Ooh, found a baby.
Blasphemous 2 is as grotesque and twisted as it is stunningly beautiful. Its pixel artwork is immaculately detailed as are its fully animated cutscenes. Its environments are spacious and luxurious, and yet home to abominations and things that lurk in the dark. Its story may not engage you, but if you dive into its gameplay as deep as your blade cuts down your opponent, you'll find a rewarding experience that entertains at every turn.
Blasphemous 2 sees the return of the Penitent One, tasked with yet another holy mission that will see you advancing on challenging foes and even deadlier bosses. Its take on the Metroidvania may not be revolutionary or wholly original, but its focus on providing a wealth of traversal abilities allows its world to be explored in a manner of ways, especially as your initial choice of one of three weapons will dictate where you'll explore for the first few hours. Add in a double jump, dash, and other tools to your arsenal, and you'll take to every corner of the map in typical Metroidvania fashion.
Where Blasphemous 2 excels over its predecessor is that you have greater freedom over combat and the variety within. Blasphemous gave the Penitent One a single blade to wield whereas here, you'll choose from three unique options, all of which also aid in exploration. My initial choice was the Ruego Al Alba, a blade similar to the Mea Culpa from the original. This well-balanced blade is fairly fast while also allowing you to slam down into grotesque wooden barriers. Its range is fair and its downward slash can destroy groups of enemies if timed just right.
The additional two weapons are then found out in the world. The next tool to add to my arsenal was the Veredicto, a slower option, but one that packs a wallop. While its charge and fire capabilities are unmatched, you'll also be able to swing at cracked bells to have their sound echo out to swirling liquids floating in the air. This vibration solidifies those floating droplets into platforms, as long as the vibration is still present. Lastly, are the sword and dagger combo in Sarmiento and Centella, a pair of quick blades that also allow you to teleport from stationed mirrors that are designed to propel you around a room or through thin walls or doors.
This reliance on each weapon doubling as a way to traverse has you switching back and forth at a rapid pace, almost being part of a solution to the puzzle-like navigation you'll take on. Each weapon has a series of upgrades through a new currency called the Marks of Martyrdom. These items come at you pretty fast and furious as you'll find them as you continue to kill enemies, explore, or when you fell a boss. This currency is also used elsewhere, so you'll need to keep on the lookout for more. Weapons can get additional upgrades as you find them again across the map, some locked behind further advances of your traversal skills. Exploration is rewarded greatly the more you put into it.
Each weapon’s upgrades are handled through unlocking latent memories they once held. The Ruego Al Alba, for example, unlocks the use of the Blood Pact, a gauge that fills up as you deal damage to your enemies that causes mystical damage. The lightning-fast Sarmiento and Centella can harness the power of that very lightning, as long as you prevent yourself from taking damage. Lastly, the Veredicto can rely on the element of fire to make it a far more devastating weapon than it already is. Each weapon has a substantial skill tree to work through, granting you a great deal of power at your fingertips.
To aid in combat, The Penitent One will have access to a wealth of Prayers in both Quick Verses and Chants. While similar to the Prayers used in the first title, these are now split into two different styles. Verses are quick action abilities whereas Chants are more powerful but slower, feeling more in line with how Prayers were handled previously.
Verses each feel unique and can often be situational. From a crimson buzz-saw to conquer ground-based threats to a similar skill that can be thrown out to any foe in your path, you'll also wield the power of lighting to surrounding yourself in a floating sphere of Miasma, causing it to expand out and decimate your enemy. With eight to track down, you certainly have a good amount of options to find what works for you. Chants work in a similar fashion but consume more Fervor and take longer to pull off. These range from being able to retreat back to the City of the Blessed Name to throwing out a wave of fire, and more. Chants can be a viable means to handle most threats in your way, should you have the Fervor, that is.
When you die in Blasphemous 2, you accumulate Guilt and leave behind a fragment of it in the exact spot you died, and yes, it will appear atop spikes should they be the cause of your death. Your death will cause you to reawaken next to the last used Prie Dieu, which is where you’ll refill your health as well as resummon all the enemies around you. While you have Guilt, your Fervor bar will have a portion covered up, limiting your ability to rely on Prayers. To remove this Guilt, you simply have to retrieve the Guilt Fragment or visit a Confessor and pay to have it removed. Thankfully, your Tears of Atonement don't disappear should you die, leaving you with the entire amount, burning a hole in your holy pocket.
With you constantly saving up those Tears of Atonement, you'll have a variety of things to purchase. Prayers and weapon upgrades are certainly at the top of the list, as well as Rosary Beads returning from the previous game, granting defensive and supportive perks, making them an essential piece of your kit. However, Altarpieces are likely going to be the difference maker to most players, especially if they are used correctly. Altarpieces are items that slot into the back of The Penitent One granting him additional perks. However, unlike Rosary Beads, these slot in as pairs of two with certain pairings granting what is called Resonance, a system that rewards unique parings with additional bonuses. Initially, you'll have limited space, which can be easily rectified as you purchase more space through the master sculptor, Montanes.
Now, all these systems working in tandem with one another is how you'll aim to stay alive during many of the game's challenging encounters. While Blasphemous 2 appears to be a tad easier than its predecessor, I find this is only true due to you having more options in combat and how you build your Penitent One, due to your Altarpieces and Rosary Beads, not to mention being able to upgrade each of your three weapons and having more Prayers at any given moment. These increase your power and survivability, making the game appear to be easier. This is very apparent through the game’s boss encounters. While a few late-game fights are just as hard as what was present in the previous title, a few battles here are pretty easy, especially the first three fights, at least in comparison to some of the later battles.
While Blasphemous 2 has a very minimalist way of telling its story, as per how the Soulslike genre can often lean into, there is a vastness to its cast of characters that still results in some truly unique moments, even if they are detours from the greater narrative. From tracking down a collection of babies to daughters, each have their own steward that you’ll interact with. And despite the collectible nature of how some of these encounters work, there are plenty others that can offer you choices that can affect your playthrough. Finding each of them and attempting to understand what they want from you is an interesting wrinkle to the strange world Blasphemous 2 offers. These moments are further involving due to some pretty stellar voice acting, even if the dialogue itself is a tad wordy, often conveying the most simplistic conversation in more words than needed.
Blasphemous 2 doesn't reinvent the Metroidvania, but it certainly is extremely enjoyable to take on. The new additions feel solid in their inclusion and provide more options to include in your kit. What I enjoy about Blasphemous 2 compared to other Metroidvania titles, especially when compared to The Last Faith, is how quick and responsive it feels to play. Every slash of your weapon to the Prayer you’ll unleash feels great to use and allows your skill of its tools to drive your engagement. Blasphemous 2 may not impress with its narrative, but its gameplay is nonetheless the star of the show and shines brightly upon the Penitent One’s holy crusade.
Developer - The Game Kitchen. Publisher - Team 17. Released - August 24th, 2023. Available On - Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Windows. Rated - (M) Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Violence.
Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X. Review Access - A review code for the game was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.