Blasphemous

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 204 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 153 out of 204
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 204
  3. Negative: 25 out of 204
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. lailxd
    Dec 22, 2021
    10
    What I like about this game:
    dark ages religious atmosphere.
    challenging game play.
    characters design and dialogs. They are ridiculous and I love them.

    I think most of the early user reviews are lower since the game had a lot of bugs at the start, but most were ironed out at this point.

    I will forever rate this game as 10/10. can't wait for Blasphemous 2!
  2. BARDOCK77
    Jul 24, 2020
    9
    BLASPHEMOUS gives us a macabre yet beautiful pixel art world inspired by religious iconography from the spanish inquisition.
    Challenging but rewarding gameplay with some of the best boss fights the genre has to offer.
    Bold artistic choices helped create a sense of danger, fear and some jaw dropping scenes of beauty which establishes a perfect mood for this type of story. The lore is    BLASPHEMOUS gives us a macabre yet beautiful pixel art world inspired by religious iconography from the spanish inquisition.
    Challenging but rewarding gameplay with some of the best boss fights the genre has to offer.
    Bold artistic choices helped create a sense of danger, fear and some jaw dropping scenes of beauty which establishes a perfect mood for this type of story.
    The lore is very rich and it's left for the players to explore and discover.
    BLASPHEMOUS deserves a sequel. It leaves us wanting to keep living in this macabre world and we want to explore and expand upon the world, characters, lore and gameplay mechanics.    … Expand
  3. AceAscendus
    Sep 11, 2019
    10
    Awesome indie game! Incorporates a lot of good stuff from both Castlevania and Soulsborne games! The artstyle and atmosphere is extremely good, buy it and enjoy it, it is worth the money.
  4. javicalavera
    Sep 19, 2019
    10
    Me ha encantado, tenía muchas ganas de tenerlo y no me ha defraudado nada. Una pasada
  5. Daryk
    Sep 11, 2019
    10
    This game is amazing. It’s like I’m playing dark souls again for the first time. The art, level design, lore , open ended exploration, and music are all fantastic. Some of the “critic” reviews say it’s not as polished or good as dead cells or hollow knight but having played those games (and liking them) I beg to differ! Just as good if not better in some areas! If you’re a fan ofThis game is amazing. It’s like I’m playing dark souls again for the first time. The art, level design, lore , open ended exploration, and music are all fantastic. Some of the “critic” reviews say it’s not as polished or good as dead cells or hollow knight but having played those games (and liking them) I beg to differ! Just as good if not better in some areas! If you’re a fan of Soulsborne (I am a big fan), or metroidvania games, give this a go. You will not be disappointed.… Expand
  6. FilipWit
    Sep 3, 2020
    10
    I played at the time of the release on PS4 and there were some things that needed "more time in the oven" but since then the game has got many bugfixes, patches and just recently a whole free dlc. I however, didn't get to experience any of that and my playthrough was as vanilla as you can get.

    With that in mind, let me tell you that I loved the game. The grim, cruel and brutal religious    I played at the time of the release on PS4 and there were some things that needed "more time in the oven" but since then the game has got many bugfixes, patches and just recently a whole free dlc. I however, didn't get to experience any of that and my playthrough was as vanilla as you can get.

    With that in mind, let me tell you that I loved the game. The grim, cruel and brutal religious aesthetic was right up my alley, the presentation was great, the voice acting added so much to the storytelling and atmosphere and music was super good and atmospheric. Gameplay was really hard but I didn't think it was unfair. The Penitent One gets many cool upgrades over the course of the game that flesh out your strategies and approaches. The game also has a system of equippable upgrades that let you make your own build suited for different type of approaches. The customization it allows isn't big, but it does make a significant enough difference and you'd always want to make sure you have the right gear equipped. I think this game's biggest strength is the aesthetic, world, backstory and lore, but gameplay is also really good.

    If you're up for something confusing, but deep and rich in detail then Blasphemous is definitely for you as long as you're good enough for its challenges. If you're looking for something gameplay focused with a lot of depth and polish in that aspect, this game might not be for you. It's gameplay was very good for me, but its a game that you buy for the lore, music and aesthetic first, gameplay second.    … Expand
  7. Kgrottini
    Sep 25, 2019
    4
    I did it, I ignored all of the reviews that said the artwork was great but the gameplay was terrible. I opened an account on metacritic to implore you not to make the same mistake.

    As you explore the world, there is a lot to love: toppling great bosses, exploring new areas, and brutally dismantling your foes. Between every great moment of satisfaction though, there are ugly deaths. Not    I did it, I ignored all of the reviews that said the artwork was great but the gameplay was terrible. I opened an account on metacritic to implore you not to make the same mistake.

    As you explore the world, there is a lot to love: toppling great bosses, exploring new areas, and brutally dismantling your foes. Between every great moment of satisfaction though, there are ugly deaths. Not the type of deaths where you learn some humility and caution from your own arrogance or haste, but deaths due to clunky mechanics, enemies that are literally invisible until they attack, or the constant threat of fatal bottomless pits or spikes. Artificially difficult games like this show a lack of forethought on the designer's end that just go to show there are a lot of people out there trying to cash in on the soulslike and metroidvania 2d phenomenon without having a good idea as to what make those games work. Games like this remind me of how good games like Hollow Knight and Dead Cells are. Do yourself a favor and buy one of those two games instead.    … Expand
  8. Blasphemousfail
    Jan 16, 2020
    2
    While the visuals and audio are certainly quite appealing, creating a beautiful game to behold, unfortunately that is where the praise ends.

    Allow me to tell you a story. There was a time when Team17 was relevant, many decades ago. Back in that era, most games were only 1 hour or so long. To compensate, these games were made ridiculously difficult. Covering the screen with projectiles    While the visuals and audio are certainly quite appealing, creating a beautiful game to behold, unfortunately that is where the praise ends.

