The Penitent One has awoken. Blasphemous II is available to play from today.
Sequel to Blasphemous, this game picks up where the Wounds of Eventide DLC left off, on a journey through a world of cruelty, horror, and extremely convoluted lore. The Heart in the Sky heralded a birth of a new miracle child, the return of The Miracle. From The Game Kitchen and Team17, this metroidvania, souls-like game is set to test your skills in the fight to end the cycle, once and for all.
Guest Review
The Overclockers UK Blog was provided a game key for Blasphemous II. Social Media Manager Jacob Morgan had a playthrough on his AMD-based gaming PC. (Yes, the one 8Pack roasted!)
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600 |
| GPU | Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Ti |
| RAM | 32GB DDR4 |
Blasphemous II Gameplay
The game starts in a similar fashion to the first, with a dramatic and impeccably voice acted monologue over our character, The Penitent One, stabbing themselves with iconic “Mea Cupla”. Thrust back into an endless cycle of death, resurrection, and life, Blasphemous II is bursting with secrets, stories, and Gothic charm for you to discover and give you a deeper understanding of this strange place.
When progressing through the levels, you will regularly meet roadblocks. These can take many forms, such as gates that require a specific weapon to be used in a certain way to unlock them. Some even require two different weapons and actions! Other quests include retrieving a specific item to give to an NPC or to reaching a different place in the game entirely and then coming back later.
This makes for an intriguing open-world mechanic for what is, in reality, a 2D platformer. It leaves you feeling like progression is not completely linear and effectively emulates the exploration usually only possible in open-world titles.
What’s more, exploration is often rewarded in this game. If you take the extra time to complete certain conditions and notice certain small details you can interact with, you may find yourself in a secret area and be treated to a special weapon or item you may have otherwise missed.
Weapons and Mechanics
At the beginning of the you are given the choice between three different unique weapons:
- A giant flail with a charged heavy attack and an ability to set it aflame;
- A speedy dual wielding rapier and dagger combo which gives you the ability to use a dash attack and parry enemy strikes;
- And a large cleaver type sword which is stronger but slower than the dual wielders, but also offers the ability to parry.
The game also allows you to test these weapons out on a spectre before setting out on your gruelling journey. I ended up choosing the rapier and dagger, called Sarmiento and Centella. You quickly find out that this choice means more than you may have first thought, as the game informs you that you have now chosen your “companion” for this journey. Whatever could that mean…?
During the game, you get a set amount of consumable heals, called Bile Vessels. These are refilled when you reach your next checkpoint, known as Prie Diev. The most recent Prie Diev you rested at will also be your respawn point, should you die. Which you will. A lot. This is the only way to save your progress. If you die before reaching the next Prie Diev, all the progress you have made since the last one will be lost. Ouch.
Gameplay consists of familiar mechanics for an action-adventure metroidvania game, including fast platform movement, a variety of weapons and attacks, and an even wider variety of enemies each with their own move sets, powers, and weaknesses. The driving motivation pushing you to battle onwards being the many different weapons, power-ups, and items needed to continue your progression through the game.
What Did We Think?
The plot follows the formula of similarly styled games, such as the Dark Souls Series and other FromSoft titles. An influence that Blasphemous II wears boldly on its sleeve. Trying to piece together the mysterious and elusive plot from specific lines of dialogue as well as item descriptions is part of the fun. This is, of course, not for everyone, but fans of the gerne and style will find a familiar appeal in discovering the sheer level of ingenuity and finely crafted world building hidden behind the veil.
Similar to the first Blasphemous title, you are thrown into an imposing boss fight as your first encounter. It’s a great method to separate the wheat from the chaff, reminding players that this is not a chill game. It is going to be tough and at times unfair, but that is the appeal of games like these. They are for players who want to suffer to improve their skills, memorise move sets, find weaknesses, and overcome great odds to feel that sense of reward that few other games can offer. What this boss does particularly well, however, is give players that might not be the normal “give me torture” difficultly-lovers a glimpse into what souls-veterans know from years of playing these games.
Faceless One, Chisel of Oblivion, may come across as imposing at first, but they are actually a very easy boss, comprising only about two or three moves. Once you learn their attack pattern which they don’t deviate from, at all, and how to dodge each move, this fight becomes a walk in the park. This is a clever inclusion for the first fight. It very loudly states, whilst the enemies you find here will be scary and might seem very tough, there is always a way to beat them. This boss demonstrates that clearly in a very accessible way.
Art Style
The pixel-based art style of Blasphemous II is just as impactful, if not more than, the first time around. The game is a visual treat, with the gorgeous baroque depictions of cities, cathedrals and unfamiliar lands, grotesque enemies, eldritch beings, and dominating bosses. All are decorated with complex symbolism to further display the lore of this game in a grand display of environmental storytelling.
The choice to include traditionally animated cutscenes in this game that weren’t there in the first one is strange and often jarring. But the same quality and detail is apparent in these cutscenes. Once you get passed them not being in the iconic pixel art style, they are very impressive and enjoyable.
I grew to appreciate the classically animated cutscenes more throughout the game. There are a few moments when the two styles are directly compared, and it reminded me just how unique and impactful the iconic Blasphemous pixel art style is. Part of me wishes I could see the entire game in that art style like the first.
Final Thoughts
The game seems as though it would take roughly 30 hours to complete in a normal, not fully completionist playthrough. As such, you can feel free to lose yourself in the world of Blasphemous II without worrying about the fun ending too soon!
