Blasphemous

[h3]Overall I'd give this an 8/10.[/h3] I've completed the 100% achievement, finished the speedrun achievement, and am currently cleaning up the last few achievements for full Steam completion. That is to say I enjoyed the game enough to go for completion. As someone who comes more from Souls games than Metroidvanias, I ended up enjoying Blasphemous a lot more than I expected. I'd easily recommend it to both fans of Metroidvanias and Souls-likes. What stood out most to me was the very detailed world design. The darker, gory tone of this game was conveyed really well through the art and sound design. I also really liked the emphasis on exploration. The map felt surprisingly open, with multiple paths available throughout different stages of the game. I loved finding new items and abilities that opened previously blocked routes, encouraging backtracking and rewarding exploration. That's obviously a staple of the genre, but Blasphemous does it well. On my first blind playthrough I was constantly impressed by how the map kept expanding, and every area felt visually distinct. Some of my favourite moments were reaching the upper parts of the world and getting glimpses of the kingdom stretching out below. Combat feels like a 2D take on a Souls-like. The parry system stayed engaging throughout the game, and I enjoyed experimenting with different prayers. Some of the spells felt incredibly powerful, not just mechanically/gameplay wise but also because of their visual and sound design. The bosses were also consistently memorable, with unique designs and enough variety to keep encounters feeling fresh throughout the whole game. There were a few gimmicky fights, and Tres Angustias in NG+ nearly drove me insane with how often I got knocked into the fire, but overcoming those frustrating moments made the victories feel even more satisfying. Progression felt well balanced. By the end of the game my character was noticeably stronger than at the start, but upgrades were generally incremental rather than game-breaking. Collecting all the rosary beads, relics, prayers, sword hearts, bones, and cherubs was a fun scavenger hunt on a first playthrough, although it's not something I'd personally want to repeat from scratch. Thankfully NG+ lets you keep most of the important collectibles. As a completionist, I found the achievement list relatively forgiving. If you're willing to do a couple of playthroughs, getting everything isn't too bad. That said, I do think most players aiming for 100% will eventually need a guide. By the end of my blind run I only had a small percentage left to find, but tracking down some of the remaining hidden rooms without outside help would have taken a very long time. My biggest criticism is the fast travel system. It wasn't immediately obvious to me how to unlock it, and I spent a significant portion of the game assuming it simply didn't exist. I would have preferred a clearer introduction to that mechanic. The map could also feel a little clunky to navigate with a controller when selecting fast travel locations. One final thing worth mentioning is that the native Linux version worked flawlessly for me from start to finish, which is always nice to see.

САМАЯ ХУУУДШАЯ МЕТРОИДВАНИА ОБСОЛЮТНО УВЕРЕН, Blasphemous это типичный клон Dark Souls, но с поправкой на то, что разработчики решили, что пиксель-арт и церковные колокола заменят нормальный геймплей. Визуал да, красиво, черти б тебя драли. Но это единственный, что тут работает. Геймплей тупое рубящееся говно, где твой меч машет как оглобля, а враги угарают по твоим хитам с задержкой в полсекунды. Парри? Оно есть, но работает через раз. Управление скользкое и дергеное, прыжки платформами это отдельный вид пытки, где ты будешь срываться в пропасть из за того, что персонаж решил не цепляться за край. Камера она статично, но это не помогает, а мешает: ты не видишь врага за углом, ион тебя насилует своим копьем. Карта запутанный лабиринт для долбоебов, где все двери выглядит одинаково, а отметки бесполезны. Сюжет каша из католического мифологий и шизофрении: тебя втюхивают "Гриву" и "Чудеса", но в итоге ты просто убиваешь уродов(мусульман), потому что так надо. Диалоги напыщенные монологи, от которых хочется спать. Сложность? Она искуственная. Тебя убивает не потому что, ты тупой, а потому что анимации врагов считывается хуже, чем почерк врача. Боссы просто здоровенные груды мяса с предсказуемыми, но доставучими паттернами. Ты умрешь не от умного AI, а от того, что игра решила не засчитать твой ролл. Единственное, за что можно похвалить это атмосфера и саундтрек, но они прикрывает убогую боевку и кривые платформы. Больные фанаты орут "шедевр", но на самом деле это просто средневековый квест для мазохистов, которые руки не доросли до нормальных соулсов. Если тебе нравится страдать из за криворукости разработчика твой выбор. Но не смей называть этой игрой года. Тратишь время иди лучше перепроходи Bloodborne, там хоть драйв есть. ВСЕ ИДИ ♥♥♥♥♥ ГРЕШНИК...

