Forgive Me Father 2 Review | Journey Into Madness (PC)

Forgive Me Father 2 is an exciting first-person shooter title created by Byte Barrel. As the second entry in the series, it holds itself as a competent shooter with great music and amazing artwork that’s exciting to review. There’s no doubt this is a labor of love created by developers who love 80s horror movies and music. Mixing Lovecraft and Doom, you get a truly competent horror game that’s got something for everyone. At such a small file size, the game has so much to offer from a rich story to unique powers and weaponry. It’s clear that most was used out of what was available for resources, and the result is a finely crafted horror shooter! 

With intense attention to artistry and ambient storytelling, you will have a title that challenges you to speed through the enemies. Alongside this trailblazing, you’ll need to pace yourself in order to find the many secrets that lay hidden in each level. Each one will grant you vital ammunition, health, armor, and shards that will further you along the game. No matter how you go about it, fast and wreckless or slow and methodical; everything brings you to the final judgment. Will you perish under the weight of your insanity, or wade through the sludge to clarity?

Forgive Me Father 2 is available on Steam now!

A Lovecraftian Story

When delving into the maddening world of Forgive Me Father 2, you’ll find the twisted nightmares of a suffering veteran. It’s clear at every level and every step that the protagonist is looking at a reflection of their own life, fighting against it. You’re pitted with the sanity that’s left and put against the machinations that can only come from post-traumatic stress. The enemy types range from ghoulish victims carrying around the remains of their comrades to eldritch abominations dressed in German uniforms. In every facet of this world, we find the paintbrush of the occult, of confusion, and of sickness. All throughout its terrible scenery, wonderfully crafted by cell-shaded artwork you’ll find homages to those who inspired the genre. From Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe to Al Capone and some other familiar faces their portraits ring a silent truth. 

As the protagonist, we venture through the madness created by our own twisted mind. The inner layers of a damaged memory try to repress the past, smothering every ounce of progress. In the beginning, we see the grief, the confusion, and the instance of anger that drives it. However, once the beginning levels are finished, we drive into the center focus of the story. Venturing through the war-torn trenches of World War One. Muddling through the gates of our own past, and banging on the walls of the subconscious. All the while, sadistic drugs, and minds ravage your thoughts, peeling away at what makes you whole. 

A Tortured Soul

Our protagonist is a survivor of the First World War, sent to an asylum as one of many patients following a grim piece of human history. Unfortunately, this mirrors much of the real world as Lobotomized patients, and those otherwise experimented on are a large part of the game. More yet, it showcases the distrust that grew between law enforcement and returning veterans at the time through the showcasing of detectives. This game shows many of the horrors a veteran returning from war may go through. Those victims are often forced to take experimental medications. The result is either a mental battle between the literal demons of war and your own sanity or an acted-out massacre through clouded lenses. 

The German Soldiers appear as the mascot enemy of Forgive Me Father 2 and are a tank-like opponent, being hard to kill!

The fog of war looms heavy on everything it touches, and Forgive Me Father 2 instills this fact perfectly. Still, though, it refuses to throw you into the idea that you are by any means powerless. In fact through the soundtrack, the multitude of weaponry, and the need to survive you showcase your ferocity. Like a soldier returning from war, you fight tooth and nail to maintain a shred of yourself and to banish the echoes of the past. And in doing so, as the protagonist we are freed from this eldritch horror, judged by the doctors and the demons alike. Somehow, through that judgment and all the horrors we face, we appear as something more, something stronger.

Twisted Hellscape

When looking at the world of Forgive Me Father 2, we’re looking at the mind of a damaged individual. Each ghoulish facet is painted by fear and confusion about things they remain ignorant of. Pairing this with the concept of asylums, warzones, and sprawling mansions it’s clear the horror comes from within us. To go to war is a manmade concept, and like that concept, it’s a manmade prison. You’ll have to writhe in the darkness if you want answers, guided by the dying light. To this end you have two choices: choke on the sludge of the past to find peace, or die in a blaze of glory.

High-octane gameplay

As a run-and-gun action horror title, Forgive Me Father 2 resembles the Wolfenstein and Doom titles of old. Mixing high-octane gunplay with simple enemy and level design. Achieve a nonstop blood-pumping adventure from level one to finish. This title separates its story into two parts, working through the traumas of returning home from a war, and those found in one. Both of these are accomplished through level design and weaponry that’s reminiscent of the World War I era. This means you get a lot of point-and-click shooting that feels great in the hands of anyone who enjoys classic first-person shooters. You won’t find sniper rifles or iron sights in the game, but you will find an arsenal including revolvers, handguns, shotguns, bazookas, and assault rifles.

The Trenches

Each weapon and power feels great as you increase your survivability and killing prowess. Unfortunately, like any classic shooter, your ammunition and health will carry over from the previous mission. As health drops are few and far between, you’ll have to be dedicated to finding things. Like Doom‘s hidden rooms, you’ll find secret caches scattered across each level. Because of this, if you know where to look you can always be on top of the enemy. In the later levels, weapons and power upgrades will be crucial as the difficulty scale shoots up!

Eldritch Weaponry

While destroying any number of unique monsters, you’ll have access to a multitude of weapon types. These can be upgraded through a collection of shards that act like a type of currency. Shards will be located in secret caches, and the more you collect, the more weapons will become available. Each weapon type including melee has an upgradeable version that works more effectively than the previous one. For instance, the shotgun can upgrade into a double barrel which deals significantly more damage per shot. Every weapon will appear slightly different from a real-life version, having nightmarish effects on them like goo, tendrils, or barnacles. They are worth investing in as the more upgraded firepower you have, the easier the end boss will be to deal with.

