With only a few days left before its launches, however, it’s incredible that another extraction shooter without much marketing should suddenly rise to prominence. I’m talking about Team Soda’s innocuous and not at all snarkily titled Escape From Duckov. Released on PC via Steam on October 16th, it sold over 500,000 copies at the time of writing this piece (Update: Over a million now). Not only that but its concurrent player counts have been steadily rising, recently hitting a peak of 182,509 at this time.

It also currently has an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating with 95 percent of its 6,683 user reviews giving it the thumbs-up. But those looking at its cartoony style and top-down approach may wonder if it isn’t just another attempt to parody a more popular title while inserting ducks into the mix – see Duckside – with mixed results. The Metacritic score would certainly have you think so. There are only five reviews but it’s currently at a 75. Not great but nothing that screams “must-play.”

Thankfully, that isn’t the case. Despite its humorous style, Escape From Duckov is very much a serious extraction shooter. And yet, you have to wonder why it’s so popular and blowing up so quickly.

Perhaps above all else is the fact that it’s a PvE extraction shooter. There are no other players on the field – no one to kill you, unfettered and take away your precious loot. Of course, that means no co-op either. It’s just you, as an ordinary duck, escaping from a prison cell with nothing but a stick and trying your darndest to survive in this bizarre world. After obtaining a pistol and eventually discover a bunker that becomes your base.

Despite the lack of, well, anything, it’s not long before you’re building a weapon shop, setting up a gym, and a workbench to craft items from all the junk scoured in the wild. The progression is rogue-lite in a sense, as you gather blueprints, unlock new skills to improve stamina recovery and other stats, becoming that much more capable of surviving out in the wild. And yes, the typical vendors provide quests, whether it’s gathering items or slaying items, which encourages exploring the five maps. All of this, however, is in service of your one purpose – escaping Duckov.

Because for all intents and purposes, this is a single-player title with a fixed ending and even if you reach it, there’s over 50 hours of content to experience.

None of this would matter if the game wasn’t fun or the mechanics solid, and thankfully, Escape From Duckov has you covered there as well. There are over 50 weapons, from the realistic – like the AK-47 and an M14 – to the imaginative such as the Cube Gun and Billy Gun which, despite its name, is actually good for electrocuting enemies. If you fancy melee weapons, there’s an eclectic selection, from butcher knives and the Karambit to a Battle Axe.

It’s a case where the more cartoony premise allows for more leeway when it comes to the weapon fantasy, but the shooting is also delightfully on point as well. The top-down perspective may not present the same level of immersion as Tarkov or even ARC Raiders, but weapons still have effective range. Utilizing cover is important for surviving, especially when you’re pushing deeper into locations. The fact that it’s not stingy when doling out ammo also allows for some experimentation, especially with all the different ammo and weapon mod types available.

This is also still a survival experience. A storm is closing in on you, dealing extensive damage if you don’t have any protection. Having to adapt to the weather is key as is managing your hunger, thirst and injuries. There may be ducks running around and gunning each other down but bullet wounds still require treatment, lest you bleed out.

Even with a PvE-only approach, Escape From Duckov can be challenging and like any other notable extraction shooter, it’s easy to lose your hard-earned loot through some bad plays. But the best part is that it’s all within your control. You can decide how challenging the game should be and play at your own pace without worrying about losing it all to other players. While that’s a core element of the genre – the constant danger and risk – Duckov offers enough in a single-player format to mimic the same minus much of the frustration.

It’s not like Team Soda suddenly came out of nowhere with this – two demos launched earlier this year, which also served as kind of pseudo-tests to refine the gameplay and progression, improving the overall experience. Keep in mind that this is a relatively small development team and that Escape From Duckov is about $16 currently (but wouldn’t be that much more expensive without its 12 percent launch discount) while offering a stunning amount of value. Is it going to cater to those who don’t enjoy the extraction shooter loop? Probably not.

But the fact that it’s arrived in such a polished state with no microtransactions and even more updates on the way is great. The fact that it’s a single-player experience when Tarkov players suffered for years without a PvE server is also notable (Battlestate Games would eventually announce one but somehow turned that into one big mess after another on top of everything else). Perhaps even more amazing is that Escape From Duckov features Steam Workshop support, allowing players to create their own weapons, quests, and even full-fledged maps.

