It seems that retro first person shooters are all the rage since the epic return of DOOM back in 2016. I could not be happier for it. We are experiencing a renaissance for this throw-back genre from the biggest of studios to the smallest of independent developers, and Forgive Me Father by developer Byte Barrel is yet another amazing entry into the genre.
Taking a number of pointers from good old H.P. Lovecraft himself, Forgive Me Father casts you as one of two characters (a priest or a journalist), as you are thrown into the classic 1926 New England setting, forced to unravel a mystery of corruption, cultists, and craven officials. While it seems to be following in the footsteps of other similar games such as Call of Cthulu, do not let that fool you, this is actually a fast paced, gun slinging, explosion-filled, goretastic, and fantastically crafted shooter with heavy inspiration from the classic 90s lineup of DOOM, Wolfenstein, Duke Nukem 3D, and Blood to name but a few that it homages to. You have the demonic enemies of DOOM (as well the modern games’ rocking metal soundtrack), the early 20th century guns of Wolfenstein, the often-speaking protagonist like in Duke Nukem 3D, and the gore and atmosphere of Blood. It all comes together as a game that feels like it was crafted nearly 30 years ago with audio design up to modern standards.
The visual and audio design are incredible. The game looks like a comic or sketchbook come to life and is well suited to its setting. The double barrel shotgun in particular has one of the most perfectly acute sound effects in the genre, and one cannot help but feel joy when you fire it into a horde of ravenous zombies. Speaking of zombies, I have never played a game where you can blow the head clean off of a zombie, only for it to take the extra that it holds in its hand to replace its missing one. It is little visual design points like that that truly show how talented the developers are and how passionate they were about their game.
Gameplay wise, Forgive Me Father is one of the best new releases to play if you are looking for that post-DOOM Eternal itch. With two characters to choose from, each with their own unique skills and dialogue, fast paced gunplay with plentiful and unique upgrades that reward multiple playthroughs, multiple difficulty levels, and many secrets and lore bits to find, the game rewards having fun with multiple play throughs. Special mention goes to the level and previously mentioned enemy design. Forgive Me Father offers some of the most unique enemy and level designs in the genre, and I would find it hard to believe that any play could feel bored or that something in it was repetitive. One minute you are escaping an overrun hotel and the next you are hopping from rooftop to rooftop, and all the time, I had a smile on my face.
Forgive Me Father excels in all aspects, and I dare to say that it is a paragon of the first-person shooter genre. This is the game to play if you are looking for a throwback with modern touches, plentiful variety, bombastic gameplay and audio, and truly a caring developer’s touch, look no farther than Forgive Me Father.
Score:
Audio: 10/10
Visuals: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Story: 9/10
Overall: 9.5/10
Forgive Me Father is available via Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store and other digital stores for 19.99 USD / 19.99 EUR / 17.99. For more information, visit the official 1C Entertainment website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and/or Steam.
Related: FORGIVE ME FATHER Lovecraftian FPS Leaves Early Access
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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