BLASPHEMOUS
Sinning and winning
More Spanish-Catholic-inspired than Gothic, Blasphemous is a gruesome pixel hack-and-slash that riffs on all things holy and, well, unholy too. You play as The Penitent One, the only survivor of the massacre of the Silent Sorrow at the hands of a curse named The Miracle that has befallen the land of Cvstodia. Things get bloody as you tackle evil single-handedly, mowing down strange creatures – including some large, nightmarish bosses. The world is wonderfully rendered, and sparks the imagination thanks to a mixture of terrifically smooth animation and drop-dead gorgeous pixel art. (It’s lored up to the brim too.)
In Castlevania fashion exploration is non-linear, 1 and opens up from very early on, making the process of eking out your own path rewarding and tantalising. There’s plenty to find, from prayers (special meterdepleting attacks) to prayer beads that give you buffs. 2 You can upgrade your sword, the Mea Culpa, but you don’t rely on levelling up any stats like stamina. Your dodge has a cooldown, but there’s no real meter management to speak of, nor gatekeeping by way of higher-level enemies. You make your own challenges.
By the time you’ve hacked through your first set of three bosses, the difficulty kicks up a notch, but for the most part the challenge feels fair. There are minor irritations – some bosses have annoying stun-locks, enemies sometimes don’t load in properly, and platforming can be iffy at times. But trying again comes with minimal punishment. Like the twisted religion testing The Penitent One’s faith, the game’s willing to forgive – if you’re willing to try again. Oscar Taylor-Kent