As an art history grad I cannot stress enough how utterly cool these games’ art style is, the amount of little references to Christian, Hindu and Muslim art just make me grin from ear to ear with how beautiful and grand this repurposing is.
My brother is a student of both Spanish and Moorish history and every time he sees a clip or still from the game he has to stop and start explaining the symbolism to me.
I have a related question (hopefully) do you know if the sharing of art styles is similar between Hindu and Buddhism? I remember learning that Buddhism branched from Hindu historically so I would imagine there'd be shared similarities. But more so if there's like particular styles shared between groups (architecture maybe is more related to the time than the religious group?) I dunno it was just interesting to think about art history related to spiritual history 🤷♂️ hopefully that makes some sense.
The Dream is ancient, and owes its creation to the countless minds of humanity. The miracle used our minds as a catalyst to generate this higher plane, where the collective wills of competing faith are made manifest in the form of godlike beings. The high wills were simply the most recent of these to tip the scale in their favor. The gods of the dream depend on faith to be born into existence, but once they amass enough power the relationship tips in the other direction. The faith shown in the game is all encompassing, it literally impacts every facet of the mortal world. The high wills become so powerful through the original faith that they gained the power to manipulate the miracle itself. And in doing so, manipulate the very fold that birthed them. A god of supreme power, ruling through the chains of the faith that had once birthed it.
The fact that the wooden part of the Penitent One spirals out from the hand that held the sword, and not his gut and all over like the sacrifice ending had it, would also further seem to suggest that the thorn arm is borne of his previous accomplishment.
37:00 This is actually the high wills being jealous They feed on devotion. And someone being devoted to someone other than them infuriates them The High Wills are petty and pathetic The Miracle seems to need guidance from the high wills for fulfilling wishes Because the word used is "bereft" The Miracle shall be left bereft upon the death of the High Wills, which means 'orphaned' It makes sense, because to the Miracle, the High Wills were it's guidance
I think it's entirely possible the saintly figures in the tapestry, having escaped the grip of the Miracle and having ascended, are conspiring as a group to undo the work of the Miracle.
@SmoughTown right, with the father acting as the leader, with the largest influence and longest known suffering under the Miracle. The killing of the Higb Wills being the act that set him free.
9:43 think your assessment is spot on due to the way this architecture looks. It appears to be based on the Mezquita de Córdoba, a Catholic 'cathedral' in the south of Spain that was actually once a mosque built by the moors. This may hint at there being a prior religion surrounding the twisted one that was built upon and replaced by the Miracle faith, just as the real world religion had Catholicism replacing Islam.
What a great video! You clearly understand a lot about the lore, though I have a few points I'd like to mention. 1. The Witness was actually not the child born of the couple who prayed to the Miracle in B2, he was the midwife. You can see in the image that a midwife is going to deliver the child, and the next one shows that same man as the witness, with blood on his hands. 2. Recently, Andrey, the lead pixel animator for B1 revealed that he was instructed by Enrique, the lead writer, NOT to have the Twisted One touch TPO's shoulder. I don't know what this might imply, and it could have something to do with your theory, but it's worth noting. 3. The achievement you get from beating the faceless one in B2 is called "1000 years later" so it's implied to be a thousand years since B1, which is plenty of time for mother of mothers to sink under the earth. 4. Something to note about the meaning of Eventide, is that the current age of the Miracle is very often represented as the "endless dusk", a state of stasis in the perpetual state of dusk. I believe you talked about this in your stir of dawn video. So for "eventide" to essentially be the end of the endless dusk is a really cool implication of the current age coming to an end. 5. It's worth noting that one of the devs, Maikel, outright confirmed to us that the High Wills are "not above the Miracle, it doesn't work like that". 6. The golden tears the HW shed are often considered evidence to their nature as false holiness, as there's a line "does not the vast pale light of the horizon hurt your eyes?" (I don't remember the exact quote) And it seems implied that their crying gold is from the light hurting their eyes. There's a theory I quite like that suggests that that light is from the canvas of light and time, and it hurts their eyes as they're not welcome there, whereas TPO is fine. 7. I'm personally not a big fan of the idea that the Miracle "retreated." I think you have the right idea, but personally the HW dialogue suggests to me that the Miracle was simply left without power. My theory of the Miracle is that it is not just a higher power that manifests what's within the soul, but that the Miracle as a will *is* the manifestation. Thus, it manifested the High Wills out of people's faith (as you conclude in this video), and then the HW "controlling" it was it essentially using the Miracles power to manifest the people's prayers. This when the HW die, it's the things the High Wills have done through the Miracle that die. The HW dying leaves the Miracle as it once was, a will that exists solely to manifest the people's devotion and whatnot. This is further evidenced by the fact that it created the ancient processions "from the threads of dreams" (ie. The faith of the people who believed in an afterlife) which happened before the HW. 8. A member of the discord who's very active in the lore community has been working on a theory about the Canvas of Light and Time. Essentially, there is a line of dialogue where Anunciada mentions "the High Dramatist". He suspects the High Dramatist to be the one behind the Canvas and the one orchestrating TPO's actions in B2. He explains what he believes the Great Grace to be as well as listing plenty of evidence towards this figures existence and even foreshadowing from the first game. I would highly recommend you read his document, which you can find in the lore channel of the official discord (just search in:lore has:link and it's a google doc titled "some musings on the true ending of Blasphemous II" or something akin to that. I'll also say I've written a doc on the nature of the HW and The Miracle. I sent it to the Lore Hunter and he and I were on the same page about it. It's similar to what you discuss about the HW being a manifestation of faith. I have yet to update it to include evidence and whatnot from the sequel, so it is slightly outdated (I claim it is not a sentient will, which is obviously wrong), but for the most part it's still what I believe to be the case. It's also in the lore channel in the disc, titled "The Miracle" Overall this was an excellent analysis of the WoE DLC and I love your idea of the Twisted One being a greater part in orchestrating the events, perhaps in tandem with this High Dramatist figure. Thanks for putting this together!
Hey bud! Thanks for the thoughtful comment and really pleased you enjoyed the video. Re point 1) yeah you are absolutely right and someone else pointed it out. For some reason my mind ‘ignored’ the midwife in the second part of the testimony and obviously it makes more sense that they are the witness. Re this great Dramatist - can absolutely buy that and essentially lines up with what I believe about the canvas ‘group’ that there is clearly a ‘force’ behind this and I imagine we will learn more in a dlc. Agree with all your other points and will defo need to hunt down some of those developer comments as they seem very interesting 🤔 Thanks for the insightful comments - lot to think about there for the next video where I’ll focus on B2 more!
I just wanted to throw my 2 cents about your second point - for me, it always looked as if the Twisted One was simply caressing TPO's cheek (or, well, that of his helmet). It's one final act of kindness and gratitude from the Twisted One, now free from the shackles of the Miracle. (Other than that, excellent comment!)
