According to Google, the natural enemy of a Panda is the human; however, in Feral Fury you’ll face what appear to be elephants, dogs, robots, and a large selection of bugs. The game’s narrative, which is given in an all too brief cut scene at the launch of the game (the rest came from the press kit I was provided), is that after the fall of humanity, Pandas have become the dominant life form. As they are in desperate need of bamboo, they have left in search of a new planet to inhabit. You’ll take control of one of what will be many Pandas to battle the forces of evil, or good, depending on how you look at the narrative.

The game is a twin stick rouge-lite adventure, very similar to the popular The Binding of Isaac; you’ll start each game or run in the same place, with a maze of rooms that change on each run. The biggest difference between the two games is the upgrade system featured here. You’ll collect blue orbs from fallen enemies which can be redeemed for perks such as extra health slots or upgrades to your weapons and abilities, which will carry over between games. If you are new to this genre, permadeath is in full force and will be experienced frequently, as Feral Fury is unforgiving, even on the easiest setting. Featuring 15 levels spread across 5 chapters, I was only able to make it to the third chapter on easy, which omits the boss fights featured in the higher difficulties. As a jab to the player, these are replaced with a room full of baby pigs that won’t attack you , and instead give you a number of additional power ups and weapons.

After completing a chapter, you are given the option of progressing through a door or leaving using a Warthog-ish vehicle. The second option places you in a vehicular combat setting. I found these to be particularly frustrating, as you are only able to shoot in short bursts while waves of enemies swarm you. After a few attempts at this, I decided continuing on foot was the best course of action.

The power ups offered in Feral Fury are significantly weaker than those found on the other popular rouge-lites. However, there is a large variety of them based off of the glossary in the menu. It’s important to note that while there is a wide range of guns that can be acquired, they run on ammo, unlike the pistol which is endless. These do add a strategic element, and a bad decision can come back to bite you in the ass due to the randomized nature of the game. Picking up a grenade launcher and then running into enemies that charge you is an instant death sentence.

 

There are a number of secrets to be found if the player takes the time to explore (or reads about them online) such as attacking the store vendors, who will put up a nasty fight, but the rewards you receive for winning add a nice risk to reward aspect. In addition to these, hidden rooms can be found by blowing up explosives found in the environment as well as using your limited number of bombs. You’ll also find wishing wells that can add a curse (negative effect) or perk. Luckily, if you are cursed, most statuses are removed at the end of a level. My secret was a Galaga mini game found in an arcade room, which I was better at than the main game.

In addition to the story mode, you’ll find additional difficulties and a daily run that adds 3 perks as well as a curse to your character. This mode does feature a leaderboard, so you can see where you fall within the community.

I particularly enjoyed the visual style of the game, as it appears to be heavily inspired by the original Doom series, with its dark corridors and the design of the characters’ armor. Additionally, you will have to find color coded keys which resemble the old school design of the Doom keycard. You’ll be tasked with finding red keys to unlock the exit to the level and blue, which can be used to open chests or access the stores. I would recommend taking advantage of the upgrade system and buying the extra blue key upgrade early in the game, as this extra chest will greatly increase your chance for survival, especially if obtained early.

While Feral Fury does lack the staying power and variety that The Binding of Isaac offers, its difficulty and replay options will keep most players busy for hours to come.

8 out of 10

Pros

• Well Designed Maps
• Loads of Replayability
• Punishing Difficulty

Cons

• Punishing Difficulty
• Lack of Variety in Power Ups
• Sloppy Vehicular Levels

Feral Fury was developed and published by Skandivania Games. It was released on PC and Mobile April 3rd, 2017, X1 on August 30th, 2017, and PS4 on January 30th, 2018 for $6.99. The game was provided to us for review on Xbox One. If you’d like to see more of Feral Fury, check out the official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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