💬 “Excellence is not an art, it's pure habit. We are what we repeatedly do.”

― The Edge

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At first glance, I thought Furi was an anime-like difficult hack and slash experience focusing only on boss-oriented levels with bullet hell sections. Well..., I was right this time. It's short in length, large in width, and intends to spend some quality time with your sanity, concentration, and level of dedication. Prepare yourself for a rough route, and don't let the stylish art style play its magic on your expectations; you are up for a challenge.

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💠 Prison Break

The jailer is the key, kill him, and you'll be free. It's the Stranger's only way out of the celestial, impassable prison specially built for him and him only. Heh..., imagine that! Anyway, you play as the Stranger, whose main objective is simple: get away and slay anyone standing in the way. Who sets you free at first is a wacky weirdo wearing a fluffy fancy version of the bunny mask from the movie Donnie Darko. He'll be your walking-talking radio, aiding your escape with useless tips (my opinion) and valuable info regarding the story lore, as you both share the same goal. Overall, he's a compelling companion.

💠 Guardians of the Galactic Prison

They are the jailers standing in the way, the best of the best. Floating in space is the prison with a surreal set of spatial worlds linked by mystical gates. Each world has a unique atmosphere that well defines its jailer's attributes. Each boss is sui generis in character, appearance, and fighting style. I think they deserve more lore and a multilayered depth in the game's character-driven story. The plot is engrossing as the characters are, and the excitement builds up as you progress to unveil the fruit of the tale. It's not the type of story that will lay its cards at ease after the curtain falls; it will require some deep thoughts to reveal its true meaning.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2822121139
💠 Freedom Fighter

You are a samurai armed with a lightning Katana and a laser pistol. As for the guardians, each has a special weapon that defines their combat style. There are two gameplay modes: duel fighting and walking sections. You go to a segment, defeat its jailer and move on to the next. Each fight has various phases, each consisting of two portions (with some exceptions). First is the usual open arena encounter, where you can move freely and use both weapons to deplete the enemy's shield bar. After the health bar is exposed, you enter a close-range personal duel in which you can drain it using only melee combos. Defensive options are dashing: appropriate for evading bullets; and parrying: more suitable for countering melee strikes. Power attacks range from charging your gunshot, slash, and boost; also, charging your dash increases the evasive range. In summary: the combat is simple, satisfying, and responsive.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2823927307
💠 Furi vs Dark Souls

While they both focus on difficult bosses, their methods differ. Unlike the slow-paced strategic gameplay in Dark Souls, Furi is a fast-paced game that will punish you for not taking risks; also, it has a small room for errors and reconfiguring your plan while fighting. Don't get me wrong, though; planning a strategy is crucial in Furi, but it has to be after learning your enemy's attack patterns and before going into battle; there is no time to think during a fight. It all hinges on your reflexes, muscle memory, and knowledge of the attack patterns.

There is no weapon variety or any form of upgrades in Furi. You'll always play as the same character you started with regardless of the difficulty mode or the level you're playing. The only upgrade you're getting is you. It will show you your true power of adaptation. You'll be astonished by how drastically your skills can evolve by practicing, making you a grandmaster in Furi, and when that happens, you'll become the boss all the guardians fear. An obvious difference is the bullet hell phases in Furi, where it pushes your concentration and reflexes to the limit. In conclusion: they differ much more than they have in similar.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2821692697
💠 You Can Do It

As hard as it gets, it will always be fair. Rarely can you blame the game for losing or even getting hit. The levels are well-balanced; they only require gitting gud. But don't let the heat of the challenge push you away. In my first playthrough, I had a D rank with 2000+ hits and 100+ KOs on Furi difficulty. It went from there to an S rank with 158 hits and 0 KOs on Furier difficulty. All it took was some practice. Good news: there is a mode for practicing where you can fight any enemy in any order and access the invincible option, which allows you to focus on different aspects of the fight. It offers becoming invincible, exposing an enemy's health bar, and skipping or locking phases. Another mode is the speedrun, which records your time and hit count, and there are no walking sections while you fight all the bosses in sequence.

