Bleak Faith | PS5 Review

PERP's and Archangel Studio's "Bleak Faith: Forsaken" has all the hallmarks of a soulsborne action adventure. It features all the standard issue soulsborne content while doing it's own unique thing with the given mechanics. In it you play as a Forsaken individual in a sci-fi dystopian hellscape found within a mysterious Omnistructure that is guarded by larger than life bosses, and lesser menacing creatures. A maze-like infrastructure suspended above a misty abyss that is decorated with the remains of seemingly lost civilizations.

As the Forsaken protagonist, humanity's last bastion of hope, you must wield and utilize class based armor sets and weapons that alter the way combat is handled. You can dual wield a weapon and a shield, or go with a two-hand weapon as well as switch to a bow and arrow to do ranged damage. The weapons each being host to special attacks, heavy attacks, basic attacks, and charged attacks. You can also equip two rings, an amulet, and a cape for added bonus attributes. This along with potion based jars and concoctions will act as your health refills, and character buffs. Leaving the gathered souls to pad your four base stats including that of strength, agility, wisdom, and constitution.

In addition to these inventory basics the lone protagonist has the ability to craft potions and arrows from the touchpad menu using gathered materials as well as equip orbs or essences onto weapons and armor for bonus effects. Think Final Fantasy VII's Materia system. These bonus effects include elemental properties as well as buffs to various aspects of combat performance, and the flux energy source that allows for spells and enhanced weapon attacks. 

Alongside all of that exists two medallion dependent upgrade systems. The perk system, which is one of them, is a sort of skill tree that enhances gameplay features with things like companions, dual weapon wielding, and various other unique complimentary combat options. The abilities also aid in a similar fashion, but allow for things like the ability to breathe fire, or dash unhindered among other things. There's plenty to unlock, and it all contributes to altering how you play the game, and approach enemies.

Through committed gameplay you'll soon discover that open world exploration is the key to progress in Bleak Faith. That and combat. This entails opening up the world by extending ladders, pulling levers, and raising gateways for access to the winding, and interconnected ruins of the dilapidated Omnistructure. Facing the enemy threat as you do so goes without saying. Standing in your way you'll find scattered mobs of mechanized, and gauntly humanoids as well as grotesque creatures and larger than life bosses. Each with their own attack patterns. Dealing the deathblow will harvest you their soul energy, and that soul energy can then later be spent on base stat upgrades that will aide in your overall performance.

In the way of combat you'll additionally find that it is centered mostly around a limited health and stamina bar. That and a flux energy source. Depending on what armor set or weapons you are wielding gameplay will either be easier or more challenging. It will determine your resistance to damage, and your ability to evade among other things. Evasion, in it's own way, comes in three forms that includes running, jumping, side stepping, and rolling. This alongside the ability for some weapons and shields to block and parry will help you to negate damage preserving your limited life while simultaneously sparing you your stock of potions. 

Making your way from start to finish will net you many hidden items, and equipment pieces that will help you as you delve further into the outside, and ruinous interior of the Omnistructure. Sometimes this requires simply picking up the items from the ground, and other times it requires looting a corpse or picking up what was dropped by an enemy.

Should you fall in combat you will be taken back to the last spectral body that you rested at. These spectral bodies double as fast travel options between the lower and upper portions of the map, and as of this review I am unaware of any need to reclaim your soul bounty from your dead corpse, but your corpse will appear on the ground when you return to the area you died at if you have it set to remain for 5 minutes or more in the game's main settings. There's also no need to visit these campfire replacements to upgrade base stats. This can be done via the touchpad menu.

The touchpad menu, itself, is filled with ease of access features that will allow for quick equipment switching, item placement within the quick access menu, and the switching of weapons on the fly. Everything coming at you with a detailed stat inclusive description that leaves nothing to the imagination. It is also in this main menu hub that you'll be able to see the full list of your stats, and adjust your equipment accordingly as some equipment pieces come with higher damage or better defenses.

Weapons and armor, as they are, can be leveled with attribute enhancements unlocked per tier. This includes everything from bonus damage to extra HP, and even more flux energy. There's also slots that can be unlocked to equip the orbs/essences. Ultimately making the weapons more powerful, and your attributes more beefy. Sometimes even changing the weapon's intended play style completely.

In the way of armor or equipment there's a period mix in which everything from a German style gas mask wearing soldier's outfit to a medieval knights armor are made available. These armor pieces are interchangeable with any weapons. You can even mix and match the armor to your heart's desire or stay true to the sets. It should be noted that each armor piece has a bladed, blunted, and critical attack rating that is numerical in value. These add to your overall base stats alongside any enhancements that have been added.

The Presentation ...

Being the fairly priced soulsborne it is 'Bleak Faith' is up to par with the new-gen console experiences. That being said some animations are a bit loose and janky. This jank extends to a sometimes unresponsive action upon the pressing of the required button. You'll also encounter screen stuttering, and latency that somewhat hinders the fluidity of gameplay on occasion. 

When it comes to the environmental set pieces it lives up to it's namesake. It is a bleak and barren landscape covered in ashen ruins. Only the occasional red light or fire illuminates the darkened scene. The soundtrack that highlights this macabre mountainous region serves to compliment the dystopian nightmare within, and has a sort of varied cultural sound to it that changes via region and encounter. Perfectly encapsulating the Omnistructure's backstory that happens to compel the main character onward as he sojourns through it all.

The Verdict ...

For a mid-range priced soulsborne 'Bleak Faith' is not a bad game, and has it's own take on the genre formula. I think the developers did alright with the design, and that they definitely streamlined the item/equipment management allowing the player to focus more on exploration and combat. Despite the jank the game does hold it's own, and delivers an experience that isn't quite as long or drawn out as a game like Elden Ring. It is also light on the lore by comparison with only the occasional entry item detailing characters, and backstory snippits. Making this game for the gamer who doesn't want a heavy handed soulsborne experience.

CONTENT WARNING: A darkly religious overtone with somewhat demonic imagery.