Bleak Faith: Forsaken review - An engaging soulslike with a unique world – GameSpew (2024)

Welcome to a world where sci-fi meets fantasy. Where you can be fighting against a robot one minute and an undead warrior the next. Needless to say, it’s an interesting mix, and it makes this indie soulslike, Bleak Faith: Forsaken, from Archangel Studios stand out. But even beyond its unique world there’s plenty here to like.

Released last year on PC, Bleak Faith: Forsaken has now made its way to consoles. And of course, a myriad of tweaks and bug fixes released since launch are included, meaning it’s likely to make a better impression on those jumping in for the first time. Saying that, however, your first hour or so with Bleak Faith: Forsaken is likely to be a little bit shaky.

Like most soulslikes, Bleak Faith: Forsaken doesn’t hold your hand. And so, when you’re unceremoniously dumped into its ominous world with no real direction, you can feel a but lost. If you push ahead from the outset you’ll soon reach a dead end, perhaps leaving you at a loss. But if you backtrack and search every nook and cranny, you’ll soon find alternative routes. From there, your journey truly begins.

In terms of structure, Bleak Faith: Forsaken doesn’t offer an open world. Rather, it has numerous large environments for players to work their way through. Despite that, however, the intricate nature of each area still means that it pays to be curious and investigate everywhere. Who knows what you may find; it might simply be a challenging enemy encounter, or perhaps a lootable corpse offering you a brand new set of armour.

Related: The Best Games Like Dark Souls on PS5

Alongside this rewarding exploration lies a solid combat system that soulslikes fans will have no trouble adjusting too, with players needing to manage their stamina to truly be effective in battle. Weapon-based skills add a little depth to encounters here as well, and there’s also a neat mechanic where, if you time your attacks just right, you can hit faster, do more damage and use less stamina. So, button bashers beware.

There are some other unique features and changes to the typical soulslike format that are refreshing here, too. Rather than gaining souls, for example, which you can then use to level up at resting points and buy items at vendors, there’s a traditional experience system at play instead. It means there’s one less thing to worry about when you die. And on the subject of resting points, here they take the form of weird floating bodies, and you have one you can place pretty much anywhere you wish and then move about.

When it comes to customisation, you can upgrade your equipment and then insert a number of craftable gems and stones to provide a wide range of benefits. With your armour you might choose to boost your maximum health, increase your stamina, or perhaps even boost your base weapon damage. And with your weapon, you could opt for some life leach, allowing you to heal as you attack. Add in a wide range of perks to acquire, and stats to distribute upon level up, and there’s plenty of scope here for you to come up with your own unique build.

It’s not all roses when it comes to Bleak Faith: Forsaken, however. There’s the occasional difficulty spike, for example, especially when facing off against bosses. And it has to be said that the combat just isn’t as tight as what you’d find in a FromSoftware title. Beyond that, there’s just a general rough-around-the-edges feel that permeates the experience.

Ultimately, Bleak Faith: Forsaken isn’t the best soulslike available, but it is a good one, and also one of the most unique. You’ll have never explored a world like the one presented here before, and there’s lots of fun to be had investigating its nooks and crannies. Throw in some solid combat along with plenty of rewarding character building, and you have a game that will keep you entertained for tens of hours for sure.

This review of Bleak Faith: Forsaken is based on the PS5 version, with a code provided by the game’s publisher. It’s available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.