Brutal: Paws of Fury

GameTek

Company type	Video game publisher
Industry	Video games
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Video games, including Brutal: Paws of Fury

Brutal: Paws of Fury (titled in Japan and known as Paws of Fury in Germany) is a 2D fighting game released by GameTek in 1994. The game features anthropomorphic animal combatants and introduced gameplay elements such as acquiring new moves and saving progress through password systems. Originally launched as a Sega CD exclusive, it was later adapted for various other platforms.

In Europe, the title was distributed by GameTek, while Cybersoft handled North American publishing, and Kemco managed the Japanese release. It debuted on systems including the Sega CD, Amiga, CD32, Genesis, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A superior edition, Brutal Unleashed: Above the Claw (also known as Brutal: Above the Claw), was released in 1995 for Sega 32X and MS-DOS. This version introduced two additional fighters, new arenas, a remixed introduction, and refreshed music tracks while maintaining the original gameplay mechanics. Critical reception was mixed; reviewers commended the visuals, soundtrack, and innovative features but criticized the sluggish responsiveness of controls.

Brutal: Paws of Fury

Every four years on Brutal Island, top-tier martial artists gather to compete in the Brutal Island Tournament. The victor gains the opportunity to challenge Dali Llama for the esteemed Belt of Heaven championship.

Brutal Unleashed: Above the Claw

Set four years after the initial Paws of Fury competition, fighters return to Brutal Island to vie for a chance to face Dali Llama for the Belt of Heaven. Additionally, this tournament functions as Dali Llama’s means of identifying which warrior possesses the most profound "warrior's spirit."

Characters

All participants are anthropomorphic animals. The original roster in Brutal: Paws of Fury includes:

• Kung-Fu Bunny – A rabbit who is a dedicated monk.
• Prince Leon of Kenya – A lion rock musician harboring grudges against Tai Cheetah and Kendo Coyote.
• Rhei Rat – An arrogant yet skilled Thai boxer rat.
• Tai Cheetah – A wise cheetah who mentors Kendo Coyote.
• Kendo Coyote – A self-serving coyote and former student of Tai Cheetah.
• Foxy Roxy – A politically active vixen and social advocate.
• Ivan the Bear – A former Soviet commando bear who claims unmatched strength.
• The Pantha – A mysterious panther linked to a dark cult.
• Karate Croc – A tough crocodile known for bar fights.
• Dali Llama – The current holder of the Belt of Heaven title.

Notes: Karate Croc and Dali Llama can only be accessed through secret input codes. The Pantha and Karate Croc do not appear in 16-bit console versions.

The Brutal Unleashed: Above the Claw expansion adds:

• Chung Poe – A mole who morphs into a bat-dragon hybrid during combat.
• Psycho Kitty – An energetic and erratic cat.

Development

The Amiga adaptation of Brutal: Paws of Fury is a direct conversion of the Genesis/Mega Drive edition. Although Amiga hardware has less memory capacity, it uniquely includes Pantha and Croc—characters omitted from the Genesis/Mega Drive version—achieved through advanced compression methods and by dynamically flipping right-facing sprites to create left-facing ones during gameplay. Unlike the Genesis/Mega Drive’s approach of assigning separate 16-color palettes to individual characters, the Amiga employs a unified palette for all fighters.

Given that Amiga joysticks feature only one button, attack intensity (light, medium, strong) is determined by how long this button is held before release; executing special moves relies more heavily on directional joystick inputs.

Reception

Electronic Gaming Monthly commended the soundtrack and cinematic sequences as some of the finest available on the Sega CD, and they approved of the special moves feature, though they criticized the gameplay for being slow and lacking responsiveness. GamePro observed that the game experimented with new elements but concurred that the Sega CD edition suffered from sluggish pacing and found the backgrounds to be obstructive and distracting.

Regarding the Super NES and Genesis versions, Electronic Gaming Monthly valued the concept of special moves but felt it diminished the overall excitement, while also pointing out weak control mechanics. In contrast, GamePro praised these versions for their enhanced controls and quicker, more responsive gameplay, despite some content being removed and ongoing issues with background visuals; they ultimately recommended both releases.

Next Generation identified the Super NES version as a significant upgrade over the Sega CD counterpart, highlighting its detailed backgrounds but mentioning delayed character responsiveness and challenging special move execution.

The 32X iteration received favorable feedback from GamePro, which lauded its visual quality, smooth frame rate, distinctive soundtrack, and authentic martial arts representation despite a high difficulty level. Electronic Gaming Monthly acknowledged improved audiovisual aspects but criticized the gameplay and controls for remaining shallow and unchanged. Next Generation appreciated the new animations, music score, additional characters, and overall originality, citing only repetitive use of moves as a drawback.

For the PC version, Next Generation described it as a competent fighting game that would appeal to enthusiasts seeking gameplay not reliant on graphic violence.

The One assigned a score of 69% to the Amiga version, praising its impressive visuals but criticizing its lack of smooth gameplay. They noted that combat often devolves into repetitive spamming of moves due to minimal skill requirements.

See also

• List of fighting games

External links

• Brutal: Paws of Fury at Eurocom