This is my analysis of A)How the Miracle came back, and B) The Ending. The game takes place a long time after the first game (the new holy figure, the Witness, even says "aeons"), and the Miracle has been considered extinct due to not showing up in so long. However, one married couple was having trouble conceiving a child, almost tearing themselves apart, and in utter desperation entrusted themselves to the Miracle to grant them a child. This wish was considered so humble and true that is woke up the Miracle, and granted the wish of the couple whose faith in it hadn't wavered in so long. However, things didn't go as planned even for the Miracle. It had been out of action for so long that, when it tried to make the child, known as the Witness (the one who said it had been aeons), into a new icon of worship like the Twisted One, the Miracle did an "erring", made a mistake due to its depleted might and the Witness came out both fully-grown and deformed, killing the mother in the process. Failing to incarnate into an icon and only manifesting as disease, it accidentally unleashed an "contagion" of disease, deformity, and pain, that spread through the land that afflicting many innocents lives. Alternatively, as proposed by goldenyak629 in another video, the Witness is instead the Midwife that was to deliver the child, and the "child" was the disease that failed to be an icon. Which makes sense due to the similar appearance of the Witness and the midwife in the flashback, as well as the Witness' line about how the Miracle "did fail in its efforts to incarnate, manifesting only in the form of disease, deformity, and pain". Yet the gaze and vision of one innocent, looking for any hope in the face of this desolation and relying purely on faith, allowed the Miracle to gain one last chance and was able to shape the wish into a giant heart-womb in the sky, where the birth of the new Child of the Miracle shall soon take place. The Heart is out of reach, watching over the City of the Blessed Name which has been raised by the Regret of three stone figures, represented by the Family: the eminent Father, the merciful Mother, and the counter-figure of the Witness. For the city to be reached, the Regrets of the three stone figures must be revealed so that they may be humiliated and humbled. The Regrets are hidden by three Guardians, who are in turn protected by the Archconfraternity; five Penitents of different Confraternities that the Miracle took as its sentinels. For the Heart must not be reached before the Child is born. And soon... the Penitent One awakens from his tomb. As for the ending: Before he fights the Incarnate Devotion, the Penitent One can chose to anoint himself with the Incense of the Envoys, ashes of 4 wooden statues that he can burn. This is hinted by the description outside the door to do this that reads "The Father said _"The Four Envoys wrapped my body in soft linen cloths."_" According to the Incense description, this marks the body of one who performs the Ultimate Sacrifice thus returning to the heavens, and that the Great Grace will bestow upon them the ultimate forgiveness, the last step in the Way of Penitence. You see, the Incarnate Devotion, as soon as it's born, is trying to contact the High Wills, as it knows that they are its creators. Yet it doesn't understand why it was created, and the High Wills don't answer it because, well, they're dead, leaving an "obscure darkness of unanswered cries that prevents me from understanding the purpose of my birth." It then believes that the Penitent One was sent by the High Wills to judge the Incarnate Devotion, and the fight to serve as "proof of thy dignity of your glory": essentially, its believes that the fight is to prove that the Incarnate is worthy of the High Wills' glory, to be worthy of being their "magnum opus". Without the Incense, the Incarnate decides that the pain the Penitent One deals to him is meant to be a baptism, one that will unite it and the Penitent One together and make that communion flesh, becoming a new symbol of Devotion that brings a second age of the Miracle; the Second Psalm, successfully succeeding the long-dead High Wills. But with the Incense, this makes the Incarnate start believing that the High Wills are rejecting it, that they are hurting it in responds to questions of its purpose, that they are trying to kill it despite being of the High Wills' flesh and holding their heart. The Incarnate reconciles with the mystery of it birth, accepting that it will go unanswered, and states the Incarnate's punishment and death will be the High Wills' legacy. This, presumably, is because the Incense of the Envoys marks one as not just making the ultimate sacrifice, but one who will be bestowed the ultimate forgiveness. The High Wills and the Miracle seek devotion through punishment, through penitence. Being given the ultimate forgiveness by the "Great Grace" means the Penitent One... is no longer the Penitent One. Being blessed by the Great Grace maybe made the Incarnate think that the Penitent One was a representative of the High Wills. Furthermore, the Incarnate cannot be united in communion with a baptism of pain with the Penitent One because, again, the Incense absolves him; they are no longer being punished, no longer in pain. That common element cannot unite the Incarnate and the Penitent One; it is instead a pure being blessed by the "Great Grace" punishing another for seemingly not being worthy, so it just dies without being reborn. And with the (unwanted)suffering and death of the Incarnate Icon, the High Wills/Miracle's plans fail and the Penitent One is taken by the spirits of the Four Envoys to the highest of heavens, beyond many dreamed kingdoms such as the High Wills/Miracle's Path of Ancient/Eternal Processions*, where all the other notable(and good) characters from both games are. Safely watched over for the rest of eternity by these spirits, the Penitent One will be enshrined as a holy figure in the canvas of light and time, his Penance... finally complete. *Path of Ancient/Eternal Processions, created by the devotion of the people of Cvstodia's belief in the Miracle and thus themselves, which the High Wills would would use to become eternal and "higher-reaching than the sky itself" that is even more ancient than the High Wills themselves. As the High Wills said in the Wounds of Evertide, the Path of Ancient/Eternal Processions, the Kingdom on the other side of the Dream, is more ancient than them. A brotherhood of grieving souls, on a path without beginning nor end, held captive by their own condemnation and benediction. They also say that is was created by the Miracle, but frankly the line between the Miracle and the High Wills is blurred as is. For what we can tell, humanity unconsciously created the Kingdoms beyond the Dream, and eventually created the Miracle, which at some point created of the High Wills that began to control it more directly.
As far as the relationship between the High Wills and the Miracle goes, I got the impression, after The Wounds Of Eventide, that the High Wills formed from the Miracle. They are an aspect of the Miracle that has become self-aware; they are OF it. Kinda like the Chaos gods in Warhammer. The Warp = Miracle Chaos Gods = High Wills
Yeh this is where I am leaning towards - going via their dialogue and the Gold from their eyes, gold usually being a tell tale sign of the miracle. Great analogy for understanding tbh
Something that struck me during the video shortly after you suggested that The Father might be a "guiding hand" to the rebellion against the High Wills, the shape of the handle of the Mea Culpa. I am a bit of a dumb dumb when it comes to these lore video, they fascinate me a great deal but I can't wrap my head around all the intertwined subtleties so I might be wrong. But the fact that the Penitent One is basically wielding a symbol of The Father, to me, adds creedence to the theory that The Father is somewhat instrumental to the rebellion up to its success. I don't know what kind of power The Father inherited from being granted his wish of pain, but it doesn't seem impossible to me that he was the one who created Mea Culpa as we know it and people could've mistaking it as an act of The Miracle. There already was propaganda at play as far as I understand it. The Father, seeing how someone would push themselves to death by virtue of worship might have snapped something in him and that might be when he decided, the High Wills needed to be overthrown. But yea, this is coming from a lore noob so I might be way off. Most importantly, great video man, thanks and cheers!
Great comment bud - yeh I am obv heavily speculating and may be completely wrong but SO much of the Penitent one's background is tied to the father. And that image of the father 'thanking' the penitent one at the end of the Wounds of the Eventide has always stayed with me. But glad you see value you in it haha - and really pleased you enjoyed the video. Means the world!
It's implied by the High Wills that the faith and devotion of people is what gives them power, so it's very plausible that all the people worshipping the Tiwsted One directly gave him some sort of power.
I like to listen to lore videos like yours to fall asleep to, and I was already drifting off when you first mentioned the Witness. My brain processed it as "the Wetness" and now I'm giggling whenever he comes up.
Your videos on B1 are what caused me to check out the game for myself. Turns out, it's one of my favorite games of all time. Thanks for doing these videos!
The one thing that stick with me about Blasphemous lore is what the hell do these people think they DID? What necessitates endless centuries of punishment? I know it's just a pastiche of Catholic original sin, but in-universe I'd love to hear what the hell these people think humans have done to necessitate such a suffering-obsessed culture.
I don't really understand whether the Miracle is good, bad, or just reflects the hearts of the people. I like the third option, I like to think that the Miracle itself is neutral, but it answers to the goodness or corruption of its worshippers. Since the inhabitants of Cvstodia are quite twisted, very monstrous results are to expected.
The miracle reflects how incompetent this team is at writing a sequel. It is a nonsensical omnipotent being that changes the entire plot and events with no explanation, motivation, or reason. It is the epitome of bad writing and it makes everything boring. It's mystery was ruined when we Killed the high wills. It cannot have the same effect anymore, we need real motivations and a glimpse of consistency in the narrative. But they are more focused on making a game and it is understandable.
I don't think the Miracle is intelligent. I think it's a force of nature, and therefore outside the realm of good vs evil, the same way you wouldn't call the ocean "evil" because someone drowned in it. The High Wills, on the other hand, are definitely intelligent, and are strong enough to use the Miracle to further their goals. And they are Evil.
