Engaging with developers in unexpected venues is always a unique experience, and events like GDC often lead to surprising professional encounters.
While the VR gaming scene is filled with beat ’em up titles, finding fighting games that draw from classic inspirations is quite rare. For the past couple of years, I’ve had my eyes on Final Fury, a dynamic 1v1 fighting game influenced by the likes of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Kluge Interactive (known for Synth Riders) has made significant tweaks to the game, particularly with the combat controls, and the results are impressive.
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PC VR gameplay footage captured by Don Hopper from the alpha playtest.
When I faced off against one of Kluge’s team members on the Quest 3, our match in the hotel took shape over three rounds, each requiring two victories out of three matches within a 90-second timeframe. I had the option to choose from four characters, each bringing unique play styles to the table. For instance, Niko is designed for speed and agility, Glitch offers a more extended range at the cost of power, and Tempest is a versatile choice.
Adjusting to the controls was seamless, as Final Fury equips each character with a set of standard moves that quickly become intuitive. Raising your hands to your face creates a guard, reminiscent of high guard mechanics in The Thrill of the Fight 2, while a “bear hug” gesture allows you to grapple with opponents. This grappling momentarily shifts the viewpoint to a third-person camera angle, pulling you out of the immersive experience but ensuring comfort during gameplay.
Each character boasts distinct special moves that are generally easy to execute without intricate motions. For instance, Glitch can deploy mines across the battlefield, restricting opponent movement, while Niko can invoke electrical fields for close-range attacks, providing breathing room against close fighters. One of Tempest’s special abilities, Arctic Blast, functions similarly to Street Fighter’s Hadouken. I did encounter issues while trying to activate Arctic Blast, but Kluge mentioned that the developers have since addressed this problem.
Initially, I had concerns about how the game’s camera and movement mechanics would function, but those worries proved to be unfounded. Final Fury employs a stick-based locomotion system; players move with the left stick and strafe using the right while keeping the camera fixed on the opponent. This setup feels comfortable during confrontations.
What stands out in Final Fury is the immersive sense of embodiment it provides. In traditional fighting games, predicting an opponent’s moves can be challenging if they don’t display clear intentions, but VR changes this dynamic. Players are not limited to broadcasting button sequences they’ve learned; the physicality of each action adds a layer of complexity, making it harder to hide your strategies.
For me, this creates a fascinating challenge and a rewarding feeling when I manage to defeat an opponent. Getting a few of my grabs dodged at the last moment doesn’t frustrate me; instead, I think about how to improve in future matches. Plus, my online gameplay has been relatively smooth, largely thanks to Kluge’s adoption of rollback netcode.
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While I fondly recall the many hours spent on Soulcalibur IV as a teenager, I was somewhat let down to discover that players cannot throw opponents out of the arenas. However, meaningful elements for fighting game enthusiasts do exist. The character introductions at the start of matches add a personal flair, and the vibrant stages are complemented by an energizing soundtrack.
Overall, I’m impressed with what I’ve experienced so far, though I look forward to diving deeper to assess character balance and explore offline modes. So far, Final Fury demonstrates great promise and has the potential to become essential for fans of classic fighting games. The controls are satisfying, victories rewarding, and the overall presentation is strong. With the launch still on the horizon, I anticipate changes, but early indicators are undeniably positive.
Final Fury is set to launch soon on Steam and the Meta Quest platform, and an Alpha playtest is currently available for both systems.