What you are about to do is not approved by the Vatican. FAITH by Airdorf Games launched on PC in 2022 and has finally come to Nintendo Switch. The closest I’ve ever got to 2D VHS horror is Five Night at Freddy’s so this was a whole new horror adventure for me. Before downloading the Switch release of FAITH, I hadn’t interacted with the game at all. For this review I am flying blind with only my own gameplay to guide me!
I need an old priest and a young priest… and maybe a guide.
Gameplay
Unfolding through the 1980s ‘Satanic Panic’, you are Father John Ward, a priest traumatised after a failed exorcism. You follow him through his slow descent into the occult and the supernatural world that surrounds you. FAITH consists of three chapters, each retelling a significant moment in Father Ward’s life. Armed with only your cross for safety, you must exorcise demons and uncover the true story of Father Ward and the nefarious creatures that are lurking in the shadows.
At the very basics, FAITH is a game about exploration and survival as you come across enemies. The aim of the game is to unlock the true backstory and save those that have been possessed by demons. The mechanics themselves are really simply with not much beyond moving and interacting. Even though the controls seem pretty simplistic, the game does leave you to fend for yourself. Where some games will give you tutorials and hold your hand for a little bit, FAITH immediately launches you in with the good old memory loss plot and waves you off into the dark forest.
This game isn’t your typical jump scare warning horror game. It’s not out to scare you in the way that a horror like Resident Evil does. The way FAITH approaches horror is through a tense unease that carries throughout each chapter. When first loading up I wasn’t sure how well this would translate with 8-bit graphics but Airdorf Games has knocked it out of the park.
Graphics & Audio
You would think for a game with 2d, 8-bit graphics, there wouldn’t be much to say. You’d be wrong! FAITH ‘s graphics and audio is a very key part in what makes this game so interesting.
Whilst gameplay is exclusively in 8-Bit, the game is broken up by animated sequences as you discover more of the horrific creatures waiting for John.
They only happen when you are meeting creatures that are key to each of the chapters. That being said, as the cutscenes are such low resolution, it makes things seem more horrific, really pushing the game into the horror genre. With the 8-bit approach, there’s no real way to make an image perfect which I think worked really well with the themes of the game. The lack of certain details made everything feel further from reality. Even when people were meant to look like normal humans, the limits caused by 8-bit graphics only escalated the feeling of something being off.
The audio also works perfectly alongside these graphics. In some cases, it is the main reason that it feels tense. There is a particular moment in chapter two where the audio, paired with the Switch handset vibrating, that made me super stressed even though there wasn’t much happening. The voice acting is also massively distorted. I believe this is to match with the dated aesthetics of the 2d graphics however it also adds to the idea of John being surrounded by horrible creatures that alter the world around you.
There are two screen sizes for this game – fit and square. I preferred the square setting but you can get rid of the background if you want to focus on the game.
Longevity
Each chapter of Faith has multiple endings that change depending on what your actions. I have spent a lot of time trying to get all endings on the first chapter and haven’t finished yet. If you like seeing every ending then you will be able to spend hours digging into the lore of FAITH. This isn’t the sort of game you finish once and give up on. There’s too many mysteries and unanswered questions that you need to find the answers to before you can fully say goodbye.
Once you complete chapters, you also unlock different modes that will change up the way you play. There is definitely more than enough in this game to justify its price point.
Final Thoughts
The thing that I appreciate the most about this game is the effort that’s put into making everything consistent. From the start menu to the end of the game you are forced into this supernatural world and the devs spared no efforts in making everything encapsulate the story. When you look at modern AAA games, you can almost guarantee that the menu will be just a list of options on a background image.
With FAITH you’re met with a Latin menu that shifts with you. It doesn’t make sense and had me confused at first but it ultimately just made everything feel more connected.
You can see the amount of love and care that went into crafting this game. Putting it on Nintendo Switch has just made it easier to play. I’ve got more demons to hunt and more story to uncover so this will definitely be taking up space on my Switch for the foreseeable future!
There was 0 hesitation from me when it came to the awarding FAITH the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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