Blasphemous (video game)

Blasphemous is a Metroidvania video game developed by Spanish studio The Game Kitchen[2] and published by Team17. The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 10 September 2019.

Blasphemous
Developer(s)The Game Kitchen
Publisher(s)Team17
Composer(s)Carlos Viola[1]
Platform(s)
Release10 September 2019
Genre(s)Metroidvania
Mode(s)Single-player

It began as a Kickstarter campaign in 2017.[3]

Gameplay

Blasphemous is a Metroidvania action-adventure game taking place in the fictional region of Cvstodia. Players assume control of the Penitent One, a silent knight wielding a sword named Mea Culpa, as he travels the land in a pilgrimage.

The game involves exploring Cvstodia while fighting enemies, which appear in most areas. The Penitent One can fight enemies by attacking them with his sword at close range, or by casting spells that can be learned throughout the game. By damaging enemies with melee attacks, the player gains Fervor, which is consumed to cast spells. Each enemy has a certain attack pattern which players must learn in order to dodge them and avoid taking damage. Some enemy attacks can be parried by blocking at the right time, leaving foes vulnerable and allowing the Penitent One to counterattack them for increased damage. When getting hit, the protagonist's health decreases, but it can be recovered by consuming Bile Flasks. Defeating enemies rewards Tears of Atonement, the game's currency, that can be spent on shops to upgrade the player character and obtain items.

Numerous upgrades can be acquired at various points of the adventure, which include increasing the Penitent One's maximum health, Fervor and amount of Bile Flasks carried, and unlocking new abilities for world exploration and combat. By exploring, interacting with NPCs and completing sidequests, multiple items can be found which, when equipped, provide stat bonuses, reduce or nullify certain types of damage or provide access to otherwise inaccessible areas. There are also collectibles in the form of bones that can be delivered in a certain place to receive rewards, and Children of Moonlight – trapped angels that can be freed by attacking the cages they are in.

There are multiple checkpoints in the forms of altars located in multiple areas of the map. The player can rest in these checkpoints to fully replenish their health and refill any used Bile Flasks, save their progress and equip certain abilities, but doing so will also cause all previously slain enemies (excluding bosses) to respawn.

The Penitent One will die if his health is fully depleted, or if he falls into spikes or into a bottomless pit. Upon death, he will respawn in the last checkpoint visited, and a Guilt Fragment will appear in the location of his death (or near it, if he was killed by spikes or falling). The player will have reduced maximum Fervor, and gain less Fervor and Tears of Atonement from enemies, until the Guilt Fragment is recovered by reaching its location and interacting with it. Alternatively, there are certain points where this penalty can be eliminated for a fee.

Plot

Setting and characters

The game is set in Cvstodia, a land of religion and superstition, highly influenced by Christianity, its iconography, and Spanish culture–particularly that of the Andalucía region. The land is hallowed by a supernatural force known as "The Miracle". This force manifests itself in strange and often cruel ways, sometimes blessing and sometimes cursing Cvstodia's inhabitants, transforming them into twisted and monstrous physical manifestations of sins.

The protagonist is The Penitent One, the sole survivor of the Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow (called so because their members have agreed to a silence pact). He wears a mask and helmet that consists of a crown of thorns and a capirote, and his sword is adorned with a religious effigy. During his pilgrimage he meets characters such as Deogracias, who is found in several key moments of the story and acts as a narrator for the game; Redento, a pilgrim who walks with his back bent and his hands tied as a form of penance; Candelaria, an old merchant who sells various items; and Viridiana, who offers assistance to the player in boss battles. There is a governing Church led by His Holiness Escribar, who was reborn as the Last Son of the Miracle long before the game's events.

Story

Blasphemous begins in the Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow, a religious order opposed to Escribar's authority, after all its members have been massacred. One of them, the Penitent One, is reborn by the Miracle and departs on a pilgrimage. Shortly after defeating the Warden of the Silent Sorrow, he finds Deogracias, who tells him about the Cradle of Affliction, a sacred relic that the Penitent One seeks, and the Three Humilliations he must carry to access the place where it is located. He also gives the Penitent One a thorn to add to his sword's handle. This thorn will grow as the player completes certain optional dungeons and its state at the end of the game will affect the ending.

The Penitent One travels to different locations in Cvstodia, including the decaying town of Albero, the snowing hills Where Olive Trees Wither, and the underground Desecrated Cistern. He manages to complete the Three Humilliations, each of them involving a trial against a different boss, and gains access to the Mother of Mothers, the cathedral where both Escribar and the Cradle of Affliction reside.

