Faith: An 8-Bit Horror

Faith is a really popular horror game, and I think it's time I finally sat down and discovered for myself what it was that made it resonate so much!
Games:
Faith: airdorf.itch.io/faith
Faith: Chapter 2: airdorf.itch.io/faith2
Nun Massacre: puppetcombo.itch.io/nun-massacre
Anatomy: kittyhorrorshow.itch.io/anatomy
Tamashii: vikintor.itch.io/tamashii
SEPTEMBER 1999: 98demake.itch.io/september1999
Scanline: The Power of VHS: • The Power Of VHS | SCA...

[@bugjams]

"What I'm about to do has not been approved of by the Vatican." Basically the priest version of "I'm about to do what's called a pro-gamer move."

[@lanni5]

Or the good 'old "Derek you are a loose cannon im taking your cross and bible"

[@THEFRISKIESTDINGO]

_"What I'm about to do has not been approved of by the Vatican."_ _inhales_ *NI--*

[@Dean-dq2rv]

There's a secret boss after the 'kill her' scene. If you shoot the mirror in the adjacent room three times (yes, theres only one bullet but you can return and pick up the gun three times), you'll enter a hellscape with what might be the 'true' demon.

[@jordyn2632]

that confused me, i can’t remember everything it said but i remember it implies that John is the actual demon (or john made up the demon) and Amy just had childhood trauma from her parents

[@MakooWallinen]

It's the same demon as the one inside the confession booth in Faith II is it not? My original theory is that John Ward is not mentally ill but rather he too is possessed by a demon using doubt to make him falter etc, or it's simply a spell. But then again the birthday note with the clown and the clown note and John Wards possibly clown fear makes me less sure. I guess we will see in the third game how all the pieces laid out will fall!

[@HansAlRachid]

Oh shit, I never knew that! I gotta check that out, thanks!

[@zaaz3930]

The demon inside the mirror is confirmed to be "San La Muerte"; "Saint Death".

[@Mr_MacMiller]

@@jordyn2632 but faith 3 kinda makes that kinda confusing or not believable, So I still believe this is all actually happening but, people just don't believe him

[@quaternaryyy]

Never using controller vibration until one scene at the very end is brilliant aaa

[@weakamna]

Especially given that it _still_ does it even if you are playing with keyboard and mouse. Just imagine playing the game, and then physically in your space, something starts moving, at that particular scene as well O.o hairs stood on my back just thinking about it

[@TheAgamemnon911]

I would be so freaked out by this, because I don't even own a controller. :D

[@DioBrando-mr5xs]

@@weakamna How does it do that?

[@weakamna]

@@DioBrando-mr5xs Most game engines will give you access to all plugged-in controllers always. What games usually do is to disallow using both "input methods" (keyboard/controller) at the same time, since it would be confusing. Part of why the moment works is that players assume that since they are playing on a keyboard, the game doesn't care about the controller. Though tbf I think they are mostly banking on people forgetting that there was a plugged-in controller in the first place. Edit: Reading the context a bit more: You would need to have an actual controller plugged-in, of course xD

[@DioBrando-mr5xs]

@@weakamna Oh, I thought they used some blacl magic to make the kb+m vibrate.

[@lostuser1094]

WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY? c h a o s r e i g n s

[@eugenewatson1456]

Gotta love Von Trier references.

[@josuebartley7272]

I was not expecting that reference

[@IvanMosquito]

Now I'm worried about the deer at 4:11

[@Turtleproof]

"Nature is Satan's church."

[@ItsTheFizz]

What a brilliant use of rotoscoping...

[@needycatproductions6830]

As well as a brilliant use of Jim Cornette

[@toxicbambi6208]

I honestly think the cult leader being named Gary is scarier. He's, just a guy. He could be your neighbor, your daughter's school teacher, anyone. And you'd never know. I have a hard time believing characters with names like "Aleister" who are supposed to be living a secret, evil life

[@caseygoddard]

Yeah, if you look at the first names of infamous murders and cult leaders in real life they tend to be fairly unremarkable...Ted, David, John, etc.

[@cyncynshop]

Bob, the anti-christ.

