Review | The Last Faith

A short faith review

Another soulslike metroidvania hit the shelves on November 15, 2023, for PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. It's a gothic fusion of the classic side-scrolling adventure mixed with Bloodborne and showcased in pixel art.

I don't know the state in which the game was at launch, but playing the PS5 Pro version this week near the end of 2025 felt polished and without issues whatsoever. The only issue I had was with the last boss, where he didn't register me with some of his attacks (which worked super-duper for me), but the rest was a solid, stable experience.

Without further ado, we can dive in, and if you're a fan of the Blasphemous series, this one feels exactly like the first Blasphemous game—a bit sluggish, a bit challenging, with some gore and cool decapitations.

Here we go again—this time through a dark, souls-like metroidvania.

Story and the characters

When I talk about the story in metroidvania games, I don't often have much to say. This game is no different—I've already forgotten the name of the protagonist, the plot... It's all about the gameplay anyway, but if you want to experience a good story, you won't find it here.

A deadly plague transforms people into monsters, and you play as Eryk, waking from imprisonment with amnesia and a mysterious curse. You need to find the cause of the plague and a cure, all while navigating a dark world filled with grotesque creatures and religious fanatics. The world is a blend of Victorian Gothic horror and cosmic dread, similar to Bloodborne, with interconnected levels and factions.

If that is your thing, go for it. I love the mix of mentioned genres, so this was just another chill (not so chill) game where I soaked in the atmosphere and killed some enemies. And everyone else.

The game reminds me of Blasphemous—although with a different theme.

Game design, exploration

The thing I love the most is the level and map design in similar games. This one is no different, and it actually feels big and diverse enough. It's about 30 hours long, with many secrets to retrace after getting all abilities, and with a good fast-travel system, it doesn't feel bloated. Quests are okay; they can keep you occupied.

I love collecting and trying different weapons and builds, and this game offers some variety, and I think that was enough. It's cool having a gun for secondary attacks instead of spells, and the finishers on enemies are top-notch (very similar to Blasphemous).

I only wish double jump could be acquired sooner, as getting it late in the game felt a bit dragged out when using other abilities, considering that you're quite slow and tanky throughout the whole game.

Get used to big dragon-like boss fights. There are a couple of them, and they are a bit long, but overall, boss fights are cool.

Combat

Do you like slow, sluggish movement and combat? This feels in between fast Castlevania swordplay and slow, heavy builds in Souls games. While that is my thing, I've felt the combat is a bit slow for my taste, making in-between commands a bit unresponsive and changes of direction more frustrating than they should be.

Boss fights are good, but only the ones that are not big—like skeleton dragons and such. They often have way too much health, and it all comes down to memorizing patterns to survive long enough while trying to keep up with healing. I would prefer more human boss fights instead.

The overall combat is not bad, but I miss using other abilities like dash and double jump in combination with some combat variation. While that doesn't happen, you still have a good number of different weapons and magic to fill that gap. It's a good, fun experience, but not much more than that.

With a pinch of dodge and double jump, who's to stop you?

Side Content

Side content is just a bunch of quests from NPCs on the map that usually require some item, and that is it. I don't find it very amusing, although I love the rewards. As this is a soulslike game, it has some difficulty spikes, so getting as much as you can in terms of upgrades and levels is always a must to make your life easier.

Exploring is fun, but map navigation is not, really. I don't know why it is so slow to move the map or to move when you teleport—when you teleport, you only see a teleport point and can't move anywhere to see where that is. It feels a bit confusing at times, even more so when you enter some other parts that don't show on all map screens. It's not so bad, but the map needs to be top-notch in such games.

I salute showing NPC icons all the time, but I also miss pointing out where some doors are, especially if you've been there already and need to retrace (I always forget to mark it myself, which is something you can do).

The best side content part is chasing optional boss fights and the true ending; I was enjoying that the most.

I guess I'm just a sucker for the atmosphere and setting of The Last Faith.

Conclusion

The Last Faith delivers a solid soulslike metroidvania experience, carried by its oppressive atmosphere, satisfying exploration, and enjoyable combat (for the most part). While it doesn’t reinvent the genre or tell a memorable story, it succeeds at what it aims to do, on a level that can satisfy the lovers of the genre or simply the crowd that craves for a soulslike iteration. If you’re a fan of dark, gothic metroidvanias like Blasphemous, this is an easy recommendation, just don't expect miracles.