F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch Reviews
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.
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
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.
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.
F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch first manages to captivate the player for hours thanks to its singular world. Unfortunately, even if we feel that he has been inspired by the best and proposes a global construction that inspires respect, he suffers from certain errors of youth impossible not to sanction.
Review in French | Read full review
The odd gameplay issue aside, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is one of the most enjoyable Metroidvanias you can play right now. While you probably won’t care about its story, it’s easy to fall in love with the game’s detailed world and somewhat cute characters. It’s the thrilling combat and raft of collectibles and upgrades to find that will have you going back to it time and time again, however, keen to make Rayton the powerful hero he’s destined to be.
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch came from out of nowhere and captivated me with its fantastic controls and map design. Even if its story and voice acting can be a bit dull at times, its presentation and gameplay more than make up for any budgetary setbacks found along the way. If this is what we should expect from metroidvanias in this upcoming generation of games, then F.I.S.T. has already set the bar very high and for that I’m thankful.
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch may share similar elements of the Metroidvania genre, but TiGames has meticulously created its own unique spin to great success. Offering a challenging, rewarding, and ultimately fun experience, the game is a blast from start to finish thanks to succinct combat and well-executed exploration. Packed with tons of details and smart design choices, Rayton’s story may be familiar but the experience is exciting all the same.
I thoroughly enjoyed F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch and highly recommend this game to all fans of Metroidvania games like Ori and the Blind Forest or Dead Cells. This game really does have it all: incredible graphics, exceptional gameplay, a deep and involved story, and a huge interconnected map to explore. It's one of the best PS5/PS4 games of the year so definitely check this one out.
A rabbit that clumps in a coherent, demanding and motivating Dieselpunk-Metroidvania robot, what more could you want?
Review in German | Read full review
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch stands out among metroidvanias for its excellent setting, solid gameplay and an engaging narrative, even if it's full of clichés. It ends up slipping in the rhythm, in some design choices and in some technical aspect, but it has enough qualities to become a must for fans of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
FIST is a by-the-numbers Metroidvania, elevated by its cast of anthro characters and its deep and interesting dieselpunk world. However, this doesn’t distract enough to forgive its unbalanced combat, very standard level design and a lot of back-tracking.
F.I.S.T. : Forged In Shadow Torch offers a solid experience for those who enjoy platform action games in general. The inspiration from the metroidvania genre is what sustains the game's addictive and frantic gameplay in an adventure that will keep you engaged from start to finish. With an emphasis on combat and exploration, it is one of the best games of its kind released in 2021, which arrived giving a real quality punch to the market.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
In terms of Metroidvania aspects, F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch shines, but the gameplay is clumsy and the plot is hard to take seriously.
F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch features complex combat, a huge and incredibly detailed map to explore, loads of secrets to find, a lengthy campaign, and gorgeous visuals. While I may have had a few minor gripes and do wish there was less required backtracking, I had loads of fun chasing down The Legion and its Iron Dogs and unraveling the mystery of the spark. F.I.S.T. is a must play for fans of the metroidvania genre.
F.I.S.T .: Forged In Shadow Torch combines a beautiful world full of anthropomorphic animals, stunning locations, great music, deep combos and fun exploration, but at the same time shows probmelms with uneven difficulty levels and unbalanced combat system.
Review in Russian | Read full review
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is one of the worst names for a game ever. Still the exploration is second-to-none. I wish the combat was more fluid or the enemy encounters tweaked a bit better. I feel like most people will quickly fall off once the difficulty ramps up. It is not hard due to challenge, but more because of functionality and that sucks. It tarnishes an otherwise incredible experience that could have easily been the next huge series in the genre. Still if you can muster through the challenge this is an experience worth taking.
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is a generally interesting and appealing metroidvania, but with too many problems and frustrating design options. This title features varied gameplay and high-quality platforming sequences, but the inconsistent and frustrating combat detracts too much from the enjoyment of the experience. The obvious lack of refinement results in immense wasted potential, making this title recommendable only to the most avid fans of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch is a high-quality punk diesel product with Metroidvania elements that can be a good option for users interested in this genre and even players of 2D side-by-side games.
Review in Persian | Read full review
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is a successful start for the development team and a satisfying experience for fans of metroydvinia games, offering satisfying and balanced content between battles, puzzle challenges and inter-platform jumping.
Review in Arabic | Read full review