Following its release last year on PC, action RPG Bleak Faith: Forsaken is finally heading to consoles this summer. You can now add the mysterious dystopian adventure that blends crusade-punk futurism with an exploration-driven questline to your wishlist on Playstation, Xbox, and Steam.
Since the game’s original PC release, the studio behind it has continually listened to both the praise and criticism it has received - which has all driven the over 40 free updates released so far. Over time, these updates have overhauled combat, redesigned bosses, enhanced controller support, polished textures and generally tightened up the game’s world, resulting in a considerably greater experience in comparison to its state on release - both in terms of balance and gameplay.
Excitingly, all that is meant for newcomers too and not just the fans who have long supported the game. The game’s world, referred to as the Omnistructure, is a challenging one and progressing through its industrial labyrinths is most rewarding when tinkering with one’s own playstyles and builds. And while Archangel Studios hope the upcoming release is the best version of Bleak Faith: Forsaken that a team of three could pull off - they aim to continue listening to the feedback which will help shape what they do next and how they expand the universe of Bleak Faith, among other new projects.
Working with players is clearly of great importance to the squad behind the game, with each member of its three-person team actively encouraging people to get in touch with them over social media or Discord. Yet even if the trio is tight as is, they’re open to expanding their roster and their aims will stay the same - push boundaries and make games for gamers.
Which is what they always wanted to achieve with Bleak Faith, to offer an adventure that feels fresh and authentic despite the fact the action RPG genre is a crowded one. The game’s backdrop for exploration, an intricately weaved megalopolis, allows for an organic unravelling of a plot that is at times poetic and at others, introspective. Fuelled by the curiosity of its eerie tension and the emotion of its music, the core experience of the game is a merging of familiar elements but in an original way that the dev-team craved for, but never found in other titles.
The studio drew from different sources of inspiration including books, films and their own lives - but when it comes to the video-game line of thought, the classic survival horror Silent Hill, along with Shadow of the Colossus and Shinobido are cited as chief influences. Yet it’s clear their brainchild doesn’t riff off a specific formula, instead taking risks and the path of artistic innovation - as more players will discover this summer.
Bleak Faith: Forsaken will arrive on consoles on August 6, 2024. You can add it to your wishlist now on Playstation, Xbox, and Steam.