It’s probably a sign of the extraction shooter genre as a whole that Duckov could become so successful while there’s still sufficient hype for something like ARC Raiders. Like the genre has been so starved of worthwhile offerings, wallowing in the likes of Tarkov (which is coming to Steam but must be purchased again, even if you own the game already) with little reprieve. Such is the nature of competition – sit on your laurels long enough and eventually, someone will release a worthwhile alternative to steal interest. Maybe not for the longest period – which you could chalk up as being a weakness of Duckov due to its single-player nature – but in a significant way, all the same.

Honestly, even if it’s successful by virtue of the competition or lack thereof in the PvE space, I’m hoping that Team Soda continues to expand on the title, adding new maps, weapons, mechanics, progression systems, and more. This kind of development alongside community interaction and listening to what players want while sticking to a concrete vision has resulted in some truly incredible games over the decades. Here’s hoping that it achieves even a fraction of that success, quacking all the way to the bank in the process. If Tarkov could inspire something like this, then I can’t wait to see what Escape From Duckov inspires in the indie space.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Though the name is a fairly unsubtle riff on Escape From Tarkov, the gameplay is purely PvE-focused. Players start as an ordinary duck and traverse five different maps, acquiring loot and fending off dangerous foes. Upon extracting, they can use resources to upgrade their base.

Eventually, you’ll unlock new abilities, blueprints for crafting, and much more, steadily improving your arsenal and stats. There’s even a story of sorts, as players must learn the “truth of Duckov,” such as it is. Even if the narrative doesn’t hold much appeal for some, over 50 hours of gameplay await. Team Soda promises additional updates, so stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks and months.

It’s been confirmed that F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is headed to the Nintendo Switch, a platform that seems particularly well-suited for the kind of game it is. Earlier this year, the game received a classification rating for Nintendo’s platform in Taiwan, so this doesn’t exactly come as a huge surprise.

Publisher Bilbili will be assisted by Astrolabe Games in publishing the game on Switch. It will launch for the system on July 12, with pre-orders being live now, and costing 10% less until the game launches.

In our review of F.I.S.T., we awarded it a score of 7/10, saying, “Aside from rigid combat and some visual hiccups, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch delivers a unique world with an intriguing narrative and tight traversal.” You can read our full review through here.

F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is currently available on PS5, PS4, and PC. Shortly after the game’s launch last year, its developers confirmed that work on new content was underway.

Our tough rabbit hero has made his way into Nintendo Switch! eShop Pre-order starts now! Enjoy 10% off before release date: July 12th, fight with Rayton against the Legion! pic.twitter.com/C8SEkeXME0

— F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch（暗影火炬城） (@FISTthegame) June 16, 2022

As reported by Gematsu, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch was recently rated for the Nintendo Switch by the Taiwan Digital Game Rating Committee. A Switch version of the game hasn’t yet been officially announced of course, but this isn’t the first time that an imminent announcement for a game has been preceded by a classification rating for it, so one may very well be coming soon.

In our review of F.I.S.T., we awarded it a score of 7/10, saying, “Aside from rigid combat and some visual hiccups, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch delivers a unique world with an intriguing narrative and tight traversal.” You can read our full review through here.

F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is currently available on PS5, PS4, and PC. Shortly after the game’s launch last year, its developers confirmed that work on new content was underway.

Speaking to MP1st, the CEO of TiGames, Tao Zhang, confirmed they were still working on the game in post-launch. They mostly highlighted quality of life updates such as more languages and bug fixes. Interestingly, however, there is also mention of new content. Unfortunately, no more details are given about what that entails.

“There are a lot of great ideas of game mechanism that we had to give up when building Torch City, and more story we can’t wait to share, which we are willing to present to our players by various forms. Currently, we are still working on updates of F.I.S.T. as planning, like multi-languages supporting, bug fixing, and PC features adaption. After that, we will put our energy on developing new content, and keep updating the world of Torch City.”

