'Furi' Gets Limited Edition Physical Copies For PS4, PC

The Game Bakers released limited editions of Furi, a boss rush game that debuted in July 2016, for the PlayStation 4 and PC. The PS4 version includes a physical copy of the game, its One More Fight expansion, and a Bandcamp download code for the soundtrack. The PC version has a physical copy of the game, the soundtrack, a manual, and Steam codes for both Furi and the One More Fight downloadable content. Only 5,000 copies of Furi: Definitive Edition were made for each platform; the PS4 version is available today, and the PC version debuts on June 30.

Furi is the frenetic result of combining a fighting game with "bullet hell" sections and a neon aesthetic. It consists entirely of boss fights punctuated by sections where the unnamed protagonist walks through sparse landscapes. The Game Bakers removed all the fat often found in modern games--an open world, long cutscenes, etc.--to craft an experience that's entirely focused on fast-paced combat. That approach extended to Furi's price--it opted for a $25 digital version instead of asking the usual $60 and offering the option of a physical edition.

That changed with these limited-run physical copies for PS4 and PC. That seems to have become more common of late: Kickstarter darling Hyper Light Drifter saw a limited edition physical release for the PS4 earlier this year, the Nintendo Switch version of The Binding of Isaac is available both physically and digitally, and a physical Multiverse Edition of Axiom Verge has been announced for the PS4, Switch, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U. It almost seems like digital platforms have become a way for publishers to figure out if there's an audience for a physical edition of a game.

It would make sense to approach game releases that way. Digital copies are cheaper to make and sell than physical editions, and the addition of soundtracks, art books, and other goodies allows publishers to sell the same game to the same people more than once. (We purchased the physical edition of Hyper Light Drifter, for example, despite already owning a digital copy for PS4.) Physical releases are also another way to cash in on nostalgia; many gamers probably remember when everything they played was delivered in a box instead of via platforms like Steam.

Furi: Definitive Edition is available today for PS4 via Limited Run Games, and the PC version will be sold via IndieBox starting on June 30. Both cost $30, which isn't much higher than the usual $20 price on Steam. The game is part of this year's Steam Summer Sale, however, so if you don't want to wax nostalgic over a physical edition you can pick up the digital version between now and July 5 for $10.