Previously known as Fenix Rage, Fenix Furia is a hardcore platforming and evasion game from Green Lava Studios. Just so you know, calling it hardcore is a massive understatement because I found Super Meat Boy to be easier. No really, that wasn’t a joke, Super Meat Boy is easier than Fenix Furia. To be exact, Fenix Furia is an inspired, frenetically-paced, challenging and aggressively addicting action platformer that will keep one’s palms sweaty, thumbs fatigued and wits sharp. Gamers take on the role of Fenix, whose village is decimated by a huge explosion, leaving only two survivors–Fenix and Oktarus, a mysterious figure who manages to elude Fenix’s best efforts at capture. The game features loads of different enemies, slick retro-like music, fantastic environments and the need to master lots of varying platforming tactics.
According to the developers, Fenix Furia instantly throws gamers into hundreds of lightning-paced levels that test their ability to jump and dash their way through a maze of dangerous obstacles, all in an effort to track down the shadowy Oktarus and collect each level’s cookie. It offers pixel-perfect mechanics but gamers will nonetheless struggle mightily to achieve the best rankings with the best time, with the fewest deaths to rub in their friends’ faces.
I have to agree that all of these claims are accurate. Usually when you have games like this, they don’t bother to provide you with any type of narrative. Super Meat Boy was special because at least it gave you a basic plot. The plot of Fenix Furia is quite complex as it involves mystery and the search for your foe. It also addresses backstory questions along the way. I wasn’t expecting this to be honest. We recently reviewed a game called Paranautical Activity which, while was fun, was let down because it didn’t capitalize on its supernatural setup when it came to story elements. The inclusion of a solid mystery in Fenix Furia definitely appealed to me. I just wish I had the skill to see it through to its conclusion.
The gameplay is enhanced by smooth controls which are precise to an unimaginable degree. The developers really perfected the movement and registering of button presses. Never once did I encounter any stutter or problem with controller responsiveness. It’s always a pleasure to experience titles like this which pay so much attention to the mechanics and make sure there isn’t anything hindering the connection between the game and the player.
During the course of Fenix Furia, you race through hundreds of increasingly difficult levels, with new mechanics like fire, ice and jump portals. There is a lot of variety to the platforming and jumping such as the dash attack which helps you break through barriers. Unique approaches need to be combined in order to get through the obstacle layout. A trick I found to be helpful was to just stare at the enemy movements for a few minutes. This helped me to understand the patterns they followed so that I could evade them more effectively on my next playthrough. Don’t be deceived by my hint though, you will die a lot in Fenix Furia. We’re talking hundreds of times here.
One complaint I have has to be the progression and clustering of levels. As you keep on going, you encounter areas which are quite easy followed by ones that feel almost impossible to beat. Usually when you have a game like this, there is a more logical progression when it comes to the difficulty. Sometimes Fenix Furia just seems random and this can get frustrating at times. There were levels which I completed in one try followed by ones that took me a good thirty minutes to understand. I would’ve preferred a gradual progression. I played most of the levels on easy and still found them to be almost impossible to complete. While I recognize that there might be human error involved to some degree, I’m sure other gamers will share my experience regarding the erratic difficulty spikes.
The erratic difficulty proved to be my downfall because I was never able to finish the game. I’m currently stuck at a level I must have attempted around fifty times. I’m going to take a break from Fenix Furia for a couple of days and then come back and attempt the challenge again. Don’t underestimate how difficult this title is and it will definitely cause you to rage quit multiple times. Staying calm and focused on your timing is the key to success. Again I wish I had the skill level to see what happens in the end with Fenix and Oktarus.
The visuals of Fenix Furia have to be one of its highlights. The graphics look like beautiful drawings going across the screen and the use of vibrant colors gives it a unique aesthetic. It definitely stands out when it comes to the artwork. However, as good as the visuals are, the music feels somewhat generic as it quickly fades into the background and underwhelms. I suppose that might be of benefit because you need the utmost concentration to play this game.
Summary
Overall, Fenix Furia is a great title designed for hardcore gamers. Casual players can withstand its assault but only the strong-willed will master it. It can be frustrating and you will want to give up but some unknown force will keep on drawing you back. I don’t know if this is due to the appeal of the visuals or smooth controls but the game is addictive. If you want one of the greatest challenges you’ve ever faced in gaming, give this title a shot.
Asher is a games journalist, former News Writer (Gaming) at Windows Central. They contributed 1110 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: wrote over 1,100 ICXM pieces on Xbox news, hardware reviews, and platform commentary before joining Future plc’s Windows Central in 2017.