F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch (2021)

I just realized that I grew an aversion to text boxes in cutscenes.

Wanted to try this game (got it free on Epic), was impressed by the graphics and liked the setting.
First cutscene looks cool and actiony and I get a bit excited, then I go "oh no" when I see that classical Asian game text box.
That kind of text box that means now you'll be info dumped with tons of uninteresting text, while the characters just stand there and do the same "talking" animation over and over.

This game was a lot of fun. Just wrapped it up at 96% completion in 10 hours, collected everything.. but I imagine the boss rush mode on the arcade machine is what I need to finish to get the full 100% and it drove me nuts lol.

Highly recommend if any fans of metroidvanias aren't currently playing Silk Song (which I just bought, was waiting to finish F.I.S.T. before starting it).

Pros:

• as far as metroidvanias and what makes them enjoyable to me, F.I.S.T. checks all the boxes
• the world is big and lots of fun to explore
• combat is fast, satisfying and dynamic, you can chain combos in ridiculous ways. Easy to learn, difficult to master. Don't be like me though- visit the trainer and learn how to use the various weapons together!
• great atmosphere and music that enhances it
• diverse areas and rewarding exploration
• excellent platforming sections
• satisfying gameplay loop - find item, "oh I can go there now!" rewarding loop

Cons:

• very few, but all of them are based around combat
• the combat can get a little frustrating when facing multiple enemies. Sometimes felt as if my button inputs were "missing", a bit unresponsive at times. Playing on PS5 version, maybe some input lag or just missed chain combo windows?
• can get easily stun-locked
• certain duos of enemies can be maddening! dude who swings at you in the air + dude who covers the ground in electricity = nightmare fuel. Can't go up, can't come down!

It strikes a good balance between challenging and outright difficult. Most main bosses I beat with a tiny bit of health left over. I ended up, disappointingly, resorting to a few basic combos with the drill for 99% of enemies because it became comfortable and I could reliably hit it.

Overall a ton of fun, I can see why this game gets recommended all the time. 8.5/10 for me!

I've been getting into F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch, and I'm digging it but after 2-3 hours it still feels like I have no idea how to use the combat system! I either mis-press buttons, get the timing wrong.. but now that I have multiple weapons it's getting to be frustrating figuring out the combat. I'm used to fast-paced attacks, not typically a fan of these "choreographed" press button and wait 2 seconds for the attack to happen... it's why I despise Dark Souls and will never attempt any of them...

This is a minor complaints as I think I'm getting a little better at it?? And either way I dig the game and the style more than enough to keep going, I just wish I could crack the code to the combat.

Anyone have any tips??

Ordered the PS4 steelbook edition with the free PS5 upgrade. Can't wait to finally check this one out in what seems to be the best version of the game.

I'll tell ya folks, nothing has really gotten me going this year. Since January I've been playing 7 Days to Die (again) pretty much non-stop and nothing has gotten even close to being as enjoyable. But after my Metroidvania-palooza last year, and with Silksong releasing some time in the next decade, I want to dip my toes back into the genre. It's been too long since I've been itching to get into gaming for the night.

Finished F.I.S.T - Forged in Shadow Torch

This was ultimately a fun, but flawed game. Entertaining game with good graphics and game mechanics but pretty repetitive too. Story is nothing special. The cutscenes are vague, characters aside from Rayton and Cicero is forgettable, and the ambiguous ending is beyond annoying and will definitely leave a bad taste in most gamers mouth like it did with mine. Voice acting and English localization are poor too.

Also while most games can get repetitive with their gameplay the fault with this one is it becomes to bland and the entertainment value drops pretty fast after a few levels. The major issue I had and I'm sure many other gamers had and will have is the backtracking to complete a level. Like with one level I couldn't finish because I needed to upgrade an ability to overcome the obstacle stopping me. Fair enough but when you're backtracking almost the entire level trying to find what you need to upgrade yourself to pass the obstacle it becomes annoyingly frustrating.

The graphics are pretty much a 3D animation but you play in a 2D level style. For the price the game is worth getting but you might not find it as entertaining as you first think and it's a game that I don't find myself going back to play again very soon. Despite all that, the tight controls, solid graphics, engaging item collection, and enjoyable boss fights made this into a worthwhile journey.

RATING

AESTHETICS : 8.5 -Visuals -8.5
-Sound -8
-Theme -9

NARRATIVE : 6.67 -Plot -7
-Characters -8 -Execution -5

GAMEPLAY : 6.33 -Genre -8 -Difficulty -6 -Consistency -5

VALUE : 8.33 -Cost -9 -Content -8 -Longevity -8

OVERALL RATING: 7.45

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