En Garde! & Blasphemous 2 (Zero Punctuation)

[@theescapist]

The Zero Punctuation episode on Sea of Stars is now available in Early Access on Patreon and KZbin Memberships. Support the channel directly and get Early Access to all of our premium content for $2/month! $5/month and get all of our premium content sponsor-free.

[@ZiggityZeke]

Yep, called it, you removed the free early preview in favor of monetizing it. Automatically generated AI articles not bringing in enough cash?

[@rocko7711]

😂😂

[@cupofdirtfordinner]

shut up

[@cupofdirtfordinner]

i wonder how much overwhelmingly negative feedback it's gonna take for you guys to let go

[@MAD2CANS]

Any chance you could make a Zero punctuation playlist on the channel? I have never and will never watch any of your other content. I and most others are only here for Yahtzee, surely that's reflected in your view counts?

[@fireplacegames]

Thank you for reviewing our game En Garde! ❤ Fun fact: our villain, the Count-Duke is actually inspired by real-life historical figure Count-Duke of Olivares. Sometimes reality is more stereotypical than fiction 😄

[@godofdesruction]

You rock! Thanks for the great game and hope Yahtzee gets to review more of your stuff in the future!

[@davidphetteplace4769]

Any plans for a port to ps5 or switch?

[@TheRenofox]

En Garde sounds fun indeed. I love clever environmental combat, and the atmosphere looks delightful too!

[@B00Radl33]

I'm excited to try your game! Some short sweet swashbuckling sounds simply sensational.

[@ajuicejemas]

your game is amazing!!!! can't wait to see what you guys make next

[@kevingriffith6011]

En Garde! has something that I think is missing from almost every swashbuckler archetype in gaming (Both tabletop and otherwise). Being an Errol Flynn style duelist at the end of the day isn't really about swordsmanship (Although it does help), it's about outwitting your opponent, luring them in and humiliating them, not stabbing them to death. The sword isn't a weapon, it's a distraction to draw their eyes to the left while the bucket you kicked at them comes in from the right. (Admittedly, this is probably the product of censorship more than because the writers thought it was good) I guess what I'm saying is "You can kick a man into a column, and then the flowerpot that was on top of that column falls onto the mans head. 10/10 game"

[@psykomancer4420]

As a kid, I always dreamed of a game where you could improvise silly shit like this. Feels like something arkane would make if they stopped being so in love with wacky superpowers. Dark Messiah was almost that kind of game at times.

[@rich520]

Same for KUNG FU GAMES

[@uishy340]

@@rich520 yes absolutely! Some of the best parts of Hong Kong-era Jackie Chan fights were how the environment got used in the fight, I want a game where I can Police Story someone through a glass display case or Project A their hands in a bar table flap

[@bfure1]

​@@uishy340let me knock on a door so that the person living there knocks my opponent over when they swing the door open

[@meapickle]

Hell in assasins creed 3 when u fight your dad at the end of the game. U can only damage him with the environment. Not nearly as indepth, since u really just had to counter him near an object. But you'd throw him into crates, break a bottle over his head. It made it pretty intense

[@Stukov961]

Makes sense that En Garde! is short and light on features. It's a student project that they polished up and extended out to sell as a full game. Much like the first Sanctum way back in the day that kicked off Coffee Stain Studios

[@PokecrafterChampion]

Sanctum led to the eventual creation of Goat Simulator?

[@Minilena]

​@@PokecrafterChampionyeah, Goat Sim started as a silly holiday project where the team played around in the new fancy engine they had just started using. They put up a mock trailer (never intending to make a proper game) which went viral and convinced them to make an actual release :D I went to the same uni as they did and they had a two part lecture on how to make games (sanctum 1/2) and how not to make games (goat sim). Highly informative and occasionally hilarious :)

[@Stukov961]

@@SimuLord They also started their own publisher, Coffee Stain, that published Songs of Conquest and Valheim. And Deep Rock Galactic maybe? And yes, Coffee Stain Studios is one singular studio currently working on Satisfactory, and Coffee Stain is the umbrella company that does publishing and own several subsidiary studios. Including the original, and the one currently making Goat simulator 3. Because that's the wonderful chaotic energy they bring to the world.

[@aboreal]

@@Stukov961 I thought the original was the one doing Satisfactory? or is that team pulling double duty?

[@Stukov961]

@@aboreal Yeah, Coffee Stain Studios, the original, are the ones making Satisfactory. Their (former, sadly) community manager Jace lays it all out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnTMnZmHZquYjMk

[@magpie1466]

I'm hoping lotsa people play En Garde! and then that leads somehow to I get to have more of it, because it's just so freakin' fun

[@YOUFREAKINNERD]

I bought it for the concept alone. Saving it for a rainy day when I'm no longer playing BG3 or whatever other generation-defining game came out this year.

[@emiliocerchiaro4386]

I just hope the next game doesn't turn into a Niddhogg 2 situation.

[@danilooliveira6580]

I hope more people buy it, but not because I want more of it, its really not my thing, but because I want to see genuine games that are uncomplicated fun being rewarded for their effort.

