In our Blasphemous 2 review, I describe The Game Kitchen's blood-spattered second coming as "a Soulslike sequel that's as unsettling as it is unpredictable". For the most part, that's in reference to the Metroidvania-meets-FromSoftware-styled adventure's brutal boss battles, its disparate themes of tragedy framed by religion and cultism, and the omnipresent dread that fuels all of the above.
Carrying the torch forward from its 2019 forerunner, Blasphemous 2 is an accomplished sequel, and an asset to the genres and games it's so heavily inspired by. It borrows heavily from many areas, sure, but there's one key feature that, for me, it does better than everything from Elden Ring to Sekiro and Hollow Knight – its interconnected world. In fact, so fluid is Blasphemous 2's map that I don't think I've enjoyed clambering around such a labyrinthian yet cohesive space since Dark Souls.
