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

Six years have passed since the Machine Legion successfully invaded Torch City. The furizens (anthropomorphic citizens) left after this invasion live in constant fear. There is a resistance that thrives in the shadows, but for most they just want to be left alone, hopefully to live their lives the way that they can. In F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch, you will be taking on the role of Rayton, a former ace soldier who is pulled back into the conflict. You will not have to go it alone, however, you’re going to have a mechanical rig that starts with a very intimidating and painful metal fist.

This is a Metroidvania type of game. It’s all about conquering different areas of the world, with the world being filled with platforms, obstacles, and enemies. There are of course hidden goodies throughout the game, as well as additional tools that you can use as you get further into the game. As you progress through the game you’ll also have the chance to spend currency on upgrading your moves to help better put the enemies out of their misery.

I know that the storyline of the reluctant hero thrusted back into the spotlight to try to take on the world by himself is a very well worn theme, but I have to say that this game made it entertaining and interesting. I cared about the other characters in the game, I felt the pain of the main character, I felt as if the developers cared about the story. To be honest, the crowning achievement of any good story is that the player is left wanting more, and I indeed was left wanting to know “what happens next?”

You’re going to end up with the fist, a drill, and a whip as your arsenal, and each has their own special talents to help with accessing sealed areas. They also give you different modes of attack be it with range, speed, or abilities. I did spend most of the game using the fist, but I will admit that there were certain parts of the game that relying on the fist alone will not equal success. There are some other limited use items that you’ll gain throughout the game, but to be honest I mostly had it on the carrot juice (think of it as health potions) so that when I screwed something up I didn’t immediately die.

From start to finish this game took just under 11 hours and I have to say that most of the time it was jam packed with fast paced action. Sure there were a couple of areas that made me want to pull my hair out because I mistimed a jump, or I failed to get clear of an enemy when I was trying to heal so death came to meet me, but that was part of the game, and something that I learned from. There is some backtracking that you will have to do throughout the game, sometimes to continue the storyline, other times to go back and gain access to previous areas that you didn’t have the right skills to access, but for the most part you’re going to be revealing more and more of the world. There are a couple of “warp spots” but to be honest they kind of confused me and so I didn’t use them unless I was trying to get back to town.

This is a solid game, I basically played this game non-stop from start to finish. I kept coming back for more, and that of course tells you that this is a game that you need to have in your collection. It also doesn’t hurt that the environment looks gorgeous throughout the game, even though you’re only truly side scrolling through the game, the background adds so much more life and depth to the game.