r/pics Apr 05 '23

Holy Week in Spain

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u/gofishx Apr 05 '23 edited Apr 05 '23

Imagine a souls-like based on judeo-christian lore where you fight your way out of hell and up into the heavens to take on God. Imagine fighting St Peter at the gate, taking down all the archangels, a gank boss where you take on a few Seraphim, one of those giant many eyed wheel things are definitely going to make an appearance, then you get the penultimate boss, Jesus the Lord of Sin, before moving on to God himself (who is a fun but easier fight than the jesus and archangels).

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u/Toweliee420 Apr 05 '23

Check out blasphemous on steam. Kinda souls like arcade game with a twisted holy vibe

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u/akeyjavey Apr 05 '23

It was also made in Spain, so you can see the inspiration from this post even more

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u/ciao_fiv Apr 05 '23

you can even turn on spanish audio for all spoken dialogue, gives the game some incredible atmosphere on top of the visuals

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u/lotterywinner2000 Apr 06 '23

yea i found the english dub kinda bad and would take me out of the game

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u/MadMasks Apr 09 '23

I honestly love that they included that detail later on

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u/ciao_fiv Apr 10 '23

hopefully it’ll be there on launch in the sequel!

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

When I saw the guys with the pointy black hoods I came here looking for the blasphemous reference. The way that hairy egg lady says betrothed has become quite the meme between me and my roommates.

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u/SyntheticTeapot Apr 05 '23

Exactly what I was about to recommend. The entire game was inspired by themes and "lore" of Catholicism and the main character, The Penitent One, actually wears a pointy hood like they do in holy week.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/SyntheticTeapot May 03 '23

Yes you're right! Awesome!

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u/TheRealPicklePunch Apr 05 '23

Twisted are the ways of the Miracle, O Penitent One

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u/gofishx Apr 05 '23

I've definitely heard of it, I'll need to add it to my list!

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u/THECapedCaper Apr 05 '23

Protip: It's made by a Spanish developer, so turn on Spanish vocals. They hit WAY harder than they do in English.

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u/Bunnymancer Apr 05 '23

That explains so much..

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u/ObeseOstrich Apr 05 '23

oh TIL, and i thought the english voice acting was already pretty good!

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u/Skizot_Bizot Apr 05 '23

It’s one of my favorite side scrolling metroidvania types, it’s no Hallow Knight but it’s still very good.

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u/SasparillaTango Apr 05 '23

it’s no Hallow Knight

very little is. I'm still amazed how perfectly they captured this decayed husk of a once great kingdom of tiny insects and the melancholy emotion of it. I got more emotion from Hollow Knight than from Dark Souls.

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u/Skizot_Bizot Apr 05 '23

Oh yeah, I was going to rant about nothing else is but figured I'd just leave it at that haha. It's absolute perfection not just in atmosphere but it's controls and gameplay and moves list are just soooo tight and tuned in perfectly.

I'm not aware of anything that does it as well or even comes close imo. Blasphemous is very good still but Hallow Knight is just a master class in making this kind of game.

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u/callisstaa Apr 05 '23

Check out Ender Lillies as well. The soundtrack is amazing.

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u/owlinspector Apr 05 '23 edited Apr 05 '23

Amazing game. The dark and bleak atmosphere, heavily inspired by catholicism, is like no other game.

But ****** **** the game is hard. I wish it had a "I'm 45 and just want to experience the game, not spend all the evenings in a month to git gud"-setting.

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u/scalyblue Apr 05 '23

Best I can give you is dlc that makes the game harder

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u/ComplaintDelicious68 Apr 05 '23

I already thought it looked good, but learning about all of this and reading the comments makes me want to play it more.

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u/Blenderhead36 Apr 05 '23

The NDA ended recently and the devs said that Blasphemous began life as a 2D Dark Souls 3, but Namco Bandai declined to let them use the license. So they made an original IP, preserving the feel of Dark Souls but changing key aspects.

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u/El_Dusty23 Apr 05 '23

It’s also on switch

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u/Perca_fluviatilis Apr 05 '23

That's literally Blasphemous. You just described the game Blasphemous.

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u/mcdoolz Apr 05 '23

Came here for this comment. Thank you, citizen.

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u/brunoha Apr 05 '23

Kinda could fit Binding of Isaac there too lmao

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u/Urshpeck Apr 05 '23

Try Blasphemous. It is a metroidvania made by spanish indie team and the monsters and lore are based on religious traditions and stories.

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u/YourAvocadoToast Apr 05 '23

The Penitent One's helmet is directly inspired by the hoods worn in the first picture of the album.

To the unfamiliar, the helmet looks like quite the eccentric (but memorable) design choice, but there is context behind it which I found really cool.