46:50 You must be right Because when High Wills blow up, they explode into fervour And I'm so happy how accurate and good your video is I actually found out more info about the penitent one's and his penance And you are right Miracle made the High Wills for guidance You see, the terms "High Wills" is used by Deogracias and Disodado This is weird Why would they know about this? It's because the High Wills were an actual being worshipped by Cvstodians The Miracle can't act completely by itself and needs guidance At that time, it's guidance was the people They helped it form the High Wills, the god people of Cvtosida worshipped to This is why it has to physically manifest in blasphemous 2 It's because people don't believe in a High Wills anymore, or a being of similar god nature When a child asked for a symbol of hope in dark times, this forms the heart and Incarnate Devotion The child asked for hope, Miracle gave it to him Incarnate Devotion The reason it's confused because it's quite literally the Miracle in a physical body That's why it says "High Will, incorporeal and Inscrutable fathers" They fathered it, guided it That's why it's confused in blasphemous 2 There's no guidance That's why it wants to create another High Wills like being, a son of the Miracle The first attempt was a failure causing a plague turning people into the Punished, the enemies of blasphemous 1 and many completely different, but of same nature Faith in heart, anger in gut to punish anyone who avoided such a holy fate
I've really appreciated all your thoughtful comments mate - thank you for watching and glad you enjoyed. I do 100% agree - we need to take the word of the High Wills themselves above all else - meaning they were created by the Miracle. Yeh it makes sense that the High Wills were themselves worshipped by Custodians, which explains why other characters discuss them even before the DLC came out. I'm looking forward to covering incarnate devotion in the next video; re it's confusion and role - hope you'll join me for that as well
Thank you for this i want to add some things to expand the lore and speculate -The twisted one was indeed the one who made made Perpetva aware of the plans of the miracle, when we visit the church of the first kneeling there is a prayer outside, Tirana of the Celestial Bastion whose lyrics are: "I do not fear punishment for wanting to know what is forbidden, for asking more than I should, for wanting to look beyond the olive groves. I do not fear punishment. For everything hails from the Divine." The fact that the prayer itself is made with lighting, the elemental power the members of the Anointed legion control and how it forms the shape of the symbol of the twisted one makes me believe Perpetva dedicated this prayer to the revelations she witnessed thanks to the Twisted one. -also, Anunciada has some similarities with Viridiana, both came from an unknown place that seems to be out of reach for the Miracle to help us, but they dont look like they are helping the Miracle, even in the description of Viridiana's altarpiece she seems to be aware of how the Penitent one will be there in the future, seeing beyond any of the bad and good ending in the first game -The people hanging frrom above in Eviterno's room are called "Sleeping martyrs, i belive they are failed attempts of the Miracle to create a new son, and it wasnt until the faith of the starving child mentioned in the lore of the Envoy's altarpiece figures when he could successfully create a new icon
It's possible that Perpetua learned of the High Wills after her death. When characters in Blasphemous die they seem to "pass" onto the dream, where the High Wills reside. Perpetua's Protection item description says that ever since she died, Esdras could hear her voice. She tells the Penitent One that the Perpetua he fought "possessed my face and armour, but not my voice." Which could explain how Esdras knew of the Last Golden Visage.
It's also possible that she ascended straight to the Canvas of Light and Time. I don't completely believe this myself as there's nothing to suggest her sanctity before WoE, but it's a possibility
Awesome video on the grand and purposely confusing lore of the Blasphemous world. Can you cover more on what "The Dream" means and what does it mean to be on one side of the dream and move on to the other side of the dream? As far as my headcanon goes, the devs seem to borrow the idea of "The Dream" from Hinduism according to which the entire reality including our universe in the infinite multiverse is just a dream of a cosmic supreme God. To make each universe function, he created the Hindu Holy Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh and gave them the 3 distinct and important roles. The continuous cycle of birth and rebirth of a soul is mentioned as being on one side of the dream where a soul is supposed to free itself from any Karma (Guilt in Blasphemous?), and there are 4 paths to do so (Knowledge Path, Action Path, Meditation Path, and Dedication/Bhakti Path) (Wounds in Blasphemous perhaps?). Once a soul has freed itself from all Karma, it attains Nirvana or Moksha, is fused with the supreme God, and can go on the other side of the dream free from the world of illusion. Could Blasphemy be based on a weird catholic interpretation of Hindu beliefs (As the Hindu Holy Trinity are actually the servants and devotees of the Supreme God, and actually trying to help souls to attain Moksha and move to the other side of the dream)?
The Twisted One gets compared to Jesus a lot, and it makes sense given his iconography, but I feel like his role is more similar to Adam and/or Eve as "The Father" and the one who brought the suffering of the miracle into the world. I think that The Penitent One is more akin to Jesus with his role as the one chosen by the miracle to take the suffering of others onto himself as some kind of redeemer. This may not be important but it has influenced my views on the lore some.
Man, at some point I'm getting worried about you overworking yourself. I absolutely love your content, but being burned out ain't no joke! Take care dude, and banger content as always
@@SmoughTown I mean, if anything else, the grind you've been doing is insanely great/inspiring, considering that for many, you're pretty much on the level (or above) of Vaati in term of lore-centric channel Glad you're going to take a break though, cuz a good work ethic also means to learn to stop working when it's time to stop working (to the difference of overworking yourself for too long, where this cycle can only go so long before becoming hollow)
i hope more people get to experience these games, they are severely underrated and deserve much more attention, the art, gameplay, music, vibes and narrative are simply amazing. Great video as always!
Smough Hope you read this. I'd recomend you to maybe talk more about Cristianity and investigate also the culture behind "Semana Santa" which heavily inspires this game. A lot of the scenery is based after a lot of churches, basilicas and Cathedrals in the souther region of Spain know as Andalucía
Smough, I've never heard of this game before in my life. But your work is always of the highest quality, so I know we're in for a treat. Thanks for bringing a new story to me!
Had to wake up and have lotsa caffeine so that I'm on the level of appreciating this. It's neat how colourful and pretty these games are. Also it makes sense we like stories where huge stretches of time/ space seperate installments ;)...
Thank you so much for this video! I love these two games, but it always annoyed me that I knew so little about the lore. Your videos shed light on many things. SmoughTown, never forget that doing lore videos of Blasphemous is your penance and penance never ends :)
I don't comment on your vids often, but ever since the algorithm suggested your ER vids, I have sat through most of your lore vids, ER or otherwise, and appreciate the thoroughness of your work. Got so used to your vids being around an hour long minimum that looking at your less than ten minute vids felt weird to me. 😅 Anyways, thanks for taking a deep dive into Blasphemous. Always looking forward to whatever game you cover.
I only just started B2, but one of the opening cutscenes supports your theory about The Penitent One's hand. There are clearly visible thorns along it in the cutscene.
So fun fact, when the first miracle the guy was looking for punishment, while he was praying for the high wills to punish him the miracle stepped in. The miracle is much more older than the high willa, and is not a creation of them. It does however need help and needs its heralds so people can keep worshiping. Your Resurrection was because the miracle wanted you as a Harold or to stop the current high will
Very minor nitpick here, but when it comes to the various depictions of gold section late on you included Jibrael and I'm quite certain he states clearly in his dialogue that the horn that enwreathes his arms specifically is supposed to be bronze and not gold as I quote from him "Would you like to make the Bronze sing?"
These are always a treat! I think something finally clicked for me, or at least, I have words to explain it now. The Grievous Miracle is almost like a power that requires a wielder. In the case of Blasphemous, the GM created the High Wills in order for them to ‘direct’ or ‘use’ it. Then in Blasphemous 2, it’s creating a new deity in the hopes of perpetuating its influence. Anyone who knows more than me, feel free to correct me. The lore behind these games is fascinating! Also, I’m glad you noticed the parallel between the original ‘good’ ending of Blasphemous 1 and the bad ending of Blasphemous 2. I was thinking the same exact thing!
Its always interesting that if the High Wills brcame a benevolent god that saved, protected and blessed its followers while dealing punishments fairly, then it would have achieved its desire of being a god that people revered and prayed to. They would have been eternal with their worshippers increasing in number. But this isn't a story about that, its the story of human cruelty and to endure and remove our guilt through physical torment. Th people of Cistodia did not desire a benevolent god but a god that gained its followers through fear and pain.
@@SmoughTownyup We all assumed the child was the Witness However it was the one helping the child out, because it attempted to make the child born a Son of the Miracle It failed miserably and started a plague transforming everyone
7:05 It's interesting because it isn't actually the first Miracle The Miracle has been around of centuries, and has different ages as the comic tells us It must be the first Miracle of the current age marked by "a new face, a new age". This new face being the Father, the twisted one
I agree i do believe the miracle manifested in the past without guidence. The twisted one comes about due to him praying to the high wills, at which time yhey begin commanding the miracle. Which is why Penitent one chosen by the miracle to free it from the subjugation its under from the High Wills it wishes to be free again, as it dies not seem to want to hurt mankind intentionally
@@sykuneactually no The Miracle is well content with High Wills, because without them it's helpless The idea was to make penitent one a new son of the Miracle by killing Escribar and continuing the cycle of torment They didn't expect us to reach them and kill them It's because in blasphemous 2 Miracle is utterly confused and helpless without High Wills Rather it's worse for Miracle in 2, since people didn't pray to a High Wills type of being, it couldn't create one It had to physically manifest itself for the first time seemingly
I believe everyone is misunderstanding blasphemous 2s story. The witness is no the winged child of the mother and father. The witness was the one helping in the birthing process. He WITNESSED the birth of the miracles child. Once the mother birthed incarnate devotion the miracles hung this miracle child in the sky inside a heart. The games doesn’t give all the details and it can be confusing to connect the dots. Nevertheless I believe this to be true
the best bosses of this franchise are in the dlcs, likewise the lore to make sense of everything happening, i just hope the dlc bosses for the sequel are more challenging than the main game
The Miracle seems to just be a wandering natural force. It isn't a sentient thing, just a magical thunderstorm manifesting the abject faith of those it encounters. The High Wills probably figured that out, and devised a way to direct it's nature by manipulation of the masses.
