It's been over a year since Blasphemous 2 was released, and nearly made me destroy my controller after a particularly rough mini-boss fight. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. And with the announcement of a new expansion and update, it looks like I have no choice but to revisit the rage-inducing metroidvania.
The Mea Culpa expansion adds two new areas and bosses, four quests, an alternative ending for the Penitent One, an apparently familiar weapon and ability, prayers, rosary beads, achievements, and nine OST tracks by Carlos Viola. "Mea Culpa is a premium expansion for Blasphemous 2," reads the announcement post. "The expansion's story centres around Mea Culpa, the lost sword wielded by The Penitent One in the first game."
There'll also be a free update (True Torment) releasing alongside Mea Culpa, which will introduce a New Game Plus mode as well as "an expansion of existing zones (around 40%) and new zone connections, new abilities, new enemies, new prayers, Quality of Life features, accessibility features, and much more". The Game Kitchen devs are keeping the specifics of New Game Plus a secret, but once your penance is over, you'll be able to upgrade it and then access the new mode.
While we may have waited quite a while to get this expansion and update duo, it seems like it'll add a decent chunk to the base game. "Players can speed through the new Mea Culpa story in 2-3 hours or spend 6-8 hours seeing it all," the post says. "True Torment content is spread throughout the base game, so how quickly you'll find everything depends wholly on your abilities, Penitent One!" There is absolutely no way I'll get through this new content in 2-3 hours, even 6-8 is probably a push, but I won't give up, no matter how many controllers I end up throwing out the window.
But you could extend your time in Blasphemous 2 even more if you want to experience all these updates as part of a new run in New Game Plus. Although apparently, this isn't necessary to properly enjoy the game: "You do not need to start a new game to experience the Mea Culpa expansion or the New Game Plus mode. However, players are free to start a new run or New Game Plus and experience all the new additions alongside The Penitent One's journey. The choice is yours."
Blasphemous 2's Mea Culpa expansion arrives on October 31, alongside the free True Torment update. The former will be going for $11.99/ £11.99/ €11.99, with a 20% launch discount over the first fortnight.
