Blasphemous was a surprising indie title from 2019. The metroidvania came out of nowhere but quickly garnered attention through its dark religious imagery and brutally difficult gameplay. It could have benefited from more polish, but it was still a hit among critics and fans alike and grew with three post release expansions. But there comes a time when things must come to an end, and Wounds of Eventide brought an end to the Penitent One’s story. Now is the time for the Penitent One to begin a new adventure with new challenges in Blasphemous 2.
Blasphemous 2 begins after the true ending in the Wounds of Eventide DLC. The Penitent One has awakened from his tomb in a new land in Cvstodia. The Penitent One is told of the return of The Miracle where a new miracle child with a powerful heart will be born. It’s up to the Penitent One to prevent this birth from occurring. This introduction sets the tone for the game as one that steeped in deep religiously imagery. No single religion is explicitly stated, but even with all the distortions and corruptions, it’s hard to deny the strong influence Catholicism seemingly had with the story’s themes and design.
Unlike its predecessor, the Penitent One is not limited to the Mea Culpa sword. At the beginning the player is presented with the choice of three weapons to choose from and a practice dummy to test them out. The weapons have different strengths and weaknesses and the dummy allows players to get a feel for the one they want. The ball and chain is a large, but slow and powerful hammer, the rapier and dagger is weak but fast, while the single sword is the balanced choice. After selecting the weapon of choice, players are immediately thrust into their first boss battle which serves as a tutorial. Rushing at the boss and attacking wildly will result in an untimely death, but taking a more defensive approach the player can study and learn the attack patterns of the boss. Once players figure out when to dodge and when to strike, the fight becomes much easier and that’s the strategy that needs to be remembered for the duration of the game.
Aside from varying fighting styles each weapon offers a different traversal option which can alter how a player progresses through the game. The ball and chain can ring bells that can unlock certain doors. The sword can cut through barriers that appear almost fleshy, which fits in with the overall grotesque imagery. The rapier and dagger allows for teleportation through floating mirrors. New weapons will be collected over the course of the game so the impact of the weapon choice is most apparent early on. Like many soulslikes dodging and parrying are important combat mechanics. Getting the timing right with parrying requires precision and can be tricky, but fortunately there are many scenarios where dodging is just as effective at staying alive.
Blasphemous 2 can be described as a soulslike metroidvania. When the player is not busy figuring out how to not die, they have figure out where to go. The next path isn’t clearly marked which may be off putting to players who have grown accustomed to quest markers, but free exploration is a hallmark of metroivanias. There’s a fair amount of backtracking as new areas will become available as new traversal abilities such as scaling certain types of walls are unlocked, and thankfully there are teleporters that can take the tedium out of backtracking. The labyrinthine areas are filled with grotesque abominations and twisted religious iconography of which appreciating the artistic design is reason enough for exploration. Spread throughout the hellish landscape are areas that are free of enemies, populated with NPCs whose demeanor is just as grim and morose as the rest of Cvstodia.
Blasphemous was a game that was personally enjoyable but felt rough around around the edges. The point of these games is to be challenging, but that loses some of the appeal when the challenge is the result of rigid controls and lack of gameplay polish. Blasphemous 2 is an example of developers who learn from their mistakes and want to improve. Every aspect of Blasphemous 2 seems like they wanted to maintain the essence of the original but improve it. The difficulty level is set on the higher side but it also feels fair, where each encounter with a challenging boss or an area with difficult enemies feels like a puzzle to be solved instead of an endless exercise in frustration. Having access to more spells and weapons also helps offset the high difficulty level where players can build and buff their character where they can find approaches to combat that fit their most comfortable playstyle. There are still rosary beads and equipment that can increase stats, but the new Marks of Martyrdom add to customizing character builds by essentially being skill points.
The artistic direction of the visuals is a highlight of Blasphemous 2. From the pixel art gameplay to the animated cutscenes, the art design creates a memorable if disturbing world to explore. The ambient soundtrack provides the perfect audio accompaniment in creating an atmosphere that’s dreadfully hopeless. Style over substance never results in a good game, but that’s not the case here as the gameplay mechanics are smoother than its predecessor and things feel more balanced overall. It can be frustratingly challenging at times, but victory never seems impossible.
Closing Comments:
Blasphemous 2 has earned its place as one of the great metroidvanias. While it can be punishingly difficult, it’s equally rewarding to overcome all challenges the game has to offer. It maintains everything that was good aboutthe originalbut also improves on its shortcomings, putting a greater emphasis on exploration and character building. When it comes to overall gameplay, Blasphemous 2 is not a terribly innovative title, but it does an exceptional job of following the best examples of the genre and creating its own unique and unforgettable world. For any metroidvania fan, missing out on Blasphemous 2 would truly be a sin worthy of penitence.
Blasphemous 2
The Game Kitchen’s sequel to 2019’s Blasphemous takes place exactly after the events of that game’s DLC. The Penitent One has to traverse an entirely new world filled with intimidating monsters that not only pack an incredible punch but are also horrifying. A side-scrolling Metroidvania with Soulslike combat, Blasphemous 2 walks the line between action and horror.
