Blasphemous Review – Punished Souls
The gruesome opening of Blasphemous bluntly sets the stage for the type of game you're in for. After awakening amongst a sea of deceased worshipers, the silent protagonist, known only as The Penitent One, slowly makes his way through a long-abandoned citadel. Blocking his exit, however, is a so-called warden who wields a golden chandelier as a club. After dodging its attacks and striking when its most vulnerable, The Penitent One removes his helmet near the slain beast, fills it with the blood of the defeated foe, and immediately pours it over his head.
It's undoubtedly an over-the-top intro, yet its feats pale in comparison to the other horrors that await. Blasphemous is an exceedingly bleak adventure with strong religious undertones throughout. What's driving you as The Penitent One is your goal to find the source of the mysterious Miracle, a supernatural force that has created tangible manifestations of people's guilt throughout the land. The structure for Blasphemous' peculiar narrative and hack-and-slash gameplay pays hearty tribute to the Souls series and metroidvania subgenre. Though this reverence for established formulas can come off as derivative, the concepts are suited perfectly to the macabre atmosphere.
Despite its grim nature, however, there is an alluring quality to the dark setting. It can often be oppressive with how unrelenting it all is, yet I still felt intrigued by it all. Some of the most fascinating and exciting moments come from unraveling more locations and minor storylines that fold back onto themselves, reconnecting forgotten areas and characters in unexpected ways. Blasphemous has an array of stoic NPCs with unique motivations and stakes--whether you're trying to ease the suffering of afflicted peasants or assisting a pilgrim struggling to complete his ill-fated pilgrimage, there's an emotional investment in figuring out how this nightmarish reality came to be. This investment is bolstered by the game's stunning visuals, which convey a sense of dread that feels increasingly palpable as new areas are introduced.
Blasphemous' impeccably detailed sprite artwork gives a greater presence to the grotesque monsters and locales that you'll come to know well throughout the journey. Nearly every area of the game features a climactic battle, which has you face off against some lavishly designed boss that offers a fun and challenging change of pace from the long hallways filled with monsters and spike-filled pitfalls. Most of these boss battles are a real standout in Blasphemous, which pit you against extravagant and grotesque monsters--like the giant baby who will rip The Penitent One limb from limb if you get too close to it. Many of these clashes are where the heavy religious imagery reaches its peak, making for some particularly gruesome fights that pull upon larger themes of repentance and sacrifice.
There's an impressive level of world-building in the game, and several essential items and artifacts throughout also feature unique bits of lore that flesh out the land's history. A few of the characters also have minor quests that can span an entire playthrough, some of which are entirely missable given how loose the game's sense of direction is. From the opening, and all the way to the climax, Blasphemous leans heavily on that familiar loop of exploration, discovery, and the ensuing trials by traversal and combat.
It's simple enough to get into the rhythm of trading steel with foes and leaping across perilous jumps, though you'll most certainly suffer from an inevitable death at some point--often in gruesome fashion. There are a generous amount of spawn points, and without the loss of currency upon death, death isn't as taxing as it seems. However, repeated deaths will accrue guilt, weakening your mana bar and currency gain. If you don't shake off the guilt by returning to your death-point or spending the funds to purge at guilt statues, your character will become significantly disadvantaged. This system is lenient enough that you don't feel too discouraged about death, yet it still inspires anxiety in life or death situations, such as a leap of faith across a bottomless pit.
Blasphemous' impeccably detailed sprite artwork gives a greater presence to the grotesque monsters and locales that you'll come to know well throughout the journey.
While these mechanics surrounding death are undeniably influenced by From Software's Souls games, Blasphemous isn't just a 2D Dark Souls experience. It shares more blood with classic action games like Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden, putting less of a focus on RPG mechanics and more on the in-the-moment action and platforming. The core combat and traversal systems are lean and very reflex-driven, and you'll spend most of your time honing your limited, yet still refined skills. One of the more satisfying moments can come from successfully parrying strikes with your sword, opening up a gory execution attack on your opponent. To give you more of an edge, you can boost your attributes with collectible relics and other upgrades, allowing you to stand against the tougher challenges with greater ease.
