Killing is the Key

A Hands-On Look at Fury

Player versus player combat (PvP) has almost always been relegated to a secondary position in most MMOs, with the majority of the functionality going towards player versus environment or factional warfare. Auran Studios, which is based out of Australia, is proceeding to alter the landscape when it comes to PvP by introducing their new game, Fury.

Arriving at the aged Masonic Temple in the heart of downtown San Francisco, I found the environment strangely fitting (and eerily creepy) to the fantasy-esque game that we were getting ready to jump into. The old stained glass windows, devilish scenes being displayed on an old wooden stage, and the high-reaching curved ceilings set a perfect backdrop to the presentation. However, the age of the building caused one problem…the wiring couldn’t handle the gaming machines that were operating at full steam.

Although my play time with the game was limited due to the oft breaking circuits, I had a truly entertaining experience with the game itself.

PvP for PvP’s Sake

Probably the greatest asset that Auran has given to Fury is this singular concept: players are playing this game simply to PvP. “There’s no PvE in Fury,” said Tony Hilliam, Director and CEO of Auran. “Anything that is built on PvE detracts from the PvP. So we didn't include any PvE.”

This thought process echoes throughout the gameplay in Fury. Instead of having your character battle monsters and creatures to level up their stats and gain the best loot, this process can be done while playing in Fury’s numerous PvP scenarios against other human beings.

If players unfamiliar with Fury only look on the surface, they may wonder what makes Fury an MMO rather than a close-combat-based FPS. With the speedy gameplay, deathmatch type scenarios, and kill-or-be-killed mindset, it feels alot like an FPS. For those who have seen or know the game, Fury is full of traditional MMO type gameplay. There are over 400 abilities to uncover, each with 10 unlockable ranks are available to players. Each player can have a thousand items available to him at any one time, allowing for an almost endless amount of item-customization. Players can also pick up tasks (their word for quests) that help unlock their different abilities, thus giving them an advantage in overall PvP combat. Characters are persisten and their fight is not simply to fight, but to win acclaim for themselves as individuals, for their guild, and for their realm as a whole.

Realm Wars

With this many options available to your character, it certainly seems like Fury fits the MMO bill, but only when you examine the realm v. realm system do you truly see what kind of MMO Fury represents. Unlike other MMOs that feature RvR, Fury’s realm wars pit servers of players against one another. If one realm is at the top of the lists and dominates the other realms, that realm is granted certain bonuses. Realms can also gain bonuses by spending accumulated Fury (a sort of experience/monetary system) at certain obelisks or shrines. As Hilliam pointed out to our group, this brings in a whole new level of strategy to the game that is absent in first person shooters and many MMOs.

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