Path of Fury Episode 1 Evaluation – Kung Move

TL;DR for Path of Fury Episode 1: Tetsuo’s Tower
(performed on a Meta Quest 3 128 GB mannequin)

INTRODUCTION & STORY

Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower is well essentially the most enjoyable I’ve had in VR since Maestro dropped again in October of final 12 months.

If VR gaming is essentially about hitting movement states inside an immersive fantasy, then Path of Fury is a top-tier title. No query.

The vanity of the sport is simple:

You’re a high-octane kung-fu badass looking for revenge.
Revenge for what?
Doesn’t matter.
It’s concerning the vibes. This pet’s all vibes.
It’s a neon signal beside a grungy nightclub brawl that sparkles within the rain “VIBES SOLD HERE”.

You get little insights into your motivation by means of subtitled dialogue, however there’s no expository lore dumps droning the ins and outs of why all of those criminals (and cops, and workplace staff, and waiters, and different man-shaped obstacles) must be punched right into a writhing mess on the ground.

You get sufficient out of your enemies to know they’re your enemies.
You get sufficient out of the flashbacks of the girl in that polaroid you carry round to know that she’s your motivation.
And also you get sufficient out of your demise screens—by means of pithy, dramatic sayings coping with honour and future and the like—to know what it’s to be a one-man dojo within the nineties.

At the least I reckon the sport takes place within the nineties, if the occasional low-tech background set items are to be trusted anyway.

The sport’s kind displays its interval by means of sensible stylistic decisions, like its character fashions and textures that appear to be they had been ripped straight from a PS1 title.

The ugly character fashions within the trailer threw me off initially.
However rising up on Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen, and Jet Li films I believed I’d nonetheless attempt to rock with it; simply to see.

And boy, am I glad I did.

GAMEPLAY & PRESENTATION

A wise man as soon as mentioned that the distinction between a vogue faux-pas and a daring model alternative is intention; it’s about leaning into your choice with supportive visible parts and confidence.

Positive, the fashions in Path of Fury are hella low-poly, however that’s an intentional homage to the period, and an clever technique to increase the sport’s efficiency on the restricted standalone {hardware} of the Quest 3.

And certain, the textures are pixelated, however they’re not muddy.
I do know what I’m taking a look at and it helps the ever-important vibe.

These antiquated visible parts are offset by means of intentionality, cohesion, and robust, moody lighting.

Aesthetics listed below are supported and amplified in each vector, with nice consideration to element.

And pulling that off in a novel approach is one thing that I’ll at all times reward in any recreation, no matter what that aesthetic route could be.

The sound, music, visuals, and gameplay all work collectively to shoot you headlong into the guts of a haunted martial arts hero.

“Kung-Fu film sound design, haptic suggestions, and important character reactions all contribute to unmatched simulated martial arts fight.”

Even sitting right here to put in writing this text like some type of words-guy once I know now in my bones that I’m a lethal kung-fu vengeance monger seems like a betrayal of my newfound righteous quest for blood.

Path of Fury performs like this:
Strike villainous goons’ weak factors as they seem, with sufficient velocity and on the proper angle.
Fail to take action—or just face an opponent whose health-bar is large enough to eat a full combo—they usually’ll counter-attack.
Counter their counter-attacks by attacking their assaults.
Do that with precision and good timing or die.

Alright, so I’ve been taking part in Thrill of the Fight 2 these days.
In case you don’t understand it, it’s a VR gymnasium the place you and a stranger make crude gestures at one another with a PVP boxing recreation pinned to the again of it.

However that PVP boxing recreation is blighted by the actual fact of its PVP-ness!
Ha.

Factor is, I’ve had some reservations about Thrill of the Combat 2 that I haven’t fairly been capable of pin down.

That’s, till I performed Path of Fury.
Now because you don’t really feel ache in VR (mostly), and since your physique doesn’t recoil from the strikes you are taking—nor your opponent’s physique from the strikes you deal—Thrill of the Combat 2 typically turns into flaily and pillow-fisted, like an nervousness dream.

