Forgive Me Father Review (Simpy)
It's ok.
tl;dr This game is fine when you start, but pretty boring after a while.
This game is okay. Occasionally janky, but it's fine. That's how I would describe my entire experience with this game. The enemies are ok. The bosses are fine. The weapons are alright. And the combat is there.
So yes, this game is okay. Too okay, in fact.
First couple of hours were fine, really. Standard stuff, nothing exceptional, and that was what I was expecting for early-game and was along for the ride. But that was only because I was also expecting the game to get more... exciting?
The formula is the same as other retro shooters. Go somewhere for objective, do some platforming, walk into arena, fight enemies, do objective, get out, get new objective, repeat. And that's not inherently a problem. What IS a problem to me is the fact that, nothing really happens other than that. Nothing that keeps you interested.
DUSK had amazing set pieces, devious traps and unique tongue-in-cheek tone.
CULTIC, among other things, had PHENOMENAL atmosphere/style, punchy and impactful weapons that feel good to use (especially the dynamite), and varied combat scenarios that you can take multiple approaches for.
ULTRAKILL... isn't really a retro shooter, it's more of a character action game like the Devil May Cry series, so the comparison doesn't really work..
In comparison, this game feels very... bland. Even boring in some parts.
Two major complaints, and one of them is that the combat feels very same-y. It's mostly just, walk into an open, flat arena, monster closet opens or they just spawn in, you kill them and you move on.
The other, the levels are pretty uninteresting. A lot of them, especially the open ones, progress in a very linear manner, and your surroundings aren't much to look at. Also, this is a fairly minor complaint, but the secrets aren't very rewarding. Maybe if it was, say, extra experience points for your skill tree, or powerful weapons that you normally get 2 levels later, it would've felt more rewarding.
The most excitement I've received from this game was the part where hundreds of villagers swarmed me from all directions. It felt dire, it felt intense. And when I opened the gate, thinking it's my way out, only to see even more of them waiting for me on the other side... I must say, I was pretty excited.
But before and after that, nothing of that degree really happened, as far as I remember. And as a result, after about 4 hours of gameplay, the game lost its grip on me. Which is a shame, because the game has unique style to it, and I've also bought the sequel in a bundle deal and now I'm not sure if I want to play the sequel. (That's only how I feel about it, I will check it out when it is released in full regardless.)
So to wrap it all up, this game is fine when you start, but pretty boring after a while. It's very standard and doesn't really do much to keep you invested. I wouldn't recommend it.