Forestrike

Skeleton Crew Studio's latest release, Forestrike, immediately caught my eye with its stylish retro aesthetic. Yet, it quickly proves to be more than just another pixel-brawler, raising expectations even higher.

The story sets the stage: the emperor of ancient lands has fallen under the sway of a sinister admiral, leaving the realm in peril. To save his ruler and homeland, young martial artist Yu ventures into danger armed only with the teachings of his masters, soon learning that fists alone won't carry him to victory.

Forestrike places heavy emphasis on narrative and character development. Dialogue unfolds through speech bubbles, but these exchanges often drag into tedious rambling. You'll find yourself longing for action while clicking through endless masterly musings and skill menus. It feels as though the game is holding back its juiciest element, combat.

The core gameplay unfolds in side-view, single-screen arenas. Each encounter pits Yu against a random assortment of foes, and clearing them unlocks the next battle until the map culminates in a boss fight. Movement is lateral, and combat is restricted to four action buttons: basic strike, heavy blow, dodge, and item use. As Yu progresses, he learns new techniques, but no extra buttons are added; instead, players swap abilities in and out to suit their preferred fighting style.

Being a roguelite, Forestrike comes with a deliberately punishing difficulty curve. Any illusions of kung fu mastery quickly crumble as you're beaten down time and again. Yet here lies the game's hook, hinted at by its title: Yu possesses the ability to foresee battles, which manifests as a "practice mode." These practice fights mirror real encounters but can be replayed endlessly regardless of outcome. It's a clever way to rehearse scenarios for hours if you wish. Winning in practice doesn't guarantee success in the actual fight, but it does give you a fair shot. Losing in real combat resets you to the starting point, though now armed with the skills you've acquired along the way.

Victories earn coins, spendable at inns scattered across the journey for assistance and collectibles. Yu also gains new abilities from his masters, such as starting battles with an extra shield point or gaining bonus energy when defeating unarmed foes with a weapon. Players can select which abilities to bring along, but the menu system feels unnecessarily convoluted. I often struggled to grasp the logic behind buying, upgrading, or swapping skills, and the game never explained it clearly enough amid all the chatter.

Visually, Forestrike is a triumph. Its atmospheric pixel art radiates warm retro charm, with layered parallax backgrounds adding depth and effects like smoke and rain enhancing the organic feel of the world. Characters are styled after classic kung fu cinema, and animations capture martial arts moves with authentic flair. Small touches, like close-ups of Yu's eyes before battle, reveal the developers' taste and affection for kung fu films. Dialogue portraits are hand-drawn in style, seamlessly fitting the game's look while giving characters personality and presence. On the Switch OLED, the game runs as smoothly as a kung fu master dispatching street thugs, with loading times barely noticeable.

Since dialogue is text-only, voice work is limited to enemy growls and eccentric masters' chuckles. Sound effects are exaggerated in a comic-book way, perfectly matching the game's tone. The soundtrack, percussive rhythms and woodwind melodies, adds atmosphere, reinforcing both the martial arts action and the breezy adventure vibe of ancient lands.

Forestrike leaves a mixed impression. Its gorgeous visuals, strong atmosphere, and intriguing combat mechanics stumble over pretentious difficulty, drawn-out dialogue, and unclear skill management. Even its unique hook isn't quite as groundbreaking as it first appears. Getting into the game requires patience and adaptation, and its length can feel discouraging. Still, the playful kung fu spirit is undeniable.