It is rare that I get so excited for a game that I anticipate the day of its release, and try to set aside time to play it. Blasphemous 2 was one such game. I adore the first game, and so for the developers to make a sequel… it was both dizzyingly exciting and also slightly worrying. What would be gained, and what would be lost? Because all sequels must perform that balancing act. What did the developers think were the most important qualities of the sequel? How will they adjust the things that didn’t work? What new mechanics will rear their head, and change the things that we once knew about a game?

In my opinion, Blasphemous 2 might well be my game of 2023 (in terms of games that were released in 2023). It is an inspiring game. It takes the drawbacks of the first game (mainly in regards to the insta-death platforming which discouraged exploration) and creates movement that is, simply, a joy to use. Instead of one iconic weapon, like the Mea Culpa blade in the first game, players are given three weapons that they collect over the course of the game, each of which plays differently and provides different strengths and weaknesses. Veredicto, an enormous censer mace, deals loads of damage and stunlocks certain enemies, but also leaves you painfully exposed during certain boss fights. There is a sword that functions sort of similarly at times to Mea Culpa, but my favourite weapon, seemingly contrary to the rest of those who have reviewed the game, are the rapier and dagger combo, Sarmiento & Centella. They don’t do very much damage to start with, but the longer you fight with them, the higher a lightning meter charges up. If you manage to avoid taking damage, the meter fills and you can do some amazing damage. They reward skilled play, as well as have an amazing slide-stab move that feels so smooth to use.

Movement is greatly expanded, and feels versatile in every scenario. There are a great many things to unlock that make the Penitent One feel infinitely more satisfying to control. The double-jump, the air-dash – these things make Blasphemous 2 thrilling to just mess around in. To see how far you can push movement.

The game’s gothic atmosphere is slightly different than the first. It doesn’t feel as hopeless, as omnipresent, or as brutal. In the first game, horrific sights are plentiful – but some of the enemy designs in the second game feel toned down, as does the feeling of religious penitence. But this makes sense, given that the world of Blasphemous 2 has been relatively free of magical religious dogma and flagellation for some time now. But, as it makes its return, we see that creeping back into the world – and it’s not to say that there aren’t still hugely imaginative bosses and NPCs to meet.

The pixel art graphics are, like the last game, sublime. They swap out the pixel art cutscenes for more traditionally animated ones, but these are still beautiful. Each screen you move through in the game tells a different story, helps to immerse you in a different section of the sprawling world. It is navigated in a fairly linear fashion, but I didn’t even mind that. Each new section brings new challenges, vital upgrades, and complex, challenging bosses that feel like puzzles to crack open.

Each new boss is a test of some skill or another, making sure you grasp the essentials of the game. My favourite bosses were easily Eviterno, for his incredible difficulty and sublime presentation; Orospina, for a fantastic rapier duel filled with parries beneath an eerie mansion; and Benedicta, who is a projectile boss with a fantastic appearance that takes place on an infinitely falling / rising set of chandeliers. Each boss comes with fantastic music, too, and the music for the penultimate area is so final, so wondrously evocative of the Burkean sublime, that everything is, fittingly, sublimated until total immersion is basically impossible.

By the end of the game, I was infuated with the world, and caught up in the story in a way that I hadn’t quite been in the first game. The first game’s story was more mysterious, to be sure – something I wasn’t quite sure of by the end, which required further digestion. But the second game, I at least understood what was at stake, who my enemy was, and what it would mean if I failed.

And boy, what did it mean if I failed! The bad ending I preferred to the good one – the implications for the world were too fascinating to ignore. But I can hardly spoil it here – suffice to say that Blasphemous 2 will be satisfying and crushing regardless of which ending you get, or even how far you make it. Each boss is a rewarding challenge, each new item you pick up a potential revelation for how you play the game – and every new music track is yet another way to while away hours daydreaming at one’s computer, enraptured.

If you are even vaguely interested in metroidvanias, this should be on the top of your list. And if you like gothic religious horror, it is also an easy pitch. The feeling of penance – of climbing the mountain – resurfaces every time you face a boss fight. When you are dwarfed by the magnificence of some of the game’s backdrops – as blood rain lashes at you from the sky, and an unearthly choir booms at you – you will not hesitate even slightly to fall in love with the game. It is so crucial how each new area rewards patience, and every new area and enemy similarly punishes a lack of attention.

Pushing one’s way out into a sea of ink, hacking at the man of iron and rust that lurks out there, and watching as the tortured souls of those lost at sea rise from pools of murky nothingness lunge for you is an experience few other games can rival. That atmosphere, coupled with just how good the game feels to play and how much more powerful you’ve become by the end, is worth every minute one spends exploring the twisted world.

Each and every challenge is satisfying to overcome, and each weapon worth spending the time to master. This is a game I will no doubt return to time and again as the years go by, as I look for both a challenging action fix, and a horror tale about fighting against one’s own faith. I waited for this game for a long time, and found that my patience paid off. Game Kitchen did it again.

Highly, highly recommended.