Digital Shorts: ‘Feral Fury’ Review (Nintendo Switch)
In DIGITAL SHORTS we review some of the latest video games that are only available digitally (at least in the UK), in a short-form review format. In this edition we take a look at Feral Fury – a fast-paced twin stick shooter rogue-lite available now on the Nintendo Switch.
A budget title at well under a tenner, Feral Fury isn’t a game you’ll be thinking reminiscing about in a couple of months’ time but, despite some issues I found the game oddly addictive and enjoyed the time I spent with it.
A twin-stick shooter, Feral Fury is set on Earth long after humans have disappeared and there is an ongoing war between pandas and pigs, obviously. Although this may read as the setup of a quirky, cuddly tale, I can assure you that it most certainly is not. Moody lighting, hues of metallic grey and claustrophobic spaces are the order of the day here accompanied by a cyberpunk sound track.
The game play is split into fifteen stages over five chapters, the first sections acting as standard levels and the last, a boss fight. There is a small element of random generation in play and I have to say that it works in the game’s favour and does feel valid as opposed to lazy level design. Each level is split into multiple screens much as in the Binding of Isaac style, in that the stages are set out in a grid pattern and various keys needed to open doors in order to progress. There are also other situations to come across such as shopkeepers (which you can attack and try to kill in order to steal their stock, but beware, they have a shotgun up their sleeves!) and sub-rooms which contain upgrades and other handy items.
Feral Fury is one of those games where you WILL die in order to proceed, each time unlocking more items, helmets, weapons and even characters depending on how far you get. The game is also available on iOS which is usually a warning sign but, although a relatively basic game, this doesn’t feel like a phone game and feels at home on the Switch. I did find the ‘dodge-roll’ slightly cumbersome as it follows the aiming of your gun as opposed to your character which feels backwards (it also feels odd to have the ‘B’ button as your main menu press, at odds with pretty much every other game on the Switch!).
With its samey enemies, generic game play and short length, there are a lot of reasons to not be blown away by Feral Fury but as a lower-priced title, I must admit that it won me over and I found it a fun game to dip into for a few minutes at a time whilst in bed to round off my nights. It may not have depth but it is a fun play and worth picking up if you want some twin-stick action. I can imagine a larger-scaled sequel with a local co-op mode would massively expand its fanbase and horizons, should it come to pass.
Right, I’m off to make some bacon sandwiches.