    Allow me to tell you a story. There was a time when Team17 was relevant, many decades ago. Back in that era, most games were only 1 hour or so long. To compensate, these games were made ridiculously difficult. Covering the screen with projectiles while severely limiting one's movement being a common practice. This would force the player to take damage, unless they were frame perfect that is. This among other tactics would be employed in order to inflate the play time, making the game seem like it was actually worth the entry fee. However, this isn't the 80s, or the 90s for that matter. The game industry has since matured, by replaced unplayable rooms with actual skill and challenge based gameplay. Team17, clearly is still the same prepubescent child of a developer is was back then. There were dozens upon dozens of occasions, primarily when engaging a boss, in which the entire screen would be covered in death, leaving me literally nowhere to go. It's the primary reason I literally just made this account. Only a simple child would consider the act of pinning the player to a wall and clubbing them repeatedly over the head would be intelligent, let alone enjoyable game design.

    Then comes the clunk. Apparently Team17 has forgotten what competent code looks like, as nearly every ability you gain require a basic attack input. An intelligent designer would have read the input and immediately started the animation for the action. Team17 decided making you waste time doing a basic attack first no matter what the intended move nor the context of the input was clearly the better option. Not to mention the hit detection can be an absolute joke. Multiple enemies are quite literally invincible, ignoring my attacks and input, literally not taking damage, and proceeding to bulldoze through my character like I didn't exist. Multiple times I would phase through platforms to my annoyance as I tried to make a simple jump.

    Dark souls, which this game is clearly "subtly inspired" by, encourages the player to try again. Each failure gives the player pause. Something to think about, be it technique or learning a bit of caution. Blasphemous has no such feeling. Death is merely a joke, in which the game relishes in rubbing your nose in it. It laughs at you, knowing there is to learn. The game merely decided it was bored of being played and has decided that it is time for you to stop. Quite literally, the primary deaths I experienced, weren't my fault. Many times, I would be moving along, when something off screen would knock me into a pit, or a boss would drop delayed attacks on either side of me before impaling his scepter through me, because that is both intelligently designed and fair. Deaths from bosses never felt like my fault, as attempting to avoid one attack would simply drop in the middle of three more instead.

    All in all, the game looks and sounds beautiful, but plays like absolute trash. The developer clearly hasn't learned a thing since their founding, and are merely piggybacking off of a trend far better and more complex then they could ever comprehend, let alone clone.    … Expand
  9. ace1325
    Sep 10, 2019
    10
    A really cool and bloody metroidvania . With a cool style and killer combat
  10. altalo
    Sep 10, 2019
    10
    Fantastica historia y gameplay en este metroidvania que es toda una sorpresa del estudio español
  11. Dank_Serpico
    Nov 20, 2019
    8
    Blasphemous is a mix of a Metroidvania and a souls-like. But really it has more in common with the Dark Souls series. This is because at the core Blasphemous is brutally difficult combat that requires players to master the nuances of blocking and dodging. Exploring deeper into a dungeon eventually reveals a door that loops back to the starting point. All very typical to the Dark SoulsBlasphemous is a mix of a Metroidvania and a souls-like. But really it has more in common with the Dark Souls series. This is because at the core Blasphemous is brutally difficult combat that requires players to master the nuances of blocking and dodging. Exploring deeper into a dungeon eventually reveals a door that loops back to the starting point. All very typical to the Dark Souls experience.

    Where Blasphemous truly shines is style. Possibly the best pixel art and animation I have ever seen. Incredible moody music. Art direction that will consistently surprise. It was a nice contrast to a very similar game, Bloodstained. Bloodstained has a bit more meat to the experience and is more polished over all... but Blasphemous is just so much cooler. When characters speak in Bloodstained you will undoubtedly start spamming the skip button. On the rare occasions a character speaks in Blasphemous it's usually arcane and profound. It will leave you confused but you might also be thinking, man that sounded pretty cool whatever the hell he just said.

    Sadly the game is a little on the short side. On top of that it can be pretty buggy. I've gotten stuck on geometry, had the game freeze up, or just crash to desktop. It was still playable but bugs popped enough to tarnish the score ever so slightly.

