Holy ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥.
I first discovered this game around 2022 I believe, when I was interested in the Metroidvania side of the gaming sphere. I didn't really think of actually playing them, but I did enjoy seeing those 'no damage' runs every now and then. Eventually though, I got it on April of 2024 as my first ever Metroidvania (I REALLY thought Hollow Knight would be my first, but I have a habit of proving myself wrong a lot).
Now, I can understand why there are complaints about, for example, the movement system, the sometimes janky hitboxes, and the very strict platforming at times (which I will admit is not this game's strong point). It's kind of the reason why I dropped it shortly before moving on to Hollow Knight, which I actually enjoyed a bit more.
Now I don't know what came over me, but this year close to around summer break, I decided to retry the game again.
Holy ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥. I repeat. Holy ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥.
It's like something clicked for me when I came back. Now all of a sudden, after exploring more of the game, I was spending hours and hours between intervals and sinking my time into the game. I want to talk about why I love this game as much as I can.
So please beware of spoilers and the yap session past this point.
I ADORE the boss fights. Once I got a hold of the mechanics, how to use prayers effectively, and learning patterns with every attempt (typical stuff for a Souls-like), I got a sense of chill and excitement every boss fight, which I definitely appreciate as I am writing this. The hitboxes, movement, and eventually platforming were, despite still being present, less noticeably bad as I got better at the game, which is good news for me. It made me feel like I am actually getting more skilled and it made me excited to play more, especially when I would get to fight another boss sooner.
My personal favorites are (in no specific ranking): [spoiler]Tres Angustias, Melquiades, Exposito, Quirce, and Crisanta.[/spoiler]
The OST and Map Areas are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ LOVELY! I personally prefer travelling on the other side of Cvstodia, past the [spoiler]Bridge of Three Cavalries.[/spoiler] Other than that, the music for [spoiler]Mercy Dreams, Desecrated Cistern, Convent of Our Lady of the Charred Visage, Mother of Mothers, Wall of Holy Prohibitions[/spoiler] are my special favorites. They make me feel immersed and excited as I defeat enemy after enemy with a sword forged of guilt and a sick getup. I especially get lost in the sauce from the scenery at the Wall. The boss fight themes were great too (especially for [spoiler]Tres Angustias and Quirce).[/spoiler]
When it comes to the Lore, I love it a lot, even if I am a bit of a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ when it comes to fully understanding it. But part of the reason for why I am head over heels for this game is the lore (although reading the lore itself can bet a tad boring, but no matter). [spoiler]For example, I did a little research out of curiosity, and what I think is really cool is that one of the bosses, Our Lady of the Charred Visage, is actually inspired by a real life Spanish tragedy from medieval times, involving a noblewoman named Maria Fernandez Coronel from Seville, who burned her faced with hot boiling oil in order to escape harrassment from King Pedro I, who was in mad love with her beauty. Another one that I find cool, is Melquiades' boss fight, in which he is literally a dead man being puppeteered by his followers (who are the hands that hold him up and try to slam you during the boss fight). I like to think that his magical attacks are actually done from the fervor of his followers, which if that is true, it's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ rad.[/spoiler]
Lastly, the quests. I don't mind them too much. Whenever I keep doing runs though, they do get quite repetitive, but I remind myself that I get good beads and prayers for doing so [spoiler](Thank you Redento for giving me a great bead, and Cleofas+Lvdovico+Viridiana for some of the best prayers in the game).[/spoiler]
That's about all I can think of saying at the moment. For some final notes, I haven't done the True Ending route, ANY of the NG+ penitences, or unlocked all the skins for the Penitent One, or fighting any of the Amanecidas, despite already "100%ing" the game, but I'm bound to do them soon enough. Also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE play this game with Spanish voice acting, I think it's better and more authentic for the setting of this game. Trust me you won't regret it!
Another thing. For the record, I'm fine with the platforming, but the Miriam challenges make me want to strangle somebody. I did all of them ONCE just for a mid prayer (not bad, not good, just mid). Never again...
Overall, I am really glad I tried this game out again recently. I know it might sound like blasphemy (no pun intended) and I might get burned at the stake for this, but dare I say, I had more fun in Blasphemous than I did with Hollow Knight of all Metroidvanias (might prove myself wrong again though). I've heard good things about Blasphemous 2, so I will definitely be 100%ing that one once I am done with the first entry. What a masterpiece!
𝕾𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖋𝖚𝖑 𝖇𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕳𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙, 𝕻𝖊𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝕺𝖓𝖊.
