Blasphemous Gameplay Preview - Weirdly Dark Metroidvania
4*Blasphemous developed by The Game Kitchen, published by Team17 Digital LTD - September 10, 2019 (Xbox One, PS4, Switch, PC)
*MSRP: $24.99 (Steam) - https://store.steampowered.com/app/774361/Blasphemous/
►Blog Coverage: https://duckyobrien.com/2020/08/12/blasphemous-gameplay-preview-weirdly-dark-metroidvania/
►Twitch Stream: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/707878331
Blasphemous is a very competent and well made game paired with an incredibly strange tone. The game is very self serious and never breaks from its odd and dark themes for even a moment. Let me give an example to elucidate the overall feeling of the game. To increase my health points, I ran into a lady who had many swords impaling her. After a dramatic speech, she hands me one of the swords and this somehow increases my health. Nothing makes sense yet Blasphemous manages to make the absurd seem normal.
Let me give another example. Once defeating the first boss in the tutorial stage of the game, the protagonist takes off his pointy helmet, collects the blood gushing out of the dead boss's body, and puts the helmet back on. It's definitely weird, but since the tone of the game is so consistent it starts to grow on you.
The cut scenes and lore aside, the core gameplay is fun and engaging. It focuses on exploring a dungeon via platforming and fighting enemies along the way. The combat feels intuitive and responsive for the most part but there is definitely a learning curve. You can't rush into combat because every enemy does a high amount of damage. Memorizing attack patterns and weaknesses will help you go a long way to navigating the levels.
If you do fail and meet an untimely end, you'll simply resurrect at the nearest shrine. Progress is not lost but enemies will respawn and you will have to make your way back to your corpse. In addition to this, you will be able to find and purchase passive upgrades and equipment that will help you to survive.
Overall, Blasphemous is a fun and well made action platformer. The combat is well balanced for the most part and you can learn to defeat most enemies after a few encounters. The tone, lore, and cut scenes of the game are definitely one of the strangest I have ever seen and that's quite an accomplishment. The sound track is excellent as well and is quite reminiscent of Diablo 1. It adds to the macabre and dark atmosphere to create a package that is quite unique.
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