Forgive Me Father 2 Preview

Forgive Me Father 2 is a fast-paced Lovecraftian FPS in a similar vein to the classic DOOM and Quake titles. While it primarily stands out due to its incredibly unique art style, the game shines in many other areas, too.

The combat and gunplay are very fast-paced, giving the player access to an ever-growing arsenal of weapons to tackle the maddening hordes. The level design feels most heavily influenced by the early DOOM titles, focusing on labyrinthian levels with keys strewn around the place along with secrets dotted around. While the earlier levels are much more linear than would be found in similar shooters, some of the later levels, such as the Villa, are incredibly reminiscent of the classic design formula. This isn't to say that the level design is unoriginal, though; even ignoring the incredibly unique and diverse locations, there are some very well-designed levels. All of the guns feel wonderful to use, and each feels like they serve a very specific purpose. Additionally, there are tokens which can be found throughout the levels, which serve as a currency to unlock variants for each weapon, such as the Double Barrel Shotgun, which focuses on pure damage over versatility, or the Pistol, a faster but lower damage alternative to the Revolver. This adds a nice level of choice to the game and is a clever way to introduce a wider arsenal without feeling bloated. The player also has access to Madness Skills: activatable abilities which alter certain parts of the character, such as giving temporary increases to damage and speed or even lifesteal.

The story feels very typical for a Lovecraftian setting, which isn't a negative. Events are slowly revealed to you through messages within the hub, starting off very simple and becoming more and more abstract as the game progresses. The story does feel like the most underdeveloped part of the game in its current state, yet it does the job it needs to. This is helped by the fantastic setting, which feels incredibly atmospheric from start to finish. The music and sound design are incredible, too, with a heavy rock soundtrack in many of the larger combat arenas, while much of the in-between has slower ambient tracks to build up tension. Weapons all sound very punchy and powerful, and the piles of viscera enemies crumble into add to this fantastic power fantasy. There were admittedly a couple of moments where the performance was a little spotty, with some quite dramatic stuttering, but aside from this, the game felt well polished, with no notable bugs or issues during my time through the game.

Forgive Me Father 2 is in a noticeably early state from a content front; I managed to finish the current content the game has to show in just over two hours; however, what I did play was incredible, and if that's any indicator for what's to come, will lead to a fantastic title.