Bleak Faith: Forsaken

Bleak Faith is a game almost entirely carried by its - and I really don't like using this word in this way so bear with me here - [b]vibes[/b]. Moment to moment gameplay isn't exactly what I'd call glamorous, even for someone well-versed in slightly clunky soulslikes. Combat is so R1-spammy it quite literally has a mechanic that penalises you for [i]not[/i] doing it, environments are sprawling with unclear direction (and not too often in the fun way), you're constantly subjected to minor glitches and inconveniences and out of bounds weirdness, most bosses aren't really that engaging... I could probably go on, even without resorting to nitpicking. Yet when you're wandering alone across a tiny concrete beam above an endless chasm between two impossibly towering brutalist structures, looking out towards rotating giant shattered rings obscured by distant fog orbiting some unknown mechanism and so far into the distance you can't even hope to imagine how big they truly are, as a single extended distorted guitar tone pierces the air as if the omnistructure itself was heaving out one last dying gasp, you can't help but think the developers really have something here. There's an incredible spark of inspiration and genius shining through the cracks. And I suppose that pretty much sums up the experience of playing Bleak Faith: a constant battle between the brilliance of the environmental and world design, and the slog of actually having to play through it. Now to any fellow insane masochistic gamers reading this that description might make you think of another game, which would be the ever-revered-and-hated Rain World. But where that game succeeds and this one fails I think is in intentionality. That game is frustrating by design, this one just kind of feels like the developers couldn't quite bring their vision to fruition. I suppose I'll namedrop Dark Souls 2 here as well, as both feel quite similar in that regard. So hey, if you like games that hate you a little bit then you are fully equipped for Bleak Faith. It's with games like these I'd appreciate a 'Mixed' or conditional recommendation all the more. Ignore all the old reviews, this game apparently launched way buggier which is why I avoided it for a couple years to try and avoid spoiling such an amazing concept too early and ruining the experience. With this likely being the final build of the game, I think even after all the patches a lot of people would still bounce right off its awkwardness after an hour or so, but I'd hate to play any part in driving away the people that would truly appreciate the extremely high highs. Fact of the matter is, you can't really find this experience and atmosphere anywhere else, and that alone is worth celebrating.

I bounced off this game a few times. You really need to be in the right headspace to enjoy this game. The brutalist architecture, ripe for exploration, and the awesome but oppressive soundtrack are the standouts for me. The movement feels pretty decent overall, the combat can feel a bit janky and imprecise at times, but also gets better as you unlock some pretty cool abilities. I'm just glad that I gave it another chance and can't wait to see what these devs might cook up next.

First thing first, i am from Montenegro, the country the devs are from. So I must say that I’m proud of what my three countryman has achieved. I know that game was realised in rough shape, so i waited to be patched. At time of writing this review, i didn't find any major bug. Devs know what is important in this type of games and it delivers. Main straight of this game is exploration, atmosphere, overall art style and music. Combat is solid but little junky. Game have interesting items, stats distribution and game changing perks so it have very fun building system. It reminds me of Dark Souls 1, clunky but fun and memorable. P.s. I meet one of the devs at a party in Podgorica (capital of Montenegro): such s cool guy. He said that they learned a lot from making this game so i can't wait their next project!

Very good adventure RPG game. Exploration and setting are amazing. Game can be scuffed at times, but it does not ruin overall positive impression. If you like the vibes, then definitely worth giving it a try.

Too jank to be enjoyable when it comes to the bosses, specifically; wormlord. Cool idea, horrible execution. Shame, as it's quite enjoyable up to that point.

The E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy of soulslikes.

It's just so janky. In under two hours, I've lost track of the number of times my character stopped moving because he was adjacent to a tiny ledge. This include attempting to go up stairs. They describe it as being exploration focused. I believe that translates to large, empty spaces with nothing to do but transit through them. I feel like they really needed to stop earlier in the development process to assess some of their decisions before building so much on top of an unstable foundation.

The game is rough and, in many places, quite janky (although by souls-like standards, the combat isn't as bad as some people present it as). Even then, there is something here. Environment, map layout, world design, presentation, the land you traverse, and (in a positive sense) truly bizarre lore in the background. The spectacle is incredible. Bleak Faith is both great and flawed experience. There is ambition in the project, which the devs didn't entirely realize, and for me the artistic vision in this case makes up for the shortcomings.