I'll be brief and focused. + The writing is phenomenal. It almost reaches the (unreachable) Planescape Torment level of story and character writing. + The game incorporates Lovecraft classics into its own story like no other game before. It is a HUGE + for every Lovecraft fan! + The world is totally insane but also believable in its own strange way, thanks to the writing again. + The art style and the overall atmosphere (including sound design and music) is also remarkable. + The game's sanity-system is exceptionally enjoyable, humorous, weird and overall good. (yes, thanks to the writing... again!) + There is a mission in the game which I will never forget, and deserve a place in the imaginary hall of fame of the best RPG missions of all time. BUT!!! (some tiny-little-minor spoilers ahead) - Note, when you buy the game, that the story is NOT finished. It will literally end when it really starts, in the climax of the main storyline, which can create a strong sense of deficiency in the player. (I almost died from it. :( ) - The game is buggy. Playable, but buggy and there are still some bugs that can crash your game, and you need to load a previous save file to get rid of it. (note that the developers working on this night and day!) - I beat the game first time in 18 hours, which is not bad for an indie game but a little short for an RPG that is ambitious like Stygian. - IT IS SCREAMS FOR A SEQUEL!!!! (It is not that bad, but also YES! it is, because the unfinished feeling, what the story leaves behind.) OVERALL: I recommend the game for everyone who loves good writing, good RPG-s, and good Lovecraftian stories. That's it... But also remember: The game is full game in its own right, but the story is just half a story. Huge heartfelt thanks for the developers for this real gem! !cthulhu fhtagn ph'nglui mglw'nafh cthulhu r'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
As a game developer, I usually look at games differently... Immediately I see the questions, the difficulties, and the decisions. As I start playing, I look for the reasons, the whys and the hows... But Blasphemous has achieved that, besides admiring its thoughtfulness and complexity, I simply just enjoy (almost) every second of it. Fantastic, haunting world and story, awesome boss design, hard but fair combat, challenging but not frustrating platforming and most importantly: plenty of hidden secrets and extras and a complex, huge map to explore... The pixel art is jaw-dropping (although I could have imagined more moving elements on the background layers) and the music and sound design are phenomenal. I just finished the game, but I will go back to get the true ending! (Regardless of the fact that I shouldn't be playing but developing my own game right now...) It's clearly a 9.5/10. Almost perfect.
The art is well thought out and beautiful. But... that's it. The game is painfully avarage. The story is lame. Some of the puzzles are simply easy and boring, others doesn't make any sense. The soundtrack is nerve-racking. It's just doesn't feel good to play... Sorry... I really want to like the game, but i just can't.
It's a fantastic indie game! Great atmosphere created by a fantastic soundtrack and voice acting, cool effects, nice graphics, but most important: a facinating storyline with great, great, great characters! And also it's the closest thing now to The Last Kingdom (Cornwell novels and TV series also) within a deep, accurate historical setting. The combat system is great, the camping-survival aspect of the game is very challenging but fair and believable. The RPG background is also balanced and great with no leveling up, just spendable points. Yes, the game is little buggy sometimes, the loading times are huge (new area, go, get a coffee!) but thiese are small things. This game has a SOUL! And thats a very important thing nowadays. FIVE FCKN STAR! - no question! (and i got just 16 hours in the game)