In Path of Fury, nevertheless, strikes really feel sturdy.

Kung-Fu film sound design, haptic suggestions, and important character reactions all contribute to unmatched simulated martial arts fight.

In case you’ve ever completed a striking-based martial artwork, you know the way good that exact movement state feels; whether or not you’re working a velocity bag, a heavy bag, or a foam protect—improvising combos with backhands, chops, double-jabs, hammer-fists—no matter!

By constraining you to work in opposition to enemies’ distinct assault patterns—constraining you to sure angles and timings—the sport turns into a dance companion within the fluid invention of on-the-fly combos and makeshift katas.

And if that’s not innovative emergent gameplay then I don’t know what’s.

“… this recreation is a simple-to-pick-up-yet-hard-to-master energy fantasy that immerses you in its coherent and daring aesthetic identification.”

The sport’s not all ad-libbed, chi-raising punch dances although.
It will get difficult.

Fortunately your condominium/overworld menu has a picket coaching dummy upon which you’ll be able to follow in opposition to the precise assault sample of no matter enemy is providing you with hassle.

When you’ve got glorious reflexes—and perhaps a martial arts background—you may probably brawl by means of the marketing campaign in beneath two hours.

However every stage additionally has a scoring system based mostly on completion velocity and injury taken, so high-achievers can run it again time and again to attempt to shoot for prime marks.

Path of Fury will get nonetheless extra replayability factors by means of its limitless mode, wherein you combat wave after wave of enemies set in phases corresponding to every act of the marketing campaign.

General, this recreation is a simple-to-pick-up-yet-hard-to-master energy fantasy that immerses you in its coherent and daring aesthetic identification.

Path of Fury is the very definition of avant garde (unsurprising contemplating its director) with out taking itself too critically.

And it’s a fantastic exercise!

Play it such as you imply it for a few hours and also you might need to attend ‘til tomorrow to play once more!
And whereas I don’t assume train is the principal draw, the truth that the marketing campaign and the limitless mode each rating your gameplay ought to make any gamer with a touch of competitiveness or completionism of their DNA wish to come again to do higher.

That, in flip, means extra train.

Girls, enbies, and gents, we actually get to dwell in a time the place we will get match by climbing the leaderboard.

However most significantly: Path of Fury is very enjoyable.

It’s not good, thoughts you.

The automated on-rails motion can typically put your hitbox shut sufficient to your enemy’s that the sport registers a strike.
If that seems to be a mistaken strike, your enemy will get to counter-attack.

Moreover, the sport may use a few quality-of-life settings like a re-center possibility, or the now comparatively normal auto-pause on press of the house button.

And whereas it could be that client tech simply isn’t there but for a title this phrenetic, I’d pay double to play this recreation with hand-tracking!

Because it stands, in case you don’t maintain down the set off you’ll strike with an open hand.
However that feels off because you don’t truly have an open hand.
You’re greedy controllers. Your palms are closed.

I wish to karate chop thugs!
I wish to combat with tiger-fists!
I wish to palm somebody within the nostril with my precise palm and have them slow-motion fly right into a desk whereas I kiai like Bruce Lee!

Is that a lot to ask?

I actually don’t know.

However with out Path of Fury I wouldn’t have the baseline to look up and hope from.

, I’m shocked practically each month by simply what number of improvements there are on this area; piecemeal, certain, however fixed.

I actually imagine that the soar from console to VR is a minimum of as game-changing (pun supposed) for the artform because the soar was from 2D to 3D graphics.

And it’ll solely price you USD $9.99 to see simply how Path of Fury innovates.

With nice curiosity in the place the sequence will go, we’re giving Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower a 9/10, in addition to a welcome spot in our shortlist of video games to rope in VR newcomers.

Hyper-Goal Omniscient Analysis Yardstick

Scores are out of 10, the place 10 is a masterpiece, 1 is unplayable, and 5 is simply common.
Gameplay has a heavier weighting towards the general rating.

Gameplay – 8
Graphics – 8
Immersion – 9
Replayability – 9
Efficiency – 10
Sound – 10

Picture / video credit score: Auganix