Blasphemous (video game)

Blasphemous is a Metroidvania video game developed by Spanish studio The Game Kitchen and published by Team17. The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 10 September 2019.
It began as a Kickstarter campaign in 2017.
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, highly influenced by Roman Catholicism, 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. 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 Humiliations he must perform to be deemed worthy to reach it. 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 completes the Three Humiliations, each of them involving a trial against a different boss, and gains access to the Mother of Mothers, the cathedral where Escribar and the Cradle of Affliction reside.
Throughout the journey, Escribar's voice is heard, telling his 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, leaving behind a massive pile of ash, atop which stood Escribar's throne. The Miracle drove countless people to attempt to climb the mountain, but all of them failed, swallowed by the ash. As punishment, the Miracle rebirthed them all as beasts (the game's enemies). This included Escribar, who was reborn as the Last Son of the Miracle.
The penultimate boss is Crisanta of the Wrapped Agony, the leader of Escribar's soldiers and a female knight whose armor resembles the Penitent One's. The Penitent One wounds her, but she escapes. 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 mountain of ash, and Deogracias encourages him to climb it 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. He turns into a tree and is worshipped by the people of Cvstodia as the new Father and Last Son of the Miracle. After the credits, however, Crisanta reappears and draws the "Mea Culpa" from the Penitent One's body.
Development.
Creative director Enrique Cabeza has cited the religious art and iconography of Seville, Spain as a major influence on "Blasphemous"' story and design. Cabeza has also pointed to Spanish and Non-Spanish painters such as Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Juan Luna, Francisco Goya, Jusepe de Ribera, Diego Velázquez and Francisco de Zurbarán, particularly noting significant inspiration from Goya's "A Procession of Flagellants".
"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, 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.
Reception.
"Blasphemous" received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. it received praise for its visual style, combat, boss battles and interconnected world while criticism was reserved towards its level design, difficulty and pacing.
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".