Hello, and welcome back from spring break. “The Backlog” is still going strong and exploring the world of video games that are considered “works of art.” The last edition felt like forever ago, but now it’s time to conclude March with one of the most creative, terrifying and beautifully made games I’ve seen in a long time. Grab your crucifix and shotgun because we’re going to review “Faith: The Unholy Trinity.”
The survival horror game “Faith” was originally developed and released by Airdorf Games. The first chapter was released in October 2017, and the second in February 2019. In October 2022, the third chapter was released in a combined game titled “Faith: The Unholy Trinity” by New Blood Interactive.
What made “Faith” so unique among players and fellow creators was the retro style of gameplay and design. The game is reminiscent of old Atari titles with a low framerate and simplistic controls. It doesn’t contain hyper-detailed graphics like newer games, but “Faith” is the perfect example of how art is more than the medium.
Spoilers for “Faith: Chapter 1” beyond this point!
The first chapter of “Faith” starts off with a Catholic priest named John Ward, who returns to an abandoned home in Sterling, Connecticut to finish the failed exorcism of 17-year-old Amy Martin, which happened a year earlier.
Amy had killed her parents and Father Allred, John’s superior, during the failed exorcism. She was incarcerated at a psychiatric facility but escaped, which leads to the start of the game where John returns to finish what he started.
Immediately, it’s obvious to players that demons exist. As John approaches the Martin residence, he’s chased by a white figure with red eyes, crawling on all four limbs. Throughout the woods, there are objects to interact with, but raising John’s crucifix at them exorcises the demon and reveals papers with lore and explanations for what’s going on.
Even though the first chapter is short, there are many endings for players to find. I can’t go into detail about each of the five endings, but there is one where John survives and leaves the forest.
Players must choose not to kill Amy in the end and carry the one-bullet gun with them back to John’s car. There the white figure will attack, and John must shoot it, ensuring it’s injured and eventually gets hit by a truck. This ending, “When Faith Endures,” is the only one I believe leads to the next chapter.
There is a short prologue between the first and second chapters, explaining how after John drives away he crashes his car into a truck and is once again trapped in the woods with a dangerous cult. After various shenanigans and lore discoveries, John can either defeat a demon within a church basement, leave and be attacked by a cloaked woman, or burn a scarecrow and become a demon.
Spoilers for “Faith: Chapter 2” beyond this point!
The second chapter starts off with a different priest named Father Garcia. He is holding a teenager named Michael Davies captive in his basement and receives an order from a cardinal to release Michael back to his parents. Unfortunately, Michael is not cured, as he’s revealed to be the white figure from the first chapter. Father Garcia attempts to exorcise Michael, but he breaks free, eating a random neighbor and escaping.
After the intro, the player is once again in the shoes of John Ward, who is investigating strange activity in Gallup Cemetery in Connecticut. After being chased by demons including Amy, he finds a hidden cultist sanctuary in the sewers. John is once again attacked by the cloaked woman but meets Father Garcia.
The player must protect Father Garcia with the power of Christ while he recites the 91st Psalm. After winning, it’s revealed that the whole chapter was in John’s dream, but he gets a letter from Father Garcia asking for his help, leading to the third chapter.
Spoilers for “Faith: Chapter 3” beyond this point!
Chapter three is by far the longest one, so I’ll try to summarize it. John investigates a clinic that Amy volunteered at, where her possession started. Starting off in the clinic, John is knocked unconscious by a mangled humanoid creature. He traverses the area and escapes by working with a police officer, using his own cross and the officer’s gun.
The next day, John goes to New Haven to visit the apartment of his childhood friend, Lisa. She’s been possessed by the demon Alu, and he must exorcise her. There is a possibility that she could die, but if she doesn’t, she reveals that a man named Gary Miller is the cult leader. They plan to recreate what they did to Amy to her brothers, Nate and Jason Martin.
The final destination is a daycare center, where John investigates and finds children’s drawings showing the influences of Gary’s cult. After a hallucinogenic hangover, John awakens deeper in the building and eventually finds that Gary’s goal is to summon the Antichrist. John defeats Gary, shortly after which Father Garcia arrives with a shotgun and opens fire.
In each of the levels, there are three Unholy Trinity bosses to find: the Mother, the Daughter and the Unholy Spirit. If the player defeats all of them, the true endings become available, where John and Father Garcia defeat Gary and Gary’s mother. If all goes well, John is given the chance to fully exorcise Amy so she may rest in heaven, restoring his faith and finishing what he started.
“Faith” is one of the most unique experiences I’ve had in a while. The battles can be quite difficult, but the familiar sound of the text-to-speech voices and old-school sound effects match the environment of late 1980’s Connecticut. The game also uses rotoscoping for various cutscenes, bringing the 8-bit world into reality with real people performing the movements.
This technique adds another unsettling element to the games, yet leaves players horrified at what they’ve witnessed. There are many other aspects to “Faith” that have cemented it as a cult classic of video games, but there’s one thing to take away from it: Connecticut is full of demons and Father Garcia isn’t playing around.
Rating: 5/5