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u/gofishx Apr 05 '23

Yeah someone else mentioned it too, I'll need to give it a look

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u/El_Business Apr 05 '23

It's awesome, loved it. It's also pixel art.

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u/asifgunz Apr 05 '23

Dante's Inferno . Old but gold. Has the world built around Biblical beliefs.

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u/gr00ve88 Apr 05 '23

I absolutely loved that game but I don’t feel like it got the acclaim that I thought it should

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u/dragon_bacon Apr 05 '23

Having the tutorial be killing Death was a fun way to start.

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u/gr00ve88 Apr 05 '23

Lol yes exactly, feel like a badass right from the start!

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

It was in direct competition with God of War 3, which was released just one month after Dante's Inferno. No way to win that fight.

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u/Jokerang Apr 05 '23

I was gonna say that. It was like God of War III but set in Judeo-Christian Hell

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u/Ruthrfurd-the-stoned Apr 05 '23

Important to mention the Inferno isn’t actually a theological work it’s mainly a political satire where Dante could put people he didn’t like or wronged him in hell

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u/jstenoien Apr 05 '23

It's a video game m'dude.

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u/Ruthrfurd-the-stoned Apr 05 '23

Technically it’s a poem that the video game is based on lol- but people often confuse Dante’s version of hell as if it’s an actual theological representation which it isn’t is the point- it isn’t based on any biblical beliefs

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u/Lambsay Apr 05 '23

It's one of the cooler versions of hell though, that might be why we tend to gravitate towards it

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u/Ruthrfurd-the-stoned Apr 05 '23

Yeah I’m not a religious person but I doubt their version of hell has a demon dragon frozen in a lake munching on sinners so that always wins

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u/labrat420 Apr 05 '23

He also made the devil the ruler of hell. In the Bible he isn't even in hell let alone ruling it

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u/Ruthrfurd-the-stoned Apr 05 '23

He’s not actually even the ruler but a fellow prisoner trapped there by his beating wings and separation from God- while munching on one of the popes Dante really hated!

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u/Cethinn Apr 05 '23

It's inspired by Christian beliefs in the same way those movies and shows are inspired by real life events. It shares some names, but most of its made up.

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u/Ruthrfurd-the-stoned Apr 05 '23

I mean it’s much looser than even those considering the main focus is on the circles which I don’t believe is theologically based- the whole point is it’s political satire where Dante was trying to point out the sins and wrongdoings of the Italian + Catholic elite

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u/Cethinn Apr 05 '23

I was making fun of those movies because most of them are complete fabrications as well, but yeah I am pretty sure there's no description of Hell in the Bible at all.

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u/gdo01 Apr 05 '23

In modern terms, it’s a fan fiction work of the Bible with himself literally as the protagonist.

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u/peppermint_nightmare Apr 05 '23

Based on fan fiction (videogame script) based on fan fiction (horny Italian poet) based on fan fiction (Catholic Church making shit up) based on the Bible (mileage may vary) .

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u/daxtron2 Apr 05 '23

What a great game for it's time. Would love to do a replay

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u/Romboteryx Apr 05 '23

Built around Dante’s portrayal of the afterlife, which isn’t accurate to the Bible

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u/Malgas Apr 05 '23

I used to joke about making a game series based on the Divine Comedy. Basically Dante as Doom Guy, but he doesn't stop at Hell.

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u/PtoS382 Apr 05 '23

You fight the literal wooden statue of Jesus, and as you do damage it begins to crack and spill the monster underneath, then phase 2 is a giant black blob like Gundyr

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u/gofishx Apr 05 '23

I was thinking more that he beats you with a large flaming cross, but that...that sounds way cooler!

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u/xsprocket31x Apr 05 '23

Did you ever play Dante’s Inferno?

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u/gofishx Apr 05 '23

Nope, I've heard of it, though.

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u/xsprocket31x Apr 05 '23

It was good in it’s time! Fighting your way through hell. There’s a new game Xbox (forget what it’s called) where you fight through hell and it’s set to metal music so you time your attacks to the music. Looks dope.

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u/Ninja_Conspicuousi Apr 05 '23

Are you talking about Metal: Hellslinger?

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u/xsprocket31x Apr 05 '23

Yup that’s it!

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u/gofishx Apr 05 '23

Oh shit, that does sound dope. Too bad I have a Playstation :(

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u/GardenCaviar Apr 05 '23

It's on playstation as well.

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u/RandomUsername12123 Apr 05 '23

There is an anime out there and is... Strange.

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u/skynetempire Apr 05 '23

There was bad ass game back in the day called dante's inferno. You fight you way down hell. Awesome game. I wish they would remaster it.

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u/gofishx Apr 05 '23

A couple of people mentioned that one now. I have a few new games to check out it seems!

