The Last Faith, what we know of Bloodborne-style metroidvania from the Future Game Show
The Last Faith
After a successful Kickstarter campaign with over € 245,000 raised, Kumi Souls Games has kicked off the development of The Last Faith, a 2D side-scrolling action and platform game or, if you prefer a simpler term, a metroidvania with a touch of soulslike as it is fashionable in recent years.The wait is getting longer than expected, as the team had initially promised an release on PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox by September 2021 Nine months later, the game still hasn't been released, but according to a recent update to the Steam product page, its release is set for 2022.
Kumi Souls Games has also made The Last Faith reappear during Future Games Show on June 11, 2022 and this gives us the opportunity to refresh our memory on this game, waiting for more news that we hope will arrive soon.
Here's everything we know about The Last Faith.
History
Eric, left, the protagonist of The Last Faith The Last Faith takes us to Mythringal, the capital of a world where magic and science merge and where the law is dictated by an ancient religion. However, the city is now in collapse and its past glory is only a memory hidden behind the library fires, the dead of the civil war and a fatal plague that has corrupted the city to its foundations.In the midst of all this there is our protagonist, Eric, a man with no memory who finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy bigger than him. The most compelling problem, however, is another: the Freddi, unknown creatures remembered only by the readers and by the songs that only the bravest dare even whisper.
Eric talks to an NPC from The Last Faith There is also a hidden prophecy that appears in Eric's nightmares: the man is obsessed with it and this pushes him to explore the dark palaces and mysterious castles of the capital, in the which still reside nobles corrupted by power, scientists blinded by their knowledge and bloodthirsty mutants.
The atmosphere is therefore more than clear: disturbing and terrifying, based on the gore and dismemberments of the enemies who feed on human blood and their memories. We are talking about a mix between Castlevania and Bloodborne, if you like easy comparisons, for a 2D game that offers a very pleasant graphic style in pixel art full of details and effects, especially when Eric's many attacks come into play.
Gameplay
Eric can also attack with firearms in The Last Faith An intriguing game world, however, is not enough and the gameplay ideas must be equally interesting to convince the audience to wait for the arrival of The Last Faith.As mentioned, we are talking about a metroidvania, that is a work based on the exploration of a world structured in a non-linear way. We will have a "gigantic" map in the words of the developers and we will always be able to choose which direction to go. Each area will have new objects, secret areas to discover and even puzzles to solve: obviously there will be enemies to take down in order to advance. We will have access to various tools and skills to clear the way, such as wings to double jump with glide, the wall jump and a grappling hook to launch us towards specific holds and overcome insurmountable heights.
Moving on to the system of combat, we know that Eric will be able to use various weapons and we will have to choose according to our taste and the enemy of the moment which is the best. We will have both melee and ranged weapons on our side: the developer's presentation allowed us to see a sword, an ax, a scythe, a broadsword, a pike, a whip, but also pistols and rifles of various shapes. The latter are particularly useful as they have the ability to break the defenses of the enemies and stun them, so as to open their guard and attack them with the melee.
Eric can use elemental effects with his weapons in The Last Faith Attacking with your head down will never be a good idea, though, as any fight could be deadly. As such, The Last Faith offers various types of dodges that soulslike fans might recognize. There will be a step back, which allows you to then perform a special attack to return immediately to the attack. Then we find a "tactical dodge", or a small shot that allows you to pass through the enemy and go behind him to inflict more damage. Finally, there is the "evasive dodge", a roll that allows you to avoid many enemies in one shot. The Last Faith is a game based on movement and repositioning: you must continually make sure you are in the best attack position, without exposing yourself too much to encirclement.
To gain an advantage over enemies, Eric can also use a series of elemental effects to upgrade weapons. We will have fire, perfect against beasts, electricity, designed to overcome armor, ice that blocks enemies, dark flames and cursed blood. Each bonus will have its own uses and benefits, but it is not The Last Faith's only additional ability.
Exploration will include various traps in The Last Faith We will have spells on our side, also based on the elements. The most interesting part, as we could also see in the Future Game Show trailer, however, is linked to the attack range of these moves. We will be able to hurl flames in both horizontal directions to replicate a flank, strike from a distance with a giant ice fist, block an enemy with electric shocks and attack with columns of darkness to throw entire groups of enemies. But these are just a few examples of what we can do in the final game.
The Last Faith promise is to give the game many ways to fight that are not limited to the basic melee weapon combo. The ability to attack enemies with different types of elements and ranges of action also means that the clashes will often be different from each other, with opponents attacking us in multiple ways.
There is one last little note. Interesting: Eric will be able to interact with the game world, for example by using certain environmental objects as throwing weapons against enemies or by moving corpses. Considering that there will be puzzles to solve, we may often find ourselves where to understand how to interact with objects: this could break the rhythm of the more action sequences a bit and give The Last Faith more relaxed moments.
The Last Faith is a very interesting project, this is undeniable. A dark-cut metroidvania might seem like something we've already seen, but the work of Kumi Souls Games seems to want to offer an experience that is not only solid and classic, but also rich in elements, including weapons, combat moves and exploratory possibilities. Obviously everything will have to be verified at the time of the release, still mysterious, but for the moment we believe it is a project to keep an eye on.
