Blasphemous (video game)

The game is set in Cvstodia, a land of religion and superstition, highly influenced by Christianity, 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.

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. Shortly 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 Humilliations he must carry to access the place where it is located. 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 manages to complete the Three Humilliations, each of them involving a trial against a different boss, and gains access to the Mother of Mothers, the cathedral where both Escribar and the Cradle of Affliction reside.

Following certain events Escribar's voice will be heard, telling his own 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 and burned entirely, leaving behind a massive pile of ash on top of which stood Escribar's throne. The Miracle drove countless people to attempt to climb the mountain, but all of them failed, being swallowed by the Ash. As a form of punishment, the Miracle turned them all into beasts (the game's enemies). This included Escribar, who was reborn as the Last Son of the Miracle.

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 pile of ash mentioned in Escribar's story, and attempts to climb to its top 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. Thus, he turns into a tree (as it happened to Escribar before him) and becomes the new Father and Last Son of the Miracle thus ending the cycle of Guilt and Penitence. After the credits, however, Crisanta's voice is heard as the female knight draws the Mea Culpa from the Penitent One's remains inadvertently restarting the cycle anew.

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,[5] 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.[6]