Sights & Sounds
- The beautifully grotesque and overall creepy visual style were ultimately what drew me in, and I was in no way disappointed
- A lot of the basic enemies reminded me of the Castlevania PS and GBA games. The bosses, however, are very different. Whether it be the floating disembodied head of a burn victim or a gigantic blind baby, it's virtually guaranteed that you'll be surprised and just a little disgusted by what you see
- The music is what you'd expect given the 16-bit stylings and religious overtones. Hope you like synthesized organ pieces and somber hymns
Story & Vibes
- Given the title of the game, the heavy usage of religious themes is unsurprising
- In a nutshell, some sad little boy asked God to punish the world, and he was only too eager to comply. As a result, the world is pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up. You're trying to fix things, but the church is pretty mad about your efforts
- The game is grim, serious, and violent, which blends well with the overall difficulty of the gameplay
Playability & Replayability
- Even by 2D Souls-like standards, this game is pretty tough. Be prepared to use every skill in your arsenal. Some of them make quick work of what would otherwise be difficult enemies
- The bosses will tax your endurance, reflexes, and visual acuity. Like most boss battles, attacks are fairly telegraphed, but you'll need to be quick and precise to endure some of the later battles
- Honestly not feeling a replay. I never hit a point in this game where I felt like I mastered its mechanics. It's not that they're overly complex or difficult to understand, but the tolerance for faults in execution is so low that you're always on your toes
Overall Impressions & Performance
- It was an excellent experience on the Steam Deck, and I found the d-pad to be more useful than the analog stick for this game
- One of the better games in this genre. I think I'd still rank Grime a little higher due to superior platforming. The bosses in Blasphemous are better designed, though
Final Verdict
- 8.5/10. It's worth it at full price, but it winds up bundled so often that you'll likely find it cheap somewhere. All in all, if you like gory, difficult platformers, buy with confidence
- The beautifully grotesque and overall creepy visual style were ultimately what drew me in, and I was in no way disappointed
- A lot of the basic enemies reminded me of the Castlevania PS and GBA games. The bosses, however, are very different. Whether it be the floating disembodied head of a burn victim or a gigantic blind baby, it's virtually guaranteed that you'll be surprised and just a little disgusted by what you see
- The music is what you'd expect given the 16-bit stylings and religious overtones. Hope you like synthesized organ pieces and somber hymns
Story & Vibes
- Given the title of the game, the heavy usage of religious themes is unsurprising
- In a nutshell, some sad little boy asked God to punish the world, and he was only too eager to comply. As a result, the world is pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up. You're trying to fix things, but the church is pretty mad about your efforts
- The game is grim, serious, and violent, which blends well with the overall difficulty of the gameplay
Playability & Replayability
- Even by 2D Souls-like standards, this game is pretty tough. Be prepared to use every skill in your arsenal. Some of them make quick work of what would otherwise be difficult enemies
- The bosses will tax your endurance, reflexes, and visual acuity. Like most boss battles, attacks are fairly telegraphed, but you'll need to be quick and precise to endure some of the later battles
- Honestly not feeling a replay. I never hit a point in this game where I felt like I mastered its mechanics. It's not that they're overly complex or difficult to understand, but the tolerance for faults in execution is so low that you're always on your toes
Overall Impressions & Performance
- It was an excellent experience on the Steam Deck, and I found the d-pad to be more useful than the analog stick for this game
- One of the better games in this genre. I think I'd still rank Grime a little higher due to superior platforming. The bosses in Blasphemous are better designed, though
Final Verdict
- 8.5/10. It's worth it at full price, but it winds up bundled so often that you'll likely find it cheap somewhere. All in all, if you like gory, difficult platformers, buy with confidence