Arise, Penitent One

I say this all the time and by now I feel like anyone that has ever heard me on the ZTGD Podcast knows…I do not like Soulslike. So of course, that means I am reviewing Blasphemous 2, which to be fair is a smash up of genres. Luckily, it’s more Metroidvania than soulslike and I actually found myself really like this game.

In the strangely beautiful (in on the strange) world of Blasphemous 2 players will shamble out of the coffin of The Penitent One; who I assume was the hero of the first game. The Metroid type gameplay is at the forefront as players will have to come back to various areas once they unlock new gear or get a new ability. Much to my chagrin, Blasphemous 2 also has timing-based platforming puzzles; sadly, I am just not great at those, but I did manage to struggle my way through them. I was delighted to find, however, that combat was really approachable unlike some of the other soulslike games I’ve played. This is one area where Blasphemous expertly combines those games with metroidvanias.

MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $29.99

Players are given a choice between three weapons at the onset of the game, these weapons entail the usual suspects in a balanced choice, a heavy weapon and a nimbler one. I chose the sword Mea Culpa which is the balanced choice and has a pretty easy parry to master. Weapon combat is what you would expect from a 2D metroidvania game, as I mentioned there is a parry system that is imperative for success as some attacks just can’t be dodged and others can’t be parried. There are also relics that can be sought out, these provide passive bonuses and can be mixed and matched to great effect in the late game. Weapons come with special abilities and can be improved with rosary beads that players will collect. If it isn’t obvious, Blasphemous 2 is a game that uses a lot of religious symbolism to great effect I will say.

Shortly after climbing out of the coffin, TPO (The Penitent One) is greeted by an angelic woman coming down from the clouds riding on a platform made of hands. This game has a thing for hands, there are ghostly hands that attack players from beneath sand, they feature prominently in the architecture, like good lord if you have an issue with hand-on-hand action you may be triggered from this game. I digress though, the angelic lady runs down a list of targets that all sound like someone who is making up names on the spot. All of which look like some varying degree of a holy knight or abomination, that is to say they all look cool as hell.

Anytime these games come out there is always talk about difficulty and I am not going to lie, this is a difficult game. But, unlike some of the other soulslikes I have played the combat here felt fair. I was able to tell when I dropped a parry too early, or my dodge didn’t quite cover the distance to avoid some damage which was nice. While the art style here is extremely detailed, I think the fact that it is such vibrantly colored helps to really differentiate the animations from the beautiful backgrounds.

Blasphemous 2 scratched an itch I didn’t even realize I had, I am not a fan of soulsbourne games, but I think I AM a fan of roguelikes, especially this one that took the best parts from the metroidvania genre and expertly weaved with the ‘Souls’ type combat. Boasting a strange and evocative narrative that is presented with beautifully painted and animated cutscenes that look like works of art hanging in the Louvre, Blasphemous 2 is itself a work of art.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.