This game is, without a doubt, a huge step forward from the first Blasphemous. Pretty much every aspect of game design here feels like a refinement; it’s as if the devs took every mechanic of the first game under close inspection and fundamentally improved what had to be improved. Because let me tell you, as much as I liked Blasphemous I for its style, music and presentation, that game was heavily flawed. Movement and platforming felt clunky, the game was extremely backtracking-heavy (even for a Metroidvania), elemental gameplay features were bound to equippable items… it just felt more like a first draft for me and not a polished game. All of these points are addressed in the sequel in some way. Movement feels much more fluid and precise, I never had any issues with the platforming; I even enjoyed some of the more demanding platforming challenges. Backtracking is still a thing in this game but at least the game now displays on the map if a quest can be progressed and where which was a huge help. Also, i-frames and dodge distance, among other things, are fixed and can’t be altered by equipping some random item. So, on the mechanical side of things, I couldn’t be happier. Boss battles are still extremely challenging, the level design is still some of the best in the genre and the various progression systems (which are thankfully somewhat simplified compared to the first game) still feel motivating. Aesthetically, this game is at least on the level of Blasphemous I, if not better. The pixel art is absolutely gorgeous and the designs are unlike anything you can find in any other game. It is at times hard to fathom what insane designs the artists for this game came up with. There is some batsh*t crazy stuff in here, some genuinely beautiful scenes and some of the most gruesome and grotesque imagery that I’ve ever seen. You can tell that the devs were inspired by catholic motifs and biblical themes that were twisted to create a unique kind of horror. These meticulously crafted pixel art designs are the star of the show here. For some reason, the devs decided to replace the pixel art cutscenes of the first game with 2D hand-drawn animations. These still look great and they successfully convey the vibe of the world but I can’t help but feel that something was lost here. Yes, the cutscenes in Blasphemous I were shorter and simpler but they also fit right into the world of the game. Here, I feel like there is a clean cut between in-game graphics and the style in those cutscenes (kinda like in early 3D games) and I completely understand fans of the first game being appalled by that. I for one didn’t mind too much as I do see the beauty in these new designs but I get it. When it comes to music, all I can say is that Carlos Viola, the composer for the first game and this one, is back and he’s greater than ever. That man is a straight-up genius and the devs owe him so much as the music carries the atmosphere of the game at least as much as the art style. This is a Spanish game and the setting is inspired by Spanish history, culture and, of course, the country’s relationship with religion, specifically catholicism. The music reflects that perfectly. Think Diablo II but more subtle, more suspenseful, with a reliance on violine and piano music. Mostly, that results in some quiet and melancholic tunes like [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpUu84nNMwY]Del Santo Nombre or one of my favorites [url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnaOqTj4PiY]Palacio de los Setillos . It’s not always dark and depressing though. There are pieces like [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn6XDqKWXb0]Corona de Siete Azahares or [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLDoLQQ4uP4]Clavada that feel alive and pumping while retaining that dark undertone that permeates everything. Overall, it’s just a masterclass in music composition which is a rare sight in a small indie game such as this. Same goes for the voice acting and voice direction. My god, what a treat that was. Do yourself a favor and play this game in Spanish with subtitles in your preferred language. It is such a vibe. Truly amazing to learn so many different ways to pronounce “Penitente” :D As for story and writing, there isn’t too much I can say. It is just as cryptic as the first game. The lore is vast and deep and there is so much to learn by reading item descriptions, talking to NPCs and just… looking at the environment. I honestly didn’t spend too much time with this aspect of the game as the concepts discussed here are rather abstract and a lot, and I mean a lot , is open for interpretation that I just felt overwhelmed at some point. I do see myself coming back to this game for a second run and taking it all in though as I feel the game really shines here. For a casual first run, you don’t need to engage with the lore of the world too much to get a sufficient grip on the story, another major improvement over the first game. There were moments in the game that frustrated the hell out of me. Two times I nearly dropped the game. Blasphemous II is hard, it is unforgiving and it requires you to sit down, observe, learn and apply. If you’ve read my Shadow of the Erdtree review, you know that this isn’t really my preferred way to approach boss design. Blasphemous I had some hard-hitting bosses too but some of the bastards in this game made me tear my hair out. Still, if you practice patience and are open to learn and improve, you will overcome everything this game throws at you. For me, after hitting my head against a wall that was a mid-game boss for about an hour without progress, it really made a huge difference to go explore some more and level up my abilities. In a similar fashion, for some of the end-game challenges, it really helps to try out different setups with various combinations of equipabble items. There are always ways to mitigate difficulty in this game and you do feel a difference. What doesn’t really make a difference is the weapon you choose to fight with. There is some wasted potential here. At the beginning of the game, you can choose between three weapons, a fast but weak set of sword-and-dagger, a heavy-hitting but slow war censer (yup, a censer ) and a sword that’s kind of a compromise between both. In principle, that is a cool idea. There are some situations where one weapon is more useful than the others and there are entire puzzles bound to the usage of a specific weapon which is nice. For the most part though, I just stuck to the sword and was fine with that. No real incentive to change tactics, no boss battles that require you to switch weapons mid-battle or anything, just three ways to approach the game. Again, I like to have some variety but they definitely could have done more with this. I’m glad I didn’t drop the game in the moments of my deepest frustration. Blasphemous II is a bliss from start to finish with the occasional hurdle in between. I encountered some glitches, even some crashes and I am not on-board with every game design decision made here. Nonetheless, in the search action genre that is overflowing with titles, this one stands out. The art and music are drop-dead beautiful, the game feels great to play, it is motivating, it is challenging and it paints the picture of a truly cryptic but intriguing world informed my religious motifs and a retelling of themes founded in catholic mysticism. I deeply hope that our penitence is far from over.
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