Ion Fury
A prequel to Bombshell built on the classic Build engine.
Ion Fury, a cyberpunk first-person shooter from 2019, was made by Voidpoint and released by 3D Realms. It is a prequel to the 2016 game Bombshell. The game uses a modified Build engine, marking the first original commercial title to employ that engine in two decades.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Voidpoint, General Arcade (console)
- Publisher
- 3D Realms
- Director
- Richard Gobeille
- Programmer
- Richard Gobeille
- Evan Ramos
- Jonathan Strander
- Alex Dawson
- Designer
- Max Ylitalo
- Leonardo Pellegrini
- Jarmo Kylmäaho
- Vitaliy Bondarenko
- Artist
- Aleksander Kowalczyk
- Arturo Pahua
- Fox Martins
- Composer
- Jarkko Rotstén
- Engine
- Build
Facts from the source article.
Development
Ion Fury was built on EDuke32, a fork of the Build engine that supports modern operating systems and adds a broader range of features; its source code is part of the EDuke32 source port. In May 2019, the band Iron Maiden announced a $2 million lawsuit against 3D Realms over the original title Ion Maiden, alleging trademark infringement. 3D Realms responded on Twitter, calling the claims frivolous. The lawsuit claimed the game had the same look and feel as the Android/iOS game Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast, citing similarities including the name, font, main character Shelly 'Bombshell' Harrison and Steve Harris, the skull symbol, and the Eddie character. However, several of these elements had appeared in the earlier 3D Realms game Bombshell, released on January 29, 2016. Scott Miller, founder of 3D Realms, stated that the name Ion Maiden came from a basic weapon used by the same female hero in Bombshell. On July 11, 2019, the title was changed to Ion Fury, and voice actor Jon St. John, known for Duke Nukem, was confirmed to voice the main villain.
Reception
All versions of Ion Fury received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic. IGN gave it 7.5/10, calling it an authentic throwback to Duke Nukem 3D that hails to the king but cannot dethrone him. PCGamesN's Chris Capel called it probably the best Build engine game ever, describing it as challenging, funny, cleverly designed, and shockingly attractive. GameRevolution's Alex Santa Maria said it goes above and beyond nostalgic pandering to become one of the better first-person shooters in recent memory. Game Informer's Javy Gwaltney praised its pitch-perfect movement, enemy variety, creative weaponry, and fantastic level design. Ion Fury won Player's Choice Indie of the Year 2019 at IndieDB, and its soundtrack won the Outstanding Achievement for old school composing techniques award at Game Audio Awards 2020. On August 16, 2019, Discord chat logs from Voidpoint members were shared, displaying purportedly transphobic remarks. Following requests for comment, Voidpoint and 3D Realms apologized, pledged a zero-tolerance policy on disparaging language, removed two lines of in-game text, and donated $10,000 of initial sales to the Trevor Project. The response yielded mixed reactions, including a rise in negative reviews on Steam accusing the developers of censorship. On August 26, 2019, the developers reversed their stance, removing only one message containing a slur, and stated they would not remove further content, citing opposition to censorship.
Expansion and sequel
An expansion pack, Ion Fury: Aftershock, was announced at Realms Deep 2020 and released on October 2, 2023 for PC. It features thirteen new levels, a new weapon and inventory items, new enemy and ammo types, and an Arrange Mode with mirrored levels and modified enemy and item placement. A sequel titled Phantom Fury, built on Unreal Engine, was released on April 23, 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who developed Ion Fury?
Ion Fury was developed by Voidpoint, General Arcade (console).
What platforms is Ion Fury available on?
Ion Fury was released for Windows, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Who directed Ion Fury?
Ion Fury was directed by Richard Gobeille.
Who designed Ion Fury?
Ion Fury was designed by Max Ylitalo, Leonardo Pellegrini, Jarmo Kylmäaho and Vitaliy Bondarenko.
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