An unpolished early access game that is somehow still fun
It’s true that video gamers are, by and large, some of the worst people on the planet. Needy, demanding, and entirely devoid of intelligence while thinking themselves smart. I myself am one of these horrible people, and embrace this fact fully.
FEAR OF FAITH is a one-to-four player co-op survival horror game, which enjoys mixing the cute and wholesome with the grotesque and monstrous. You can pet a cat, and then find a dismembered monster rushing towards you – simply because you opened a door.
I played FEAR OF FAITH totally solo, for roughly an hour and a half. I think all video games should be played for around two hours, to see if you fully like it or not. What I found was a buggy game that had a lot of charm. Of course it’s buggy! It’s an early access game that came out August 21st.
With the rise of “friendslop” games, I think it’s important to decide if a game has merit to play solo. Nobody is playing Lethal Company solo, but people play Deep Rock Galactic solo. FEAR OF FAITH leans more towards Deep Rock Galactic, in that a solo player can find enjoyment from it. So long as you don’t mind horror.
The core gameplay I experienced was entertaining. Skulking through the dark bunkers looking for corpses to draw essence from is certainly unique, if nothing else. The only bug I encountered in my hour and a half playing was getting stuck due to a poorly done jump.
Essentially, you’re dropped into either a bunker or city (I only played the bunker portion of the game), and you have to find “intact corpses” to draw essence from them. Each “day” you have a quota to fulfill. Similar to Helldivers 2, you need to use your directional keys to cast your “spells”. So, you find a body, cast the spell to draw the essence, and try to escape.
Of course if you find dismembered corpses you can try to draw the essence out, but it just turns them into monsters that try to kill you. In the tutorial you’re told to NOT do this, but I did it anyway cause I’m a rebel and don’t follow instructions. Perhaps this explains why I never completed a mission.
Combat feels heavy to me. It actually feels like you’re swinging a giant metal pipe, or throwing something. Some people will like that style, others will want more fluid combat. I prefer the heavier combat where you need to time swings. The game isn’t as advanced as that in this current build. While the swings are heavy, you can easily get behind creatures and bash them with your weapon. You don’t need to worry too much about stamina. You do get knocked down when struck, so it’s best to dance around the monsters to attack them – or just escape.
The game has four classes: Soldier, Medic, Priest, and Scout. I played both the Priest and Scout, and I found both enjoyable for different reasons. The Priest had spells associated with combating “fear”, which causes you to hallucinate. The Scout was the better of the two for solo play, because it gave you an ability to escape from monsters via a smoke censer spell.
The Priest seemed focused on fire-based equipment, which is nice because I love setting people on fire. You need to actually pour a flammable liquid on things to set them on fire. A dismembered body on the ground? Throw or pour liquid on it. Then you set it on fire. Same with the monsters chasing you. The game rewards you if you set up traps and lure monsters towards your “puddles of oil” on the ground. Aim your flare gun and fire.
I am sure a game that just announced “Patch 0.05.005” is not going to be fully complete. I know, I know. Already people are preparing to kill me because I shouldn’t give early access games a break. I usually agree, because these indie devs have gone out of control with overpriced garbage that is fun for maybe thirty minutes.
This game is currently sold at full price for $11.99 CAD. Pretty much the same price as actual shit served to you at Tim Hortons. (Coffee? $2.50. Donut? $2. BLT? $7) At least this game doesn’t give me diarrhea.
Now, like any proper person reviewing a game I was pretty BAD at this one. I didn’t manage to do my mission successfully once. I don’t think the game is necessarily hard, but my infirmity has caused me to step on far too many landmines. Whoops!
So, for $11.99 CAD (cheaper than a movie ticket as well), how many hours of enjoyment can you get out of this game AS IT CURRENTLY SITS? I’d say maybe two to three hours, tops. Of course you could return to it later and get more fun out of it, but for the sake of argument let’s say three hours.
It’s up to you if you think it’s worth it, but I thought it was. Maybe it’s because I like Jin-Roh (though, I think this game was more inspired by the Helghast of Killzone), but I also just like the style of the game.
I do not recall any music in the game currently, but the atmospheric sounds are good. You can hear footsteps in the distance, giant creatures dragging metal across concrete. It definitely adds to the experience, but I think they could benefit from more music. It doesn’t have to be something over the top and grand. Just a simple, moody soundtrack could improve the game. The best part of the game for me was the atmosphere. The casting of spells, discussions of Faith and Empire, and the grimy feel of it all. The entire world feels wrong, but for the right reasons.
If you’re interested in horror games built around meeting a quota, and don’t mind the Early Access edges, it might be worth a try. Just remember that you COULD have purchased a shitty BLT combo from Tim Hortons for the price.
Review:
⭐⭐⭐⬛⬛ – Core Gameplay
There are quests available on a board when you leave the arrival area, but it isn’t substantial enough. Getting in, sneaking around, and getting essence is fun. Killing bosses is fun. But a man can only do it for so long.
⭐⭐⬛⬛⬛ – Replayability
It’s hard to say this game is overly replayable. I think you can get a couple hours of fun out of it, then stop playing. Come back with bigger updates to see what the developer has in store.
⭐⭐⭐⬛⬛ – Atmosphere
The best part of the game as it stands. With good music, more ambient noises, and perhaps hallucinations that were more subtle this could go up to a four.
Overall Score: 5.3 / 10
By: Connor MacDonald
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