The Last Faith developed by Kumi Souls Games surprised me. I had seen a trailer or two about the game but had never looked into it deeper. However, the gothic art style and flashy combat intrigued me. Thankfully, The Last Faith has excelled at these aspects in spades. It delivers fun and challenging combat backed by jaw dropping art design. It also turns out that this game is souls-like, borrowing heavily from game design aspects of the genre. Although this may feel familiar to players who love the souls-like genre I think that it’s a great game in its own right. Here is my review for The Last Faith.
CASTLEVANIA HORROR
In the last faith you play as Eryk, a man cursed with an affliction that has put a timer on his life. To find a cure he must make his way through the treacherous city of Mythringal. The intro sequence itself really helps ease you into the world and had really great production value. The story itself I feel is very barebones. Eryk is a character that you get very minimal backstory for. Although you do learn more about him as the game goes on I never really felt connected to him. However, the voice acting from him and the rest of the supporting cast is fantastic.
The real star here is the world around Eryk. Mythringal and its surrounding areas are a beauty to behold. The art style is distinct and the atmosphere is thick and heavy. The gothic architecture and ghoulish creatures along with great sound design really immerses you in this world. The music here is also superb. The gameworld is one interconnected map that allows for exploration of old areas with new abilities. The map is absolutely massive and offers up a varied amount of locations that keep things fresh. Mythringal is a world that deserves to be seen just on its own. Thankfully it’s supported by excellent combat and gameplay.
THROUGH MONSTERS AND DEMONS
The combat in The Last Faith is snappy, satisfying and easy to get the hang of. When you start the game, you will choose from one of four classes. Brawler, Rouge, Stargazer, or Marksman. Each of these classes have distinct gameplay specialties that can vary up gameplay. I chose the Stargazer class who is proficient in magic and spellcasting.
Anyone familiar with the souls like genre will be used to the dance of attacking dodging and knowing when to parry. The parry mechanic is high risk high reward as the parry window is super small and could end in you taking damage. However, successfully pulling it off will reward you with small amounts of health and mana for magic.
One area where The Last Faith distinguishes itself from the genre is in the brutal takedown finishers it allows you to carry out. After you get an enemy to low enough health you will see a prompt to be able to enact these finishers. The animations are gory and flashy. Although I like the finisher mechanic I would have liked to see more animation variety as there seemed to be only one finisher per enemy type. The parry prompt is also finicky and requires you to be in a small window to enact it. It just felt inconsistent at times.
Boss battles are a main draw for any souls-like game and here they do not disappoint. Each boss is fun and engaging and as you learn their attack patterns you find satisfaction in dodging their attacks and taking them down. I found myself getting sucked into the game as I faced these bosses always saying to myself “one more time” if I died. The game offers up many bosses that will please players looking for a challenge.
The game’s fine-tuned combat and gameplay create an engaging experience throughout.
SOULS-LIKE HEAVEN
Overall I think that The Last Faith is a great game. Although, I found some frustrations in the combat finishers and thought that the games lack of video settings was odd considering this games production value. It may be familiar to fans of the genre but I think it is great for gamers wanting a genre fix between the big AAA games in the space.
The Last Faith is available now on Steam. Don’t miss Caitlyn’s review for the Fellow Travelers TV show and Steffan’s review for Fahrenheit 451. For everything else geeky stay right here on The Geekwave.
GAME SCORE: 8/10
