Forestrike

Forestrike is a fantastic martial arts Roguelike that rewards reflexes, with the incredibly clever ability to practice each fight before committing.

Some stability issues still hold Forestrike back but when it’s working, and it mostly does, it really works. The foresight mechanic is an excellent way to unlock fluid combat scenarios and it has the right amount of strategy required to be more than a mindless button masher. But you will need to find the right timing to mash the buttons so there is a level of skill required, but ample opportunity to practice your way to mastery. There is enough variety between the disciplines and the roguelike nature of earning skills and items on each run to keep things interesting long past when you get your...

I expect some folks will disagree, and failing a Forestrike Reality Run because of a split-second chug on your PC that trips your timing is demoralizing. Nothing stops you from avoiding that mode entirely, and there’s enough build diversity to enjoy finding new synergies at a reliable clip in the standard mode. Still, you’ll also be missing out on some of the game's best writing. Curiously absent from Forestrike were some nice-to-have features, such as a daily challenge or training arena, and I hope they will be added at some later point.

Forestrike's tactical martial arts inspired action does a wonderful job of combining combat and puzzle solving to make for a clever roguelite that will test your wits and reflexes in equal measure.

Forestrike is a wonderful idea that just needs some refinement in its meta-progression. Encounters are an absolute thrill, blending combat and puzzle elements to make each fight feel intense and rewarding. While you earn plenty of bonuses throughout a run, permanent upgrades are few and far between, which slows the overall pace. As a result, you’re left with a satisfying but occasionally stagnant loop that leans more on player skill than long-term growth.

Forestrike is an action rogue-like where players can practice every battle before it occurs by using the Foresight. This system in and of itself is fun, but the game can’t get out of its own way with unfair balancing that punishes the player regardless of performance. Even so, when the gameplay works, it works wonderfully, with an excellent sense of aesthetics and a strong story and characters to back it up.

There’s a deeply rooted part of the human psyche that plans and anticipates the worst things you can imagine. What if, while you’re stood in line waiting for the self checkout, or are sat in a cafe, a fight suddenly breaks out? What would you do?Suddenly you are daydreaming as you imagine the guy in front suddenly charging at you, but you move out of the way so he collides into the person behind you who was about to hit you with a stick. In your head, you can visualise these scenarios and outcomes as much as you want, but in reality you’d only have one shot. Forestrike takes that scenario of i...

There are many types of martial arts fighting games out there, but by far any genre that touches upon Wuxia in a meaningful way gets my utmost attention. For those who are unfamiliar with Wuxia, think of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Letting you practice battles until you're confident you can win, Forestrike often feels like a puzzle game. That can also lead to frustration, however; just one mistake can make it pretty much impossible to win some fights. Throw in the fact that sometimes you can't practice, and that there's little in the way of permanent upgrades, and Forestrike doesn't always feel fair. Still, there's a fun roguelite here for those who can hack it.