I have to say, I'm quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this game. It takes a lot of effort, time and energy for me to fully be invested in a game of this ilk, and thus I demand much more from these games. Most of them usually don't deliver, but Blasphemous does.
I think the game's best quality is the exploration. All the areas are interconnected in such fun ways, and each have their own design quirks that does more than enough to differentiate them. Not to mention many of these areas are drop dead gorgeous, making the most out of the art style. There's a couple areas where I find the obstacles to be somewhat annoying, but these are few and far between. Finding a hidden area or shortcut never gets unsatisfying, and there's a lot of them. The game is designed in such a way, that you could stumble upon some of these secrets by chance or accident, and these experiences will give you insight on how to find/access the other secrets. There are also side quests that are based on this hunt for the unobvious, which adds a lot to the inherent addictiveness of finding new things.
The design of these secrets leads to another point: approachability. Many other games try to present themselves as puzzlingly vague, and in my experience, the level of confusion that I have to deal with doesn't line up with what I'm getting as a reward. Blasphemous gives you just enough straightforward hints to enjoy most of its gameplay and narrative inner workings, without losing the satisfaction of figuring out its puzzles. It is relatively modest but filler-less in scale, which makes for a condensed-feeling game that doesn't overwhelm you. There's also a very helpful map system that allows you to process all the areas in a much thorough manner without overworking yourself.
But all of this would have been for nothing if the game is not inherently fun to play. Thankfully the basic movements and combat in this game are good enough. Jumping, dashing, and air thrusting through all the levels feels pretty responsive, although the game can feel a bit imprecise sometimes, especially in the more demanding areas. The combat takes a while to fully flesh out, since you have to unlock some moves by progressing far enough to upgrade your sword, but once it does, there's a lot to enjoy here. The combat is very fundamentals-based, it's all about fast reflexes and proper positioning, which is my favorite kind of combat. Many of the items you find will help tailor the gameplay experience to your liking by providing helpful buffs, although you have to explore thoroughly to find the best ones.
I do have some complaints. While the bosses are all visually striking, most of them are pretty unsatisfying in terms of mechanics. The last two main bosses, and the two optional bosses for the hidden ending are the only ones that I find to be legitimately fun bosses. I also wish that the music wasn't so ambient most of the time, it rarely struck a chord with me.
In a sea of challenging games, Blasphemous stands out as a focused and thoughtful game that truly respects your time, and it satisfies without asking too much from you.
I think the game's best quality is the exploration. All the areas are interconnected in such fun ways, and each have their own design quirks that does more than enough to differentiate them. Not to mention many of these areas are drop dead gorgeous, making the most out of the art style. There's a couple areas where I find the obstacles to be somewhat annoying, but these are few and far between. Finding a hidden area or shortcut never gets unsatisfying, and there's a lot of them. The game is designed in such a way, that you could stumble upon some of these secrets by chance or accident, and these experiences will give you insight on how to find/access the other secrets. There are also side quests that are based on this hunt for the unobvious, which adds a lot to the inherent addictiveness of finding new things.
The design of these secrets leads to another point: approachability. Many other games try to present themselves as puzzlingly vague, and in my experience, the level of confusion that I have to deal with doesn't line up with what I'm getting as a reward. Blasphemous gives you just enough straightforward hints to enjoy most of its gameplay and narrative inner workings, without losing the satisfaction of figuring out its puzzles. It is relatively modest but filler-less in scale, which makes for a condensed-feeling game that doesn't overwhelm you. There's also a very helpful map system that allows you to process all the areas in a much thorough manner without overworking yourself.
But all of this would have been for nothing if the game is not inherently fun to play. Thankfully the basic movements and combat in this game are good enough. Jumping, dashing, and air thrusting through all the levels feels pretty responsive, although the game can feel a bit imprecise sometimes, especially in the more demanding areas. The combat takes a while to fully flesh out, since you have to unlock some moves by progressing far enough to upgrade your sword, but once it does, there's a lot to enjoy here. The combat is very fundamentals-based, it's all about fast reflexes and proper positioning, which is my favorite kind of combat. Many of the items you find will help tailor the gameplay experience to your liking by providing helpful buffs, although you have to explore thoroughly to find the best ones.
I do have some complaints. While the bosses are all visually striking, most of them are pretty unsatisfying in terms of mechanics. The last two main bosses, and the two optional bosses for the hidden ending are the only ones that I find to be legitimately fun bosses. I also wish that the music wasn't so ambient most of the time, it rarely struck a chord with me.
In a sea of challenging games, Blasphemous stands out as a focused and thoughtful game that truly respects your time, and it satisfies without asking too much from you.
DrJeans
10 months ago