Furi Hands-On Preview at E3 2016

By Kevin Mitchell Posted on June 28, 2016

Although developer The Game Bakers has both mobile and Nintendo game releases under their belt since 2011, Furi marks the company's first release on both PC and PlayStation 4. On the show floor at E3 2016, located in the PlayStation booth, I had a chance to go hands-on with Furi, as well as chat with the duo from The Game Bakers - Audrey Leprince and Emeric Thoa.

An action game at heart, Furi cuts to the chase, removing the need to fight countless minions before reaching the next boss. You will have to travel to the next boss, in similar fashion to Titan Souls. As a boss rush style game, Furi blends twin-stick shooting mechanics with action orientated sword fighting. The first thing that stood out during my time with the game was the high contrast and sharp visuals of the game. Although the show floor at E3 is an auditory explosion of sound, when I slipped on the headphones hooked up to the game’s kiosk, I was immediately blown away by the electronic music that blended perfectly with the action. Not only was I dodging bullets like a shoot ‘em up, but I was dodging/parrying melee attacks like a Souls title by making precise movements to ensure quick offensive and defensive maneuvers. Bosses in Furi won’t take the form of massive titans that block out the sun, but will be relatively close to the players actual size. Character designs are unique and stylish thanks to Takashi Okazaki, the creator of Afro Samurai’s involvement in the game.

Watching someone play the game was one thing, but Furi needs to be experienced. While the game’s mechanics are relatively simplistic, shoot, dodge, and melee, the game will be tough to master, especially with the quick reaction time required to time counter attacks and perform perfect dodges. Charged attacks can be performed at the risk of mobility, so you’ll have to decide when it will be the best time to use them.

As you progress through each battle, bosses will shift into various phases, changing patterns and types of attacks. The further you progress, the thought the boss becomes, utilities bigger and more complex attacks. In the demo, the final phase covered the entire battleground with projectiles, some that could be destroyed by shooting them and others that were impervious to attack and required last second dodging. Thankfully, I was able to defeat the boss after studying the different patterns, but it wasn’t an easy task, and my life bar was quite depleted

You won’t have to wait long to get your hands on Furi, as it releases on July 5, 2016, on PS4 and PC for $24.99.