Stop the 'prophetic birth of a new miracle child' in this deeply weird Metroidvania

The 2019 Metroidvania Blasphemous is a "great, oppressive experience," we said in our 70% review, despite our criticism of its depth and variety. And soon it will have a sequel, as revealed by developer The Game Kitchen at the recent Indie World Showcase. In Blasphemous 2 The Penitent One is awakened from his final rest "and thrust back into the endless cycle of life, death, and resurrection."

For those following the Blasphemous narrative, the new game will take place after the Wounds of Eventide update to the first game, and will see the return of the supernatural entity known as The Miracle. That forces the Penitent One to embark upon a new journey through a strange world in an effort to "stop the prophetic birth of a new miracle child."

In practical terms, that means Blasphemous 2 will offer a non-linear world filled with "enchantingly grotesque landscapes," deadly traps, and "savage combat" with "brutal executions and expanded combos [that] provide new and devastating ways to rain destruction on the abominations that await." Players will be able to customize and upgrade their skills, while the addition of unique new weapons will enable a range of combat tactics.

"There is no wrong turn to take," The Game Kitchen said. "Only scores to settle."

That certainly sounds ominous, if perhaps a bit vague, and it takes a while for the trailer to get past the relatively generic jump-and-slash gameplay. But then it all starts to get a little weird.

Let's take a minute to appreciate some of these tableaus:

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Blasphemous 2 screen — (Image credit: The Game Kitchen)

I'm not much of a Metroidvania man but I did very much enjoy The Game Kitchen's retro point-and-click adventure The Last Door, a Lovecraft-style jaunt through Victorian England that did some remarkably spooky stuff with sharp storytelling and chunky visuals. I don't imagine that Blasphemous 2 will allow for a similar style of slow-burn horror, but there's definitely some potential for weirdness here and I hope the developers can pull it off.

A release date for Blasphemous 2 hasn't been announced yet, but it's expected out later this year.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.