As PCGamesN’s resident Metroidvania lover, there are a few entries that I find myself always coming back to. The roguelike leanings of Dead Cells make it easy to pick up and play after months away, the neon-soaked atmosphere of Animal Well is one I could live in forever, and Hollow Knight’s superb design just makes it a joy no matter how familiar I am with the underground halls. There’s always another Metroidvania to play though, so if you’ve been keeping an eye out for your next adventure look no further. Fist: Forged in Shadow Torch is currently free to keep forever, and it’s an incredible genre entry that you probably missed.
Baked in a dieselpunk aesthetic and inspired by Wolfenstein, Bioshock, and Chinese architecture, Fist: Forged in Shadow Torch is an overlooked entry into one of the medium’s best genres. All the stalwarts are here, as you explore a massive interconnected map, use multiple weapons for any situation, and have plenty of secrets to discover. Plus, you also play as an anthropomorphic rabbit with a huge mechanical fist.
On top of Metroidvania stalwarts, Fist nails what every piece of art with the word ‘punk’ in its genre needs: atmosphere. Whenever I boot up games like Cyberpunk 2077, Silent Hill 2, or Alien: Isolation I’m always overtaken by an incredibly strong sense of direction, and the world of Fist understands this assignment. Set in the titular Torch City six years after a machine invasion, the Metroidvania game‘s world is a mix of dingy streets, walls soaked in bright propaganda, a true sense of verticality, and a grimy mix of cyberpunk and animals. It screams originality, and this alone makes it worth a look.
Actually experiencing Fist for the first time is like that trip in Bioshock’s bathysphere; you end up getting lost in all the visuals instead of playing the game. When you are, though, you need to switch between a mechanical fist, a giant drill, and a long-reaching whip in combat. Using the three weapons in concert leads to some heavy combos, and Fist channels the arcade fighters of old. Get close with the whip, juggle midair with the fist, and then use the drill to travel halfway across the room, your enemy in tow.
If you remember the days of playing off-beat PS2 platformers like Haven: Call of the King and want a similarly original platformer before it gets lost to time, Fist: Forged in Shadow Torch should absolutely be on your radar.
Players really enjoy Fist too, with over 5,600 lifetime Steam reviews since 2021 sitting at 88%, or ‘very positive.’ The game also averages an 81 Metacritic score on PC, in case you were wondering if the PC issue has any glaring problems.
Fist: Forged In Shadow Torch is currently free on the Epic Games Store, saving you $29.99 / £24.99 until Thursday August 1 at 9am PST, 12pm EST, 4pm GMT, and Friday August 2 at 3am AEDT. You can download the game right here.
If you want even more without paying a dime, there are loads of free Steam games and free PC games to get stuck into.
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