Blasphemous 2

88%
Game Brain Score Based on 6,747 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • music
Blasphemous 2 Game Cover
Blasphemous II is a fantastic game that meets expectations as a fan of the first game and leaves the player satisfied and engaged throughout.
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In "Blasphemous 2," players once again assume the role of The Penitent One, who is resurrected in a strange new world and must navigate through hordes of grotesque enemies and massive bosses. This sequel continues the story from the Wounds of Eventide DLC of the original game, with The Penitent One seeking to uncover the secrets of this new land. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes a digital artbook, original soundtrack, and access to the full game.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

88%
Audience ScoreBased on 6,747 reviews
gameplay416 positive mentions
grinding111 negative mentions
  • Blasphemous 2 improves upon the original in almost every aspect, including gameplay mechanics, visuals, and music.
  • The introduction of multiple weapons adds variety to combat and exploration, allowing for different playstyles.
  • The art style and atmosphere remain captivating, with stunning pixel art and a haunting soundtrack.
  • The game feels less challenging overall, with many bosses being easier compared to the first game.
  • Some players experienced bugs, including audio issues and unskippable cutscenes during boss fights.
  • The story and lore are less engaging and coherent than in the first game, leading to a feeling of disconnection.
  • gameplay1,223 mentions

    The gameplay in *Blasphemous 2* has received significant praise for its improvements over the first game, featuring smoother mechanics, a more dynamic combat system, and the introduction of three distinct weapons that enhance exploration and combat variety. While some players noted a decrease in difficulty and occasional bugs, the overall experience is described as fluid and engaging, with a well-designed metroidvania structure that encourages exploration and experimentation. However, some critiques mention that the game lacks the unique atmosphere and challenge of its predecessor, leading to mixed feelings about its overall impact.

    • “The game introduces new mechanics and enemy types that keep players on their toes, and while there are still occasional difficulty spikes, the overall experience feels more balanced.”
    • “The gameplay is invigorating and exciting, and it's a fun time all in all.”
    • “The new mechanics in combat, movement, and upgrades kept a new feel to the game while not making itself overly complex.”
    • “Gameplay wise this is a huge disappointment.”
    • “I struggle with being drawn in like I was with the first game due to the gameplay feeling more clunky.”
    • “The weapon mechanic in general feels forced and almost poorly implemented.”
  • story1,199 mentions

    The story of "Blasphemous 2" continues the narrative from the first game, set a thousand years later, but many players feel it lacks the depth and intrigue of its predecessor. While some appreciate the clearer storytelling and improved quest structure, others criticize it for being more linear and less mysterious, with a reliance on environmental storytelling that feels less impactful. Overall, the narrative is seen as a mixed bag, with some enjoying its haunting atmosphere and others finding it convoluted and less engaging than the original.

    • “Environmental storytelling is as strong as ever, with the world itself telling a haunting and compelling story.”
    • “The story is very good, the music is outstanding and the bosses are awesome!”
    • “The story is engaging and interesting.”
    • “The story also feels rather barebones, almost copying the events of the first one.”
    • “The game lore and plot have become a lot worse compared to the first part.”
    • “The story is kind of confusing (what do you mean father of all penitents) but it's easier to follow than the first one.”
  • music1,040 mentions

    The music in *Blasphemous 2* has received widespread acclaim for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the game's dark themes. Many players praised the soundtrack as a standout feature, with some noting it surpasses the original game's music, while others experienced frustrating bugs that caused music to cut out during gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is described as beautiful and immersive, with a mix of memorable tracks that complement the game's aesthetic, despite some criticisms regarding inconsistency and a perceived lack of character compared to the first installment.

    • “The soundtrack of Blasphemous 2 remains haunting and atmospheric, perfectly complementing the game’s dark themes.”
    • “The music is enchanting and perfectly captures the emotion of each setting.”
    • “The soundtrack is one of the game's standout features, providing an atmospheric backdrop that enhances immersion.”
    • “Music doesn't play during some boss fights until you fully shut down and reload the game.”
    • “Half the areas in the game have broken music and the tracks will either stop playing after a room or two, suddenly start playing when I'm halfway through a zone, or just never play at all.”
    • “The music cuts out sometimes which is unfortunate but can be fixed by restarting the game.”
  • graphics803 mentions

    The graphics of *Blasphemous 2* have received mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning pixel art and improved visual fidelity compared to the original. While the in-game graphics are often described as beautiful and grotesque, the new animated cutscenes have been criticized for clashing with the established aesthetic, leading to a sense of inconsistency. Overall, the game is noted for its captivating visuals and atmospheric design, though some fans feel it lacks the darker, grittier charm of its predecessor.

