Developer: The Game Kitchen
Platforms: PC (Reviewed) and Steam Deck (Reviewed), Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre: Action, Adventure, Metroidvania
Publisher: Team17
Release date: 24th August, 2023
Blasphemous 2 is a souls-like Metroidvania 2D pixel art platformer with a deep rich mix of combat, puzzles, and platform action in this medieval realm. I only played a little of Blasphemous, so my knowledge is patchy on the original game, but I; didn’t find that a hindrance to playing Blasphemous 2 though I may have missed certain narrative items.
Artstyle and visuals are a super mix of 2D pixel art set in a dark and brutal medieval world full of vile beings. This dark aesthetic gives the story, the lore and the world an unnerving feeling which, at times, mirrors the game’s brutal souls-like difficulty. The game is unrelenting in parts, but I found it enjoyable rather than a slog. An excellent soundtrack sets the scene for the game, and the story has voice acting to narrate the most important parts of the game. It’s hard to pick any holes in the visuals, story, lore, music and voice acting; it all fits together to give an engaging experience.
You will wield three primary weapons – a strong slow mace, two lightning-quick swords and a longsword; all have different physical combat and game mechanics abilities, which you will unlock as you play. There are skill trees for each weapon which can increase the magic and fire and give you extra skills. Each weapon also has specific powers that allow you to access areas in the game and get loot. Each location you visit will not have every path unlocked for you but may require a weapon mechanic to access. Your secondary weapon is the ability to use magic spells to compliment your armoury. The game allows you to play as you see fit.
The game rewards the adventurous and those willing to take that risk to push into every nook and cranny in the vast map. The game design, gameplay, levels, and game mechanics; are intelligently thought out, which leads to a hugely rich and enjoyable gaming experience. It’s a much more in-depth and rewarding gaming experience that I found tremendously addictive and challenging to put down. It’s not; super difficult, but it gradually gets harder as you progress through the levels. Each level and area has a wide array of enemies, keeping the player on their toes. The bosses are fantastic and tough to beat. The various game mechanics, puzzles and interlinked areas in the map provide diverse gameplay that doesn’t seem repetitive. I enjoyed unlocking and finding new paths between the; areas.
I played the game on my PC (about 95% of the time), but I used the Steam Deck for a few hours and enjoyed the experience equally on both. The Steam Deck was identical to the PC version, and I encountered no issues. This game isn’t certified as Steam Deck compatible at the review time.
This fantastic 2D pixel art Metroidvania world combines combat, puzzles, lore, and platforming sensibilities—a dark and eerie experience in parts which have tremendous game mechanics and a wonderful, compelling world underline. It’s a highly addictive and enjoyable experience when you get over the constant dying part.
Overall: 9.5/10
Enjoys more than the odd game, long time gamer, somewhat a technologist and everything else in between.
Also enjoys a good solid game of FIFA online. Currently PS4, XBOX 360 and STEAM.
