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About

Iron Fisticle is a modern take on 80s arcade arena shooters, featuring classic twin-stick gameplay with controller support and achievements. Its randomly generated dungeons provide a fresh experience in each play-through, and the game supports local co-op for two players. With multiple stats upgrades and weapon pick-ups, players can customize their playstyle as they fight through hordes of enemies and challenging boss fights.

Iron Fisticle screenshot
Iron Fisticle screenshot
Iron Fisticle screenshot
Iron Fisticle screenshot
Iron Fisticle screenshot

87%
Audience ScoreBased on 622 reviews
gameplay36 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions

  • Fun and engaging gameplay reminiscent of classic arcade games like Smash TV and Gauntlet.
  • Well-polished twin-stick shooter with a charming retro art style and solid sound design.
  • Offers a good sense of progression with permanent upgrades and varied weapon drops, making each run enjoyable.
  • Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth after a few runs, with only four levels to explore.
  • Difficulty balancing issues, as some players find the game either too easy or frustratingly hard due to RNG elements.
  • Local co-op only, which limits multiplayer options and can detract from the overall experience.
  • gameplay
    126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of this title is a mix of classic twin-stick shooter mechanics and roguelite elements, offering a fun yet sometimes repetitive experience. While many players appreciate the solid controls, charming graphics, and sense of progression, some criticize the lack of tutorials and the overall engagement of the gameplay loop. Overall, it provides enjoyable arcade-style action, but may not hold long-term appeal for everyone.

    • “This is a solid twin stick shooter that has enough pickups and mechanics that it can keep you busy for a few hours without feeling too grindy.”
    • “Great gameplay, fun and challenging with a cool little platformer mini-game.”
    • “Extremely enjoyable game based on the gameplay mechanics of Atari's Berserk or more recent Super Nintendo's Smash TV: top-down twin stick shooter with randomly generated one-screen levels, lots and lots of collectibles, and many different enemies.”
    • “In my opinion, the gameplay loop isn't engaging enough to justify the €8.99 price tag.”
    • “From poor controls to useless pickups that give points to unkillable monsters, there's just close to zero gameplay.”
    • “No gameplay mechanics are explained; there is no tutorial, no tips, no nothing.”
  • graphics
    116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are predominantly praised for their charming retro pixel art style, which resonates well with fans of classic aesthetics. While many players appreciate the vibrant visuals and cohesive sound design, some critiques highlight issues with clarity and appeal, particularly for those who may not favor pixel graphics. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong fit for the game's fast-paced, arcade-like gameplay, though opinions vary on their execution and impact.

    • “The graphics are charming and well-done, the music and sound effects are basic but mesh really well, and the controls are tight and responsive.”
    • “Beautiful 'retro-ish' graphics (16-bit style sprites, but with 32-bit color) and one of the best scanline filters I've seen (and the option to turn it off if you are weird).”
    • “The graphics are fantastic.”
    • “How do you design graphics this unappealing?”
    • “It has a list of improvements but it had very big downsides in the graphics, level layout, and length of dungeons.”
    • “Visuals are confusing; it can become very hard to keep track of what's happening on screen, plus some floors have painted details that look like solid walls when not paying too much attention.”
  • music
    82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it catchy and well-suited to the retro aesthetic, while others describe it as repetitive and basic. Many appreciate the chiptune soundtrack for enhancing the gameplay experience, though some suggest it may become forgettable or lead players to mute it. Overall, the music is generally seen as enjoyable but not particularly deep or innovative, making it suitable for quick gaming sessions.

    • “The soundtrack is excellent, and the graphics are top-notch pixel art.”
    • “Packed with nice retro graphics and catchy music, it’s a perfect game for quick 'defeating waves of enemies' sessions!”
    • “The music and sound effects are all top notch, and blend well together.”
    • “Not super deep, innovative, or long, and you'll probably mute the music quickly.”
    • “Music is a bit repetitive and could have used a handful more tracks.”
    • “The soundtrack is fairly retro dark electronic sounding, which is good, although possibly noticeably repetitive at the start.”
  • replayability
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the fun and challenge it offers, citing character progression and rogue-like randomness as positive factors, others find it repetitive due to limited levels and a short overall experience. Many enjoy the ability to shop for upgrades and the sense of achievement from repeated runs, but some feel that once the game is completed, it can become stale. Overall, it has decent replay value, especially for its price, but may not sustain long-term engagement for all players.