[@bvenkat9924]

Haha Garyyyyy!! ~Gary from Fallout 3

[@Pendragondnd]

I've gotta disagree with Gary being a bad name for a cult leader. I'm a huge fan of the normal sounding name being turned into something terrifying. Like Judy and Bob from Twin Peaks, most of Welcome to Nightvale, and Jolene from the creepy covers of the song Jolene. Thats not to say that they did it well, since I havn't played the game, I can't speak on that.

[@clashmanthethird]

You can't forget the creepiest name *jeff the killer*

[@jazaniac]

It also reminds you that the person used to be a normal human with normal parents who gave them a normal name, and then they just happened to get into demon worship. Makes them seem more grounded

[@skroychan]

No one mentioned Gary from Fallout 3? Was pretty creepy

[@VaultTechy]

hit me with one of those creepy Jolene covers cuz

[@Thewhitequeen0]

What's funny is that I think the devs are doing it on purpose, because the Faith Chapter III demo introduces a new potential antagonist alongside Gary named...Tiffany. I would also say that the game does do it well for the most part because Gary isn't meant to be terrifying on the surface; he was able to gain Amy's friendship (the possessed girl from the first game) because he was friendly and unassuming. This is brought up in another way in Chapter II with notes from Gary saying something extremely disturbing and then following it up with "Gary loves you." What makes him scary is supposed to be his charm hiding his true nature.

[@johnarmstrong5533]

Recapping a moment you found particularly spooky and then embellishing the recap to become its own spooky moment in the video essay was a clever bit of storytelling.

[@Gigas0101]

I take horror really badly. My brain has this problem with recycling uncomfortable thoughts endlessly that I'm incapable of overcoming. First time I watched Marble Hornets I had trouble sleeping for a whole year because every time I was just alone I somehow never felt safe. Your go through and review of this game did similar to me the first time I watched it, but rewatching it's proved to be way more enjoyable, you take a lot of the sting out of why I can't handle spooky stuff. Thanks for that, man.

[@daniaelayan]

Man do I feel you. I really like horror, but i have the same issue and I'm not sure what the issue is. I'd like to go see a therapist about it one day. You're not alone my dude :)

[@xxhexxesxxxxjibrilthefluge7613]

Intrusive Thoughts and feelings. I get that too, uncomfortable and scary thoughts and feelings that just keep popping up uncontrollably. Sometimes it drives me to dig my nails into my skin to make them go away or invalid them. "If I do this the word and feelings mean jackshit and they're taken back."

[@averynerdybookworm972]

I struggle with that a lot and my trick that sometimes works is to watch a video like this twice, once in the day and once at night. Then I watch something similar but completely different, and then I watch something comforting but not too escapist so I don’t feel like I’m purposely ignoring my repeating thoughts. The reminder that I can watch this at any time and nothing changes really helps. (Also this one is kinda dumb but i play really strongly copyrighted music like disney because if i was in a horror movie they would never be able to play it)

[@sarat6488]

"and you shall know the Antichrist by his name... GARY."

[@habbo6829]

Damn bro,gary has a bully on his past,now a cult leader?

[@_oe_o_e_]

How can an 8-bit game be scary? *brings up SkiFree’s Yeti* [Flashbacks intensifies]

[@jaysherman9138]

* shivers in fear

[@Turtleproof]

Great googly moogly, I do property inspections and have seen things this eerie. Two houses were totally vacated without explanation, family portraits and all were left.

[@pimpncereal7279]

I do house inspections as well. However, I see vacated family photos, I'm out. Fuck that. Granted I just do pest control, it's not like I need to see where the demon is to stop ants from getting in there.

[@Turtleproof]

@@pimpncereal7279 Same. I leave ant baits, spray the wasp nests and leave. I generally enter through the garage because people are too lazy to latch them, I make lots of noise because I never want to startle a squatter.

[@PanAndScanBuddy]

@@pimpncereal7279 Ants? In my demon?

[@blarg2429]

@@PanAndScanBuddy It's more likely than you think!

[@sharkofjoy]

But why :( Abandoned without the family photos? But .....why

[@verbatim3752]

"You can't hide from God, hijo. You will drink the wrath of the almighty."

