For fans of *Bloodborne*’s gothic horror and punishing combat, *The Last Faith* promised a side-scrolling soulslike that would distill FromSoftware’s signature atmosphere into a 2D metroidvania. But at launch, it walked a tightrope—one where the line between relentless difficulty and soul-crushing tedium was crossed too often. Now, developer Kumi Souls Games has delivered a free overhaul, *Awakened Ancients*, that may finally tip the scales toward redemption.
Where most DLCs add a single linear chapter, *Awakened Ancients* splinters the experience into four new game modes, each designed to recontextualize the core gameplay. A dungeon mode evokes *Bloodborne*’s chalice dungeons, while *Tower of Despair* drops players into a wave-based survival gauntlet. Boss rush and new game plus options unlock upon completion, rewarding persistence with replayability. But the real meat lies in the expansion’s structural additions: seven unique enemies, five new bosses, three playable characters, and a scattering of fresh weapons, items, and execution animations. Even the world itself has been pruned and replanted with new areas, though their exact locations remain a mystery—intentional, perhaps, to lure players back into exploration.
The DLC’s arrival couldn’t be more timely. The base game, which originally launched to mixed reviews, now sits at a steep $14 discount—halving its price until February 2. For a title that once felt bogged down by repetition and obscure design, this free update isn’t just a content dump; it’s a systemic rewrite of what made *The Last Faith* frustrating in the first place. The question now isn’t whether it’s worth playing, but whether the changes go far enough to erase its past shortcomings.
Key additions in *Awakened Ancients*
- Game Modes: Dungeon crawler, boss rush, wave survival (*Tower of Despair*), and new game plus.
- Enemies & Bosses: Seven new enemies, five new bosses.
- Characters: Three additional playable characters.
- Weapons & Items: New gear, execution animations, and world-altering upgrades.
- World Changes: Unspecified new areas (discovery-based).
For players who dismissed *The Last Faith* as a hollowed-out imitation, this DLC is a chance to see if the game’s bones can finally support its ambition. The discount lowers the barrier to entry, but the real test will be whether the added layers of depth—modes, bosses, and replay hooks—transform it from a challenging but hollow experience into one that feels alive. If it does, *Awakened Ancients* might just be the exorcism *The Last Faith* needed.
The base game is available for $14 until February 2.
