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When we started playing Blasphemous 2, we thought we’d be in for more of the same things we saw in its predecessor—how wrong we were. As soon as we picked our first weapon and headed to the City of the Blessed Name, we knew The Game Kitchen took time to improve the sequel. Blasphemous 2 brings fresh gameplay features that make the game more fluid while retaining the story elements some may or may not like. Our time during our Blasphemous 2 review proves this game finally embraces every aspect of the Metroidvania genre while keeping the Souls-like mechanics from the first entry.
Blasphemous 2 Review: Penitent One, We Needeth Thee
If you haven’t played the first one, you shouldn’t worry about jumping to the sequel. As with many games of the genre, the story is as vague as you can imagine. The game picks up right after the Wounds of Eventide DLC events. Yet, if you don’t know anything about it, you can still enjoy the game as it is a new adventure. In the end, the story is second to the gameplay of Blasphemous 2, which we’ll discuss in this review.
Story: As Souls-Like as It Can Get
While we’ll praise many things in our Blasphemous 2 review, the story isn’t one. As mentioned, the story is as Souls-like as possible due to its vagueness. We’re not saying this way is not ideal, but it certainly isn’t the strength of the game, and those looking for some clear narrative elements might not find it here.
The Penitent One, your character, wakes up in a strange land after the Wounds of Eventide DLC. The Heart in the Sky has announced the return of The Miracle and the birth of a new Miracle child. With this in mind, the protagonist is sent on a new quest to take down some terrifying foes and uncover the secrets of some unholy places. While it isn’t a story that’ll stick around with you, mainly due to the way it’s presented, some NPCs have some memorable quests that make the narrative much more tolerable.
Gameplay: A Tried and True Metroidvania
When the first Blasphemous came out, it received much praise due to its mechanics while also receiving some criticism due to some stiff controls, among other things. The Game Kitchen heard that and improved upon every gameplay aspect for Blasphemous 2. This time, there are more weapons to wield, skills to equip, and items to let you customize your build. Combine that with the Souls-like elements of the game, and you have an engaging combination.
The exploration is worthy of competing against other games of the genre, thanks to how well-made the puzzles are. Said puzzles get better after unlocking all three weapons. One will let you smash the ground to break certain surfaces; the other will let you hit bells to make platforms appear, while the last one will let you teleport through mirrors. These weapons make exploring much more interesting, but what about using them for combat?
While at first, you might think all weapons work similarly, they don’t. We picked the Ruego del Alba sword first as it was the most balanced one. This weapon lets you charge its bar to unleash mystic energy and deal damage. The rapier and dagger are the fastest, and the more you hit enemies with them, the more they charge and let you unleash lightning-infused attacks. Last but not least, the flail-like weapon is the strongest but slowest, requiring some strategic timing before using it. These weapons are fun to use and get better when you spend currency to upgrade them.
The enemy’s design and variety are a marvel. The art team did a great job at creating memorable foes. Besides the design, every fight with each is challenging. Some will pull out a weird move that can end your run in the blink of an eye because they hit like a truck. Others will corner you in small rooms, forcing you to beat three or four enemies at a time, putting your skills to the test. Undoubtedly, the diversified combat was fun, and despite how often we died, it didn’t become frustrating. This is thanks to how fluid battling is and how the new skills and the ability to switch weapons make every encounter engagingly unique.
While fighting enemies is fun, most want to know about the boss fights. In terms of design, they are some of the best we’ve faced in recent Metroidvanias. Everything is spectacular, from the music to the room where the battle occurs. However, we think a few of them aren’t as challenging as we’d like them to be, and while that’ll be a good entry point for new players, veterans might want more of a challenge. Still, the gameplay of Blasphemous 2 is engaging and thrilling in every aspect, hooking all types of players.
Graphics and Audio: Not Praising It Would Be a Blasphemy
Our hats go off to the team behind the art design and audio. In regard to the former, every enemy, area, and boss is incredibly memorable due to how well-designed they are. The animation team did a fantastic job as well. The Penitent One can perform executions after stunning an enemy, all of which are perfectly animated.
The music is what you’d expect and more. It is a combination of soothing and eerie melodies in certain areas and a mix of epic tracks for boss fights and certain situations. Even when exploring and fighting should be stressful, it wasn’t so, as the soundtrack that accompanied us made the journey much better and more immersive.
Regarding performance, we played on a PS5 and had no issues. One thing we noticed was a small glitch with the map. When we continued our game, the map wouldn’t show up; thankfully, we fixed it by going to a new room and exiting, and everything worked great. The same with enemies, collision detection for hits, and so on; everything worked flawlessly.
Conclusion: A Fantastic Metroidvania With a Vague Story
The time spent in our Blasphemous 2 review was enjoyable, thanks to its challenging combat and exploration mechanics. The gameplay elements of Blasphemous 2 carry the game where the story can’t. While some bosses aren’t as tough as the regular enemies you’ll face, most boss fights are enjoyable and will make you think outside of the box. The non-linear aspect of the game makes this sequel a playground for those who enjoy the genre and will surely make many hardcore players stick around to uncover everything the game offers.
Blasphemous 2 is available on PS5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Review copy given by Publisher.
