F.I.S.T .: Forged In Shadow Torch, the proven demo of an ambitious action platformer
F.I.S.T .
Presented during The Game Awards 2020, F.I.S.T .: Forged In Shadow Torch immediately struck for aesthetics, setting and above all that gigantic mechanical punch that the protagonist wears on his back and uses to mow down anyone who blocks his way. First work of the Chinese development studio TiGames, the game presents itself as an action platform and as such will make both exploration and combat its main strengths.The release date was also recently announced , as well as confirmed that FIST went to Gold: no fear of postponements, in September we will all be able to play the role of the Rayton rabbit and close our pending accounts both on PC and on PlayStation platforms. Yes, because another feature of the game is to have all anthropomorphic animals as characters, which according to Yang Xiang, business developer at the studio, would have made much more of an impact on the public than human beings.
We cannot say he was wrong, because if it is true that in the videogame world there is no shortage of anthropomorphic animals as protagonists (just think of the recent Biomutant), the narrative context of FIST seems to lend itself particularly well to this choice. After trying the PC demo in its entirety, discovering all its secrets, we are ready to give you our first impressions about it.
A story of redemption
Rayton, the protagonist of FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch tells the story of Rayton, a rabbit who has survived a heavy conflict that took place years before between the Legion of Machines and Torch City: from the very beginning it is clear that whatever happened has deeply affected him, to the point of not even wanting to carry on the resistance that others, like his best friend Urso, continue to support for get rid of the oppressive regime of the Iron Dogs - fully mechanized enemies with canine forms. Once again, Xiang's words offer clarity on the situation: Rayton is the survivor of a war that saw him defeated, along with his fellow soldiers, and his inner torment was perfectly expressed by the punch he will use as a weapon. br>Originally the limb was part of his combat exoskeleton and the choice of the developers to let him use only that depends on the willingness to represent this Rayton fracture. A constant reminder of the past, therefore, which further motivates him to never want to use it again: at least until Urso is arrested by the Legion of Machines and sentenced to certain death. Only then, to save the only true friend he has left, Rayton comes to terms with his own trauma and returns to check what remains of his exoskeleton. Here begins his journey to do Torch City the justice he failed to offer you long ago.
Fistfight
FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch, the upgrade menu by Rayton Hand-tested, FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch is intuitive and fluid. The commands are initially simple, to go slowly to articulate especially as regards the combat system itself: Rayton is in fact able to ring a series of combos, also exploiting other skills such as sprinting and double jumping to prolong them and have reason even for the strongest enemies.These moves can be learned gradually, by buying them at a specific terminal by spending money or Data Disks that we will find scattered throughout the game (often in possession, or watched by bosses ). Of course, the huge mechanical punch is our protagonist's main weapon but that doesn't mean he can't have others to support it. In the demo we managed to get hold of electric batons, very useful for deflecting enemy attacks but to use which it is necessary to spend a charge of energy: the strategy of F.I.S.T. it is therefore not linked to the abuse of parry, which are makeshift solutions, or at the most of style, to hinder the enemy.
Where support weapons require the use of EP - energy points, let's imagine - shared with the treatments that are excellent carrot juice in a flask, there are instead special abilities that are linked to the consumption of SP (spirit or skill points) and are as useful in combat as in exploring the game world . Rayton's versatility that can take advantage of different combos, land executions when enemies are in critical state, grab them with the mechanical fist and throw them, dodge even in midair to get behind them, or even charge devastating power shots for example to destroy the shields of soldiers, he convinced us from the first touch.
The skill tree seems to be sufficiently expanded to allow us to experiment as we please, first unlocking the combos that best suit our style. We don't know how far we will be able to evolve, the demo ended the moment we got the drill as an add-on to our mechanical punch, but the edge is there to create an engaging and sufficiently customizable experience to suit the tastes of all.
FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch, the kiosk where Rayton and Urso usually stop. jump to control the battlefield. Furthermore, the same shot does not allow us to overcome the enemies, making it useful for this purpose in mid-air or, if used on the ground, to move away in the opposite direction to the enemies. In short, dodge, dodge and still dodge, an approach that reminded us for example of Hollow Knight (at least before getting the shadow shot), in which the best defense was often avoidance.
Rayton though , unlike the little knight, he can't do any pogo jump - for now, maybe in the future who knows, but it would be very bizarre to bounce on someone with a huge mechanical punch. In terms of difficulty, F.I.S.T .: Forged In Shadow Torch didn't seem very challenging but we noticed an increasing number of enemies as we went along, different conflict situations and in general a mixture of soldiers and drones interesting enough to keep us busy. The actual boss of the demo gave us some problems, while the minibosses proved to be easy to read.
Given the platforming nature of the game, we are confident that the complexity will grow along with the continuation adventure, probably without going too far and taking advantage of the level design to present interesting fights. The latter is in fact an aspect for which Ti Games deserves praise, not only for the aesthetic rendering of a city bent by the regime but also for the layering of the maps: verticality was a preponderant element in the demo, as well as the presence of more or less unlockable secret passages, typical of metroidvania, and the need to sometimes backtrack not only to recover important plot objects, but also other gadgets in support of Rayton. Increases in vitality and energy, documents, money, things like that. The developers have fused the setting well with the combat system, making it possible, where the opportunity arises, to exploit the elements on the screen to reach some enemies, shelter from bullets or even just dodge melee attacks more easily. .
FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch, a boss fight initially a bit problematic Aesthetically, we wrote it, FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch is very evocative and well done: we are not entirely convinced by the models of the characters as regards the rendering of the furs, a bit compact and "plasticky", but it is a feeling that slowly gets lost because, despite everything, the characters are well integrated into the background. On the enemies side, being the Iron Dogs of the machines and while slightly varying the appearance based on the rank and the role, we did not perceive much variety (even in the two minibosses) but it is too early to sum up. Overall, the Ti Games game has a lot of potential and has convinced us in its two main aspects, exploration and combat: if it can also have an interesting narrative and a satisfying variety in situations, then it could prove to be a little gem.
FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch has passed its first test. The Ti Games action platformer stages a potentially interesting story and a very apt protagonist in the short circuit it creates: we have always thought of rabbits as meek creatures, while here we are faced with a disillusioned veteran who does not hesitate to make his way through the enemy ranks as he has to rescue his best friend. The combat system is simple at first, and then slowly stratify by providing a series of combos that will help us establish our style of play. Similarly, exploration is valued and often the skills learned to benefit our travels are also useful during clashes. For now we weren't too impressed by the character design of the enemies, but we are waiting to play the final version of FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch to see if Ti Games has made a worthy game.
