Bleak Faith: Forsaken

One of my top Souls-likeS. It took some getting used to, but once I committed to a solid technomancer build, things fell into place. If I'm out of mana, I beat their heads in with my staff to get more. Problem solved. I keep a shield in the other slot so I can handle crowds and stagger aggressive enemies. I'm worried after beating the game in 37 hours, I don't know what Corruption is yet, but I suppose that's what other runs will be for. After dying maybe eighty times, I figured I'd lose my character, so maybe it's a special boss I missed. I hope things at Archangel Studios is going well. I'm looking forward to whatever the three developers decide to do next.

incredibly impressive for a small indie team. Yes there is some jank, and I am sure they will work on future updates, so I can ignore the things that aren't perfect. No game breaking bugs for me at least. Few games are as visually stunning as this one though.

A little jank but a good smaller souls like.

Un grand oui pour ma part. La première qualité du jeu est son level design et son décor architectural monumental : on a une vue à couper le souffle à de nombreux moments du jeu. Attention toutefois, on peut avoir tendance à se perdre, sauf si on a un bon sens de l'orientation (ce qui malheureusement n'est pas mon cas). Ma réserve concernerait le combat : même s'il y a un large choix d'armes et de compétences, il manque un petit quelque chose pour qu'il soit plus fluide et plus agréable. En tout cas j'en suis encore au début du jeu (même si j'ai déjà 7 heures) et je vais continuer mon exploration !

this is the first ever souls game i've ever bothered to finish solely because of aesthetic and slightly forgiving combat. you guys ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ rock, thank you.

Great!

TLDR: A great exploration game with some souls-lite mechanics. A little janky around the edges, but not enough to be a major problem. 9/10 Longer version: I had this game on my radar for a long time, but I have to say I was expecting a more medieval setting. I don't know why. When I finally got it and started playing, I was a little put off by how janky the movement felt. It was like controlling a tank attached to a bunch of balloons. But it only took a few hours for the game to hook me with its amazing sense of exploration. So, let's break it down. Combat: As I said, it's a little janky. You have dodging, parrying, light and heavy attacks, ranged weapons, and magic, as you would expect from a souls-like. But the combat has a flow that makes it enjoyable. A big part of this comes from the special attacks your weapons gain once you upgrade them or find upgraded versions. Customization: The game has four main attributes and a lot of equipment, weapons, and rings. The weapons grant special active abilities, and some pieces of equipment also provide passive abilities that help shape your playstyle. The best part is the stones you can attach to your gear, which add even more passive bonuses, further defining your build. There's also a perk system that completes your build, but to unlock it you'll need to defeat bosses. Boss Battles: The game has a good variety of bosses, but the great thing is that only four of them are mandatory. Every other boss is optional, which works really well with the exploration. Sure, some bosses are very simple while others rely on gimmicks, but a few of them provide excellent fights that require you to learn their attack patterns in order to win. Exploration: This is the game's greatest strength. You can reach every area in the game (except the final one) without needing to defeat a boss. The world is full of interconnected areas, and you'll constantly find great stones to upgrade your equipment and weapons. It has that addictive sense of exploration that makes you want to check every corner. Sometimes it can be disappointing to discover a hidden place and find nothing there, but that's a small price to pay for such an enjoyable world to explore. Conclusion: It's an amazing souls-lite because you don't lose your progress when you die, and you can level up as soon as you have enough experience without needing to return to a "bonfire." I ended up liking this game much more than I expected. 9/10