Blasphemous

The Game Kitchen has used the pixel-art style in a masterful way, combining it with Christian folklore to create a memorable metroidvania, loaded with a deep and twisted story that crowns a demanding and calculated gameplay.

The Game Kitchen’s latest work is ideal not only for fans of metroidvania genre. For me its accessibility and sheer fun of gameplay compares to a “souls” version of last year’s Spider-Man, which is the best recommendation I can give. [12/2019, p.55]

From start to finish Blasphemous kept me engaged. Even when I reached the end I just wanted the game to keep going. I'm not the biggest fan of its approach to storytelling but the combat and exploration borrows from the best the genre has to offer.

There are minor irritations – some bosses have annoying stun-locks, enemies sometimes don’t load in properly, and platforming can be iffy at times. But trying again comes with minimal punishment. Like the twisted religion testing The Penitent One’s faith, the game’s willing to forgive – if you’re willing to try again. [Issue#168, p.78]

Blasphemous finds success by adhering to staples of the genre and executing them well. Coupled with its strong art style and design, it’s a great option for anyone seeking another Metroidvania fix. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it proudly shows off its visual personality.

Blasphemous could have been even a more ambitious title if its platforming parts was less annoying, but if you give it time, it will give you back a wonderful, entertaining experience. If you are a fan of Metroidvania or Dark Fantasies, then Blasphemous is definitely the one for you.

Just one more Metroidvania? Not really. Blasphemous has its own thing, with its grim, gloomy atmosphere and tight combats. We could have used some more save points though.

If you can tolerate the super-annoying instant death traps and are a Metroidvania fan then I highly recommend Blasphemous.

Blasphemous is a metroidvania game that is just good in terms of gameplay, but manages to be outstanding with its art and setting. A folkloric piece of art in the form of a videogame that results in one of the most attractive indies of 2019 so far.

Blasphemous is slowed by a few minor issues but overall has a gripping setting and haunting design presentation.

If you're into challenging action platformer games, Blasphemous is as good as the next. It isn't perfect or revolutionary, but it doesn't have to be. Its lore and visual direction are disturbingly beautiful and craft an interesting and distinct world. Great boss fights and an enjoyable and challenging combat system ensures that fans of the genre will have enough to sink their teeth into and enjoy.

A formulaic Metroidvania with satisfying combat and a thick mood in the air, Blasphemous uses its pixel art style and fixation on religious iconography to establish a powerful vision of a forsaken world.

Blasphemous is a great little 2D Souls-like which will definitely appeal to fans of dark and difficult games. It doesn’t have the polish of the likes of Dead Cells and is more linear than true Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, but follows in the bloodied footsteps of titles like Death’s Gambit and Slain: Back From Hell. It isn’t a game for everyone but there is plenty here to get your teeth into with lots of secrets and some excellent and challenging boss encounters. All in all, it's bloody good fun.

The ingredients are all there, but in a nutshell those sought-after situations that could make the title memorable, and so Blasphemous is sometimes crude, poorly finished, and this also applies to the technical packaging; stylistically interesting, of course, but which fails to persist on the quality front, ending up fluctuating between the remarkable and the modest.