Forgive Me Father Preview (PC)

Eldritch atmosphere mixes with classic FPS action

My priest clearly knows his way around a handgun, reliably hitting explosive barrels and headshots. But the eldritch horrors he’s facing are also pretty capable of springing surprises, like their double head protection. As a fallen enemy tries to nibble at my ankles, I switch weapons. Two shotgun blasts clear the opponents in front of me and a knife slash takes down the nibbler. There are plenty of other horrors to face in Forgive Me Father.

The experience is developed by Byte Barrel and published by 1C Entertainment. It is now in Early Access on Steam, with the plan being to deliver the full release before the end of the first half of 2022.

The simplest pitch for the game is a more playful Heretic with complex combat engagements and a constant need to push forward. Weapons don’t have reloads but the main character does have skills. Enemies fit the world perfectly and challenge both in terms of numbers and abilities. Strafing is required for success. There are color-coded keys that limit progress and wide-open arenas with a big difficulty spike.

This shooter is both fast and challenging, a good blend of constant action and tactical thinking. It also has a somewhat interesting story but doesn’t push it too much. I like the combat model and the developers seem to have plenty of ideas on how to keep encounters fun.

Forgive Me Father has a retro look but one that serves its gameplay well. Both the enemy design and the levels are striking, beautiful to have a massive fight in. It’s even better to see how well the developers are using the space to force particular fights and cool encounters. The soundtrack does a lot to keep up the tension and make combat engaging.

Conclusion