Fury is cool because it feels like a true companion piece to Towelket 2. Sure, that game had undeniably feminist themes, but it was more concerned with a dissection of patriarchy and the effects in its totality. Fury goes even further beyond with its portrayal of family and gender, society's attitude towards marriage and procreation, with stomach-churning imagery depicting the twisted nature of our world and its bountiful unjust cruelty. It leaves a strong impression as an independently-produced piece of art, which is no surprise coming from this series.
I really liked how Fury didn't hold anything back in its goal of elucidating the woman condition, but…it's hard to explain, but something felt missing from Fury. Like, yeah, I know it was basically an abandoned project, but I'm talking more abstractly. Towelket 2, I think, justified its game-isms more thoroughly. Aside from the dynamic 心の中 and flower garden systems which deepened the connection between players and the story, it was generally colored like a survival game, so interacting and exploring around felt like it had weight. Playing as PPU for the first time after the timeskip was unsettling because the presentation conjoined with the writing in a way which allowed your mind to fill in the gaps, creating a narrative all its own. Fury's gameplay sections had a bit too much downtime in between major plot points, which is fine, I just feel like its predecessors made use of that time better. Compared to 2, though, I actually really enjoyed the humor integration here that feels distinct even within the context of a series known for dark comedy. The resulting bizarro, existential atmosphere is truly interesting.
Fury is messy, uneven, and confused, and with unfinished, buggy combat and exploration, but because of the subject matter, it's fitting in a way. I continue to appreciate Towelket's topical focus and ambition, and even in skeletal form, I think Kanao has some really intriguing ideas worth checking out.
If one thing's for sure, the joke ending in this game is easily the best in the series.
I really liked how Fury didn't hold anything back in its goal of elucidating the woman condition, but…it's hard to explain, but something felt missing from Fury. Like, yeah, I know it was basically an abandoned project, but I'm talking more abstractly. Towelket 2, I think, justified its game-isms more thoroughly. Aside from the dynamic 心の中 and flower garden systems which deepened the connection between players and the story, it was generally colored like a survival game, so interacting and exploring around felt like it had weight. Playing as PPU for the first time after the timeskip was unsettling because the presentation conjoined with the writing in a way which allowed your mind to fill in the gaps, creating a narrative all its own. Fury's gameplay sections had a bit too much downtime in between major plot points, which is fine, I just feel like its predecessors made use of that time better. Compared to 2, though, I actually really enjoyed the humor integration here that feels distinct even within the context of a series known for dark comedy. The resulting bizarro, existential atmosphere is truly interesting.
Fury is messy, uneven, and confused, and with unfinished, buggy combat and exploration, but because of the subject matter, it's fitting in a way. I continue to appreciate Towelket's topical focus and ambition, and even in skeletal form, I think Kanao has some really intriguing ideas worth checking out.
If one thing's for sure, the joke ending in this game is easily the best in the series.