[@FSVR54]

If it was free, more people would try it. Not paying for that

[@MusicoftheDamned]

Having never even heard of it until this review, I must say it's so thoughtful for Hurricane Adalia to have put out a fun game before it made landfall. (Yes, I know it's spelled slightly different.)

[@CompuBrains27]

I haven't played Blasphemous, but theming is very important to some games. Like, you *could* genericize Aliens Dark Descent, turn all the aliens into "Red Enemy Cubes" and you don't want the red cubes to touch your "Blue Protagonist Spheres," but now instead of a game about soldiers getting eaten by monsters because a corporation is greedy, it's a rather boring game about making sure colored shapes don't touch for no reason whatsoever.

[@elhazthorn918]

That's a very good point.

[@Spagg0t]

You've essentially described Pac-Man

[@dkDolphino]

this might just be a product of being raised catholic but i never at any point felt the blasphemous games were pretentious, they feel right at home for me and the first game is a comfort game for me at this point

[@jedediahhopkins6051]

I love blasphemous. Mostly because I’m a huge sucker for that kind of imagery

[@BaghaShams]

The visuals and demented creativity of Blasphemous is all the reason you need to play it. The designers came up with some brilliantly twisted ways that characters torture themselves and others in acts of judeo-christian repentance

[@Brasswatchman]

Judaism requests to be left out of this, please and thank you. Over-the-top acts of repentance really are basically a Christian thing.

[@needlessToo]

Say what you want guys, I actually love Blasphemous' pretentiousness. The visuals and the atmosphere are so well crafted, I didn't even mind the gameplay.

[@UnfertigeGedanken]

i have hardly played the everliving hell out of a game like out of blasphemous 2. liked the first a lot, second one tho is, for me, much better even than the first one. i actually like every aspect except maybe some rare unintentional juggling by some enemy contact damage.

[@AlbanianThrash]

it's a really weird point he chose to hinge his whole argument on. the renaming of the bars and potions and shit. literally every game does this lol. what a stupid point to try and make

[@srbrant5391]

Sometimes it's an actual _relief_ from painfully smug self-aware "humor." Looking at you, _Sacred 3..._

[@HonkeyKongLive]

It might honestly be my GOTY. I've sunk about 16hr into it just over the weekend.

[@thegreygoblin5165]

Idk, it comes off overbearing

[@Stroggoii]

Blasphemous is exactly the kind of game where pretentiousness is the only acceptable vehicle for the story.

[@elpaya7775]

The style of Balsphemous 2 is a 1:1 recreation of the Andalusian Holy week

[@ramonmujica3193]

Blasphemous is just a "living in Spain Simulator"

[@elpaya7775]

@@ramonmujica3193 no, only Andalusia

[@mojotheaverage]

Fun story about Erroll Flynn: he had a pet miniature schnauzer whom he adored. He went to a bar where the owner had rigged a booby trap outside that would eletrocute dogs if they pissed on the wall. This happened to Flynns dog and in response Flynn went inside and kicked seven shades of shit out of the owner

[@JJAB91]

According to the story he dragged the bar owner outside and made him pee on the same electrified plate.

[@MusicoftheDamned]

Uh, even as someone who doesn't care much for dogs, that doesn't sound very "fun". Poor dog. If true, then the asshole owner definitely deserved it.

[@SavageGreywolf]

Errol Flynn absolutely loved that dog. Slightly less fun fact: The poor thing sadly met its end while on Flynn's yacht, it fell or jumped overboard (it was theorized that it had jumped in after a fish when no one was looking and drowned). The dog's body washed up on the California shore three days later and Flynn was so distraught over it that he didn't want to go and claim the dog's body immediately after it was discovered. This in turn led to a gossip rag columnist writing a scathing (and probably actually libelous) piece claiming that Flynn didn't actually care about his dog. Flynn, noted for his temper, was absolutely furious. He got drunk, went to the reporter's house and beat him unconscious. When the police had arrived, the reporter's wife had stabbed Flynn in the ear with a fork.

[@samueldixon9028]

My (admittedly limited) knowledge of Errol Flynn suggests that a lot of stories about him end with “and then he kicked seven shades of shit out of someone”.

[@MusicoftheDamned]

@@samueldixon9028 From what little I "know" about him, which I guess now includes being in a group of celebrities with supposedly magnum dongs, yeah he got in a quite lot of fights for someone who otherwise people seem to speak rather well of.

[@DanGamingFan2406]

Well, I learned who Errol Flynn was today. I learned a bit more than I would've liked to. Thanks for that, Yahtzee. But yeah, _En Garde!_ is a really fun, kind of nostalgic game that I really hope starts gaining some traction. I just wish it was longer.

[@watershipup7101]

Same

[@waterbullstudios9195]

I also made the mistake of what Yahtzee said about him. Never again.

[@thusnameddigital9397]

I hope there's a sequel.

[@plainlake]

Unlike Errol Flynn's penis. Which apparently was excessively long.

[@cormano64]

@@thusnameddigital9397 Errol Flynn 2: The Engorging.

[@CyricZ]

Aw, so they switched up the health extender from a topless lady pulling swords out of herself to a lady peeling her face off? Doesn't seem like an upgrade really, but what do I know.