    So if you found yourself wanting a slightly easier Dark Souls that looks like an SNES game on speed. Or you just want a game like Bloodstained that doesn't cringe you out with corny dialog... Blasphemous might be the game you're looking for.    … Expand
  12. eldesgraciado
    Mar 7, 2020
    9
    "Finally, a video game that truly captures the Catholic experience." - The Pope
  13. amralchalati
    Oct 24, 2019
    10
    I have played the game for around 34h and got 99.25%, I loved most of the things in the game and here is my thoughts on pros and cons below:
    Pros:
    - Good story, but you have to fish for it like Dark souls games. - Amazing and pixel perfect with dark style visuals. - Great bosses and enemies designs. - very responsive controller and well thought fighting styles of each enemy. - Music    I have played the game for around 34h and got 99.25%, I loved most of the things in the game and here is my thoughts on pros and cons below:
    Pros:
    - Good story, but you have to fish for it like Dark souls games.
    - Amazing and pixel perfect with dark style visuals.
    - Great bosses and enemies designs.
    - very responsive controller and well thought fighting styles of each enemy.
    - Music is a very beautiful, atmospheric and very dark that fit perfectly within Blasphemous world.
    Cons:
    - A glitch in some spikes places if you fall and die your guild will stay within the spikes and retrieving it become impossible! I have tried to retrieve in some areas , but my guild kept stacking up in the same place over and over till I went to one of the guilt statues and retrieved it. My point here If you want to get the true ending you have to destroy the guilt statues and if you do, how would you retrieve you guilt in case of glitch?!
    - The reason I got 99.25% because of one optional boss that you only fight once and if you die because you were not prepared and out flasks you will lose the rosary bead, also a tree quest that trigger once you step your foot in the snow area without indication that you have to do it right a way or you will lose it forever! The game have multiple paths that you can visit at any order you desire and putting a limited time quest is not well thought concept!    … Expand
  14. Avaresse
    Dec 13, 2019
    10
    Abslutely loved this game. The combat is really simple yet fun and satisfying. The lore and its main story has come to be one of the creepiest darkest one I've seen. A city gung ho on the fascination and worship of a God and its Miracle.. Add to that beautiful gritty pixel art visuals, challenging level design, fantastic boss fights, tight responsive controls. It has the whole package. InAbslutely loved this game. The combat is really simple yet fun and satisfying. The lore and its main story has come to be one of the creepiest darkest one I've seen. A city gung ho on the fascination and worship of a God and its Miracle.. Add to that beautiful gritty pixel art visuals, challenging level design, fantastic boss fights, tight responsive controls. It has the whole package. In short Blasphemous is truly a one of a kind gem one has to play, especially for those who love an unsettling atmosphere similar to those of "from software" games.… Expand
  15. Traxvolution
    Sep 20, 2019
    8
    Buen nivel auditivo y visual con un estilo de arte muy particular. Lastima que el control a veces no responde del todo bien y que tiene algunos bugs que te pueden impedir continuar con el juego. Faltó más optimización.
  16. KrakenOfPepsi
    Jan 7, 2020
    7
    Blasphemous boasts an incredibly gorgeous and intricately detailed pixel art-style which gives the likes of Hyper Light Drifter and Owl Boy a serious run for their money. The setting is horribly violent and depressing, and it never lets up once in the time you’ll have with it. The story itself takes a great deal of inspiration from The Bible and the Holy Inquisition, but doesn’t exist toBlasphemous boasts an incredibly gorgeous and intricately detailed pixel art-style which gives the likes of Hyper Light Drifter and Owl Boy a serious run for their money. The setting is horribly violent and depressing, and it never lets up once in the time you’ll have with it. The story itself takes a great deal of inspiration from The Bible and the Holy Inquisition, but doesn’t exist to advocate or protest The Bible, but simply just take a great deal of inspiration from its themes and narrative. The narrative and lore actually ended up being my favorite part of Blasphemous, I loved how twisted and unrelenting its tale of suffering was, and how it intertwined with its different gameplay mechanics. Upon looking into the games story and world, so much of the games seemingly obscure requirements for beating the game and getting the true ending became far more apparent and made much more sense. The savage world and its enigmatic characters were all interesting and enjoyable, and I was always itching to find out more about while playing.

    Initially the game opens up, letting you tackle three bosses/areas in any order you’d like, but once you’ve completed all three bosses there’s one last big area to complete. But unfortunately that’s where Blasphemous’ important choices end. There are heaps of different abilities and pieces of equipment to try out, but I never found any of them to crucial to beating the game, or even really that fun to use and I have a few specific issues with them;

    - Rosary Bead and Mea Culpa Heart affects were usually pretty minute, and not all that helpful. Most of them had affects that were just not useful at or, or that were so minute in their affects that I didn’t even notice them. The only Rosary Beads that I ended up using consistently were the ones that gave you more HP, MP and defense, which are arguably the most boring.

    - I believe there are only seven Prayers (spells) in the game, and considering you can only have one equipped at once there is simply just not enough variety to make them fun to use. The abilities are fairly fun to use at first, but combined with the fact that you have a very finite MP bar, the abilities have fairly limited practical uses and only being able to have one equipped at once means you’re not only barely using them but you also get stuck with just one at a time – and you can’t even change them unless you’re at a checkpoint. They really should have let you equip multiple at once, or given them more versatile uses because I found that on their own they’re not all that helpful or fun to use, and that I was barely using them.

    - Relics unlock different abilities which are required for finding new areas or hidden objects. This is fine in theory, but two improvements could have been made. 1. You can only have 3 of these 5 relics equipped at once, meaning you have to interchange them instead of just being able to use them all at once. There's no reason to not be able to have all of these effects active at once, it just ends up making them less satisfying to find/use and are tedious to swap in and out. 2. These effects are underwhelming, they do things like make additional platforms appear and give resistances to uncommon hazards like poison smog and water

    The game struggles a little bit with its equipment and abilities, fortunately the games areas are so fun to explore on their own that it is ultimately still very fun to play anyways. Every area has distinct enemies, environments, beautiful music, obstacles and environments to experience, and each is as fun as the last. The games platforming really shines when it’s combined with combat encounters, trying to navigate treacherous traps and tight platforms all while dealing with enemies makes for some really distinct and intense combat encounters, because the game merges the two seamlessly with great success. The controls are tight and responsive, making platforming and combat feel tight and responsive. The great variety in enemies, bosses paired with the amazing animations make for an engaging combat system which is as fun to watch as it is play.

    Blasphemous is certainly worth your time, it’s art direction and story is without a doubt worth the price of admission alone. It controls perfectly, the level design is great, the combat is tight and responsive and all the areas are interesting and fun to explore. It however suffers from some very weak, boring, useless and restraining abilities and items. A lot of potential here, and I look forward to seeing what the developers do next.    … Expand
  17. Rickrbrum
    Aug 25, 2020
    9
    A true indie masterpiece.
    The gameplay mixes the best in Castlevania SOTN titles and the Dark Souls series.
    Through very neat graphics and a quality track, a story of European-inspired religious subversion is told. It is not just about exploration, but also the construction of the themes through several parallel stories directly influenced by the player's actions. I wanted more games to be    A true indie masterpiece.
    The gameplay mixes the best in Castlevania SOTN titles and the Dark Souls series.
    Through very neat graphics and a quality track, a story of European-inspired religious subversion is told.
    It is not just about exploration, but also the construction of the themes through several parallel stories directly influenced by the player's actions.
    I wanted more games to be able to innovate based on the pillars of those that inspired it.    … Expand
  18. Dex10
    Sep 10, 2019
    10
    Blasphemous is an absolutely gorgeous game, the art style, characters, world design, and gameplay is amazing. Can definitely see this become one of my all-time favourite game! Beautiful!
  19. mdarthur
    Jan 21, 2021
    3
    I Didnt like this game. This is not a good metroidvania. It is extremely frustrating in the begining, once you have a very weak character.
    The game feeling is not good. You dont have plenty control of your hero.
    The fast travel system is a trash
    There´s a lot of missable trophies, so you are almost forced to use a guide if you want to get the platinum or even make 100%.
  20. mikelalala
    Oct 5, 2019
    4
    8 for the base game, 0 for the Sleeping Canvases spikes and awful final boss fight, which is based just on pure luck.
  21. Vanessa19
    Nov 28, 2021
    0
    Tiene de todo, y lo mejor el equipo desarrollador escucha a su comunidad y están muy pendientes de las recomendaciones del juego, veo que en cada actualización solucionan muchos fallos y nos han dado adicional 3 dlc gratuitos :D
  22. Zquaranteneuf
    Jun 18, 2023
    10
    Literally one of the finest games I have ever played.

