Blasphemous 2 Review
22.08.2023 - 19:47
/ pczone.co.uk
Once again, a peculiar pixel art Metroidvania is presented to our gaming tastes, with a heavy religious, Andalusian flavor. This is Blasphemous 2 – unforgiving, visually mesmerizing, and immensely satisfying.
So let’s dive into the latest adventure of The Penitent One as he attains absolution from his sins in the land of Cvstodia.
Your journey begins with the rebirth of The Penitent One, classic Dark Souls 3 style. Seems the miracle is again in need of some badass pilgrimage assistance, but that will become apparent later in the game.
The first novel feature of Blasphemous 2 comes in the form of a choice – what weapon will you choose to begin your quest to complete penance? Will it be the dual short blades Sarmiento & Centella, or the balanced, blood-thrusting Ruego AI Alba?
Or maybe you’re a Kratos fan and prefer the range-extending, chained Morningstar called Veredicto, which is more like a giant iron chandelier that hits really hard. Each weapon has its own playstyle, skill tree, and even a resource bar that comes with it.
What’s more, depending on the starting weapon, you can utilize certain interactables around the map with it, giving you early access to certain hidden paths.
This particular mechanic gives Blasphemous 2 a fresh replayability flavor, as there would be three completely different paths for the first couple of hours (or more) of the game.
After the obligatory tutorial in the form of an immediate boss, you are thrown into the madness of the land.
Many cool new (and some returning) enemies await the player to test the skills that come with a rich backlog of Metroidvania titles. When you reach the safe haven that is the City of the Blessed Name, the real suffering begins!
You see, there’s this massive overcity descending upon the land, carried by three giant monumental figures, and The Penitent One needs to get up there and solve the mystery of the unborn miracle child.
The story is presented in high-quality animated cutscenes which goes to show the developers of The Game Kitchen have upped their production value level.
So, you have your hero and your main quest; time to start hacking some mutated Inquisition wannabe mobs!
Doing it like Mario!
The world of Cvstodia is weird in a religious, biblical way, with all its catholic trappings, candlesticks, self-mutilating tools and don’t forget the imprisoned cherubs that need saving.
The map is large and Metroidvanian – some parts are unreachable until The Penitent One acquires a new passive ability or item.
Later in the game, certain puzzles will be presented as obstacles to secret areas or shortcuts when players progress faster.
A fact that I consider a serious drawback, however, is the frequent need to backtrack to way remote locations of