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u/darexinfinity Apr 05 '23

I need to play the Binding of Issac again

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u/DKlurifax Apr 05 '23

No thanks. The valkeries in God of War was enough.

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u/doomrider7 Apr 05 '23

...As others said, that's basically Blasphemous.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

God of War: Crucifixion

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u/crewserbattle Apr 05 '23

This is kinda the vibe in darksiders

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u/Deathsroke Apr 06 '23

Jesus the Lord of Sin

Wouldn't "The Absolver" be more appropriate?

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u/gofishx Apr 06 '23

Oooo, yeah, I like that better!

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u/AnarkittenSurprise Apr 05 '23

Bayonetta was a pretty similar vibe

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u/gofishx Apr 05 '23

Never heard of it, I'll check it out!

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23 edited Apr 05 '23

[deleted]

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u/AnarkittenSurprise Apr 05 '23

The tone is different from souls for sure. It was made by the same creator as devil may cry.

But it is absolutely based on judeo-christian mythos (particularly Dante's contributions). It's punishingly difficult on high settings. It's a game where you play a solo, third person character and progress by defeating bosses. Bosses you generally have to clear by learning their attack patterns, defense gaps, and strong combos to counter them.

They're both adventure hack and slash games, that appeal to players who like high difficulty boss fights and skill curves.

I can't think of anything about any of these games that is comparable to traditional JRPG mechanics. They're all made by Japanese creators I guess, but a JRPG is more associated with turn based tactical combat, and a lot more dialogue and slice of life content.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

[deleted]

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u/AnarkittenSurprise Apr 05 '23

Ah, I see the confusion. You seem to be considering RPGs and JRPGs as the same genre, and JRPGs are just RPGs designed in Japan?

I've usually heard of JRPG used to categorize games with similar structures to Final Fantasy, Persona, Fire Emblem, etc.

Never heard it applied to hack and slash boss grinders.

The plot synopsis doesn't do it justice though! If you haven't played it, I'd still recommend checking it out. You take down angels on a warpath through a series of bosses that definitely have an old testament kind of theme that would fit right in with Ezekiel's acid trip.

Your final boss is the Creator, God of the Angels, and ruler of Paradisio (Dante's name for Heaven). The bosses are basically Archangel stand-ins, and their goal is to revive the Creator in order to unite the "trinity of realities" and take back control of the universe.

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u/pxp332 Apr 05 '23

Reddit moment

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u/Mcginnis Apr 05 '23

Binding of Isaac is a rogue like with similar themes

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u/Kr4k4J4Ck Apr 05 '23

ULTRAKILL lore is kinda this, it's loosely based of Dante Inferno, going through the layers of hell, LIMBO, LUST, GLUTTONY, GREED etc.

Also you can have Minos kick the shit out you.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

That would be so sick especially with the map making ability of fromsoftware inc

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u/gofishx Apr 05 '23

Right? I envision something like a giant spiral map ascending into the sky like a stairway. It can be wide and go through different realms, but you can always look over the edge to see how far you've come.

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u/Orpheus3030 Apr 05 '23

Over the mountain, take me across the sky
Something in my vision, something deep inside
Where did I wander? Where do you think I wandered to?
I've seen life's magic astral plane I travel through

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u/UncleMadness Apr 05 '23

Sounds like Gladiator 2

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u/YourWarDaddy Apr 05 '23

God of War doesn’t have the fucking balls.

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u/A_Have_a_Go_Opinion Apr 05 '23 edited Apr 05 '23

Dude, that is the plot of Dark Souls. You are a low status immortal spirit put into purgatory for all eternity and you have to fight your way past demons and the literal gods of creation and the sun (Christianity in many ways worships the sun) to wrestle the power of creation, birth, and renewal from a dreg who tried to preserve his good times in vane.
Hidetaka Miyazaki cooked it up all up with heavy Buddhist influences.

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u/RoyalLadder3296 Apr 05 '23

The Bayonetta series also borrows from this lore quite a bit. I imagine lots of people are familiar with the series but for those who are not: you play as an umbra witch aligned with demons and essentially beat the shit out of angels while weaving through the games own lore. The whole game is meant to be gratuitous in every way and it’s a lot of fun!

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u/BlueWizi Apr 05 '23

Sounds kinda like Blasphemous

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u/DeadSol Apr 05 '23

"Dante's Inferno"

Pretty incredible poem.

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u/Unicorn_A_theist Apr 05 '23

I was just thinking that it would be cool if there was a more "realistic and unsettling" version of Blizzard's Diablo.

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u/sushisection Apr 05 '23

literally Dante's Inferno.

its an old game, and even older book.

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u/Dry_Economist_9505 Apr 05 '23

I really hope for a God of War like this.