Blasphemous 2 Review
You know those circus performers who contort their bodies in terrifying ways for our squeamish amusement? Blasphemous 2 is a lot like those gifted weirdos – impressive and mesmerizing in that “I just can’t look away” kind of way that’s best watched between the fingers covering your grimacing face. While this sequel definitely doesn’t break any ground in the world of 2D Metroidvanias that the original didn’t, the unique and fantastic art, music, style, and story make an otherwise orthodox adventure extremely memorable. An awesome new arsenal of weapons and an increased focus on platforming and light puzzles make this 14-hour odyssey a lot less repetitive than its predecessor, too.
From the jump, you’ll hack and slash your way through some absolutely beautiful (and discomforting) 2D hallways filled with horrific monsters, perform life-threatening feats of platforming prowess, and go up against bosses so unsettling that not even their detail-obscuring pixel art style can save you from the night terrors that are sure to follow. Upgrading your character’s weapons and health and magic meters, while collecting various passive buffs and spells make for a fantastic climb to unparalleled power, and by the end I looked and felt the part of the ultimate unholy warrior. Little of that hasn’t been done before, but Blasphemous 2 looks quite spectacular standing proud atop the shoulders of giants that came before.
The thing that really sets it apart is its extremely unnerving art, story, and characters, all of which are so frightfully memorable they elevate the by-the-numbers blueprint, fueled by whatever the body horror equivalent of charm is. Even by the high standards of the first Blasphemous (which came out in 2017), the sequel is
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