It’s a simple and familiar formula to pick up but one that remains incredibly addictive. Especially when the reward is delving deeper into the wondrous world that the developers have designed, accessing new breathtaking areas or meeting secret characters willing to drip feed you more dense lore and secrets.
New Content!
Blasphemous II is getting a massive expansion and update. The Mae Culpa expansion will add a whole load of new content, whilst the free True Torment update includes a new mode, accessibility features, and much more. Both are available from October 31st 2024.
Mea Culpa Expansion
The Mea Culpa expansion continues Blasphemous II’s story, challenging you to restore the Penitent One’s lost blade from the first game. Fans may remember that sword is called the Mea Culpa! This expansion adds up to eight hours of story, depending on how quickly or thoroughly you get through this extra content.
With the continued story, Mea Culpa brings a whole load new stuff, including (deep breath) two areas, two bosses, four quests, an alternate ending, a weapon and ability, prayers, Rosary beads, achievements, Argent board figures, and nine whole songs for the soundtrack by Carlos Viola. (Phew!)
Well, the ascension to penitence does never end!
Mea Culpa is a paid DLC.
True Torment Update
For this one, we have two words for you: Free. Update. Everything that the True Torment Update brings is ✨free✨!
The star of the True Torment update is the New Game Plus mode. It is a highly requested feature from the fans, and we do so love it when the devs hear our prayers! Details on how this mode works fully are being kept secret until launch, but it brings customisable difficulty and a tiered experience with unlockable rewards.
On top of this, True Torment adds expanded and new connecting zones, with a new challenge, enemies, and upgrades for the Penitent One. Plus, there are some quality of life improvements and accessibility features to make the gameplay more enjoyable for everyone.
There is so much new content to see and explore. In fact, if you get the expansion and update together, there is roughly 40% more explorable area added to Blasphemous II!
Platforms
Blasphemous II is available to play on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. It is a single-player adventure, with no support for crossplay needed. The rich story and electric combat make it great fodder for streaming, though!
As of November 2nd, Blasphemous II will also be available to play on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Blasphemous II Official Specifications
What does Blasphemous II need from your gaming PC? Here are the official specifications:
| Component | Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 AMD Phenom II X2 550 | Intel Core i3-550 AMD FX-4100 |
| Memory | 4GB RAM | 6GB RAM |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 1GB AMD Radeon HD 7470 1GB Intel HD Graphics 4400 | NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 1GB AMD Radeon R7 240 1GB Intel HD Graphics 530 |
| Storage | 4GB available space | 4GB available space |
Best PCs to Play Blasphemous II
The official specs for Blasphemous II are very attainable, so we’re also going to draw inspiration from the spec Jacob uses. That’s what it was played on after all! We have two gaming PCs and a gaming laptop to showcase for you. Should these not spark joy, we have extensive ranges just waiting for you to explore.
Refract Gaming Jade Pre-Built PC
The Refract Gaming Jade is one of our prebuilt gaming PCs that has been crafted by our team of experts for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU intelligently manages your single and multi-threaded workloads to optimise efficiency, whilst the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU will effortlessly bring Blasphemous II to life. With 32GB DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD, you can wave goodbye to slow loading times and hello to near-zero input latency.
As one of our pre-built PCs, the Refract Jade is fully assembled and tested before we ship it out to you. What’s more, it is covered by a comprehensive three year parts and labour warranty, to give you extra peace of mind. Sadly, damage by monstrous foes is not covered!
Razer Blade 16 Gaming Laptop
Play Blasphemous II on the go, with the Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop. Equipped with an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, this laptop utilises Intel’s hybrid core architecture which is intelligently managed by Intel Thread Director. To render all your favourite metroidvania games in stunning detail the Razer Blade 16 sports an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, with enhanced AI capabilities. This is then displayed on a 16.0” QHD+ screen with a 240Hz refresh rate, for crisp pictures and smooth frame rates.
What’s more, the Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop features an upgraded thermal solution to keep the vital components cool. The server-grade components in the vapour cooling chamber are optimised to efficiently draw heat away and maintain optimum temperatures.
OcUK Gaming Kalis Configurable PC
The OcUK Gaming Kalis is more than ready to take on Blasphemous II, with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500, CPU that boasts six cores, twelve threads, and boost speeds up to 4.2GHz. Additionally, this gaming PC harnesses the power of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, equipped with real time ray tracing and AI DLSS for realistic lighting and smooth gameplay. Thanks to the 16GB DDR4 RAM and M.2 SSD, you can enjoy near zero latency as you work, game, and create, too!
The OcUK Gaming Kalis is one of our configurable gaming PCs, meaning you can adjust the base spec to best suit your needs. Customise the PC case, CPU, memory, GPU, cooler, WiFi adapter, operating system, and add up to two storage drives. Please note that any changes to the spec will affect the price.
More Gaming Inspo
We love to talk about gaming on the Overclockers UK blog. Check out more of our articles to inspire your next gaming session!
Penance Never Ends
Blasphemous II is rewarding, addictive, and sure to scratch the itch for any souls-veteran who wants to try something different, yet familiar, to fill the wait for new Elden Ring DLC. A vast improvement on the first game and a perfect example of what happens when a small studio is allowed to completely focus on a passion project, this level of detail and uniqueness does not come from any other way.
What are your thoughts on Blasphemous II? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
PC specs are subject to change.
- 12 min read
OcUK Guest Writer
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