Forsake Review: A Fine Line Between Fear and Joy

Forsake is an exciting new entry from Unseen Interactive that focuses on exploring abandoned places to find Entities that reside within its walls. This Forsake review will delve further into its aspects, including the gameplay and the ghosts.

Forsake sets itself apart from other titles in the ghost-hunting genre like Phasmophobia and Devour by introducing several unique elements, while still providing a sense of familiarity for seasoned players in the genre. But don’t worry, as Forsake is also friendly many to players who never play the ghost-hunting genre before.

Forsake is available on Steam for $9.99.

Story: Simple Plot Devices

Initially, I expect the game to have no story at all, and we’re simply doing these explorations without any backstory or context. However, Forsake manages to surprise me here, as each location and ghost have its storyline and why they are in their current state.

For example, the developers set the Psychiatric Hospital stage’s lore as an abandoned building that awaits a reopening soon. However, when a rat exterminator works there, he found something wandering about the hospital’s walls, and soon after, the hospital never sees the light of day again.

Meanwhile, the Entities can have different backstories depending on their location. For example, the Clown is a horrible person that revels in harming kids if he’s in the Psychiatric Hospital.

The varying stories within Forsake are a pleasant surprise since I expected it to be one of the weaker elements of the game.

Psychiatric Hospital’s Lore.

Gameplay: A Fun yet Terrifying Ride

Gameplay-wise, Forsake manages to capture that terrifying feeling while keeping its elements fun. The Entities, our targets, are one of the best aspects of this game. 

The Entities are creatures that wander around a specific place, ranging from a Psychiatric Hospital to a Slum. We, as ghost hunters, must find these Entities to free the places from their presence. Currently, there are seven Entities that we might encounter: Reaper, Crazy Doctor, Burned Woman, Clown, Brutal Butcher, Twin Dolls, and Geisha.

Of course, for our explorations, the game provides us with numerous pieces of equipment to help us, ranging from a Crowbar to a Flare Gun, all of which we must purchase before we can utilize them. I find this mechanic quite refreshing, as it stops us from cheesing the game from the get-go and directs us to explore the stages the game has to offer.

Another thing that I appreciate about this game is that it provides a concise, yet simple tutorials for the gameplay mechanics. There are three tutorials: How to Evade Entities, How to Find Loots and Key Items, and Exploration Tutorial. This allows me to enjoy my playthrough without getting frustrated and afraid that some mechanics might not be explained explicitly. 

Relics and Rituals

In Forsake, our main objective as ghost hunters are to find 3 Relics that are scattered inside the stage and place them in a Ritual circle, in which you lure the Entities there to finally exorcise them from the stage.

I find Forsake‘s objective great and clear, and that allows me to focus on finding these Relics while trying to evade Entities. Of course, the game doesn’t restrict you from roaming around and finding any Loots, so it mixes both the horror and exploration aspects brilliantly.

A Ritual Circle.

The Stages

Currently, as of writing this review, Forsake has six different stages that we can explore. These stages are reachable once you progress through a certain level, with Parking Lot and Psychiatric Hospital being available from the get-go.

Aside from the six main stages, each of them has many variations and layouts, so for example, during your first playthrough, the Director’s Office in Psychiatric Hospital might be near the staircase, however, during your second time, the room shifts to another place entirely.

I find these shifting rooms excellent, as that will reduce the sense of fatigue when traversing the same stage over and over. My friend and I had a blast playing through the Psychiatric Hospital stage three times in a row since the Loots and Key Items are also in different spots compared to the previous runs.

Map Overview.

Graphics and Sound: A Flawed Magnificence

From a technical perspective, Forsake is in good and polished shape as I did not encounter many bugs throughout my playthrough. However, there’s a massive game-breaking bug where you are unable to perform a Ritual even after collecting all 3 Relics and placing them down in the circle, forcing my friend and me to bail out from the stage in frustration. 

The graphics in Forsake is great, many detailed parts on the map add up to the ambiance, and the Entities’ designs are phenomenal and diverse. I also love the fact that they don’t have collision assets, which allows players to dodge them easier.

A Code for Director’s Office.

One thing I find immersive in Forsake is its sound ambiance. They are incredibly awesome, so props to Unseen Interactive for managing to bring that sense of horror and suspense at the same time. However, I do find some of the sound jumpscares to be cheesy, such as when a clap of thunder strikes outside.

Overall, while there are some relatively minor issues and one game-breaking issue, Forsake is a game that is enjoyable both alone or with your friends, as the gameplay itself enables us to freely determine our actions while exploring many creepy abandoned places where Entities await you.

Forsake is reviewed on PC with a review code provided by Unseen Interactive.