Prepare to get penitent this summer as Blasphemous 2's release is confirmed for August

Summer is when you do guilty sinful things, right? You wear clothes that expose your unchristian knees and you eat a lot of ice cream, for which you should self-flagellate, and so on. Fittingly, sequel to unabashedly Catholic-y Metroidvania Blasphemous is out on August 24th, as revealed in a trailer at tonight's Summer Game Fest. Blasphemous 2, which was only revealed back in April, looks to be similar to the fist game, i.e. it's a side-scrolling Soulslike drenched in the most bloody and grim Christian imagery you can think of. Category is: Holy See.

Blasphemous 2 is actually a direct sequel, and you play the exact same pointy-helmeted Penitent One you did before. I'm not sure if penitence is traditionally characterised by smashing people in the face with a big mace, but to each their own. The Penitent One is once again trapped in an endless cycle of dying a lot, though this time in a new and unfamiliar land. They do say a change is as good as a rest, but I'm not sure the Penitent One would appreciate you saying that. This time around the Miracle, the mysterious force that blesses or twists the inhabitants of the game's world, is going to have a child. But it's hard to tell if that's literal or metaphorical, or both. Either way: probably a big boss fight.

One thing to note is that Blasphemous 2, from exploding Cardinal slugs to grim ecclesiastical backdrops, once again looks really bloody lovely. God bless developers who are capable of rendering incredible things in pixelart and use that power to make absolute monstrosities. You're the real heroes.

It's worth noting, if you're not familiar with the game, that the release date trailer doesn't actually show a whole lot of the game, and so if you want to get more of a feel for it check out reveal trailer for a little bit more. But on the other hand, it's one of those games that you'll know if you hate the vibe as soon as you look at it, you know?

NotE3 and Summer Game Fest 2023 is over for another year. You can find out all the latest news by visiting our E3 2023 hub, or you can catch up with our round-up posts of everything that was announced at Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase, the PC Gaming Show, Day Of The Devs, and our top highlights from the Wholesome Direct.