I had never played a souls-like game before,so when I saw that blasphemous was on sale earlier this summer I decided to buy and give it a try. I had heard a lot of good things about this game but it still managed to surprise me with the depth of its world.
The entire game takes place in a small town of cvstodia but the amount of lore it manages to pack is simply amazing. Rooted in Spanish christian mythology weaving together themes of religious devotion,inquisition,fanaticism, penitence and authority , the main story in the game is very unsettling.
Those who like fairy tales will find the narration familiar with each segment concluding with a moral lesson — but that lesson is entirely twisted and almost nightmarish. Exactly the opposite of a happy ending in a classic fairy tale.
The 'miracle’, a god-like entity, grants people's wishes in the most ironic ,punishing manner possible and people bear these tortures without complaining, thinking of it as a blessing.
Cvstodia is the land of eternal horror , completely and utterly hopeless. Any optimism that you might feel is extinguished quickly and permanently. The ‘higher wills’ and the ‘miracle’ love to torture and the citizens of cvstodia accept this as a divine blessing.
The narration in the game is indirect. No cutscenes but plenty of dialogue and environmental story telling. Each and every item you obtain feels mythical but ultimately traces back to a real person and the afflictions they had to endure for this ‘gift’. I liked the direction that developers took with the story but I was a bit disappointed that the main character for the majority of the game has no purpose to his actions.
The game never explains why he is doing what he is doing or what he will achieve out of it? To be fair this truly emphasizes the complete helplessness of the citizens of cvstodia but it also makes it difficult to connect with the main character. Or with any one else really. It seems they have surrendered. Cvstodia feels inhumane — which fits with the theme but contradicts with the bigger picture of what's happening. Some characters surrender to higher wills as seems to be the case with the penitent one ,others turn their backs in revolt as seems to be the case with his holiness Escribar. I found it difficult to understand if there is a rebellion and if so what's the cause. Is the miracle evil? I don't think the citizens thought that. Nor does the main character for the most of the game.
The game has 3 endings ,in Ending A and B he seems to be following the orders of the higher wills but in ending C he displays some willfulness. But again this doesn't really justify anything he has done throughout the game or the things that have happened to other characters. While the world building is great I found the characters to be weak.
Gameplay wise it is slow paced. It can become challenging if you rush and lose patience but otherwise it's very much beatable. Initially I was a bit taken aback by the difficulty of the starting levels — even basic platforming seemed tricky, but the game becomes easier as you acquire more abilities and learn how to use them.
Each area has 2 checkpoints, one at the beginning and one at the end before a boss fight so you don't lose much progress. But enemies respawn every time you save or die. Killing them again gives you more money which you can spend to acquire upgrades so it balances out.
The art is absolutely stunning. This is one of the most artistic 2d platformers that I have ever played. It successfully blends the ornate religious beauty with themes of divine judgement and horror elements resulting in something that is unique. This is most apparent in boss fights but even the backgrounds in some of the levels are done spectacularly well and fit with the overall themes of the game.
If you are looking to play horror titles this Halloween you can't go wrong with blasphemous. It took me 21 hours to beat it but depending upon your skill you may be able to finish it quicker. I didn't go for ending C because it required tiresome backtracking and even more challenging platforming. After spending so much time with it I was already familiar with the direction the story would take and I didn't feel the urge to beat the game again strongly enough. Although I must say that ending C is a lot more fulfilling than the first 2 endings.
Overall fantastic world,gameplay, art and sound track. But a little underwhelming character wise.
Comments
Post a Comment