    • “Blasphemous 2 pushes its pixel art to new heights, delivering stunning visuals that are both grotesque and beautiful.”
    • “The game shines aesthetically, with more detailed backgrounds and a greater diversity of areas to explore.”
    • “The visuals are stunning; I think every boss fight is well designed, and the music is still good.”
    • “The cutscenes' art style doesn't match the game at all; it looks like cheap, generic, low-budget art that was thrown together at the last minute.”
    • “The art style has completely changed for Blasphemous 2 compared to Blasphemous 1, at least in the cutscenes.”
    • “The only negative for me is that the cutscenes are almost of a different aesthetic compared to the grotesque art style seen throughout the game.”
  • atmosphere349 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Blasphemous 2" is a point of contention among players, with many noting that while the game features beautiful art and a haunting soundtrack, it lacks the oppressive and unique atmosphere of its predecessor. Some players appreciate the new aesthetic and improvements in gameplay, but feel that the darker themes and immersive world-building have been diluted, making the experience feel less impactful. Overall, while the game retains some atmospheric elements, it is often viewed as a step down from the original in terms of depth and emotional resonance.

    • “The soundtrack of Blasphemous 2 remains haunting and atmospheric, perfectly complementing the game’s dark themes.”
    • “Blasphemous 2 excels in building a story, atmosphere, and looks good when playing.”
    • “The atmosphere enshrouds you in its Christian fatalism and desperation because El Milagro strikes again.”
    • “The atmosphere feels especially generic and bland when compared to the desolate and plague-ridden environment of the first game.”
    • “The one lacks its atmosphere, it's cool cutscenes (instead we get some Zelda CD-i looking stuff), etc. all the enemies are boring and easy and just serve to waste time.”
    • “Well, let me tell you: even a few minutes of playing is enough to notice how the atmosphere is just... gone.”
  • grinding125 mentions

    The reviews indicate that while the game has streamlined some aspects of grinding, it still suffers from tedious elements, particularly in boss fights and backtracking. Players appreciate the fair economy that reduces the need for excessive grinding, but many find certain collectibles and late-game challenges to be frustratingly repetitive. Overall, the experience is mixed, with some enjoying the grind while others feel it detracts from the enjoyment of exploration and combat.

    • “And the best of all is it is not tedious like part 1.”
    • “Secondly, the world design and the metroidvania elements were great. The backtracking was fast, and all in all, the movement around the map wasn't tedious as many games make it, and the world was immersive and fun to explore.”
    • “I agree with the other commenters that there's a difficulty spike near the end that makes completion of the game incredibly tedious and unnecessarily frustrating.”
    • “The biggest obstacle to 100 percenting the game is not finding cherubs, altarpieces, or prayers, but grinding marks of martyrdom to max out all the weapons.”
    • “But at the end, when I was looking for ten hidden symbols throughout the world and grinding out the last three upgrade points for the last weapon upgrade, the grind set in and ended up bittering the once sweet taste of exploration.”
  • stability95 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting a variety of bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as animation errors, freezing issues, and audio problems. While some users noted that these issues did not significantly detract from their overall enjoyment, others found the bugs to be frustrating and detrimental to the experience. Overall, the game is described as "buggy" but still enjoyable, particularly on platforms like the Steam Deck.

    • “It runs great on the Steam Deck.”
    • “For a day 1 purchase, it was pretty bug-free as well.”
    • “Runs great on the Steam Deck.”
    • “The most apparent one was with the mace, where there is an animation error when you try to light it while running. This makes the lighting animation cut out and freezes the character in place until the mace is suddenly lit.”
    • “And finally, the cherry on top was the amount of glitches that I came across in just 4 hours of gameplay, from the names of the zones never appearing on screen, to Radames deciding to stop moving while changing into phase 2, the ridiculous amount of FPS drops, and many more.”
    • “Blasphemous in its launch state is quite buggy, too buggy to advance in gameplay.”
  • replayability56 mentions

    Overall, "Blasphemous 2" is praised for its replayability, offering multiple weapons and build options that encourage different play styles, although the absence of a New Game Plus mode is noted as a drawback. Players appreciate the variety in combat and the potential for future DLCs to enhance replay value, but some feel that the need to tailor builds to specific bosses can limit personal playstyle choices. Despite these concerns, many reviewers find the game highly replayable, with engaging mechanics and polished boss battles contributing to its overall appeal.