[@Thewhitequeen0]

'Proceeds to dance out of the room'

[@mutantfreak48]

dios mio

[@DinnerForkTongue]

@@Thewhitequeen0 Wifgle wiggle wiggle.

[@cfroi08]

KZbin CEO: We have the greatest algorithm to fit our user's needs KZbin: Hey here's those halloween videos you wanted three weeks ago!

[@verhuzz]

Ah yes, priest cop.

[@stevethepocket]

I'm surprised nobody's brought up the angle of Amy volunteering at what's heavily implied to be an abortion clinic, and what significance that might have.

[@saifernandez8622]

and she gets shot on the stomach by John. I think the real thing that happens is that she is pregnant perhaps by him.

[@jordyn2632]

ahh i thought Amy was pregnant due to one of the notes where the girl smiles and brings someone to Gary, but i don’t think it mentioned Amy in it. I also thought the doll her dad got her and the health clinic would hint at Amy being pregnant

[@BunnychanFarabee]

There's shots of the abortion clinic in previews of the 3rd game.

[@alefnull]

coming from someone who normally doesn't even like the horror genre for the most part - this game looks cool as hell. those pixely rotoscoped scenes are so eerie and awesome, i can't help but be fascinated.

[@Battleschnodder]

Well the reason why the "cast demon out of thing" seems goofy to you is that it is, and that the game doesn't actually do that. You aren't casting out demons when you 'purify' those objects that give you notes, you are laying to rest spirits with implied ritual. The game is based on the South American muddling of Catholicism and shamanism, so the expansion of priestly 'powers' to those of the witch doctor are entirely consistent.

[@maria_remedios]

God I was JUST about to post this. TY

[@isabellamorris7902]

Oh wow I did not know this. This is fascinating

[@hdhdjdhdueo3beirh746]

Is this really the backbone of the game? I'm just asking

[@TheSquareOnes]

That is equally as goofy (or not goofy, depending on personal taste), they're both fictional magic acts and thus are as reasonable as you want them to be.

[@glumsulk]

@@TheSquareOnes oh thank you mr enlightened athiest, how would we ever have seen our folly without you? Since you seem thick ill spell it out, that was sarcasm. The conversation you replied to wasnt claiming one was any more correct in any actual application. It was about the context of religion and its role in the horror genre (specifically film in this case), and its portrayal in the game. It was directly tied to the part of the video talking about how the medium of atari game made the developer use some creative choices for scares, and the limitations within. But ya, thanks for letting us all know that god isnt real. Really added to the convo you did!

[@drako5155]

now i can't really unsee how much the demon sounds like emperor palpatine "thou hast said well here is thy penance EXECUTE ORDER 66"

[@IncompleteChimera]

Oh, if only I had the mic and editing to write my own essay on these games! I'm glad you touched on the brilliant moment with the note from chapter 2, if was one of the most striking events from these games, and that's saying a lot. There's more to cover, however, if you ever want to make a supplementary video in the future when more of FAITH is released. For example, you didn't touch the chapter 2 demo, which is sort of a transitional between chapter 1 and 2, which makes parts of chapter 2 more poignant. Another moment that severely threw me for a loop in chapter 2 was the tree monster. You complained about the lack of quiet, tense moments in chapter 2, but that moment was a shining example of their preservation. You see a standard tree suddenly get up and shamble to the screen ahead of you, shrieking horribly, with a grotesque form you don't have enough time to process. Only for the very next screen to be absolutely crowded with these identical tree models. After all the mandatory fighting that's been built up to expectation to that point, I was horrified at even the idea of moving forward. I took the most embarrassing baby steps, holding my breath. And nothing happened. Not a branch stirred. The game played me like a damn fiddle and I couldn't even be mad about it. Like I said, I still have a LOT more to say (especially having to do with the game's overall themeing that you also failed to touch on...80's game aesthetic and feel, the satanic panic being a hallmark of the 80's, and notoriously poor mental health care just barely beginning to surface into the public eye being interesting throughlines), but it means wouldn't be lacking in material if you decided to make a followup essay to this someday!

[@bidaubadeadieu]

Love quiet atmospheric, wandery horror. My first exposure to that genre was Yume Nikki, which contains virtually no jump scares, very little that chases you, and at most some grotesque imagery, and yet the vibe of it all is isolating and mysterious and sometimes terrifying.

