Publisher Devolver Digital and developer Skeleton Crew Studio have revealed Forestrike, a kung-fu roguelike all about solving puzzles and landing punches.
Set to launch on Switch next year, Forestrike will put you in the shoes of Yu, a martial artist on a mission across the country to save his Emperor. As you might imagine, there will be a fair amount of fighting along the way, but this isn't your usual action-focused roguelike as you'll be relying on Yu's 'Foresight' ability to play out combat encounters ahead of time and learn how to escape them unscathed.
It all looks really rather badass. The pixel art puzzles seem to combine cool combat moves with a sense of memory and rhythm that we can picture being extremely satisfying to pull off, but we'll have to wait and see how well it holds up through the repeated roguelike gameplay loop.
You can find the official rundown of the game's features from the Devolver website below.
FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED
The Foresight, a distinctive game mechanic that lets players experiment without consequences before fighting for real - and win or die trying. Forestrike's roguelike game loop generates unique runs and encounters every time, so adaptation and improvisation are crucial to progress.VISCERAL KUNG FU COMBAT
Always outnumbered, learn to dispatch mobs of brutal enemies with poise and efficiency using everything at your disposal. Upgrade and customize your movesets with techniques from your chosen Masters to help you outwit your opponents in fierce, puzzle-like battles.HANDCRAFTED FANTASY
Journey through a visually striking fantasy world inhabited by unique characters, viscous enemies and magical revelations. Intricate pixel art landscapes form an atmospheric backdrop to handcrafted animation and characters.
We still don't have a precise release date for this one just yet outside of "2025", but we'll be keeping an eye out for more information over the coming months.
We had a good time with developer Skeleton Crew Studio's Olija back in 2021. While we felt that things got a little too confusing for its own good, the intense focus on atmosphere and tension leaves us hopeful that the kung-fu roguelike will pack enough drama to make repeated playthroughs worthwhile.