Catalyst: Blind Faith
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Not all hope is lost.
A phenomenon known as the Catalyst is what's responsible for turning men into monsters. The last of humanity is counting on you to find a cure, as the study of this insidious phenomenon is your life's work.
You are Father Richard Anscham, leader of the Church of Mercy— but what does that mean to you?
While searching abandoned ruins for answers, it may appear that you possess nothing but your dog and your faith— but the might of an entire pantheon is on your side. Whether you wish to uphold the teachings of compassion, become a paragon of Vengeance, or want to lead a life for yourself rather than the Gods; in this dark fantasy visual novel, you define yourself and your principles.
Wield the power of the Gods— at a cost.
Explore a rich and eerie setting, packed with unusual and lethal characters.
Experience over 45k words of harrowing action and adventure with 8 unique endings.
Pray that you can conquer your demons, inside and out.
Community
Press Kit
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Disclaimer: All Catalyst: Blind Faith branding is property of Catalyst: Blind Faith dev and Phylactery Studios and cannot be used for monetary gain.
Description: Catalyst: Blind Faith is a mature, dark fantasy, adventure-themed visual novel with horror elements. In a land where Gods are real and demons lurk in the heart of mankind, you take control of a troubled young priest, seeking to conquer your demons— inside and out.
The player has a gargantuan web of choices at their disposal, which may not always be as they appear. Exacerbating or aiding the mental illness and physical challenges that the protagonist faces is an ever-present concern, as well as balancing divine powers (which come at a cost). Interwoven systems also determines how you can interact with the expansive world, or the fate of your very soul.
About: This visual novel is made by solo game developer Alaric, founder of Just Write Studios. A free, early development demo is publicly available on itch.io, and the full game is in the works for a commercial release.
Content Warning
Catalyst: Blind Faith contains mature themes that may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
Click for detailed content warnings:
With the extreme content filter disabled (in a select few routes) depictions of torture, suicide, and violence against animals are present. This extreme content is strictly optional and can be disabled immediately upon starting the game.
Addiction, self harm, eating disorders, the effects of prolonged confinement, abusive relationships, depictions of mental illness, and suicidal ideation are themes throughout Catalyst: Blind Faith. Reader discretion is advised.
Please note that Catalyst: Blind Faith is in early development. This page will be updated frequently with new versions to download. All art and music assets are currently placeholders. Before the finalization of this demo, an artist and composer will be taken onboard to provide the highest quality of art and music possible! All changes and additions will be tracked in the Devlog.
Download
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Development log
- MAJOR UPDATE - Smaller Files, Discord Integration, New Studio Name, and Full Rel...8 days ago
- The Addition of Chapter Title Screens!27 days ago
- Total Control of Audio Accessibility Options, Isometric Maps, and More!29 days ago
- MAJOR Release - Completed Programming, Mechanics, and Writing!!!42 days ago
- Custom CSS and a Feature on Lezcave.com!43 days ago
- Important Patch - Choice Menus (plus the new Gallery and more!)58 days ago
- GARGANTUAN UPDATE - Biggest One Yet, 8 Endings and Much More!71 days ago
- A Humble Update - Bug Fix and Audio AdjustmentJul 12, 2022
Comments
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I really enjoyed playing this!
I loved having a dog companion. It added lots of tension to the scenes as I was constantly worried he might get hurt. Also being able to befriend the orc was awesome.
The world building with the different gods is amazing. Also, the writing is absolutely top-notch. I really dig the second person point of view it is written in, as it makes the story feel more personal.
Also, the use of sound and music is amazing and added to the atmosphere.
Please keep working on this!
I'm so glad that you enjoyed the characters, world building, writing, and audio design so much! The second person perspective in particular is something that I am very fond of, so it is spectacular to hear that you enjoyed it for the same reasons too.
Comments like this are such amazing fuel for the fire. Thank you so much for the review, I can't wait to bring you guys more!
An absolutely wonderful experience. I'm not exactly a big visual novel player and I haven't play very many to begin with. But this was a truly wonderful experience. I played using a Steam Deck and was surprised how optimized it was for it. Although there was a few hiccups, I.E the fonts not working too well with the Steam Deck or the finicky controls., Overall the game was playable and I had a great time! I can't wait to see the full game when its finally ready!