[@chriswest6988]

The upsetting visuals rightly get a lot of attention, but she was one of a few places where the sound design really messed me up too.

[@ericb2ars]

She's also replacing the kid with an old man coming out of his chest and the bile fountains.

[@lucasramalho99]

Dude, if you keep upgrading your health she goes ~beyond topless~

[@Manganization]

She's doesn't just peels her face off. She peels everything off.....

[@Cryten0]

Suddenly I do not want to play this game even more.

[@JusticeForPottsvilleMaroons]

"A game that doesn't feel the need to be realistic, gory, depressing, or pretentious" I'm surprised Yahtzee hasn't reviewed Pikmin 4 then

[@frostyblade8842]

@GreyWolfLeaderTW Maybe 1 can be tense but 3 is Stardew Valley level cosy and I love it so much. It really doesn't get enough love as a series

[@ramonmujica3193]

Yahtzee won't like Pikmin 4 just because it's a Nintendo game and he can't help shitting on Nintendo.

[@plastiquemonk]

@@ramonmujica3193 i mean, being harsh and perhaps a bit unfair is his review style i would hardly say he's biased against any one company

[@emiliocerchiaro4386]

As he said in his Pikmin 3 review, he's not really into games with a twee aesthetic. Probably one of the reasons he avoids Kirby games like the plague.

[@ramonmujica3193]

@@emiliocerchiaro4386 Aw shit. Anyone who doesn't like Kirby is a p.o.s. in my book.

[@andresdiaz-kirk6316]

Count-Duke was actually a real aristocratic title in the early modern period! I do like the thematic parallel of two games with vaguely renaissance Spain era vibes

[@greenshot1584]

to be fair to blasphemous they did put a lot of historic and theological research into it but if i didn't watch a stream where a medieval historian who did a bit of homework research into medieval Spanish Catholicism and flagellant cults where he (and chat) explained stuff i wouldn't quite be able to appreciate it as much. it does show even for a layman but they really put a lot in

[@myhairhasamindofitsown]

I've been playing Blasphemous 2, quite religiously may I say, and the while I do find it easier than the first one, the aesthetics and the musica are absolutely top tier. I don't think there is a single track in this game I don't like.

[@Megatron2100]

"Controversially fun" is a phrase that used to mean parents would object to their kids playing a game. Now it means the gaming community arguing over whether grinding, difficulty level, and making everything open-world actually enhances games or turns them into crappy paint-by-numbers products.

[@hazukichanx408]

I remember when I played the first Sassy Assassins' Credo game, way back in the before-time in the long-long-ago, it was all new and fresh and exciting to me. Wasn't a huge fan of the murdering, but the cool combat and counter-kills and whatnot were a lot of fun, and exploring a bunch of big cities looking for things to help in my next major mission was... hmm. Was that ever really fun? Not sure. But it was kind of a neat idea, when it, too, was new. Problem being, those things are very dead horses now. Time for a change!

[@rodefshalom]

“Controversially fun” could also mean “the gameplay is engaging and the graphics are great, but the fans are homophonic misogynists, the developer might be a nazi, and the studio worked its employees to the bone for peanuts, and then fired them all after launch”.

[@OzixiThrill]

There is only one real answer to all those questions; And the answer is one that most people don't like. Because it requires doing more of the thinking thing. And brains are lazy. The answer being, it depends on the implementation. Difficulty levels can be something like Bethesda's "solution" of adding or subtracting arbitrary amounts of stats in a menu. Which is bad. Or it can be a dynamically changing moveset for enemies like in God Hand, which tailors the difficulty to the player's skill at the game. Which is kind of good, with some issues. Alternatively, it can be reliant on the equipment you chose that prepares you for the next few encounters, like in the Souls games; Which only has the issue of not properly communicating what kills you besides damage or getting knocked off. Grinding is entirely dependent on the gameplay loop. If you enjoy the loop of Monster Hunter (any of the games), then the grinding will feel great. But if you don't like the core loop, then the grind is going to be a deal-breaker for you. There is also the question of how much grinding you need to do to achieve certain goals you might have. Hell, Warframe has examples of both good and bad grinds. Farming one character takes doing a certain mission that most people hate. That would be a bad grind. Another character would make you do a mjission type that is generally considered fun, which is great for most players. And open world works similarly as well. If it's a big empty field with a few procedurally generated trees? It will feel bland VERY quickly. If it's a hand-crafted setpiece that you can traverse, with it never really feeling illogical (which is a lot of effort, mind you), then a game being freely traversable will feel like a major enhancement. The reason why I'm not bringing up examples here is because I'm not sure I have all that many examples for the good cases. Elden Ring comes close, but even that game suffers a bit from having bland segments of boring linkage between some places. Though bad examples are dime a dozen.

