Backlog City

I've decided to make it a goal to start working through my backlog.  I've made a habit of snatching the Epic Games freebies and then letting them sit and gather dust.  I generally don't feel too guilty about it--I mean, they were free, right?  I'm fairly selective about what I choose to grab, I mostly stick to games that look like something that I might enjoy.  I decided to check out a game that sort of lingered on the edges of my usual taste preferences--F.I.S.T (Forged in Shadow Torch) was offered as one of the holiday sale freebies and I guess you could call it a Metroid-vania.  It's a part fighting game, part platformer combo that I've been mostly enjoying.

The first thing to note about myself and fighting games--I'm pretty bad at them.  To be genuinely good at them requires some mindful and quick button combos.  I'm more of a mindless masher and it shows.  Somehow, even with my pathetic skills, I've managed to make some solid progression (however, there's no hope for me when it comes to the combat/combo challenges).

F.I.S.T features a cast of anthropomorphized animal characters.  You play as Rayton, a rabbit and former member of a crack squad of animal soldiers.  He's retired, but finds himself pulled back into action when his lovable, bear BFF Urso is captured by the oppressive guards and thrown into jail.  Rayton has no choice but to recover his old weapon--a giant, robotic fist (that he wears on his back...which wouldn't be my first thought, but it works), that can be used to lay the smack down on his robotic oppressors.  Then, it's just a matter of fighting his way through the many different kinds of guards (some small and easy slapped around and some who are much larger and require some genuine strategizing) and navigating the obstacles in each area.

Throughout the game you can unlock several different weapons for Rayton to use--his giant fist, a large drill, and a whip-like device.  Managing combos in a regular fighting-type game is difficult enough, but in F.I.S.T you can also switch between weapons mid-combo.  To truly master the fighting styles requires even more mindful button-mashing.  I attempted some of the combo challenges and quickly realized that I'm no match for them...even the relatively simple ones!

I started off strong and was really enjoying the game and then I took a little break and have had a hard time getting back into it.  It has a lot to offer--there's fighting which is mostly fun, boss fights (also, mostly fun, but there are a few tough ones in there), some light platforming (it's not too bad), collectibles (it's one of those games where it's worthwhile to re-visit an area after you've acquired a new piece of tech--things that might have been blocked off before might be available), and a decent story and characters.  I think I've found my stride again and will hopefully finish it this week.