Whether or not that new content ends up being something substantial is anyone’s guess, or if it’s in reference to another project entirely. Either way, it seems the developer at least will iron out any technical issues. The game is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC.

It’s been announced via the game’s official Twitter page that F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is releasing for PC some time in October. It will be available via Steam and the Epic Games Store. An exact release date hasn’t been announced, but we’ll learn more about that in the coming days.

F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is current available on PS5 and PS4. In our review of the game, we said, “Aside from rigid combat and some visual hiccups, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch delivers a unique world with an intriguing narrative and tight traversal.” You can read our full review through here.

Today we came with another big announcement: PC versions will be available in October on @Steam and @EpicGames , can’t wait to meet our PC fans! pic.twitter.com/A5oNnljnCB

— F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch（暗影火炬城） (@FISTthegame) September 24, 2021

F.I.S.T. tells a story about a rabbit named Rayton who when an old friend gets arrested and taken to prison and he goes to rescue him, punching a multitude of robots led by the Legions of Iron Dogs along the way. Right out the gate, the title takes the anthropomorphic route in terms of its character design but it works surprisingly well. It never seemed too overdone and felt very natural or appealing to the setting. The story expands at a good pace and was very enjoyable throughout due in part to Ray himself. I was able to sample both the English and Chinese voicework and both casts do a fine job of selling the world of F.I.S.T., even if their character traits are familiar affairs. Still, having an English voice option for F.I.S.T. is surprising to me, since there are a lot of voiced NPC conversations and this is an independent game developed by a Chinese studio. Localization feats for a smaller game like this deserve recognition.

"Aside from some visual blemishes and initially restricted flow and structure, F.I.S.T. accomplishes its goal accompanied by the cool factor of playing as a rabbit bashing robots with a giant arm."

The art style of F.I.S.T. is very inspired for the approach it goes for. “Dieselpunk ” as it’s referred to is realized in the environmental design and the background detail is very sharp on the PlayStation 5. The nighttime scenery in the outdoor areas like the starting city shift very well with the camera adding a great deal of depth. The main city hub in particular looks great along with its China inspired scenery. F.I.S.T.’s world is very grimy and industrial, and the soundtrack composed by Caisong Bo compliments this nicely. The OST blends jazz and piano tunes for the main city hub with quieter sounds to set the moon while exploring the various zones. Sometimes a great score sets out to compliment the gameplay, instead of overtake it; and that is the case here.

F.I.S.T. runs at a smooth 60 fps at a native 4K on the PlayStation 5, and keeps the framerate with dynamic resolution scaling on the PS4 Pro. This is great because the two versions are very comparable in this respect. 1080p at 30 frames a second on the base PS4 console still can work modestly well but when the platforming gets hairy, 60 fps might seem vital. A Performance Mode on PS4 to knock the resolution down to achieve a higher framerate would be useful.

One trapping F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch falls into in its visual presentation is the use of motion blur and camera shake. The game uses both camera and per-object motion blur, taking away a significant amount of sharpness from the picture in both gameplay and cutscenes. Being a game made in Unreal Engine, this is likely a limitation of the software as opposed to an artistic choice; at least in regards to camera blur. The options menu offers no customization for the visuals other than the camera angle of finishers, so it comes down to personal preference. I usually almost always turn off camera blur but in a 2D side scroller such as F.I.S.T., it’s less of an issue than in a 3D game. Every time Ray attacks, the camera shakes a little or a lot and unfortunately this cannot be turned off either. While most of the cutscenes in the game are with static models with limited animation, the dynamic cutscenes are when the animators really flexes their muscles. Characters have great choreography in these sequences, and they really highlight what motion blur can add to the table when animating characters.

"The interconnected map is incredibly large."