    Aesthetic, lore, combat, boss design, level design, enemy variety, music, etc, etc, everything is incredibly inspired and unique. One of the rare true spiritual successors of the Castlevania and Souls games. It does it all. Even the DLCs are stellar. The last one even succeeds at recontextualizing the whole base game in a    Literally one of the finest games I have ever played.

    Aesthetic, lore, combat, boss design, level design, enemy variety, music, etc, etc, everything is incredibly inspired and unique. One of the rare true spiritual successors of the Castlevania and Souls games.

    It does it all.
    Even the DLCs are stellar. The last one even succeeds at recontextualizing the whole base game in a mindblowing way. A rare occurence of subverting expectations done right.

    Highly recommend.
    Like, play this game.

    Seriously.    … Expand
  23. MaxieZeus
    Sep 2, 2022
    8
    Great platformer/Souls-like. Needs improvements on platforming side and it needs more abilities to use during combat but otherwise its great.
  24. p1menta
    Dec 25, 2022
    8
    its a 2D souls like. one of the best souls like i've ever played. the artistic side of this game is just next level, its breathtaking, But i wish the fighting system was better. there are no combos and no aerial attacks, that takes a bit of the fun for me
  25. njp500
    Feb 12, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What a great game, found and played it by chance. If you are someone who can see joy in life's misery, hear horror and violence in religious narratives, and feel at ease when rising to challenges, you are someone who will enjoy this game very much. The developers have created a world of unrelenting sadness, where God is not "dead" as nietzche stated. God has returned to his creation not to deliver eternal salvation, instead delivering eternal punishment. it's a great and dark heavy metalish idea, but even more than that, I think they really knocked the realization of this concept out of the park, both artistically and in the game world they created. I disagree with other reviewers' criticisms on the gameplay; the gameplay is just as strong as any other aspect of the game if not the best aspect. It rewards disciplined and skillful playing, and destroys anything less than that. You can burn through anything and everything in this game quickly and easily, if you do it right, and its not that hard unless you're slacking. All I can say is get good and this game may not be for everybody. It gives experienced gamers a nice and perfectly fair challenge and presents a story that is in no way comforting with great art and metroidvania gameplay. I applaud them for taking the time to make this… Expand
  26. TheMegaGodz
    Nov 13, 2020
    8
    Lots of fun! I'm typically not a fun of Metroidvania or Souls-style games, but I found myself really enjoying this game. The art is gorgeous, the combat is fun; overall, a very enjoyable time.
  27. RagnarokMike
    Apr 15, 2021
    10
    If you're a fan of the retro 2D Metroidvania style, Blasphemous stands with the best genre has to offer, up there with Symphony of the Night and Hollow Knight (though I'd rate it 3rd with those examples). Controls are tight, combat is brutal, lore is deep, art is beautiful, world is fantastic, bosses are well designed, just so much to love about the game. I can't recall any flaws beingIf you're a fan of the retro 2D Metroidvania style, Blasphemous stands with the best genre has to offer, up there with Symphony of the Night and Hollow Knight (though I'd rate it 3rd with those examples). Controls are tight, combat is brutal, lore is deep, art is beautiful, world is fantastic, bosses are well designed, just so much to love about the game. I can't recall any flaws being noticeable enough to merit mention, though, unless you analyze everything in intricate detail, you will need a guide, as some items have very specific uses, even paying attention it's easy to miss a ton of nuance. Epitome of tough but fair, never is a boss based on luck or is damage unavoidable if you're playing properly, death is most always player error; like any, there are a few slips, but it's in the upper echelon of the critique. Unless you're opposed to 2D sidescrollers of the sort, there's no good reason to not give it a go.… Expand
  28. TresVoltesRebel
    Nov 10, 2020
    10
    Simplemente no hagas ni caso a los que dicen que el juego es injusto o extremadamente dificil, para nada, el jefe que más me costo vencer me llevó 4 o 5 intentos.
    Los gráficos, la ambientación, el lore... Es simplemente bueno.
    En cuanto a jugabilidad, mecánicas y control da la talla de sobras, sobretodo con recientes actualizaciones. En serio, hazme caso, todas esas reviews negativas que    Simplemente no hagas ni caso a los que dicen que el juego es injusto o extremadamente dificil, para nada, el jefe que más me costo vencer me llevó 4 o 5 intentos.
    Los gráficos, la ambientación, el lore... Es simplemente bueno.
    En cuanto a jugabilidad, mecánicas y control da la talla de sobras, sobretodo con recientes actualizaciones.
    En serio, hazme caso, todas esas reviews negativas que estás leyendo están escritas por alguien que acaba de rage-quitear el juego por su ineptitud y vienen a pagarlo con el juego poniendo mala nota y sacando toda su bilis.
    La mejor que he leído es uno que dice que el jefe final del juego se basa en pura suerte, lo más ridículo que he leído en mucho tiempo, es decir, si eres realmente malo jugando igual te lo acabas pasando de pura potra, pero lo que vas a necesitar es habilidad.    … Expand
  29. sinantos
    Mar 31, 2021
    9
    I initially rated this game 6/10. After finishing it (%100), I changed my note to 9/10. Here is my reasoning:

