Bleak Faith: Forsaken is a new Souls-like game from developer Archangel Studios. Apparently, the studio consists of a total of three developers. I bring this to your attention because despite the many issues I ran into, I respect the vision of the dev team. It’s quite amazing what they were able to accomplish with such limited resources. There’s something here to love if you are a die-hard fan of the Dark Souls series and are looking for something new to pass the time. However, If you are new to the subgenre I can’t recommend Bleak Faith: Forsaken.

In terms of story, Bleak Faith is relatively bare bones. There’s certainly something going on, but it’s all very cryptic and intentionally vague. The basic premise is that your character lives within a perpetually expanding omni-structure and must survive against hordes of cyborgs, mechanical monstrosities, and more. It’s a neat setting reminiscent of the manga series BLAME! or the machine-dominated future of the Matrix films.

It’s this mix of sci-fi and dark fantasy that defines the visual style of Bleak Faith. It succeeds in crafting a memorable atmosphere. On the other hand, the characters are few and far between and you’ll only encounter a handful of NPCs along your journey. Apart from the few distinctive designs most of them blended together for me.

The main focus here is on the gameplay and exploration. The exploration in particular was a highlight of the experience. I enjoyed adventuring through the various environments that manage to stand out distinctly from each other despite having a very similar color palette.

Gameplay is very similar to the Souls series with your typical stamina-based action combat mixed with RPG elements. Combat options include your typical light and heavy attacks as well as a parry, and some spell options. The sound design does a lot here to make sure attacks and parries feel appropriately satisfying. The main difference from the Souls series comes in the form of the combo system, which is essential to maximizing your stamina and damage output efficiently.

By timing your attacks in line with animations you can use less stamina and attack more quickly. Overall, I had mixed feelings about this system. It feels awkward and is tricky to get the hang of, especially if you are new to the Souls-like genre. However, it’s also what sets the game apart from others.

In contrast to Dark Souls, stat increases are tied to specific gear and weaponry that can be upgraded by gathering materials. This allows you to explore various character builds quite easily. I appreciated this flexibility and found it to be a smart design choice as it increases the value of every piece of gear that you find. As you defeat bosses, your character can also learn various perks that can bestow you with added buffs or abilities. These function in combination with major class options so be sure to take time choosing each one.

The real issues with Bleak Faith lie in the overall performance and lack of polish. There is a lot that needs to be fixed here, though some things have already been patched. When I first started playing, the basic movement speed was incredibly fast. It was almost as if I had turned the sensitivity on a controller to the max and it caused me numerous unintentional deaths. Currently, the movement speed is still a little too fast but is much improved from the initial launch.

Another important thing to note is the real lack of dedicated controller support. If you like to play these types of games using a controller you’ll want to look elsewhere. I encountered a game-breaking bug while trying to play with a controller where I would instantly lose control of my character after interacting with a save point. Once this occurred, I was unable to freely control my character ever again unless I completely rebooted the file without connecting a controller beforehand.

In terms of graphical fidelity, the game looks decent given that it was built in Unreal Engine. However, the frame rate constantly stutters during boss fights and struggles with particle effects severely. Additionally, most movement and animations are choppy, which can make it difficult to anticipate some attacks. It’s a shame because some attack animations certainly have the potential to look cool but because of the instability they never truly do.

I could spend the rest of this article discussing every little visual glitch or graphical bug I encountered over my time with Bleak Faith: Forsaken, but for the sake of brevity, I will be moving on. Just know that they will most certainly hinder your experience at some point and it’s the main reason I can’t recommend it. I think the game should have spent a least another year in development before launch.

Almost every good aspect of this title often comes with a caveat that could have been corrected with additional time. For example, the soundtrack is filled with haunting atmospheric chords and instrumentals that are appropriate for the overall setting and tone. It’s too bad that this is often ruined by the way every song is seemingly thrown in at completely random sections of the game.

Sometimes, you’ll be in the middle of a fight and the music will completely cut out leaving you in awkward silence. Alternatively, a track might suddenly start playing in a place that fails to match the environment or situation. For instance, an upbeat and intense metal track perfect for a battle will blare as you simply quietly traverse a secluded area trying to unlock a new pathway. It’s jarring, to say the least.

https://t.co/Cw5ecjTIda

The entire OST is now available for purchase on bandcamp – 44 tracks!

— Bleak Faith (@bleak_faith) March 24, 2023

While I can certainly see the potential that Bleak Faith: Forsaken can offer to the Souls-like subgenre, I can’t say that it’s worth going out of your way to play it in its current state and asking price. It still feels like an unfinished product, and though that may change in the future you should avoid this one in its current state.

      A PC Review Copy of Bleak Faith: Forsaken was provided by Archangel Studios for this review.   

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Bleak Faith: Forsaken

29.99

3

Score

3.0/10

Pros

• Cool setting
• Flexible build options

Cons

• Visual bugs and glitches galore
• Controller support is nonexistant
• Music tracks misplaced