The Last Faith (PC) - Part 1

So, I move on to new job and what I do with the first wage from it? I buy Kumi Souls Games’ The Last Faith (2023). 

That’s some cryptic symbol with unknown meaning. Maybe I will find out about it as I play the game? I’m very excited to play full version of this game. I played the demo 2 months ago and I love it. So, what’s this game is all about? Imagine 2D Dark Souls-like game with Blasphemous art style. But the setting takes place in Victorian era. Also, less nudity and impalement. Without further ado, let’s hit “Start Game”! 

After selecting a save slot from maximum 3 (like in standard modern game), I have to choose between these 4 character classes with varied stats distribution: 1) Brawler is the usual warrior type that excels at heavy melee weapon. 2) Rogue is thief like character that excels at light melee weapon. 3) Stargazer is mage/spellcaster type. 4) Lastly, Marksman who’s clearly class adept at ranged weapon such as firearm. I’m not sure if there’s crossbow or bow in this game. If there’s any, this marksman guy probably can handle it well. Anyway, brawler seems my typical option. However, I like to be different in this case and choose Stargazer, instead.  

 

So, in this world there would be only corruption and deception. I like Deception game series, though. :)   

Then some persons (or things, maybe) claim to be deity that claim salvation and gather disciples. Those who defy the deity, are thrown to jail and forgotten. It seems the protagonist is one of the defier. This scene reminds me of Solid Snake naked in jail on Metal Gear Solid.

Anyway, there’s clatter sounds that probably someone open this defier’s cell. Later blood splash can be heard. Defier kill the one who open his cell, with his barehand and their blood splattered freshly on his naked body. That’s very ungrateful of you. Perhaps they freed you hoping to help them from unknow crisis but you just brutally murdered them.

Also, you steal their cloth, SMH. This is the very starting point of the game but I feel like there’s some significant time skip. He should be near his cell where the liberator can be seen drown in their own blood. Bless them.

The place called Temple of The Deposed Gods. So, the defier here is one of deposed Gods?  

I like that the tutorial follows my control adjustment much like Cuphead. My starter weapon is a whip and I like it because of long reach.  

As Stargazer, I have given this electric magic. It’s neat and such but that faces on lightning orb is quite frightening. Medic_sf13_magic_reac02.wav

Tutorial tells me to dodge but dodging enemy’s attack alone doesn’t yield victory. So, I ignore dodging and attack the zombie. Soldier_battlecry05.wav

So, the healing item in this game is Healing Injection. Quite sensible, I suppose. Do note that I can’t use the healing item in item menu. I have to equip it first in inventory slot, which is in the middle slot in left-bottom HUD. Cycle the use item by pressing either “3” or “4” button. Then press “L” button (not default) to use the item.  

There’s lots of locked cell door in this place. But it’s probably for the best to let that maniac alone in their agony on their cell.

Then a cutscene plays where this mysterious person hack zombies to pieces and shot his gun. Then they flee to the right side and close the gate.  

Fine, I will take care the lone surviving zombie...by throwing vase at it! Although this method will have stronger effect if my strength is higher than now because I’m a mage.

This is the main appeal of this game to me: the ability to throw background item by pressing action key (default: “E” key) near it. I discovered this back in demo. Usually, the main purpose of the background item is to drop Healing Injection or other use item when destroyed. For some reason on one occasion, my instinct tells me to press action key instead of destroying the background item. Maybe because it becomes highlighted when I stand near them.

I stumble upon a checkpoint altar, which refill my health and focus (magic bar). Also, as per usual in this kind of game, it will respawns enemies that I killed. I can also use this altar to move between checkpoint altar. But because this is the very first altar that I discovered, there’s no other altar that I can move into. In the center of altar, is a book that our protagonist will flip some page. Probably he’s recording his progress. What’s the altar’s part that do healing and respawning? Is it those blue lanterns? I mean sure the blue light is soothing to look at but I have my doubt that it will heal me to the fullest. 

 

If I hold left “shift” button and press attack button, I will perform a special attack. In this case, I jump backward while whipping forward then a hail of nail drop. Scout_sf13_influx_big02.wav

Using special attack consumes focus. You can use blue shard in your inventory to replenish it. Or you can use the blue stone in this statue that can replenish focus entirely. I think it will respawn as soon as you leave the screen.

There’s also charged attack which doesn’t consume focus but you need to be defenseless while charging your attack. Although the duration for you to hold the attack button in order to make the attack charged, is fairly fast. I notice that there’s critical number damage there. Blasphemous doesn’t have critical strike.     

Then our hero decides to ram through stained glasses. He like to pretend that he’s batman, apparently. Through this stunt, doesn’t make him out of the premise. He just drops on roof where he activates a lever that open the previously locked gate then he can out of this building safely. He’s not that crazy to just get out of building by jumping out of the roof.   

