Fist: Shadow Torch Forged In Preview – Nintendo Switch – EnTower

Metroidvanias are now a dime a dozen. There’s a simple reason for this: the proven game formula of exploring, fighting, and improving your own character is timelessly good and entertaining. There are several top-class representatives of the genre, especially on the Nintendo Switch. This makes it all the more important for developers to add something to their game that makes it stand out from the crowd. Chinese development studio TiGames has therefore come up with something special for FIST: Shadow Forged in Torch: The game’s protagonist is a tough rabbit with a mechanical fist on its back. This is not only helpful in combat, but also allows the protagonist to make his way through the dieselpunk world of FIST and explore different corners.

With the upcoming release of the retail version of FIST, we were able to take an in-depth look at the Nintendo Switch implementation of the game at Gamescom 2022. In an introductory session of about 45 minutes, we explored the starting area and were able to get a first impression of the plot. The universe of FIST is about anthropomorphic animals living together in an industrial society. This society was attacked and subdued a few years ago by an alien force, the Robot Legion. Resistance fighter and main character Rayton has withdrawn his resignation after the defeat. But when his best friend is captured by the Robot Legion, he takes the metal fist left from his armor and continues the fight against the oppressors.

After the events of the beginning, you first set out to explore the large and industrial Torch City. Although FIST relies on 3D graphics, it essentially plays like a classic 2D title. In typical Metroidvania fashion, you have to navigate nested worlds until you reach a point where you need to unlock new abilities to continue. In our playing session, Rayton controlled himself very easily, the tough rabbit movements well done. The combat confrontation was also reassuring and was brimming with a good portion of the action. A strange feature: with the mechanical hand you can not only hit, but also grab opponents and throw them through the level. Can be very useful when you have to face multiple opponents at once.

I liked the fact that skill expansion proceeds rapidly from the start. Reton not only receives a Power Strike immediately after the start of the game, but is also a useful wall jump that can be used to reach higher squares. This immediately sparked a desire to explore new routes and discover mysteries while playing. According to my first impression of FIST, there are a lot of these: I was able to collect healing materials or money at various points. The latter can be used to unlock new attacks in addition to the improvements needed to progress the game.

I was particularly interested in the technical implementation of the game for the Nintendo Switch. FIST first appeared digitally exclusively for the PlayStation console and now wants to believe Nintendo’s hybrid console. In the game’s first hour, it worked surprisingly well: although you have to accept the expected compromises in terms of resolution and level of detail, the title makes up for a lot with its unique graphic style. I was able to play FIST in handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch during the event. The controls were easy to use and the game ran fairly smoothly even in some of the more complex action sequences. For the ultimate impression of technical quality, you definitely need to take a closer look at the display in TV mode. Overall, I am very optimistic about the final version of the title.