    I loved and hated the game at the same time. Good story, stylish graphics, good music, very good level design, lots of secrets to explore, beautifully designed side quests and amazing boss fights. However game play is sometimes frustrating. The hardest boss in this game is    I initially rated this game 6/10. After finishing it (%100), I changed my note to 9/10. Here is my reasoning:

    I loved and hated the game at the same time. Good story, stylish graphics, good music, very good level design, lots of secrets to explore, beautifully designed side quests and amazing boss fights. However game play is sometimes frustrating. The hardest boss in this game is jumping from point A to Point B. I died countless times just by failing to jump, more than dying in boss fights. In the beginning of the game I visited a place I should have visited later. I was so frustrated to the point of giving up the game, yet I am happy that I didn't. If you loved Darks Souls games, I recommend this game. Please be patient with this game and it will award you handsomely.    … Expand
  30. MrPassionfruit
    Sep 13, 2019
    7
    Blasphemous has an excellent atmosphere and art style.
    The voice acting (English) doesn’t go with the rest of the game in my opinion and is poor overall.

    Fun and annoying to play, well done!
  31. Dungeon00X
    Sep 20, 2019
    7
    Such a brutal and challenging game and I love it! Being one of the Kickstarter backers, I had faith in this game from the start. I had fun starting out, but now I'm stuck. I'm sure I'll get over the hurdle, it's forgiving enough so that I can actually get further. I highly recommend this game.
  32. Vastaropoli
    Jan 10, 2020
    10
    I absolutely enjoyed Blasphemous. Felt like it tied alot of great elements of different genres into it's own tight bundle. The platforming had its frustrating moment but it felt rewarding to overcome and I liked that there was usually a good item at the end. I loved the bosses but kinda wish there was a few more although there is a decent roster. I felt like I was zipping through the gameI absolutely enjoyed Blasphemous. Felt like it tied alot of great elements of different genres into it's own tight bundle. The platforming had its frustrating moment but it felt rewarding to overcome and I liked that there was usually a good item at the end. I loved the bosses but kinda wish there was a few more although there is a decent roster. I felt like I was zipping through the game at first but then it seemed like it really made me fight for every bit of progress around the 30% mark which made the game last much longer than I originally expected. I was happy for that. Hope to see more! I really love this game and just played through a 2nd time. I really hope they make another. The perfect 2d game for me.… Expand
  33. painava
    Jun 28, 2022
    7
    Not bad, not great. Too much backtracking and the gameplay feels old. Aesthetically impressive. Controls are a little clunky/unreliable, and the game gets too repetitive after 10 hours. Vague NPC quests. Relics should be permanent upgrades. There are so many questionable game design choices I have to give a bit lower score than I otherwise would.
  34. oksoundsgood
    Aug 13, 2021
    9
    The art style and character designs of this game are intriguing enough for me, but when paired with fun combat (for the most part) and exceptional level design, it culminates in a fun and bloody Metroidvania that I am sure to recommend to anyone looking for a game in the genre.
  35. Yegen
    Jun 19, 2020
    8
    First of all, let me say this - I enjoyed Blasphemous a lot. From beginning to the end, Blasphemous is a solid game. If you are a die hard Metroidvania fan, then this game should on your list of potential buys.
    It's pixel art is INCREDIBLY good. You can sense that every inch of Blasphemous's world was painfully crafted. While it is not as hard as the Souls series, it is still challenging    First of all, let me say this - I enjoyed Blasphemous a lot. From beginning to the end, Blasphemous is a solid game. If you are a die hard Metroidvania fan, then this game should on your list of potential buys.
    It's pixel art is INCREDIBLY good. You can sense that every inch of Blasphemous's world was painfully crafted. While it is not as hard as the Souls series, it is still challenging in many aspects. The combat is nothing to drool over. You have got your standard Sekiro Parry button (L1), Dodge(R2) and Jump(X). Standard stuff. The atmosphere of the game rivals and sometimes even matches the atmosphere of BLOODBORNE(my favourite game of all time). There are 10 bosses in the whole game. Out of the 10, 3 are mediocre/buggy/too RNG based. The rest are pretty good. However, do indeed expect some glitches and bugs while playing this game. None of them are game-breaking but are annoying. Expect janky controls and hitboxes too. Most of the upgrades are useless. The healing becomes useless by the time you reach your 5th boss. Even with all of this, Blasphemous is still a good and enjoyable experience. 7.5/10    … Expand
  36. Roman_LAV
    Dec 6, 2022
    7
    Прикольная метроидвания. Крутейший мрачный дизайн, классическая для жанра механика. Мне понравилось
  37. Amescu
    Aug 19, 2020
    9
    Un auténtico juegazo:

    1. La dirección de arte del juego es impresionante, y aún hay revistas "especializadas" que le dan un 6/10 en gráficos. Lamentable. Tiene una personalidad enorme y un lore muy cuidado y poco convencional. Gran ambientación. 2. El juego es difícil, teniendo picos que realmente pueden desesperar. Sin embargo esto no lo veo un problema mayor. Otros Metroidvanias son    Un auténtico juegazo:

