care. Animations are sometimes a little basic, but for the most part, the aesthetics are impressive.

The Sounds

The audio side is a little more hit and miss; the music is superb and sets the scene for each comic well, but the sound effects feel a little unfinished. Weapons fire is for the most part well implemented, but there are a few areas where the game feels a little lacking in sound. I missed the satisfying “ker-ching” or clicking sounds for acquiring new gear, for example. This may sound minor, but the overall effect is that the game feels eerily silent in places where it shouldn’t.

A Stand Up Comic

Fury Unleashed is a fantastic mash up of Roguelite and old style shooter conventions. Its lighthearted, comic-style vibe works well to underscore the playful, action-packed nature of the game, and while there are a few areas that need a little more development time, it looks like Awesome Games Studio are working to complete their title over the next few months.

For fans of retro shooters and Roguelites, this is definitely one to keep an eye on and while development is ongoing, there is certainly enough content here to make it worth checking out now.

Fury Unleashed is available via Steam.

[xrr rating=”4/5″]

Watch the official trailer for Fury Unleashed below: