A more polished version of Blasphemous 1. Strict improvements in terms of customization and combat, some sidegrades regarding the new anime cutscenes, and a trade-off for the world. I like the new direction personally; not as open as Blasphemous ones, but still open enough to march your own path through the world.
Difficulty-wise, I kind of wish it was a little spicier in some areas. More difficult platforming only segments maybe, some spicer guantlets, etc. Maybe an optional superboss. Currently, while everything is fine, difficult enough to spend a few tries on, nothing really feels 'demanding' outside of the 2nd phase of the penultimate final boss. I understand why it wasn't pushed this time, considering how rough the platforming in the first game was. Maybe gunshy of doing the same thing.
The complaint I mostly have overall, which I share with the first Blasphemous, is that... the areas are kind of boring? Conceptually, I mean. You have absurdly detailed and graphic character sprites and enemies, but the areas themselves are just... forest, caves, run-down town, tower, etc. For a setting like this, it feels like you could be a lot more creative with what the areas actually are, but instead you have a lot of bog standard metroidvania areas.
Outside of that, I found the world a joy to prod for secrets. There's a astonishing amount of stuff to find, and a ton of it is relevant, not just bips and bobs of lore like the first game. Between flasks, bigger flasks, hp upgrades, weapon upgrades, mana upgrades, side quest pieces... there's a ton to find.
Overall, solid indie metroidvania! I don't think it quite lives up to the true heavyweights for me (Like Aeterna) but I think it offers something to most people who are hankering for one.
Difficulty-wise, I kind of wish it was a little spicier in some areas. More difficult platforming only segments maybe, some spicer guantlets, etc. Maybe an optional superboss. Currently, while everything is fine, difficult enough to spend a few tries on, nothing really feels 'demanding' outside of the 2nd phase of the penultimate final boss. I understand why it wasn't pushed this time, considering how rough the platforming in the first game was. Maybe gunshy of doing the same thing.
The complaint I mostly have overall, which I share with the first Blasphemous, is that... the areas are kind of boring? Conceptually, I mean. You have absurdly detailed and graphic character sprites and enemies, but the areas themselves are just... forest, caves, run-down town, tower, etc. For a setting like this, it feels like you could be a lot more creative with what the areas actually are, but instead you have a lot of bog standard metroidvania areas.
Outside of that, I found the world a joy to prod for secrets. There's a astonishing amount of stuff to find, and a ton of it is relevant, not just bips and bobs of lore like the first game. Between flasks, bigger flasks, hp upgrades, weapon upgrades, mana upgrades, side quest pieces... there's a ton to find.
Overall, solid indie metroidvania! I don't think it quite lives up to the true heavyweights for me (Like Aeterna) but I think it offers something to most people who are hankering for one.