I would encourage you to look into Gnosticism, since I think it gives some insights into the lore, specifically the nature of the 'Great Grace', which I suspect is the true God of Blasphemous's world, whereas the Miracle is something akin to the Demiurge and the High Wills, perhaps, Archons. The Gospel of Judas seems to me particularly relevant to the Traitor Visage's story. From this perspective, it would seem that the Father is akin to the Gnostic view of Jesus, being popularly associated with the false god Demiurge while in actuality being aligned with the true God seeking to free humanity from the Demiurge's twisted grasp.
You've done an absolutely phenomenal job diving into the deep lore of this awesome video game! I do not see the links to the videos you mentioned in this video 🤔
16:16 I hate that you have to censor the Penitent One here. Sure, I get it, it depicts self harm, and that’s typically a big no-no, but it also removes a lot of the impact that scene is supposed to have. I’m not blaming you, I’m blaming UA-cam. What’s next, we have to blur out the ending of “Romeo and Juliet,” just because they kill themselves? It’s a *story,* that’s how it was written and ment to be seen and experienced! Sorry, unnecessary censorship like this just makes me frustrated at the lengths content creators have to go to appease Algorithmus and the UA-cam Overlords
I finally bought Blasphemous on steam. I am having a blast playing it. I've bought BG3, lies of P, and played Starfield on Xbox game pass. I've quit them all after about 15 hours or less. Blasphemous, I can't seem to find enough time to play, though, lol. The art, even though it's like GameCube/ps1 graphics, is super haunting.
Interesting how the traitor's visage looks just like the penitent one. Those roots twisting down on its face make it look like the helm of the penitent one
I love these videos so much,so thank you and I hope to see more about Blasphemous in the future. One thing about the timeline of the two games that confuses me is exactly when did The Miracle appoint Eviterno as the first penitent? When in the timeline does Crisanta lose to Eviterno? I really look forward to a DLC for the sequel to expand more on the events of the second game or fill in the gap of time between the first two games or even take the players to a time before the events of Blasphemous 1 to see how the Miracle expanded across Custodia. I need answers!!
If there ever is a blasphemous 2 DLC the penitent one will either end up fighting a completely new God in a different time or will end up killing the miracle itself namely killing a metaphysical concept.
Smoughtown, I would love a comparison video between the themes and imagery and influence of Blasphemous vs Elden Ring. I can’t help but think Blasphemous influenced everything from thorn and blood sorcery, to the grace of gold and the tarnished, the trinity, the greater will and the crucifixion upon a tree. So much shared DNA and influence.
on the theory that the custodia of sin is the reason for the wooden arm, I like to think that is the Twisted One's influence, as he's also in a wooden form
It's interesting how the miracle is more a broad state of existence, a tool that can be altered to bring about different ages, like the flame in Dark Souls or the Elden Ring. The miracle can be compared to chaos. Chaos has always been there, but it later on gets harnessed, altered & controlled.
I'm very curious about the original Spanish dialogue regarding what the High Wills are saying in reference to the procession. That may shed some light on whether they created the Miracle or vice versa. Anyone able/willing to dive in and directly translate it? Edit: I looked up a Spanish video and ran the dialogue through Google translate, and it's 100% the same as the English. The Path Of The Ancient Processions is "The Kingdom" woven by the Miracle from the threads of dreams, but also has existed without beginning or end.
I can't wait for the birth of Blasphemous 40k. Because the universe of Cvstodia seems to be barreling towards the grimdarknes of the far future, where there is only war.
It is worth noting that Laudes, who loved the Father so, had four clones of gold created of her while came from her. The Father himself had four incredibly devoted followers reborn as identical visages of Gold. Could these two events be like mirrors, perhaps? If not identical?
I just bought the sequel on Steam and haven't played it yet (because I need one more ER ending for platinum). I love Blasphemous because it's just so relentlessly dark. It makes most of the state religion in Warhammer 40k look sane by comparison, including the Adepta Sororitas coming across as just mildly intense _Sohei._
Comparing ER and blasphemous, I've played both games and blasphemous is the only game that got me tweaking with its fucked up controls (i didint know u could customize it)
I think I agree that the Miracle came before the High Wills. Especially if with your thought that the Wills were a manifestation of people’s faith. Much like in real life, people twist their faith and misinterpret the original message to meet their needs. This seems to be the case here. Just like our faith in this life can have its message twisted by misinformed people, the true meaning still reigns supreme
Every writer these days is so focused on the same old trope of "God(s) being actually the bad guy(s)" that the Great Grace just being a straight up benevolent divinity could be considered a unique subversion. To make it fit within the setting, it could be something like the manifestation of the positive aspects of faith - something else that's often completely disregarded these days.
Just wanted to ask if there is any blasphemous 2 spoilers in this I’ve played the first and I’m only a couple hours into the second but I really wanna watch so someone please let me know, thanks
So, my only question is, if the Miracle was absent from the world after the true ending of the first game, and we assume that nearly a century or more passed between them - then how did Crisanta survive until this point? How did her blade managed to exist for this long as well? Her invincibility, powers and weapon appear to be products of the Miracle too.
Thank you everyone fo checking out my Blasphemous Lore Video
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As an art history grad I cannot stress enough how utterly cool these games’ art style is, the amount of little references to Christian, Hindu and Muslim art just make me grin from ear to ear with how beautiful and grand this repurposing is.
Genuinely - each scene is a painting
Neat. Cheers
My brother is a student of both Spanish and Moorish history and every time he sees a clip or still from the game he has to stop and start explaining the symbolism to me.
Yep, just a "little" referencing lol
I have a related question (hopefully) do you know if the sharing of art styles is similar between Hindu and Buddhism?
I remember learning that Buddhism branched from Hindu historically so I would imagine there'd be shared similarities. But more so if there's like particular styles shared between groups (architecture maybe is more related to the time than the religious group?)
I dunno it was just interesting to think about art history related to spiritual history 🤷♂️ hopefully that makes some sense.
Theres something really funny about hearing "buy a waifu cup!" right before an hour long video about the most Catholic game I've ever played
The cup helps maintain purity
Good to have on hand if you need a spare cup for communion.
@@samueltitone5683 now just to clarify that involves drinking wine from it
@@ThommyofThennno, it’s clearly the blood of a god.
Isn't this an anti-catholic (or more accurately, anti-religion) game?
The Dream is ancient, and owes its creation to the countless minds of humanity. The miracle used our minds as a catalyst to generate this higher plane, where the collective wills of competing faith are made manifest in the form of godlike beings. The high wills were simply the most recent of these to tip the scale in their favor. The gods of the dream depend on faith to be born into existence, but once they amass enough power the relationship tips in the other direction. The faith shown in the game is all encompassing, it literally impacts every facet of the mortal world. The high wills become so powerful through the original faith that they gained the power to manipulate the miracle itself. And in doing so, manipulate the very fold that birthed them. A god of supreme power, ruling through the chains of the faith that had once birthed it.
20:05
You're absolutely right
The thorn grew and grew until it completely covered and took over his arm
The fact that the wooden part of the Penitent One spirals out from the hand that held the sword, and not his gut and all over like the sacrifice ending had it, would also further seem to suggest that the thorn arm is borne of his previous accomplishment.
37:00
This is actually the high wills being jealous
They feed on devotion. And someone being devoted to someone other than them infuriates them
The High Wills are petty and pathetic
The Miracle seems to need guidance from the high wills for fulfilling wishes
Because the word used is "bereft"
The Miracle shall be left bereft upon the death of the High Wills, which means 'orphaned'
It makes sense, because to the Miracle, the High Wills were it's guidance
I think it's entirely possible the saintly figures in the tapestry, having escaped the grip of the Miracle and having ascended, are conspiring as a group to undo the work of the Miracle.
Yeh like a collective 'rebellion'
@SmoughTown right, with the father acting as the leader, with the largest influence and longest known suffering under the Miracle. The killing of the Higb Wills being the act that set him free.
9:43 think your assessment is spot on due to the way this architecture looks. It appears to be based on the Mezquita de Córdoba, a Catholic 'cathedral' in the south of Spain that was actually once a mosque built by the moors.