[@inquisitorbenediktanders3142]

​@@OzixiThrilloh, for the open world bit I got a good example: Everspace 2. It completely cuts down the worst aspect if a lot of other games set in space, that being the vast emptiness. The game gives you set of handcrafted areas instead, which usually are filled with opportunities for those that are willing to look, while at the same time being relatively simple to navigate if you are in a hurry. The entire game is structured so that you will constantly find things on your own. And when it comes to bad examples, any of the more recent need for speed titles are perfect, because every time I play them I think "why can't I just get a menu instead?" If you want to start a race you have to drive there, but without the whole "racing" part driving around just feels too shallow and the areas are too uninteresting. It feels like all the tracks having to exist together limits the fun and creativity of them on their own. I'd rather have a menu to select them from. My personal opinion is that in a good open world you don't want to fast travel, in a bad open world you'll almost exclusively fast travel if possible.

[@ZechsMerquise73]

In this case it means "doesn't have grinding, difficulty, or open world" -- let's try not to cast the sheer majority into the victim role when they get everything they want on a weekly basis and with almost every single new Title that's hit the figurative shelves in the last 15 years.

[@LiberalSquared]

Both of these games are good. The first Blasphemous is my favorite Metroidvania of all time, so just getting more of that is fine to me. I also don't think that the mace is the best weapon, the sinble sword is, because of the great counter attack you do when you parry. En Garde is really good too, I just don't have as much to say about it because it's simple, but I am really enjoying it.

[@nolanlehman6392]

Don't let the review dissuade you, Blaspehmous 2 is excellent as is the first. I just finished 100% the sequel and some imagery will stick with me for a long time

[@ramonmujica3193]

I don't want to explain to the priest what Blasphemous 2 is when I have to confess my sins so I'll skip it.

[@jackdimambro484]

As excellent as the first, and improved on so many bits of the first I didnt like. This is how sequels should be handled, im loving it

[@chrisdaughen5257]

I think Blasphemous 2 has something a lot of modern games are afraid of: confidence in the subject matter. Characters in that game stick to making eloquent speeches, even as they get horrifically disfigured. It adds character to the game and makes it more memorable.

[@DefinitelyAPotato]

So glad to see En Garde picked up. It's a game like games used to be. They have an idea, they just make it, and they make it fun.

[@trwolf2k]

Now the song is in my head, "Bouncing here and there and everywhere. High adventure that's beyond compare, They are the Gummi Bears." And now it is in yours.

[@martincann5052]

Joke's on you, that song never left my head! :p ... HELPME

[@damiancrowley569]

Blasphemous has taken so many days from me lol I'm having such a blast. I'm about to hit ng+

[@holycowitsdave]

I loved all the cheeky little details En Garde put in as well. For example all the posters everywhere telling people about things that are illegal. My favourite one read "It is illegal to outwit the Count-Duke"

[@jasonschad5379]

The best part of the 2D Souls-like/Metroidvania genre has always been, at least for me, boss design and level design. Combat is going to be repetitive for the most part in most of these types of games with the variation coming in how you beat the bosses. It's the boss and level designs that usually make these games better. Blasphemous does this way better than most in the genre, with Salt and Sanctuary probably being my 2nd favorite. But yeah I agree, most of the game is anime filler episodes with lots of mini boss fights that look pretty cool.

[@Heldermaior]

As someone who grew up in a catholic country Blasphemous nails Catholicism like Christian churches nail arrows to Saint Peter or thorns to the heart of the Virgin Mary. The visuals are like setting foot in a Catholic Cathedral. Rich opulent, guilded in gold yet dark and depicting extreme levels of pain and suffering to remind you that yes you are guilty and yes you need to give us more money. Do you think this 15th century altar guilds itself in gold? Fat chance. We have to dissolve gold in mercury you know? Very expensive and dangerous Heck, we are undercharging you for getting you rid of all these pain and misery. Anyway, if you ever go to Braga there is a church near Citânia de Briteiros that has an amazing restaurant in the basement... If visions of gore don't put you off your food that is.

[@irmuusanaa4227]

The thing after going through the blasphemous games, it convinced me never go to Spain, one minute you’re walking to a brothel the next I’m getting my balls crushed for free.

[@Spar_kie]

For free? You usually have to pay for that kind of treatment. Sounds like someone's scared of a deal.

[@GlitchToph]

As a (european) spanish, it's quite nice living here once you get used to the ocasionalrain of blood

[@ObieCS2]

Blasphemous can now join Remothered in the club of "games deemed worthy of a review after proving they were at least notable enough to warrant a sequel"

[@gerardotejada2531]

Blasphemous is amazing. Loved the first one, Its like a mixing Gameboy Advance Castlevania with Golden Century Spain Baroque Art. It has a lot of Dark Souls mistique and Its very entertaining. A true work of art and love.😊

[@thisismyname1940]

Things I've learned: 1. Blasphemous II is pretentious for using "fervor" to invoke prayers instead of the more common Polynesian term 2. It's weird to call the healing potions "Bile flasks" instead of something normal, like "Estus flasks" 3. Some of the best music in all of video games doesn't deserve so much as a mention Is Henry VIII threatening you from beyond the grave or something

[@Its_PizzaTime]

Yeah, god forbid a game has a bit of creativity. Pans Blasphemous 2 for being a Symphony of the Night clone but complains that it doesn't use words like health and mana like every other game, and calls the war censor a mace. I can't even tell if he liked it or not?

