I was super excited when we first learned last month that Awesome Games Studio would be bringing their acclaimed run ‘n gun shooter Fury Unleashed to mobile devices. The game was described as blending roguelike elements and loot similar to something like Dead Cells, but in a run ‘n gun shooter format similar to something like Contra or Metal Slug. That description alone pushed all the right buttons for me, and I was psyched that this would be a full-featured port of the game with a premium price tag and would even include the online cooperative mode from other platforms.

I was right to be psyched, Fury Unleashed is awesome! But awesome… with caveats. The more I’ve been playing, the more the positives have been outweighing any of the negatives I’ve noticed, but it’s still worth noting that some issues have cropped up in Fury Unleashed’s journey to mobile. First is just a general lack of polish. Text is on the tiny side, the occasional pop-ups that seem like they should have text in them have programming language instead, some UI or menu elements seem poorly placed, etc. All small stuff and all fixable stuff, and nothing flat out game breaking, but it does stand out in a game that will set you back nine bucks.

The bigger issue for most will likely be the virtual controls. They aren’t bad, but their placement feels a bit off and it’s hard to be accurate with them in the heat of battle when things get hectic. The ability to customize the size and placement of the virtual buttons would certainly help, but this is a fast-paced game by nature and I feel like even the best virtual controls would break down in certain situations. Thankfully this iOS version supports physical controllers, and if you have one that’s definitely the way I would play. But like I said, the controls are serviceable enough just don’t expect miracles.

With all that said Fury Unleashed is still one hell of a game. It nails the roguelike looter shooter vibe with a really clever 4th-wall breaking premise and comic book motif. After being initally disappointed, especially after looking forward to it so much, the more I’ve played the iOS port of Fury Unleashed the more I’ve warmed up to it, and now I can hardly put it down. I still prefer it with a controller but have been having a blast when one isn’t handy as well. I’m encouraged that the developers have said in our forums that they’re taking note of everyone’s feedback and will be improving this iOS version, but even in its current state as long as you have the right expectations there is a lot to love in Fury Unleashed.