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💠 S Rank for the Ep!c Soundtrack

Each boss has an exclusive soundtrack that not only sets the mood to blend with the atmosphere but somehow manifests the enemy's appearance and evokes his character in the player's imagination, making him see them with his mind before his eyes. In addition, the music's rhythms are well-integrated into the fight phases, inducing a fervor feeling that ups the enthusiasm to 11. Furi's aesthetic utilizes a colorful minimalistic approach with cool particle effects to define its art style. I can't say the same for the mediocre shadow quality that can often reduce the overall visual appeal. More than one executive animation per boss could've added much more to the cinematic aspect of the game.

💠 Controller Highly Recommended?

Yes. Why? Mainly because you can't get that sweet 360° directional movement with a keyboard, which you'll do a lot, BTW. Sure, you can get that radial movement using a mouse, but it'll follow your aiming direction. As for a gamepad, there are two analogs, one for shooting and the other for movement, so it'll be much easier and more comfortable. Mostly, arenas have a radial design, so you'll be moving in curved directions most of the time, which can get strenuous using WASD buttons. So is it playable on a keyboard and mouse? I've S ranked the game on Furier using only keyboard and mouse. For me, the best layout was to change the reticle mode to radial and the movement mode to reticle, but when I have to dodge and shoot in different directions, I change the movement mode to directional.

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It's a brilliant mix of swordplay and bullet hell that never fails to make you hold your breath. It's under an hour of content that will take way more for you to learn each boss, adapting to their patterns as you witness your skills grow; it's an substantial success of showcasing what you can achieve through the sheer force of practice and commitment.