[@thedudewhoeatspianos]

Glad Yahtz liked En Garde - it's a ton of fun! Hopefully he can drive some purchases to that small studio.

[@kingbaard5395]

It didn't change my opinion from the 3 minute review for the most part. I'll probably pick it up at some point.

[@paulrus-keaton439]

I came here because I thought I read "drive someone to buy that small studio" and was ready to look under the floorboards for the giant monkey's paw the gaming community is built over.

[@thedudewhoeatspianos]

@@kingbaard5395 totally - I think they're largely aligned. But Yahtz has a bigger platform.

[@KillahMate]

En Garde sounds exactly like the kind of game that leads to a massively expanded and incredibly impressive sequel. Let's all buy it and keep our fingers crossed eh?

[@Herrikias]

Considering how much I loved Blasphemous 1, I guess should go play Symphony of the Night. Although a big part of falling in love with Cvstodia was how they wrote, pretentious or not, so I'll probably be missing all that Catholic Guilt.

[@CRSB00]

Also Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

[@danhighlander]

Nice work with The Miracle; I always enjoy references to obscure Queen songs lol

[@gregvs.theworld451]

It definitely sounds like a game like En Garde could work if stretched out a decent bit and built to have a lot of fun environment interactions. Something like Tears of the Kingdom (Albeit obviously not on the same scale unless they have a multimillion AAA budget), where there's way more interaction than you'd expect and you could spend a good couple of hours finding out how this item interacts with enemies or what happens when you push this there.

[@mgk-metalgearkelly5054]

Idk i find it funny when games call their health/ammo/stamina something outrageously ridiculous. I couldn't stop giggling for a solid minute when I realised "MY ARMOR IS CONTEMPT!" in boltgun.

[@tommysalty5864]

I like the variety in tone between the reviewed games :) Great ZP, as always.

[@seanwilkinson7431]

The use of "foil the villain's schemes" to describe the goal of a fencing game is greatly underappreciated.

[@jzpowell2108]

Yahtz has a way with words that makes his reviews absolutely great as he both builds up and tears down a game (or in this case two games)

[@corywertz9268]

With all the dialogue and the words and images on screen, I almost watch the episode twice every viewing because I'll hear what he says, then have to go back re-watch or read the animations and words/images on screen xD

[@johnhcstaton316]

When Yahtz said "and then you have to go to a state university and study engineering" I wondered if he had been spying on my life this whole time.

[@CalciumChief]

If it makes you feel any better, Mortal Kombat lost me once they've introduced X-ray moves. Previous games had everyone fighting after neck snaps too, but with the more blocky graphics, it looked almost comical. Now we're focusing on realism and you still want me to suspend my disbelief?

[@vigorouslethargy]

Yeah, they started making Fatality level moves into regular specials. There was one from 9 or X I think that ivolved firing two arrows directly into your opponent's eyes and then violently ripping them out. And then the fight just carries on as usual, as if the loss of their ocular organs is but the slightest of bothers.

[@MusicoftheDamned]

​@@vigorouslethargyPretty sure you're thinking of Kung Jin's in _MKX_ since no one else uses arrows in general (weirdly) outside of Nightwolf sometimes and maybe Rambo. But, yeah, X-Rays in the more realistic games are pretty goofy.

[@CalciumChief]

@@MusicoftheDamned It's a good mechanic for fatalities. But it was back when Street Fighet IV revitalized fighting games, so MK wanted their own super moves, only more gory.

[@MusicoftheDamned]

@@CalciumChief Yeah, X-Ray moves would be fine-ish for their intended purpose if a lot of them *weren't* pseudo-fatalities (and NRS & WB hadn't been assholes about forcing some of its workers to look at realistic gore for research). If the X-Ray moves only showed breaking bones (that weren't someone's spine...or skull) or just involved big powerful attacks that made sense for the fighter to not be able to pull out regularly, then they would probably work better. The problem is that as they are now they're just redundant to fatalities and brutalities while simulanteously becoming goofy since given that they *don't* kill in game so obsessed with killing the opponent even when the majority of such moves look like they should kill or at least horrifically cripple the opponent. It's perhaps a bit unfair to single Mortal Kombat out for this general since a lot of other less violent fighting games have attacks--hell, regular throws--that just snap people's necks for instance, which has always weirded me out. The issue is more that Mortal Kombat *itself* now calls attention to the weird and silly disconnect basically every time that an X-Ray | a Finishing Blow (?) connects since, as you said, the emphasis on realistic gore just makes it even sillier when people get back in a series where people get violently killed frequently and often by lesser things too.

[@svenbtb]

Yeah, Mortal Kombat has been boring the last few games now. They were always gory, yeah, but in a ha-ha over the top fun weird way, not in a "make our art department vomit" way. What exactly are they trying to say/accomplish by trying to have the most realistic gore that they can? In what way does it benefit the game design or the overall experience?

[@EscapingLogician]

Ok that Cyberpunk bit at 2:57 is unironically the best use of box art I've ever seen.