Gunplay

Talking about the weapons you’ll find in the game, the way they shoot feels absolutely crunchy. Your guns hold a real weight to them when they fire, just enough so the bullets deal realistic damage. While the enemies have a massive amount of damage on their own terms, you yourself are no slouch. Even a simple revolver can one-shot most enemies if it’s in the neck or head. That being considered, when you upgrade things like the basic pump action shotgun, you get more unique gunplay animations. For instance, the double-barrel shotgun can unload both barrels at once but only counts as one wasted ammunition.

You’ll come across multiple enemies while spending your time fighting in Forgive Me Father 2

This is a massive step up from some games with lengthy reload timers and janky aiming. Weapons fire accurately and for quite some distance, without any kind of drop. With bright and large projectiles, both your own and enemy guns are easy enough to avoid, but their speed is difficult. You have to learn the pacing not only of your own weapons but of enemy attacks in order to make the most of your eldritch adventure. Meanwhile, weapons like pistols and automatic rifles favor up-close and rapid-fire action. Truly granting the player a sense of openness on how they want to interact with each situation.

Maddening Power

Besides access to upgradeable weapons, you’ll also find a variety of powers available. These can be combined with three different perks to change the way you interact with battles. Killing enemies charges up these powers, especially headshots. Once activated you’ll have a short period of time where the color will fade, things slow down, and you gain more damage and focus. It’s recommended that you pick up the life steal power as it makes the game go by a whole lot quicker. Besides this, you’ll have access to abilities like faster reloading, damage reduction, and dealing more damage. 

Enemy A.I.

When it comes to the creatures you’ll find around Forgive Me Father 2, you’ll have a plethora to kill. Ranging from victims with body parts as weapons, to prisoners and detectives; all the way to eldritch German soldiers. That being said you won’t have a hard time killing these creatures as the combat A.I. isn’t all that good. I found myself getting the drop on these creatures more than once, really leading me to question why I was even killing them. Despite this lack of awareness, they deal an excruciating amount of damage with every shot which makes them dangerous. So despite their lack of sight and hearing, the monsters of this game can be tough to deal with in a horde.

The Ambient Shadows in Forgive Me Father 2 lend to the general uneasiness of the game’s atmosphere

Gripping Audio

Discussing the audio in Forgive Me Father 2 should be done on two different topics. The first is how well they managed to capture the distinct feel of a mental nightmare through suppressed gunfire unless it hits, and ambient noise. The second means to talk about the insane metal segments that fill the player with the need to rampage the monsters. Fitting perfectly together you never truly get a full sense of bleakness as the soundtrack carries you through. That being said, the main aspects of the game outside of the music are radio chatter, ambient gunshots, and monsters moaning and groaning. It sounds like a Doom-style shooter, with simple gunshot effects and violent death noises. 

The developers add in repulsive features like writhing tentacles and writhing masses which add to the fun. It’s a game that only takes up three gigabytes, which is forgiven since it’s paying homage to a classic. Having said that, there could be more of the intense metal music that plays during hard fights, since it adds to the aesthetic. Additionally, it adds a sense of ferocity to gameplay, keeping the player engaged and focused on the events at hand. 

Metal Music Galore

During intense combat, you’ll be greeted with various soundtracks that are all inspired by the eighties-death metal genre. These range from Metallica and Black Sabbath inspirations to Slayer and even some of the electronic at the time. This range of intense soundtracks helps the player build a level of ferocity through each part of the game that helps you along. Each track offers something new throughout the different levels from church bell-themed rock opera to intense guitar riffs. All the while the audio mixing between gunplay and music makes for a well-balanced and thrilling experience!

Lighting also plays a huge part in the scenery set by Forgive Me Father 2

One complaint I could have about the music is the fact that it cuts out from time to time. It feels like it really should continue playing even after a fight as sometimes it continues. Other times it will end abruptly leading the player to want more out of the metal music soundtrack. That being said, it’s a minor gripe in an otherwise great experience to want more out of the music!

Beautifully Nightmarish Graphics

A cell-shaded look sets Forgive Me Father 2 apart from other Doom shooters. From enemies to weaponry and scenery, everything is well crafted and colored. The dreary colors of the landscape are accompanied by foul greens and browns on the creatures you destroy. All the while the weapons and power-ups give you a sense of otherworldliness to otherwise familiar things. Nothing feels quite right in this hellish landscape, and that is largely by design. It works well, telling the story through the ambiance and through its many twists and turns. At its core, any fan of Lovecraftian horror should be able to understand the iconography and nod in approval. 

This iconography comes in the form of sigils, paintings, and perversions of the plane you walk on. It is the ever-twisting madness that seeps into the protagonist as he attempts to step through himself. And to that end, you as the player are able to find beautiful scenery among the malice. The bright colors and patchwork designs; the swirling architecture and jagged fences. They are all a reminder of the human psyche we find ourselves traversing through. As such, they make us question what it is we’re doing here within the trenches of a depraved mind, and how do we continue to fight forward?

-source: Alpha Beta Gamer

Amazing Lighting And Shadows

One of the best features of Forgive Me Father 2 is the use of lighting and shadows. Each level has plenty of shaded areas and very little lighting. As a result, you’ll find these lights to be dazzling since they not only illuminate your surroundings but also distract your enemies. It’s easy for something to hide in the glare of a torch just long enough to get the drop on you or to get into an advantageous position. Keeping this in mind, you have access to a powerful flashlight tool that will help with your lighting situation. While limited, it can be pulled via a chain an infinite amount of times. 

This shooter has harsh lighting, unlike some games where the light is toned down or dimmed to help the player. You get the impression that you may encounter something beyond the glow at every turn. It is both a path and a barrier to what comes next, and it’s absolutely amazing to see in practice!

Forgive Me Father 2 was reviewed on PC with a key provided by DeadGoodMedia!