FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch

The story takes place in the dieselpunk city of Torch City. Rayton gets pushed into a feud with the Iron Dogs who arrest his friend. So to rescue him, he must wear the mechanical fist from his past. The story bounces between Rayton’s past, friendships and legacy to give us a holistic view of what is going on in Torch City and why the city needs an earnest rabbit with a giant mechanical fist. The side-scrolling platformer takes you through the various places in Torch City in search of the next best thing to stop the Iron Dogs and uncover whatever evil scheme is being plotted in the confines of the metal tower.

For the most part, the game introduces new weapons and mechanics with good pacing. Trying to access newer areas using the latest ability is a basic Metroidvania structure that everyone is familiar with. However, much of it is left to the story plot to give you access to newer areas. The spirit of exploration in Torch City is not rewarded as well as you’d expect from heavy hitters like Ori and the Blind Forst and alike. The abilities themselves don’t do much to unlock different areas. Everything is very simplistic in the exploration bit.

However, the map is huge and the variety and quality of it are impressive. Especially if you have Ray Tracing enabled. Rayton and his fist go from metal towers and buildings to water-flooded stations and sewers to dusty outskirts. The game has a buffet of visual variety all while lathering it in dieselpunk aesthetic. Rayton’s mechanical fist also looks like it means business. You can do light and heavy attacks, and even grab stunned or smaller enemies.

The fist is not the only weapon though. You get a drill that can double up as a helicopter to glide down from higher spaces and some other stuff as well. Ability powers with limited ammo let you get out of a sticky situation or counter enemies effectively. Although, much of the combat is limited to the main weapon on the back that comes with a small pool of move sets. The smaller enemies are also in great variety to make you think before you punch. The game also likes to send a lot of enemies at once which can get overwhelming without the lack of a proper crowd control weapon or ability. There’s also a healthy dose of boss fights that offer fun and variety in gameplay.

These enemies and environments look absolutely fantastic! Shiny metallic surfaces are everywhere but there’s no lack of civilised charm. The furry characters are charming and unique with their wildly imaginative roles in the ever beautiful Torch City. The city side of Torch City is brimming with character and spectacle. Push it on high setting with Ray Tracing enabled and there’s a genuine wow factor to the world of Fist.

Lights and surfaces are constantly fighting for your attention in this game and on our test bench with the Zotac Nvidia RTX 3080, there’s no lack of power to run this at high settings. The Global Illumination tech is not as flamboyant as say… Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy but that the Ray Tracing chops are enough to make you love Torch City.

Much of the love and admiration for Fist is for its simplistic level design and story. The dieselpunk aesthetic is carefully crafted to invoke a sense of scale, wonder and awe which it absolutely nailed. If you like Metroidvania games, Fist offers a delightful mix of what is old and new. The combat can be a bit stiff at times but the overall implementation is done well enough to engage us till the end.