Really liked the first one and its unconventional Metroidvania approach, not to mention its combination of gothic horror and religious presentation. When the sequel was announced, I was excited, but also cautious. Sequels for indie games like these can go in a different direction from the first and potentially lose what made them special along the way (see Axiom Verge 2 and Darkest Dungeon 2). It's a tough balance to make between adhering to the original and bringing in something new. For Blasphemous 2, I'd say it definitely feels much better than the first, but it also has a hard time justifying its own existence.

After many long years, the Penitent One is called upon once again to rid the Miracle from the land of Cvstodia. That's it, that's the gist of it. If you were on board for the first one, there's a good chance you'll do it again here. If you want more, some of the items you collect will impart lore to help make more sense of things this time around, but don't expect too much. The only thing that's really changed is that cut scenes now have a cartoon style instead of the pixel art depiction from before. Overall, it's... fine? But it's also kinda disappointing that the story basically boils down to "Oh, the Miracle's leaking again. Be a dear and plug that up, will you?" By the time I got to the end, I was emptier than usual because I felt a lack of substance that had me enamored in the first game.

That being said, damn if it's not more enjoyable to explore and crusade through the map this time around. The game essentially revolves around the new weapons featured in the trailers. When you start the game, you choose which of the three weapons you begin with before you track down the rest: a light rapier/dagger combination for fast electric attacks, a medium scimitar-like sword of bone to charge with mystical energy, or a heavy flail of a censer that you can set on fire. You have the choice of which play style suits your fancy and run with it, whether that be complete devotion to one weapon or being a penitent of all trades. Besides the good ol' standby of dodging for your life, two of your weapons can let you parry, and let me just say to the devs right now: thank you for making the parry more consistent. This was one of my critiques from the first game, and now parrying feels like a viable option instead of something to forget about.

These weapons are also tools to help you get through obstacles that you'll come across in each stage. Gone are the days of using your sword to climb up walls or holding the right trigger and then hitting something so you can bounce across a gap. This time around, the mobility takes more cues from previous Metroidvanias in terms of dashes, platforms and magic cherubs appearing out of thin air. And honestly? Good for the devs to go this route. As much as I liked the original take of their Metroidvania from the first game, original doesn't always feel fun. Movement feels a lot more slick and I never felt like I had to fight the controls to get where I wanted to go. If I died, I knew exactly what I did wrong and how to fix it on my end.

I'll repeat what I said before: if you were on board for the first one, you know precisely what you're getting into and have probably made up your mind already. If this is your first time: based on the gameplay alone, I'd recommend it. The story may not hit the same way the first one did, but sometimes, all you need to get by is that feeling of crushing fire-breathing cardinal slugs with a gigantic flail full of miasma.