# Furi
**Furi** is a 2016 action video game developed and published by the French studio The Game Bakers, released on 5 July 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one), and later for [Nintendo Switch](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-switch) and [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5).[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/423230/Furi/) • [2](https://www.gamespot.com/games/furi/reviews/) It is a boss rush game: the gameplay consists entirely of one-on-one duels against a sequence of bosses, connected by short walking sequences in which the player character moves toward the next fight.[3](https://www.pocketgamer.com/furi/review/) • [4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/) Each fight combines fast melee swordplay with bullet hell shooting, a blend the studio describes as unique.[4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / publisher | The Game Bakers[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/423230/Furi/) |
| Release | 5 July 2016; platforms include PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PS5[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/423230/Furi/) • [2](https://www.gamespot.com/games/furi/reviews/) |
| Genre | Boss rush combining bullet hell shooting and melee swordplay[3](https://www.pocketgamer.com/furi/review/) |
| Core actions | Slash, shoot, dodge, and parry; holding a button charges the move (parry excepted)[5](https://www.pcgamer.com/furi-review/) |
| Difficulty levels | Promenade (easy, shorter), Furi (default), Furier (hard, with redesigned patterns)[4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/) |
| Boss design | Takashi Okazaki, creator of Afro Samurai[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/423230/Furi/) |
| Soundtrack | Original electro and synthwave tracks by Carpenter Brut, Danger, The Toxic Avenger, Lorn, Scattle, Waveshaper, and Kn1ght[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/423230/Furi/) |
| Reception | Metacritic score of 76; Very Positive Steam reviews, 91% of 7,108 English reviews positive[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/423230/Furi/) |
## Gameplay
The player controls a sword-wielding prisoner, called [The Stranger](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-stranger), fighting a series of bosses called Guardians to escape a prison. Combat rests on four actions: melee slash, ranged shot, dodge, and parry. Holding each action's button charges it and makes it more powerful at the cost of slower movement, with parry the only exception.[5](https://www.pcgamer.com/furi-review/) Each boss fight alternates between two modes: a ranged phase played like a twin-stick shooter, in which the player dodges dense projectile patterns and fires back, and a close-quarters melee phase on a smaller arena where parrying is central.[6](https://stephenamansfield.com/furi-review/) • [7](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/182190-furi/reviews/163749)
Almost everything in a fight is telegraphed, so success depends on learning each boss's attack patterns and reacting with the right action at the right time; reviewers have compared the experience to learning a song, with each boss as a partition to be practiced.[8](https://groundpunch.com/reviews/furi-review/) Replay value comes from earning ranks from S down to D, improving speedrun times, and the harder Furier difficulty.[9](https://www.honestgamers.com/13066/pc/furi/review.html)
## Structure and design choices
Between fights, the player walks, or uses an autowalk button, for three to four minutes across surreal environments while a rabbit-masked companion, The Voice, provides backstory and coaching. Creative director Emeric Thoa, co-founder of The Game Bakers, described these sequences as a deliberate choice to give the game meaning, build tension, and force a break between intense fights, with no minions to fight, no experience points, and no loot.[4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/) Some reviewers found these walking sections dragged the pacing.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/game/furi/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c)
The game contains several deliberately controversial decisions. A hidden, peaceful ending can be triggered partway through the game; the developers made it a true ending that resets the player's save, a choice some players who triggered it accidentally criticized.[4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/) The dash begins when the player releases the button rather than pressing it, because the dash can be charged to travel farther; the studio states there is no actual input delay, though some players perceived one.[4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/) Players on Promenade difficulty cannot switch back to the default Furi difficulty mid-game, a rule intended to prevent players from dropping down at every difficulty peak.[4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/)
