Team 17’s Soulslike side scrolling platformer Metroidvania is back with Blasphemous 2. The question is, does this dark, gruesome and edgy follow up meet the expectations of the first game’s fans? Keep reading to see if they’ve expanded upon or if they’ve plateaued compared to its predecessor.

First off, one thing that’s quite clear is that indie developer The Game Kitchen kept up with its horror and dark theme in Blasphemous 2. In fact, it seems to be something they’re very good at, so why change a formula that works. Now that we’ve got the obvious out of the way, Blasphemous 2 seems to have slightly changed its cutscenes from its pixel art animation to a more refined anime look and feel. This isn’t necessarily an ‘upgrade’ as such, but is definitely something that can be noted as the rest of the game’s visuals seem to lean heavily towards its pixel art style, making it slightly jarring at times. That being said, the animation cutscenes are far from regular enough for most people to feel as though it’s an issue, if any. The pixel art and movement, however, is still just as good as the first game. Everything about controlling the character, hack and slashing and even just using block and counter feels and looks great. The variety of enemies have variations that you’d expect from any type of Metroidvania. And sure, some might say that some of them look a little too similar, but with different or colored elemental attacks, but as an overall, the variety was enough for you to still enjoy the game.

Speaking of attacking, one thing that’s clear from the get-go is the game’s expansion on weapons. The previous game had one weapon, being a type of sword in which you’d upgrade a skill tree to add new attacks to your arsenal of hack and slashes. However, in this sequel, it seems that there are 3 different weapons you can use. Firstly, the balanced Ruego del Alba, being a serrated sword that will feel very familiar from the first game. Veredicto, the heavy damage flail that will remind you of the weapon used by the Witch King from LOTR. It’s obviously going to be your typical ‘slower’ attack movement. And lastly, Sarmiento and Centella being a rapier and dagger duo. And as you can guess, the lighter damage but increased in speed. Each weapon has its own skill-tree that you’ll be able to upgrade over time and unlock extra moves as well as unlocking some elemental damage. In the instance of Sarmiento and Cantella, it uses a lightning type damage, just to name one.

And though there are times where you’ll need to specifically use the variety of weapons in your arsenal, the main serrated blade felt as though it was the best and most comfortable to use. Enough to create damage to your enemies, but fast enough to have the right amount of slashes, which unfortunately makes the other weapons a little obsolete. It’s definitely nice to have the novelty of having other options, but most players may end up going back to the trusty old Ruego del Alba. Again, why change a formula that works.

Exploration is definitely something that is emphasized in the first game, and can definitely be found in this sequel. The world feels ever familiar to the first game where there’s a town, and you explore and open up the map around it. And again, similarly to the first game and most Metroidvanias, there are different areas that have different characteristics. Places where you’re inside a tower or church, areas where it’s overgrown with forrest and undead, areas where it seems like a haunted mansion. In fact, most Metroidvanias seem to follow a similar layout. One can even say that the levels and maps could be considered as an enemy itself as there are loads of secret areas to unlock, characters to meet who are hidden, and treasures to be found to upgrade your life, mana use and items to upgrade weapons and secondary magic attacks.

What also makes this game a little Soulslike platformer is the way each area opens up and shortcuts are created. Additionally, little Prie Dieus (a type of prayer desk) are scattered across the map, similar to Dark Souls’ bonfire.

Lastly, the difficulty of the bosses are one that’s comparable to FromSoft games, for a Metroidvania. A great example and GOAT Metroidvania is Hollow Knight, where players need to focus and remember attack patterns, timings and chip away at these fights. It really is an endurance battle, as one little mistake can cost you losing. That being said, Blasphemous 2’s boss fights aren’t as vigorous, but will definitely give players a good challenge. One thing that seemed to be missing with normal enemy fights is the gruesome and bloody quick executions, that were easily triggered in the first game

Overall, Blasphemous 2 is still a fun Soulslike Metroidvania for those looking for a little challenge. The pixel visuals are great, and exploring the lands and finding hidden items and characters can be fun. However, it hasn’t really evolved much from the first game apart from the extra weapon options. Additionally, the narrative is so vague that you definitely don’t need to know what happened in the first game, if you’re new to the franchise. The Game Kitchen has definitely played it safe and only expanded ever so slightly, but still bringing a very fun and entertaining game.