[@MrGregorytheshark]

Oh boy time for M O R T I S

[@DinnerForkTongue]

*M Ø R Ť İ Ş*

[@ElliottBelser]

get your C R U X it's time for M O R T I S

[@TheAgamidaex]

after your P A N D E M O N I U M bit my headphones disconnected gotta say, I was spooked

[@stlngds]

FYI the speech synthesizer used is the Software Automatic Mouth, or SAM, commonly associated with the Commodore 64 but with a presense on most home computers of the time, like the Apple II or Atari 800.

[@thequeenofswords7230]

YAY I WAS SO WORRIED I WOULDN'T GET ONE OF THESE THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@KoolWithAQ]

I paused two and a half minutes in to play the game. So glad I did. I love short, impactful games.

[@troyjardine5850]

This is one of the best indie horror games I've played, and I have Vinny from Vinesauce to thank for it!

[@HansAlRachid]

Whenever I play Faith or its sequel I am instantly reminded of the terror I felt as a kid while playing Ski Free, of all things. That fuckin' Yeti...

[@ultimor1183]

Hearing the name Gary triggers fallout 3 flashbacks. Don’t tell me that name can’t be scary!

[@thesaurusrext]

I tried this a couple months ago and the chills i get when the spider creature runs on screen are magnificent. Just fucking spectacular sound design. I cant even get passed the first bit and it's okay cuz it's so good.

[@heythere4199]

That was Michael Davies

[@V_y-r_e]

Oh, when you can, I highly highly recommend making a video on any of Jack King-Spooner’s games. Dujanah is especially fantastic and in dire need of attention. It’s stuff like Dujanah that truly makes the interactive medium unique. Sorry, not trying to make you talk about anything, I just think that it’s criminal how little his games are talked about despite the amount of individuality and effort he puts into them.

[@write-minded3921]

Are you subscribed to NitroRad? That’s how I first heard about Dujanah.

[@graefx]

6:45 "NOPE"

[@milanstevic8424]

Maybe it's not a scary name, but it definitely RHYMES with scary ;D

[@isabellamorris7902]

Ok I LOVE this channel and it's only been like five seconds. Faith is a favourite and you talk about it super eloquently

[@DelanceyThrone]

It's great to see Faith spoken about on your channel! Not trying to plug my own stuff here, but I actually chatted with Airdorf which you can find on my channel about his processes on making this game, his inspiration, and what he plans on doing next. He shared some amazing insights into his development. If you're a fan I implore you to have a listen! I don't think this is the last we'll see of Atari graphically inspired games.

[@nicoreuel2092]

i was just rewatching jesse cox' playthough of faith 2 then this video got released! mortis

[@eddie2000ad]

Funny, I was just looking for videos about this game, it's kind of old so I figured vids wouldn't get made at all, but here is one of my favorite KZbinrs uploading a vid on it

[@jershmersh6573]

I always enjoy your uploads

[@sharkofjoy]

I depend on these sorts of videos to expose me to these gems.

[@Sowers_Power]

Idk, I really liked this episode especially. Really good work!

[@kidv2]

6:46 this is brilliant, very well done indeed

[@TheCivildecay]

Those rotoscoped "cutscenes" are such a nice find!

[@ANewPseudonym]

Did a playthrough before watching this vid, well worth the 45 minutes. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@MakooWallinen]

Gary is from the first game and I just love the fact that a name people so easily make fun of might be the biggest evil in the games is great. That coupled with the fact that a cult can have drama and all those other things that always were implied, like the shortsightedness of EVERYONE in the entire game.

[@mike_wake]

So, at the moment in a video when you were reading this newspaper, my lights went out. Would have been spookier if it wasn't during daylight. Still, that was cool trick!

[@AncestralFruitcake]

1:52 man she's just watching some anime, she's just jammin- Oh

[@Pustocvet]

Gary loves you

[@blaizecato8801]

2:57 C H. A. O. S. - R E I. G. N. S.

[@ParadoxicalIntention]

I think another thing to think about when it comes to retro graphics is the nostalgia factor of it. It takes me back to when I was a kid playing on the PS1, putting me somewhat in that mindset. It's making me easier to scare since I'm thinking like when I was a kid. I'm picturing scary things in the blurry dark, but also remembering scary things from my childhood. Like when I had to scare-quit RE3 after Brad died.

