Throwback FPS games are a big deal nowadays, with games like DUSK making big waves. Enter Ion Fury, a game from 3D Realms and made on the build engine that powered Duke Nukem 3D, starring Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison. Bombshell is essentially a female Duke Nukem who first appeared in the game Bombshell for PC in 2016. Ion Fury is a prequel to that title and plays like the aforementioned Duke Nukem 3D.
I was very excited to try Ion Fury, as I wanted to see what could be done with the build engine nowadays, but I am sadly a bit disappointed. While the good parts of that era are preserved here, so are the bad parts and they bring the experience down. But first I will discuss the good parts, as the game is indeed a blast to play if you enjoy the classic FPS games of the 90’s and those playing on Switch like I did for this review, can experience gyro controls which make the game very easy to control. There is a decent amount of weapons here, and the game is very responsive, with good hit detection and enemy AI, but looking deeper reveals how shallow the game can actually be.
I said there were a decent amount of weapons, but most play the same and equipping them is not the simplest thing to do. Realistically you will stick to around three of the available weapons, plus a melee weapon and grenades, as everything else feels superfluous. The level design is nice for the most part, but doesn’t try anything new and wants so desperately to recreate what worked in the past. That causes some issues though, as they included some things that should have remained in the past.
I will be honest here and mention that I needed a friend to play the game for me in a few sections in order to get past them. This was not due to difficulty however, but due to photosensitivity. There were sections with flashing light effects that were very intense and left me with a severe headache. I am not epileptic but have issues with photosensitivity and I had to stop playing for a while and had a headache for hours after. This game is not very accessible as a result, and while I acknowledge it is the creator’s choice and I am not saying they should change it just for people like me, it does mean many cannot safely play Ion Fury to see what there is on offer.
In the end, Ion Fury just feels kind of there. It is well designed, except for the lack of accessibility, and there is fun to be had for sure, but there is a lack of ambition here. When you look at other throwback FPS games, there is a desire to innovate on the ideas that came before. Ion Fury, however, is content to rest on the laurels of the past and that holds it back from achieving greatness. I cannot recommend the game at this time, and I feel there are better ways to spend your time and money.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided