I'm barely a few hours into Blasphemous 2 and I'm losing the plot. I've died to this boss, I dunno, 10 times so far? I can't be totally sure because I never am. My routine tends to go something like this: I fight hordes of monsters, platform around deadly levels, meet a boss, bite the dust, respawn at a candlelit Prie-Dieu altar checkpoint, sprint back to the arena, try again; rinse and repeat. Like the games Blasphemous 2 is so obviously inspired by, there's a moreishness to death in this dark and twisted nightmare world. And it's brilliant.
Release date: August 24, 2023
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: The Game Kitchen
Publisher: Team17
That feeling is compounded when I finally memorize the move patterns of this particular end-of-zone foe. Unfolding on the highest platform of the Crown of Towers, the hulking belfry custodian holds a grandfather clock-shaped coffin over his shoulder, slamming it into the ground and causing fire to burst from below. Equipped with my Ruego Al Alba sword – one of Blasphemous 2's three new melee weapons – I slash at my enemy from a short distance between the flames, dashing to and from safety with patience and care.
It takes time and many missteps, but I eventually nail my aggressor. With his health drained, he drops the coffin, and, to my surprise, out pops a pint-sized fighter who spits out spinning spikes that are easy to dodge but devastating when they land. Ah, so there's a Phase Two. I die a few (several) more times, before mastering the exact right times to heal, defend or strike before finally killing off the little one too. And then two new health bars fill the foot of my screen, and I'm now facing off against both of them, revitalized and ready to go again. A three-phase boss battle, just a few hours into proceedings? Well played, Blasphemous 2. You absolute bastard.
Score settling
I say this with the utmost respect, of course. I said the same the first time Orenstein and Smough pulled a similar trick in the original Dark Souls. I said the same against Malenia Blade of Miquella in Elden Ring, and the very same against Tres Angustias in the first Blasphemous back in 2019. The latter's pixelated take on the Metroidvania and Soulslike genres wasn't perfect, but its larger-than-life boss battles were exquisite, its omnipresent sense of dread unsettling, and its interconnected map worth exploring from pillar to post.
The same is true of Blasphemous 2, and like any sequel worthy of praise, it's managed to fine-tune its forerunners' shortcomings with great results. Despite the rigidity with which the first game stuck to its learn-by-dying blueprint in battle, I found its inconsistent platforming to be up there with its biggest challenges. Too often, even the slightest mistimed leap would result in death, in situations where it felt like the game was punishing me through poor design, as opposed to my inability to stick the landing. The first Blasphemous also felt a little light on both its abilities and fighting style fronts – and so it's great to see both areas expanded and improved in its sequel.
With a series of incrementally-unlocked, genre-familiar powers, returning protagonist The Penitent One steadily builds up a repertoire of double jumps, mid-air dashes, ground smashes and more over the course of the game's landscape-scouring tale; pulling you back and forth, up and down, and round and round the map as you break new ground and return to once inaccessible areas by way of new abilities in equal measure.
"Easily the game's crowning features, Blasphemous 2's blockbuster boss showdowns are spectacular affairs, sometimes bizarre and always brutal."
Prayers have been expanded this time around, with 'Quick Verses' supplying rapid-fire forms of offense, and with 'Chants' putting a heavier strain on your MP-aping 'Fervor' bar with devastating effects. 'Galera of the Living Briar' is a personal favorite from the former spell book, which delivers a sharp blast of electricity; whereas the 'Debla of the Lights' from the latter summons a powerful laser beam of Mystical magic that pulled me out of a hole more than once. Rosary Beads likewise return, with a familiar range of elemental buffs of varying strengths; whereas death still reduces Fervor and can only be restored by seeking confession.
All of this pairs well with Blasphemous 2's trifecta of weapons – the 'Arsenal of Penitence', as it's known – one of which is chosen from the outset; the sum of which must be obtained at various locations throughout the overworld. The Veredicto is a burning mace-meets-thurible incense burner that deals massive amounts of damage and has a ridiculous reach. The aforementioned Reugo Al Alba is a blood-powered sword, that'd be right at home in Bloodborne and is the best all-rounder going. And the Sarmiento & Centella are twin blades best-suited for quick-fire, close-quarters combat when your back is against the wall.
As you progress through Blasphemous 2's story, you'll also unlock special powers tied to each weapon – the Veredicto can burst through crumbling barriers, the Reugo Al Alba can smash through path-blocking tree roots, and the Sarmiento & Centella can teleport you between gleaming mirrors – with multi-tier weapon trees affording special unlocks that can aid you in battle. An early Veredicto upgrade named Thunder of Mercy, for example, lets you charge up a powerful ground smash that can stagger enemies. A later upgrade, Ignition Strike, builds on the same maneuver but adds fire with the tap of a button. Towards the end of the game, a top-tier upgrade, Endless Flame, lets you chain Ignition Strike into another attack – and given the fact each weapon boasts over a dozen new moves, the scope for combos and variety in combat is broad.
The rhythm of the fight
Blasphemous 2's narrative is a similarly bleak, mostly fictitious slant on religion similar to its forerunner, whereby most snatches of dialogue gleaned from the world's fantastical NPCs leave you with more questions than answers. But, just like its predecessor, that's part of Blasphemous 2's charm. Receiving blessings from a giant floating hand by giving them tissues found in far-flung dungeons, while three servants give said levitating appendage a manicure was never really going to make perfect sense now, was it?
Nor were Blasphemous 2's blockbuster bosses. Easily the game's crowning features, these showdowns are spectacular affairs, sometimes bizarre and always brutal. As unsettling as they are unpredictable, their place in this world is one of universal anguish, lending each encounter an element of desperation I don't think even FromSoftware's impressive back catalog has ever nailed down to this degree. Trial and error is integral throughout, of course, but once you work out the rhythm and move patterns of each one, the feeling of joy in victory is second to none.
Which is a theme that runs through Blasphemous 2. Wearing its Metroidvania and Soulslike inspirations firmly on its sleeve, it's a game underpinned by death – in its narrative, in its objectives, and in its core game loop. You will die, a lot, but you should take something from each demise. That may be a better understanding of a particular enemy, or even your own faltering hand-to-eye coordination, but the games that succeed in this space are the ones that use death as a means of enticement. Yes, you'll meet your maker in Blasphemous 2 more times than you care to admit, but you'll want to keep throwing yourself into its hellscapes again and again.
That, coupled with vast improvements to the original game and a network of search-and-retrieve side quest-offering NPCs littered around the interconnected world, makes Blasphemous 2 exactly what a Metroidvania Soulslike sequel needs to be.
