izigame.me

Update/TLDR: So - after another extended underwater section (and the promise of many more!) and the terrible combat, I've had enough; This is not a good game.
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F.I.S.T is a very loose game adaptation of a 1978 movie , but instead of Sly Stallone we get a fluffy bunny with a giant mechanical fist attached and an action hero movie rasp, and instead of a story about unions and the mob we get a bunch of generic dieselpunk fantasy twaddle. So yeah, not very faithful furry version of the story.
It takes the form of a metroidvania game- I'd say this is an attempt to create as pure a metroidvania experience as possible. It's hard to explain, but with most games you get the feel that it's a game first, and then it fits into a genre; Here it feels like the reverse is true. This gels with my opinion that it's a pretty uninspired take: technically very competent, but in the end kind of soul-less.
As a game, it's mostly fine - a 2d platformer with great technical presentation that quickly gets its hooks in with the typical genre exploration and ability progression. Combat is a low point, as the dodge move does not grant invincibility and does not go through enemies. Later on you get a parry move, but it's mapped to the same stick as movement so it's very fiddly (and to me, next to useless.)
Exploration is OK. The areas are varied and have the requisite secrets and bits that you'll need to backtrack to later; The map tool is pretty good, marking down everything you run into with clear icons; The main problem is that a lot of screens feel empty, and while varied, they're mostly some variation of city street or military facility. The art style isn't very striking, but it does manage a few cool vistas - the 3d is very well made, and there are a lot of graphical bells and whistles (ray tracing and such.)
Because the plot and the characters are pretty bland, and the game as a whole feels like a retread, it's the niggles, the points of friction that stand out. Underwater levels or multi-stage boss battle difficulty spikes. The fact that you can't skip some cutscenes. Backtracking through a ton of empty screens to an unexplored room, only to find a handful of coins. The combat. It's not enough to offset the core draw of the genre, but... I don't know, even what's good in it feels very rote. Like a technical team flexing its muscles, an engineering exercise rather than an artistic one.
I'm certain that's not true, and hope that the team proves me wrong with whatever they chose to do next. It's a generous game in content, with tons of things to do and places to go, and it's got a ridiculous amount of polish; it's just a shame it doesn't make more of an impact, and that the annoyances are so pronounced.