Bleak Faith: Forsaken

Bleak Faith: Forsaken is an brutal open world action RPG with horror elements. Its TPP gameplay is strongly inspired by soulslike games, while the game's atmosphere resembles a combintion of cyberpunk and dark fantasy. The game was created by two independent developers - Miso Vukcevic and Mirko Stanic. It was originally released on the PC.

Plot

The playable character's story begins in one of the last outposts of the Forsaken, a legion of hunters protecting the remnants of humanity. No one knows the true nature of their struggles and journey through the vast, dark world. Left to his own devices, the protagonist must quickly adapt to the conditions around him and set out into the unknown, to confront the monsters dwelling in the Omnistructure. Exploring the world, he slowly starts to understand the true meaning of alienation, isolation and fear.

Mechanics

Bleak Faith features an advanced character class system. Among the available classes we'll find such options as the Vanguard and the Jaeger - each class has different abilities and playstyle (some are better in melee combat, others prefer archery). Combat is one of the game's key components, being fierce and challenging. The system is quite complex, with each enemy posing a significant threat. The player can choose how to face off against enemies - they can either ambush them or face them head-on. They can also choose between traditional art of battle or the art of Technomancy. If a battle proves too difficult, there's nothing's stopping the player from running away either. All these choices are influenced by the protagonist's class and skills.

The game features at least thirty hours' worth of content, focusing primarily on exploring the vast world and fighting diverse enemies. The world of Bleak Faith is rather maze-like, each area home to unique content and challenges. Though the game itself is open-world, there are also some more linear parts (mainly during main quests) which provide the player with a set goal. Thanks to procedural AI each new playthrough is different from the previous one.

There are also several shelters the player can recover at. They're usually bases, in which players can rest after a long journey and prepare for the battles ahead. Bases vary in their complexity, and though they're generally safer than the rest of the world, one should still stay vigilant inside them. Some areas can also be upgraded to make their more appealing visuallt and more useful to the player.

The game's atmosphere of confusion is intensified by the faction system. The inhabitants of Omnistructure battle not only against the playable character but also against each other, trying to expand their influence while adapting to new areas - the food chain created in one playthrough may be completely altered in the next one (as an example, a predatory species fought in one playthrough may be completely absent in future playthroughs). This means not only the player must constantly race against time, but so do their enemies. The player must constantly keep becoming stronger and hunt other creatures to stay at the top of the food chain.

Technical aspects

The game's 3D visuals are appealing, making use of a toned down, cold color palette. The game brings to mind FromSoftware's productions, as well as the games set in the Warhammmer 40,000 universe. The audio layer was created by Cal Freundlich, who's the game's main composer, and Rade Vukcevic.

Other information

An artbook by Mišo Vukcevic is available for purchase, featuring pictures from the game's development and from its original form of a graphic novel. The book also details motivations, inspirations and other topics that may prove useful not only to players, but to all interested parties.