Gamersky - 9.2/10
The overall experience of F.I.S.T is excellent, the characters and scenes can reflect the production team's testing and polishing of the game. As a Metroidvania game, its colorful gameplay design and moderate difficulty is comfortable and worth trying.
COGconnected - 9/10
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is an exceptional game. With innovative visuals that ooze charm and imagination, you will immediately fall in love with Torch City. The extensive combat system allows you to experiment with the mechanics to create some incredible combinations. Although the game is challenging, it never feels cheap, making you return to battles with new tactics and strategies. Perfectly paced and with plenty of surprises, TiGames has created something special that is a must for fans of the genre.
Noisy Pixel - 9/10
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is a gorgeous Metroidvania that tells a much better story than any anthropomorphic narrative has a right to tell. It's emotional and engaging during each scene brought together with challenging moments of action and puzzle-platforming. This game respects your time, but some moments can drag on due to limited fast travel and some confusing objectives. Who cares though, you're a rabbit with a robotic fist attached to your back; how cool is that!?
God is a Geek - 8.5/10
F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch's exciting, brutal combat, and rewarding exploration set it apart from many of its genre-mates, and make it utterly worth your time.
Game Informer - 8.5/10
F.I.S.T. offers another fine example of an exploration-focused side-scroller, and fans of the genre will find plenty to love. What it lacks in innovation, it makes up for by executing familiar ideas at a high level and dropping them into an alluring world. Developer Bilibili has pulled a nice surprise out of its hat.
Millenium - 8.5/10
F.I.S.T. is a very solid metroidvania, with a neat universe and fights that keep you glued to the pad. Rather difficult and rich enough in content, TiGames' soft only suffers from a few clumsinesses, such as regularly misplaced checkpoints or a few lunar collisions, but nothing that can really spoil the pleasure of playing.
MP1ST - 8.5/10
F.I.S.T. Forged In Shadow Torch rethreads a lot of familiarity of the Metroidvania genre, but it does so gracefully that fans of the genre will no doubt come to love its offering. Its challenging, fun-filled combat will undoubtedly serve as a highlight, as with it's engaging exploration, and charming story and characters. Ti Games debut title is one not to skip out on, and is rousing continuation to the PlayStation Heroes Project, proving that you don't need to be a big studio to pull of high production values into a game
Wccftech - 8/10
F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch throws a lot of different things at the wall and tries to make them all stick. In the end, it's a bit of a messy mix of platforming, combat, robots, and animals that Dr. Robotnik would be proud of, but it's still great fun to play even if it doesn't make a lot of sense.
Push Square - 8/10
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is a stellar Metroidvania adventure set in a beautifully realised world, replete with challenging combat encounters, rewarding exploration, and some spicy platforming action. Rayton Rabbit might be of diminutive stature, but he's punching well above his weight here in what is one of the best games of 2021 so far.
Playstation Universe - 8/10
F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch is a deftly crafted Metroidvania that while it doesn't do anything especially new or ground-breaking, nonetheless reframes the genre through a distinctly Chinese and attractive dieselpunk setting that fans of the genre and action adventures in general will assuredly enjoy.
Press Start Australia - 8/10
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow is a very competent, very good-looking foray into the Metroidvania genre with solid platforming and exciting, demanding arcade combat. Torch City is a wonderfully-grim place to get lost in and it's rendered gorgeously, despite some awkward signposting at times. Most of all, it nails the sense of exploration and steady progress that's a hallmark of the genre and it does all of that with a kick-arse rabbit in a mech suit for a protagonist. If this is the level of quality that studios backed by the China Hero Project are going to deliver then the program has more than made a case for itself.
Hardcore Gamer - 8/10
F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch is a must-buy for Metroidvania fans looking for something that tries new things. It takes the well-worn staples of the sub-genre and blends them with a steampunk feel and a richer storyline than most.
Merlin'in Kazanı - 7.8/10
With its interesting Dieselpunk world and gameplay that successfully reflects the characteristics of the genre, it is a game that Metroidvania lovers should not miss. Other players can also enjoy this interesting world, if they can ignore some little problems.
IGN Italy - 7.7/10
GamingBolt - 7/10
Hey Poor Player - 7/10
With deep and challenging combat and tight controls, F.I.S.T. often provides a welcome challenge. That's why it's such a shame that slow progression and poor design choices hold it back from reaching its full potential. Still, at its best, F.I.S.T. is a memorable Metroidvania with variety and depth. If you're up for the challenge and willing to deal with these issues, there's definitely a good time to be had.