Blasphemous

Release: 2019
Developer: The Game Kitchen
Publisher: Team 17
Genre: 2D, Action, Metroidvania
Gameplay Stats: 16 hours, 40/45 Steam Achievements

When you see footage of this game, it's immediately captivating. It's a brutal religious aesthetic, absolutely gorgeous. I had my eyes on this one for a while and was able to get it relatively quickly after launch thanks to a nice Humble Bundle.

Visuals: This game is extremely pretty. It's got a very strange HD pixel-art look to it that is immediately interesting. I haven't seen a game that looks like it before and I can say after playing it that's a shame. The enemies are all really cool and interesting looking. Their capabilities are easily telegraphed and it's pretty easy to know what's going on. I had a couple of difficulties knowing where the edges of a couple platforms were, but the issues were few and far between. Some of the bosses it was a little difficult to find their hitboxes, but again the issues were very short lived.

Audio: The music was understated, but definitely enjoyable. It makes really great background music if you happen to enjoy the themes present in a lot of religious music. I went to a Catholic high school and really enjoyed the music part of that experience, so I enjoyed the tunes here. It's all very background music, nothing that is super in the front of the mix. The sound effects are a little repetitive and a little jarring sometimes, but they are descriptive. I've heard secret rooms because I could hear an enemy I couldn't see. It was a very nice thing! In the prison area, the shouting enemies are a bit much but that was my only complaint.

Plot: I'm not super sure what happened here to be honest. My lack of familiarity with religious themes and old English definitely didn't help matters. I think there was a lot of Latin in this game, or maybe my vocabulary is worse than I think it is. Something about a pilgrim cleansing sin and offering pain to a miracle? I do know that the goal of the game is clear from the start and doesn't change much, so I don't think there are spoilers with what I've said.

Gameplay: As a metroidvania, this game plays as you would expect. Lots of 2d action, exploration, and platforming. The jump has some freedom too it, but also feels more weighty than many games in the genre. It feels a bit like the jump from the first Castlevania but with air mobility. I don't think this aspect of the game really breaks any new ground in the genre. Pretty standard movement abilities and feel, apart from the lack of double jump. It is kind of interesting that your movement abilities come through equipping different abilities. You get about 7 different ones and can only equip 3 at once. I honestly found this kind of annoying instead of interesting and unique. It seemed like a heavy handed way to block off certain items and I don't think it was fully explored. One example is some floating red dust that turns into platforms when you have an item equipped. When you get the item it's not interesting to have to open your menu and equip one particular of your exploration abilities. I like the idea of the abilities being passive way more. I suppose this way is pure in that your character doesn't technically gain any abilities by picking up a random feather or whatever. It does feel clunky in execution though.

Overall I really enjoyed this game! I don't think it broke any new ground in the genre, but it's beautiful and solid. If you're looking for a metroidvania, this one may be good for you. I don't think this one is exemplary in any way, but its is quite good. [8.5/10]