Summary
I have a fear of being punched in the face that VR amplifies. I can deal with sword slashing and magic slinging, but the mere visual simulation of a fist connecting with my face is a horror beyond horrors. However, this changed after playing the recently released Kung Fu-flavored arcade brawlerPath of Fury.
Why the Fear Set In
A decade back, I had a handful of private one-on-one boxing lessons. They were fun and informative while I was solely punching focus mitts, but my mind shut down as soon as sparring was mentioned.
Fast-forward to when I bought aMeta Quest 3last year, in part for its robust fitness options. Recalling my past boxing experience (“Hey, I can probably deal with a few blows now”), one of the first games I bought to exercise with was the much-laudedThe Thrill of the Fight. The idea ofPunch-Out!!In VR quickly lost its appeal when I couldn’t make it past fighting my sparring partner. Every punch thrown my way spiked my heart rate, and not because it was giving me a workout.
I immediately pivoted to the likes ofBeat Saberto shed calories instead and when that game started causing me shoulder pain, Ipivoted to games explicitly designed for workouts. I had found my comfort zone, even if it wasn’t quite as exciting as I knew boxing could be.
Path of FuryWas a Path of Enlightenment
Path of Fury – Episode I: Tetsuo’s Towerquickly grabbed my attention both because of its arresting visual style akin to PlayStation 1 games, and its developer, Leonard Menchiari, who previously made the Akira Kurosawa-coded samurai side-scrollerTrek to Yomi.
There was only one problem, though: could I withstand its virtual punches? For $9.99, it was worth braving it for the sake of writing this column. Even with that resolve, I nearly quit mid-tutorial after the mere insinuation that a goon might knock my noggin. While I persevered, that first session had me throwing wild punches everywhere in duress until my arms were sore. As it turns out, I was doing it all wrong.
Path of Fury - Episode I: Tetsuo’s Tower
An arcade-style Kung Fu game for Meta Quest 3 styled after Kung Fu films and with graphics reminiscent of the PlayStation 1 era.
Path of Furyisn’t a free-form brawler but rather an arcade game with the flow of anActive Time Battle system, thecombos of a fighting game, and the structure of alight gun game. The key to winning is hitting the right parts of the opponent’s body with the correct strength and angle. Quickly chaining together these punches leads to easy knockouts, but failing or taking too long gives the opponent a chance to attack back. In turn, you may block these before they make contact and—if you’re quick enough—counter with your own punch.
In other words, precision and focus get you results, and brute strength gets you a one-way trip to the ground. Just like the Kung-Fu flicks it’s styled after.
After realizing this, I started to improve with every run. Each failure taught me lessons in patience and agility that helped me get a little further. As I gained control over fights, the fear began to dissipate, and my body stopped straining itself through knee-jerk reactions. By the time I knocked out the first two bosses to reach the first checkpoint, I was having a damn good time persevering through my mental roadblock.
There’s really nothing more Kung Fu than that.
More VR Games Need to Emulate the PS1 Era
My drive to keep playingPath of Furyalso stems from its art style that throws back to the early days of 3D graphics. It’s like stepping into a PlayStation 1 game, from the way its characters lack just enough definition to look creepy, to the pixelated artwork that gives an implication of realism, and with none of thewobbly graphicsthat would be a VR headache.
There were countless moments where I wish I could pause the non-stop action and explore. From the seedy alleyways and clubs to the grandeur of the imposing titular tower, every locale I’ve come across so far feels more alive than most games with aiming for realism achieve. It’s probably intentional that there’s so much detail with no time to take it all in as it helps negate the feeling that this on-rails journey is repetitive.
I also can’t emphasize enough how well the game sells its Kung Fu fantasy. From punching enemies through doors to blocking wild flurries of kicks and spins, it’s hard not to feel like a bona fide Bruce Lee. Even though you’re not doing much more than boxing, there’s a sense of authenticity to everything else that doesn’t break the immersion. If anything, there’s value in the arcade simplicity on display here as it allows you to more easily control battles, which in turn makes you feel like a super-cool martial arts master.
Back to the VR Boxing Ring I Go
Now seasoned in the way of accepting a virtual sucker punch, I returned toTheThrill of the Fightto find myself tackling its stimulating bouts with mental ease. The bendy arms of opponent boxers and a lack of sense that punches connect don’t make it nearly as compelling asPath of Furyto me, but I can now appreciate how it carries the torch forPunch-Out!!’slegacy (especially when Nintendo won’t). PerhapsTheThrill of the Fight 2—which is currently in early access—will rid the series of this jank.
I’ve also playedX-Fitnessa fair few times for a boxing-adjacent exercise. Instead of hand-to-hand combat, you spar with rhythmically timed beat blocks amidst dodging walls. If that sounds like a boxing version ofBeat Saber,then you’re not too far off. Its music selection leaves a lot to be desired, though that hasn’t stopped it from being an accessible exercise option. you’re able to also add your own MP3s to it, a feature I’ve yet to test.
Make sure to check How-To Geek for our recommendations of the best new Meta Quest 3 games every weekend. Last week I took a look ata VR rhythm game about conducting an orchestrathat doubles as an excellent showcase of hand tracking.
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