FAITH: The Unholy Trinity - A Comprehensive Guide (2023 Edition)

Introduction

Developed solely by indie game creator Airdorf, the FAITH series (2017-2022) has become a cult classic in the retro horror genre. Consisting of three main chapters and a few spin-off games, FAITH replicates the look and feel of 8-bit Nintendo games while tapping into the "Satanic Panic" anxieties of the 1980s. Beneath the pixelated flair lies a dark, unsettling tale of exorcisms, demons, and the battle between good and evil.

FAITH masterfully uses its low-fi aesthetics to create an oppressive, isolating atmosphere. The droning music, crunchy sound effects, and limited color palette unsettle you, recalling creepy old-school games like Castlevania and Silent Hill. The text scroll is slow, as if the game is struggling to process the information. The grim visuals leave much to the imagination, a powerful psychological scare tactic.

The gameplay blends exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat using the holy crucifix. Levels are dense with secrets, rewarding thorough investigation. Boss demons provide stiff challenges that will test your mettle. But the real star is the lore – each chapter unfurls more of the mystery through ominous notes and environmental details. The multiple endings entice you to replay and piece together the full, chilling saga.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll equip you with the strategies and knowledge to triumph over the unholy trinity of chapters. Whether you‘re a long-time FAITH devotee or a new acolyte, you‘ll find insight to bolster your demon-slaying pilgrimage. Steel your faith and read on, if you dare.

Prologue Walkthrough
Chapter 1: FAITH Walkthrough
Chapter 2: FAITH Walkthrough
Chapter 3: FAITH Walkthrough
Endings Explained
Lore Analysis and Theories
Secrets, Easter Eggs, and Achievements
Series Retrospective and Legacy

Prologue Walkthrough

The brief but potent prologue depicts the exorcism that kick-starts FAITH‘s events. Here are the key points:

You control Father Allred as he attempts to rid a girl of demonic possession
Use arrow keys or WASD to move
Press spacebar to use your crucifix
Look for visual cues on where to go
Pick up 1st collectible note

The prologue is linear and acts as a tutorial. Soak in the eerie pixel graphics and droning music to set the mood. After the ominous ending, you‘re ready to dive into the first full chapter.

Chapter 1: FAITH Walkthrough

Key Details

Release date: September 21, 2017
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Game length: ~1 hour
Number of notes: 20
Endings: 2

Walkthrough

You play as a young priest investigating a failed exorcism. Your goal is to roam the map, exorcise objects, and collect notes to unravel the mystery. Here‘s a step-by-step guide:

Check your map and visit purple-tinted areas
In each area, look for distorted objects to exorcise
Collect notes (20 total) and read for clues
Avoid or battle demon enemies with crucifix
When all notes are found, enter the Martin house with the shed key
Solve puzzles and exorcise objects inside
Lure the "chupacabra" to get the attic note
Confront the boss demon in the attic
Ending depends on your final choice

The first chapter eases you into FAITH‘s foreboding world while establishing the lore backbone. Exorcised objects yield disturbing notes that foreshadow the larger conspiracy. Demons basic but still scary – get used to holding the crucifix steady to dispel them.

Tips and Tricks

Explore thoroughly to find all notes
Face enemies head-on with crucifix
Notes provide essential info and riddle answers
You can lure some enemies to get past them
Evil choices lead to the bad ending
Holy water and gun carry over to subsequent playthroughs

Chapter 2: FAITH Walkthrough

Key Details

Release date: October 22, 2019
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Game length: ~2 hours
Number of notes: 22
Endings: 3

Walkthrough

Chapter 2 opens with a priest named Father Garcia performing an exorcism before shifting perspective to John Ward, the protagonist from Chapter 1. The structure remains similar – explore, exorcise objects, battle demons, solve puzzles, find notes – but the scope expands greatly. Here‘s an overview of the main path:

Cemetery: Find 7 notes, beat shadow demons, open tomb
Church: Find 4 notes, exorcise objects, beat spindly demon
Sewers: Find 2 notes, avoid chase sequences
Apartments: Find 6 notes, exorcise Seal of Alu, fight demons
Dark World: Find 1 note, solve puzzles, fight final boss

Chapter 2 ratchets up the difficulty with tougher demons, like the crow shaman and the mirror demon. New mechanics include sprinting, a flashlight, and a gun. The lore deepens as you uncover more of the sinister plot.

Tips and Tricks

Don‘t get surrounded by shadow demons
Flashlight is needed for sewer and apartment sections
Check every room for notes and supplies
Evil actions (e.g. sacrificing child) lead to bad ending
Holy water and axe carry over to subsequent playthroughs

Chapter 3: FAITH Walkthrough

Key Details

Release Date: October 21, 2022
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Game Length: ~4-5 hours
Number of Notes: 44
Endings: 3

Walkthrough

The epic conclusion sees John Ward and Father Garcia racing to thwart the cult‘s apocalyptic scheme. The largest and most complex chapter features diverse locations, new allies and enemies, in-depth puzzles, and epic boss fights. The flow remains familiar though: explore, battle, solve, advance. Here‘s the gist:

Nightmare: Find 7 notes, navigate house
Daycare: Find 6 notes, solve color puzzle, descend underground
Catacombs: Find 5 notes, defeat guard demons and traps
Void: Find 1 note, battle demon hordes
Demon Realm: Find 6 notes, solve chess puzzle, battle demon king
The Crucible (true ending): Find 2 notes, final boss gauntlet

Your trusty crucifix returns, along with the flashlight, gun, and melee weapons. New relic items grant special abilities for revisiting levels. Enemies deploy dastardly new attacks like toxic sludge and homing fire. Major boss battles include:

Demon Baby Horde
Demon Guards Duo
Demon King Triad
Demon God Amalgam (true ending)

Unlocking the true ending requires finding every single note and beating the optional bosses. If you shirk your holy duties, a bad ending awaits.