[@muhdbala9528]

En Garde is such a good game, love the combat

[@minstrelofmoria]

Blasphemous makes a lot more sense when you realize the devs are Spanish. I think the games are reckoning with the Inquisition's legacy, although a lot of it goes over my head. I haven't tried the second one yet, but the first one has this really interesting divide where if you're really inspiring or really poor, you show faith by hurting yourself, but if you have actual power, you show faith by being a hedonistic bastard and collecting shiny things.

[@TulilaSalome]

So, Erroll was a well endowed lad then? See how educational these videos van be.

[@lastsinnersa8002]

Holy hell, Yahtzee actually did review En Garde! My faith in humanity is restored just enough because he found it...FUN!

[@aelechko]

You can't enjoy something unless Yahtzee does? That's a strange way to live life

[@lastsinnersa8002]

@@aelechko You have missed the point by so much, it's actually impressive.

[@bramvanduijn8086]

@@aelechko Try reading that again. They said faith in humanity is restored, that is orthogonal to enjoying something.

[@aelechko]

@@bramvanduijn8086 no I read it correct. How could your faith in humanity be restored because a person you don't know found something fun. He's found plenty of games fun. Why would it shock you that he found a fun, interesting and unique game fun? The issue is the majority of people using the language severely incorrectly. That combination of words means OP would have no faith in humanity if Yahtzee didn't find it fun. Having one man's opinion of an indie video game affect someone else's view on an entire species is fucking ridiculous. So no, I didn't miss the point at all actually.

[@aelechko]

@@lastsinnersa8002 no I didn't. I explained it on someone else's comment. Short form: if a stranger's opinion on a video game affects your view on an entire species you're absolutely ridiculous. So what if you found it fun and he didn't then by proxy it isn't fun to you anymore? Go watch the extra punctuation on review scores. You're basically doing that.

[@jdt231]

The picture of Father Jack at 4:50 made me chuckle. God I love that show

[@FaithandValor]

You had me at "make your own Errol Flynn movie" and lost me at "you can't swing and kick." Then I just appreciated you for knowing who Errol Flynn is and am sated.

[@marktaylor6491]

So in other words. What they need to do is take the money they make from En Garde, and use it to fund a sequel. But one with depth and a proper plot, but doesn't forget what made the original good. It can be done, it just requires planning and work.

[@InMaTeofDeath]

I actually really like the twin daggers I'm most of the way through the game and they're still my favorite. Haven't really used the sword much but I do switch to the mace when I need to keep my distance.

[@corywertz9268]

Can you freely swap weapons once you have more than 1? Looking forward to playing 2 the next chance I get.

[@InMaTeofDeath]

@@corywertz9268 Yes but you have to choose one then find the others in game. You get all of them fairly quickly though since each weapon is linked to a traversal mechanic.

[@corywertz9268]

@@InMaTeofDeath Sweet, thank you. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't a loadout sort of thing where you have to select one at a time at a Prieu. Not that I wouldn't play if that were the case anyway XD

[@vinnythewebsurfer]

Funny thing is that I’m pretty sure MK1 is doing its best to evoke the sillier spirit of mortal kombat like the original midway games but that’s still playing a triangle in NRS’s socially accepted gore porn orchestra. Warner bros paid allota money for those visceral nut punch X-rays and DLC copyright licensing and damn it if they’re gonna show it.

[@Aphasial]

Goddamnit, now I have the Gummi Bears theme song in my head. Thanks for that…

[@cassun603]

to hell with you now I have it in mine

[@gokusondbz]

I Know How to get it Out!. DuckTales Theme 🙃

[@cassun603]

@@gokusondbz you're a real one. Keep it up

[@nicklager1666]

You are not alone Yahtz, there are more including me that has plenty of hours logged on Katamari. The cathartic feeling of just playing a simplistic fun game. I write simplistic as when you have logged a number of hours you learn the games secrets. En garde makes me think of Inigo Montoya in the mask of Zorro.

[@GreatistheWorld]

I was overjoyed when We Love Katamari came out for Switch recently for this reason💕

[@martincann5052]

Inigo Montoya's from The Princess Bride, not Zorro.

[@Harl3inger]

I liked En Garde! Definitely quite short, and is very clearly a small scale passion project showing off the cool idea for a combat engine that lets you be a proper swashbuckling hero. I hope its a success and they make some more of it.

[@MasoTrumoi]

I would like to believe that En Garde gets to be a success and they make a sequel or follow up where it's a bigger scale game using the same combat to tell a bigger story.

[@affsteak3530]

En Garde sounds delightful. The 90s Zorro movie is a guilty pleasure of mine.

[@hanniballahr94]

Blasphemous 1 is one of those games I really wanted to finish, but I got a decent ways in, stopped, and haven't had the urge to pick it up since.

[@eatingpancakesrightnow2786]

I managed to get one of the decent endings, but once I realized I had to play the whole game again to do one unintuitive thing to unlock the boss fight where you kill God I couldn't muster the enthusiasm. It'll just have to wait for the next play through

[@SuperBallani]

En garde! is a really great surprise among the indie games this year, maybe i say that because i'm french but really, the combat in this game is actually already excellent for a very first game.