    1. La dirección de arte del juego es impresionante, y aún hay revistas "especializadas" que le dan un 6/10 en gráficos. Lamentable. Tiene una personalidad enorme y un lore muy cuidado y poco convencional. Gran ambientación.
    2. El juego es difícil, teniendo picos que realmente pueden desesperar. Sin embargo esto no lo veo un problema mayor. Otros Metroidvanias son muy difíciles también, pero es una característica propia del género. Hay que tener habilidad y nervios de acero.
    3. Para el precio que tiene, me da la sensación de estar robando. El juego tiene un contenido y duración más que decentes, aunque el platino no sea tarea nada fácil.    … Expand
  38. TaysomHill7
    Aug 24, 2023
    9
    Well this game was a pleasant surprise. I loved every minute of it. Lots of items and lore to try to figure things out. The music is great and I loved the art style. Fun metroidvania with lots of power ups to achieve and backtracking to do in order to complete the map. Fun time overall if you like these types of games.
  39. piston
    Jun 8, 2022
    8
    Good game, if you like '2d douls like' games it's a good one. I put this up there with salt and sacrifice.
  40. SamirMrtnz
    May 31, 2021
    10
    Un juegazo por todo lo alto, me impresiona el nivel de calidad siendo un estudio Indie, el diseño artístico es sublime, la Música es épica, los combates contra jefes son alucinantes, las ejecuciones brutales; solo puedo tirarle rosas a este título, y en cuanto a la dificultad, pues no es muy difícil, es justo a su manera y me dan risa los ardidos que le ponen mala nota solo porque sabenUn juegazo por todo lo alto, me impresiona el nivel de calidad siendo un estudio Indie, el diseño artístico es sublime, la Música es épica, los combates contra jefes son alucinantes, las ejecuciones brutales; solo puedo tirarle rosas a este título, y en cuanto a la dificultad, pues no es muy difícil, es justo a su manera y me dan risa los ardidos que le ponen mala nota solo porque saben jugar o no quieren aprender sus mecánicas… Expand
  41. CasualAndExtrem
    Nov 21, 2020
    10
    What you get by mixing the Symphony of the night gameplay and Dark Souls inspiration ? Blasphemous of cource. The pixel art at his finest. Good music. Good Control. Some people found it a hard game and give unfair negative rating (they must start playing difficult games.Not only the easy one's). We've been seeing a pixel game like this for years. I am a fan of pixel games since i grew upWhat you get by mixing the Symphony of the night gameplay and Dark Souls inspiration ? Blasphemous of cource. The pixel art at his finest. Good music. Good Control. Some people found it a hard game and give unfair negative rating (they must start playing difficult games.Not only the easy one's). We've been seeing a pixel game like this for years. I am a fan of pixel games since i grew up with sega and nintendo and i recommend it. Before you play this game you should see some video's but If you like those type of games like castlevania or bloodstained then this game is for you.… Expand
  42. Leocolt
    Nov 20, 2020
    8
    As someone without that much interest in these tough-as-nails games, I’ll admit that the game frustrated me a couple of times but, overall, even I enjoyed Blasphemous deeply thanks to its tight mechanics and enticing world-building.
  43. aphex1991
    Feb 6, 2021
    6
    Bland experience that fails to impress with creativity. Metroidvania can be done better. The game has no idea what it wants to be. Some elements have been straight up copied from darksouls, yet it lacks a dark atmosphere. Combat feels very unresponsive. Same goes for controls in general. Clunky at best. The plot is interesting but not deep enough. Resulting in endless skipping of text.Bland experience that fails to impress with creativity. Metroidvania can be done better. The game has no idea what it wants to be. Some elements have been straight up copied from darksouls, yet it lacks a dark atmosphere. Combat feels very unresponsive. Same goes for controls in general. Clunky at best. The plot is interesting but not deep enough. Resulting in endless skipping of text.

    Level design on the other hand is pretty amazing.    … Expand
  44. Wladisslaw
    Dec 5, 2021
    10
    Ставлю твёрдую 10: - великолепная религиозно-средневековая атмосфера
    - прекрасная музыка и звуковое сопровождение
    - довольно высокая сложность для игры подобного жанра - хорошо прописан лор и отлично нарисованы боссы, монстры, НПС - удобный адаптивный интерфейс Яркий, необычный и очень достойный представитель жанра. Если любите подобные игры - обязательно к прохождению.    Ставлю твёрдую 10: - великолепная религиозно-средневековая атмосфера
    - прекрасная музыка и звуковое сопровождение
    - довольно высокая сложность для игры подобного жанра
    - хорошо прописан лор и отлично нарисованы боссы, монстры, НПС
    - удобный адаптивный интерфейс

