1 
0 Forge and Fight! is pure madness, coupled with limitless customisation possibilities for your choice of weaponry. I’ve had some good fun with the game during its Early Access, however, there could be some improvements made to bring it up to it’s deserved glory.
Developed by Flamebait Games, it’s a ludicrous multiplayer online brawler, that you can get your hands on over at Steam. If you’re looking for a light-hearted game to drop in to and thrash out, then this may be the one for you!
Gameplay
There are two modes at your disposal, either the online arena which pits you against your adversaries in team-based combat, which includes categories like, last team standing, brawl, push the cart and capture the zone. In this game mode, you’ll be presented with random upgrade choices at the beginning of each round, allowing you to add further customisation to your weapon in an attempt to out-play and out-manoeuvre your opponents. I, unfortunately, had a number of issues during play, where I was the only actual playable character, so my experience wasn’t as exciting as I would have expected when only playing against NPCs.
You’ll earn experience points and scraps after winning an online battle, allowing you to customise the look and feel of your character via the in-game store. There are no pay-to-win aspects to this game, which is great to see, all purchases are purely cosmetic giving you the choice to play as you wish without any detriment to your ability to compete.
Movement felt somewhat stale during gameplay, and not as fast-paced as I would have expected from a brawler. It’s something that could be optimised quickly by the development team and would provide a greater thrill to the online arena. When using ranged weapons there are no crosshairs, which means you’ll have to practice with your aim to get it just right. There is instead a line running from your weapon in the generated direction, once you’re ADS.
Additionally, you can opt for the open-ended sandbox mode allowing you to build the weapon of your dreams, with zero limitations. In this game mode, you can test out your insane creations and see just how whacky they are, as well as ensure your ideas will be fit for purpose for when you head into the online battlefield. There are also mini-games available within the sandbox area, allowing you to either re-customise your weapon, play football, fire off cannons at your unsuspecting victims or just plain batter your opposition to test your metal.
A large time investment has gone into optimising the forging aspect of the game, it’s been one of my favourite experiences of Forge and Fight!, coming up with different combinations of weapons to see how they will look (and perform) I can imagine there will be a dedicated Reddit community to house the wild creations.
Graphics
The developers of Forge and Fight! have opted for a cartoon feel for the game, I’m a big fan of their poster artwork and would ideally like to see that replicated within the game itself, however, right now that’s not the case. The developers have gone through an evolution of the game to bring the characters up to where they are today, however, if the end goal is to replicate the artwork, they’re not quite there yet.
The forge has been well thought out and planned to ensure a smooth and easy customisation experience and with this being such a hugely enjoying aspect of the game, it’s important that it is. The maps have also been well balanced to avoid any handicaps from being on the red or blue teams, although as it’s limited to just two, there’s not a whole lot of uniqueness other than the online game modes themselves.
Audio
The audio in Forge and Fight! complemented the gameplay nicely, you’ll be able to hear every slash, bang and wallop heading towards your opponents as you aim to become victorious in the online arena!
The background music will help to elevate your squad to victory, whilst the hit marker sounds were on point with no noticeable delay.
Longevity
Due to its pick up and play nature, Forge and Fight! will be a fun game to drop in and out of, however, given its lack of character progression longevity may become a hurdle for this title. If Flamebait Games are able to further adapt the experience to provide a sense of progression outside of the online battles themselves, then I think they’ll be able to captivate their audience to playing for the long haul.
Despite this, Forge and Fight! is a fun pick-up and play game where you could enjoy countless hours playing with your friends. There is a multitude of game modes to keep you occupied. Additionally, it’s not another Battle Royale, so it’s in the right market to attract the kind of attention that will enjoy something different than the current standard.
Conclusion
Although I’ve enjoyed my time playing Forge and Fight!, I feel that the game is lacking depth, particularly in terms of character progression. It’s a fun game to pick up and play with your friends, however, it may lack the ability to absorb the repeat player base and keep them returning for more mayhem!
I think Forge and Fight! will serve to entertain as a unique perspective as an online multiplayer brawler, with a huge focus on wild customisations that will strike fear into your opponents. As the game develops through its early access I expect that there will be improvements to the elements that I have pointed out above. Go and check it out for yourself over on the Steam store!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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