Following certain events Escribar's voice will be heard, telling his own backstory: a long time before the Penitent One began his pilgrimage, the Miracle transformed Escribar into a massive tree. At one point the tree caught fire and burned entirely, leaving behind a massive pile of ash on top of which stood Escribar's throne. The Miracle drove countless people to attempt to climb the mountain, but all of them failed, being swallowed by the Ash. As a form of punishment, the Miracle turned them all into beasts (the game's enemies). This included Escribar, who was reborn as the Last Son of the Miracle.

The Penitent One finally arrives to the top of the Mother of Mothers, and he battles and defeats Escribar. The latter engages once more, revealing his true form as the Last Son of the Miracle, but is defeated and permanently killed. The Penitent One then finds the pile of ash mentioned in Escribar's story, and attempts to climb to its top and reach the Cradle of Affliction. If the player did not complete all the optional dungeons and upgrade the thorn to its final stage, the Penitent One fails to reach the top and sinks into the ash, leaving behind nothing but his mask – which Deogracias then picks up and deposits next to countless other masks, declaring the protagonist's penitence over. However, if the player did complete the dungeons and fully upgrade the thorn, the Penitent One reaches Escribar's throne at the top of the ash mountain, sits there and stabs himself with his sword. Thus, he turns into a tree (as it happened to Escribar before him) and becomes the new Father and Last Son of the Miracle thus ending the cycle of Guilt and Penitence. After the credits, however, Crisanta's voice is heard as the female knight draws the Mea Culpa from the Penitent One's remains inadvertently restarting the cycle anew.

Development

Creative director Enrique Cabeza has cited the religious art and iconography of Seville, Spain as a major influence on Blasphemous' story and design.[4] Cabeza has also pointed to Spanish painters such as Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Francisco Goya, Jusepe de Ribera, Diego Velázquez and Francisco de Zurbarán, particularly noting significant inspiration from Goya's A Procession of Flagellants.[4]

The Stir of Dawn DLC and Spanish dub

On August 4, 2020, a free expansion for Blasphemous titled The Stir of Dawn was released for all platforms. The update added New Game+ content and a full Spanish dub.

According to developer Enrique Colinet,[5] the creators of Blasphemous had always wanted to have the game's voices recorded in Spanish, but limited budget allowed for dubbing in only one language. The team opted for English voice acting, aiming towards a wider market. Following the game's commercial success, the developers produced a Spanish dub which featured several renowned Spanish voice actors.[6]

Reception

Blasphemous received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[7][8][9][10]

The game won the awards for "Best Spanish Development" and "Indie Game of the Year" at the 2019 Titanium Awards, where it was also nominated for "Best Art".[21][22]

References
  1. "The creator of brutal platformer Blasphemous, out this week on PS4, reveals its real-world inspirations". Playstation.Blog. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  2. Brugat, Marc (10 September 2019). "Blasphemous: ya está disponible uno de los videojuegos españoles más esperados del año". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  3. "Blasphemous: Dark and brutal 2D non linear platformer". Kickstarter. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  4. McMullan, Thomas (October 7, 2019). "How Video Game 'Blasphemous' Embraces the Catholic Gothic Tradition". Frieze. Frieze. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  5. "baxayaun/status/1286756013866209283". Twitter. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  6. "Blasphemous: The Stir of Dawn - Introducing the Spanish Cast! :: Blasphemous Events & Announcements". steamcommunity.com. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  7. "Blasphemous for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  8. "Blasphemous for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  9. "Blasphemous for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  10. "Blasphemous for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  11. Schmid, Matthias (11 October 2019). "Test: Blasphemous". 4Players. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  12. Devore, Jordan (9 September 2019). "Review: Blasphemous". Destructoid. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  13. Fillari, Alessandro (22 September 2019). "Blasphemous Review - Darker Souls". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  14. LeClair, Kyle (16 September 2019). "Review: Blasphemous". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  15. Petite, Steven (9 September 2019). "Blasphemous Review". IGN. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  16. "Test : Blasphemous, un Metroidvania macabre et envoûtant". Jeuxvideo.com. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  17. O'Reilly, PJ (9 September 2019). "Blasphemous Review". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  18. Zawodniak, Matthew (16 September 2019). "Blasphemous (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  19. Kilian, Marco (26 October 2019). "Test zu Blasphemous: Ein hartes, aber ebenso brillantes 2D-Abenteuer". PC Games. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  20. Wise, Josh (12 September 2019). "Blasphemous review". VideoGamer. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  21. "Titanium Awards 2019". Fun & Serious Game Festival. Archived from the original on 21 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  22. "Ganadores de los premios Titanium del Fun & Serious 2019". Generación Xbox (in Spanish). 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
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