FIST OF AWESOME

About

Fist of Awesome is a time-traveling lumberjack-em-up game where you punch bears in the face to save humanity. Enjoy a Develop Award Nominated soundtrack, okay-ish pixel graphics, and an impawsible number of bear-themed puns. The game supports USB & Bluetooth controllers and offers a similar experience to Streets of Rage with a bear-centric twist.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 140 reviews

humor42 positive mentions

gameplay10 negative mentions

The game features charming retro graphics and a fun soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
The humor and quirky storyline provide a light-hearted and entertaining atmosphere, making it enjoyable for casual play.
It's a simple beat-em-up that can be a fun distraction, especially for those who appreciate its unique premise of punching bears.

The combat is repetitive and lacks depth, with limited enemy variety and basic mechanics that can lead to boredom.
The game is quite short, often completed in under two hours, which may not justify its price for some players.
Many players found the humor to be hit-or-miss, with some jokes feeling forced or overused, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

humor
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it amusing and quirky, particularly enjoying the bear references and pop culture nods. However, some reviewers feel the humor can be hit-or-miss, occasionally trying too hard and feeling nonsensical. Overall, while the humor adds charm and entertainment value, it may not resonate with everyone, and some players believe it compensates for gameplay shortcomings.
- “This game has the perfect blend of great art and music style, humor and fluid gameplay, and one of the best credit theme songs of all time.”
- “Fist of Awesome's story is silly, but that is what I Fight Bears was aiming for, and each funny one-liner, pop culture reference, or throwback to old school gaming is so perfectly delivered that the player will have a great time and laugh right through to the end.”
- “I couldn't stop laughing, but I also couldn't stop playing.”
gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
62%
24%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its simplicity and repetitiveness, drawing inspiration from old-school beat 'em ups with basic mechanics and a limited variety of enemies. While the retro graphics and chiptune music are praised, many players find the lack of combos, special moves, and meaningful upgrades leads to a tedious experience that diminishes replayability. Despite some appreciation for the humor and RPG elements, the overall consensus is that the gameplay feels shallow and can quickly become boring.
- “Fist of Awesome is a tribute to the old school days of video games. The graphics are very reminiscent of the Atari 2600 era, and the gameplay is similar to old school beat 'em ups. The chiptune music is fantastic, and the gameplay is very simple yet enjoyable; the game is short but sweet in length.”
- “It's obvious that the developer put in some extra care to make it a little more deep by gaining experience points for upgrades such as speed, strength, etc. You can't expect too much gameplay complexity in this genre anyways.”
- “It's an old school side-scrolling beat 'em up with really funny humor and excellent gameplay.”
- “The gameplay was horrible and there was really only one type of enemy which got really repetitive...really fast.”
- “It's the exact same mechanics again and again followed by an identical boss.”
- “Quirky humor barely sustains interest over the repetitive and tedious mechanics; a lack of any pickups, combos, or meaningful level-ups makes the game feel like a chore after the first few levels and kills replayability.”
story
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
8%
The story of "Fist of Awesome" follows Tim Burr, a lumberjack on a humorous quest to restore his timeline and family, featuring a mix of silly humor, pop culture references, and engaging one-liners. While the narrative is described as fun and somewhat compelling, it is also noted to be short and not particularly challenging, with players encouraged to enjoy the experience rather than seek depth. Overall, the storytelling is entertaining and lighthearted, making it a memorable aspect of the game despite its brevity.
- “The story of Fist of Awesome is a timeless tale about a lumberjack called Tim Burr, who must fight his way to the truth and set right the timeline that has seen his home destroyed and his family taken from him.”
- “Fist of Awesome's story is silly, but that is what I Fight Bears was aiming for, and each funny one-liner, pop culture reference, or throwback to old school gaming is so perfectly delivered that the player will have a great time and laugh right through to the end.”
- “What you should know going in though is you should be getting it for about 70% story and 30% actual gameplay.”
- “So the story is you're Tim McF***face, some random lumberjack guy (had to interpret this from his clothing) who all of a sudden gains a talking fist named, you certainly guessed it, Fist of Awesome.”
- “It's painful to write a review about this game, mainly because I feel a certain level of sympathy from the fact that the developer is actually putting some level of heart into this game. The problem is that the game just has the constant tendency to fall to its own knees, whether it's because the gameplay itself is just too slow, or just because the humor and 'story' feel nonsensical and pointless.”
- “0/10 game that runs on the 0/10 engine with 0/10 graphics, 0/10 storyline, and a 0/10 soul.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
21%
13%
The music in "Fist of Awesome" is widely praised for its fantastic chiptune soundtrack, which complements the game's retro aesthetic and enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a key element that elevates the game, making it enjoyable despite its simple gameplay. The blend of 8-bit art and music not only adds to the game's charm but also contributes significantly to its humor and entertainment value.
- “The soundtrack is lovely.”
- “This game has the perfect blend of great art and music style, humor and fluid gameplay, and one of the best credit theme songs of all time.”
- “I found each level to be entertaining and beautiful in its own way, and enjoyed the well-paced soundtrack throughout this crazy adventure.”
- “Without the soundtrack and the humor, the game would be total garbage.”
- “Although the gameplay is pretty basic, the music and retro graphics make up for it.”
- “The music feels outdated and doesn't add much to the overall experience.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The graphics of "Fist of Awesome" are heavily inspired by the Atari 2600 era, featuring pixelated visuals that evoke nostalgia for old-school gaming. While some reviewers criticize the graphics as basic and lacking detail, others appreciate the retro aesthetic and its successful integration with the game's overall experience. Overall, the visuals are seen as fitting for the indie title, contributing to its charm despite not being graphically advanced.
- “The graphics are that retro-throwback nostalgia-style that's so dominant in indie titles these days, but it's done well, and the writing is at the right level where sitting down with a beer, hooking up the gamepad, and playing through can make for a pleasant couple of hours.”
- “I appreciate the blending of Atari-ish graphics with some newer style effects.”
- “Everything works well here and is more memorable than you would expect given the graphical presentation.”
- “Very pixelated graphics.”
- “0/10 game that runs on the 0/10 engine with 0/10 graphics, 0/10 storyline, and a 0/10 soul.”
- “However, I think retro graphics are more the rule than the exception at this point, and they don't necessarily fit the style of the game.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, with many expressing frustration over dealing minimal damage to enemies that take too long to defeat. The quirky humor fails to alleviate the boredom caused by the lack of meaningful upgrades, pickups, or combos, leading to a sense of chore-like gameplay that diminishes replayability.
- “Endlessly doing single digit damage on an enemy that you know will take forever to defeat is tedious as all hell and gets boring after all of ten seconds.”
- “Quirky humor barely sustains interest over the repetitive and tedious mechanics; a lack of any pickups, combos, or meaningful level ups makes the game feel like a chore after the first few levels and kills replayability.”
- “I hated those endless, boring, tedious parts.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with users noting that it is excessively repetitive and fails to provide engaging content for multiple playthroughs.
- “Overall, the game is horribly repetitive and offers little to no replayability.”