[@aarend5168]

Honestly I think that the word is misused when describing blasphemous. The game more than trying to be pretentious is just exploring all the Spanish mythology and beliefs of those dark ages and honestly it feels so refreshing to have a game that's not either Nordic or Greco-Roman centered about those teams. Plus the research and work put in by the devs is nothing short of amazing. It's of course not for everyone but I think it doesn't get what it deserves

[@cesarsuarez7538]

Since he is not familiar with the topic, he labels it as pretentious, wich says a lot, honestly. I am spanish and don´t find it pretentious at all.

[@boarfaceswinejaw4516]

games like En Garde really should be their own Genre of action games. the "swashbuckler" games, where you can dispose of your enemies in indirect ways. only other one i can really think of is like, Dark Messiah.

[@shockmaster6788]

it's actually a rapier and dagger in blasphemous 2 great review as always

[@umamifan]

Maybe they should’ve called them that then

[@thisismyname1940]

"How was I supposed to know it was a truck and not the city of Tacoma just based on its appearance?"

[@pilebunker420]

what you complained in blasphemous pretentiousness is the same from software's games has

[@Montesama314]

MK wanting to be taken seriously when it involves an 80s action star beheading an immortal Asian princess and kicking a centaur in the nuts is fucking hilarious

[@ianemory5800]

The twin blades in blasphemous 2 are actually really good. Especially when you get lightning attached to them and you see bosses health bars drain faster than a human with an overly zealous vampire attached to their neck

[@apenasoferes3704]

For real, i was starting to get really annoyed with them in one of the areas, but then right after i proceed to delete the healthbar of the two last bosses. It really is a "the rich get richer" kind of weapon,if you can just not get hit it does the most damage out of anything in the game. That said, it really feels like two toothpicks if you do get hit, and the riposte being bugged is horrible considering its a main mechanic of the weapon

[@gerardotejada2531]

Adalia feels like saturday morning Bayonetta. Love her

[@TheAlmightyPotato]

4:50 Father Jack being stand-in for a twisted and malformed caricature of a catholic figure is hilarious

[@tentor8501]

great, now I want a game where you have to fight Father Jack. Also, Yahtzee a Father Ted fan confirmed??

[@CJBooks4]

"Do you ever feel the need to go to video games as a whole and say 'Hey, are you doing all right?'" After seeing the price hike for PS Plus 12-month subscriptions, I am right there with you Yahtzee.

[@philip1382]

I'm a little disappointed you didn't use the name clearly printed on the game's cover, Mortal 1 Kombat.

[@VoltaDoMar]

En Garde looked good when I saw Iron Pineapple play the (I think) demo or early access

[@goldenyak629]

B2 didn't land quite as well as the first game for me - it feels very much like a 'the first one was successful let's quickly do a follow-up', and the story didn't 'cook' for as long. And yeah fell into very bog-standard Metroidvania movement tools, as opposed to the first game where you used a trio of cursed tongues to make platforms grow or survive drops into 'bottomless' pits so you could explore new areas below them.

[@Duterasemis]

There literally was a Count Duke in history, though. Count-Duke Gaspar de Guzman of Spain was a count and was later awarded a dukedom for services to the crown, and he specifically requested the king let him keep his old title too.

[@Mark73]

Oh Yahtz, you bring a little 6-7 minute ray of joy to my Wednesdays. Never stop, never change. Now I need to go log into my therapy session.

[@mrmonkeyman79]

In fairness at least this time round blasphemous put some handy symbols under all the equipable items so you can see at a glance what the difference is between the Consecrated Stapler and the Holy Nail Clipping of Saint Humphrey without having to select each and read the item description.

[@stevenneiman1554]

A game that understays its welcome is better than one that overstays, but most games do feel like they have a right length and if you can hit that you'll have the most satisfying experience possible and also the largest possible amount of quality content.

[@Thegreatercheese]

The only thing I don't get about the Blasphemous 2 review is why Yahtzee called the sword pokey because after a few upgrades I found it was the best thing for easily dispatching the majority of enemies.

[@antzpantz]

Hehe, Yahtzee said "Mana Bar".

[@KeithFraser82]

Zero Punctuation indie rock track of the week: *Caught In The Pile At The Hedgehog Orgy* by *Prideful Spire* , from their album *Demented Creativity* (They were going to be called Prydeful Spyre, but that name turned out to have been taken by an industrial toxic heavy metal band from Kilmarnock.)

[@adhdengineer]

Ok. Literally lolled at the father Jack boss

[@aoihitori]

I love Blasphemous 1 so I had high hopes for Blasphemous 2 and oh boy, It didn't let me down. 👌

[@trevorweisberg8470]

I remember learning about end garde watching someone play it for a list of souls-like games. Playing it myself I can see some parts that is souls-like but ultimately it's different. Thing is, now I want a souls-like that has the same light-hearted and cheery tone as En Garde.

[@ohara194]

Probably Iron pineapple he does alot of the souls like lists

[@razzgrizz3]

En garde truly is a superb experience. The amount of enviroment interactivity during combat encounters is truly stagering for such a small team. Also its a perfect lenght and doesnt out stay its welcome.