    • “Great replayability!”
    • “I love how you continue to improve your character over time; it really adds to the replayability factor.”
    • “The rogue-like randomness of each room adds good replayability.”
    • “It may not have a ton of replay value, however, since it is basically the same four levels repeated over and over until you die.”
    • “Only downside of it is how short it is and how it lacks replayability since every run feels similar.”
    • “Feelings about the replayability of the game can be mixed; it's really fun to pick up and play for a while, but once you've beaten everything, you might find the gameplay to be quite stale.”
  • story
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is largely considered basic and unremarkable, featuring a simple premise about a knight and a vortex, with minimal narrative depth. While it includes some humorous elements, such as a character chasing stolen food, the overall plot is seen as pointless and serves primarily as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. Players find it suitable for short breaks between more substantial games, but it lacks the richness of a well-developed story.

    • “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
    • “A decent adventure, no major story to follow, something about you as a knight being sucked into a vortex with a large cache of fruit.”
    • “A decent adventure, no major story to follow, something about you as a knight being sucked into a vortex with a large cache of fruit?”
    • “Story is extremely basic and mostly pointless, not even in a funny way.”
    • “Plus there's a story about some dude chasing his stolen food!”
  • grinding
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews indicate that the game features significant grinding elements, which some players find tedious and detrimental to the overall experience. While persistent character upgrades and power-ups can alleviate some of the grind, many feel that the need to farm for upgrades, especially with low initial weapon performance, makes gameplay feel repetitive. However, some players appreciate the game's mechanics and pacing, finding it suitable for both short and extended play sessions.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It's really grindy (may be intentional, but even if it is, in my opinion, it is quite a bad thing), because you can buy 'always start the game with (power-up)' and not only are there 5 of them (but to be honest, only 1 really matters), they can also stack, and the amount of times they can stack depends on your level, which also carries over runs.”
    • “The default weapon has both very low firing speed and range, which makes clearing rooms a chore more than anything else, and the player is expected to upgrade them through grinding.”
    • “You can purchase permanent power-ups for all subsequent runs, and the upshot of this is that it makes the game of Iron Fisticle (a) last longer and (b) be even more tedious for the first level, as you’re now overpowered for it.”
  • stability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users report a minor stability issue where the game freezes on the initial splash screen during loading, but it can be resolved by pressing the left mouse button. No other input methods appear to work in this situation.

    • “The only quirk was that when I load the game, the first splash screen freezes - pressing the left mouse button lets it continue loading as normal (no other keys or gamepad buttons seemed to work, only the LMB).”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is generally satisfactory, allowing players to run most 2D games smoothly, though some titles like Stealth Inc 2 may experience performance issues. With adjustments to the graphics settings, many 3D games are also playable, indicating a degree of flexibility in performance tuning.

    • “I can play most other 2D games (except Curve Digital's: Stealth Inc 2 runs slowly but is at least playable) and, after tweaking the graphics options, many 3D games.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is largely criticized for being absent, with many users finding the story to be basic and pointless, lacking any comedic value.

  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a predominantly dark atmosphere, enhanced by appealing pickups and weapon effects that add a touch of brightness to the overall experience.

    • “The game provides a fairly dark atmosphere, lightened by really nice pickups and weapon effects.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a sense of frustration and tension as players face increasingly overwhelming challenges, particularly on floors 3 and 4, where enemy density makes navigation nearly impossible. This heightened difficulty can evoke feelings of anxiety and urgency, impacting the overall emotional experience.

Buy Iron Fisticle

8h Median play time
7h Average play time
5-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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