[@Armund_Wolffe]

damn i love Faith. every time i hear that particular voice synth it puts me is a good spooky mood. also, the "mortis" is iconic; often when i die in a game i say it lmao

[@GmodPlusWoW]

I have almost nothing but praise for Faith. Though you do raise a good point about Chapter 2 being more "bombastic" compared to the greater sense of dread and suspense found in Chapter 1. Though with that said, there's still a fair bit of dread and suspense to be had in Chapter 2. The final area in particular really ramps up the dread factor, though while I really would like to talk about it, I'm going to hold my tongue and leave it up to the audience to discover the dreadfully delightful dread that you feel in that place. If Faith: Chapter One was like Alien, Faith: Chapter Two was more like Aliens. Though with all that in mind, if Faith: Chapter 3 dialled back the bombast just a little bit to let the dread percolate a bit more, it would probably be the best of the three. It would have just the right balance of bombast and dread. *_I A M H E R E, C H R I S_*

[@stevethepocket]

"And Gary... darn it, change your name, please? That's not scary, and I'm embarrassed to say it. "'Gary.' You know? ... Oh, _watch out for Gary!_ 🙄"

[@rowenc23returns]

Hoodwinked reference? Good on ya

[@downsjmmyjones101]

That fucking voice synthesizer is ultra spooky. Imagine if it started saying words that weren't on the screen or it just started screaming. I'd be freaked out.

[@brenkrasmer]

Will you make a new video on Faith now that the third chapter is out? A lot of questions you brought up here were... Addressed. I would love to hear your take on what they changed from chapters 1 and 2 in their finale.

[@daniellewasdelayed8921]

This was a wonderfully constructed video and I thoroughly enjoy this type of stuff. But the main thing I took away from this video is that, if you ever see a boy-turned-spooky-thing, you should react with "Dios mio"

[@BearOldcastle]

Yay Halloween video!

[@Mr_MacMiller]

"Gary is just a normal human being, just like you and me"

[@defjusteman629]

Good lord that voice synthesizer is chilling! 😱

[@gamer-sama7769]

Reminds me of the Half Life Robot/speaker voice

[@astrangeone]

The first one was excellent. I remember finally getting to the house and then being incredibly creeped out by the lack of music....

[@tweedledeevine]

*I have to finish what I started.*

[@ShutItKyle]

Chaos Reigns 🦊

[@ATG913]

4:33 I think I peed a little.

[@MarioVelezBThinkin]

Wow, sounds awesome.

[@johnjackson9767]

It's incredible how this game, with such a low information visual and audio style, is one of the scariest entertainment experiences I've had.

[@barrettfenwick8028]

Chupacabbra? That's a Windigo! D:

[@V_y-r_e]

Fuck yeah, Faith is so good!! The rotoscoping is godtier. It’s so impressively terrifying.

[@wolfenheart0919]

Gary All quiver before his call

[@Leon-zl1vg]

2:30 Man i kinda miss the Halcyon console right now

[@write-minded3921]

It occurs to me watching this at 3AM was probably not the best idea.

[@jmiquelmb]

I think you'll be happy to know that Faith 3 is already here

[@vin-cc9nk]

the ol psycho mantis trick, love it

[@pelgervampireduck]

the robot voice reminds me of playing "maupiti island" on an XT with CGA graphics card and just PC SPEAKER sound without sound blaster. the characters talked like that!. (and the image was black and white even on a color monitor, I guess they used the highest resolution they could on CGA instead of the 4 colors one).

[@Darksinne]

As a hypothetical idea, do you think that if you played the second game first and then played the first one as a prequel, that you would have enjoyed the first game more. It's something I always wonder when a sequel to a successful film/game seems to be just a turned up version of the original, and I wonder if the second one doesn't ruin our ability to appreciate the first.

[@Flackon]

That "mortis" death screen is more goofy and funny than scary, lol.

[@brynstarre]

"You Died" has been dragged to ridiculousness thanks to Dark Souls, probably.

