Highlights
- Blasphemous 2 features hidden secrets and questlines that can be difficult to understand due to archaic language and a fantastical world.
- NPCs in Soulslike games can be deceptive, but some are included for humor and charm, like the cute dog in Blasphemous.
- The dog in Blasphemous 2 is a bittersweet Easter egg, appearing rarely and quickly disappearing, as a ghostly reference to the original game.
Blasphemous 2 and its predecessor have their fair share of secrets amid a bunch of obscure environmental storytelling. Even the questlines that these 2D Metroidvania Soulslikes provide can be difficult to parse due to the archaic language they’re communicated through and the nature of Cvstodia’s fantastical world in general. Therefore, a player’s understanding of the game may only be made through simple interactions they have with NPCs, let alone what they decide to have explained to them by fans in the community online. Some NPCs, though, may be much more simple than a traditional Soulslike may make them appear to be.
FromSoftware has rightfully taught players that they should be skeptical of any NPC they come across, lest they try to trick them into a false sense of security or lure them into an actual trap. Bloodborne surely had its fun with this premise, especially when giving players the option of choosing which NPCs should go where when discovered. But even FromSoftware games have NPCs who are around simply to be a humorous addition or to add levity and charm to the player’s harrowing adventure. That’s precisely the service the cute dog in Blasphemous provides, though its reprisal in the sequel is much more devastating.
Blasphemous 2 Has a Bittersweet Easter Egg for Fans of the Original
This so-called ‘Puppers of Albero’ rarely appeared in Blasphemous and could be interacted with to give pets, landing Blasphemous on the coveted list of games that could be chronicled in the popular ‘Can You Pet the Dog?’ account. Committed players have researched the many ways that this dog could be of value to the player, like whether interacting with it contributed to some sort of quest or other activity, which is only logical seeing as how almost every other interactable NPC does have an item that they would like.
It was then learned that the dog could actually restore the Penitent One’s health a little bit at a time with each affectionate pet. Rather, fans were simply happy to have an adorable dog around at random times when they’d visit the church, especially since the dog’s healing ability didn’t mean much with a Prie Dieu not terribly far from it in Albero anyhow.
The lands Blasphemous’ Penitent One treks across are all full of horrors and grueling challenges, and therefore it’s a tender moment of respite when players arrive back to their hub to see an old friend who is always happy to see them too. Likewise, the dog was named Nemo in its internal sprites after one of the developer’s pets who had passed, giving the NPC emotional significance beyond what the game explains about it. Now, with the release of Blasphemous 2 and all the secrets this new installment holds, it wouldn’t be surprising if few fans knew the same dog reappears, if only briefly.
The dog can be seen where players start the game, specifically where players first spawn in, but like the original game, it only appears extremely rarely. Plus, when it does appear, it almost instantly vanishes. It’s been pointed out that Blasphemous 2 takes place a millennium after the original, too, and the same dog appearing can therefore be an Easter egg of the charming dog’s ghost returning to say hello once more. It’s sad not being able to pet the dog again, but it is a wholesome reference that many fans might never have an opportunity to see in Blasphemous 2.
Blasphemous 2 is out now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