The Game Kitchen cooked with this one. This is a fantastic Metroidvania with some of the best pixel art, and atmosphere I've ever seen. The soundtrack, world, enemy, and character designs all complement each other perfectly, and build an interesting world that you want to explore. I loved the grotesque look of things, it made the world feel more alive. The game feels slow at the start, and I could see many people dropping it. In fact, I did when I first played this on my Nintendo Switch many years ago, but I gave it another shot, and I'm glad I did. As much as I like this game, and easily recommend it, there are definitely some flaws: The difficulty of the base game's pretty easy, however, the DLCs are astronomically more difficult, to the point where you feel some whiplash. I would like to see more consistency here. The platforming mechanics are inconsistent and questionable. The base game has relatively easy platforming, but the DLC's a completely different story. The [spoiler]Miriam mirror[/spoiler] challenges in the DLC were some of the most rage-inducing platforming I think I've ever experienced. Not because they were too hard, but more because they reveal to the player that the platforming mechanics are lackluster. The ledge grab has far too much delay on grab and release. For fast platforming, this is a huge problem. For example, compare the ledge grab frame delay to something like Smash Ultimate. There's too much landing delay from a fall. [spoiler]There's a rosary bead that fixes this, but most players wouldn't know about it[/spoiler]. Once you try that [spoiler]rosary bead[/spoiler], you realize that the base delay should've been reduced. This [spoiler]rosary bead[/spoiler] becomes a platforming dependency instead of a complementary tool for some areas. The base dash cooldown's too long. [spoiler]There's a rosary bead that fixes this[/spoiler]. Once you try that [spoiler]rosary bead[/spoiler], you realize that the cooldown should've been reduced. I quite literally never took this [spoiler]rosary bead[/spoiler] off, as it really slows down the game otherwise, and takes up a slot that could've been used for more interesting builds. I believe this is one of the main things that made me drop the game early the first time I tried it. The lantern jumps are super inconsistent. Yes, I know how you're supposed to do them, and even when you do them that way, the weird angle required is too precise/narrow. Sometimes jumping atop ladders would result in you getting physically stuck above the ladder in a ladder climbing state. You couldn't leave this state by climbing up or down the ladder because you weren't physically on it yet. I don't know what the cause of this is. I think it had to do with keeping the jump button held while landing, or something like that, but it didn't happen often. One place in the last [spoiler]Miriam mirror[/spoiler] challenge would reproduce it often for me. Spikes being an OHK (one-hit kill) is annoying. However, the bigger problem with them is that their hitbox is too large. It extends past the actual spikes, so you get magnetized into them, especially when approaching from the side. Certain aspects of this game weren't tested properly on controller: 1. [spoiler]Once you upgrade the Prie Dieus from the church enough to teleport[/spoiler], the teleport button and the leave button overlap. The controller button only actually leaves, so you would have to press the space bar on a keyboard to teleport... 2. [spoiler]Once you upgrade the church enough to cleanse guilt, but before you max it out[/spoiler], the leave button, and the cleanse button overlap. Same problem as #1, but just in a different place. For some reason, the game's capped at 60 FPS. This is extremely minor, and by far the least important criticism here, but why? There are no mods either to fix this, so I had to mention it. This game uses the Unity engine, and Unity doesn't require you to tie your physics to your framerate, so I don't know why this limit is here.

Roughly 40 hours later, my pilgrimage through Cvstodia has come to an end. I am not much into metroidvanias but Blasphemous was a MASTERPIECE. - The story is a bit complicated but once you understand it makes a lasting impression. - Combat - 10/10 solid and satisfying - Exploration and backtracking was a bit time consuming but really fun and worth it - Platforming is fun and not frustrating at all (unlike Hollow Knight) The way every decision, every npc conversation and quest matters and the background activity makes the world feel alive. Tho the game can sometimes also be extremely obscure. Some quests and endings are almost impossible to figure out completely on your own and would eventually need a guide if you want to complete them all. Overall the game is 10/10 for me. Highly recommended. FK Miriam btw. All those annoying challenges for a useless prayer

A road through hell just like The Penitent One. One thing is for certain. The developers were so in love with the idea of having a Dark Souls game based on Spanish Inquisition lore. And oh boy did they succeed in that. The art is wonderful, but the story is not engaging enough to hook you in enough to make you invest all the time you waste being easily wounded, dealing with poor control mechanics and a very open and frustrating map. I tried to give it a chance twice and I just can't find myself willing to spend so much time reading a guide, trying the map while walking like I'm suffering a horrible case of arthritis. Maybe this game can be for the people who like extreme challenges, but from the point of view of a casual gamer who wants to scratch the Metroidvania itch, this isn't it. I'm glad the team in charge of Dead Cells was the one chosen to make the new Castlevania game and no these guys. If you are looking for a fun time enjoying a good story, go somewhere else.

[h1]4/5[/h1] Já tinha zerado na época que o jogo lançou, mas re-joguei recentemente pra colocar as DLCs em dia e refrescar minha memória antes de partir pra sequência. Segue sendo um ótimo metroidvania, com um dos lados artísticos mais fortes que já vi no gênero. Acho interessante como Blasphemous explora o sentimento de "culpa cristã" e como algumas religiões frequentemente glorificam o sofrimento, a punição e o martírio (só ver como a representação mais famosa de Jesus é ele no momento em que foi crucificado), e sinto que o jogo faz isso com bastante nuance. Isso é complementado por um universo bem construído, uma história cativante e uma chuva de referências culturais bem trabalhadas, do tipo que me fizeram querer pesquisar sobre as inspirações da equipe lá em 2019. Algumas coisas da jogabilidade me desagradam, acho a progressão do jogo simples e não gosto como ele aborda as "habilidades metroidvania" (que abrem mais caminhos no mapa), e o combate é bacana mas não tem muita profundidade ou variedade nos diferentes equipamentos, mas ainda assim é um jogo bem divertido. No geral, Blasphemous se sustenta muito pelos visuais, trilha sonora e construção de mundo, e apesar de ser bastante competente nos outros aspectos, eu diria que esses são os motivos principais que fazem ele valer a pena ser jogado. Pode não ter reinventado a roda do gênero, mas tem mais do que suficiente aqui pra fazer ele se destacar de outros metroidvanias.

PENITENT ONEEEEEEEEEEEE