[@araxiel569]

I feel part of the goofiness is even intentional. Faith II is steeped in the Satanic Panic of the 80s and 90s, with one newspaper clipping even talking about how "the harmless so called role-playing game Vault & Wyvern is turning your kids into pagan sorcerers", and the evil satanic cult leader is called Gary. In my eyes, it captures how in hindsight, there was a certain kind of quaintness and naivety in media's approach and depiction. It invokes the picture of a suburban mom having watched too much TV and now convincing herself, their son's friend Gary must be a cult leader, because their son calls him the "Dungeon Master" and he listens to Alice Cooper.

[@AirdorfGames]

@@araxiel569 Do not underestimate Gary.

[@BrightBlueInk]

It is, but it's also one of the most entertaining catchphrases from a game in a long time to me. Ever since I first saw the game played I've been droning "MORTIS" when I experience a sudden game over.

[@stlngds]

🅱️ O R T I S

[@arminius1453]

Wow.. indeed, voice synthesizers are damn scary. Another lo-fi game that uses this to its favor is Black Lodge, fan made game based on the infamous final episode of Twin Peaks. Give it a try, and perhaps might be worth a small video... It really has a similar vibe to this one.

[@TrevorNWhite]

Yeah, I couldn’t beat the final boss, but I definitely still applaud the game’s unique style! I love the new(?) wave of retro “VHS”/“PS1” style games we’ve been getting, but it can admittedly get stale in large doses

[@politure]

Love you Errant Signal.

[@Murkrust]

DUuuude I totally forgot about Faith. This sucha solid game

[@argonaut999]

the speech synthesizer is very similar to the one brendon chung uses throughout the blendogames catalogue. "JOB DONE"

[@petermann6761]

argonaut I believe a comment from another video led me to this being the origin of the speech synthesizer blog.wavosaur.com/text-to-speech-vst-vst-speek/

[@xxexcaliberxx4677]

M O R T I S

[@kewlkatzklub982]

nice use of that un-used song from the end of the OST for the first game.

[@Jekyllstein_Gray]

This game is finally coming to Steam. I'm honestly surprised it took so long.

[@ImperatorGrausam]

In terms of graphics, the emptiness adds more fear to it. That's why I think the Apple II/MS-DOS design choice is genius.

[@healthcaredotgov3097]

Damn Merzbow really hitting hard on this one

[@Gaawachan]

Errant Signal, you should check out Sweet Home and (more importantly) End Roll, a highly underrated indie game. I am begging you, please review End Roll. That game deserves so much more love than it gets.

[@pizzamafiaart]

the tree demon from the 2nd game gave me ptsd

[@ChrisGower]

12:33 Before you even said it. Gary. Amazing. What were they thinking?

[@ConvincingPeople]

*blacks out the windows and blasts the Virgin Prunes' "The Beast (Seven Bastard Suck)" at military volumes* I AM READY MASTER.

[@wolfywise]

I have no idea what it is about this game series, but it's literally the ONLY bit of horror media that's legitimately made me terrified of demons. It's doubly weird since it does demons in the most cliched way possible, and in every other instance that cliched approach is irritating or silly. If you have an idea as to what this game did to make the demons seem so terrifying, please give me your thoughts.

[@carpiioo.806]

dios mio what have you done PLEASE 😭😭😭😭

[@papanugget2368]

What the hell, I was just watching a Faith let's play and checked to see if there was anything new in my subscriptions

[@timothymclean]

It's that time of year. Three days until All Hallow's Eve.

[@papanugget2368]

@@timothymclean I know that of course, still thought that was an interesting coincidence :)

[@rafalst]

You need to make a video about Control (from Remedy).

[@jonathanredacted3245]

"Surely I've written better things!"

[@Mr_Case_Time]

We would all love to hear how much you enjoy playing Outer Worlds.

[@youraverageguyonline2347]

10:58 Me when the physics or algebra teacher says "Today I have a surprise test for you"

[@PaddyMcMe]

Chris was right all along.

[@xBINARYGODx]

Cool.

[@KlarkMarquez]

14:38 i HAve tHe bODy Of a pIG!

[@arconisthewolf4430]

RUN RUN RUN

[@Doomsword0]

Shoutout to Connecticut woo! Although cults and demons so... slightly less woo I suppose...