As a big fan of the Metroidvania genre, I followed the release of Blasphemous 2 and couldn’t help but write about the game. As well as seeing how much this game has had an impact on various Twitch broadcasts, in the middle of days full of other big releases, this game has also stood out for its loyal fan base.

Also commenting on the gaming experience itself, it’s inevitable to talk about the first title in the series: the first Blasphemous, by the Spanish studio (and a beginner at the time) The Game Kitchen and distributed by Team17, already impressed on the release with its beautiful pixel art, impressive animation and many more strengths than weaknesses for a new metroidvania.

The saga continues, with improvements

In Blasphemous 2, you continue the saga, this time with improved movement, better graphics, more weapon options, even more intense bosses and a high replayability factor, from the choice of starting weapon, where to start the journey, how to explore, progress towards 100% of the map and collectibles, progress towards all the game’s achievements, among other details.

To finish the game with 100% progress, it took me around 30 hours and, although I didn’t get all the achievements, the estimate for achieving such progress is around 50-60 hours. There is a possibility that, as occurred with the first game in the saga, the game will receive free updates with new content, scenarios and bosses, which could further increase the replay factor.

Blasphemous 2: a piece of art

On the artistic side, the detailing of the scenery and animations, the backgrounds and, not least, the soundtrack are also strong highlights of this sequel.

Some points to comment about the gameplay are the huge difficulty curve in the game’s penultimate boss, which, although fun, is out of step with the rest of the game, which sells itself as more accessible to an audience that didn’t play the first title, but still has its challenges for those who enjoyed it and wanted a sequel.

A very clear example of Blasphemous 2’s reduction in difficulty: in the first title, falling into thorns and cliffs leads to instant death; in the second title, you only lose part of your life and return from where you fell, without dying immediately.

It’s a title that stands as an improvement on its original game, incredible to play and to watch, which is why it draws the attention of the streamers and also engages the audience, who ask questions about the history of the game, about this current release and even the game that preceded it, about the secrets, the interactions with the characters and the universe around them and, in any case, just to talk about how beautiful the game looks.

The best part is how well optimized this game is, and how much it can be enjoyed by anyone who wants to try it out, whether they’re a viewer or a streamer.

Blasphemous 2

PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch (2023)

Performance

Streamability

Audience Engagement

Replayability

Summary

For a game in the Metroidvania genre, Blasphemous 2 corrects the mistakes of the first and raises the bar where, for a studio just starting out, it had already delivered a very consistent title in its first project and has now managed to take it up to another level and release one of the best Metroidvania platform games of recent years. Even though it was released at the same time as other great Triple AAA games and even great indie games, Blasphemous 2 proved its consistency, its appeal and its glory, being a miraculous game (pun intended, sorry).

Ludovicoluka

I have 25 years, I produce content to internet for 4 years and I like retro games, indies and I’m an enthusiast for new launches. I have as my favorite games Donkey Kong Country 2, Super Mario World, Hollow Knight and Red Dead Redemption II, per example. I like to experiment everything and the more, the better, but I never get sick of my comfort games!