Bad Faith

thank u nils for everything u did

This game is not really a game but rather a story. There are no choices, no ways to fail or succeed. If you want to make an impact on the story, look elsewhere. If you want to buckle up and be in for a ride, continue on. Idk how to really describe it without giving too much away but I had a hard time looking away from this. I ended up finishing it in one sitting. I find the story very interesting, personally. It did not feel like it was trying to teach me anything but rather I was just watching a real story go down. Real fear, real insecurities, real power dynamics. Really, the only bad thing I could say about this is that I want more. More context on the entire world, more context on how their community works, more context on how it got to be like this.

idk if i recommend this or not. it reminded me of that one andrew joseph white book, but both better and worse. i'm jewish, so the christian imagery does nothing for me,and i don't have religious trauma. wanted more rage and agency, for lilia to grow and change and stand up for herself. i LOVE mal- & protoviolence, & am SO stoked for interviolence, so i wasn't expecting to be disappointed, esp by the ending. go play the violence series <3 edit: another review said smth about the haven & cancel culture so changing my rating to a + because that makes a lot of sense w/magda's writing

The demo pulled me in, but I kind of regret making this purchase. The plot was good, but the ending just seemed so typical. The backstory behind HOW the cult was formed or WHY wasn't even discussed. Lady Amaris was shown as a younger version of herself in the past when they captured Nils. Then.. just nothing. No flashbacks from the past. The silhouette of the NPCs are just copy and pasted. The "gorey" description in the text doesn't match the illustration. Eve being shredded wasn't even shown or drawn. So I couldn't really feel any sense of dread or terror. I could be nitpicking, but that's what I think.

Bad Faith is an incredible hidden gem that deserves way more love and attention. Bad Faith is a short form psychological horror visual novel. It's a lot more disturbing than I thought it would be. I would call it one of the more disturbing visual novels that I've read. It is brutal and gory; Bad Faith never really holds back like some other visual novels I've read. But I also didn't feel like it was gory for the sake of it. The art was very nice, the pacing was good, and I appreciated the accessibility options. I also loved the photographed backgrounds, it's really nice whenever visual novels utilize these. Ultimately, Bad Faith is a story about how people are made into "monsters." How kind and well meaning people can be twisted into something unrecognizable due to the abuse they take from society. The Haven in Bad Faith is a perfect "utopia" in the eyes of its citizens. And all it needs is a couple of scapegoats to take the brunt of the abuse and the harm in order to keep the society functioning. From the perspective of those who live in the Haven, this sacrifice is worth it. But we do not view this story from the perspective of the community members; we view it from the perspective of the "scapegoats." And that is ultimately where the true horror of the story lies.

[h3]This game effectively addresses the question of whether publicly releasing an A03-wrapped is a good or even safe idea.[/h3] The story delves into themes of isolated societies, curated societal narratives, and queer horror. I was captivated by the tense atmosphere and the intense portrayal of the main character's relentless inner voice. However, by the final act, the violence becomes so extreme that much of the game relies on narration to convey what is happening, rather than on visuals. This sudden tone shift left me feeling a bit lost and extremely uneasy about the unfolding events, as the scenes became increasingly vague. While the story does reach a satisfying conclusion, and I enjoyed the overall experience, I preferred the first half of the narrative more.

Good story, but I can't believe that a simple visual novel has so many bugs!