Path of Fury: Episode I – Tetsuo’s Tower features film VFX tech, the stunt team behind Gladiator 2 and No Time To Die combined with developer Leonard Menchiari’s passion for 1980s martial arts movies and Sega games – it’s kind of wacky, but also very classy.
Choreographing Cinematic Martial Arts Sequences
It wasn’t very easy. At first I just wanted to make a quick workout-type game in which you punched enemies rather than simple bubbles. The evolution into kung-fu and specifically wing-chun felt natural as I dived into production. It felt perfect as a combat style for a game like this: very close enemies, fast-paced precise strikes, minimal energy with maximum outcome.
Most of it felt right from the very beginning. Making it immersive at that point wasn’t the real challenge – the real challenge was how to make this whole fight setup approachable and user-friendly without having players wonder why on earth they would have to fight enemies so close to them (without even being able to dodge). Many first-time players end up crouching on the floor, being beaten up to death. This is pretty realistic as a natural reaction when you don’t know how to fight.
However, balancing isn’t too tough though: it should be just enough to make you go through the whole experience in a way that feels empowering rather than frustrating and discouraging.
Balancing Player Perspective with Cinematic Framing
The cinematic framing was quite straightforward in a game like this. Since there isn’t any exploration, each encounter is like a film-shot. Rather than having a bunch of camera angles, the player would instantly teleport to the next enemy in front of them after defeating the previous one.
I learned this technique from Half-Life Alyx [one of the best VR apps], which brilliantly was able to achieve that immersive feeling of moving through space without having to move your feet. The illusion of movement was given by the intensity of the footsteps sound, and by a simple quick eye blink.
Despite not feeling intuitive or logical at all, in the end it works more than one could imagine. If someone is used to VR they might disagree (since they might be used to moving around with the controller and are now immune to motion sickness), but for most users I believe it’s the best approach to give fast-paced immersion with no motion sickness whatsoever. This of course applies for both experts and people who have never used a headset before.
Influences from Martial Arts Films and Choreographers
Absolutely. Films like The Raid and Ip Man heavily influenced the visual style, especially their fast-paced, close-quarters intensity. The focus on efficiency and minimal wasted movement in Wing Chun naturally aligns with these films’ approach to fight choreography.
However, while I appreciate the grand spectacle of martial arts cinema, Path of Fury in the end, ended up more like an actual combat training tool. The aesthetic I created owes more to places like the Kowloon Walled City – these dense, organic structures where every space tells a story of survival as a background environment, showing how messed up the world you’re fighting in really is.
On top of that, rather than going in the direction of let’s say Jackie Chan (using a bunch of environment elements in favor of fighting), I decided to go just with your bare fists. This made the approach much more intimate and made the character feel way more resilient. If you make it to the top, it is just because of you, your hands, and how much stamina you actually have in real life.
Game Engine and Additional Tools
Unreal Engine was what I used to create the game. Not easy thing to do, considering that in VR you need to render two 4K resolution images, which requires quite some effort to render, at least 72-90 times per second, on what’s basically a very basic Android device that you’re holding in front of your face (the Meta headset).
The headset is fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but also in order to be that affordable it also means that it’s not the most powerful Android device out there. Developing such a device turned out to be extremely challenging. That’s where Noxnoctis games stepped in during the last month of production and helped me out "optimising" (making the game more light on performance – run faster) and cleaning up the remaining lighting issues we had in the game.
The other main tool was Blender. You can use it for basically everything. And if you don’t know how to use it, just go on YouTube or even ask any AI out there, you will probably end up learning it in no time. We’re in a time where so much can be done, and I’m very grateful to be able to say that I was born in a time like this when it comes to things like these.
Share Tech and Approaches from the Film Industry
Unreal Engine as an engine has been used in filmmaking as well, and I think for a good reason: it’s designed to mimic the film-feel, the look and structure of how light goes through the lens and mimics the real-life camera result. This doesn’t mean that if you place something in the scene it’s going to look real of course, but it does make a difference when a software keeps that in mind as a high priority. If you care about achieving a certain vibe, it’s easier to get there this way.
Of course because this game was made for VR, 90% of the effects and filters that I wish I could use had to be removed. I still got to what I wanted more or less, but it was mainly through hacks and cheats instead of a few clicks like it could’ve been if I was making a regular game.
The beauty of film is that you don’t have to deal with any of these technical details, you just place the camera, the subject, and it already looks real – because it is. On the other hand, lighting in filmmaking can be quite challenging (moving cables, generators, power boxes, etc).
In a virtual environment, as long as you’re a bit cautious about performance issues (not putting too many lights or the frame rate will drop), you can place lights wherever you want – which means you have way more control over the way the scene looks.
Groundbreaking Features
Not really. The simplicity of the gameplay is also its strength. You don’t have to think or focus on too many things, mainly where to hit and in which order. Each enemy has its own unique strike-sequence, which means that instead of spending an eternity in front of each enemy, once you learn the sequence you can defeat them within a few seconds or less.
Increased precision does more damage, more powerful punches do more damage. Fight fast, fight precisely, and you’ll beat the game in no time. If your skills are below average however, you might never reach the top of the tower, nor will you ever get the chance to meet Tetsuo himself.
Conclusion
Path of Fury: Episode I – Tetsuo’s Tower is a martial arts VR game that combines film VFX tech, stunt team expertise, and developer Leonard Menchiari’s passion for 1980s martial arts movies and Sega games. The game’s simplicity is also its strength, with a focus on close-quarters combat and unique strike-sequences. The game’s visuals and lighting are also noteworthy, with a focus on creating an immersive and cinematic experience.
FAQs
Q: What is Path of Fury: Episode I – Tetsuo’s Tower?
A: It is a martial arts VR game that combines film VFX tech, stunt team expertise, and developer Leonard Menchiari’s passion for 1980s martial arts movies and Sega games.
Q: What is the gameplay like?
A: The gameplay is simple and focused on close-quarters combat, with a focus on unique strike-sequences and precision.
Q: What is the visual style of the game?
A: The visual style is inspired by 1980s martial arts movies and Sega games, with a focus on creating an immersive and cinematic experience.
Q: What engine did you use to create the game?
A: I used Unreal Engine to create the game.
Q: What additional tools did you use to create the game?
A: I used Blender to create the game’s 3D models and textures.
Q: What was the biggest challenge in developing the game?
A: The biggest challenge was creating an immersive and cinematic experience while also ensuring the game ran smoothly on a VR headset.