[@RoseDelta]

Note; spotted a caption error at 2:15 "... ironic result of that particular monkey's poor wish" should instead be "monkey's paw." Also one at 4:30. "sensor" should be "censer"

[@nihilistic.capricorn]

Just a nitpicky comment, blasphemous is based on the traditions and religious customs of southern Spain, as can be seen in level design being literal monuments from there, so yeah, that's what they are going for, not some generic european catholic, but pretty localized southern Spain one

[@Darkprosper]

Many people are very uneducated when it comes to the middle ages and early Renaissance, and picture the spanish catholic church of that time for all Europe over a millenium. You know, crazy Inquisition stuff that actually was very localized both in time and space.

[@jorge15266]

You mean to tell me that Europe isn't a monoculture and some places are architecturally, culturally and socially different from others? Next you'll say Africa is a continent & no a country.

[@FurnaxIkki]

Blasphemous 2's developers have this crazy juxtaposition in that they can do great world building and great pixel art (seriously, check out The Last Door to see how well they do Lovecraftian pixel horror) but HOLY FUCKING SHIT they can't actually tell a good coherent story to save their asses. Blasphemous 1 ironically benefited greatly from everything just being very surreal yet horrifying, like we were not so much a rebel agent fighting against an oppressive order, but just another cog in the divine machine that controls the setting. The original "good" ending was a satirical condemnation of martyrdom culture taken to its logical conclusion: you symbolically take the collective guilt of the entire country onto yourself so everyone can stop their figurative (and in some cases literal) self-flagellation, only to become the religion's new Christ figure that everyone worships and tries to emulate because you died for everyone's sins and now they feel indebted to you. We never directly met "The Miracle" or any of the forces that put it in place either, we were beneath them in every ense of the wor.d But then the revised ending required a much more straightforward story, so suddenly The High Wills became just a cruel god that wanted people to worship it so it could survive and then Blasphemous 2 is about The Miracle trying to resurrect itself and just blargh. En Garde! though was a fucking blast. I hope the devs add more to it, but even what I did get to play was very fun.

[@terrible1736]

💯

[@SunChaoJun]

4:43 Is that the Seven-Star Sword from Granblue Fantasy

[@DarkinBladeGaming]

Doesn't blasphemous just rename mana and use health as normal?

[@starhaven1881]

I played En Garde! at the last steam fest where they had all those demos, And I enjoyed it glad to see i'm not the only one.

[@letfireraindown]

I was so enchanted with the first Blasphemous game that I 100%d the game, achievements, and bloodstained challenges! Once I got into the controls everything was fluid and felt good! I hope the second does well, but I haven't picked it up yet.

[@eatingpancakesrightnow2786]

I think I enjoyed Hollowknight for being a bit faster. I almost 100%ed (112% in hollowknight's case) it but in Blasphemous I found diving into the game's art and historical inspirations more interesting than aiming for the harder endings

[@thedudewhoeatspianos]

I "love" Catholicism for its horror vibes. I also played the first one to death and will also pick up the second one eventually.

[@NikolaiCarpathia]

Got a giggle for Father Jack. I was wondering who'd thrown that brick.

[@2MeatyOwlLegs]

En Garde! is a fabulous game. I enjoyed every second of it. Unfortunately it weren't that many seconds :(

[@dunnoiforgot6483]

En Garde! is great i recommend everyone to try it, i just hope they add some more levels in future

[@BasementMinions]

En Guard is incredibly fun! I definitely agree that it's incredibly refreshing to play a game that just is happy having fun.

[@l0stndamned]

En Garde sounds like just my sort of thing. Hopefully it will get some dlc

[@PaulDozierZZoMBiE13]

Did Yahtzee ever review Hellish Quart? I forget what the current rule on Early Access games is around here. It's still in Early Access, but it's had a lot of work done. For those unaware, it's a more realistic melee sword game. Unlike Mortal Kombat, one hit is often enough to fell your enemies (or you) so it has a nice dance of fearful advances and retreats while hoping to get your lunge move to land. It's not great, but still pretty fun and might make for a good review. Plenty of Lets Play videos out there if anyone is interested.

[@eatingpancakesrightnow2786]

Oh I've seen that, a sword fighting game that very much portrays the feel of Princess and the Bride, Zorro, Three Musketeers swashbuckling dueling

[@PaulDozierZZoMBiE13]

@@eatingpancakesrightnow2786 Yeah. I wish they'd add Zorro to that game if I'm honest. I was a HUGE Zorro fan when I was a boy. Read some of the books, watched any Zorro movie I could on cable. Good stuff.

[@beansnrice321]

I just realized that the word, "foil," as in to foil ones plans, might actually be a reference to a fencing foil. In other words, "foiled," is like, "arrowed." =)

[@beansnrice321]

I just looked it up, apparently it comes from, foulr. Which means to cover ones tracks. Curses, foiled again. =(

[@cathallynch1]

Games need to be allowed to have an imperfect first instalment for creators to build upon, which En Garde sounds like. The same problem exists in TV with too many shows getting cancelled rather than improved.

[@raphsere]

4:23 I would never have expected seeing an asset from a 10 years old gacha game in my Zero Punctuation video, but here we are.