    Яркий, необычный и очень достойный представитель жанра. Если любите подобные игры - обязательно к прохождению.
  45. VanCan72
    Apr 5, 2021
    9
    As good as a 2D souls-like can get. The story is as obtuse and vague as any of the Souls games, with information being very few and far between for anything truly substantial. The lack of information coupled with gorgeous pixel art for environments, characters and cutscenes along with religious overtones makes the game's presentation both a blessing with its eye candy, but also a curseAs good as a 2D souls-like can get. The story is as obtuse and vague as any of the Souls games, with information being very few and far between for anything truly substantial. The lack of information coupled with gorgeous pixel art for environments, characters and cutscenes along with religious overtones makes the game's presentation both a blessing with its eye candy, but also a curse with how unsettling things can appear with all of these factours in tandem. Sound design is pretty good too. Lots of ominous noise, your sword sounds great while swinging and actually hitting something, enemies make hideous noises and there are constant tells from sound alone. Voice acting is pretty great as well. There isnt a whole lot of characters to voice, but the ones there are come strong and help elevate the eerie setting even more. Music is very religious oriented and your mileage is gonna vary here. I would say these tracks are definitely more for painting a mood for where you are rather than being bop after bop. Great in context but probably nothing you're gonna be blasting in the car. As far as gameplay goes, unlike your usual 3D Souls games which put heavy emphasis tactical play and waiting for openings, Blasphemous takes a more hack-n-slash approach with an emphasis on platforming rather than normal traversal. That doesnt mean you wont be doing a lot of dodging and countering because there's plenty of that in spades, but the combat is tailored to reward aggressive play. From there it's just your standard MetroidVania fare, with a big map to explore and gain access to other sections later on. I honestly really liked this game, and after I was done with my first playthrough I was more interested than ever to actually figure out what the full story is about in full. Highly recommend if you're up to the challenge.… Expand
  46. Xmadcatx33
    Apr 20, 2021
    10
    Se nota cuando los desarrolladores le meten un mimo enorme a sus juegos y es el caso de Blasphemous, se mejoro enormemente con las actualizaciones y contenido gratuito señal de que son agradecidos con el éxito y saben de su potencial, a mi me encanto de principio a fin y lo he jugado a morir, no me aburri ya que sus escenarios sin hipnoticos y los detalles de sus personajes lo son aun mas
  47. JayGrizzwold
    Sep 5, 2021
    9
    First. I have no idea why this game isn't by the VERY LEAST an 8. Im seeing a lot around 7- 7.5, which is honestly a grave mistake. From start to finish your blown away from the different type of game play you just stepped into. And I don't mean the platform type of hack and slash. I mean the older style music. The biblical type of art and graphics throughout. The very harsh type of storyFirst. I have no idea why this game isn't by the VERY LEAST an 8. Im seeing a lot around 7- 7.5, which is honestly a grave mistake. From start to finish your blown away from the different type of game play you just stepped into. And I don't mean the platform type of hack and slash. I mean the older style music. The biblical type of art and graphics throughout. The very harsh type of story line where your wondering What the Hell is going on? The more i travel and hack these creatures to death, the more I want to keep going and powering up. People might not like the difficulty of the game bc i can admit at times i just wanted to shut it off but that's what makes the game linger and test your skills by using strategy. This game you need to use different type of offense and defense. DSP wouldn't get past the start menu. Anybody whos into darker/biblical/sword slashing while trying to keep upgrading with mystical objects. This is your game, I promise. Wow, what a game.… Expand
  48. claud_inc
    Mar 8, 2023
    10
    This game has everything one would expect from a metroidvania type but adding some (I would say minor) soulslike mechanics, as well as maximizing interaction with the environment and making combat the most satisfying experience I've seen in this kind of game yet. All of these, combined with an incredibly beautiful and carefully crafted visuals and music, make this game an unforgettable experience.
  49. Kalelos
    Oct 1, 2022
    4
    A good game with a good story and awesome graphics it's a game for ppl that like metrovania..... Until ofc I got to play Miriam's challenges. Such a bad and failed design of platforming especially with lamps. Those lamps are unbelievable I loved the game until then. But after 200 tries in the fifth challenge of Miriam I am close to just delete this game. It's just left me such a badA good game with a good story and awesome graphics it's a game for ppl that like metrovania..... Until ofc I got to play Miriam's challenges. Such a bad and failed design of platforming especially with lamps. Those lamps are unbelievable I loved the game until then. But after 200 tries in the fifth challenge of Miriam I am close to just delete this game. It's just left me such a bad taste. So over all a metrovania platforming game with one of the worst platforming design I have seen. Disappointing.… Expand
  50. Mychaelwo
    Jul 16, 2022
    8
    Jogo incrível, absolutamente bem polído e divertido, cenários lindos e história e design artísticos épicos, indie de altíssimo nível.
  51. 9bb
    Jul 21, 2022
    10
    Wow just wow. Criminally undarated. Felt like playing a walking fever dream. Probably the most memorable art style in a video game. The combat is also incredibly fun. The bosses mostly are a hit, especially in the dlc. The catholic themes really add to the story. And the world design is incredible.
  52. Nathan912
    Nov 26, 2022
    10
    Este juego no merece menos de un 10 es increíble de principio fin tiene una alta dificultad plataforma está doblado al castellano y es español. Bebé de la formula metroid
  53. Fox_Cloud
    Feb 17, 2023
    10
    A atmosfera do jogo é envolvente ao mesmo tempo que a dificuldade é instigante a ponto de até no momentos mais críticos do jogo você não encontrará empecilhos para continuar jogando
  54. TheNFROMO
    Jul 8, 2023
    8
    Gameplay
    • The gameplay of this game is pretty decent for what it offers. I won’t say anything like it’s revolutionary but it fits very much in the scope of the game.
    • The collectibles of this game have an actual use in this game in which you upgrade yourself to get stronger and what not. • The bosses of this game felt fair except for the boss up north and the end game boss which felt    Gameplay
    • The gameplay of this game is pretty decent for what it offers. I won’t say anything like it’s revolutionary but it fits very much in the scope of the game.
    • The collectibles of this game have an actual use in this game in which you upgrade yourself to get stronger and what not.
    • The bosses of this game felt fair except for the boss up north and the end game boss which felt like a bullet hell.
    • there are progression optional items that are required to get other collectibles in true metrovania fashion.
    • Backtracking for this is like backtracking in a souls game, you can skip it but as with souls games you shouldn’t.
    • You lose basically fervor(mana) if you die in a normal playthrough
    • ng+ becomes pretty simple once you unlock all the new game plus specific items.
    • prayer beads are basically buff/perks you equip to make your character stronger, defense pretty much becomes useless in ng+ because of a certain over powered pentenance
    • theirs also some cool easter eggs in this game
    • gameplay is pretty solid in this game honestly, very simple but very effective.
    • gameplay is a solid 2.0

    Story
    • Let me start off by saying they released 2/3 free dlc for this game which pertains to the story.
    • The side quests in this game actually matter because they give awesome abilities and this game have its most important side quests time gated via bosses basically when you defeat a boss it advances a tick in the game. Basically missable side quests that are required to 100 percent the game but these side quests were pretty amazing and it fit the game amazingly.
    • The story of this game felt like I was playing a god of war / dark souls quality level take of story telling. The pixel art level quality of this game surpasses most indie games on the market. Theirs indies and theirs blasphemous.
    • Theirs flavor text to each of the items, and all npcs have some sort of backstory attached to them.
    • The free dlc basically added more story to this game at a very high quality and added a new ending of the game.
    • The care that this studio put into this game was at a very high level that you usually don’t from triple a studios and especially indie studios.
    • The gruesomeness of the story is something you rarely from indie games as well if at all.
    • The story by itself deserves a 2.5 for how well respected and how well they crafted it.

