I died for my sins.
Pixel-based 2D action games are a dime a dozen these days. It takes something truly special to stand out in a sea of familiar faces. Developer The Games Kitchen is looking to make their mark with the latest from Team17, Blasphemous. At first glance it may seem like every other game in the genre. It is a side-scrolling adventure with a mix of Metroid and Dark Souls with a focus on combat as opposed to puzzle-solving or platforming. In motion, though, the game takes on a life of its own. Some of the best 2D animation I have ever seen crops up time and time again. Sadly, the uninspired combat drags it down long before it reaches its conclusion.
Blasphemous leans heavily into its religion-inspired theme. Upgrades are done through rosary beads, enemies are often carrying crosses, and even our main protagonist (known as the penitent one) uses prayer statues in order to save his progress. It certainly goes for it in terms of sticking with its theme. Everything in the game opts for cryptic storytelling. Every item has a paragraph of lore accompanying it with a smattering of text that reads like a verse from the Bible. There is so much iconography in the game it is impossible to keep track of it all.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
All of this visual flare comes alongside some of the most impressive 2D animation I have ever seen. Every attack feels unique, each enemy is grossly detailed with complex movements. The design team really outdid themselves with this game. It is beautiful in motion, even in its grotesque nature. The bosses are equally impressive. Some of them fill the entire screen with each one leaving a mark on me. I can vividly remember their gross appearance. The game just overflows with style at every turn. Each new area comes with a host of unique enemies, each one more disgusting than the last.
Where the seams start to show is in the actual game play. Combat is the core focus. While there are some platforming segments and a few light puzzles, this game relies solely on its combat to move forward. Enemies have different attack patterns and learning how each one works is the key to progression. There are parry and dodge moves and each encounter quickly becomes a game of cat and mouse, kiting the enemies into position to strike. The parry is the focal point. The timing window is extremely forgiving, and when executed delivers a satisfying window to land a powerful blow. There are also finisher moves that crop up at random, which are both deeply disturbing and satisfying.
The snags started to crop up when I realized the combat was growing stale. Sword upgrades are nice, but the strategy rarely changes. Kite the enemy, land a parry, or dodge out of the way. This is the process for 90% of the game. Bosses add a lot to each encounter with unique patterns and methods, but the bulk of the game is exploring these areas and exploiting the limited combat system. I just wish there was more. The Dark Souls inspirations continue with corpse runs. While not necessarily regaining my experience, these served to refill my special attack meter. Dying also limited my intake of XP so finding them, or simply having someone bless me to remove the status effect was the key to advancing.
In addition to sword upgrades there are also new abilities to learn as well as prayers. These are special moves that take some time to wind up. I found a lot of times these were not worth the effort as I would be interrupted mid-animation. This becomes especially frustrating in boss encounters. Blasphemous is a long game, but it never really evolves much past how it starts. It relies solely on its visual aesthetic to keep players entertained. That certainly pushes it along for the bulk of the journey, but it falls short the longer it goes.
Blasphemous is an absolutely stunning game everyone should see in motion. I loved it for the first 10 or so hours, but then it just continues to stay the course throughout. With a little more variety this could have been a true classic. Still this developer has some talent and I would love a follow-up with a little more flavor and a lot less bulk. On a purely visual scale this game has few equals and for that I can recommend it easily, just be aware that not much changes as far as game play goes throughout the entire journey.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