This may hint at there being a prior religion surrounding the twisted one that was built upon and replaced by the Miracle faith, just as the real world religion had Catholicism replacing Islam.
What a great video! You clearly understand a lot about the lore, though I have a few points I'd like to mention.
1. The Witness was actually not the child born of the couple who prayed to the Miracle in B2, he was the midwife. You can see in the image that a midwife is going to deliver the child, and the next one shows that same man as the witness, with blood on his hands.
2. Recently, Andrey, the lead pixel animator for B1 revealed that he was instructed by Enrique, the lead writer, NOT to have the Twisted One touch TPO's shoulder. I don't know what this might imply, and it could have something to do with your theory, but it's worth noting.
3. The achievement you get from beating the faceless one in B2 is called "1000 years later" so it's implied to be a thousand years since B1, which is plenty of time for mother of mothers to sink under the earth.
4. Something to note about the meaning of Eventide, is that the current age of the Miracle is very often represented as the "endless dusk", a state of stasis in the perpetual state of dusk. I believe you talked about this in your stir of dawn video. So for "eventide" to essentially be the end of the endless dusk is a really cool implication of the current age coming to an end.
5. It's worth noting that one of the devs, Maikel, outright confirmed to us that the High Wills are "not above the Miracle, it doesn't work like that".
6. The golden tears the HW shed are often considered evidence to their nature as false holiness, as there's a line "does not the vast pale light of the horizon hurt your eyes?" (I don't remember the exact quote) And it seems implied that their crying gold is from the light hurting their eyes. There's a theory I quite like that suggests that that light is from the canvas of light and time, and it hurts their eyes as they're not welcome there, whereas TPO is fine.
7. I'm personally not a big fan of the idea that the Miracle "retreated." I think you have the right idea, but personally the HW dialogue suggests to me that the Miracle was simply left without power. My theory of the Miracle is that it is not just a higher power that manifests what's within the soul, but that the Miracle as a will *is* the manifestation. Thus, it manifested the High Wills out of people's faith (as you conclude in this video), and then the HW "controlling" it was it essentially using the Miracles power to manifest the people's prayers. This when the HW die, it's the things the High Wills have done through the Miracle that die. The HW dying leaves the Miracle as it once was, a will that exists solely to manifest the people's devotion and whatnot. This is further evidenced by the fact that it created the ancient processions "from the threads of dreams" (ie. The faith of the people who believed in an afterlife) which happened before the HW.
8. A member of the discord who's very active in the lore community has been working on a theory about the Canvas of Light and Time. Essentially, there is a line of dialogue where Anunciada mentions "the High Dramatist". He suspects the High Dramatist to be the one behind the Canvas and the one orchestrating TPO's actions in B2. He explains what he believes the Great Grace to be as well as listing plenty of evidence towards this figures existence and even foreshadowing from the first game. I would highly recommend you read his document, which you can find in the lore channel of the official discord (just search in:lore has:link and it's a google doc titled "some musings on the true ending of Blasphemous II" or something akin to that.
I'll also say I've written a doc on the nature of the HW and The Miracle. I sent it to the Lore Hunter and he and I were on the same page about it. It's similar to what you discuss about the HW being a manifestation of faith. I have yet to update it to include evidence and whatnot from the sequel, so it is slightly outdated (I claim it is not a sentient will, which is obviously wrong), but for the most part it's still what I believe to be the case. It's also in the lore channel in the disc, titled "The Miracle"
Overall this was an excellent analysis of the WoE DLC and I love your idea of the Twisted One being a greater part in orchestrating the events, perhaps in tandem with this High Dramatist figure. Thanks for putting this together!
Hey bud! Thanks for the thoughtful comment and really pleased you enjoyed the video.
Re point 1) yeah you are absolutely right and someone else pointed it out. For some reason my mind ‘ignored’ the midwife in the second part of the testimony and obviously it makes more sense that they are the witness.
Re this great Dramatist - can absolutely buy that and essentially lines up with what I believe about the canvas ‘group’ that there is clearly a ‘force’ behind this and I imagine we will learn more in a dlc.
Agree with all your other points and will defo need to hunt down some of those developer comments as they seem very interesting 🤔
Thanks for the insightful comments - lot to think about there for the next video where I’ll focus on B2 more!
@@SmoughTown I look forward to seeing your further analysis of B2, take care!
God damn this is the best UA-cam comment I’ve ever read!
I just wanted to throw my 2 cents about your second point - for me, it always looked as if the Twisted One was simply caressing TPO's cheek (or, well, that of his helmet). It's one final act of kindness and gratitude from the Twisted One, now free from the shackles of the Miracle.
(Other than that, excellent comment!)
@@SirLamington I like that, while he is meant not to touch tpo, it's anice piece offinal comradery
This is my analysis of A)How the Miracle came back, and B) The Ending.
The game takes place a long time after the first game (the new holy figure, the Witness, even says "aeons"), and the Miracle has been considered extinct due to not showing up in so long. However, one married couple was having trouble conceiving a child, almost tearing themselves apart, and in utter desperation entrusted themselves to the Miracle to grant them a child. This wish was considered so humble and true that is woke up the Miracle, and granted the wish of the couple whose faith in it hadn't wavered in so long.
However, things didn't go as planned even for the Miracle. It had been out of action for so long that, when it tried to make the child, known as the Witness (the one who said it had been aeons), into a new icon of worship like the Twisted One, the Miracle did an "erring", made a mistake due to its depleted might and the Witness came out both fully-grown and deformed, killing the mother in the process. Failing to incarnate into an icon and only manifesting as disease, it accidentally unleashed an "contagion" of disease, deformity, and pain, that spread through the land that afflicting many innocents lives.
Alternatively, as proposed by goldenyak629 in another video, the Witness is instead the Midwife that was to deliver the child, and the "child" was the disease that failed to be an icon. Which makes sense due to the similar appearance of the Witness and the midwife in the flashback, as well as the Witness' line about how the Miracle "did fail in its efforts to incarnate, manifesting only in the form of disease, deformity, and pain".
Yet the gaze and vision of one innocent, looking for any hope in the face of this desolation and relying purely on faith, allowed the Miracle to gain one last chance and was able to shape the wish into a giant heart-womb in the sky, where the birth of the new Child of the Miracle shall soon take place. The Heart is out of reach, watching over the City of the Blessed Name which has been raised by the Regret of three stone figures, represented by the Family: the eminent Father, the merciful Mother, and the counter-figure of the Witness.
For the city to be reached, the Regrets of the three stone figures must be revealed so that they may be humiliated and humbled. The Regrets are hidden by three Guardians, who are in turn protected by the Archconfraternity; five Penitents of different Confraternities that the Miracle took as its sentinels. For the Heart must not be reached before the Child is born.
And soon... the Penitent One awakens from his tomb.
As for the ending: Before he fights the Incarnate Devotion, the Penitent One can chose to anoint himself with the Incense of the Envoys, ashes of 4 wooden statues that he can burn. This is hinted by the description outside the door to do this that reads "The Father said _"The Four Envoys wrapped my body in soft linen cloths."_"
According to the Incense description, this marks the body of one who performs the Ultimate Sacrifice thus returning to the heavens, and that the Great Grace will bestow upon them the ultimate forgiveness, the last step in the Way of Penitence.
You see, the Incarnate Devotion, as soon as it's born, is trying to contact the High Wills, as it knows that they are its creators. Yet it doesn't understand why it was created, and the High Wills don't answer it because, well, they're dead, leaving an "obscure darkness of unanswered cries that prevents me from understanding the purpose of my birth." It then believes that the Penitent One was sent by the High Wills to judge the Incarnate Devotion, and the fight to serve as "proof of thy dignity of your glory": essentially, its believes that the fight is to prove that the Incarnate is worthy of the High Wills' glory, to be worthy of being their "magnum opus".
Without the Incense, the Incarnate decides that the pain the Penitent One deals to him is meant to be a baptism, one that will unite it and the Penitent One together and make that communion flesh, becoming a new symbol of Devotion that brings a second age of the Miracle; the Second Psalm, successfully succeeding the long-dead High Wills.
But with the Incense, this makes the Incarnate start believing that the High Wills are rejecting it, that they are hurting it in responds to questions of its purpose, that they are trying to kill it despite being of the High Wills' flesh and holding their heart. The Incarnate reconciles with the mystery of it birth, accepting that it will go unanswered, and states the Incarnate's punishment and death will be the High Wills' legacy.
