By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
1C Entertainment
Available as Early Access on Steam
Forgive Me Father is a retro style shooter now available for fans of this style of gameplay to test out. Its has the look of those 2nd generation Doom games with a huge H.P. Lovecraft style narrative mixed in. The chaos that ensues and survivability depends on the player “going mad.” The more insane you are, the less damage you take from the invading hordes of zombies, shoggoths and the like. In the early part of the game, it’s mostly the former.
This game begins with you in what appears to be a haunted house. You’re trying to escape. The little story elements that’s embedded throughout reveals you’re somewhere in New England, near Providence, Rhode Island and there’s a cult at work. In the finalized version of the game, there’ll be two character archetypes players can play, a Priest or Reporter. The mystery is in why nearly everyone turned into zombies. Anything truly Lovecraftian won’t show up until the later levels and more of the tale unravels itself.
What’s offered is a nice blend of EC Comics meets Doom. The 2D graphics feel odd in places, but it’s otherwise a cool feel for those lovers of genre zombie horror. This game doesn’t limit itself to the works of one author too. There’s a nice Easter egg I noticed considering a certain Stephen King book, and the next level does set you outside a hedge maze of sorts.
The important thing to know about this game is that you have to look for the ‘secrets’ in order to survive the onslaught. Besides the handgun that’s quickly obtained, there are first aid kits (to heal), ammo (of course), and armour (which is much needed). No game involving destroying mass amounts of enemies can be complete without those barrels of gunpowder–but I wish the range was a bit bigger. The save points are sparse and it remembers the health points, making resuming when recently attacked tough.
The gameplay is very smooth as there was no skipped frames. The developers worked hard so that it can perform well for even a basic gaming rig. What I couldn’t find are options to play this game in surround sound. With my rig hooked up to my ATMOS sound system, I heard little from the side and rear speakers. That may come in the final release, but for that immersive experience, this game is remarkable at giving you the ack as you explore the many mazes to which this game is mostly about. It’s the perfect game to play All Hallow’s Eve.
