Blasphemous

[Moribunderast]

BLASPHEMOUS.



So I've been aware of this game for a while but it's finally released yesterday and after a few hours with it I'm really, really digging it. Now, if you're over Metroidvania games or pixel graphics then this probably isn't the game for you but I was immediately drawn in by the art-style, which is painstakingly created and brilliantly hideous. The game evokes a lot of Spanish religious imagery and the enemies and settings I've encountered are all very well designed.





As far as gameplay, it's what you'd expect from a Metroidvania - go explore, run into obstacles that you'll need power-ups to overcome and fight giant bosses that halt your progress. What I like with the exploration, though, is it feels very open from the get-go. You immediately have several directions you can go and the world opens up pretty quickly. There's certainly less "I'll have to return here when I get the double-jump" moments and I feel like for every locked door I'm finding countless open ones and new ways to snake into new areas or find shortcuts to old ones.

The combat is simple but fun, for me at least. You have a block mechanic and a dodge mechanic and it's basically just a matter of utilising those while picking up the timing of enemy attacks to defeat them. I'm four hours in and am yet to find anything incredibly difficult, though it's not without challenge.

The voice-acting is a little hit-and-miss but none has been awful by any means. The dialogue is all very much steeped in religious iconography and themes of penitence and suffering. It's all very serious and grim but I like the tone the game has evoked.

All in all, very pleased with it so far and hoping the quality keeps up throughout the end. If you're not DONE with side-scrolling exploration/slashy games then this is probably the best example of one of those I've played in some time.

[madhair60]

It looks ruddy tryhard to me, with boss names like THE WRACKING MALCONTENT and BEYOND DESPAIR AND DECAY, but it also looks quite fun.

[Moribunderast]

It looks ruddy tryhard to me, with boss names like THE WRACKING MALCONTENT and BEYOND DESPAIR AND DECAY, but it also looks quite fun.

You've just described Dark Souls.

No, the boss names are very pretentious and WORTHY but that's kinda in keeping with the tone. It'd be weird to come up against a demonic disembodied head of a fire priestess and have her be called "Greg".

6 hours in now. Very interested to see how big the game is because I feel like I've explored a majority of the map and yet I'm only at 42%. Might be a longer game than I was expecting.

[The Boston Crab]

I love the look of it but can't bear MV or anything with this kind of 2D gameplay.

[madhair60]

You've just described Dark Souls.

No, the boss names are very pretentious and WORTHY but that's kinda in keeping with the tone. It'd be weird to come up against a demonic disembodied head of a fire priestess and have her be called "Greg".

Nah Dark Souls did it first and this is just playing catch-up.

THE JUDDERING STILLBORN
CALAMITOUS DIARRHROAR
LAST EXIT TO PAEDOTOWN

[Moribunderast]

At the end of this now. Thoroughly enjoyed it but I hate the cunt that made it and hope he dies.

Not really but I am at a Sekiro-like situation where the final boss is just frustrating me now. Have gotten to within a hit of killing it multiple times and keep just dying. It's a multiple phase fight with randomised attacks (and combos) that mean your experience from fight to fight is vastly different and sometimes you can get plenty of hits in while other times things don't fall your way and your spending forever just dodging projectiles. Oh and it has a stunlock attack that, if it hits you, keeps you in place and continues hitting you for 3/4 of your health. Fun! Think I need to draft in Boston Crab to finish it for me with his shmup skill. Need to git gud but will probably git broken controller before I do.