As you rack up new abilities, access to new areas opens up, revealing pathways from previous locations that can give you a renewed sense of appreciation for the world itself. However, while these new skills and tools present some change, the core gameplay of running, jumping, and slashing from the opening hour to the closing act remains mostly the same. Without any significant advancements to your skillset, later sections of the game come across as incredibly repetitive and, at worst, dull.
This feeling is magnified by how tedious exploration can be after getting settled with the lay of the land. While fast-travel points are present, they're few and far between, meaning you have to hoof it through long stretches of treacherous dungeons you've come to know inside and out. During these backtracking sessions, you continue to fight the same enemies with the same abilities. Moreover, you can easily fall prey to a stray projectile from an out-of-sight enemy, sending you careening down onto spike traps. This can be especially frustrating when handling particular tasks that require you to avoid death in order to complete them.
The lack of change in the overall flow is noticeable, especially when approaching the mid-to-late portion of the game. As the plot escalates, showing off increasingly spellbinding visuals, your tactics and the general flow see little change. This is disappointing for a game that prides itself on a core loop that's about revealing hidden details around you and overcoming more challenging foes. Still, I can't deny that Blasphemous presents an evocative setting that becomes far grimmer as it progresses.
Though it can be frustrating that its core gameplay never evolves past the often one-note rhythm of hacking and jumping across different levels, keeping it from reaching greater heights, I still came away impressed with how much Blasphemous stuck close to its haunting, dark storyline. To that end, playing through this send-up to metroidvania games was a satisfying trial to overcome in its own right.
Star Trek Picard: Essential Viewing Guide Before the Show
Star Trek: Picard will be debuting on CBS All Access on Jan. 23, 2020, much to the cautious delight of Trekkies the world over. Star Trek: The Next Generation was for many the idealized version of Gene Roddenberry's idyllic future of multicultural triumph, and a revisit to that show's iconic starship captain, Jean-Luc Picard (played by the excellent Patrick Stewart), may prove to be a welcome return to a beloved character. Stern authority figure that he is, Picard also appears approachable. He's like the professor you had in college that you feared disappointing.
To help you prepare for Star Trek: Picard, we’ve put together the following essential viewing guide to the general arc of Jean-Luc's character -- these are the episodes of Star Trek: TNG (and more) that exemplify the character at his finest, or depict him encountering scenarios that put his talents and moxie most sharply on display. These stories also help illustrate the path his life has taken since joining Starfleet.
Star Wars: General Leia Finally Gives Chewbacca That Hug
At the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, after the tragic death of Han Solo, you’d think the two most important people in his life might have found some time to reflect and grieve together. Well, in the original film, General Leia and trusty co-pilot Chewbacca never seemed to acknowledge each other, Leia instead hugging Rey, who had only met Solo a day or so prior.
Finally, it appears that Chewbacca has gotten that hug from General Leia, thanks to the first issue of Star Wars Age of Resistance: Rey.
Every IGN LEGO Game Review
In addition to the ever-popular toy sets and the dozens of movies and TV series, LEGO has amassed a catalog of quality game adaptations dating back to the '90s. In anticipation of next year's LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, we're looking back at all 27 IGN reviews of LEGO games, starting when TT Games obtained the exclusive video game license by merging with Giant Interactive in 2005.
While IGN hasn't reviewed every game in the franchise, this list covers the majority of original and licensed LEGO games from the past 14 years. Click through the gallery below, or continue scrolling, to see how each one fared.
LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
Pokemon Fans Are Obsessed With Sirfetch’d, the Long-Awaited Farfetch’d Evolution
This morning, Nintendo and GameFreak revealed Sirfetch'd, the latest addition to the eighth generation of Pokemon, and an evolution to the classic Gen 1 Pokemon Farfetch'd.
