Thank you to the developer and publisher of Black Faith Forespoken, Archangel Studios, for providing a beautiful dark world to explore, fight and enjoy.

My Steam Rating: Very Positive

A game that was mistakenly over-hyped and basically left for dead after a bad release and marketing Black Faith Forspoken(BFF) today is an absolutely fantastic adventure RPG that shreds an overused label and provides some fresh ideas to a genre that sorely needs them.

First BFF is labeled soul-like in the game description and here are the facts of why that is false

No Fog Doors for bosses
There is only ONE save location in each area
You do not drop anything on death, no items*, experience, nothing
There IS a level cap(25)
There is ZERO need to grind anything
You do not need to rest to replenish potions
Majority of combat is one on one
There is an actual jump button and you can climb
Does Not take 80+ hrs to complete
You can place a save point anywhere

*After defeating a boss an essence item will drop and you have to return it to the Handler before death. If you die on route, that particular essence item will drop back at the location you killed the boss.

Let's discuss performance as this was a problem on release. The game is built on Unreal Engine so there are a lot of settings to get the game running as I do have a mid to low tier PC(Specs at bottom of page). I ran a majority of settings on high and the only thing I ever noticed was drop in frames casting spells and in the area called Uranopolis. I did a test turning everything to medium and low and found it to run a little smoother but my original settings did not interfere with my gameplay. I also actually cranked the settings to ultra and found I got pretty close to the same performance(high) so it will be different for everyone.

The story takes place in a dark, dying, decaying society or is it? Even in its opening it leaves you with its last words, “Things are rarely as they seem.” After an opening cinematic where it shows your character being beaten and then saved you promptly show up on the rooftops where you take control. A few steps forward and you will come upon your guide, The Handler*. It(she) explains there are 4 malfunctioning terminals that need to be recalibrated in order to heal the world. It is a story of fragments and interpretation with notes to find and some excellent voiced acted NPCs who provide some haunting context. I think the game only required one ending after witnessing mine, but it does have three I guess for replayability.

*The Handler sometimes appears at the start of the game along the rooftops or after defeating the first boss in the next area. I restarted the game multiple times and played new game + and it seems random or it's a bug?

BFF is a normal 3rd person action RPG but has a few rogue-like tricks up its sleeve. First there are no classes and you start the game with a weapon and shield but you will be able to arm and equip your character however you like as you progress.There are the normal 4 stats of strength,agility,intelligence and constitution that you will be placing your points into as you level up(max 25). To complete the game you only need to defeat the 5 or 6 major bosses(depending on choice) which is possible if you know the correct path. There are only 2 optional bosses BUT they provide more upgrades for your gear and additional perks that provide huge bonuses. While that sounds like any game(kill everything) it comes with a negative. That negative being each additional boss you kill provides the major bosses with increased defensive stats. These stats include sharp, blunt and magic and you can see this % info above their health bars which helps you to adapt and respec if needed.

The game also says it has a combo system which if timed correctly you gain 20% damage with 50% less stamina usage. There is only a written tutorial and I could never tell if it worked but there is also a perk called combo brutality which increases the combo meter to 25. I feel that on successful parrys and then attacks it feels like a combo but I just don't know.

You can equip two sets of weapons and equip 4 potions w/4 uses(max). One potion you have equipped of course will be health while the others could be for defense, offense or refilling flux(attributes) which all will be helpful during boss fights. While traversing an area after each combat encounter your potions will automatically refill to your current max carry. There is also a crafting system but it is very common enemies will drop potions so I rarely used this feature.

During my 3 playthroughs I tried almost all builds and my favorite was dual weapons with a perk that summoned a doppelganger and attributes that provided a slam into the ground for stuns and a whirlwind to leech health/flux. Everything is here from sword and shield, bow, large two handed weapons and of course magic and it all feels good. The weapons and gear all look awesome and each come with 5 slots to unlock to add crystals for offensive or defensive stat bonuses. After killing a boss you will also be given a point to pick from 18 perks(equip 4 max) which are passives for your character and each perk also has multiple options to increase their value. Also there are 8 abilities(skills) where you can equip 2 which also adds to your build. I really like both these options as it adds another layer to your character and would love to see them both expanded with more choices in the future.

As for enemies, the Handler explains at the start radiation has affected the local population into threats. These threats come in a lot of shapes, forms and sizes but for the majority they are pretty common to the genre and very manageable. Most fights outside a particular area will be one on one and they are really never a concern outside a few outliers who can cause some problems. The only issue is the largest enemies move erratically but they are very easy to extinguish.The boss fights are all pretty good across the game and a highlight with a lot of variety and challenge. Trust me beating them will provide that excitement and sense of relief when you strike that final blow.

One of the best things I loved about the game is the incredible art direction, atmosphere and exploration. Every step in the game is beautiful from the opening location of the Monastery which sets the tone of a dark, dying super metropolis of skyscrapers that reach the heavens with the rust of the staircases that run along those buildings. Your journey will run through sewers, a pouring rain district, a dry dark desert and others but all will share that opening level's distinct look of decay, rust and collapse.

Black Faith Forspoken is an incredible achievement from 4 developers who have a unique vision and provided a fun game to experience. It has some issues from unpredictable performance and few bugs but it still has a lot of new QoL ideas for the genre while still providing some challenging gameplay. It also provides a lot of replayability whether to see other endings, explore every corner or to complete a difficult achievement list, it is a game that has something here for everyone.

System
Amd Ryzen 5 3600
MSI 6700xt
16GB ram
3440x1440
According to MSI Adrenaline- 56hrs/ 80FPS avg playing at high settings


Positives

Beautiful world, art direction and exploration
Not a souls like game
Place a respawn point anywhere
Fun action, challenging bosses
Difficult achievement list-helps replayability
Perks and attributes adds to character build
Easy to understand, great tutorial information
Can complete in less than 20 hrs- refreshing

Negatives

Performance will be different for everyone
Multiple endings
New Game + only provides higher level crystals
Mage and Archer have limited weapon/skill choices
Large enemies are erratic and easy
Weapons are familiar for the genre
Combo system confusing