Skeleton Crew, the team behind 2021 side-scrolling action game Olija, and Devolver Digital have revealed an intriguing fresh project: Forestrike. The game has a unique premise: as a martial arts master, you can predict and simulate future combat encounters, allowing you to fine-tune your execution before you touch anyone.
The warrior fights to free the Emperor from the clutches of the evil Admiral, and does so by mastering Foresight, a meditation technique that allows one to mentally anticipate and play out battles before they happen (think image training for Dragon Ball fans). In terms of gameplay, players are pitted against various combinations of enemy types. They employ Foresight to play out the battle ahead of time and find the optimal approach to defeating them while taking little to no damage.
For example, using Foresight can assist you learn how to avoid a charging enemy so they can trample an ally, then finish them off by throwing a nearby weapon. It may take a few Foresight attempts to figure out the best approach, but once you have a strategy, you can play out the battle in real time. After you win a fight, the replay feature lets you watch it again, using sluggish motion and other editing tools, to study your strategy or just feel good about your performance.
Using Foresight makes combat in Forestrike feel like a puzzle in its execution, and winning fights as flawlessly as possible is critical. This is because you have narrow health to fight through multiple stages on a branching roguelike map. Along the way, you’ll earn upgrades that carry over to future runs, as well as perks called Techniques that enhance your abilities.
Forestrike is an engaging take on the action game genre, scheduled to premiere on Switch and PC in 2025.