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🅰️spects

Aspect

Multiplier

Score

Single-player

40%

10

Technical

60%

8

🅾️verall

9

[quote]💬 [i]“Excellence is not an art, it's pure habit. We are what we repeatedly do.” ― The Edge[/i][/quote] [h1][b]🚀 Overview[/b][/h1] [hr][/hr] [table] [tr] [th]👍 Merits[/th] [th]👎 Flaws[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] ✔️ Robust boss-rush experience ✔️ Entrancing bosses ✔️ Solid presentation ✔️ Terrific soundtrack [/td] [td] ❌ Needs more lore [/td] [/tr] [/table] [h1][b]🚪 Introduction[/b][/h1] [hr][/hr] At first glance, I thought Furi was an anime-like difficult hack and slash experience focusing only on boss-oriented levels with bullet hell sections. Well..., I was right this time. It's short in length, large in width, and intends to spend some quality time with your sanity, concentration, and level of dedication. Prepare yourself for a rough route, and don't let the stylish art style play its magic on your expectations; you are up for a challenge. [h1][b]🎮 Single-player[/b][/h1] [hr][/hr] [b]💠 Prison Break[/b] The jailer is the key, kill him, and you'll be free. It's the Stranger's only way out of the celestial, impassable prison specially built for him and him only. Heh..., imagine that! Anyway, you play as the Stranger, whose main objective is simple: get away and slay anyone standing in the way. Who sets you free at first is a wacky weirdo wearing a fluffy fancy version of the bunny mask from the movie Donnie Darko. He'll be your walking-talking radio, aiding your escape with useless tips (my opinion) and valuable info regarding the story lore, as you both share the same goal. Overall, he's a compelling companion. [b]💠 Guardians of the Galactic Prison[/b] They are the jailers standing in the way, the best of the best. Floating in space is the prison with a surreal set of spatial worlds linked by mystical gates. Each world has a unique atmosphere that well defines its jailer's attributes. Each boss is sui generis in character, appearance, and fighting style. I think they deserve more lore and a multilayered depth in the game's character-driven story. The plot is engrossing as the characters are, and the excitement builds up as you progress to unveil the fruit of the tale. It's not the type of story that will lay its cards at ease after the curtain falls; it will require some deep thoughts to reveal its true meaning. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2822121139 [b]💠 Freedom Fighter[/b] You are a samurai armed with a lightning Katana and a laser pistol. As for the guardians, each has a special weapon that defines their combat style. There are two gameplay modes: duel fighting and walking sections. You go to a segment, defeat its jailer and move on to the next. Each fight has various phases, each consisting of two portions (with some exceptions). First is the usual open arena encounter, where you can move freely and use both weapons to deplete the enemy's shield bar. After the health bar is exposed, you enter a close-range personal duel in which you can drain it using only melee combos. Defensive options are dashing: appropriate for evading bullets; and parrying: more suitable for countering melee strikes. Power attacks range from charging your gunshot, slash, and boost; also, charging your dash increases the evasive range. In summary: the combat is simple, satisfying, and responsive. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2823927307 [b]💠 Furi vs Dark Souls[/b] While they both focus on difficult bosses, their methods differ. Unlike the slow-paced strategic gameplay in Dark Souls, Furi is a fast-paced game that will punish you for not taking risks; also, it has a small room for errors and reconfiguring your plan while fighting. Don't get me wrong, though; planning a strategy is crucial in Furi, but it has to be after learning your enemy's attack patterns and before going into battle; there is no time to think during a fight. It all hinges on your reflexes, muscle memory, and knowledge of the attack patterns. There is no weapon variety or any form of upgrades in Furi. You'll always play as the same character you started with regardless of the difficulty mode or the level you're playing. The only upgrade you're getting is you. It will show you your true power of adaptation. You'll be astonished by how drastically your skills can evolve by practicing, making you a grandmaster in Furi, and when that happens, you'll become the boss all the guardians fear. An obvious difference is the bullet hell phases in Furi, where it pushes your concentration and reflexes to the limit. In conclusion: they differ much more than they have in similar. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2821692697 [b]💠 You Can Do It[/b] As hard as it gets, it will always be fair. Rarely can you blame the game for losing or even getting hit. The levels are well-balanced; they only require gitting gud. But don't let the heat of the challenge push you away. In my first playthrough, I had a D rank with 2000+ hits and 100+ KOs on Furi difficulty. It went from there to an S rank with 158 hits and 0 KOs on Furier difficulty. All it took was some practice. Good news: there is a mode for practicing where you can fight any enemy in any order and access the invincible option, which allows you to focus on different aspects of the fight. It offers becoming invincible, exposing an enemy's health bar, and skipping or locking phases. Another mode is the speedrun, which records your time and hit count, and there are no walking sections while you fight all the bosses in sequence. [h1][b]🛠️ Technical[/b][/h1] [hr][/hr] [b]💠 S Rank for the Ep!c Soundtrack[/b] Each boss has an exclusive soundtrack that not only sets the mood to blend with the atmosphere but somehow manifests the enemy's appearance and evokes his character in the player's imagination, making him see them with his mind before his eyes. In addition, the music's rhythms are well-integrated into the fight phases, inducing a fervor feeling that ups the enthusiasm to 11. Furi's aesthetic utilizes a colorful minimalistic approach with cool particle effects to define its art style. I can't say the same for the mediocre shadow quality that can often reduce the overall visual appeal. More than one executive animation per boss could've added much more to the cinematic aspect of the game. [b]💠 Controller Highly Recommended?[/b] Yes. Why? Mainly because you can't get that sweet 360° directional movement with a keyboard, which you'll do a lot, BTW. Sure, you can get that radial movement using a mouse, but it'll follow your aiming direction. As for a gamepad, there are two analogs, one for shooting and the other for movement, so it'll be much easier and more comfortable. Mostly, arenas have a radial design, so you'll be moving in curved directions most of the time, which can get strenuous using WASD buttons. So is it playable on a keyboard and mouse? I've S ranked the game on Furier using only keyboard and mouse. For me, the best layout was to change the reticle mode to radial and the movement mode to reticle, but when I have to dodge and shoot in different directions, I change the movement mode to directional. [h1][b]⚖️ Verdict[/b][/h1] [hr][/hr] It's a brilliant mix of swordplay and bullet hell that never fails to make you hold your breath. It's under an hour of content that will take way more for you to learn each boss, adapting to their patterns as you witness your skills grow; it's an substantial success of showcasing what you can achieve through the sheer force of practice and commitment. [h1][b]💯 Score[/b][/h1] [hr][/hr] [quote][b]🅰️spects[/b] [table] [tr] [th]Aspect[/th] [th]Multiplier[/th] [th]Score[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Single-player[/td] [td]40%[/td] [td]10[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Technical[/td] [td]60%[/td] [td]8[/td] [/tr] [/table] [b]🅾️verall[/b] [quote][b]9[/b][/quote] [/quote]