## Development
The Game Bakers began planning Furi in 2013 after the mobile game Combo Crew. Thoa described the studio's strategy as making a "Triple i" game with an edge: too small to compete on scope with AAA studios, the team aimed to be the best at one thing and to accept that many players would dislike the result, targeting a niche of Japanese character action game fans starved for that style.[4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/) The studio worked with external collaborators spread around the world.[11](https://www.playfrance.com/dossiers/4/entretien-avec-emeric-thoa-directeur-creatif-de-furi) The game was shown at EGX Rezzed 2016 and released that summer.[12](https://bagogames.com/bagogames-egx-rezzed-2016-furi-interview/)
The art direction uses colorful, surrealistic environments, and the soundtrack is composed of original electro and synthwave music, a deliberate contrast with the orchestral scores of mainstream action games of the period.[4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/) A DLC character pack, Furi - Onnamusha, is sold separately and in a bundle.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/423230/Furi/)
## Reception
Furi received a Metacritic score of 76 and Very Positive Steam user reviews, with 91% of 7,108 English reviews positive.[1](https://store.steampowered.com/app/423230/Furi/) Critics praised the combat and boss design: [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer) called it one of 2016's biggest surprises and a challenging mix of bullet hell and reaction-based swordplay,[5](https://www.pcgamer.com/furi-review/) and GameSpot wrote that mastering the parry is essential to success in later stages.[13](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/furi-review/1900-6416472/) Common criticisms included the sparse tutorial, the difficulty gap between the lowest two settings, and the walking sections between fights.[14](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/furi) • [15](https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/furi-review/) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/game/furi/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c) Thoa acknowledged the split, calling Furi a love-hate game by design and arguing that intense satisfaction requires intense effort.[4](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/)
The game has been cited as a leading example of the modern boss rush genre alongside Cuphead and Titan Souls.[16](https://as.com/meristation/2021/08/11/analisis/1628670774_099284.html) The Game Bakers followed it with the co-op RPG Haven and the climbing game [Cairn](https://www.edgepedia.org/cairn-video-game), all deliberately different in style.[17](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/cairn-and-furi-creators-games-are-all-so-different-that-theres-a-chance-our-next-game-is-an-mmo-match-3-about-friendship-jokes-creative-director-emeric-thoa)
## References
1. [Furi on Steam, Valve / The Game Bakers](https://store.steampowered.com/app/423230/Furi/)
2. [Furi Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/furi/reviews/)
3. [Furi Switch review, Pocket Gamer](https://www.pocketgamer.com/furi/review/)
4. [Furi and creating memorable moments, The Game Bakers (Emeric Thoa, 22 July 2016)](https://www.thegamebakers.com/furi-and-creating-memorable-moments/)
5. [Furi review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/furi-review/)
6. [Furi Review, Stephen Amansfield](https://stephenamansfield.com/furi-review/)
7. [Furi Review for PlayStation 4, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps4/182190-furi/reviews/163749)
8. [Furi Review, Ground Punch](https://groundpunch.com/reviews/furi-review/)
9. [Furi (PC) Review, HonestGamers](https://www.honestgamers.com/13066/pc/furi/review.html)
10. [Furi Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/furi/?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c)
11. [Entretien avec Emeric Thoa, directeur créatif de Furi, PlayFrance](https://www.playfrance.com/dossiers/4/entretien-avec-emeric-thoa-directeur-creatif-de-furi)
12. [BagoGames at EGX Rezzed 2016: Furi Interview](https://bagogames.com/bagogames-egx-rezzed-2016-furi-interview/)
13. [Furi Review, GameSpot (Peter Brown)](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/furi-review/1900-6416472/)
14. [Furi, Parents' Guide & Game Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/furi)
15. [Furi Review, VideoGamer](https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/furi-review/)
16. [Eldest Souls, análisis, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2021/08/11/analisis/1628670774_099284.html)
17. [Cairn and Furi creator's games are all so different, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/cairn-and-furi-creators-games-are-all-so-different-that-theres-a-chance-our-next-game-is-an-mmo-match-3-about-friendship-jokes-creative-director-emeric-thoa)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Shooter games › Bullet hell games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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