The combat starts off pretty stale and clunky. Weapons have light and heavy attacks that can be chained together, but there isn’t much room for experimentation. The skill tree for each weapon is built around adding combos instead of boots to attack or health. Players are specifically shown what they can and cannot do. It’s only when later abilities and combo extenders are gained where things really get going. However, most of the later skills for each weapon do require Data Disks, which can be obtained from boss fights, exploration or purchased for a hefty sum. SP moves are stronger attacks that use a resource bar refilled by attacking foes. I think that these are best used as strong combo enders and can make combat more manageable. Some of the boss fights can be very taxing, and this is because of how enemy staggering is handled. When Ray staggers or does not stagger a foe is very inconsistent and can lead to taking unnecessary hits or deaths when committing to combos. To that end, SP abilities do not grant invincibility either but have a better chance to stagger. There are two more weapons obtained in the story, but Ray’s first tool in his arsenal is the most fun and versatile to use; but the second weapon he obtains, a drill, does allow him to glide and traverse underwater which is a great boost to moving around the world.

The interconnected map is incredibly large. Each named zone such as the Sewers, Tower, or otherwise are color coded on the map to help differentiate them from the world view. Tracking later objectives or previous unclaimed secrets can be a pain but mission goals are easily seen with a small text box or a red exclamation icon on screen. One other minor note about viewing the map is that you can’t cycle through or pin specific icons for collectibles and goals. What this comes down to is a map that does the job at letting you know what’s around you and where you can go, but heavy backtracking might require a little more time to relearn where certain doors or barriers were that hide secrets.

Traversal offers a steadier form of progression and in a game like this, it is always welcome and this part of the game delivers on the fun factor the most. F.I.S.T. knows when it’s the right time to introduce a new movement option after you get accustomed to a previous ability. Rayton will find transformers throughout the world, giving him movement upgrades. Like with combat, traversing the world can be stiff but it becomes fast and fluid past the early parts of the game. One small but extremely appreciated aspect of the platforming challenge that really helps its pace is that hugging walls does give you an extra dash. This gives the player fluid movement through the levels which are largely boxed rooms and hallways filled with enemies and traps.

"F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is worth keeping an eye on."

It’s when F.I.S.T. combines combat with intense platforming challenges that starts to bring a level of frustration. Depending on the combination of enemies and room hazards, moving forward may take several tries. Early on, there’s a skill that makes executions give EP back. EP is a resource used for gadgets and one of them is a flask that heals Rayton. I recommend getting this ability in the skill tree as soon as possible as it can help keep you going through tougher areas as long as enemies are able to be executed along the way. Some foes do have weapons that can stun or stick you in place, and certain hazards like poisonous fluid in the sewers make this a really lethal and vexing combination.

F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch is worth keeping an eye on. It brings some unique flavor to the platformer genre with its story and world building but lacks some map functionality. After some time gaining the exploration and combat tools available, platforming is very responsive and fluid to play even though combat doesn’t reach the same heights. Ever still, punching robots with a large metal fist is very satisfying to do.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

A former soldier in the war against the Machine Legion, Rayton is armed with a powered Fist that can be used to smash foes apart. As the game progresses, he’ll gain access to tools like the Drill and Whip along with new abilities. On top of showcasing different areas, a fight against a massive rock creature boss is also featured.

Published by bilibili, F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch releases tomorrow for PS4 and PS5. It’s also coming to PC but a release date has yet to be announced so stay tuned in the coming weeks. For more extensive gameplay, head here.

Posted via IGN, we have over 19 minutes here of gameplay footage. If you managed to play the time limited demo of the game on Steam a few weeks back, you’ll see this basically picks up directly after that where Rayton has defeated the first major boss and picked up the drill weapon afterward. Here you’ll see how you use the weapon with your F.I.S.T. as well as the first look at the game’s English voice acting. See the entire thing in full below.

F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch will release for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on September 7th, where it was confirmed to have gone gold recently. It will also come to PC at a later date.

Despite its anthropomorphic protagonist, the story is pretty serious in tone, taking place in a world where Torch City lost against the Machine Legion. The latter now occupies the city but after his friend is arrested, former soldier Rayton takes up the Fist to save him. Other weapons available include the Drill and Whip with numerous enemies and bosses to combat in one’s journey.

The city is full of various areas with different puzzles and themes connected together with the diesel-punk aesthetic providing a unique touch to the environments. F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch releases on September 7th for PS4 and PS5 worldwide. It will also be coming to PC at a later date. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.