F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch Reviews
Personally, rarely does a Metroidvania game capture the imagination, often being lost to the backlog due to their constant trial and error navigation and repetitive backtracking. With that thought at the forefront, it's a credit to developers TiGAMES that F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch still hasn't been put out to pasture in the backlog farm. Everything about this title is a joy and great, engaging gameplay is complimented by a beautiful world that springs to life on the PS5 both visually in its setting as well as its characters and stories. Top this off with a great protagonist and you have a game of the year contender in every respect. Metroid Dread? Who needs it.
While it may not redefine the Metroidvania style of games by any stretch of the imagination, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is a stellar example of the genre done right. Featuring mildly interesting characters, a world teeming with life, and a well-designed map that is very player-friendly, it genuinely feels like it does damn near everything right. As long as you don't mind an occasional table flip encounter here and there, this is a hare-raising adventure for the ages.
If the artistic direction of F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch with its anthropomorphic orientation in a diesel punk universe is remarkable, it is not its only strength. The title is indeed very solid, both in its platform aspect and in the very fluid and dynamic combat phases.
Review in French | Read full review
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is an exemplary action-adventure, packed full of heartfelt detail and design, daubed in a grimy-yet-absorbing aesthetic, and powered with punchy, satisfying combat. While some of its elements will be over-familiar to genre fans, the originalities still shine through, resulting in a brilliant-looking, great-playing metroidvania that will delight players, whether they have a fluffy tail or otherwise. Heed my words: It’s most definitely wabbit season.
F.I.S.T. literally smashes its fist on the table and says "here I am" heralds China's arrival in video game industry.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The little developer that could, TiGames, more than deliver with F.I.S.T, an instant must-play for Metroidvania fans and one of my favourite games this year.
All in all, F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch is an excellent offering that is surprisingly getting very little marketing at launch. With a great aesthetic, an engaging enough narrative, together with challenging combat and rewarding Metroidvania exploration, this is one resistance movement everyone should be signing on for.
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is a gorgeous Metroidvania that tells a much better story than any anthropomorphic narrative has a right to tell. It’s emotional and engaging during each scene brought together with challenging moments of action and puzzle-platforming. This game respects your time, but some moments can drag on due to limited fast travel and some confusing objectives. Who cares though, you’re a rabbit with a robotic fist attached to your back; how cool is that!?
Standing out among the Metroidvania crowd is tough, but with satisfying combat, great platforming and a cleverly designed and well thought out world, F.I.S.T. more than manages to stand on its own lucky feet.
Aside from rigid combat and some visual hiccups, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch delivers a unique world with an intriguing narrative and tight traversal.
F.I.S.T. offers a rock-solid Metroidvania experience that I enjoyed greatly. Chunky combat, glorious level design and well-hidden secrets are what gets me out of bed in the morning, and F.I.S.T provided all of that and terrifying talking bears too. Unfortunately, I can't overlook the technical issues that plague proceedings. If TiGames sort out the problems with a rapid patch then this would be a game that's much easier to recommend.
Punching through F.I.S.T. only gets better thanks to its evolving combat. Mapping every inch of the world is an engrossing, good time
F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch throws a lot of different things at the wall and tries to make them all stick. In the end, it's a bit of a messy mix of platforming, combat, robots, and animals that Dr. Robotnik would be proud of, but it's still great fun to play even if it doesn't make a lot of sense.
With its interesting Dieselpunk world and gameplay that successfully reflects the characteristics of the genre, it is a game that Metroidvania lovers should not miss. Other players can also enjoy this interesting world, if they can ignore some little problems.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is a game that should be checked by anyone who wants to convince themselves of how to make a beautiful metroidvane, which, despite being limited by the 2.5D formula, will delight with the panache of the world and climate.
Review in Polish | Read full review
With deep and challenging combat and tight controls, F.I.S.T. often provides a welcome challenge. That’s why it’s such a shame that slow progression and poor design choices hold it back from reaching its full potential. Still, at its best, F.I.S.T. is a memorable Metroidvania with variety and depth. If you’re up for the challenge and willing to deal with these issues, there’s definitely a good time to be had.
A metroidvania full of explorable areas, with a good combat system, but unable to stand out or say its very own.
Review in Italian | Read full review
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is a stellar Metroidvania adventure set in a beautifully realised world, replete with challenging combat encounters, rewarding exploration, and some spicy platforming action. Rayton Rabbit might be of diminutive stature, but he's punching well above his weight here in what is one of the best games of 2021 so far.
The overall experience of F.I.S.T is excellent, the characters and scenes can reflect the production team's testing and polishing of the game. As a Metroidvania game, its colorful gameplay design and moderate difficulty is comfortable and worth trying.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch's exciting, brutal combat, and rewarding exploration set it apart from many of its genre-mates, and make it utterly worth your time.