This, presumably, is because the Incense of the Envoys marks one as not just making the ultimate sacrifice, but one who will be bestowed the ultimate forgiveness. The High Wills and the Miracle seek devotion through punishment, through penitence. Being given the ultimate forgiveness by the "Great Grace" means the Penitent One... is no longer the Penitent One.
Being blessed by the Great Grace maybe made the Incarnate think that the Penitent One was a representative of the High Wills. Furthermore, the Incarnate cannot be united in communion with a baptism of pain with the Penitent One because, again, the Incense absolves him; they are no longer being punished, no longer in pain. That common element cannot unite the Incarnate and the Penitent One; it is instead a pure being blessed by the "Great Grace" punishing another for seemingly not being worthy, so it just dies without being reborn.
And with the (unwanted)suffering and death of the Incarnate Icon, the High Wills/Miracle's plans fail and the Penitent One is taken by the spirits of the Four Envoys to the highest of heavens, beyond many dreamed kingdoms such as the High Wills/Miracle's Path of Ancient/Eternal Processions*, where all the other notable(and good) characters from both games are. Safely watched over for the rest of eternity by these spirits, the Penitent One will be enshrined as a holy figure in the canvas of light and time, his Penance... finally complete.
*Path of Ancient/Eternal Processions, created by the devotion of the people of Cvstodia's belief in the Miracle and thus themselves, which the High Wills would would use to become eternal and "higher-reaching than the sky itself" that is even more ancient than the High Wills themselves. As the High Wills said in the Wounds of Evertide, the Path of Ancient/Eternal Processions, the Kingdom on the other side of the Dream, is more ancient than them. A brotherhood of grieving souls, on a path without beginning nor end, held captive by their own condemnation and benediction.
They also say that is was created by the Miracle, but frankly the line between the Miracle and the High Wills is blurred as is.
For what we can tell, humanity unconsciously created the Kingdoms beyond the Dream, and eventually created the Miracle, which at some point created of the High Wills that began to control it more directly.
As far as the relationship between the High Wills and the Miracle goes, I got the impression, after The Wounds Of Eventide, that the High Wills formed from the Miracle. They are an aspect of the Miracle that has become self-aware; they are OF it. Kinda like the Chaos gods in Warhammer.
The Warp = Miracle
Chaos Gods = High Wills
Yeh this is where I am leaning towards - going via their dialogue and the Gold from their eyes, gold usually being a tell tale sign of the miracle.
Great analogy for understanding tbh
It is my belief that they confirm this by saying they are "flesh that was once word"
Something that struck me during the video shortly after you suggested that The Father might be a "guiding hand" to the rebellion against the High Wills, the shape of the handle of the Mea Culpa. I am a bit of a dumb dumb when it comes to these lore video, they fascinate me a great deal but I can't wrap my head around all the intertwined subtleties so I might be wrong. But the fact that the Penitent One is basically wielding a symbol of The Father, to me, adds creedence to the theory that The Father is somewhat instrumental to the rebellion up to its success.
I don't know what kind of power The Father inherited from being granted his wish of pain, but it doesn't seem impossible to me that he was the one who created Mea Culpa as we know it and people could've mistaking it as an act of The Miracle. There already was propaganda at play as far as I understand it. The Father, seeing how someone would push themselves to death by virtue of worship might have snapped something in him and that might be when he decided, the High Wills needed to be overthrown. But yea, this is coming from a lore noob so I might be way off.
Most importantly, great video man, thanks and cheers!
Great comment bud - yeh I am obv heavily speculating and may be completely wrong but SO much of the Penitent one's background is tied to the father. And that image of the father 'thanking' the penitent one at the end of the Wounds of the Eventide has always stayed with me.
But glad you see value you in it haha - and really pleased you enjoyed the video. Means the world!
It's implied by the High Wills that the faith and devotion of people is what gives them power, so it's very plausible that all the people worshipping the Tiwsted One directly gave him some sort of power.
I like to listen to lore videos like yours to fall asleep to, and I was already drifting off when you first mentioned the Witness. My brain processed it as "the Wetness" and now I'm giggling whenever he comes up.
hahhaa
Your videos on B1 are what caused me to check out the game for myself. Turns out, it's one of my favorite games of all time. Thanks for doing these videos!
That's so awesome to hear! My pleasure, been a joy returning to Custodia
The one thing that stick with me about Blasphemous lore is what the hell do these people think they DID? What necessitates endless centuries of punishment? I know it's just a pastiche of Catholic original sin, but in-universe I'd love to hear what the hell these people think humans have done to necessitate such a suffering-obsessed culture.
My ledger is dripping with red.
I don't really understand whether the Miracle is good, bad, or just reflects the hearts of the people. I like the third option, I like to think that the Miracle itself is neutral, but it answers to the goodness or corruption of its worshippers. Since the inhabitants of Cvstodia are quite twisted, very monstrous results are to expected.
That's basically my view - it is capricious, chaotic, reactive.
Yes it is very much neutral
The Miracle was twisted by the desires of Cvstodians and the High Wills
It just wishes to fulfill the desires of people
The miracle reflects how incompetent this team is at writing a sequel.
It is a nonsensical omnipotent being that changes the entire plot and events with no explanation, motivation, or reason. It is the epitome of bad writing and it makes everything boring. It's mystery was ruined when we Killed the high wills. It cannot have the same effect anymore, we need real motivations and a glimpse of consistency in the narrative. But they are more focused on making a game and it is understandable.
@@maskingtablesSure buddy
I don't think the Miracle is intelligent. I think it's a force of nature, and therefore outside the realm of good vs evil, the same way you wouldn't call the ocean "evil" because someone drowned in it.
The High Wills, on the other hand, are definitely intelligent, and are strong enough to use the Miracle to further their goals. And they are Evil.
46:50
You must be right
Because when High Wills blow up, they explode into fervour
And I'm so happy how accurate and good your video is
I actually found out more info about the penitent one's and his penance
And you are right
Miracle made the High Wills for guidance
You see, the terms "High Wills" is used by Deogracias and Disodado
This is weird
Why would they know about this?
It's because the High Wills were an actual being worshipped by Cvstodians
The Miracle can't act completely by itself and needs guidance
At that time, it's guidance was the people
They helped it form the High Wills, the god people of Cvtosida worshipped to
This is why it has to physically manifest in blasphemous 2
It's because people don't believe in a High Wills anymore, or a being of similar god nature
When a child asked for a symbol of hope in dark times, this forms the heart and Incarnate Devotion
The child asked for hope, Miracle gave it to him
Incarnate Devotion
The reason it's confused because it's quite literally the Miracle in a physical body
That's why it says "High Will, incorporeal and Inscrutable fathers"
They fathered it, guided it
That's why it's confused in blasphemous 2
There's no guidance
That's why it wants to create another High Wills like being, a son of the Miracle
The first attempt was a failure causing a plague turning people into the Punished, the enemies of blasphemous 1 and many completely different, but of same nature
Faith in heart, anger in gut to punish anyone who avoided such a holy fate
I've really appreciated all your thoughtful comments mate - thank you for watching and glad you enjoyed.
I do 100% agree - we need to take the word of the High Wills themselves above all else - meaning they were created by the Miracle. Yeh it makes sense that the High Wills were themselves worshipped by Custodians, which explains why other characters discuss them even before the DLC came out.
I'm looking forward to covering incarnate devotion in the next video; re it's confusion and role - hope you'll join me for that as well
@@SmoughTowni surely will
This was an excellent video, i expect nothing else from the nex
Looking forward
Thank you for this i want to add some things to expand the lore and speculate
-The twisted one was indeed the one who made made Perpetva aware of the plans of the miracle, when we visit the church of the first kneeling there is a prayer outside, Tirana of the Celestial Bastion whose lyrics are:
"I do not fear punishment
for wanting to know
what is forbidden,
for asking
more than I should,
for wanting to look
beyond the olive groves.
I do not fear punishment.
For everything hails from the Divine."
The fact that the prayer itself is made with lighting, the elemental power the members of the Anointed legion control and how it forms the shape of the symbol of the twisted one makes me believe Perpetva dedicated this prayer to the revelations she witnessed thanks to the Twisted one.
-also, Anunciada has some similarities with Viridiana, both came from an unknown place that seems to be out of reach for the Miracle to help us, but they dont look like they are helping the Miracle, even in the description of Viridiana's altarpiece she seems to be aware of how the Penitent one will be there in the future, seeing beyond any of the bad and good ending in the first game
-The people hanging frrom above in Eviterno's room are called "Sleeping martyrs, i belive they are failed attempts of the Miracle to create a new son, and it wasnt until the faith of the starving child mentioned in the lore of the Envoy's altarpiece figures when he could successfully create a new icon
It's possible that Perpetua learned of the High Wills after her death. When characters in Blasphemous die they seem to "pass" onto the dream, where the High Wills reside. Perpetua's Protection item description says that ever since she died, Esdras could hear her voice. She tells the Penitent One that the Perpetua he fought "possessed my face and armour, but not my voice." Which could explain how Esdras knew of the Last Golden Visage.
