This game does a lot of things really well, but there's one specific mechanic that I just cannot stop thinking about: The singular rechargeable healing item.

Essentially, you can have any number of estus-like healing items and they'll deplete over the course of a fight. However, once you're completely out, you can get exactly one charge of the flask back by consistently dealing damage and landing parries. Once you use that one, the clock resets and you can begin charging up another flask, and so on.

This might be my favorite mechanic in any soulslike game I've played. Everybody agrees that the most memorable and gratifying moments of these games are when you just barely make it through a boss with no healing left, and everything you do feels like a desperate struggle. But with Lies of P's single rechargeable healing item, that feeling can last for close to half of some boss fights. You'll get absolutely obliterated early on, run out of healing items, and then spend a ton of time in emergency mode as you decide whether it's worth it to go in for damage to restore what little health you have left. This also encourages you to play hyper-aggressive when you'd typically be trying to play it safe, so just hanging back when at low health always feels like a risky play. It also gets rid of the feeling of helplessness if a boss hits you hard early on. If you get wrecked by the first phase of a boss in a fromsoft game, you're probably screwed if you're heading into the second phase with no healing. But Lies of P makes you feel like you've always got a fighting chance, even if, realistically, you're still going to get your ass whooped.

Somehow this even makes regular level exploration more rewarding and less frustrating. You never feel like you need to double-back to a bonfire equivalent in order to refill your flasks because, if you simply don't get hit, you're going to get that healing back anyways. It's such an elegant mechanic that leverages everything that makes these types of games good and rewards on-the-fly decision making and keeps you in the fight long after you'd think it was over. And, while it may seem overly generous, this game kicks your ass so hard in most situations that I cannot imagine beating this game without it. The game does have a few issues overall, but whenever I spent half a boss fight carefully managing my one remaining flask and how I was going to recharge it, it was one of the best soulslikes I had ever played.

Stellar production values and a massive world to explore; this is certainly one of the most impressive Metroidvanias ever made from an objective standpoint.

What I really appreciated about Afterimage, though, was just how freeform the progression is. Most games in this genre only pretend to be open; you might have a few branching paths earlier in the game, but ultimately you're railroaded into an intended progression. Not so here. If anything, you're only afforded more freedom as the game goes on. This has its drawbacks, of course -- it can often feel like you're aimlessly wandering around without making meaningful progress -- but I think it's worth it for how satisfying it is when everything comes together. The combat and platforming are nothing too special, but I nonetheless greatly enjoyed my time in Afterimage's world.

Also, I actually thought the plot was kinda cool (even if it culminates in fighting a generic JRPG villain), but apparently the English translation is pretty bad so I played it in Japanese.

What a wonderful journey; I'd recommend this game to anyone really, even if you don't like Metroidvanias (although it's an excellent one). The art and music are breathtaking, every single upgrade is fun and gives you plenty of secrets to find. The story is bittersweet and is sprinkled throughout the world, a lot of it is interesting but it does require piecing it together through notes and certain dialogue- Similar to another dark fantasy game which I don't think I need to name right now. All in all, Ender Lillies is a gorgeous game that everyone should experience

Blasphemous 2 is significantly better than the original, making any issues I had feel like nitpicks. It kind of has the Dark Souls 2 problem where most of the bosses are relatively normal swordsman and dudes in armor. I wanted more freaky shit like the baby that rips you in half. To be honest, the imagery overall feels a bit toned down from the first one.

All that said, it plays so much better that it’s hard to be disappointed. The Miracle granted me double jumps and an air dash so I can handle a bit less gore.