Farfetch'd was one of the few original 151 non-legendary Pokemon that never received a baby form, evolution, or mega evolution, and had been a low-key fan favorite for being a simple (if not easily-agitated) duck that uses its leek to hit things. Well, that all changes with Sirfetch'd, the long-awaited (Pokemon Sword-exclusive) Galarian evolution that fans are quickly becoming obsessed over.
First Look at Netflix’s Seis Manos Reveals a Bloody Nightmare
Viz Media, in collaboration with Netflix and Powerhouse Animation (the studio behind Netflix's Castlevania), unveiled the first look at its upcoming adult anime-inspired series, titled Seis Manos. The series will be released on Netflix on Thursday, October 3, 2019.
Here's how the streaming provider describes the series: "Set in Mexico in the 1970s era, Seis Manos centers on three orphaned martial arts warriors who join forces with a DEA agent and a Mexican Federal to battle for justice after their beloved mentor is murdered on the streets of their tiny border town."
Seis Manos also features an impressive voice cast that includes Aislinn Derbez (La Casa de las Flores) as Isabela, Mike Colter (Luke Cage) as Brister, Jonny Cruz (Overwatch) as Jesus, Angelica Vale (Jane The Virgin) as Garcia, Vic Chao (Mortal Kombat X) as Chiu, and Danny Trejo (Machete) as El Balde.
Xbox Game Pass Getting Jump Force, Bloodstained, and More
Xbox Game Pass is getting Jump Force, Bloodstained, Bad North: Jotunn Edition, Dirt Rally 2.0, and Lego Worlds later this month, Xbox announced.
Jump Force, the action-fighting game starring some of Shonen Jump’s most popular manga and anime characters (like Goku, My Hero Academia’s All Might, or One Piece’s Luffy) will come to Xbox Game Pass on September 19. IGN gave it a 6.3 out of 10, saying it was mostly flash and little substance. Despite that lackluster reception, Jump Force has continued releasing additional characters like MHA’s Bakugo, or Dragon Ball Z’s Majin Buu.
The X-Men Make a Deal With the Mutant Devil
If war makes for strange bedfellows, then life for the X-Men has taken a very strange turn indeed.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for House of X #5!
While we've already broken down this issue's biggest twist and the reveal that Goldballs of all characters is now the most important X-Man alive, there are plenty of other intriguing developments in this issue. House of X #5 only lends further fuel to the theory that Professor Xavier has gone over to the dark side. He's certainly hanging around with the more unsavory members of the mutant race.
How JJ Abrams Redefines Spider-Man’s Life in Shocking Fashion
JJ Abrams just made his Marvel Comics debut, as he and his son Henry have penned a new miniseries simply titled Spider-Man. It turns out that this series isn't at all what we thought, as an early plot twist radically and permanently alters Peter Parker's life.
Read on to find out what happens in Spider-Man #1 and why this series isn't taking place in traditional Marvel continuity like we thought.
Warning: full spoilers ahead!
The cover to Spider-Man #1 suggests this series is focused heavily on the relationship between Spider-Man and Mary Jane, who recently became a couple again in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. But as we quickly learn, Abrams' Spider-Man takes place in an alternate universe where Peter and MJ are still married.
Why 2019 Is the Year Old-School Sega Fans Have Been Waiting Ages For
Sega’s in better shape than it’s ever been. Not only is the Japanese company finding success with brand new games like Two Point Hospital, but it’s also got more in the pipeline like the recently announced strategy title HumanKind. Thanks to the resurging popularity of Japanese games in recent years, we’re also seeing more of its homegrown hits reach a wider worldwide audience, from competitive puzzler Puyo Puyo to the entire Yakuza series, which is finally available on PS4. The results are even better thanks to stellar localization work from subsidiary Atlus, who of course also continue its own stylish identity with games like the Persona series.
But while it’s great to see the game company that defined much of my childhood get its groove back, 2019 feels very much like a defining year for Sega to celebrate its past, and it’s one that old-school Sega fanboys like myself have been waiting ages for.