Then he witnesses the previous bloke that lock the gate being pulverized by this ominous giant with a boulder. Serves him right for locking me inside back then.

Thus, first boss battle ensues. Don’t let boss’ impression fools you. He may be brute armed with only boulder but there’s more than meets the eye. He can send wave of ground spike or fling some spikes with that boulder of him. He can jump around too, hoping to catch you off guard. Using healing injection to heal yourself, takes time much like the game of its ilk or Monster Hunter. But it’s fairly fast process. I think it’s slightly faster than process of using Estus Flask in Dark Soul 2. I’m no medical expert. But I don’t think using injection by jabbing it into the chest is the correct way to do it.

I’m out of healing injection but i defeat the first boss in the nick of time. Sniper_DominationHeavy02.wav

Defeating The Giant Patron gives me Stigma of Reprieve which is basically ability to parry enemy’s attack with very strict timing. Performing parry will cost some of power bar which is that small blue bar below Focus which also blue bar. The power bar should be in different color like green, yellow, or purple. Focus will regenerate upon successful attack.

The game kindly gives me this old veteran with axe as my test subject for my newly-acquired parry ability. He telegraphs his attack very clearly. As the parry mechanism. It’s like in any game. Upon successful parry, the enemy stunned and you can follow up with big attack. To perform the parry, I simply press “R” button (not default). I remember in demo to perform the parry I had to press something while holding left “shift” button. But in the full version, the procedure become simpler and easier. But I think the procedure remains the same like in demo if you use controller.

There’s road sign here and it’s pretty intuitive. Temple of The Deposed Gods, is where I come from. No point going back unless I have the key to unlock those cells. Passage door to City of Mythringal is locked. So, my only viable option is Oxnevylle’s Manor. 

At the near entrance of Oxnevylle’s Manor, there’s this lady who refer me as bearer of the curse from Dark Soul 2. Very funny. Turns out our protagonist, named Eryk can speak! He’s certainly better than mute protagonist in any Dark Souls-like 2D and 3D!

Lady Helenya here provides us with leveling up service for sum of Nycrux which is the soul currency of this game. From this leveling up screen, I learn some vital information regarding the stats. Vitality determines defense against physical attack and resistance against bleeding, besides increasing maximum health.  Strength (which is Brawler’s major stats) determines defense against frost attack and resistance against frozen. Dexterity (which is Rogue’s major stats) determines defense against fire attack and resistance against burning. Mind (which is Stargazer’s major stats) determines defense dark attack and resistance against nightmare. Plus increase maximum focus. Instinct (which is Marksman’s major stats) determines defense against electric attack and resistance against electrocuted. So, each stats is important regarding defense power and debuff resistance. As to increase attack power. It depends on the weapon. Some weapon/magic scales with particular stats. For example, this whip I got here scales with my mind stats. So, I have to increase mind stats for bigger damage output and also increase focus which leads to use special skill/magic more often.

As soon as he enters the manor, Eryk is stumbled for awhile and his palm hand grows some kind of blood mark. Spy_sf13_magic_reac03.wav

In the foyer, I meet Mark. Trivial name if you ask me. He gives me clue that I should meet Dr. Hermann, who knows what to do with my sickness.    

Engineer_mvm_loot_rare04.wav. Then Mark gives me the very first firearm in the game! And also Mark’s key. There’s checkpoint altar besides Mark. Technically I can use the fast travel feature now but there’s no reason to go back to that prison. Yet.

 

This room is empty. I just want to show you the visual effect of flying paper as I walk through papers on the floor or whip them. Neat touch.

I use the key on the door near the entrance of the manor and it leads to this room with creepy lady with baby stroller. There’s something very bad with hideous person with baby carriage. Let me think…

Contra Hardcorps

Ah, yes! Now I remember the secret fighting tournament in Contra Hardcorps where I’m pitted against giant monster carrying hideous mutant inside giant baby stroller. On top of that the carriage launches homing missiles periodically. Anyway the lady in black tells me that the baby is scattered around the places but I don’t think I want to help her gather the pieces of the baby. What if the baby is a monster that want to claw my face like in Contra Hardcorps?  

I return to the prison/temple, hoping that the Mark’s key can unlock any door around here. But alas! None of them is fitted to this key. I owe you the demonstration of the magic: Barsov electrocution. It’s pretty much like Sparks magic in ElderScroll V: Skyrim. It’s fairly-long range stream of electric. It seems magic can inflict critical damage! Demoman_sf13_influx_big05.wav

So, I continue my way to City of Mythringal. Then I encounter an old veteran with rifle! Luckily, it’s bolt-action rifle that require the user to load the bullet after shot. Also, he doesn’t know how to aim low so I’m safe from his shot if I just crouch like this.  

