Blasphemous

The pixel art in Blasphemous is a pretty good distraction from a treadmill, but the bosses may get you staring at the screen instead of watching your pace. I’d save it for an easy workout, not the day you’re trying to hit a number.

Gameplay

The combat gives you enough to do that I think the minutes would move along, and the attacks have a weight to them that makes swinging a sword at another horrible creature feel like a decision instead of just pressing the same button until the room is empty. You explore Cvstodia, improve your abilities, and cut through enemies on the way to breaking the curse, but what I like most is that the game doesn’t keep stopping to explain itself. It lets the world be strange and a little unpleasant, which is a lot more interesting than a long speech about why the next monster has a face like that.

The setting is full of twisted religious imagery, and it gives even the ordinary stretches of travel a feeling that something has gone wrong here. The art is detailed enough that I’d want to look at it, though the same grim tone sticks around for a long time. I don’t know how much of the story I’d follow on a treadmill, since a lot of its appeal is in piecing things together, but I don’t think you need to understand every scrap of lore to enjoy moving through the place.

Bosses are where the game asks for your attention back. You need to watch their patterns, time your attacks, and accept that charging in because your legs are moving does not make you better at sword fighting. That’s a good change of pace at a desk, and a less convenient one when you’re jogging and your controller hand is bouncing around. I’d enjoy the fights, but I’d probably lower my pace or take a break from the belt when one of them starts demanding exact timing.

Exploration can also turn into a bit of backtracking, and the map and the unfamiliar corners of Cvstodia ask you to keep track of where you’ve been. That’s the part I’m less sure about during a workout, because walking back through places you’ve already cleared is not exactly a gift to your attention span. Still, the game gives you fresh enemies and strange sights along the way, so it doesn’t feel like you’re standing around waiting for the next thing to happen. Mostly.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

The full controller support is a big plus, and the basic act of moving and attacking seems like something you could handle while walking or pedaling at a steady pace. I’d start on a treadmill walk or an easy bike ride, because you can pay attention to the screen without asking your hands to do more than they can manage. The art is clear, the action is constant, and there aren’t long stretches of dialogue that make you stop playing to read a wall of text.

Then the platforming asks for jumps and careful movement, and the combat asks you to react before an enemy gets a clean hit in. I think that’s manageable on a bike if you’re not pushing hard, since your upper body is likely to stay steadier, but I wouldn’t assume every section is going to feel relaxed. On a treadmill, I’d keep the pace gentle and be ready to stop moving when I reach a boss or a tricky jump. It’s not worth turning a small mistake into a bigger one because I wanted to keep jogging.

There are also moments where you need to think about where to go next, or learn what an enemy is doing before you try to get past it. I’d pause to sort out the map instead of squinting at it while moving, and I’d take any rough platforming section at a slow pace. You don’t need to skip the game’s best parts, but you may want to separate the hard fights from the part of your workout where you’re trying to focus on breathing. That seems fair.

I don’t know how much I’d want to play it during a hard run, because the more tired I got, the less appealing precise jumps and boss patterns would be. For a walk or a calm ride, though, I think it could hold your attention without making you feel like you need to master every detail. If you want something you can half watch, this isn’t it.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum requirements are pretty modest, and an older gaming computer should be enough to get this running. I’d look at the graphics card first if your computer is very old, but this isn’t asking you to buy a new machine just to draw a sword at a monster. Four gigabytes of storage is not much, which is nice.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Blasphemous makes sense for you if you like action, odd worlds, and fights that ask for your attention. I’d play it on an easy workout and ease off for bosses or tricky platforming, but I’d choose something gentler for a hard run.

Overall Score: 2.67 out of 3