Yeh defo - most likely the real possibility.
It's also possible that she ascended straight to the Canvas of Light and Time. I don't completely believe this myself as there's nothing to suggest her sanctity before WoE, but it's a possibility
Awesome video on the grand and purposely confusing lore of the Blasphemous world. Can you cover more on what "The Dream" means and what does it mean to be on one side of the dream and move on to the other side of the dream?
As far as my headcanon goes, the devs seem to borrow the idea of "The Dream" from Hinduism according to which the entire reality including our universe in the infinite multiverse is just a dream of a cosmic supreme God. To make each universe function, he created the Hindu Holy Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh and gave them the 3 distinct and important roles. The continuous cycle of birth and rebirth of a soul is mentioned as being on one side of the dream where a soul is supposed to free itself from any Karma (Guilt in Blasphemous?), and there are 4 paths to do so (Knowledge Path, Action Path, Meditation Path, and Dedication/Bhakti Path) (Wounds in Blasphemous perhaps?). Once a soul has freed itself from all Karma, it attains Nirvana or Moksha, is fused with the supreme God, and can go on the other side of the dream free from the world of illusion.
Could Blasphemy be based on a weird catholic interpretation of Hindu beliefs (As the Hindu Holy Trinity are actually the servants and devotees of the Supreme God, and actually trying to help souls to attain Moksha and move to the other side of the dream)?
The Twisted One gets compared to Jesus a lot, and it makes sense given his iconography, but I feel like his role is more similar to Adam and/or Eve as "The Father" and the one who brought the suffering of the miracle into the world. I think that The Penitent One is more akin to Jesus with his role as the one chosen by the miracle to take the suffering of others onto himself as some kind of redeemer. This may not be important but it has influenced my views on the lore some.
Man, at some point I'm getting worried about you overworking yourself. I absolutely love your content, but being burned out ain't no joke!
Take care dude, and banger content as always
Thanks my friend - defo a break on the horizon for March. Really appreciate the concern
@@SmoughTown I mean, if anything else, the grind you've been doing is insanely great/inspiring, considering that for many, you're pretty much on the level (or above) of Vaati in term of lore-centric channel
Glad you're going to take a break though, cuz a good work ethic also means to learn to stop working when it's time to stop working (to the difference of overworking yourself for too long, where this cycle can only go so long before becoming hollow)
Amazing video!! Blasphemous lore really is so cool and interesting
Blasphemous 1 and 2 are so good and the art style is just amazing some of the best I've ever seen
i hope more people get to experience these games, they are severely underrated and deserve much more attention, the art, gameplay, music, vibes and narrative are simply amazing.
Great video as always!
Couldn't agree more mate! Thanks bud, glad you enjoyed it
I loved your old Blasphemous vids, excited to get into this one!
Cheers Aiden! Enjoy buddy
Smough Hope you read this. I'd recomend you to maybe talk more about Cristianity and investigate also the culture behind "Semana Santa" which heavily inspires this game. A lot of the scenery is based after a lot of churches, basilicas and Cathedrals in the souther region of Spain know as Andalucía
Great stuff bud
Great to have your support always buddy
Smough, I've never heard of this game before in my life. But your work is always of the highest quality, so I know we're in for a treat. Thanks for bringing a new story to me!
Thanks bud, really appreciate that
20:30 Carved into the knoooooooobuh…..epic line.
I've been waiting for a video like this about blasphemous, amazing video!
Awesome! So pleased you enjoyed
i just finished the first game and can we take a moment to recognize how good the voice acting is
Had to wake up and have lotsa caffeine so that I'm on the level of appreciating this. It's neat how colourful and pretty these games are. Also it makes sense we like stories where huge stretches of time/ space seperate installments ;)...
Always happy when you upload 🫶
Thanks bud, appreciate you being here.
i just got home from work, very excited to relax and see this thanks!
Awesome! Enjoy it my friend
Good stuff man We are largely on the same page. Look forward to some more Blasphemous content in the future!
Thanks Bro! Cheers for checking it out
You really enhanced the story and lore of this game's universe for me. Well researched and thought out! ❤
Thanks so much my friend - genuinely so pleased to hear that
❤
Thank you so much for this video! I love these two games, but it always annoyed me that I knew so little about the lore. Your videos shed light on many things.
SmoughTown, never forget that doing lore videos of Blasphemous is your penance and penance never ends :)
SMOUGHTOWN
BEST
IN
THE
GAME
I don't comment on your vids often, but ever since the algorithm suggested your ER vids, I have sat through most of your lore vids, ER or otherwise, and appreciate the thoroughness of your work. Got so used to your vids being around an hour long minimum that looking at your less than ten minute vids felt weird to me. 😅
Anyways, thanks for taking a deep dive into Blasphemous. Always looking forward to whatever game you cover.
I only just started B2, but one of the opening cutscenes supports your theory about The Penitent One's hand. There are clearly visible thorns along it in the cutscene.
Great vid! Your explanation and speculations are well thought out and has me hyped for possible DLC!!
Thanks so much my friend! Been great to return to custodia
Never played the game, but as always, the lore and dissections are so interesting. Great backdrop for drawing! Thanks man!
Thanks bud! Appreciate you checking it out without having played!
Lore Uncle Smough back at it again with some good lore!
So fun fact, when the first miracle the guy was looking for punishment, while he was praying for the high wills to punish him the miracle stepped in. The miracle is much more older than the high willa, and is not a creation of them. It does however need help and needs its heralds so people can keep worshiping. Your Resurrection was because the miracle wanted you as a Harold or to stop the current high will
I remember finding your channel through Blasphemous lore.
Finally back! Thanks for the long support, means the world
Very minor nitpick here, but when it comes to the various depictions of gold section late on you included Jibrael and I'm quite certain he states clearly in his dialogue that the horn that enwreathes his arms specifically is supposed to be bronze and not gold as I quote from him "Would you like to make the Bronze sing?"
These are always a treat! I think something finally clicked for me, or at least, I have words to explain it now. The Grievous Miracle is almost like a power that requires a wielder. In the case of Blasphemous, the GM created the High Wills in order for them to ‘direct’ or ‘use’ it. Then in Blasphemous 2, it’s creating a new deity in the hopes of perpetuating its influence.
Anyone who knows more than me, feel free to correct me. The lore behind these games is fascinating!
Also, I’m glad you noticed the parallel between the original ‘good’ ending of Blasphemous 1 and the bad ending of Blasphemous 2. I was thinking the same exact thing!
Awesome video man, keep creating 🙏
Cheers dude will do
the tree in the mother of mothers is called the Knot of the Three Words, though. love your videos!
Hey thank you so much!
Its always interesting that if the High Wills brcame a benevolent god that saved, protected and blessed its followers while dealing punishments fairly, then it would have achieved its desire of being a god that people revered and prayed to. They would have been eternal with their worshippers increasing in number.
But this isn't a story about that, its the story of human cruelty and to endure and remove our guilt through physical torment. Th people of Cistodia did not desire a benevolent god but a god that gained its followers through fear and pain.
Smoughtown's covering Blasphemous???!!!!! Let's Goooooooooo!!!!!
