Forgive Me Father

This game is like if H. P. Lovecraft forced old DOOM and new DOOM to have unprotected sex while borderlands filmed the whole thing, and honestly I'm here for it.

Serious Sam meets Lovecraft. Lots and lots of strafing, running, gunning, and dodging all kinds of projectiles. Enemies are straight out of a Lovecraft novel, scary looking in all their 2D bitmap glory. Plenty of guns are to be had with lots upgrades to both the weapons themselves and enhanced skill sets to black/white magic capabilities.

Graphics:
3D with lots of 2D bitmaps splashed around for detail. Enemies are grotesque in all their bitmap glory. Very retro. Think Doom in the early 90's.

Sound/Music:
Scary. The tempo for the music increased when enemies are nearby. Sound from the enemies are also very unsettling.

Overall, I highly recommend the game to all FPS shooters out there, especially those looking for a retro experience.

Forgive me Father takes a lot from old 90s First Person Shooters, combining its elements with interesting graphical approach. As such:

Pros:
- Atmosphere,
- The 90s FPS feel,
-Variety of weapons,
- 2 playable characters, each has its own set of skills that are possible to upgrade,
- Variety of interesting enemies,
- Great levels.

Cons:
- If you did not get used to playing games like these, some thing could be tedious and the game can at moments seem unforgiving

Overall: 8.8/10

Alright, let's dive into "Forgive Me Father," a game that definitely left an impression, albeit a somewhat mixed one. It's a retro-inspired FPS with a strong Lovecraftian vibe, and while it nails certain aspects, it also stumbles in others. Here's a breakdown:
The Good, The Grotesque, and the Glorious (75%)
"Forgive Me Father" absolutely nails the aesthetic. The hand-drawn, comic book style visuals are striking and unique. It feels like you're stepping into a twisted graphic novel, and the Lovecraftian horrors are rendered with a delightful, unsettling charm.
Atmosphere and Art Style: The game's atmosphere is thick with dread and madness. The visual style is a perfect fit for the Lovecraftian setting, and the grotesque enemy designs are both disturbing and memorable. The color palette, the shading, it all works to create an unsettling, captivating world.
Weapon Variety and Combat: The arsenal is a blast to use. From the classic revolver to the more exotic, sanity-draining weapons, each gun feels powerful and impactful. The combat is fast-paced and visceral, with a satisfying crunch to each kill. The "madness" mechanic, where your abilities change as your sanity fluctuates, adds a unique and engaging layer to the gameplay.
Sound Design: The sound design is top-notch. The unsettling ambient noises, the guttural growls of the enemies, and the booming gunshots all contribute to the immersive and terrifying atmosphere.
Level Design: Some of the levels are really cleverly designed, with winding corridors, hidden passages, and environmental hazards that add to the challenge. The game knows how to build tension, and the exploration is often rewarded with hidden items or lore snippets.
Story and Lore: The story, while somewhat fragmented, is intriguing. The snippets of lore you uncover throughout the game paint a picture of a world teetering on the brink of madness, and the characters you encounter are suitably eccentric and unsettling.
The Shadows and Shortcomings (25%)
While "Forgive Me Father" does a lot right, it's not without its flaws. Certain aspects of the game feel undercooked or repetitive, and they detract from the overall experience.
Repetitive Enemy Encounters: While the enemy designs are great, the AI can be somewhat predictable, and the encounters can become repetitive after a while. You'll often find yourself facing the same groups of enemies in the same patterns, which can lessen the sense of dread.
Inconsistent Difficulty Spikes: The game can have some rather dramatic difficulty spikes. Some areas feel relatively easy, while others throw hordes of enemies at you, leading to frustrating deaths. The balancing feels a bit uneven at times.
Occasional Level Design Frustrations: While many levels are well-designed, some can feel confusing or cluttered. Finding key items or navigating certain areas can be frustrating, particularly when under pressure from enemies. Some areas feel like mazes, and not in a good way.
Lack of Polish: While the art style is a deliberate choice, some aspects of the game feel a bit rough around the edges. Minor graphical glitches, clunky animations, and occasional performance issues can detract from the immersion.
Story Pacing: The story, while interesting, can feel disjointed. The fragmented nature of the narrative can make it difficult to follow at times, and the pacing can be uneven.
Overall:
"Forgive Me Father" is a flawed gem. It's a game with a strong personality and a unique aesthetic, but it's also a game that suffers from some inconsistencies and rough edges. If you're a fan of retro FPS games and Lovecraftian horror, it's definitely worth checking out. Just be prepared for some frustrating moments and a bit of jank. The good parts are really good, but the bad parts can be very noticeable. It's a game that could have been a true classic with a bit more polish.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☑ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☑ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☑ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☑ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

Cthuhlu Doom with a Madness mechanic
Graphics
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
Gameplay
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
Audio
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
Audience
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma
PC Requirements
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
Difficulty
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
Grind
☐ Nothing to grind
☑ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
Story
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☑ Average
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
Game Time
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
Price
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
Bugs
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
Excellent Game

Great music, lovely art, fun, fast gameplay. All weapons, except knife, felt pretty useful throughout my playthrough - fun range of hitscan and projectiles. Some really nice touches showed the care that the devs put in, I thought the way enemy weak points vary was especially nice.

In terms of pacing the game wasn't perfect, it dragged on a little bit during the latter levels where a few chapters didn't feel like they introduced much meaningful and fun novelty, nor fresh feeling challenges. I would've been happy with a shorter mid/late section. Saying that, none of it felt bad, and I enjoyed the final chapter.