izigame.me

Wow this game really blew me away... i'm generally not that into steampunk and certainly not into antropomorphic animal characters but this game is just too good to miss out on! It exudes charm and attention to detail in every single area... Environments and characters feel lively and the backgrounds burst with personality thanks to everything that's going on such as people getting extorted by crime gangs, cars driving by, machinery buzzing and pipes leaking. The whole city feels alive and the whole experience is incredibly immersive because of it. I got sucked into this game for 3 days straight, doing pretty much everything the game had to offer bar a few things. I'd gladly count it among my favorite metroidvania's of all time along the likes or Ori, blasphemous and haiku the robot. It really is because of games such as these that MV's are my favorite genre, and i can't wait to revisit this one later down the line. If i haven't convinced you yet to pick it up i'll go ahead and discus each aspect in more detail but suffice to say that i really think this game is worth your time and money, even at full price! Now to get into the details;
I say this for every metroidvania but level design is the most important aspect for a MV to get right. I'm glad to say that FIST is pretty much a ten out of ten in this department. Not only is the map absolutely ENORMOUS, it's also filled with secrets, collectables, side routes, shortcuts and all the other metroidvania goodness. I'm not gonna say i rushed this game but i went through it at a steady pace and it still took me 15 hours to fully explore all the areas. The mapping screen is super usefull and clear to help with backtracking, so navigating and 100%ing the map was an absolute joy as well as being worthwhile with usefull upgrades. The movement in this game (which is imo the second most important aspect for a MV) is also super fluid, so all the wall climbing, grappling and platforming around the map was super fun, even in combat.
Combat itself is also masterfully done with a robust and indepth combo system that allows you to chain lock enemies once you've mastered it. I never played street fighter or smash games but this is how i imagine they feel like. The combo's are diverse with satisfying animations, particle and sound effects. Each one is also usefull so you're not just sticking with one but instead are actively encouraged to keep mixing it up. Enemy variety isn't that high but each one is a joy to fight, there's some especially nasty ones that can quickly take you out if you're not carefull. Enemies are also mixed and matched often to create a large variety of encounters, despite the small assortment. There's also a dozen or so bosses to really test your skill, most are doable but some took several tries without every feeling unfair. The final 3 bosses especially were super well crafted, and without giving away anything there's even an ori style escape to test your quick thinking and reflexes!
If level design, movement and combat in a game are this good it's already a great experience so visuals are sort of like the cherry on top. Once again the game knocks it out of the park here with high quality models, textures and lighting in every nook and cranny. I'm normally not that big on 2.5D but this game looks absolutely gorgeous. Like i mentioned at the start it's also chockfull of little details that make the city feel alive and breathing. There's also a very large variety of environments, from flooded caverns, to power plants, abandoned miners, ancient temples and bustling streets. This game has it all. The music isn't that memorable but it felt like it fit with the whole tone and mood of the world very well. Sound effects are great, they really add punch to your attacks and the voice acting is superb. Sadly the english VA is missing for side dialogues but for all the main story related stuff it's there and it's very well done. Especially the main character rayton, who has this satisfying gravely voice.
Speaking of Story this is one of the areas where the game doesn't stand out as much, it's decent and doesn't detract from the otherwise great game but it is relatively predicatable and not as interesting as it could've been. The writing is mostly pretty good, apart from one sorta cringey side character, but most of it is borderline cliche. Still this doesn't matter to me because the world itself does half the storytelling, and it does that extremely well. Lastly there's bugs and performance and while the game does have a little bug here and there, the quality and polish of it all is too high for those few bugs to hamper the experience. Performance is smooth once it gets going, but loading in a new area can cause a big framedrop (down to the 20's) for several seconds. However once that's loaded in the game stabilizes and the lag is gone, even when returning to areas once they've loaded in during your play session.
i can hardly say anything negative about the game and the things i can say are understandable little flaws or nitpicks. I know this review is full of superlativs but that is for good reason. The game is all around extremely well made, and an easy recommendation to any fan of sidescroller, metroidvania's or steampunk. It's one of the best games i've played this year and has earned it's place among the favorite games in my library. I think scoring a game is a flawed concept but if i had to this would probably be somewhere between a 9-9,5/10. An easy recommendation even at full price, and a steal at a sale, don't miss out on this one folks!