Thanks so much for taking the time to play Olec, that is unbelievably cool that you got the game to work on the Steam Deck!! This version of the demo is not at all optimized for any platforms other than what they have been released for (Windows, Mac, and Linux while on a PC; either with a mouse and keyboard or gamepad), since the game has not been tested or designed for other platforms, so this is amazing news. On that note, thanks so much for sharing that you identified some areas for improvement with the Steam Deck controls. The demo will always be available here on itch.io for PC, but before the full game is released, I will absolutely look into the control schemes available, and will ensure that the game is thoroughly playtested so that it works seamlessly for players on the Steam Deck.
Given the different resolutions that mobile devices and the Steam Deck have, you can look forward to optimized visuals for those devices when versions are made for them in the final releases. They are not available at this time, so I'm sorry that you had some difficulty with the fonts, but I eagerly anticipate the later releases for mobile devices where the text will be larger and many more accessibility options will be available.
Stay tuned for more updates, I am super excited for bringing the completed demo and full game to you all too!
The story is getting better and better. I'm going to do my best to find all the endings. Amazing work so far.
Full Playlist
I just finished watching the entire playthrough, oh my goodness it was so awesome seeing you take the choices so seriously and intelligently. Loved the playthrough and reading!! Thank you so much for the review and all of the praise! I can't wait to see how you go through the rest of the routes, and I'll be immensely looking forward to you collecting all of the endings!
I just got ending 8, it's a really amazing game and I love how immersive it is.
It has been so awesome watching you play through the game, thank you so much for the feedback and for the great videos!
You're welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying the videos so far.
Had a riveting experience doing my first playthrough of the latest update. The writing is phenomenal; I made it a point to read slowly and reread each line several times to take in the depth. Each choice presented in the demo feels meaningful to the story.
Amazing work. Can't wait for more.
I'm so delighted that you enjoyed the writing and choices so much! The narrative and dialogue is packed with info and implications and it is just incredible to hear about people taking the time to read it more than once. I strove to make each choice as meaningful as possible, while still keeping a consistent portrayal of the characters with strong pacing. Thank you for the glowing review. I can't wait to bring you more content!
Absolutely howling for more, great stuff!
Thank you so much!
I finished chapter 1. This game is too good. I loved every minute of it.
Twenty eight solid minutes of quality review?! I am so hype, left a comment on your Youtube video and a like. Thank you so much for the stellar feedback and review! I'll have more content out with the next chapter very, very soon!
Thank you, I'm happy you liked the video. I've already followed so I'll be patiently waiting for the next chapter. :)
Wow, this is really well made~ I liked the sounds that went with the text. And the creepy spider demon, woah
Thank you so much! I've added in quite a few new sound effects with the update I'm currently working on, including to some earlier scenes! You can look forward to it (and more spider demon fun) sometime this week!
This visual novel is really good so far and very professional in the dialogue and design. 10/10
Thank you so much for the awesome, thorough review and comment! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the game. I loved seeing your video and left a like and subscribed.
One thing that I noticed during your video was how you were looking for a feature to access the save system. Catalyst: Blind Faith utilizes an auto-save feature! It works constantly during the game so that every choice really matters. That singular saved game file is accessible using the "Continue Your Journey" button on the main menu. "Start Anew" begins, well, a brand new journey! For game play reasons, this is not accessible through the menus, so it was incredibly valuable to see you looking for that option! I will definitely add a notice at the start of the game that mentions this, and a warning on the "Start Anew" button to prevent people from accidentally overwriting their save.
There's been some updates to the game since the version that was featured in your video, so I hope you get a chance to take a look as we continue development! There's a lot more action, horror, and dark fantasy adventure in store. :) Thank you again!
Edit: The notifications about the auto-save feature are now in full effect. The Devlog has more information and screenshots.
I'm glad you liked the video. I did notice the auto save feature once I went back to the main menu. I usually plays games where I have to manually save so it was different but a nice aspect. I will be playing more in the near future and most likely be making more videos as well.
I'm glad my video helped you with future updates as well.
All the best of luck and good fortune to you in the future with this game and others.