Return of the king
The child still isn't the winged character the child was invisible the winged character is the wetnurse
hmm rewatching the cinematic, I think you are right! Great observation
@@SmoughTownyup
We all assumed the child was the Witness
However it was the one helping the child out, because it attempted to make the child born a Son of the Miracle
It failed miserably and started a plague transforming everyone
@SmoughTown it's an easy misconception but their name literally is the witness a child doesn't witness its own birth
7:05
It's interesting because it isn't actually the first Miracle
The Miracle has been around of centuries, and has different ages as the comic tells us
It must be the first Miracle of the current age marked by "a new face, a new age". This new face being the Father, the twisted one
I agree i do believe the miracle manifested in the past without guidence. The twisted one comes about due to him praying to the high wills, at which time yhey begin commanding the miracle. Which is why Penitent one chosen by the miracle to free it from the subjugation its under from the High Wills it wishes to be free again, as it dies not seem to want to hurt mankind intentionally
@@sykuneactually no
The Miracle is well content with High Wills, because without them it's helpless
The idea was to make penitent one a new son of the Miracle by killing Escribar and continuing the cycle of torment
They didn't expect us to reach them and kill them
It's because in blasphemous 2 Miracle is utterly confused and helpless without High Wills
Rather it's worse for Miracle in 2, since people didn't pray to a High Wills type of being, it couldn't create one
It had to physically manifest itself for the first time seemingly
I believe everyone is misunderstanding blasphemous 2s story. The witness is no the winged child of the mother and father. The witness was the one helping in the birthing process. He WITNESSED the birth of the miracles child. Once the mother birthed incarnate devotion the miracles hung this miracle child in the sky inside a heart. The games doesn’t give all the details and it can be confusing to connect the dots. Nevertheless I believe this to be true
the best bosses of this franchise are in the dlcs, likewise the lore to make sense of everything happening, i just hope the dlc bosses for the sequel are more challenging than the main game
The Miracle seems to just be a wandering natural force. It isn't a sentient thing, just a magical thunderstorm manifesting the abject faith of those it encounters. The High Wills probably figured that out, and devised a way to direct it's nature by manipulation of the masses.
I would encourage you to look into Gnosticism, since I think it gives some insights into the lore, specifically the nature of the 'Great Grace', which I suspect is the true God of Blasphemous's world, whereas the Miracle is something akin to the Demiurge and the High Wills, perhaps, Archons. The Gospel of Judas seems to me particularly relevant to the Traitor Visage's story. From this perspective, it would seem that the Father is akin to the Gnostic view of Jesus, being popularly associated with the false god Demiurge while in actuality being aligned with the true God seeking to free humanity from the Demiurge's twisted grasp.
34:35 I’m fairly sure the father caressed the penitent ones cheek not pat his shoulder. I feel that is common in religions or something.
You've done an absolutely phenomenal job diving into the deep lore of this awesome video game! I do not see the links to the videos you mentioned in this video 🤔
Oh HELL yes, this is the stuff right here.
Enjoy!
16:16
I hate that you have to censor the Penitent One here. Sure, I get it, it depicts self harm, and that’s typically a big no-no, but it also removes a lot of the impact that scene is supposed to have.
I’m not blaming you, I’m blaming UA-cam. What’s next, we have to blur out the ending of “Romeo and Juliet,” just because they kill themselves? It’s a *story,* that’s how it was written and ment to be seen and experienced!
Sorry, unnecessary censorship like this just makes me frustrated at the lengths content creators have to go to appease Algorithmus and the UA-cam Overlords
Yeh apologies mate - we just had to re-edit it all
@@SmoughTown You have nothing to apologize for! Like I said, I don’t blame you!
Yooooo I'm hype! Love this game and need more lore info!
Let's Go!!! Hope you enjoy?
@@SmoughTown yea helped me understand what really happend
Love your channel, well done mate. Found you through Vaati and couldn't subscribe quick enough
I finally bought Blasphemous on steam. I am having a blast playing it. I've bought BG3, lies of P, and played Starfield on Xbox game pass. I've quit them all after about 15 hours or less. Blasphemous, I can't seem to find enough time to play, though, lol. The art, even though it's like GameCube/ps1 graphics, is super haunting.
Interesting how the traitor's visage looks just like the penitent one. Those roots twisting down on its face make it look like the helm of the penitent one
All I ever wanted! Massive thank you! Did you enjoy playing the game?
My pleasure! Thank you so much for checking it out! I absolutely loved it, both are two of my fave games
Oye hold on peasant I gotta find your first blasphemous lore video so I don't spoil it for myself
Thank you for all. 🎉😮
My pleasure - thank you so much for watching
I love these videos so much,so thank you and I hope to see more about Blasphemous in the future. One thing about the timeline of the two games that confuses me is exactly when did The Miracle appoint Eviterno as the first penitent? When in the timeline does Crisanta lose to Eviterno? I really look forward to a DLC for the sequel to expand more on the events of the second game or fill in the gap of time between the first two games or even take the players to a time before the events of Blasphemous 1 to see how the Miracle expanded across Custodia. I need answers!!
Thank you very much bro for this video. ❤
My pleasure - thank you so much for watching
there's a LOT of "the" being thrown in where it doesn't exist here, even when you're looking right at the phrase it's absent from.
If there ever is a blasphemous 2 DLC the penitent one will either end up fighting a completely new God in a different time or will end up killing the miracle itself namely killing a metaphysical concept.
Great vid bro.😺
Cheers as always bud
sorrowful be the heart
Smoughtown, I would love a comparison video between the themes and imagery and influence of Blasphemous vs Elden Ring. I can’t help but think Blasphemous influenced everything from thorn and blood sorcery, to the grace of gold and the tarnished, the trinity, the greater will and the crucifixion upon a tree. So much shared DNA and influence.
on the theory that the custodia of sin is the reason for the wooden arm, I like to think that is the Twisted One's influence, as he's also in a wooden form
Watching this after witnessing that baller, kickass, wild ending cutscene and I DEEPLY wish to understand what tf was even happening. Teach me, master
A other good vidoe dude keep you rock
Thanks as always Wesley!
How strange is it that, not only a few minutes ago, I was wondering if you had an entry on this topic. Mysterious are the workings of the miracle.
I caught up and now can continue
It's interesting how the miracle is more a broad state of existence, a tool that can be altered to bring about different ages, like the flame in Dark Souls or the Elden Ring.
The miracle can be compared to chaos. Chaos has always been there, but it later on gets harnessed, altered & controlled.
I'm very curious about the original Spanish dialogue regarding what the High Wills are saying in reference to the procession. That may shed some light on whether they created the Miracle or vice versa. Anyone able/willing to dive in and directly translate it?
Edit: I looked up a Spanish video and ran the dialogue through Google translate, and it's 100% the same as the English. The Path Of The Ancient Processions is "The Kingdom" woven by the Miracle from the threads of dreams, but also has existed without beginning or end.
Very interesting - cheers for confirming that
I can't wait for the birth of Blasphemous 40k. Because the universe of Cvstodia seems to be barreling towards the grimdarknes of the far future, where there is only war.
Oh you'll take the High Wills, I'll take the Low Wills, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye~
hhahaha LMAO
It is worth noting that Laudes, who loved the Father so, had four clones of gold created of her while came from her.
The Father himself had four incredibly devoted followers reborn as identical visages of Gold. Could these two events be like mirrors, perhaps? If not identical?
I just bought the sequel on Steam and haven't played it yet (because I need one more ER ending for platinum).
I love Blasphemous because it's just so relentlessly dark. It makes most of the state religion in Warhammer 40k look sane by comparison, including the Adepta Sororitas coming across as just mildly intense _Sohei._
Comparing ER and blasphemous, I've played both games and blasphemous is the only game that got me tweaking with its fucked up controls (i didint know u could customize it)
I think I agree that the Miracle came before the High Wills. Especially if with your thought that the Wills were a manifestation of people’s faith. Much like in real life, people twist their faith and misinterpret the original message to meet their needs. This seems to be the case here. Just like our faith in this life can have its message twisted by misinformed people, the true meaning still reigns supreme
Its impied to be 1000 years between the two games
Every writer these days is so focused on the same old trope of "God(s) being actually the bad guy(s)" that the Great Grace just being a straight up benevolent divinity could be considered a unique subversion.
To make it fit within the setting, it could be something like the manifestation of the positive aspects of faith - something else that's often completely disregarded these days.
Please do more Blasphemous lore videos 🙏🙏
2:33 is that Shulk's voice actor?
Love it, just discovered these games
So good eh?
lets just say I'm giving penitence @@SmoughTown
Very interesting.
Just wanted to ask if there is any blasphemous 2 spoilers in this I’ve played the first and I’m only a couple hours into the second but I really wanna watch so someone please let me know, thanks
There are some - so would advise you not to watch rn
Okay thanks for the heads up love the work you do keep it up
cheers bud! Hope you enjoy the second game@@michaelfidler6223
@@SmoughTownIm back #2 is a fire game
Escobar killing all the Silent brothers but the one of prophecy surviving also seems to be a big reference to the birth of jesus
I misread this as "High Willis" and my first thought was "On what?"
So, my only question is, if the Miracle was absent from the world after the true ending of the first game, and we assume that nearly a century or more passed between them - then how did Crisanta survive until this point? How did her blade managed to exist for this long as well? Her invincibility, powers and weapon appear to be products of the Miracle too.
Saw this drop and immediately stopped listening to my favorite tunes, I must know what the true last son of the miracle has to say.
Thanks buddy! Hope you enjoy it