Author: Rich Meister
Torch City is a shell of its former self. This Dieselpunk monstrosity of a city was once teeming with plant life, and life was good for Furtizens like Rayton, the rabbit until he and his companions lost the war to the evil iron dogs.
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is the story of Rayton and one of redemption for a former hero. After losing a six-year battle against the mechanical legion and its Iron, Dogs Rayton is forced back into the fight when an old ally is put in harm’s way in this surprisingly engaging Metroidvania action platformer
.F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch (PC, PS4, PS5 [revewied])
Developer: TiGames
Publisher: BiliBili
Released: PlayStation September 7, 2021. PC TBA
MSRP: $29.99
F.I.S.T. is set in the Diesel-punk Torch city where Rayton has made a life for himself following the anthropomorphic animals who inhabit this world or “Furtizens” loss to the legion after a six-year battle. The city’s aesthetic pulls heavily from Blade Runner and the Final Fantasy VII Remake’s take on Midgar. Smog fills the air as machines drone on, and neon populates the towering skyline where small stores and Ramen shops litter the ground level of the towering monstrosity. Even only navigating such a setting in two dimensions, it still manages to convey the massive scale, and the city feels like as much of a character as Rayton or his bear pal Urso.
The game opens with Rayton enjoying a bowl of Ramen at a local stall, resigned to his failures and living out the rest of his days under The Legion’s rule. Still, when his old ally Urso is suddenly taken into custody at Torch tower, Rayton straps on a massive steel fist, the only functioning part of a larger mech suit he piloted during the war, and sets out to liberate his old friend.
F.I.S.T. doesn’t have many new ideas to add to the Metroidvania genre, but it wows because it’s just so damn good at what it’s doing. Rayton explores the 2.5D map of Torch city from the sewers and alleyways to the Legion’s home in Torch tower and surrounding areas like the more lush Western Range fighting enemies and gathering collectibles. Along the way, he’ll upgrade his steel fist via a skill tree of impressive combos and even unlock a few new weapons like a giant drill.
. Combat feels a little stiff in the opening hour or so, but once you’ve put just a little currency into opening up that skill tree, the finely tuned melee combat sings, and even when a boss is pummeling you, F.I.S.T. is a game that makes you murmur “one more go” again and again. Besides the titular fist, there are two other weapons that are fun but feel more useful for traversal and general utility than they do for combat. Of course, all three have their skill trees, and while I found the massive mech arm to be the most comfortable, some will likely be just as at home with Rayton’s drill.
Even when you are just focused on one of three weapons, it’s how deep the combat goes that feels like F.I.S.T.’s best feature. At times it feels more like a fighting game than a run-of-the-mill Metroidvania.
The story isn’t going to set the genre ablaze, but it’s engaging and well paces as Rayton gets himself. His former allies caught back up in a conflict between the underbelly of Torch City and The Legion, an enemy he thought he’d left behind. The characters are fun, and the world is intriguing enough to push you to explore every nook and cranny in search of all of its secrets, and there are plenty.
As Ray explores, his weapons not only upgrade for combat but also smash different barriers and unlock more mobility like grappling hooks and double jumps that will let you sore to new heights in typical Metroidvania fashion.
I found few things to knock in my roughly nineteen hours in Torch city, but there are problems. Some checkpointing can be a little rough, and losing to a boss may mean you’ll have to charge headlong into an enemy-filled room before you can square off against them again. It isn’t unmanageable, but occasionally retreading tedious rooms can feel abrasive in longer play sessions.
While the voice actors do an admirable job with the script they’re given, it feels like the writing could’ve used a more profound localization treatment from the original Chinese. What seems to be a more one for one learning translation leads to some stilted lines and a whole lot of repetition of proper nouns. About halfway through, I switched the audio track to the original Chinese to alleviate this.
The music complements the dark tone of the world with jazzy steel guitars that feel right at home as you pound the hell out of the Legion’s Iron Dogs. This is one soundtrack I wouldn’t mind a vinyl release of.
Verdict: F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is an excellent game with an annoyingly verbose title. A new studio took a risk with an out of nowhere IP, and I’m hoping it sells well enough to merit a sequel with a bit more polish in the weaker areas. Rayton and his world are engaging; excellent platforming, pacing, and killer combat makes this one a delight to play.
Buy It
[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer]