What is the most dangerous word in the English language? Faith. Bodies drop. Lines are drawn and crossed at the dawn of the medicinal revolution. You are Dr. Chatelet, a young savant in the medical field. You have just graduated from medical school. Degree in hand, you are eager to begin your career as a doctor in the twilight of the Medieval age. Above all, you believe in the accuracy of what the church and orthodox medicine have taught you, but what happens when that faith is challenged?
A dangerous group of radicals begins to rise, with theories and teachings that go against the core of what you studied. The church demonstrates they are willing to go to frightening extremes to silence them but are they acting as saviors or dictators? The radicals accuse you of being the opposite of what you set out to be. They claim your ignorance of the reality in front of you makes you a murderer. You see yourself as an extension of the healing hands of God, so which is it? Butcher or Savior?
Butcher or Healer?
Dr. Chatelet: Faith’s gameplay is simplistic by nature as the story implications are far more emphasized than complex gameplay. The bulk of the game is a choose-your-own-adventure story. The three minigames included in the plot simulate the basic medical practices of the age—Bloodletting, Amputation and Medical Configuration. Each minigame has a set of upgrades and a selection of tools. These introduce a level of customization to the player as they provide unique advantages that can emphasize the two sides of the minigame, healing and entertaining.
For each of the procedures, players have the opportunity to decide for themselves how Dr. Chatelet is going to operate. For bloodletting and amputation, players can sell tickets for people to watch the procedures. Ticket sales can generate income that allow for the purchase of additional upgrades. The sadistic nature of these events empathizes when players can generate excitement by causing the procedure to be more painful and dangerous. Are players willing to put patients through pain and suffering, risking their lives to make additional money? Or do they prioritize treatment over entertainment, acting swiftly and confidently to save patients’ lives?
Revolutionary or Byproduct of the Time?
As Dr. Chatelet, players find themselves thrust into a complex world of greys that seeks to make them question the nature of loyalty and faith. They meet friends, mentors, and rivals, each with a distinct perspective on the brewing medical revolution. After being introduced to all the characters, and the mechanics, they must decide where they place value. Will you value the loyalty and faith that has brought Dr. Chatelet this far? Will you choose revolution and science, siding with rivals and friends trying to push the world forward?
Dr. Chatelet: Faith does an excellent job spinning a web of narratives through the main plot of the Doctor’s crises of faith into several side plots. These include an alchemic study and a breakout of the black plague that causes paranoia and conflict at every turn. Each of these plots seeks to crank the tension higher into several memorable moments of climax.
An Unfortunate Bait and Switch
The only downside I ran into with Dr. Chatelet: Faith was that it did bait and switch players initially as the first few stages are available ad-free and free of charge, only to inform players as they clear the tutorial that they have essentially completed the demo. There are two options to proceed: playing the free version with ads or wait times between stages or paying 3.99 for the premium version of the game. I found the premium version to be worth the price of admission as the game runs several hours for a single play-through and holds unique interactions and multiple endings that justify multiple walks in Dr. Chatelet’s shoes.
A Heart-Wrenching Journey
With Dr. Chatelet: Faith, developer Loongcheer Games has broken their traditional mold of arcade shooters and idle games for a more story-based and introspective tale on faith and its interaction and conflicts with the progressing times. They crafted a world with a visual flair similar to games such as Don’t Starve, to create an uneasy atmosphere that exemplifies the shaking of the good doctor’s foundational beliefs. Though the gameplay may be simple, players can craft a unique personality for Dr. Chatelet through the choices they make. The haunting moments of crises and sacrifice that the game thrusts players into are compelling and memorable.
Faith can drive even renowned professionals to hold tight to the beliefs that give them peace. It causes divides in friendships and destroys respect and create idealists who strive to change the world, going against everyone. It gives peace and takes it. Dr. Chatelet: Faith demonstrates that whatever direction faith takes you, will be dangerous and revolutionary for better or worse. Which will it be? Faith in revolution and the future? Or Faith in tradition and the old ways?
