Bleak Faith: Forsaken

Bleak Faith: Forsaken isn't just a game, it's an experience. It's a fever dream, best played at night with the lights low and the sound up. It's one of those experiences that is entirely its own, and immersive beyond most games. If I had to compare it to other games or point out similarities, there are moments when this game brings me back to my first experience with Dark Souls, and often enough Dark Souls 2 with the open world exploration and scope of Elden Ring. It also gives off a Forever Winter vibe with its desolation and sense of future bleakness. Another comparison would be a gritty NieR: Automata with a dash of Mortal Shell and Blasphemous thrown in for good measure, the latter for its heavy religious tone and superb narrative. Back to the souls comparison: the interconnectivity is a huge plus. The music, although seemingly random and inconsistent, is truly great regardless. There is flexibility for unique builds, which admittedly, I don't often dabble in too much, but I find myself getting excited every time I find a new upgrade crysal. The graphics and filter for the game are creative as well and the combat is engaging as floaty as it is (think Elex). Another small gripe…

Genuinely awful.

Pros: great atmosphere, cool bosses, interesting designs, incomprehensible story. Cons: not good from a technical point of view: optimization sucks at times, and there are bugs. Forgivable, considering the game was made by 3 people. Can absolutely recommend to people who like to deep dive into some of the more obscure specimens of the souls-like genre.

An oppressive and bleak world that does not hold your hand and lets explore more than I thought it would. One of the best souls-like experiences I've played since DS1.

such a good game, pretty jank played it in the completely "wrong" order, threw myself at blademaster for hours as like the second boss. felt great when I beat it. love the atmosphere so much, cant wait for the DLC+co-op

BLAME! Souls. Has some jank to it but is overall a very good experience to play through. Many levels are a bit labyrinthian and you will probably get lost. But that's part of the point.