Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Cuphead, good ol’ Ninja Gaiden – over the years, we’ve seen some seriously tough games, the kind that make even surviving a single battle or finishing a level feel like a gigantic reward. At the same time, this is a good era for both the roguelike and the soulslike. Cult of the Lamb, Hades, Dead Cells; Lords of the Fallen, Lies of P, Salt and Sanctuary. If you want brutal bosses, cruel punishment, but a serious sense of satisfaction, there’s one game that arguably does it better than anything else. Available now for about $5, this is one of the toughest, most brutal soulslikes ever.
Blasphemous, the wonderfully stylish, Metroidvania platform game from The Game Kitchen, looks and plays like a dream. This is a pixel-art, 2D platformer with graceful animations, chunky, physical combat, and an in-depth reward system – it’s also one of the toughest PC games ever, with a terrific story and aesthetic evoking themes of sin, castigation, and – you guessed it – blasphemy.
Customize your entire build. Explore a huge, beautifully drawn, non-linear world, and take on some of the most punishing boss battles since Ornstein and Smough. While we wait for the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree release date, Blasphemous is the perfect way to satiate your soulslike appetite. Of course, if you really love it, there’s also the equally brilliant Blasphemous 2 (we liked it) which launched earlier this year.
You can get Blasphemous right now for $5.49 / £4.39, down from $24.99 / £19.99. If you like Metroidvania, roguelikes, dark, gothic adventure, and of course the work of FromSoftware, this is undoubtedly one for you.
Alternatively, try some of the other best games like Dark Souls. With the weather getting cooler and the days getting shorter, you can also lose yourself in the fantasy worlds of the best RPG games on PC.
Also, make sure to follow us on Google News for daily PC gaming news, guides, and reviews.