Forestrike Review
Forestrike is nearly a perfect martial arts fantasy.
Forestrike. Credit: Skeleton Crew / Devolver Digital
Skeleton Crew Studios and Devolver Digital’s Forestrike is a roguelite with its roots in classic martial arts sidescroller Karateka, evolving it into something far more complex and rewarding. When everything clicks, you feel like the star of a perfectly choreographed kung fu film, though the game's unique mechanics can be both its greatest strength and occasional frustration.
You are martial artist Yu, apprentice in an ancient order devoted to defending the Emperor, on a journey to free him from the evil Admiral's influence. The story unfolds through combat encounters over procedurally generated runs as Yu travels across the country. Fail, and Yu is returned to his dojo, in typical roguelite fashion. The narrative isn’t a revelation; then again, most kung fu movies don’t have incredibly complex stories.
Forestrike. Credit: Skeleton Crew / Devolver Digital
Over the course of repeatedly restarting the journey or after meeting specific requirements, Yu encounters the masters of his order, each representing a distinct martial arts style. For example, Leaf style redirects enemy attacks, and Third Eye focuses on blocking and brute force. Meanwhile, Monkey, Storm, and Tiger styles each offer their own approaches. Each master is also a unique character that adds a lot of flavor to the game in their own right. Winning fights grants new techniques and upgrades specific to your chosen style, creating varied builds each run.
What makes the game unique is its Forestrike mechanic. Those in Yu’s order are masters of the Forestrike technique, which lets them previsualize fights and their exact outcomes. In gameplay terms, this means unlimited practice runs to let you experiment endlessly before each fight, fighting battles without consequences to find the perfect timing and set of moves. Unlike Foresight, blocks and dodges are precious, limited resources that quickly deplete, forcing creative use of enemy reactions, positioning, and the objects around you. Success requires learning exactly how enemy AI responds to your actions and ruthlessly exploiting those patterns. Essentially, every fight is a puzzle where you can test solutions using Foresight.
Forestrike. Credit: Skeleton Crew / Devolver Digital
The frustration comes when executing your plan, since you still have to repeat your performance once more, with perfect timing, this time in the real fight. Mistime your move, and you're forced to improvise in a panic, which usually ended badly for me. This is a game that requires a lot of practice, and that’s exactly what the Foresight mechanic encourages.
The pixel art graphics feature excellent sprite animations that make hits feel powerful and fights look smooth when properly executed. The deliberately minimalist style leaves room for the imagination to fill in the details, making the martial arts action feel even more impactful. Dialogue features ink-illustrated portraits that do a lot fo flesh out character personalities.
Forestrike. Credit: Skeleton Crew / Devolver Digital
Forestrike is brilliantly inventive, turning what could be standard beat 'em up action into thoughtful, strategic combat that rewards patience and precision. Nailing that perfect sequence after multiple Foresight attempts is a huge rush. I just wish I could do it more reliably. Practice makes perfect, I guess.
Forestrike is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 9/10
Played on: Steam Deck