    • “For me, Blasphemous 2 offers more replayability than its predecessor, with multiple weapons to use, but it doesn't have NG+ yet.”
    • “The new choose your starting weapon means your journey will differ depending on your weapon, which adds replayability.”
    • “Not only does Blasphemous 2 better fit the Metroidvania genre than the original, but it also has quite a major twist on the formula which adds a lot of replayability and combat implications.”
    • “You can get 99% of all the achievements in a single run, so there isn't really a use for a new run.”
    • “The different weapons, figurines, and beads to create more build possibilities are a very nice touch too, although many times you choose a build to suit a boss - not your play style, which hinders replayability in my opinion.”
    • “The prequel is cheaper, has more content, is more replayable, and there are multiple other metroidvania games on Steam that far surpass Blasphemous 2, especially at its current price tag of $40.”
  • character development39 mentions

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the exceptional character designs and unique atmospheres, while others feel that the depth and inspiration behind the characters, particularly the bosses, are lacking compared to the first installment. Although the art direction and animations are noted as improvements, some players found the overall character development to be less impactful and memorable, with certain NPCs described as forgettable. The narrative and lore are appreciated for their dark and intriguing qualities, but the dialogue has been criticized as dull.

    • “Character design and animations are also excellent, each NPC is distinct and unique, which characterizes them very well and makes them memorable, which helps significantly when all of their names seem to be a paragraph long.”
    • “The character design and scenery is so overwhelmingly beautiful and hard to look at at the same time, it really is a uniquely gruesome experience.”
    • “In typical Blasphemous fashion, the game never fails to deliver an amazing story with great character design, writing, and narrative.”
    • “Character designs are worse, gameplay is worse, especially the bosses were really disappointing.”
    • “Bosses were far less inspired, and overall character development was lacking.”
    • “If it weren't for the strange biblical character designs and macabre imagery while riding on the coat-tails of popularity from the first game, I don't think anyone would give this game the time of day.”
  • emotional33 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players feeling a deep connection to characters and moments, particularly in relation to the original title, which they found more impactful. While the soundtrack and certain narrative elements evoke strong feelings, others criticize the emotional experience as lacking depth compared to its predecessor, particularly due to design choices and gameplay mechanics that detract from immersion. Overall, the game elicits a range of emotions, from nostalgia to frustration, depending on individual experiences with its mechanics and storytelling.

    • “I wish I could put into words what the original title evoked in me that made me feel so compelled to see it through, because holy shit the original Blasphemous was on point and delivered a hundred times what this game does.”
    • “When you hear it... when you hear those very lightweight tunes of music touching your inner self, you know that you are playing Blasphemous.”
    • “And I have to say I got a little emotional when I approached the dog and it faded away... 🥹”
  • humor32 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding the bosses and certain gameplay elements amusing, despite some criticism of the final boss's ease and the reduction of brutal execution animations from the predecessor. While most bosses are described as funny, the overall comedic impact varies, with some players enjoying quirky character designs and humorous exploits, while others feel the humor doesn't consistently land. Overall, the game offers moments of levity, but it may not appeal to those seeking a more serious challenge.

    • “I found with beating a lot of bosses/areas I wasn't even happy, I was just relieved that it was over and wow with the final boss I honestly just sat there laughing at how ridiculous it was.”
    • “The sisters (cobijadas), the seller hand (which I find hilarious, by the way!), etc.”
    • “There was one section (the lullaby turn-in), where a chase level ensued, and I was actually laughing as I did it at how easy/weak that bit was.”
  • optimization30 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players experiencing significant stuttering and freezing during combat, particularly with certain weapons and animations. While a few users noted excellent performance on specific platforms like the Steam Deck, others criticized the overall game speed and timing issues caused by excessive hitstop. Despite these concerns, some players appreciated the smoother combat mechanics and the introduction of multiple weapons, indicating that optimization improvements were present but not universally effective.

    • “Performance was consistent throughout the entire game.”
    • “- performance: excellent (played in steam deck, very smooth)”
    • “The combat feels smoother, much more optimized and versatile than before (you now have three weapons to choose from, with each weapon having its own skill tree to upgrade) and the Penitent One has more tricks up his repertoire to defend himself and deal damage.”
    • “Most of the bosses I played, I loathed. Most bosses I skipped with a one-hit kill cheat as I just could not be bothered to deal with the constant stuttering and freezing when your weapon, like the censer, hits a target multiple times and your animations slow down while the boss just goes like Sonic.”
    • “Also, the constant literal freezing glitch that happens when you turn on the fire of the censer has gotten me hit numerous times. I know the devs are working on the censer fire issue, but the slowdowns and stuttering also happen when doing the rapier flurry attack or the combo from the blood blade because there are too many sprites moving all at once, and it messes up my rhythm and flow.”
    • “Constant overblown hitstop on attacks is messing up your timing and making the game feel like it's stuttering.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback; while some players appreciate the depth and immersive storytelling, others perceive the game's scope as a potential cash grab, suggesting that it may not offer enough value for its cost.

    • “But the scope gives the impression of a bit of a cash grab — it's not impressive.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

85% average critic score

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Play time

20hMedian play time
17hAverage play time
11-24hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 22 analyzed playthroughs

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