11/1/2022 0 Comments Blasphemous baby boss![]() ![]() Snippets of lore can be found in the game's collectibles, which are far too numerous to be found without significant time being invested. Without delving too much into the story, it's disappointing to report that the game borrows a little too heavily from the Dark Souls school of storytelling. These things will be the bane of your life. They felt like a challenge, rather than an obstacle (except those little jumping demons, those things are awful). Each enemy has a unique animation set and collapses into a satisfying mesh of blood when defeated. I don't want to name the boss, as it is rather spoilery, but the fight itself felt like fighting an equal, rather than a massive god-like entity. Enemy variety rather than the boss encounters themselves is also commendable. A personal favorite fight would have been the *Ornstein and Smough* Esque encounter at a certain bridge. Each one felt fun to fight and felt significant enough that when you eventually felled them, the wave of triumph washing over you felt earned. No boss ever felt like a slog, nor did they feel like they were thrown in to pad boss numbers. They all also boast a fair amount of health. Each boss has a variety of attacks that are well telegraphed. It's very clear that a large portion of the development teams blood sweat and tears went into these guys. Gods Among Menīlasphemous also has some absolutely jaw-dropping boss design. When you finish a challenge, you should feel some sort of accomplishment, not just a sigh of relief that you don't have to go through it again. Sometimes, with difficult platforming sections, the game garnered feelings of relief rather than triumph. Losing all that progress and getting kicked back to the start due to a dodgy jump can really put a dampener on any enjoyment you feel. Requiring precision jumping, as well as wall jumping, for a prolonged period of time. The games ice area is one of the most frustrating examples of this. Many times I've had this happen, even in areas where the spide traps weren't inherently obvious until you make the jump.Ĭombine instant death traps with enemies who jump in an arc to ensure you take damage on a jump, and you have a recipe for frustration. This becomes a real pain in the neck (literally) when you're attempting to jump over a gap, only to be speared by multiple spikes at the bottom, killing you instantly. Platforming can feel sluggish and can lack precision. The problem is, some design decisions seem to have been made to frustrate, rather than to challenge. Blasphemous definitely wears it's Soulsbourne inspirations on its sleeve, as the game is punishingly difficult. ![]() The problems begin arising when you dig into the gameplay itself. You do have plenty of magic to choose from, as well as a Rosary bead system which you can use to add some upgrades to your base stats. BLASPHEMOUS BABY BOSS UPGRADEYou can upgrade your own moveset with the typical Soulsborne currency you receive from killing enemies, but you never do get access to a new weapon, which can get a bit stale. All of these executions are lovingly crafted and are a joy to perform, which is good because you'll be seeing the same moves a lot. ![]() From lifting an enemy up by their arm and hacking away at their heads to crushing an enemy beneath their own heavy stone shield. The Penitent One has some truly gruesome execution moves he is capable of doing on stunned enemies. Keeping on the amazing artwork train, the animation is also a huge strongpoint. Music is also used sparingly enough to ensure a fantastic atmosphere. All of these areas are incredibly gorgeous, rendered in the beautiful pixel art used for the enemies and NPCs. Environments vary from grandiose cathedrals to icy mountaintops. You begin the game, for example, rising from a pile of corpses that look all too familiar. As the Penitent One, you explore an eery and unsettling world which uses Christianity as a backdrop for some truly disturbing imagery. The result is a gorgeous action platformer with truly breathtaking animations, let down by some unfortunate emphasis on platforming as well as keeping too close to the Soulsbourne traditions.īlasphemous tells the tale of the Penitent one, your silent protagonist with a sweet capirote helmet, fond of slamming vials of blood against their face to heal. However, what is truly intriguing about Blasphemous is how it takes both these inspirations and marries them into a truly grotesque and fascinating experience. Yes, there is an undoubtedly souls-like vibe from the game, as well as the fancy overcoat of a Metroidvania flowing in the wind. Blasphemous wears its inspirations on its sleeve, so let’s start off by acknowledging them. ![]()
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