    Music
    • The music for this I’m going to keep it short fits the theme
    • during special events i.e. cutscenes it fit very well.
    • sound effects felt good and decent
    • just nothing popped out to me.
    • still deserves a 2.0 because it checked all the boxes

    Performance
    • The game runs at 60 fps at 100 percent of the time, its an indie pixel art game I would expect it to
    • I had an issue with this game with sort of motion blur, it felt slow, I don’t know why. It’s like my eyes couldn’t focus because blurring caused, no other game had this issue.
    • because of that issue I had to rate it at a 2.0, I could get used to it but still annoying

    Price Point
    • This game msrp is rated at 24.99 us dollars.
    • I feel that this games deserving of up to 20 bucks.
    • this game is amazing at 20 dollars max it’s a very good sweet spot, at 25 you have to put up the justification if an indie game is worth that much
    • indie games should usually fall into the 15-20 dollar range especially if they are pixel art based.
    • I believe because the barrier of entry for indie game should be priced around that point.
    • This developer supported this for 3 years from release date, the last dlc I would consider it more so a preparation for the sequel but they have the improved through constant support.
    • I would love not to subtract 0.5 from the score because of how much the developer respects and loves their community but I must be unbiased.

    Final Thoughts
    • My final score for Blasphemous sits at a damn well 8.0. The game has an awesome story, that I consider top of the line. Decent music that most people will enjoy while playing it but most of it is kind of forgettable after your playthrough. Gameplay fits its metrovania / hack and slash style with collectibles and upgrades littered around. S tier graphics that I consider very damn high quality. This game is a perfect example of what indie developer can accomplish. They have basically built a Souls Game in 2D.    … Expand
  55. ThiefBrRj
    May 30, 2023
    9
    I have experience with RPG and souls-like games, but this was my first 2D game on PS4. I don't have any criticisms for this game, it has good combat, good story and good game play.
  56. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    7
    Fun but extremely punishing metroidvania. Art direction is incredible and brutal and boss fights challenging but fair. Overall though feels a bit sluggish to control and doesn't explain some of its systems.
  57. Boborax1
    Aug 27, 2023
    8
    Score: 7. 7 /10

    Blasphemous is a really good game , I enjoyed most parts of it .The dark fantasy world is really interesting and I really enjoy the berserk infulences in it.The theme is fantastic and the designs and art direction in general are phenomenal. The lore is presented like it does in souls games and it's really intriguing. Combat is nice , nothing that crazy ,but pretty    Score: 7. 7 /10

    Blasphemous is a really good game , I enjoyed most parts of it .The dark fantasy world is really interesting and I really enjoy the berserk infulences in it.The theme is fantastic and the designs and art direction in general are phenomenal.
    The lore is presented like it does in souls games and it's really intriguing.
    Combat is nice , nothing that crazy ,but pretty serviceable .Most boss fights were enjoyable and fun
    Currently waiting for Blasphemous 2 which looks like a way more polished and cooler version of Blasphemous and I'm pretty hyped    … Expand
  58. bloodbreath32
    Aug 17, 2023
    8
    The game has great atmosphere with its dark tone, the gameplay has some issues related to the platforming, the map is a little short but it is full of many interesting things, good bosses, good exploration, and a reasonable amount of gameplay to grab on this great videogame
  59. marcos_derozzi
    Sep 7, 2023
    5
    It's Ok, definitely a decent experience.
    As is pretty well known by this point, the most impressive thing this game presents is the atmosphere and how the levels look and feel (not how they play, by the way), with the whole catholic aesthetic the game goes for being pretty cool most of the time, even if it feels like it's maybe trying a bit too hard sometimes to be cryptic. Unfortunately    It's Ok, definitely a decent experience.
    As is pretty well known by this point, the most impressive thing this game presents is the atmosphere and how the levels look and feel (not how they play, by the way), with the whole catholic aesthetic the game goes for being pretty cool most of the time, even if it feels like it's maybe trying a bit too hard sometimes to be cryptic. Unfortunately the rest of the game isn't that impressive.

    Let's take, for instance, the combat, which stays basically the same from start to finish and is very basic (and kind of sluggish and clunky), with the game lacking any meaningful progression related to your character in anyway to make it feel more satisfying to fight enemies or to traverse the map. The game does present you with a feel items you can equip for "advantages" and a skill tree for a better moveset overall, but unfortunately it all varies from very situational to borderline useless, making the whole experience feel kinda samey, especially for a metroidvania, with the only piece of meaningful progression you're gonna get for most of the game is going to be health/mana and damage upgrades, which cool i guess, but underwhelming.

    As for the level design, i do think it's ok for the most part, but nothing that really blew my mind. Again, the levels look incredible and the developers also try to keep them interesting by adding a different gimmick to each area you visit, but stuff like the constant platforming in the Rooftops or the toxic waste area can get kind of annoying very quickly. These gimmicks then become either unremarkable a lot of the times, or just straight up unpleasant sometimes. Another problem about these levels is that, again, how the game lacks any satisfiable and meaningful progression, exploration feels very unrewarding, with you exploring these levels and getting occasionally a health or a damage upgrade, but mostly junk you do not care about.

    Lastly, the boss fights. They're OK. The game is competent in this regard but i don't think they succeeded in making memorable or engaging boss fights for the most part, with a lot of them being slow big monsters that mostly stand there waiting to be hit, or run away from the player just making me wait there for them to recover. Two bosses near the endgame required a lot more engagement from me by constantly moving and being agressive, and as a result were not only harder, but infinitely more engaging and fun to go against, which shows they know how to do things great sometimes, which makes things even more underwhelming.

    Oh damn, there's a story... The story is certainly there. I don't know anything about it and i honestly do not want to, as the game didn't really make any effort to present anything to me even in a slightly digestible way. I'm not asking for the game to serve everything to me for i am stupid and media illiterate, i'm just asking for something. Games like Hollow Knight or the Fromsoft games manage to be ambiguous while still being engaging and interesting, and having fun and remarkable characters. This game doesn't really have that. It does seem to have a lot of lore though, good for them...

    Since i mentioned the Fromsoft games, i do feel this game is heavily inspired by them, while still being a metroidvania. Unfortunately i don't think it succeeds in doing either style well. It does not present the great combat, abilities and level design either style has, feeling like it lacks understanding of what makes those styles so engaging in the first place.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best PS4 Game of 2019
56
#56 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Worth Playing
    Dec 30, 2019
    73
    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.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Oct 25, 2019
    85
    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]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Oct 22, 2019
    80
    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]
See all critic reviews »