Bleak Faith: Forsaken Review – Fog on the Barrow Downs

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt and a soft spot for ambitious indie titles, I must say that Bleak Faith: Forsaken left me both intrigued and frustrated in equal measure. The game’s staggering vision was undoubtedly its selling point, boasting an immersive blend of steampunk, gothic, and cyberpunk aesthetics that made for a visually captivating experience.

Forlorn Faith: Abandoned

Despite initial issues and flaws, the development team remained committed to their original concept, consistently rolling out updates and patches for the game. They aimed to rectify earlier criticisms and refine many rough edges, but the game still exhibits a significant amount of jankiness. This is evident in its floaty controls, problematic lock-on system, poor camera, frequent framerate drops, and sometimes confusing tutorials and user interface that can be counterintuitive. Various questionable design choices are prevalent throughout the game – for instance, the way ladders function is perplexing, as you’re required to hold down a button without any visual cues or feedback of climbing up or down the ladder. This results in an abrupt transition to either the top or bottom of the ladder with no animation to indicate movement.

In various aspects, this game exhibits a peculiar style that’s consistent throughout, leaving one questioning whether the enigmatic nature is deliberate minimalist storytelling reminiscent of FromSoftware’s iconic Dark Souls series, or if it’s due to budgetary limitations and resource availability. For example, the captivating blend of steampunk, gothic, and cyberpunk aesthetics implies a deeper narrative, yet the game fails to fully deliver on this promise. The visual appeal of the world alone encourages exploration, but the dialogue from characters or hints through game lore remain obscure to me. What I can confidently say is that the world and aesthetic certainly hold intriguing potential.

Bleak Faith: Forsaken Review – Fog on the Barrow Downs

“The world design and the resultant atmosphere really does do most of the heavy lifting here.”

In this game, the environment design and its ambiance play a significant role, setting a captivating mood reminiscent of games like “Bloodborne” and “Shadow of the Colossus”. The architectural and artistic elements are genuinely inspired, eliciting emotions similar to those games. Moreover, the world’s layout is impressive, featuring numerous interconnected paths that branch off, twist, and intertwine, creating a labyrinthine structure. Discovering hidden areas that lead to earlier locations, such as gates or ladders, is a delightful experience in Souls-like games, and “Bleak Faith” excels at this. If the game solely relied on these aspects, it might have been more successful, as it shines brightest in this regard. Despite any imperfections or rough edges, they do not diminish the game’s strengths in world design.

The issue arises from an overemphasis on battle sequences. Unfortunately, Bleak Faith struggles to align these confrontations with the gameplay mechanics. While the combat system itself is reasonably designed, with stamina serving as the primary resource for players, it conflicts with almost every other aspect of the game. The controls feel sluggish, the lock-on system is confusing (as it consistently locks onto enemies that are unreachable instead of the intended target), the camera is difficult to handle, and character movement is too heavy and imprecise to follow the expected agility of the player character. This isn’t a significant issue with minor enemies due to their simplicity, but it becomes problematic when dealing with bosses, who dish out heavier damage and move faster than the controls can manage effectively.

It’s disappointing to see that despite some promising concepts in combat, gameplay mechanics often fail to deliver on the potential they suggest. The unique combo system combined with buffs and penalties presents an innovative approach to stamina-based combat found in FromSoft games, while the perks and abilities systems offer more diverse progression and build options than usual for games within this genre. However, during actual gameplay, these thoughtful design elements often fall short, undermining all the strategic planning and intriguing ideas they introduce.

Previously, the title “Bleak Faith: Forsaken” was exclusive to PC, but now it’s making its console debut on PS4 and Xbox One. While it doesn’t seem like the game would struggle on these newer platforms, given the challenges faced by smaller development teams in managing resources, it’s understandable that they didn’t aim for more than they could handle. Unfortunately, this release doesn’t showcase any significant improvements tailored to the new consoles. However, I must commend the game for its excellent use of haptic feedback on the DualSense controller. Other aspects like graphical settings, load times (which are acceptable but not exceptional), and technical issues such as frame rate drops and pop-in have already been discussed at length.

Bleak Faith: Forsaken Review – Fog on the Barrow Downs

The essence of the game primarily revolves around four key aspects: art, aesthetics, ambiance, and exploration. These elements are quite impressive. However, many other aspects come with drawbacks or poor execution. For instance, the story is confusing, the combat can be either too easy or hampered by problematic camera and control issues. Additionally, the game’s technical glitches often disrupt the player’s experience, creating friction.

Regarding the developers, I genuinely wish they remain committed to their original concept and continue their efforts. There’s no doubt about the skills present; they’re evident. I hope they can capitalize on their strong points and work diligently on improving their weaker areas. At some point down the line, they might create something truly exceptional.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

2024-08-11 19:41

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