Forestrike Review – Kung Fu Puzzle

Forestrike skillfully pretends to be an action game, but is actually a puzzle game in which the player must always find the right sequence of actions to successfully defeat enemies. We’ll tell you about this unusual project in our review.

• Developer: Skeleton Crew Studio, Thomas Olsson
• Publisher: Devolver Digital
• Platforms: PC
• Release date: November 17, 2025

Few pixel roguelikes rely as heavily on story as Forestrike. The protagonist is a young fighter named Yu, who embarks on a journey to stop the cruel Admiral and his minions from seizing control of the Emperor.

Honest and noble, the protagonist rushes forward, facing scoundrels and criminals of all stripes, meeting mentors, each more charismatic than the next – you feel as if you have already seen all the characters on TV, in martial arts films , so distinctive are they.

But the story is far from the most important, albeit enjoyable, aspect of the game. Forestrike encourages you to deal with enemies using your fists and the items found in abundance throughout the levels. But don’t rush headlong into battle—especially since such an initiative will likely lead to a humiliating defeat, given that there are almost always several enemies, and they don’t just hang around waiting for the protagonist to deal with them.

A unique precognition mechanic, which has become the project’s key feature, will help you conduct combat effectively (and spectacularly). Simply put, this mode allows you to experiment with attacks to find the sequence that will defeat all opponents and leave Yu unharmed.

Here you can endlessly try out different moves and attacks, develop the right combat strategy, replay it all again to solidify it, and then fight for real. The end result is a puzzle in which you need to learn which moves are effective against specific enemies, use dodge and block points wisely, utilize the character’s available attacks, and utilize environmental objects.

On the one hand, you have to complete each battle at least twice: first in precognition mode, then in real time. This artificially stretches out the gameplay. On the other hand, after you solve a combat puzzle and perfectly dispatch your opponents, you’ll feel genuine pride – almost every “clean” battle looks beautiful and elegant.

Between levels, the game offers the opportunity to level up your character: you can get a health and energy boost, learn new tactics, and discover new combat scenarios. There’s even a certain amount of build freedom, so you can replay the adventure a couple of times to try out different character development paths . Fortunately, the developers themselves encourage this: all the plot details will only be revealed after several playthroughs.

The pixelated graphics make Forestrike a bit simple, but what it lacks in visuals, it makes up for with beautiful animations of movements and attacks, making it easy to believe you’re in a kung fu action movie . And some landscapes and scenes are so heartbreaking, you’ll be itching to take a screenshot.

Ultimately, the project leaves a positive impression, although some may be dissatisfied with the drawn-out battles and the overly hardcore nature of some skirmishes. Forestrike isn’t a game I’d recommend to everyone; it’s quite unique. But if you enjoy puzzles and martial arts , it’s definitely worth checking out.