Forestrike Reviews
Forestrike's tactical martial arts inspired action does a wonderful job of combining combat and puzzle solving to make for a clever roguelite that will test your wits and reflexes in equal measure.
Overall, however, while Forestrike boasts strong gameplay and a lovely, abstract pixel-art aesthetic, its core hook removes a sense of risk. This is definitely a difficult game at its heart, but the ability to practise your runs with no consequences dulls its edge a bit too much.
Forestrike is an entertaining blend of puzzle game and martial arts brawler, allowing you to experiment with different tactics. The different masters also provide variety with ability combinations that make each run unique. Running into some impossible fights that you simply can't beat and the crashing issue on Switch 2 do take some of the shine off the experience, though.
Forestrike is a martial arts mix of crunchy roguelite systems.
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Some stability issues still hold Forestrike back but when it's working, and it mostly does, it really works. The foresight mechanic is an excellent way to unlock fluid combat scenarios and it has the right amount of strategy required to be more than a mindless button masher. But you will need to find the right timing to mash the buttons so there is a level of skill required, but ample opportunity to practice your way to mastery. There is enough variety between the disciplines and the roguelike nature of earning skills and items on each run to keep things interesting long past when you get your money's worth from a title that only comes in at 10 bucks to begin with.
Forestrike is an action rogue-like where players can practice every battle before it occurs by using the Foresight. This system in and of itself is fun, but the game can’t get out of its own way with unfair balancing that punishes the player regardless of performance. Even so, when the gameplay works, it works wonderfully, with an excellent sense of aesthetics and a strong story and characters to back it up.
As an action game and a roguelike, Forestrike is a satisfying, if challenging, experience. By allowing the player to foresee fights and predict their foes’ next moves, it turns what would be a by-the-numbers 2D fighting game into a more thoughtful experience built around memorisation, timing and strategy. While it drags anytime you have to claw yourself back following a game over, Forestrike makes up for it with its varied combat system and appealing aesthetics. If you’re a roguelike fan or an action fan, there’s a lot to like about Forestrike, and it’s certainly worth jumping into.
Forestrike comes with a refreshingly clever premise. Its seemingly bare-bones combat system actually hides a surprising amount of depth, while its Roguelike layer is the opposite-flashy on the surface but primitive where it truly counts.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Forestrike is a ton of fun. It's easy to look at it and assume it's just another beat-'em-up, but the surprisingly rigid and strict rules of combat make it feel a lot more like a themed puzzled game than a standard action title. It's intensely satisfying to emerge victorious from difficult situations and seemingly overwhelming combat. Only a few balance issues drag down the game, but they're not that serious. Puzzle and beat-'em-up fans should give Forestrike a shot.
Fun action roguelite inspired by classic martial arts movies
Forestrike features an interesting concept and aesthetic I appreciate, but can feel unbalanced.
The option to do a test run before battles – as often as you like – is certainly convenient for players but it doesn't guarantee victory and still keeps the battles from becoming trivial. I had a lot of fun experimenting with the various combat skills: they significantly influenced the battles and created just the right "one more run" mentality that makes the Roguelite genre so special for me. Unfortunately, the game often crashed on Switch 2 which led to unnecessary frustration and perhaps you've seen "everything" the game has to offer a little too quickly.
Review in German | Read full review
My complaints with Forestrike are ultimately quite minor, though. It’s an incredibly unique action game that requires a great deal of planning and foresight to see your way to the end. If you aren’t able to slow down and approach a game with patience than it won’t be for you but if you’re willing to meet it where it is you’ll find a compelling game which feels entirely singular.
Forestrike is a gorgeous-looking game with an innovative two-part combat system, which adds a striking sense of freshness to its roguelite form. However, the cerebral combat can feel rather slow and constrictive at times, and the game’s meticulous, mechanical complexity and harsh punishment for small mistakes might be too much for some – myself included. But those with the skill, reflexes and patience to master the intricate combat might well be swept off their feet, in more ways than one.
Despite a steeper-than-usual learning curve, some balance issues, and dealing with bad RNG at the start, Forestrike is one of the few games where you feel like mastering a martial arts skill. There is a depth of tactics game, mixed with the reflexes of a fighting game and the innovative “Forsight mechanic”, making its gameplay stand out among its peers, and it should be commended. Those MA philosophies get corporate well into a story whose writing punches well above its weight compared to similar rogue-lites. This will certainly not be for everyone, but those with patience and a desire for mastery are sure to find a worthwhile experience.
Forestrike hits the mark in terms of fun, but falls short in the technical aspects, compromising a broader recommendation on the Switch. Still, if you enjoy solving increasingly complex puzzles and like roguelites that value creative mechanics, this game is worth checking out. Just be warned: on Nintendo's console, technical performance proves to be a powerful enemy—and, unfortunately, foresight wasn't enough to overcome it.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Forestike is a good game, but I did not foresee the high level of patience and commitment required to complete it. Though I dream of a missed opportunity in visuals, the sound design was on point. With a mountain of gameplay options to unpack with the Forestriker ability, Forestrike is fun, but you need to weigh up if the heightened difficulty and convoluted story are going to be too frustrating for you, as it was for me.
Despite its flaws, I still believe Forestrike holds great value. The art is beautiful, simulating the shanshui style of the Ming dynasty, the combat is truly engaging, and I see a strong fit with players who enjoy SIFU, not only because of the theme but also because of the central ideas surrounding both titles.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review