Fist

The default unarmed melee attack or weapon category used by characters when no other weapon is equipped.

Action

Role-playing (RPG)

Games

1994–1999

Years

Platforms

About

In the Doom franchise, including Doom (1993/1995) and Final Doom (1996), the Fist serves as the basic, infinite-ammo melee weapon which can be powered up with the Berserk pack. In Super Adventure Island II (1994), the Fist is the starting weapon used by Master Higgins. In the gothic RPG Koudelka (1999), characters can fight unarmed, using their fists to attack enemies and level up their unarmed combat skill.

In the development of Doom, the graphic for this attack was created by photographing the arm of id Software artist Kevin Cloud. While generally superseded by the chainsaw, it remains a crucial tool for self-imposed player challenges in both the original release and Final Doom.

This mechanical reliance on bare-handed combat as a fallback also appears in Koudelka, where the weapon durability system makes unarmed strikes a strategic necessity. Because physical weapons in this PlayStation title degrade and shatter permanently during turn-based battles, maintaining proficiency in hand-to-hand combat prevents characters from becoming defenseless when their inventory is depleted.

For Super Adventure Island II, the weapon represents the absolute baseline of the game's progression system. Following a shipwreck that strips the protagonist of his equipment, players must rely on short-range punches to defeat initial enemies. This setup establishes the game's action-adventure loop, requiring players to quickly explore the islands to locate superior weaponry like swords, which offer better reach and damage. Across these diverse genres, the weapon serves as a design tool to emphasize vulnerability, resource scarcity, or character progression.