Demoman_mvm_loot_common02.wav. Not far from there I find this cryptic yet awesome looking axe! However, I’m still content with my whip because it reaches long distance and the power scales with mind stats. Whereas the axe is heavy thus need time to swing and it reaches very short distance. Moreover, its power scales with strength stats.

Look at that bloody ugly thing. It just flies up and down. Easy target!

Scout_paincrticialdeath03.wav. Turns out that hideous monster explodes when die. I got hit by the explosion and push me to spike pit nearby. To add insult to injury, I get bleeding debuff when I’m already dead. This explosive flying creature is not in demo so give me some slack, please.

“The Nycrux Has Consume You” said the game. No, game. I believe I’m just fallen to spike pit accidentally.      

 

Good thing that I can reclaim Nycrux that I just lost from dying by touching its remain there. In safe place. There’s no tutorial on what other penalty do I got from dying. So I just assume I only lose Nycrux that I had as penalty from dying but I can recover them pretty easily.

Then I encounter dogs infected with Nycrux. Normally, whipping dog is something that drew criticism in internet. But these dogs are beyond saving, mindless and evil. So, I have to kill them.  

I discover that there’s execution move! Eryk grab the old man’s rifle. Hitting his face with the stock and later blow his head with single shot! Medic_goodjob02.wav

There’s this button decorated with statues and the only way to activate it by whipping it. Sound quite strange but it works.

Finally, I’m in City of Mythringal. The west district of it to be fair. I believe this is the starting point in the demo. So, I’m pretty familiar with this area. There’s old man whose daughter have been taken by religious group. But he will feel better if I buy something from him. So what you got?

I don’t like to say this but your wares are not so appealing like in demo. He has: bullet (which that I don’t use), healing injection (that I have maximum stock of them), blue gem (that I rarely use even though I’m supposed to be spellcaster), fire paper that imbue my weapon with fire element (which I see not so useful because my Dexterity stats is not best), and lastly bomb with fire element. Back in demo, I often visit him to replenish my stock of healing injection. Maybe later I shall do the same.  

Speaking of fire bomb. This git throws ones. He’s the typical grunt soldier in Dark Soul 2 that either throw fire bomb or slash with his blade. He’s slow but keep your eyes peeled when spotting his kin from afar where they can and will throw bomb at you from safe distance. 

I remember this monument from the demo. But I don’t remember if I had the key item corresponds with this monument or not. Probably not because I don’t recall what this monument will do if I had the key item interact with it.

Then I barge into this room and this maid doesn’t like me doing so. But I politely offer her a seat, literally. Basically, all she does is connecting her meat cleaver with my torso but watch out for that blood goop that she generates. It damages you big time if you step on it.

I know I’m nitpicking here but what’s with baby stroller’s existence in this city? In dozens of rooms on this city, there’s always baby stroller. Then that suspicious creepy lady also has eerie baby stroller.   

Because this is modern game with horror-ish them, you can find cryptic notes in this game. It’s important for world building or whatnot but I barely care about it when I can throw chair or pot to enemies.

I encounter this lady with umbrella but this one is hostile! I like that her umbrella can spin like propeller at the end of her attack combo.

There’s stair on previous area that leads to this murky library inhabited by small men wearing full hood and knife. Quite creepy, in my opinion.

I also encounter this creepy quadrupedal monster akin to Licker in Resident Evil 2 or Mutated Soldier in Metal Slug 2. As you can guess, they move fast and vicious. Then there’s that block with human face that I can’t push away. Reminds me of Castlevania – Circle of The Moon in GBA.

However, the journey to this dark horrible place is worthy as I find new magic: Corrupted Star. Its power scale with mind stats. Fantastic!

I forget to tell you that firearm and magic spell are in left-hand equipment and I activate it by pressing “K” button (not default). Right-hand equipment is melee weapon while left-hand equipment is either firearm or magic spell. This separate hand equipment is very intuitive for combat akin to Castlevania – Order of Ecclesia or Bioshock 2.

I find this resting pedestal for the dead. It gives me vibe of Blasphemous. To be more precise, there’s similar thing in Blasphemous with corpse on it. Whereas this one is empty. Maybe I should find it somewhere in this city?

Then I’m stumbled into this place called “Federal Inquisition”. There’ lots of monster remain in background and I’m not sure why they die. I can only have access to 2 corridors of this place. One with malfunctioning lever and the other on is this. A platform on center, 2 mossy walls above, and this white door that I can’t get passed. So, this area is dead end for now. But I got magnetic bomb for my trouble. It’s throwing bomb with electric element. I don’t think I ever seen this kind of thing in Dark Soul 2.

Then I meet this mourning lady that almost identical to that umbrella-wearing enemy. I appreciate if the developer can make this particular NPC more different than the enemy. Anyway, she needs special flowers for her husband’s grave. Will I find it later? Find out in next part. Maybe.