F.I.S.T: Forged In Shadow Torch Review

CyberPet 2077

F.I.S.T. is 2.5D Metroidvania that proudly wears its influences on its sleeve. It has everything that you could ask for in a Metroidvania with its exploration, power unlocks, boss battles, collectible and much more. There is a reason that Metroidvanias are their own genre, it’s because people love them and gamers are constantly looking for the next great one to rise above the rest. Despite the litany of entries over the past decade as people have hungered for new experiences, only a few have managed to break through to the next level.

Success stories that come to mind include Ori and The Blind Forest, Shadow Complex, and Hollow Knight. I think it would be safe to add FIST to this list of breakthrough Metroidvanias. The common denominator in games like the ones mentioned and FIST is that they aren’t trying to reinvent the genre but instead are focused on creating a very tight and polished experience.

The Story of the Turtle and the Hare and the Bear and Raccoon.

You play as Rayton, a hare in a world of Furtizens at the core of an uprising. This is where FIST has a very unique feel. If it was just another CyberPunk, SteamPunk, or DieselPunk game it likely wouldn’t have connected the way that it does but in just the first few minutes you already feel a sense of attachment to the little rabbit and his bear friend Urso as they recollect about their years in the uprising.

Sure enough, the corporation has captured the big lovable bear, and the Rayton the Rabbit gets pulled back into a world he was done with in a similar way to John Wick. Urso has left a key to the giant robotic arm the rabbit wears, known as a FIST, being aware that eventually, Rayton would be pulled back in.

It’s the unique characters that make the world feel memorable and the story easy to understand as each character is much more than another faceless human. You are a Rabbit, your best friend is a bear, you will find mice along the way who can help you on your quest and a Shaolin Master Raccoon who will teach you some of his ways in the dojo and this is just the beginning of your journey.

One of the most surprising things about FIST was how the story becomes much greater than you originally anticipated for a few fuzzy animals. A large part of the story gets fleshed out during cutscenes, which not only help out the build out the lore of the world but also looks fantastic. Obviously visually, they fit in with the rest of the highly detailed aesthetic but the cinematography and score of the cutscenes emphasize that a lot of thought was put into creating this world and everything about it.

Hare of the Dog

Despite being a rabbit, the controls have a more weighted and methodical feel to them. This extra weight is most notable during battles where it feels more like a game of chess and having to decide the right time to attack, as opposed to spamming buttons up close.

It can be a little hard to engage with flying enemies due to the weight of the character plus the heaviness of the combat controls. I wish there was a way to attack upwards, because often there is a flying enemy around or an enemy at a higher vantage point. I also wish that this game incorporated a little bit of stealth. The game features executions but it would be really great if you were able to sneak behind some enemies and execute them avoiding a battle altogether.

Despite the fond feelings for Shadow Complex, it wasn’t a game without flaws. One of the biggest annoyances with the 2009 Metroidvania was with the 2.5D environments sometimes enemies would be on a different dimensional plane than you making targeting and shooting them difficult and frustrating.

Technology has definitely changed since 2009 but FIST decides that less is more and the three dimensional environments are only used for certain elements that heighten the experience such as security lights you need to avoid. There are some that side to side and there are others that go front to back making the most of the 3D environment without it becoming a nuisance.

Pacing

The pacing in FIST is near perfect as you never feel like the game is getting stale because you are always making some type of progress. This could be by unlocking a new ability that allows you to access areas that were closed off before or it could be getting some new story lore or it could be another boss battle. The game feels like it has been overly play tested and knows exactly when introducing a new element is right.

In just the first hour of the game, Rayton will acquire the double jump, the wall jump and the carrot juice, which might sound like a lot but it is only about 10-15 percent of your total abilities based on the size of the skill trees. You also will upgrade new combat skills as well as find upgrades for your fist, which are much more rare than new skills and abilities.

Pro Tip: FIST has very good in game tutorials for introducing you to new controls including how it shows you the ability to dash. What it doesn’t show you is that you can dash in mid air to make jumping to areas that are hard to reach doable.

Level design is fantastic with hints of color and other items that will draw your eye to the next area that you should be going, eliminating much of the Metroidvania frustration of being lost. The game also features a quite friendly autosave system that will usually not reset too much of your progress upon death. Each environment has a distinctive feel thanks to the detailed worlds and the score that makes each area feel unique.

Not Just Another Pretty Carrot

FIST is currently a console exclusive on PlayStation with Cross Buy, meaning that whatever version you buy you will be entitled to the other version. However, not seeing what FIST looks like on PS4, it is obvious that PS5 is the place to play. The added power of the PS5 provides faster loading times, as well as the game runs in a native 4K/60. FIST is also available at an indie price point, which means its only around 30-40 dollars depending on your region, and is worth evert cent for the quality and length of this game if you like Metroidvania’s

Simply put, on PS5, the game looks gorgeous, thanks to Unreal Engine 4 and its art style. Its the little details that make all of the difference in games, including the lighting and the shadows. Bumping pendant fixtures hanging from the ceiling will cause light to cascade around the room in a realistic fashion that helps immerse you into this DieselPunk world. FIST doesn’t feel like a game in which you are exploring levels created, instead with its 2.5D design, you feel like you are truly exploring a world with it’s high levels of details and interactivity.

Fur-Dict

When Shadow Complex released as an arcade title for the Xbox 360 back in 2009, it didn’t bring much new to the Metroidvania genre. It obviously had a very nice coat of paint but underneath the surface, it was using the Metroidvania formula perfectly but when the product is so refined you don’t need to reinvent the wheel for an excellent game.

Shadow Complex was one of my favourite games from the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Arcade era and I find myself constantly waiting for a remake or a reboot, the bad news is that Epic is a little busier with other things at the moment.

The great news is that FIST scratches the same itch. I can’t help but think the use of shadow in the title is paying homage to one of the great Metroidvania's. With the amount of words available, it can’t be a coincidence. The visuals, the pacing, the audio, the characters, the combat, the exploration, the upgrades and anything else you could ask for in a Metroidvania is here and done very well. There are a lot of great ideas here that it will be exciting to see if FIST returns with a sequel, where the team could take a few more risks.

Ill be honest, writing the review for FIST was one of the more difficult pieces of content that I have created because FIST doesn’t bring much new to the Metroidvania genre. It wouldn’t be a good review if it just said its an excellent Metroidvania that greatly surpassed what I was expecting from an Indie game with little hype but that’s exactly what it is. Every single aspect of this game feels honed to perfection, made with passion and the classic Metroidvania blueprint works when all the components are this good.

Score 9/10