Tips and Tricks

Take the nightmares slow to avoid damage
Peek around corners before advancing
Prioritize targets in multi-demon fights
Combos (e.g. stun into axe swing) help with bosses
Stockpile healing items for final stretch
Replay levels with relic powers to find remaining notes

Endings Explained

Each FAITH chapter features multiple endings depending on your actions and note completion rate. Here‘s a rundown:

Chapter 1

Good Ending: Collect all notes and refuse the demon‘s bargain. John survives with his faith intact.
Bad Ending: Accept the demon‘s offer or collect less than 20 notes. John succumbs to darkness.

Chapter 2

Good Ending: Collect all notes and protect your companion. John and Rachel seal the cult‘s portal.
Neutral Ending: Collect most notes but fail to save Rachel. John seals the portal but is left broken.
Bad Ending: Collect less than half the notes or commit evil deeds. The cult wins and John is lost.

Chapter 3

True Ending (Good): Collect all 44 notes and beat the optional bosses. John and Garcia vanquish the demon god and restore balance. Unlocks New Game+.
Normal Ending: Miss some notes or optional bosses. John and Garcia seal the portal but the threat remains.
Bad Ending: Ignore your duties or commit grave sins. The apocalypse destroys the world.

The endings provide incentive to fully explore and consider your choices. Only the most diligent and pure can achieve the coveted true ending.

Lore Analysis and Theories

FAITH‘s lore is cryptic and scattered, inviting the community to piece together theories. Based on the notes and environmental clues, here‘s a rough timeline and some popular hypotheses:

1987: The Martins move into a new house and strange events occur, possibly due to a demonic pact
1988: Father Allred performs an exorcism on Amy Martin but it goes horribly wrong. Many die and Allred disappears
1994: The Vatican sends John Ward to investigate the botched exorcism. He uncovers a dark cult conspiracy
1995: John joins forces with Father Garcia to infiltrate the cult and prevent their apocalyptic ritual
1996: John and Garcia make a final stand against the cosmic entities orchestrating the chaos

Some believe the entire FAITH world is the dream or purgatory of Amy Martin following the failed exorcism. Others posit that the demon god is an Old Testament deity, maybe Moloch, scheming to reassert dominion over Earth. The waxing "Satanic Panic" of the late 20th century – where the public grew paranoid over supposed occult crimes – likely factors into the cult‘s plans.

The beauty is that FAITH doesn‘t spell everything out. It leaves narrative gaps that fans can theorize over and discuss, extending the experience beyond the screen. The upcoming FAITH comic book series and sequel games promise to expand the lore in spine-chilling new directions.

Secrets, Easter Eggs, and Achievements

FAITH is stuffed with secrets and Easter eggs. Fans are still discovering new ones. Here are some confirmed extras:

Book of Oblivion: Beating Chapter 1 five times unlocks this challenging bonus chapter
FAITH 1.1: A lost "beta" version of chapter 1 with exclusive enemies and areas
Gun Mode: Input the Konami Code to start chapters with the gun
True Ending Reward: Beating Chapter 3 with all notes and optional bosses unlocks a special item for New Game+
FAITH 64: A non-canon spin-off that reimagines FAITH as a polygonal N64-style game

The FAITH community maintains a thorough compendium of secrets and achievements. The Discord server is a hive for secret-hunters and lore-delvers. Sharing your findings or theories is a great way to engage with this burgeoning fandom.

Series Retrospective and Legacy

From its humble beginnings as a solo developer‘s free itch.io title, FAITH has ascended into an indie horror mainstay. Each chapter has garnered critical acclaim and a cult following that‘s still growing to this day. Fans gather online to craft theories, make fan art, compose music remixes, and mod the game.

FAITH succeeds on several fronts. The low-fi art style oozes nostalgic charm while magnifying the horror elements. The gameplay mixes approachable basics with complex systems in a near-perfect ratio. The lore establishes a rich mythos while hinting at so much more. And the ever-twisting plot deftly injects real-world historical intrigue into an original cosmic good-versus-evil saga.

FAITH‘s DNA has spread through the indie games sphere and beyond. The PS1-era aesthetic has surged in popularity among solo devs and small teams (e.g. Back in 1995, Sick). Major studios like Capcom have acknowledged FAITH as an influence (e.g. Resident Evil Village‘s 80s horror homages). FAITH fan games, pen-and-paper RPGs, and creepypastas have cropped up across the web.

Series creator Airdorf has teased an expanded universe, including comic books, animated series, and sequel games. The recently announced FAITH 64 aims to translate the signature lo-fi scares into the third dimension. If the trajectory holds, FAITH has the potential to cement itself as a true multimedia horror phenomenon.

It‘s been a dark, twisted, but captivating journey following Fathers Ward, Garcia, and Allred as they battle Hell‘s armies. FAITH has made an indelible impact on indie gaming and the horror genre. It uses crude tools – crunchy pixels, droning synths – to drill into your psyche and stay there. It proves you don‘t need photorealism to get under people‘s skin; a well-placed pixel is worth a thousand polygons.

We‘ll be keeping our crucifix close and our faith strong for whatever nightmares Airdorf brings our way. The Unholy Trinity is complete, but based on the series‘ ungodly ambition, I suspect the FAITH resurrection has only just begun.